"What's so good about a bitter drink like coffee?" Ryuen Kakeru wore a face of pure disdain.
"Saying sothing like that in a coffee shop... you really have no class," Hikigaya expressed his contempt.
"Tch! What a pain... Hey! Give one of whatever this guy is having." Ryuen shouted toward the waiter at the counter; this behavior was already unrefined enough. However, the service staff was very professional; he only gave a slight smile and turned around to brew the coffee. A mont later, a raw coconut latte was handed to Ryuen Kakeru.
This guy just picked it up and took a massive gulp. Do you think you're drinking Cola? Hikigaya was speechless at Ryuen's boorishness.
"Eh? This stuff actually tastes pretty good." Ryuen smacked his lips, an expression of surprise appearing on his face.
"At least you recognize quality. A raw coconut latte with 150% sweetness is the most suitable flavor for human taste buds."
Hikigaya suddenly felt Ryuen wasn't quite as boorish—it was roughly equivalent to a wild man putting on clothes.
"The tastes of you two are truly unique. Is this what they call the resonance of weirdos?" Horikita Suzune couldn't help but snark.
"Whether it tastes good or not, only those who have tried it are qualified to judge." Hikigaya pushed his cup in front of her.
Horikita Suzune's cappuccino had already been splashed; she only had a straw left in her hand. However, that wasn't the main point of the problem, was it?
"Aren't you going to drink it?
Ah~ sorry. I almost forgot you have a germaphobia." Just as Hikigaya was about to pull the cup back, he was intercepted by her hand.
"Don't misunderstand, this is just a reciprocal courtesy!"
Horikita Suzune glared at him fiercely, then inserted her straw into the cup and took a small sip.
"How is it?" Hikigaya leaned in with an expectant look.
"..." Horikita Suzune turned her head to the side, her cheeks gaining a few shades of pink. She probably wasn't used to sothing so sweet.
"Tch! It's seriously sickly sweet!!" Ryuen Kakeru stuck out his tongue with a look of disgust.
'You're only saying it's sickly now? Your reaction ti is way too long.'
"Did you co here just to say that?" Hikigaya really didn't want to waste ti with this guy who talked nothing but nonsense.
"Then let's return to the topic from just now. Dead-Fish Eyes, did you beco the VIP?" Asking soone directly for the answer—you really are direct enough!
"Yeah, I am." Hikigaya told a lie with his eyes wide open.
Ryuen Kakeru was stunned for a mont, then instinctively retorted: "Who are you trying to fool?"
"Then I'm not." Hikigaya told the truth with a straight face.
"Heh, it seems you really enjoy playing these kinds of 'mystification' tricks." Ryuen Kakeru let out a cold laugh.
"It's 'obscurantism.' Don't use terms if you don't know the kanji; it's embarrassing for to watch." Hikigaya corrected him.
"That's not important; the aning is the sa anyway." Ryuen waved his hand dismissively and continued: "Since you don't want to talk, let's change the question. Dead-Fish Eyes, have you ever wondered why you aren't in the Dragon Group?"
'What do you an, why am I not in the Dragon Group?'
"Hmph! There you go again, acting for .
Don't tell you don't know that the elites from every class were selected for the Dragon Group."
'I really didn't know!' Hikigaya turned his gaze toward Horikita Suzune and found that she actually nodded in agreent.
"Kushida, Hirata, and I are all in the Dragon Group." With the three of them being core figures of Class D, it was hard to believe this wasn't an intentional act by the school.
"However, Ichinose-san from Class B doesn't seem to be in the Dragon Group, which puzzles ."
Undoubtedly, Ichinose Honami's status in Class B was that of an elite among elites.
"Honami has ability, but her personality is too naive. I actually think that Ryuji guy is a bit more interesting."
Kanzaki Ryuji was the number two figure in Class B; his academic and athletic abilities were in the top tier of the grade, though he kept a low profile.
Combining the known information, one could judge that the grouping was definitely based on a certain pattern. As long as the specific pattern was found, one could follow the clues to deduce who the VIP was.
"I say, it's one thing for you to arbitrarily classify yourselves as elites, but why do you have to drag into it?"
Hikigaya hated those high-and-dry types the most.
He said coldly: "There are two possibilities for this situation: the first is that your deduction is wrong, and the second is that you aren't elites at all."
The expressions of the two froze. However, the difference was that Horikita Suzune lowered her head in thought, while Ryuen Kakeru glared at him with eyes full of ill intent: "You guy, you really are as irritating as always!"
"Getting angry shows that your own heart isn't firm enough. After all, lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharp blade!" Hikigaya's words further provoked Ryuen Kakeru, yet the other party couldn't find a way to refute him.
"Just enjoy your arrogance for a while longer. I've already secured the nas of three VIPs. Sooner or later, I'll be able to deduce the pattern for the other VIPs..."
Seeing that he couldn't extract any useful intelligence from the two, Ryuen Kakeru downed the rest of his raw coconut latte in one go and turned to leave.
"Hikigaya, what do you think of his words?" Horikita Suzune's expression was sowhat anxious.
"They're probably true. With Ryuen's level of control over Class C, he only needs one sentence to force everyone to hand over their phones." Hikigaya didn't think the other party was bluffing.
"But isn't it explicitly stated in the exam rules that asking for phones in any form is prohibited?" From this point alone, one could see that Horikita Suzune was indeed naive enough.
"As long as no one reports it, it doesn't count as a violation, does it?" Hikigaya hadn't believed the rules Hoshinomiya-sensei ntioned from the very beginning. Those were rely tools used to deceive honest people; the strong use rules—or even create new ones—to constrain the weak.
"Then can we unite with Hirata and Kushida to have Class D's VIPs co forward?" Although Horikita loathed Ryuen, she had to admit his thods were the most efficient!
"Hirata is fine, but Kushida—are you sure she'll cooperate with you?" Hikigaya looked at her with a strange expression.
"...At worst, I'll just temporarily agree to her and 'make friends'." Horikita Suzune said those insincere words with a face full of disgust.
"Really? Then I'll call her over right now..." Hikigaya made a move as if to make a phone call.
"Wait a minute!" Horikita Suzune's palm suddenly grabbed him, followed by an annoyed outburst: "What's the rush?
Why does discussing class matters have to happen at night?"
'Wait, didn't you also invite out at night to talk about class matters? You can't have such double standards!'
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