Chapter 235: -232- Cooperation? Boring?
"Ichinose-san? And Nanaya-san? What are you two doing here?"
As soon as Hori and Ichinose Honami walked in, Kushida Kikyou showed an extremely surprised expression.
Not only Kushida Kikyou, but even Hirata Yousuke seemed a bit shocked, and Horikita Suzune also looked slightly stunned upon seeing Hori.
In contrast, Katsuragi Kouhei, upon seeing Hori, displayed an unprecedented seriousness in his eyes and kept his gaze fixed on him.
The heavy atmosphere in the Dragon Group, which was locked in a three-way standoff, changed slightly with Hori's appearance.
"So, you came?"
Ryuen Kakeru, on the other hand, remained completely different from the others, his face still wearing a cheerful smile as he spread his hands and addressed everyone present.
"Don't be so tense. They are guests I invited. The one-hour standby duty has already passed, and the room can be freely used. The school said so. So, it should be fine to use it to entertain guests, right?"
During the one-hour standby duty, students were not allowed to leave the room, let alone entertain guests.
But now that the standby duty was over, the school didn't prohibit members from other groups from entering rooms that didn't belong to them. In terms of rules, there was no problem.
However, just because there was no problem with the rules didn't mean there were no issues at all.
At the very least, with Hori's arrival, the situation seemed to have changed noticeably.
"Ryuen invited Nanaya-kun?"
"That's really surprising..."
Kushida Kikyou and Hirata Yousuke did not conceal their astonishment.
Even Horikita Suzune frowned.
Anyone would be surprised, right?
During the special exam on the deserted island, the two fought in a fierce battle of wits, and now they were in a host-guest situation. Who could have imagined that?
Katsuragi Kouhei, meanwhile, turned his gaze to Ryuen Kakeru as if something had dawned on him.
"I see, so you've set your sights on Class D this time?"
By "set your sights," he referred to what Ryuen Kakeru had done to Class A.
That is, cooperation.
During the special exam on the deserted island, Ryuen Kakeru targeted Class A.
Now, seeing Hori invited by Ryuen, Katsuragi Kouhei's first thought was that they had formed some sort of cooperative relationship.
This was no joke.
Regardless of whether Hori and Ryuen had any chance of forming a cooperation, if this were true, Katsuragi Kouhei couldn't take it lightly.
After all, both Hori and Ryuen were individuals Katsuragi Kouhei was highly wary of.
Naturally, if this were true, others couldn't ignore it either.
Especially Class B, where Kanzaki Ryuji had already turned his gaze to Ichinose Honami, his eyes full of questions.
It should be noted that it was Class B currently cooperating with Class D.
If Hori and Ryuen formed a cooperation, it would be a betrayal for Class B.
Of course, Kanzaki Ryuji didn't believe Hori and Ryuen had formed a cooperation, nor did the others.
There were mainly two reasons.
One was the grudge between Hori and Ryuen.
With such a grudge, the possibility of the two forming a cooperation was very low.
The other reason was...
"Do I look like an idiot?"
Hori spoke indifferently.
That's right.
Forming a cooperation with Ryuen Kakeru?
What kind of idiot would do that?
Class A was ruthlessly betrayed just a few days ago.
With such a precedent, who would still cooperate with Ryuen Kakeru?
They would be devoured without a trace in no time.
So, no one believed that anyone at this stage would form a cooperative relationship with Ryuen Kakeru.
Even Katsuragi Kouhei was only testing due to his extreme caution, not wanting to overlook any possibility.
Ryuen Kakeru, on the other hand, felt extreme disdain towards Katsuragi Kouhei.
"You're still thinking about such boring things, Katsuragi. Whether it's your defensive strategy or your approach, it's all extremely dull."
From the perspective of Ryuen Kakeru, who is aggressive and can win by any means necessary, Katsuragi Kouhei's approach of only maintaining Class A's lead without making any bold moves was indeed very uninteresting.
But Katsuragi Kouhei was unfazed.
"No matter what you say, I will not change my strategy. I have set this strategy for victory and believe it is justifiable. This is an exam to test 'thinking' abilities. Refusing to discuss and sticking to defense is my thought-out approach, and there's nothing wrong with it."
Katsuragi Kouhei made this declaration unwaveringly.
"Not just in this exam, but in the future as well, I plan to pursue a path that doesn't cause result discrepancies. We don't need to widen the gap, just maintain it. That way, Class A will definitely secure the final victory."
This was the approach of the man named Katsuragi Kouhei.
No wasted effort, no wasted energy, concentrating all capabilities to do the most appropriate thing.
In this way, Class A would be an impregnable fortress that no one could penetrate.
Katsuragi Kouhei was making this declaration.
At the same time, he was also making this declaration to Hori.
"No matter what you say, I will not change my strategy."
Katsuragi Kouhei was subtly expressing to Hori, who had repeatedly shaken Class A students in the Rabbit Group, that he shouldn't think small tricks could affect him.
Therefore...
"Although it's regrettable, in this exam, the four first-year classes will not have a clear gap like on the deserted island. This is the result."
Katsuragi Kouhei calmly made this statement.
This man truly believed in his strategy and intended to carry it out to the end.
Unfortunately, because of this, Ryuen Kakeru's gaze towards Katsuragi Kouhei became more contemptuous, to the point of astonishment.
"Even at this point, you still think you can win with such boring tactics?"
Ryuen Kakeru spoke mockingly, as if amused.
"If you're still unclear, let me tell you, Katsuragi, your strategy is meaningless. Even if you don't participate in discussions, there are ways to find out the VIPs, and it's a method that can identify all twelve groups' VIPs."
In the heavy atmosphere of the room, Ryuen Kakeru threw out this topic like a shock bomb.
Hori looked deeply at Ryuen Kakeru.
Indeed.
This man couldn't have missed this point. Just as Hori thought, he wouldn't be satisfied with just one group's victory.
Unlike Hori, who hadn't made up his mind yet.
Ryuen Kakeru had already set his sights on the final victory.
And he was accumulating results.
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