Classroom of the Elite: Crimson Usurper (V5-V11.5)

(V6) Chapter 2.2

(This is a important part of the story despite it being over 2500 words long. It's best to thoroughly read this as it ties into the X arc).

RYUEN checked everyone's phones himself. The whole process took about twenty minutes, no more than one minute per phone. He couldn't have checked all of them thoroughly. Even though the students had their doubts, no one said anything.

For the spy, every second must have been agonizingly stressful.

"I see. No information seems to be recorded on these phones."

"So, one of the people you thought were innocent—like Nishino—is a traitor after all," said Ibuki.

"No, she's innocent." said Ryuuen.

"What are you doing here? Is there really even a spy?" asked Ibuki.

In her heart of hearts, she wondered whether Ryuen had come up with a story about a traitor to hide his own failure. Ryuuen had believed some shadowy figure was puppeteering Horikita since the Sudou incident. So far, however, there hadn't been one shred of evidence that this mastermind even existed. In fact, everyone else had focused on Horikita Suzune. The one not only behind the deserted island exam but also, and mainly, the zodiac exam.

"Evidence trumps theory." said Ryuuen. "Listen. I assume this is something you all know quite well, hmm?"

He replayed an audio file that X had sent. The voice on the recording was Ryuuen's, explaining his strategy to Class D.

"I received this recording when I was about to force Suzune to kneel." Ryuuen continued. "Never mind the points—because of this, I didn't get to see Suzune beg. Do you understand now?"

"Wait a minute. Even if we assume that you didn't just record that file yourself, there are still questions that you need to answer. We never discussed the details of getting Horikita to kneel before you. This other person managed to anticipate everything, including the time you were meeting her? That's impossible." said Ibuki.

"It was a coincidence. The best time for this other person to strike was immediately after the festival ended. Besides, I don't think he was interested in saving Suzune," said Ryuuen.

"X, Class C's mastermind, had this audio file. X clearly understood the details of the strategy I came up with. If he knew all my plans, including leaking the participation table, he could have foiled my attacks on Suzune at the sports festival. He could have prevented Suzune from being crushed and having to beg for forgiveness. But he didn't. Even though X knew about my strategy, he allowed me to go about my business and let Suzune suffer. She was injured, unable to keep competing, and she had to suffer the guilt of injuring someone else as well."

"So, by letting you get that far, this person turned the audio file intoincriminating material?" Kaneda asked. He was a bespectacled boy with a mushroom cut.

"How very clever you are, Kaneda." said Ryuuen.

"This X person's thought process is so cruel. I mean, he just let his friend get hurt."

"Yes. X wasn't bothered by me having Suzune kneel. That's why there wasn't any text in his message. I think he couldn't have cared less whether Suzune's pride was hurt or not." said Ryuuen.

"I can't understand that." said Ibuki. "If they're from the same class, shouldn't he have protected Horikita from the start?"

Other students probably shared Ibuki's feelings. X had had several options available, including altering Class C's participation table to prepare for Class D's strategy, or sending the audio file to Ryuuen in advance.