"When should we go ahead with the plan? Time is ticking," Horikita said.

"I think we should let our classmates know first," Kushida insisted.

"How about we go ahead with the plan tonight at 11 PM? That way we have enough time to tell our classmates," Hirata suggested.

"That sounds good, let's go with that!" Ichinose agreed.

"Fine by me fufufu," Arisu still couldn't help but laugh.

The unofficial meeting had concluded. We had decided to use Horikita's plan. Hirata organized a class meeting at 10:00 PM, when he planned let our classmates know about the plan.

Little did they know the traitor was in their class.

Immediately after we parted ways, I saw Kushida take out her phone, seemingly sending a message to someone.

After, I met up with Arisu in a cafe to briefly discuss the exam.

"Kiyotaka, are you okay with this?"

"Yes, why?"

"If my assumptions are correct, there's a traitor in your class. It's likely that the traitor let Ryuuen know of our so-called plan. He will act before we do and come out as the winner."

"I know. The traitor must've thought they could get away with this. It seems like they didn't think things through until the end. I won't be intervening though. I don't mind the loss in class points. I have another goal in mind."

"I see. Well, I'm letting you know that I don't intend on losing any class points in this exam."

"Class C coming out as the winner is part of my plan. As long as that happens, you can do as you see fit, Arisu."

"Fufufu... good to know. Luckily for you, I find this exam quite boring, so I'll play along with you for now. I suppose you don't need me to do anything?"

"Not anything in particular. Are you going to take actions now?"

"I plan on attacking Class C as soon as Ryuuen attacks all of us."

"I see, so you'll see no changes in your total class points. I suppose the fact that Class D had already guessed one of Class A's VIPs worked in your favor."

"I guess I was somewhat lucky fufufu... Also, why do you think Ryuuen waited before attacking us all?"

"Knowing him, he probably just wanted to have a little fun. He's confident because the traitor that works for him is in our group. Knowing that the traitor will tell him the time of our attack, he left the meeting as soon as it ended. I think he wanted to see what we would come up with."

"That's what I was thinking too. Ryuuen sees everything as a game. Are you sure you don't want to fight back?"

"I'm not going to do anything. This is all going exactly according to plan."

"Then I suppose I won't intervene in your business."

"Is that all you wanted to talk about, Arisu?"

"Yes, pretty much. I can't wait to see the reactions of your classmates, fufufu."

With that, we parted ways.

********

"I see, that's a good plan."

"Yeah, I support Horikita's idea."

It was time for the class meeting. Hirata reserved the meeting room on the second floor of the cruise ship. Everyone was present, except for Kouenji.

Horikita had just finished explaining the plan.

"Sakayanagi-san will send us the list of the VIPs just before we take action."

It seemed like Horikita failed to figure out the pattern.

"Why aren't we taking action now?"

"We decided it would be best for each class to have a class meeting to make the plan known to all three classes involved," Hirata said.

"Did Kiyotaka have a say in this?" Ken asked.

"No, I didn't get involved in this exam. I let Hirata, Kushida and Horikita take the lead and it seems like it was the right choice. I wanted to enjoy my days on the cruise ship."

"I see."

"To sum up, Sakayanagi will tell us the VIPs at 10:45 PM. Then, soon after, we'll put our plan into action," Horikita summed up.

"Sounds good!"

"This exam will finally be over!"

********

It was little past 10:45 PM, and everyone in our class was in the meeting room on the second floor. Everyone except Kouenji, but that was to be expected.

It was obvious that everyone was nervous. Nobody knew if this plan was really going to work.

Arisu was supposed to send the VIPs any moment now.

"I got them," Horikita said as she received the VIP list, "Okay, we'll act according to our plan. The two remaining Class A VIPs are in the Tiger Group and the Monkey Group. I would like one student from each of these groups to come forward. We'll attack in a few minutes."

After some discussion, Matsushita and Haruka went towards Horikita.

I thought my classmates would argue for a longer time. It seemed like they all forgot the rule that stated the student to submit a correct answer in Outcome 3 gets 500,000 private points.

She showed them the VIPs and they started typing on their phones.

Instantly, all of our phones vibrated.

The special exam has ended for the Tiger Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Monkey Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Horse Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Rabbit Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Rat Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Dog Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Goat Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Rooster Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

"Wow, you guys sure type quick," Kushida chuckled.

"Um..."

"What's wrong, Hasebe?" Hirata asked.

"I didn't even send the message," Haruka said as she showed everyone her phone.

"What?"

"Me too, I didn't even finish typing the message yet," Matsushita followed up.

"What's the meaning of this?" Horikita was visibly confused.

Confusion filled up the room. Nobody understood what had just happened.

Soon after, our phones vibrated again.

The special exam has ended for the Ox Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Dragon Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

The special exam has ended for the Snake Group. All students from that group are free to do as they wish until the end of the exam period.

It seemed like Arisu had made her move.

My phone rang. It was Ichinose. She was calling me.

"Hello?"

I picked up the phone as everyone looked at me. I put the phone on speaker mode so that everyone could listen.

"Ayanokouji-kun! We have a problem! We didn't send the messages yet but the exams all ended. What happened?"

"The same thing happened to us. We're yet to understand the situation," Horikita jumped in.

"Really? Do you guys have any idea what could've caused this?"

"Not at all, I'm clueless," Hirata admitted.

"What just happened?"

"What the hell?"

There was commotion everywhere. I could even hear Class A students let their confusion known through the phone call.

"I think the answer is simple," I said to Ichinose. Everyone attentively listened to me.

"There was a traitor in our meeting."

"What? A traitor?"

"Yes, you heard me right. There's a traitor in the Cow Group. When we discussed the details of our plans, the traitor remembered the information and told it to Ryuuen, who attacked right before we were supposed to attack him."

"H-How are you so sure, Ayanokouji?" Horikita asked.

"It was somewhat obvious, if you ask me. Why do you think Ryuuen calmly left the meeting even though he knew we were going to discuss a plan to attack his class? Did you really think the fact that he had six VIP names was a bluff? The fact is that a traitor from one of the three classes told him the three VIP names of their class."

"W-what?"

"W-wait a second, Ayanokouji, are you sure?" Hirata asked me in a desperate tone.

"There is no doubt in my mind."

"No way..."

"What class is the traitor in?"

"Yeah! Where are they!?"

"Do you know which class contains the traitor?"

"I do. They're in Class D."

A silence filled the room. Nobody knew how to react.

With that, seeds of doubt had been planted in the mind of the Class D students.

"Wait, hold on a second, Ayanokouji. You said the traitor was in the Cow Group?"

"That is what I said, yes."

"So one of Kushida, Horikita, Hirata and Ayanokouji is the traitor?" someone said.

"That is correct."

"Hold on... isn't the traitor Ayanokouji?" Ike screamed.

"Yeah! He didn't get involved during the exam! Don't think we're dumb enough to not notice that! I'm sure he's the traitor, the other three could never be the traitor, especially Kushida!" Yamauchi cried out.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kushida slightly worried. I'm sure she thought her betrayal would go unseen. It is true that for everyone, nobody thought there would be a traitor in our class. However, after the presence of a traitor became known, she started panicking. Perhaps she just remembered that I have that video. Luckily for her though, I wasn't planning on exposing her, at least not yet.

"Are you the traitor, Ayanokouji?" Horikita asked.

"I'll say I'm not the traitor, but whether you believe me or not is up to you"

"What?"

"That's exactly what a traitor would say you bastard!"

"Guys, let's all calm down," Hirata said.

"What the hell Hirata? Why is it that you're siding with him this time?" Ike cried out.

"This time?" Horikita asked.

Seems like I might have some explaining to do.

"We don't even know if this is the result of a Class C attack. Let's wait until the exam results first."

"I suppose Hirata's right."

"Let's not overreact... for now."

Ichinose finally spoke again. I almost forgot I was on a call with her.

"I have to go, Ayanokouji-kun. Let's discuss this later."

Ichinose hung up the call.

After the commotion slowly calmed down, an announcement came through the speaker.

"After unexpected circumstances, the special exam entitled 'Zodiac Exam' has ended for all groups. Due to this, we will now announce the results."

"Right now?"

"I can't deal with this..."

"I'm so nervous..."

"Coming in last place, Class A, with minus 150 class points."

"W-what the hell?"

"Coming in third place, Class D, with minus 100 class points."

"Minus one hundred?"

"My private points!!!"

"NO!"

"How could this happen?!"

"Coming in second place, Class B, with 0 points."

"Zero points?"

"I'm not even trying to understand anymore."

"Finally, coming in first place..."

"No way..."

"I don't want to hear this."

"Class C, with 250 points."

"What the hell?!"

"Those bastards!"

After a few words of frustration, everyone slowly calmed down.

"I think it's safe to say it was a Class C attack, don't you think, Ayanokouji?" Horikita asked me.

"No doubt about it," I said.

"Tch. I know you betrayed us, Ayanokouji!" Ike said.

"First you don't get involved, then you betray our class? What the hell is wrong with you!?" Yamauchi followed.

Their frustration was understandable. From an outsider's point of view, I was certainly the most obvious candidate. Nobody thought Horikita, Hirata, or Kushida could be the traitor. The fact that I didn't get involved in this exam made them become even more suspicious of me.

However, that was the plan since the very beginning.

"Believe what you want," I simply said.

Everyone had mixed feelings, but Ike and Yamauchi sure made their opinions known.

"I don't think Kiyopon is the traitor," Haruka said.

"Yeah, you guys should calm down," Ken agreed.

The Ayanokouji Group defended me. Before we knew it, the entire class was stuck in a dispute. Everyone was disagreeing with one another. It was like the class morale suddenly sunk to the ground.

Chaos. The room was filled with complete disorder and confusion.

In truth, I never intended to expose the traitor. I had another goal in mind.

"The exam is done, can I leave the room now?" I asked.

"What? You want to leave!?" Ike screamed.

"You sure have guts, you traitor!" Yamauchi followed up.

Another commotion started.

"Guys, calm down, okay? I'm sure Ayanokouji isn't the traitor. I'm going to speak with him outside the room, if that's fine with you all," Kushida calmly said.

I knew Kushida would say this. I had waited for this moment. She was definitely wondering why I didn't use this chance to expose her and wanted to talk to me.

"If Kushida says so, then it's okay," Ike said.

The rest of the class gave us the green light. Kushida and I were now outside the meeting room, in a corner where nobody could hear us.

"So you're the traitor, huh, Kushida?"

"Stop playing around! How come you didn't show them the video!?" she changed to her other self.

"Do you want me to show them the video?"

"No! Of course not. But I thought I was done for. I thought the life I worked so hard for was over. I didn't think my betrayal would be noticed this easily. I'm regretting this so much. Why did you leave me alone now, of all times?!"

"Now of all times? Kushida, I left you alone since a long time ago."

"What?"

"I deleted the video a long time ago. Do you really think I wouldn't have used it right now?"

"What? Why did you delete the video?"

"I suppose a part of me wanted to trust you. It was a mistake on my end, I guess."

"Are you stupid? I don't believe you."

"Kushida. Anyone would expose you with that video if they were in my situation. Do you seriously think I wouldn't use this opportunity to expose you when you're a danger to the entire class, me included? If you really can't believe me, I suppose there's nothing I can do about that."

"Show me your phone then."

"Huh? Sure."

I gave her my phone and the video was, indeed, not on it.

"You know this is proof isn't strong enough, right?" I asked her.

"I know... Don't you think you can get away with this. I don't believe you, although I want to. Listen here, the second we get back to school, I will thoroughly search your room, your luggage, everything. I better not find any trace of that video."

"You can do whatever you want, I already told you I deleted the video."

"Tch."

"Now, Kushida, why did you betray Class D?"

"So that I can expel you and Horikita."

"What does that have to do with Class D, though?"

"I'll drag Class D to the ground and blame it on you and her. If you really don't have the video, then you won't be able to stop me. I don't care how smart you are, or where you come from, without evidence, you can't do anything."

"I guess I was wrong to give you a second chance."

"You really make my blood boil you brat. I better not find anything in your room when we get back. If I find my video somewhere, on your computer, on a USB stick, or whatever, I swear I will expel you as fast as possible."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night."

"Tch."

"I want you to believe me."

"You think I will do that so easily?"

"Yes. In exchange, tell the class I'm the traitor."

"W-what?"

"You heard me. I want you to tell the class I'm the traitor. That's how much I want you to believe me and trust me, Kushida."

"What the hell... I really don't get you. You could've easily exposed me. But now you're willing to ruin your own school life for me?"

"Yes."

Kushida, what you're doing is actually doing me a favor.

"I seriously hate you, but I want to believe you. I'll do as you say. I'll tell everyone you admitted to being the traitor. Is that fine with you?"

"That's more than good enough, thanks Kushida."

"I don't know why you're thanking me for this, you creep."

"I'm glad we could work things out."

"This is what you call working things out? What the hell did the White Room teach you?"

"Don't bring up my past. Are we clear?"

"Tch, fine."

"I'll be going now. Do what I told you to do."

"Don't have to tell me twice. I look forward to seeing your classmates turn their backs on you."

"By the way, keeping all your frustration inside you isn't healthy. I'll let you know that you can always come to me to rant about your problems."

"Tch... as if I'll do that."

"It's up to you. Whatever's on your mind, I'll be here to listen. If you don't want to, then so be it. I'll be going now."

"You creep me out..." Kushida then reverted back to her usual self, "Well, I'll be going now. I guess we share a secret now, hehe. See you later, Ayanokouji!"

Say, Kushida, which one is the real you?

I left the second floor and went to the main deck, making sure nobody was around me or following me.

Once I was outside on the deck, I made sure once more that nobody was around me.

I then took out the recorder I had in my pocket the whole time.

********

Author's Notes

Hey there!

I hoped you enjoyed this part!

This more or less clears up the motives behind Kiyotaka's actions during this exam. Kushida naively thought that nobody would notice her betrayal. But why did Kiyotaka want Kushida to portray him as the traitor? Only Kiyotaka himself knows.

To clear things up:

Class C correctly guessed all three of Class D's VIPs, but Kouenji correctly guessed one of Class A's VIPs. So they end up with -100 cp as they didn't submit any answers.

Class C also correctly guessed all three of Class B's VIPs, but Class B correctly guessed all three of Class C's VIPs. So Class B end up with 0 cp.

Class C correctly guessed the two remaining Class A VIPs, leaving Class A with -150 cp as they didn't submit any answers either.

Class C therefore end up with 8 correct guesses, but all three of their VIPs were guessed correctly, so essentially it was the same as if they only had 5 correct guesses, so they end up with +250 cp.

Also, in this timeline, the VIPs of the Zodiac Exam were also chosen based on the order of the Zodiac and the alphabetical order of the last names, but backwards. For example, in the Cow Group (2nd Zodiac sign), if we listed the last names by alphabetical order, Shiina would be before last, so second from the bottom, hence why she was the VIP.

Hope this explanation helps.

Thank you all for 50k reads!

That's all, see you for the next and final part of Chapter 5!