Horikita had easily defeated Kanzaki. Fortunately, including the one with Hamaguchi, in all three battles, she was never pushed into a corner. Especially in the third battle, Kanzaki couldn't concentrate on the exam, so it didn't even become a serious competition. About five minutes later, the door to the representative room opened, and Ichinose finally appeared.
"Amazing, Horikita-san. To defeat even Kanzaki-kun without a scratch."
"...It's just a coincidence."
Horikita humbly replied, while Ichinose smiled and took her seat. Horikita observed all her movements, unable to detect any impatience or nervousness. There seemed to be no anxiety about being the first general to come out.
"Let's each give it our all and do our best."
"...Right."
Horikita, who should've already experienced discussions before, seemed unusually tense.
At this point, she considered whether she should ask Ichinose about Kanzaki. There were still a few minutes left in the recess interval, and it was possible to talk about how he lost during the passing moments. Whether he spoke honestly about his almost surrender-like defeat was unknown. No, it was more likely that he hadn't talked about it. If so, this could be used as material to disturb her—
"By the way, I feel like your image has changed a bit from before, Horikita-san."
As she hesitated, Ichinose started a conversation as if she were making some casual small talk.
"Is that so? I don't think I've changed at all... If there's anything different from before, maybe it's just the length of my hair?"
"No, not the physical appearance. It's more like... your presence has softened, and you seem kinder. You've become much easier to approach than before."
"...Really? It's not my intention to be like that."
"But you speak and go out with both guys and girls more often than before, don't you think?"
"...That is... well, yes. Maybe I have compared to the past."
It was something Horikita couldn't have imagined in the past. She could agree with that.
"I've been hearing a lot about you lately, Horikita-san."
Groups were chosen, and a new discussion was about to begin.
"You hear a lot... from whom?"
"Hm? From everyone."
With a smile, Ichinose stared at the monitor.
"I think it's wonderful to be able to close the distance with classmates and deepen your friendships. I've been interacting with everyone to try to get along with them. I didn't intend to use that for anything, but I guess accumulating it on a daily basis does pay off."
It was truly a trivial conversation. However, Horikita couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
As the discussion began in earnest, they stopped exchanging words.
For the next five minutes, Horikita quietly observed the 14 participants' discussion.
Up to that point, there was no difference from the time with Hamaguchi or Kanzaki; it was the same special exam.
Horikita, who'd been carefully observing, of course, had yet to reach a conclusion regarding their roles.
[ILLUSTRATION]
Naturally, she first considered safely passing, but she still first tried to gauge Ichinose's approach.
Horikita tried to see whether she would show signs of nominating someone or unhesitantly passing. Either way, since no significant information had emerged in the first round, Horikita decided that passing was the only choice.
After waiting a while, as time was running out, Horikita chose to follow through with her plan to pass.
However—
'Ichinose-san has successfully identified Chiba-kun as having an executive role, so Horikita-san will lose one life.'
Without knowing how Ichinose arrived at that answer, she had already made a successful nomination.
"That's right. I thought so about Chiba-kun."
Her words flowed smoothly.
Without a hint of hesitation.
As if it were obvious, she mentioned that student's name again.
Up to this point, there hadn't been any nominations in the first round when she was facing Hamaguchi and Kanzaki, and everyone, including Horikita, had chosen to pass. Although she wasn't clear on the details, Hirata, who'd been defeated earlier, was probably no exception. Whether an announcement urging Class D's Chiba to leave was made in the room or not, the students on the other side of the monitor seemed slightly flustered.
It was because they didn't know the basis of her nomination.
"...You did well, figuring it out."
Horikita couldn't help but mutter in admiration.
"I've been observing people more closely than anyone else. Even without hearing words directly from Chiba-kun, there are moments when I can tell if he's lying or telling the truth based on his gestures."
She made a statement, seemingly saying that she knew everything about her close friends.
"You were particularly close with him then, right?"
"Particularly close? Not really. I guess I can understand this much about the others as well. I felt like I was slightly starting to see which other students might've been assigned executive roles while watching their discussion, but i'm not confident yet so I'll wait and see."
Horikita felt a chill run down her spine at that statement she just casually made.
Just from observing one discussion, she claimed to have discerned several students as having executive roles.
If Horikita's opponent were someone like Sakayanagi or Ryūen, she would've strongly suspected them to be bluffing.
But this was a statement made by someone none other than Ichinose.
She was tempted to believe it might be true.
"I see. If that's the case I'll be cornered soon enough. Only if that's true, though."
Feeling dissatisfied about the suddenly grim situation, Horikita straightened her posture as if to resist the pressure.
A student who didn't easily lie.
That was why a bluff here would be incredibly effective. If Horikita believed Ichinose's statement to be true, she might've rushed to nominate someone in a panic, but if it was a lie, nothing would be more foolish than acting prematurely.
In truth it was impressive to be able to distinguish someone with an executive role, but she still had doubts about how much of it was due to Ichinose's insight. Unlike the honor students, among the 14 participants, there were four students who could potentially be named for having executive roles, so the odds weren't that bad.
It could've been a coincidence or perhaps she simply took a gamble and succeeded.
Horikita reminded herself that there could be various different patterns behind Ichinose's correct answer, as a way of self-restraint.
Even if she panicked, the probability of hitting the mark wouldn't change right now.
However, it was still a bit too risky to gamble on such low odds.
Instead of being swept away by the situation, she thought about what moves would lead directly to victory.
Losing one life wasn't seriously damaging, which was significant.
First, she settled down. She'd seek results in the next round.
The second round began. Horikita wanted to find clues from the participants' behaviors before Ichinose did.
She hoped for this outcome during the next five minutes of discussion, but she could barely find any hints and time flew by quickly.
The time for nominations came. She hadn't obtained enough information for a decisive move.
However, she had to stop and think each time whether it was okay to pass again.
She wondered if there was something in that last discussion that could prompt Ichinose to nominate during this round.
Whether the statement she made at the end of the first round was true.
Horikita hadn't found enough material or evidence to go on the offensive yet...
Two people had already been eliminated due to nominations made by both Ichinose and one of the honor students. She decided that wherever it seemed suspicious, she'd try her hand at hitting an executive role.
'Ichinose-san has correctly identified Minami-san as having an executive role, so Horikita-san will lose one life. Additionally, Horikita-san has made an incorrect nomination, so she will lose one life.'
Horikita had decided to nominate someone, but the situation worsened.
Not only did she get it incorrect, but Ichinose continued successfully nominating someone.
The only consolation was that she had nominated a regular student, so the damage was minimal.
"Did you really know that Minami-san had an executive role?"
"Yes. She was one of the few that I was hesitating on in the first round."
Ichinose confidently identified an executive role among the 12 remaining participants.
Moreover, her tone suggested that she still had other candidates in mind.
Feeling that it was true, Horikita felt a slight dizziness.
"...Then, are you saying that the scope of who you can nominate has increased during these two rounds?"
"Yes. I still haven't grasped the distinction on who the honor students are, but there are three new people."
Ichinose looked at Horikita with straightforward, unquestionable eyes.
That wasn't a lie. Ichinose would surely continue to make nominations calmly and methodically.
She might even find the honor students next.
This meant that Horikita might only have one more round left at the earliest.
It was impossible not to feel dizzy about this.
Even if it had been anyone else in my position right now, wouldn't she be an opponent you can't win against?
Horikita couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at Ichinose's remarkable insight.
During the whole ten minutes of discussion, she didn't think she obtained any significant hints.
Even as Horikita looked back wondering if she had overlooked something, focusing only on the two names Ichinose had mentioned, she found no clues.
"I was lucky. The two people I identified were friends from my class."
With those words, she regained a bit of composure. If there was one difference, it was that point.
Horikita wasn't well acquainted with the students in Ichinose's class, far from it.
On the other hand, Ichinose understood her classmates better than anyone else.
Still, there wasn't much time left.
That was why Horikita decided to continue aggressively attacking from here on out.
She thought that if she continued to fight in a straightforward manner, her opponent would continue to dominate.
If she was inferior in terms of social connections and observational skills, she had no choice but to shake things up and confuse her.
"I was splendidly defeated. But having fought earlier, I sense something about this special exam. From the perspective of fairness, I think that the executive roles are almost evenly distributed between the two classes. If that's the case, there might be two executive roles among my classmates rather than yours. Even for you, it might be difficult to identify the remaining roles."
Horikita deliberately aimed to draw Ichinose's gaze to her own classmates.
By doing so, if she could narrow her field of vision even slightly...
"Horikita-san, if what you're telling me is true, it would mean giving me a hint, wouldn't it? Why did you tell me such an important piece of information, one that you've gathered because you experienced the exam first, so easily?"
She wasn't doubting whether it was true or false; she was simply questioning the reason for her kindness.
"You were able to guess correctly twice in a row because the executive roles were your classmates. I just wanted to tell you that it won't be so easy next time."
Of course, that was clearly a lie.
It probably sounded like a desperate excuse, but that was fine.
Even if Ichinose thought that there was a 99% chance it was a lie, it would be good even if it made her feel as if there was still a 1% possibility.
In fact, it was unclear how the school chose the executive roles, but it was safe to assume that the exam wouldn't be blatantly unfair. Even if one discussion led to an extremely biased result towards one class, going through all the discussions should eventually result in an equal bias, with a distribution close to 1:1.
"Then I'll have to put more effort into it."
Ichinose nodded and shifted her gaze to the monitor with an unchanging smile throughout.
The rocky third round came to an end and the time for nominations arrived.
'Horikita-san has successfully identified Hatsutori-kun as an executive role, so she will gain one life.'
Ichinose, who had guessed correctly twice in a row, chose to pass.
Relieved, Horikita also identified an executive role. However, she ended up hitting an underclassman, so she couldn't inflict Ichinose with any damage.
At this point, it was known that there were two honor students remaining, three executive roles had been nominated by the representatives, and the remaining executive role might've already been dismissed by the hands of an honor student.
The total number of participants was steadily decreasing, and it was doubtful whether the discussion could last an additional round.
Horikita currently had only one option.
If put in a situation where she couldn't afford to care about appearances, Horikita had no choice but to bring up that topic.
"When I fought Kanzaki-kun earlier, I completely won, didn't I? That was more because Kanzaki-kun let himself lose rather than a matter of his skills. Did he report that to you?"
"No, Kanzaki-kun didn't say anything."
"Is that so? Then do you understand what I meant by my words?"
Horikita tried to pique her interest by gradually releasing intriguing information.
But Ichinose answered without a change in her expression.
"I understand. Kanzaki-kun must've despaired early on about Ayanokōji-kun's presence after you, Horikita-san. He probably thought he couldn't win… so he tried to do his best as the middle guard, but you took the initiative, and his hopes faded. That's why he lost his will to fight."
Horikita was surprised by the accuracy of her remark but calmly processed her words.
"...You're being mischievous, aren't you? You heard from Kanzaki-kun, didn't you?"
It was the only explanation for her understanding.
"I didn't hear anything. I also knew that Ayanokōji-kun was participating, and it's not like I wasn't concerned about the outcome of the class competition. That's why I understand Kanzaki-kun's feelings well."
She reiterated that it wasn't a lie and explained the reason for her deduction.
Horikita was about to express her doubts, but stopped herself, thinking that she couldn't break through from that angle, and adjusted her approach.
"So, you also think you can't win against him?"
"That's right. Honestly, I do think that it'll be tough. But now that I've started the exam as the representative, I'm convinced—I'll be okay in this special exam."
"You won't lose against Ayanokōji-kun either...?"
Within less than 20 minutes, Horikita and Ichinose's positions were completely settled.
Like a fish in water, this was a special exam where Ichinose was overwhelmingly advantageous—she was convinced.
"I can defeat Ayanokōji-kun."
Ichinose showed her confidence in winning.
Horikita intended to disturb her, but she ended up being countered.
She desperately tried not to let her quickening heartbeat show, shifting from the reassurance of having Ayanokōji to the fear that Ichinose might actually defeat him.
If an honor student was identified next, Horikita's lives would be pushed down to two.
What Horikita hoped for now was to find decisive evidence to definitively identify an honor student. Or at the very least, she wanted to bring it to a draw and start over with a new group. She stared at the monitor with a praying heart, but Ichinose's silent demeanor caught her attention, and she momentarily let her gaze drift away.
"...!"
Their eyes met.
It was as if Ichinose had anticipated Horikita peeking and was waiting for it.
Then, she softly smiled and didn't look away. It was a crucial moment, and it would be strange if she wasn't intensely watching the monitor.
"What are you... intending..."
Captivated, Horikita couldn't look away and questioned her.
"What do you mean?"
"Why aren't you looking at the monitor...? Don't you need to look for the honor student?"
"Ah…Yeah, I'm fine."
'I'm fine'? What does that even mean?
Horikita tried to ask that back, but the words wouldn't come out.
Instinctively, she didn't want to hear what came next.
But mercilessly, Ichinose naturally continued.
"I've already figured out who all the honor students are."
Beyond chills and fear, Horikita just felt her senses fading.
Those were words spoken with conviction, without a single lie.
Talk of monitors or remaining discussion time was now meaningless.
Horikita knew that her defeat was almost fated, a certainty.
Yet—
Horikita looked away from Ichinose and slapped her own cheeks.
She couldn't afford to be swallowed up in disgrace any longer.
Even if defeat seemed likely, she couldn't give up until the end.
If she didn't give up, there was still a chance.
There was still a good possibility of bringing it to a draw.
For Ayanokōji's sake too, she had to chip away at the opponent's life, even just a little.
Horikita opened her heavy eyes and looked back at the monitor.
The opponent wasn't a machine. Ichinose must make mistakes, she told herself.