Our time in Tokyo had come to an end.

I said goodbye to Zeon and everyone else in the orphanage before joining everyone else in the minivan. Straightaway, I noticed that the atmosphere was gloomy and tense.

The drive back to the outdoors school was filled with silence. No one wanted to talk each other. Not even Ikeda, the most lively of us seven, wanted to say a word.

What happened during the period between now and then to cause everyone to look so depressed? I turned to Matsushita, who was in the minivan before me, for an explanation.

However, just as I was about to speak to him, I stopped seeing the look penetrated in his eyes: fear.

Matsushita wouldn't stop shaking. He tried to keep himself composed by squeezing his hands together, but it was no use. You could practically smell the guilt leaking from his body.

I looked behind me, at the rest of the boys. Similarly, Ryouta also looked shaken up, but the rest of them were either frowning or scowling.

The only one who looked even remotely comfortable was Machida, but he also had a look of distain towards the person he directed his piercing glare at.

As my eyes trailed his gaze, as well as everyone else's, it all connected back to the person sitting next to me on the minivan.

Matsushita.

It seems my little message from earlier was more effective than I thought.

We arrived back at the outdoors school and debarked the minivan. While everyone else went inside the school, I stayed behind in the vehicle to quickly talk to Chabashira-sensei.

"Sensei, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"And they are?"

"How much money does our group currently have?"

"16,000 yen."

So we were short by 34,000, huh?

"In order, who spent the missing money?"

"Matsushita-san, Machida-san, and Ryouta-san."

"Huh... and how much did Matsushita-san withdraw?"

"47,000 yen."

Considering we ended with 16,000 yen, it was impressive that either Ryouta or Machida managed to make a profit of 13,000 in only a single day.

"I see. Thank you."

I left the minivan and headed inside as well, going to the hall where they'd announce the results. Since everyone had just arrived, there would be a short ten minute waiting period before the announcement.

It was during this interval that Machida punched Matsushita in the face. This act of public violence drew the attention of the boys around us, causing them to watch on curiously as our group began having a meltdown.

"You snake... you filthy, money pinching, unapologetic snake!"

While Matsushita was on the floor, raising his arms up in defence, Machida booted him in the stomach, causing Matsushita to gag and clutch his body from the recoil.

"Machida-san, stop it right now!"

Just as Machida was about to unleash another fierce kick at Matsushita's head, Ryouta grabbed his arm and held him back. Machida clicked his tongue, trying to shake Ryouta off.

"This is none of your business, stay out of this."

"Yes it is, because I'm in the same group as you two. Punching and kicking him won't do anything to solve the problem. What you're doing is straight up out of line. Cut it out!"

"Why should I? I'm the only one brave enough from you pansies to do something about it. This bozo deserves everything that's coming to him, from me, you, or anyone else in our group dissatisfied with his crap. Play stupid games? You get stupid prizes."

"I'm sorry..."

Matsushita whimpered, crying on the floor.

"I'm sorry for using the money..."

Instead of being pleased by his submission, Machida began enraged. He elbow shoved Ryouta out of the way before stomping Matsushita on the back of the head.

"That's all you have to say... after spending 47k of our cash...?!"

When Machida boldly announced that sum, nearly all the groups gasped in surprise. They weren't expecting us, the leader group, to have blown through so much money all at once. In the corner of my eye, I could see Shimada smirking.

"Me and Ryouta-san were busting our asses at the last minute to make up for the huge mess you caused, you selfish prick!"

Machida growled, pushing his heel deeper into Matsushita's head. Matsushita groaned, prostrating in front of all the other boys while being publicly shamed and humiliated.

"Machida-san, you've taken this way too far. It's just a challenge." Zyriot said.

"Don't start this crap with me, Zyriot-san. You were just as pissed as I was when you found out what this rat did with our funds."

Machida released his foot and grabbed Matsushita by the hair, plucking him up from the ground like a carrot. Matsushita gritted his teeth and grabbed Machida's wrists, trying to wriggle free.

"Yeah, I was angry. But I'm not dumb enough to start a fight over it."

"So you think restorative justice is dumb? You're stupider than your entire race."

"What...?"

Zyriot raised an eyebrow in surprise at Machida's rude comment. Ryouta got up from the ground and confronted Machida by getting in between him and Matsushita.

"Machida-san, let go of him now! This isn't "restorative justice" anymore... this is bullying!"

"I've only dealt out 1k worth of punishment. He still has another 46k worth to pay."

"You're blowing this out of proportion! I understand why you feel angry at Matsushita-san, but you won't gain anything from hurting him now! The challenge is over, so what's done is done... all we can do is accept our loss here, move on from today, and try again in the next challenge."

Machida dropped Matsushita, grabbed Ryouta by the shirt, and picked him off the floor.

"Huh? The only reason I joined this group full of stuck up dumbasses like you was to give myself the best chance of winning in this special exam. It seems I was naive to ever assume any of you soft, pathetic, bone idle class reps had the same goal I did... you really all are pansies with no backbone looking to suck each other off!"

"You're mistaken! All of us want to win just as badly as you do! Otherwise, we would never agree to this group formation, would we? The difference between you and us is that we can accept a loss, because we're confident we'll win next time... unlike you, who's so insecure about losing, you lash out the moment you don't win. Is that all life ever means to you, Machida-san? Winning?"

"And what if it is?"

"You need to get your head out of your ass and grow up."

Machida slammed Ryouta to the floor.

"Easy for you to say, you privileged prick...!"

Ryouta coughed and wheezed, narrowing his eyes at him.

"But it's true... you're no different from a kid throwing a temper tantrum because they lost a game... if you don't ever learn to enjoy the taste of dirt, you won't ever win in life."

Machida laughed, spitting in Ryouta's face.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard you ever say. I've tasted defeat countless times, and you know what it taught me?"

Machida let go of Ryouta and raised his foot into the air.

"Being a loser means losing everything."

Just as he was about to slam down on Ryouta's chest, Ryouta got up and tackled Machida to the floor. Everyone, especially Machida, was surprised that he managed to do that.

Not only was Ryouta way smaller and lighter compared to Machida, but no one ever expected such a gentle and passive person like him to go on the offensive so boldly. They all assumed he'd take Machida's attack lying down, just like Matsushita.

"If losing means losing everything... then tell me Machida-san, how the hell is our group still here?!"

Machida narrowed his eyes, looking up at Ryouta with a snarl.

"That's because the process has only just begun, you moron! Even just a single loss can spiral out into lots of consecutive losses. And after losing so much... it becomes nigh impossible to come back from it. It's better to just win from the start and be ahead, rather than constantly playing catch-up."

For the longest time, I didn't understand why Machida was so obsessed with being superior and dominating others, but after hearing him talk about this with Ryouta, it made me realise this obsession stemmed from his own insecurities and fear.

Something in the past must've happened to make Machida have such a hyper survivalist mindset. Otherwise, he wouldn't get so riled up after losing, nor would he have such a grudge towards those above him in the social hierarchy.

"Takanori-san..."

Matsushita staggered towards me, holding his head in pain. After how much Machida bashed his face in, I wouldn't be surprised if he felt dizzy or nauseous. I held out my arm and propped him against my body, helping him stay upright.

"You did good today."

"...thanks, I guess."

Matsushita sniffled, wiping the blood leaking from his nose. Ryouta got off Machida and helped him up.

"That's not a good way to think about losing. It's an opportunity for you to grow by learning from your mistakes."

"There you go again, saying this optimistic crap... ah, it seriously pisses me off. Isn't anyone in this damn group a realist? Can't any of you see we're now screwed in this special exam?"

Before Ryouta could answer, this time it was Zyriot who stepped forward.

"Of course we do. It's precisely because we know we got screwed over in this challenge that we're angry. Ryouta-san may not show it, but he's mad too."

Ryouta smiled a little, scratching the back of his head.

"Yes... but I'm not mad at Matsushita-san. I'm mad at myself for not being able to stop him. I should've known something was up with the strange way he was acting... I failed as the group's leader."

"But just because we're screwed now doesn't mean we'll be screwed in the future. As long as chances keep appearing, we still have a horse in this race. So don't waste the anger you're feeling now on your teammate. Save it for tomorrow, and let loose then to crush the competition. That's what Ryouta-san and the rest of us have been trying to get across to you this entire time. Not that losing is okay, like you seem to so mistakenly believe."

It seems Zyriot really did overhear my words from yesterday evening. This was the kind of leadership I expected to see from him in this group.

While it would be impossible for Ryouta to change Machida's mind, Zyriot still had a chance because he dealt with these kinds of people every day. He knew exactly what words to say to rein him in.

"...you have a point. A small fry like Matsushita-san doesn't even deserve even half of my strength. He's such a dirty thief, I refuse to even touch scum as low as him."

Machida walked far away from me and Matsushita, staying away from us entirely. Matsushita sighed. It seems some semblance of peace had been reached between us.

"Though... that does beg the question—"

Just as Ryouta was about to delve into another topic for our group, Mikazuchi-sensei's voice interrupted him.

"Good evening everyone! I hope you all had an amazing time outside in Tokyo, because I sure have! Skipping company work to join some of my favourite students as we travelled around the city was super fun! And since I booked the entire day off today, I thought hey, I might as well also announce the results for this challenge too! Without further adieu, let's see how each group has done in the Free Will challenge!"

Now it was the moment of truth. Hopefully, the profit Ryouta and Machida made was enough to drag us out of last place, otherwise we're all returning to school with a debt of 4,857 private points.

"The groups which achieved outcome 1 are as follows: Ryouta-san's group, Mitsuba-san's group, Kirishima-san's group, and Handa-san's group! You'll all be losing 5 cumulative points! The groups which achieved outcome 2 are as follows: Yahagi-san's group and Ishima-san's group! You'll all be gaining 6 cumulative points! The groups which achieved outcome 3 are as follows: Shimada-san's group, Shigeru-san's group, and Koishi-san's group! You'll all be gaining 5 cumulative points, with an added bonus of 5, 4, and 4 points respectively!"

How terrifying... this basically revealed that Shimada's group had won by a landslide. They'd be gaining 18 cumulative points from this challenge alone, completely negating Yukada's penalty and greatly widening the gap between first and second place at the same time.

"Now, as those results may indicate, first place goes to Shimada-san's group, who came back with an additional 25,000 yen lining their pockets! Second place goes to Shigeru-san's group, who came back with an extra 20,000 yen! The same goes for Koishi-san's group, who came in third place!"

Koishi's group made a surprising comeback in this challenge, making up for their past losses by gaining 15 cumulative points in a single swoop.

"In fourth place is Yahagi-san's group, and in fifth place is Ishima-san's group! Very well done for holding back and not touching the money you two!"

Mikazuchi-sensei then turned to the rest of us with a smug grin.

"I can't say the same for the rest of you, though... you guys couldn't help it and decided to spend it all for fun. Or perhaps, was it a failed business venture? In any case, sixth place goes to Kirishima-san's group, who returned with 42,000 yen!"

Judging by Kirishima's reaction, it looked like his group was aiming for option 3, but failed to breakeven in their business, resulting in a net loss of 8,000 yen.

"Seventh place goes to Handa-san's group, who returned with 21,000 yen! Well done you guys, you didn't end up last!"

In an ironic twist of fate, it was now between us and Mitsuba's group. Who would've thought it would be the top two groups from yesterday that would now be fighting over who would come last...

"In eighth place is the group which I personally accompanied, Mitsuba-san's group! They really went on a shopping spree, as they returned with only 20,000 yen!"

As expected, their group chose pleasure because they falsely believed they were father ahead than everyone else. Unfortunately, that meant we were dead last.

"Finally, in ninth place is Ryouta-san's group, who returned with 16,000 yen! Good job fellas, well done for today!"

That meant we didn't gain any cumulative points - only lost them.

Ryouta sighed, pressing his hand against his temples. Machida left the moment we were allowed to. Since Matsushita was still injured, I helped him to the infirmary.

After today's challenge, the scores of each group looked like this:
1st) Shimada's group - 28 Cu
2nd) Yahagi's group - 26 Cu
3rd) Shigeru's group - 24 Cu
4th) Koishi's group - 20 Cu
5th) Ishima's group - 19 Cu
6th) Mitsuba's group - 16 Cu
7th) Ryouta's group - 13 Cu
8th) Kirishima's group - 7 Cu
9th) Handa's group - 2 Cu

It was almost a complete reversal. The four groups that ended on outcome 1 all ended up at the bottom of the ranking, while those who made a profit rocketed to the top. Our group has never been so low before.

"Were your family happy?"

As I helped Matsushita to the infirmary, I made some small talk with him.

"...of course they were. Anyone would be when they come home with such an absurd amount of money."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you do with it?"

"I split the money. I put 70% of it into my mom's bank account and invested the remaining 30% into an ISA. Though, we used some of it today to go to a nice restaurant... I've never seen them smile so much before."

Matsushita sighed. He didn't seem happy though.

"It sounds like you had a nice time."

"My siblings and mom sure did, but I didn't. The entire day, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown... I kept thinking, what if one of the guys in our group saw me? They'd definitely confront me about the money for sure..."

"I don't think anyone can be really mad at you for what you did though. Even though you went behind everyone's back to withdraw the money, it was for a selfless reason. You just wanted to help your family's financial issue."

"Yeah... that's what I wanted to do from the very beginning when this challenge was announced. Good intentions or not, everyone was still angry at me in the end. Even the nicer people, like Ryouta-san and Ikeda-san, were disappointed in me..."

It seems everyone's now lowered opinion of him had really taken a toll on Matsushita's mental state. He looked and sounded miserable, like an exorbitant amount of guilt had been wracked up in his heart.

"Well, that was to be expected. It's only natural for them to have such a reaction. You shouldn't blame yourself over it."

"...you're not the type to say nice words like that."

"Nice words? I'm just saying it how it is."

"You're right... I should be blaming you for all this. You're the worst, Takanori-san."

"It was a necessary sacrifice. After all, the identity of the traitor is now blown wide open thanks to you."

"It is...?"

"Yeah."

"Don't tell me, this was part of your plan to expose them from the very beginning..."

"Of course it was. When our group gathers to discuss before the trade window, I'll reveal who it is then."

"Can I get a spoiler on who it is?"

"No. If you know, you won't have a genuine reaction during the reveal. To some people, it might imply you're working with them."

I also left Matsushita in the dark since I didn't want him to get involved in this any further. There was no use in dragging him any deeper into this plot than necessary.

"...fair enough."

We arrived at the infirmary, and the medical staff began treating Matsushita. As much as I'd like to stick around and wait for him, there was another pressing matter I had to attend to: the message Yamaguchi sent me earlier today.

At first, I was going to ignore it, but part of me felt that something was off, mainly because of Shigeru's words from yesterday. If it's true that Yamaguchi was the real leader of their group, then I couldn't afford to brush this matter off so easily.

As the specified time drew closer, I went around the school and scaled the mountainside from Yamaguchi's coordinates. However, the moment I stepped foot on the rocky terrain, I froze.

Yamaguchi shoved Shigeru off the cliffside.

As Shigeru plummeted to the ground, his visceral and desperate scream echoed out into the air, cut through and invalidated by Yamaguchi's violent, hyena-like laugh. As he tilted his head back, he looked at me with a delightful glare.

"Heh... heh, heh... did you see that just now, Takanori-san?"

"...yeah, I did."

So this was the "crazy thing" he was referring to... a loud splat from beneath could be heard. I kept my distance, not daring to approach Yamaguchi, but I peered over the edge to try and see where Shigeru was.

I spotted him laying facedown among a patch of bushes. They probably broke or softened his fall, so he got quite lucky with the landing there. If he hit the ground headfirst, he could've easily died.

"Good, good. You came just in time, because this is what I wanted to show you."

"...but why? Why did you tell me to come here just so I could watch you try and kill someone?"

As Yamaguchi drew closer towards me, I started backing off. This was a dangerous spot to be in, especially with a person as brutal as him.

"Isn't it obvious? Because I've had enough of playing around in the shadows. It's about time I started taking this stupid special exam seriously. I wanted you to bear witness to me taking control of my group back."

Yamaguchi grinned, looking down at me.

"...I see. I guess that means Shigeru-san is retired too, huh?"

"That's right. There's no space for useless people like him in my group. Instead, I want people that's worthy... people like you."

Suddenly, I understood where Yamaguchi was going with this conversation.

"Join my group, Takanori-san. After today's challenge, we're now steaming ahead in second place, and with the losses your group's accumulated, it's basically impossible for you guys to make a comeback. Now that I'm leader, I'll just trade away one of my group's useless cannon fodder for you, stacking our group with three D Class students. As a token of goodwill, I even disposed that piece of trash Shigeru, so you don't even have to worry about him pulling some dirty tricks on us anymore. So what do you say? This could be a brilliant business opportunity for the both of us."

He brought up some interesting points, but none of them compelled me to abandon my current group for these guys. In fact, all things considered, there was zero reason for me to ever defect to Yamaguchi's group.

Firstly, whether he realises it or not, Shigeru's retirement costed them their second place lead. Their group would fall down to 14 cumulative points, meaning they'd only have 1 more point than our group does.

Secondly, I would need Ryouta's permission to be put up for trade, since he's the leader of our group. Even if I wanted to defect, I couldn't so easily agree to it here, since it's not a guarantee that he would allow me to join another group.

Thirdly, Shigeru's retirement also reduced their group size to six and turned off their 3x multiplier, as they no longer fulfilled the condition of having a person from each class.

This was the dealbreaker for me, since the 3x multiplier was what I wanted the most in a group. And with the group size being reduced to six, it became impossible to have three students from the same class and the 3x multiplier in the same group.

Under normal circumstances, a group stacked with three students in the same class, plus a combination of one from each other classes, would be the most optimal way to form a group in this special exam. However, this was only possible with seven people.

That meant Yamaguchi's group had to choose between one or the other. He could use the trade window to load the group with multiple D Class students, or he could trade one of the extras away for an E Class student to regain the multiplier.

Either way, there was no immediate benefit to me. In the first place, I never asked for Shigeru to get pushed off a cliff. Yamaguchi did it himself to prove his dominance over the group.

It was a showy way of doing things, but it fell in line with the way Shigeru operated. In short, this was one of his classic misdirections for something else... a trap they've set up from the very beginning that both me and Shimada had seen through.

I had no intentions of playing into his hands a second time. After learning what he bought with his private points, I immediately understood the game Shigeru was playing.

A part of me wanted to let him rot in the bushes.

Shigeru, Yamaguchi, it doesn't matter who their leader is... at the end of the day, the true purpose of Yamaguchi calling me out here was so Shigeru could silently convey to me that this was the scheme he decided on that would triumph mine from the Test Shuffle.

It looks like my provocative words from earlier really struck a nerve with him, huh? It made me glad that I ordered Kawaguchi to tag along with Kouji. Otherwise, who would've known what he would've also done with him...

"...why me? Up until now, you've hated my guts, haven't you?"

"Because I want to see it up close for myself. Are you really a genius acting like a fool? Or a fool being played by a genius?"

He really couldn't tell if it my victory in the last exam was by my own abilities or by someone else's, huh?

"I wonder. Well, you'll get to see the answer to that regardless of whether I join your group or not."

"Huh?"

"Right now, the group in first place is Shimada-san's group. However, by the end of the special exam, his group will end up in fifth place."

I said this loudly while looking over the edge, to make sure Shigeru could also head this. Yamaguchi burst out laughing.

"That's a bold prediction! You really think we're going to topple their group?"

"Prediction? Who said it was a prediction?"

I turned around and looked at Yamaguchi over my shoulder.

"I'm simply stating a fact. That's all."

"You really are a loser... what a lame line to end on."

I walked away, scaling down the mountainside and reentering the outdoors school.