While the Gemini Group was trapped in a cold war of intellect cleverly disguised as literary discussion, and the Cancer Group lay under a fragile ceasefire, the situations in the other meeting rooms aboard the cruise ship Speranza varied from tragic comedy to utter chaos.
In the ship's corridors, rumors and speculations began to slither out from beneath the doors of the meeting rooms, creating an atmosphere of paranoia that enveloped the entire first-year cohort.
Meeting Room H — Group Scorpio
If hell had an auditory definition, the Scorpio Room would be a very strong candidate.
The room was noisy. Incredibly noisy.
There was no dominant authority figure here. No Horikita, no Ichinose, no Katsuragi, and no Ryuen.
As a result, a massive power vacuum had formed, quickly filled by the shouts of a dozen people who all believed they were the most correct.
"I'm telling you, we should draw lots!" yelled Urushibara from Class C, slamming his hand on the table. "Whoever draws the short straw has to confess if they're the VIP!"
"That's stupid!" countered Nene Mori from Class B. The girl, who usually loved to gossip, now looked deeply frustrated. "If the VIP loses the draw and confesses, we all lose! Did you even read the rules?!"
"Who are you calling stupid, huh?!" Urushibara stood up, his face flushed red.
"Everyone, shut up!" yelled Satomura from Class A.
Satomura, the student who had been the Leader of Class A during the island exam, tried to take control. However, his charisma was nowhere near Ichinose's level.
"Class A proposes Scenario 1. We all just stay quiet. That's the safest route," Satomura stated logically.
"Like hell we're letting Class A boss us around!" interrupted Kei Tsukishima from Class D. "Just because you guys won on the island, you think you're the boss?"
"This isn't about being the boss, it's about rationality!"
"Shut up! I just want to play Werewolf!"
The discussion spun in circles, going absolutely nowhere. Ijyuuin Wataru from Class B could only bow his head, clutching his stomach which was aching from the sheer stress, praying for time to pass quickly.
Without a strong leader, the Scorpio Group was a rudderless ship spinning aimlessly in the middle of a storm of unproductive arguments.
Meeting Room I — Group Sagittarius
In this room, the tension was focused entirely on a single point: Hondo Ryoutarou from Class 1-B.
Hondo was not a student skilled at hiding his feelings. He panicked easily and possessed absolutely zero poker face.
And unfortunately for him, he was the VIP.
Sweat poured profusely down his round face. His hands trembled violently as he held the playing cards they were using to kill time.
"Hondo," called out Makida from Class C, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You just discarded a Joker even though you still have an Ace. You aren't focusing, are you?"
"E-eh? Ah, sorry! I... I'm just hungry!" Hondo deflected, his voice squeaking at a high pitch. "When's dinner?"
"Hungry?" Kaito from Class A gave him a weird look. "We just had lunch two hours ago. And you ate two portions."
"I-I have a fast metabolism!"
The excuse was incredibly weak.
Makida and Kaito exchanged glances. They saw the signs. Unnatural nervousness. Excessive sweating. Nonsensical excuses.
"Hey, Hondo," Makida said, setting his cards down. He smirked slyly. "Don't tell me... you're the VIP?"
Hondo's heart stopped for a second. His face drained of all color.
"N-n-n-no way! Me?! Hahahaha! Very funny!" his laugh sounded like air escaping a punctured tire.
"You're overreacting," Makida pressed. He leaned forward. "Just confess. If you confess, I'll protect you from Class D."
Hondo was backed into a corner. He wanted to cry. He wanted to run to Seiji or Hirata. But he was all alone here.
His mouth opened, almost ready to surrender under the immense mental pressure.
SLAM!
Suddenly, the sound of a falling chair shattered the interrogation.
At the far end of the table, Okitani Kyousuke (Class B) and Suzuki (Class D) were standing, gripping each other by the collars.
"You're cheating at cards, you bastard!" Okitani yelled, though he was actually just looking for an excuse to cause a scene in accordance with Seiji's emergency instructions ("If a classmate gets cornered, cause chaos").
"What?! You're the one who's blind!" Suzuki yelled back.
"You wanna fight, huh?!"
Makida and Kaito's attention was instantly diverted.
"Oi, stop it! No fighting!" Kaito shouted, running over to break them up.
Amidst the commotion, Hondo slumped back into his chair, letting out a massive breath.
He was safe. For now.
But Hondo knew he wouldn't last another two days. He needed a miracle.
Meeting Room J — Group Capricorn
Unlike the chaotic Scorpio and the tense Sagittarius, the Capricorn Room felt like a monumentally boring corporate boardroom meeting.
This group was heavily dominated by Class A's influence.
Fukuyama and Azuma from Class A sat calmly, leading the discussion with an efficiency that was almost robotic.
"As per Ichinose-san's directive," Fukuyama said politely yet firmly. "We from Class A will not be submitting any guesses. We invite our friends from Classes B, C, and D to do the same."
Kikuchi and Nakamura from Class B nodded in agreement. They had already been indoctrinated with the Absolute Defense strategy.
"Class B agrees," Kikuchi stated simply.
Sanada and Tokunaga from Class C (Sakayanagi's faction) whispered to each other briefly, then nodded. "Class C agrees. We don't want to take any risks."
Only Goda and Tanaka from Class D looked displeased. They wanted to cause trouble, but they were outnumbered and out-argued.
Faced with a solid, unified front of Classes A, B, and C, Class D's thuggery was rendered entirely useless.
"Tch. Boring," Goda muttered. "You're all cowards."
"Cowards who will be walking home with 500,000 points," Fukuyama replied calmly. "Feel free to call us whatever you like. The bank account balance will not lie."
The Capricorn Group had reached a peaceful stalemate. A peace built entirely upon economic logic and numerical dominance.
Across the entire cruise ship Speranza, twelve different dramas were playing out simultaneously.
Some shouted, some cried, some lied, and some remained silent.
However, a single red thread connected them all: Uncertainty.
No one truly knew who was a friend and who was a foe. In the middle of this vast ocean, every student was an isolated island, desperately trying to keep their little secrets from sinking to the bottom.
And at the very center of that storm, in the Gemini Room, Seiji Koroizumi closed his mystery book, preparing for the next chapter of the game he was currently directing.
............................................
Within the ecosystem of this school, there were monsters and there were ordinary humans.
Monsters like Seiji, Ayanokouji, Sakayanagi, or Ryuen possessed fangs and claws to rip their opponents to shreds. However, ordinary humans—students with no special talents like Sano Kouta or Endou Yuta—possessed no such weapons.
So, how does a rabbit survive in the middle of a wolf's banquet?
The answer was simple: Become a rock.
Meeting Room K — Group Aquarius
Sano Kouta sat in chair number 2. His back was straight, both hands placed neatly on his thighs. His eyes stared straight ahead at the mineral water bottle in the center of the table, as if that bottle were the most fascinating object in the entire world.
All around him, a storm of interrogation was taking place.
"Hey, Sano," called Shimizu from Class C (Sakayanagi's faction). His voice was urgent. "Why have you been so quiet this whole time? Everyone else has already reintroduced themselves."
Sano did not answer. He didn't turn his head. He didn't even blink.
"Oi, are you deaf?" Yano from Class D lightly kicked the leg of Sano's chair. "We're asking your opinion on Scenario 1. Does Class B agree or not?"
Sano remained silent. His face was flat, completely expressionless.
Inside his head, Sano was replaying the audio recording of Seiji Koroizumi, delivered during the emergency briefing session in their dorm room.
"Sano, you are not a good liar. If you speak, your voice will tremble. If you deny, your eyes will dart away. Therefore, your strategy is singular: Absolute Silence."
"Do not speak unless instructed to by the exam proctor. Do not react to provocation. Do not laugh, do not get angry. Become a statue."
"Humans fear what they do not understand. If you remain silent, they will begin to invent their own stories about you inside their heads."
Sano gulped.
He wanted to speak. He wanted to say, "Yes, I agree to Scenario 1!" just so Yano would stop kicking his chair.
But the image of Seiji—with his friendly smile concealing a lethal aura—was far more terrifying than any Class D delinquent.
I cannot disappoint Koroizumi-kun, Sano thought. He already saved us during the island exam. Now it's my turn to be the wall.
"This guy is weird," Takahashi (Class C) whispered to Shimizu. "Look at his eyes. They're completely dead. You don't think he's the VIP and he's just terrified of slipping up?"
"Or maybe he's just a decoy?" Shimizu replied doubtfully. "Remember Sotomura's strategy in the Leo Group? Class B likes to use weirdos as a distraction."
Sano's strategy of silence was beginning to work. His inability to respond was actually creating ambiguity.
Classes C and D were beginning to overthink.
If Sano was the VIP, why was he being so conspicuous with his silence? That was too obvious. If Sano wasn't the VIP, why was he quiet? Was he protecting someone?
"Tch, this is a waste of time," Yano finally grumbled. He gave up trying to bait a reaction out of Sano. "Talking to a brick wall would get me more answers than him."
Watanabe from Class A, seeing the deadlock, finally took charge.
"Enough. Don't force him. Maybe he has a toothache or something," Watanabe said diplomatically. "Class A chooses Scenario 1. We will not be guessing anyone. What about the rest of you?"
"Class C is in," Shimizu said, still shooting suspicious glances at Sano.
"Class D... whatever," Yano answered lazily.
The discussion in the Aquarius Group flatlined.
Sano Kouta let out a very, very slow sigh of relief through his nose.
He did it. He had become a boulder that broke the waves of suspicion, simply by doing absolutely nothing.
Meeting Room L — Group Pisces
Unlike the silent tension in Aquarius, the Pisces Group possessed a much more explosive dynamic due to the presence of one person: Yamamoto from Class D.
Yamamoto was the type of low-level thug who felt the need to prove himself because his boss (Ryuen) was currently "sleeping."
"Boring!" Yamamoto threw his playing cards into the center of the table.
"Playing cards all day! Are we in an exam or running a casino?! I wanna find the VIP!"
He stood up, pointing a finger right in the face of Endou Yuta from Class B.
"You! Endou! You definitely know who the VIP is, right? Class B acts like they're so tight-knit!"
Endou Yuta, a male student who typically faded into the background, stared at Yamamoto calmly.
He wasn't using the "Rock" technique like Sano. He was using the "Flat Mirror" technique.
"I do not know, Yamamoto-kun," Endou replied in a monotonous voice. "And even if I did, why would I tell you? That is illogical."
"Logic, logic, my ass!" Yamamoto barked. "Let me tell you my logic. If you don't give me info, I'm gonna corner you in the bathroom tonight!"
A physical threat. A rule violation.
Normally, an ordinary student would be terrified. But Endou had seen things far more horrifying. He had seen Seiji Koroizumi tame Ryuen without even touching him. He had seen Kouenji jump off a pier into the jungle.
Compared to those monsters, Yamamoto was nothing but a barking chihuahua.
"Be my guest," Endou answered flatly. "But remember, there are CCTV cameras in the hallway outside the bathrooms. If you touch me, Class D gets disqualified. Ryuen-kun will certainly be... thrilled to hear about that."
Dropping Ryuen's name was a trump card.
Yamamoto's face instantly went pale. "Y-you threatening me?"
"No. I am simply stating facts," Endou said. He turned his head toward the Class A representatives, Yoshida and Inoue.
"Yoshida-kun, Class A wants Scenario 1, correct? Does Yamamoto-kun's behavior support your objective?"
Yoshida, who was quite heavily built, nodded firmly.
"No. Yamamoto, sit down. Stop causing a scene. If you threaten another participant again, we will report you to Mashima-sensei for disturbing the peace."
Pressured from two sides—Endou's cold logic and Class A's moral authority—Yamamoto lost his footing.
He was alone. Kinoshita and Mori from Class D (the girls in the group) didn't help him. They were still traumatized by the events on the island and chose to remain silent.
"Tch... watch your back," Yamamoto muttered, sitting back down roughly. He picked his playing cards back up with a scowl.
Endou returned to his calm state. He glanced at Ichihashi Ruri and Nishimura Ryuko, the two Class B girls in the group.
They gave him a small nod. Gratitude radiated from their eyes.
Endou had successfully become the Fortress of Logic.
He didn't need to be a superhero. He only needed to use the school's rules and the enemy's fear of their own boss as weapons.
In the Pisces Group, the attempt at provocation had been shattered. The path to peace—or at least a ceasefire—was now wide open.
........................…
As time marched on, the same pattern began to emerge across all twelve rooms.
Seiji Koroizumi's strategy wasn't about one genius defeating everyone else single-handedly.
It was about distributing simple, small roles to every single member of the class.
The Angry One (Yukimura).
The Peacemaker (Hirata).
The Loud One (Kei).
The Rock (Sano).
The Logical One (Endou).
Every Class B student possessed a defensive role tailored specifically to their personality. And because they were so focused on executing those roles, they didn't emit the "stench of fear" that usually made them prey for predators.
They became boring, uninteresting walls. And in an exam where information is currency, being boring was the absolute best way to keep the vault locked tight.
The sun began to set on the first day of the Zodiac Exam.
Not a single name had been guessed yet. Not a single betrayal had occurred.
The Speranza sailed calmly on the surface, but deep down below, Class B's defensive net had been stretched perfectly tight, waiting for the days to come with lethal patience.
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