COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Inside Class A's lounge on the luxury cruise ship.

Katsuragi's robust figure stood at the very center. Arms folded, head lowered, he stared at the Class D student before him with a peculiar expression. The rest of the Class A students wore similarly varied looks.

"You're saying... you want to sell us Class D's VIP information?"

"Th-that's right!" Yamauchi Haruki slammed both hands on the table and grumbled. "I can't stand it in Class D anymore. Why is everyone ostracizing me? Even Ken won't hang out with me lately."

"It was clearly Ike's fault. Clearly Hirata's fault. Clearly everyone's fault. If everyone had just had a little more money, wouldn't Ike have been able to stay? It's all their fault for not coughing up points! If they hadn't blown through all their points in the very first month, this never would've happened!"

Katsuragi: "..."

Hashimoto: "..."

The rest of Class A: "..."

There were no humans left among them!

The vast Class A lounge sank into a deathly silence. The air conditioner blew cold air in steady hums.

Fuyuji reached out and covered Morishita's wide, bewildered eyes with one hand, dragging her as if fleeing for their lives to the farthest corner of the lounge. Lowering his voice, he whispered urgently.

"From now on, if the great Morishita ever runs into him, stay far, far away. He'll contaminate the great Morishita's eyes."

Slender fingers poked Fuyuji's waist. Kamuro leaned in close to his ear, her voice a whisper through gritted teeth. "What... is wrong with this person? He doesn't seem like he's acting?"

Having said this, she redirected her gaze toward that figure with the haggard face, slamming the table, and silently passed judgment in her heart.

This level of purity—you couldn't act it out even if you tried!

With a sharp slap, Morishita smacked Fuyuji's hand away. She looked at Fuyuji with keen interest, her small hands shaking his arm vigorously, her eyes sparkling, her voice brimming with excitement. "Hey, hey, Fuyuji Mikage. Later, let's act this out too, okay? You know, the one where it's all Fuyuji Mikage's fault, all Shiraishi Asuka's fault, all Yamamura Miki's fault..."

Yamamura, who had been innocently caught in the crossfire, wore a troubled expression. "That's not very nice, is it, Morishita-san?"

"..."

The corner of Fuyuji's mouth twitched. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Yamauchi Haruki with a gaze full of murderous intent.

To actually dare corrupt my adorable great Morishita—next time, I'll have him expelled!

Shiraishi quietly peeled open a segment of tangerine and gently placed it in Fuyuji's hand. After meticulously wiping her hands with a napkin, she cupped her chin and mused.

"Mm... he seems to be that student who nearly got expelled, isn't he? I heard he almost got into a fight with the student who actually was expelled."

The other Class A students, either seated or standing throughout the lounge, exchanged glances among themselves.

[He's probably not acting?]

[Definitely not. You try acting that out for me.]

[So the intel is real?]

[The question is—in that state, could he really have gotten his hands on the VIP list?]

After pondering for just a single moment, the entire Class A shook their heads in unison.

No, no, no. If someone like that could actually pull it off, Class D was probably already dead and buried.

"Anyway, it's all everyone else's fault! Everyone else is the reason I've ended up like this! I absolutely refuse to be expelled. That would be way too lame." Yamauchi slammed the table with his fist once more, producing a dull, heavy thud. "Since it's all their fault, why won't they take out the VIPs' points and compensate me?!"

Katsuragi: "..."

Hashimoto: "..."

The rest of Class A: "..."

From the other side of the lounge, Fuyuji tossed Hashimoto a look from afar.

[Watch closely and learn well!]

Hashimoto, his face twisted in agony, covered half of it with one hand and laboriously threw a look back.

[This, and only this—please spare me from, Boss!]

Yamauchi snatched up a nearby drink and gulped down a huge mouthful before continuing his tirade.

"Right now, I've only got one Class D VIP name. One hundred thousand—no, at least t-two, three hundred thousand before I can sell it to you guys." Yamauchi shook his head and continued incoherently. "No, no. I misspoke just now. Guessing a VIP's name correctly gets you five hundred thousand private points. You should be giving me five hundred thousand!"

"Hey, Class A, how about letting me transfer classes? I mean, I'm a super genius, you know. I was scouted by the national team back in elementary school. If I hadn't gotten injured in middle school, I would've made it to Koshien. Once I'm better, I'll definitely help you take down Class D!"

"And another thing—I'm the kind of guy who can score a perfect hundred on his very first exam. If that mastermind hadn't schemed against me, the school would've already discovered my potential and promoted me to your Class A by now!"

"Smack—!"

"Smack—! Smack—!"

In perfect unison, the entire Class A student body smacked their own foreheads and collectively threw Katsuragi a look.

[Hurry up and shovel this thing out of here!]

Katsuragi: "..."

A wave of deep, profound helplessness washed over him. He raised a hand and wearily rubbed his temples.

Whether the intel Yamauchi currently held was real or fake, his prudent nature refused to take such a risk.

At a time like this, without contracts—never mind the question of whether Yamauchi was acting or not—even if he wasn't, the VIP name he held could very well be a false lead deliberately released by Class D.

After all, his behavior...

Katsuragi paused. He gathered his words for a moment and was just about to open his mouth to send him packing when his phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.

He pulled out his phone. A trace of doubt in his eyes, he lit up the screen. A message had surfaced in the class group chat.

[Fuyuji Mikage: Make him talk. Buy the VIP name off him.]

"..."

Katsuragi's mouth hung slightly open. His expression was clearly stunned for a beat. He looked at Yamauchi, still gesticulating wildly and boasting, then at Fuyuji, who was currently being pestered by Morishita in a cover-the-eyes game but had, at this very moment, nodded at him with a beaming smile.

...Really?

Yamauchi Haruki... no matter how you looked at it, this was a shoddy trap, wasn't it?

Fuyuji nodded and discreetly flashed him a thumbs-up, his face blooming into an utterly radiant grin.

Since Fuyuji had said so... buy it they would.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Katsuragi looked up at Yamauchi with a touch of helplessness. He truly didn't want to waste his breath on this person. But the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

"You should understand what the consequences would be for deceiving Class A, yes? Although school rules forbid conflicts with students from other classes, Class A's points and status alone are more than enough to make your continued survival at this school exceedingly difficult. As a side note—I currently hold a position in the Student Council."

"O-of course I do!" Yamauchi flinched and shrank back under Katsuragi's imposing presence. Cold sweat streaming down his face, his eyes darting about in panic, he puffed himself up and stammered, "I-I would absolutely never deceive you guys! I saw this with my own eyes!"

Saw it with his own eyes? The possibility was slightly higher.

Still, it could also have been deliberately leaked by some Class D student.

"How many private points do you want for this name?"

In an instant, Yamauchi's beady little eyes blazed with astonishing light. Unable to contain himself, he blurted out, "Of course—five hundred thousand! No, one million private points! With this, not only do you get the five hundred thousand private point reward, you also get fifty class points! One million is super cheap, you know!"

"..."

Even someone as composed as Katsuragi couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching violently at this. The rest of the Class A students also watched this hopping, bouncing Class D student as if observing a monkey.

Where exactly did this guy find the nerve to ask for a million?! And besides, his original asking price—if Katsuragi wasn't mistaken—had been one hundred thousand private points, hadn't it?

Looking past Yamauchi's shoulder, Katsuragi fixed his gaze on Fuyuji, who was leisurely waggling five fingers.

Knowing Fuyuji-kun's personality, five hundred thousand was absolutely out of the question. In that case...

"Fifty thousand private points. Tell us the name of this so-called VIP of yours." Katsuragi drew a deep breath, folded his arms, and spoke in a deep, heavy voice.

Although Katsuragi was often teased by his classmates within Class A, in the eyes of students from other classes, this Class A leader still carried considerable authority.

Hearing that his asking price of one million had been slashed all the way down to the ankles, Yamauchi instantly panicked. He cried out loudly, "No, no! You can't do that! Five hundred thousand! I only want five hundred thousand private points!"

Five fingers became three.

"Thirty thousand private points!" Katsuragi's tone was decisive, brooking no negotiation.

"Two hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand is fine! Why is it getting lower and lower?!"

A single finger rose in the air.

"Ten thousand. Take it or leave it!" Katsuragi immediately followed up, his voice icy.

"Fifty thousand! I'll take the original fifty thousand! Let's make a deal!" Yamauchi's voice had taken on a tearful edge.

The fingers once again became five.

"Five thousand private points. Take it or leave it!"

"Fine, fine! Five thousand it is! We have a deal, okay?! Please, no less than that!"

The entire Class A student body: "..."

VIP intel bought for five thousand private points... even if you dared to tell me, I wouldn't dare write it down!

And besides...

The entire class shot Fuyuji a discreet glance.

Fuyuji-san, slashing a million down to five thousand... aren't you being a little too ruthless?

Only Morishita, who knew Fuyuji inside and out, turned her head and asked curiously, "Fuyuji Mikage, how many points were you planning to ask for originally?"

Fuyuji extended five fingers and spoke with the bitter tone of one disappointed by a failure to meet expectations. "What I meant was—have him give me five thousand points as compensation for my mental distress. If he refused, I'd record him and send it to the Class D students."

You're absolutely vicious! xN

After a round of negotiations, Katsuragi finally managed to send the humanoid entity named Yamauchi Haruki on his way.

Once he had gone far off into the distance, watching his retreating figure—originally slouching and unsteady, now visibly strutting with arrogance—a murmur drifted out from somewhere in the crowd.

"Is he acting, or is he really like that? That guy... is he even human?"

"How on earth did he get into this school? The school actually admits students like this? I feel like my own class has been dragged down a few notches." Another student muttered quietly.

"What kind of class is Class D, to actually be able to tolerate someone like this?"

Hashimoto leaned against the wall and spoke with a teasing grin. "At the very least, he succeeded in confusing us, didn't he?"

"Smack—!"

A hand clapped down on Hashimoto's shoulder. In an instant, cold sweat poured down his entire body. He turned his neck with a mechanical grinding sound.

Fuyuji stood beside him, beaming. "Hashimoto-san, have you absorbed the essence? It's time for you to take the stage."

Hashimoto's throat bobbed. He forced out a strained smile. "Fuyuji-san, this kind of thing requires natural talent. Forgive me—I simply don't have the ability."

"What about the upcoming mission, then?"

A sudden, inexplicable shiver ran down Hashimoto's spine. He hurriedly replied, "Rest assured. This mission doesn't require that level of acting yet."

"Then I'll leave it to you?"

"Success guaranteed!"

...

Half an hour later. Inside a dimly lit cruise ship cabin. The curtains had been drawn tightly shut. Only a few faint threads of sunlight seeped through the gaps.

As for why the curtains were drawn in broad daylight—perhaps Ryuen Kakeru simply preferred it that way.

[The Snake Group's exam has concluded. Students of the Snake Group are no longer required to participate in the exam. Please act with caution and do not disturb other students.]

"Ho~"

Ryuen slowly withdrew his gaze from his phone. The dim glow of the screen illuminated his cold, grim face. Rubbing his chin, he turned his heavy stare toward the figure that had just entered the room.

"Another group's exam has ended. Was it your Class A's doing? Know who they wrote down?"

"Probably not. Katsuragi has absolutely no intention of going on the offensive in this exam. Class A is already in the lead. Even if they do nothing this time, the other classes can't catch up." Hashimoto waved his hand dismissively and sighed, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.

"Then what are you here for? I don't welcome people who can't bring me value." Ryuen let out a cold laugh and propped both legs arrogantly on the table, leaning back.

"Oi, oi. You're throwing me aside already?! You bastard, Ryuen!" An expression of fury immediately surfaced on Hashimoto's face, his tongue-twisting accent slipping out.

"Our relationship isn't nearly that close." Ryuen lazily spun the phone in his hand. "Get lost. Once you've got your hands on Class A's VIP list, I'll give you a proper welcome then."

"I've got no interest in working with someone who has no sincerity anymore. Goodbye, Ryuen. Take your trash class and go die together!"

Hashimoto twisted the door handle and lifted his foot, ready to leave. Yet in the very next instant, his already raised foot came to an abrupt halt, as if nailed in place. His body froze, as though seized by invisible threads.

[Before the exam starts, collect all the students' phones. When the school sends out the text messages, have someone delete every last one of them...]

"Ryuen..." Hashimoto turned around with excruciating slowness. Veins bulged like earthworms across his forehead and neck. His clenched fists cracked audibly at the knuckles. He glared at Ryuen with a gaze of utter, seething darkness. "You actually dared to scheme against me!"

"Sa~"

Ryuen raised the recording pen in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling into a cruel arc.

"Class A's VIP list. In exchange for this." Toying with the recording pen in his hand with casual nonchalance, Ryuen bared a grin. "Don't worry. After all, we're partners in the closest, most seamless cooperation. I'll absolutely return it to you. We can even sign a new contract when the time comes."

"Ryuen... you'll regret this!" Hashimoto shot Ryuen one last icy glare, then violently lowered his head and strode straight out of the room.

"Hashimoto. I'm the one destined to rule this school."

"Bang—!"

The cabin door was slammed shut with every ounce of Hashimoto's strength. A deafening crash echoed throughout the entire deck, the doorframe itself trembling faintly.

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!