COTE: Popularity System

The second day of the VIP Exam.

Takada Hikaru arrived at the luxury cruise ship's cinema and chose the best viewing spot to sit down.

He had been thinking about the personal spin-off for a while and was about to watch a movie, hoping to find some inspiration.

The movies shown on the luxury cruise ship seemed to be all classic old films, and at this moment, it was 'Titanic'. One could say that the person who chose to show this movie had a sense of humor.

Takada Hikaru sat in his seat, quietly watching the images on the screen.

Just then, he felt someone slowly approaching not far away, so he curiously turned his head to look.

What came into view was a girl with short blue hair, wearing the Advanced Nurturing High School uniform. Her figure was somewhat petite, and her face looked a bit boyish.

Ibuki Mio, a student from Class 1-C, was sent by Class C to Class D as a spy during the Deserted Island Exam, and was assigned to the Rabbit Group during the VIP Exam.

Seeing someone else sitting in the seat she wanted, Ibuki Mio subconsciously wanted to leave. But upon realizing that the person currently watching the movie was Takada Hikaru, she stopped her steps and hesitated for a moment.

'Forget it, I don't care.'

Ibuki Mio turned around and resolutely sat two seats away from him.

She seemed to have a question she wanted to ask, but hadn't thought it through yet.

After watching the screen for a while, Ibuki Mio spoke, "I say... being assigned to the Rabbit Group, don't you have any thoughts about it?"

The VIP Exam was divided into twelve groups according to the Chinese zodiac. The members of the Dragon Group were basically the big shots from each class.

However, Takada Hikaru, who had shone brightly in the Deserted Island Exam, was not assigned to the Dragon Group, but to the Rabbit Group. This seemed to imply that Takada Hikaru's strength was not considered among the most outstanding students in Class A. It was baffling.

"Mio-san, talking in the cinema isn't a good habit." Takada Hikaru's eyes were fixed on the content playing on the big screen, a faint smile on his face.

"There's no one else here."

Hearing his words, Ibuki Mio's brows furrowed slightly as she mumbled.

The main occupants of the luxury cruise ship were students, and everyone still had their phones, which they could use to pass the time. Furthermore, all the movies shown in the luxury cruise ship's cinema were old films, making it even harder to attract others to watch.

In the vast cinema, only Takada Hikaru and Ibuki Mio were watching the movie.

"Indeed, there's no one else here, it's very suitable for whispering."

Takada Hikaru changed the movement of his hands, his fingers intertwined, and the smile on his face remained.

"Many excellent students in Class D were also not assigned to the Dragon Group, so I'm not surprised that I wasn't assigned to the Dragon Group."

"Class D?"

Ibuki Mio's brows furrowed slightly as she recalled the members of Class D in the Dragon Group for this exam, and her expression became confused.

"Horikita, Kushida, and Hirata, aren't they already the most outstanding students in Class D?"

Takada Hikaru shook his head, saying with a light chuckle, "Not quite. In my heart, the most outstanding in Class D are three other people."

Ibuki Mio's eyes widened slightly, her face bewildered. "Really?"

Horikita Suzune and the others, whom she regarded as strong individuals in Class D, couldn't even rank in the top three in Class D?

Takada Hikaru smiled. "In my eyes, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Kōenji Rokusuke, and Matsushita Chiaki are the most outstanding students in Class D. Of course, this is just my personal judgment, and it might not be the same as what others think."

Ibuki Mio was a bit confused. "I can understand Kōenji's name appearing. But why is Ayanokoji among them?"

In her impression, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was just Horikita Suzune's follower, serving no purpose other than accompanying the latter for conversations, not powerful at all.

Also... who was Matsushita Chiaki again?

She seemed to have some impression, but couldn't recall which student it was.

[Wasn't this girl just a good-looking background character?]

[I watched over ten episodes of Class D's storyline and didn't find this Matsushita Chiaki to be that powerful. Why did Money-Giving Guy say she's stronger than Horikita and the others?]

The scene of Takada Hikaru and Ibuki Mio's conversation was currently being broadcast to the audience as anime content.

When Takada Hikaru mentioned the three true strongest individuals in Class D, the anime very appropriately replaced the screen with close-ups of the three.

The images of Ayanokoji and Kōenji did not cause shock among the audience. But after Matsushita Chiaki's name and individual close-up appeared, it caused a huge stir.

Matsushita Chiaki... wasn't this person just a good-looking background character?

In Money-Giving Guy's evaluation, she was even more outstanding than Horikita and the others?

Another hidden big shot!

—

Afternoon.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka moved around the luxury cruise ship.

During the exam, he unexpectedly discovered that Karuizawa Kei was not as strong as she appeared, and also learned that she had conflicts with the delinquent girls from Class C.

There were many surveillance devices on the luxury cruise ship, but there were still places without surveillance, hereinafter referred to as gray areas.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka planned to find an opportunity to lead Karuizawa Kei and Manabe Shiho and others into a gray area, and seize the chance to amplify the evil in Manabe Shiho and the others' hearts.

If it could eventually escalate into a bullying incident by Manabe Shiho and other delinquent girls against Karuizawa Kei, he could secretly record a video.

Karuizawa Kei, who had a high status in the class, could not accept the public disclosure of her being bullied.

Manabe Shiho and the others also knew that if their actions were reported to the school, they would definitely be expelled.

As long as the video was recorded, both sides would have no choice but to accept his demands and become tools he needed to complete his plan.

'It's easy to get Manabe to come out, I just need to send an anonymous message, pretending that I also have a grudge against Karuizawa.'

'Karuizawa isn't too difficult either, just arrange to meet her in Hirata's name.'

'The most troublesome one is Takada.'

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was still wandering around the luxury cruise ship, recalling what had happened during the exam.

Ever since being assigned to the same group in the VIP Exam, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka found that he always overlooked Takada Hikaru's presence. Clearly, the other party possessed very powerful stealth techniques.

At the same time, Takada Hikaru was also hinting that he could follow Ayanokoji Kiyotaka at any time without being discovered.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was not surprised that he was being watched by the other party. As early as the midterm exam, he realized that his abilities might have already been discovered by Takada Hikaru.

During the Deserted Island Exam, his thoughts were further confirmed. The contract he signed behind his back, which Horikita Suzune suffered the most from, interfered with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's plan to elevate Horikita Suzune.

That is to say, the true purpose of the contract Takada Hikaru signed with Class D was to restrict him.

'Takada... is he an assassin from the White Room?'

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head as soon as this thought arose.

He knew he wasn't the best person in the world, but he could be sure he was the White Room's best product. If Takada Hikaru were a White Room student, it would be impossible for him to possess such powerful presence-erasing techniques.

'Now is not the time to think about such things. I still need to find a way to determine Takada's whereabouts, and ideally, restrict his movements.'