Volume 27: Chapter 189: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XVII._Classroom of Doom

"Hajime Hyunda and Hirakibo Tatsu have over 15000 points." Andrea alerted them "Yes. At any time, it can be done." The president replied while sipping on his tea "But Hirakibo Tatsu's case isn't even severe. I mean, if it was me, of COURSE, I would want to have my finger back but..." Bryce thought about it logically "...There's no way I would give up so many points for it..." He ultimately said "Right." Liyuga agreed and then proceeded to add "And a brief reminder that the 1st zone, which costs 500000 points, allows them to choose two other prior zones at the cost of 0. In other words, there's a valid argument to not waste your points early on click and bait zones like that." Liyuga crossed his arms, as he became deeply invested in the game.

The debate continued.

"But there are options that reward you for picking zones though. Hajime Hyunda ignored those options and----for some reason went with that option." Skan told "As well as options that immediately reward you for killing other players. He ignored so many of those options that it didn't make sense at all." Krale agreed "If I recall correctly, there was an option that allows you absorb 25% of the points of all the other remaining players to your account, which can only be applied if you've killed a person in this game. So, Hajime Hyunda, could have an enormous lead over them by now." Andrea gave them her reasoning "But we saw how having an enormous lead can technically backfire." The president retorted "Yes... Hirakibo Tatsu overthrew Satou Rayazaki by using the option that allows you to select an option to be applied to yourself, in which case was the option to be awarded with the highest points (+500) but the next round's individual's choice and point output won't be their choice. It's a very good option to use in order to gain a lead." Andrea continued "Yes, even if it comes at the possible cost of the person at the center." The president agreed.

It escalated even further.

"But hold on... Doesn't this mean that we will have a repetition of the same events?!" Bryce noticed "In theory, it's possible. If the option that Andrea mentioned is behind the option that allows you to apply to yourself, then it doesn't matter how great Hajime Hyunda's lead is; the person that is randomly chosen by the skull will be able to do what Hirakibo Tatsu did." Liyuga sweated "...He had the option to not make this possible, however..." Andrea narrowed her eyes to the individual on the top of the ladder "That is true." The president agreed "Unless my memory serves me wrong, there was an option that allowed you to erase an option for the rest of the day. And given how that option wasn't too expensive, Hajime Hyunda could have definitely gotten rid of an option that would threaten his reign; potentially the option to choose one of the other options and apply it to yourself." The president concluded "So... why didn't he...?" Liyuga asked "I wouldn't know." He shrugged "After all, we are talking about someone, who out of all those grandiose options, decided to pick one that applied an abysmal bounty on Hikaru Yulia. They are smart, yes. But their course of rationality is not one that can be easily predicted." He sipped on his earl tea once more "Is it just me or are you guys totally emerged into the game?" Seok, who had been quiet, alongside his grandfather---doctor Hwan, asked all of them "..........." They couldn't exactly deny it.

Erigaisi saw this as an opportunity.

"If you want, I could make some calls here and there to make one of you partic----" Their rigid and stoned expressions told Erigaisi everything he needed to know "Now that's more like it!" He clapped to the air "Let's enjoy the spectacle, shall we?! After all-----we are all dying to know who dies next!" Erigaisi spoke the words of truth.

The first round would now begin, as Basara had the claim ready to be recited; Arkalee would now be the target for the unknown number of rounds within this judgment round.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has a history with killing all of her past boyfriends." The starting claim was made "........" Nobody actually thought about the difficulty of this claim for even a second and made their respective votes "........" Tatsu remained with his eyes closed and Arkalee understood what he meant "But how many did you have though?" Nobody failed to vote at this point, as he interrogated Arkalee "Fuck OFF!!" Her expression remained utterly bitter "You're the fucking worst, you piece of shit...!!" And she began to cry "Eh? But it was a legit question, no? What's wrong with wanting to know how many boyfriends died at the hands of my ex-girlfriend??" Hyunda could not understand what Arkalee was going through at all "I will kill you and then myself after, I swear to God..." Arkalee solemnly vowed "I guess I'm not getting an answer to this." He concluded.

The standings for the first judgment round of the sixth round were the following:

> 1 - Hyunda (24574/25000 points)

> 2 - Tatsu (18642/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (13214/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki]

> 4 - Hinagiku (2444/2500 points)

> 5 - Sana (2394/2500 points)

> 6 - Yukishiro (2228/2500 points)

> 7 - Yulia (2148/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki]

> 8 - Kawahara (2104/2500 points)

> 9 - Kuzan (2040/2500 points)

> 10 - Tateyana (2018/2500 points)

> 11 - Daniel (1507/2000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 12 - Kanawari (1216/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour]

> 13 - Stratos (1196/1500 points)

> 14 - Lus Sera (1132/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour]

> 15 - Akimiyashika (458/1000 points)

> 16 - Ikkiri (196/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back)

Something was noticed, right away.

"Arkalee is out of the picture since she can't receive points... How many points did she have?" Akimiyashika turned to her left and asked Kawahara "Her points were 2023, so she still has a slight lead compared to some. Although, not for long, if this keeps up." Kawahara deducted "........." Akimiyashika tried to open her mouth as if to ask something, but instinctively sealed her words away, out of fear "........." Kawahara didn't fail to notice this, but made no moves.

The second round would now begin as the upcoming claim was ready.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has been admitted to a lunatic asylum at the age of 13." Basara recited "Just one? Bullshit." Hyunda scorned her as he pressed his desired option "I am normal... You don't understand me at all..." Arkalee rejected Hyunda's words "So normal you haven't returned my feet. Give them back already." Hyunda demanded "N-NO!!!" Arkalee shook her head sideways once "Is there an age limit to asylums? Like, when can you be admitted here in Japan?" Yulia asked and Rayazaki replied "By general rule, if you're under 15 years old, you can only be admitted to an asylum through court laws and shit like that, I think..." Though Rayazaki was confident, his delivery left Yulia skeptical "........." Rayazaki wasn't pleased by her silence.

So, Rayazaki approached Arkalee via an immediate verbal contract right away.

"Kitsuya Arkalee, should you answer every claim truthfully, I will give you 1500 of my points by the end of this-------" Arkalee intercepted it immediately "Hell no." Coldly, she shut down Rayazaki "1500 points?! You're gonna have to forfeit way more than that if you want to keep scoring with accuracy!" Arkalee followed it up "Why you...!! YOU'RE NOT EVEN SCORING!! YOU'LL BE CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM BY THE END OF THIS!!!" Rayazaki persisted "I DON'T CARE!! BRING SOME BIGGER NUMBERS TO THE TABLE AND THEN WE'LL TALK!!!" In the end, a deal wasn't made.

The results for the second round were therefore announced via the ranking ladder's newest update:

> 1 - Hyunda (24574/25000 points) {1 red light}

> 2 - Tatsu (18834/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (13262/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {1 red light}

> 4 - Hinagiku (3540/4500 points)

> 5 - Sana (2490/2500 points)

> 6 - Yukishiro (2324/2500 points)

> 7 - Yulia (2196/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki]

> 8 - Kawahara (2104/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 9 - Kuzan (2040/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Tateyana (2018/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Daniel (1699/2000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 12 - Kanawari (1290/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour]

> 13 - Stratos (1196/1500 points) {1 red light}

> 14 - Lus Sera (1156/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 15 - Akimiyashika (458/1000 points) {1 red light}

> 16 - Ikkiri (336/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back)

Arkalee's face stiffened as she looked over the scores.

"Lucky bitch..." She didn't make eye contact with her "So, she wasn't admitted...?" Tateyana asked "Yes, that's the case." Kanawari, who had switched places this round, was seated in Sagasuga's previous place, no longer next to Daniel "It's just like Sagasuga said, it's very 50/50..." Tateyana stressed "...Not quite." Kanawari begged to differ "Eh?" Tateyana was interested in what she had in mind "Pay attention to Tatsu's score from this round forward." She told Tateyana while whispering to her right ear "Something's not right. He also only votes during the last second..." She further added "...Ok." Lus observed both of them with a complicated expression.

Daniel, who had her eyes fixated on Yulia most of the time, was a bit vigilant over the score this time around and he would occasionally feel Hinagiku's glance hovering him from afar.

Alas, the third round would begin.

"Six years ago, a piano teacher was found guilty for stuffing his young students inside pianos, locking them without a way to escape." This particular claim made some of them twitch their eyebrows "The fuck..." But Basara continued "It was found in recent years, that Kitsuya Arkalee was guilty of this and not the said teacher." Basara now concluded his claim.

The interrogation began.

"How much do you want for this claim, Arkalee?" Kawahara bargained "Let's see..." Arkalee was open for discussion "500 points!" She made her price "........" Kawahara's expression became stoic as he looked over his points "Is that a yes?!" Arkalee shook her head sideways twice "Or a no?" She didn't move her head at all as she looked at Kawahara "It's a no, you retarded bitch. 500? In your fucking dreams!" Kawahara proceeded to vote "......" Akimiyashika voted the same, despite having no ground for her vote "You're 15 years old." Hyunda spoke to Arkalee "So...?" Arkalee was confused "So, you had to be 9 years old when this happened." Hyunda voted as he refused to elaborate "......." But this got other people thinking about the likelihood of Arkalee doing it.

After their internal questioning, the voting session was done as the ranking ladder updated.

> 1 - Hyunda (24670/25000 points) {1 red light}

> 2 - Tatsu (19026/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (13382/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {1 red light}

> 4 - Hinagiku (3540/4500 points) {1 red light}

> 5 - Sana (2490/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 6 - Yukishiro (2420/2500 points)

> 7 - Kawahara (2200/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 8 - Yulia (2196/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {1 red light}

> 9 - Tateyana (2114/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Kuzan (2040/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 11 - Daniel (1891/2000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 12 - Kanawari (1290/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 13 - Lus Sera (1252/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 14 - Stratos (1196/1500 points) {2 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (476/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back)

> 16 - Akimiyashika (458/1000 points) {2 red lights}

"I should have fucking known..." Rayazaki regretted doubting the claim "Arkalee the nutjob, of course you fucking DID IT!!!" Rayazaki took out her anger to Arkalee "THEY DESERVED IT!!!" Arkalee defended herself "Fucking shit...!!" Rayazaki was showing an inability to control himself "I gotta adjust my point barrier, damn it...!!" Rayazaki reminded himself of the option that allowed him to do so "Uh..." Yulia wanted to say something to Rayazaki, as she saw Kawahara overtake her position "W-Would it be possible to dissolve our contract?" She reluctantly smiled in his direction as Rayazaki was baffled "Huh? Fuck no, what the fuck?" Rayazaki's eyes widened "I gave up my points for you. Just sit there like a dog and enjoy your lead." Coldly, he concluded as he didn't further bat an eye to her "........" Yulia was beginning to see a pattern.

The fourth claim would then be made by Basara, the maestro of the game.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has the habit of cutting cat tails and inserting them into mail letters for certain individuals." Disgust was brought forth this time "Why the fuck would you do that?" Kuzan questioned Arkalee "Do what?" She questioned "Don't play dumb! The cats! Why would you cut their tails and mail them?!" Kuzan erupted from his chair.

However, it was an act.

"What the FUCK?! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!" Arkalee shook her head sideways once "I don't believe you!!" Their argument continued "Oh... I think..." Tateyana noticed something "?" Kanawari was curious as to what she had noticed "It doesn't hurt to try..." Tateyana voted according to her newfound perception.

The results dropped in no time.

> 1 - Hyunda (24670/25000 points) {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (19218/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (13406/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {2 red lights}

> 4 - Hinagiku (3636/4500 points) {1 red light}

> 5 - Daniel (2833/3500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 6 - Sana (2490/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (2420/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 8 - Kawahara (2296/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 9 - Yulia (2244/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {1 red light}

> 10 - Tateyana (2210/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Kuzan (2136/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (1372/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 13 - Kanawari (1338/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 14 - Stratos (1196/1500 points) {3 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (616/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back)

> 16 - Akimiyashika (554/1000 points) {2 red lights}

His sudden overtake could not be ignored, despite only being the fourth round.

"He's been getting every claim right..." The rumors started to spread "But how...?! That..." They had not the idea of how it was possible "I think I know how..." Tateyana, on the other hand, caught Kanawari's attention as she went into detail "Unless it's luck-----Arkalee will shake her head sideways once and it'll be false... If she shakes it twice, it's actually true..." Kanawari was skeptical "How do you know that...?" She asked "That's because I voted no and it was correct." Tateyana deducted ".........." Kanawari saw this as an opportunity "...Don't speak about this to anyone..." Kanawari whispered to her ear "........" Tateyana started to see an interest grow.

Hinagiku, this time, looked at Daniel for more than a few seconds, as one of the conditions was met.

However, he didn't return the glance.

The fifth round would be underway now.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has collaborated with other individuals on pornographic content at the age of 12." Arkalee felt bashful immediately "WHORE!!" Not with the intention to sound angry, Hyunda simply exclaimed out loud "SHUT THE HELL UP, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!!!" Arkalee brutally denied it "It's...!!! NOT...." Arkalee violently shook her head twice "...LIKE THAT!!!!" And with that in mind, Tateyana and Kanawari instantly voted.

Due to the fact that there is a certain limit to how long some of the plans take to execute, there were far too many elements that didn't allow for further inspection.

As such, Daniel finally looked into Hinagiku's eyes and Hinagiku got up from her seat, while earning a slight bit of attention from everyone else.

She only had to walk a few meters around the round table to her left in order to see her.

"What... is she doing...?" Kuzan was curious about Hinagiku's movements as she stopped near Ikkiri's seat and whispered some words to her ear "......." Ikkiri thought about it as she looked at the rankings "Alright." Ikkiri agreed "....." Hinagiku swiftly retreated and went back to her seat "...What was that?" Kanawari became stressed as Hinagiku's movements worried her "I don't know, but it doesn't look like she made any contract with her... Her points haven't changed nor have there been an added bonus..." Tateyana told Kanawari "......." But Kanawari was feeling alarmed.

The first step was executed.

Shortly after, the results were announced as the ranking ladder was updated.

> 1 - Hyunda (24766/25000 points) {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (19410/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 4 - Hinagiku (3732/4500 points) {1 red light}

> 5 - Sana (3586/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 6 - Yukishiro (3516/4500 points) {1 red light}

> 7 - Daniel (3025/3500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 8 - Kawahara (2392/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 9 - Tateyana (2306/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Yulia (2292/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {1 red light}

> 11 - Kuzan (2232/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (1492/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 13 - Kanawari (1410/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 14 - Stratos (1292/1500 points) {3 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (756/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back)

> 16 - Akimiyashika (650/1000 points) {2 red lights}

Everyone had noticed it by now, henceforth, it was impossible to not capitalize on it.

And since Tatsu was included, he elevated two of his fingers for Arkalee to begin with the other plan, in case the pattern was figured out.

"It's starting to make a significant difference." Liyuga noticed "Whoever is bound by an effect that drains a percentage of their right claims, inevitably ends up benefiting less, and by that margin, the one on the other end, ends up winning more. But if you ask me, it's far more visible the points that you don't gain rather than those that are transferred to the other person's." He reasoned "Take those two, for example." Liyuga pointed at their respective profile pictures "They are practically about to cross their barriers as well." Skan noted "Yeah, but they are not the ones at the bottom, still. I don't know how, but Rikishima Ikkiri has gotten every single claim right so far and the stupid bonus has been paying off!" Bryce exulted himself "True... How is she getting them right every time... Then again, so is Hirakibo Tatsu and Daniel Lead..." Andrea dully noted.

The sixth round would begin now, as it would be halfway done.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has secretly sold one of her cousins to the black market two years ago." The claim was made "Well, thoughts?" Kawahara questioned Arkalee, on the look for suspicious body language "......." For the next five seconds, she would not say a single word "Silence it is." Kawahara said "Yeah, it's true! I completely sold her off because she borrowed my shoujo Manga collection without asking! I'll never forget how she took all the volumes of Maid Sama!!!" Arkalee showed anger, which seemed to be utterly genuine "...Uhh..." Tateyana was dumbfounded.

Because Arkalee did not shake her head in some manner whatsoever.

So, Tateyana attempted to bring forth some other points to see how she would respond. Midst that, Kanawari would elevate from her seat and go towards a separate direction transiently.

"Didn't she steal it then and not borrow it? Aren't you confusing the terms?" Tateyana asked her "Y-Yeah! I meant that! She stole it from me, without my permission!" Arkalee clarified it, this time around "Okay, so how did you sell her off to the black market then?" She asked "Connections! I had plenty of them back in the day!" Arkalee smiled "...Although you were 13 years old at the time...?" Skeptical, Tateyana continued "YES!! It's really not that hard!! Men are so desperate for female attention they will do anything for it!!" Arkalee blatantly admitted "You would know that the best, wouldn't you?" Hyunda teased Arkalee, much to her displease "Keep talking like that and your life will soon be at my hands, Hyunda..." Arkalee's expression darkened as she murmured that.

She decided to initiate the conversation now that she was by Lus' side, right next to her chair, in-between her and Daniel.

"Hey, Lus..." Kanawari's expression was withered "........." Lus already had an idea of what was going through her mind "...It's about the contract... Can we dissolve it, please?" Kanawari asked her, in the most gentle way possible as they crossed glances "Why now...?" Lus asked "It'll be dissolved in less than an hour... Can't you wait until then?" Lus calmly proposed "......." Kanawari twitched her eyebrows for a split second "I don't think I... can, Lus... Because the difference is starting to become slightly massive." Kanawari replied, to which Lus didn't actually agree "Well, calm down... It's not "massive", we are both on the same wavelength, haha..." Lus felt like Kanawari was being a bit too paranoid as she brushed her pink hair with her right hand "That's for now! But you actually get 24 extra points from me every time I score right! We are on the sixth round, and assuming this goes beyond ten rounds, the contract is allowing you to gain over 100 free points while I will score less than those, thus creating a 200 point difference between us!" Kanawari exulted herself slightly.

However, Lus was still not seeing the reason for such commotion.

"I mean... Come on... I gave you my points earlier... Do you..." Lus gulped "...Actually think that you're in a position to negotiate?" Kanawari was startled "What...?" Lus then defended herself "I have to make those points back, Kana! And for that, the boost is necessary! It's just temporary! You know this, don't you?!" Lus stood her ground "Besides, what's the big deal?! There are more people behind us right now..." Lus looked over the ranking ladder "......I see..." Kanawari held her head down and started to retreat to her seat "......Ka-----" Lus tried to reach out to Kanawari but her words escaped her throat "Yes." Daniel's vote was intercepted by the system "Oh..." Daniel took this time to look at Kanawari's expression from afar "That's bad. She's going for you." Daniel abruptly said those words, to which Lus could not ignore "...What?" She felt alarmed and distressed "Oh, nothing. Don't mind me..." Daniel resumed his vigilance onto Yulia, who was starting to become more and more worried.

But to Lus, Daniel's words, this day, would come to bear an excruciating weight, as they already were.

The ranking ladder updated at the end of the round:

> 1 - Hyunda (24862/25000 points) {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (19602/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 4 - Hinagiku (3732/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 5 - Sana (3682/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 6 - Yukishiro (3516/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 7 - Daniel (3217/3500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 8 - Tateyana (2402/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 9 - Kawahara (2392/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Kuzan (2328/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (2292/2500 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 50% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki] {2 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2088/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {1 red light}

> 13 - Kanawari (1410/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {2 red lights}

> 14 - Stratos (1388/1500 points) {3 red lights}

> 16 - Akimiyashika (746/1000 points) {2 red lights}

"H-Hey...!!" She could not ignore this any longer, so she shook his left arm thoroughly "What?" He was finding her rather annoying, although he technically benefited from her "Dissolve the contract! Your lead is immense, you don't need my points anymore, dude!!" Yulia made her stand, which annoyed Rayazaki any further "Calm the fuck DOWN!" They started to earn some partial attention before the round began "NO!! GIVE ME SOME POINTS, OR ELSE THEY'LL OVERTAKE ME, DAMN IT!!!" She began to demand "YOU SAID I COULD COME TO YOU IF I NEEDED SOME POINTS, AND I NEED THEM NOW!!!" Yulia got up from her chair and revolted against Rayazaki.

It was true. Rayazaki did say to her that she could, in fact, come to him should he need more points. And given the current situation, either Yulia earns 48 points (half of 96 points, which is the current point currency for this round) or she wins nothing at all.

Meanwhile, all of the other players that are behind her, will either not win anything at all, or they will score 96 points if they get one claim right. In other words, it takes Yulia to get a claim right twice while the others only have to do it once.

In a mathematical sense, her situation is prejudiced.

"Christ..." Rayazaki didn't want to look like someone who didn't command power "Alright, I got it..." He pulled his chair behind with a swing, effortlessly "5000 of my points, what do you say?" Yulia's eyes widened "R-Really?!" Yulia began to feel happier, as Rayazaki used his hands to remove his trouser's belt "Oh yeah." He then directed himself to Basara, who was watching this unfold, as well as the rest of his classmates, who were speechless "Hey, teach! Anything is allowed as long as it's within a contract's length and directly involves the game, RIGHT?!" Rayazaki's demonic grin showed "Yes..." Basara closed his eyes as he sighed "Anything goes, so long as the contract is valid." He added "That's great, let's get this going with, then." Rayazaki directed himself to Yulia "Yulia, I'll form a contract with you that will give you 5000 points. This contract will be the following: An additional 25% of your points will be deducted to my account for the this moment forward until an hour has passed, but after that, our contracts will be dissolved." Rayazaki proposed to her "......." Yulia gave it some thought.

On the other side, as this event unfolded, the student council began to question what was about to happen.

"Uh... I am not... the only one that's thinking what I'm thinking.... RIGHT?!" Bryce brought up the topic "If killing is allowed, then... I suppose... it only makes sense to not prohibit other acts, even if..." Andrea had a rough expression "It's quite common, I'll have you know!!" Erigaisi was more than happy to elaborate on the matter "Sexual intercourses are a weapon! Even more so, when your life depends on it!" Erigaisi made an aroused smile "Disgusting.....!!" Andrea felt like puking.

The idea was proposed, but not the contract.

"So, after an hour, the two contracts will dissolve and I'm no longer tied to you?" Yulia asked "Yup. You'll be able to naturally climb faster that way." Rayazaki unzipped it "Alright, make the contract!!" Yulia accepted the terms "About that. You see, I need some benefit on my own." Rayazaki fully relaxed his posture onto his chair "......?" Yulia didn't understand what he was implying "...I can't believe that's allowed..." Hinagiku reprehended Rayazaki's attitude "Anything goes, huh?" Kawahara thought about it "Fucking suck it." Rayazaki ordered Yulia "....!?" Her eyes widened "E-Excuse me...?!" She didn't take it well "What?! I'm telling you to swallow my dick and put it down your throat, woman!" Rayazaki was mad over the fact that she was not understanding something so simple.

It was in fact, something that everyone had caught up on.

"Do that and I'll form the contract! Now get on with it! Or fucking don't, but don't fucking come crying to me when you're down on the very bottom, with no one to rely on BECAUSE YOU GOT A FUCKING BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD, YOU DIPSHIT!!!" Rayazaki's shouts were impossible to ignore as well as the truth in his words "........." Yulia's expression became shackled as she knew that there was no other way to do this.

With each thrust, Rayazaki felt bliss beyond his knowledge.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh....." His voice leaked out as everyone else watched the motions of her head, back and forth "...This... No way, I'm never----Oh God-----" Kanawari felt the urge to throw up as she began to wonder if she were to ever come down to such a position "Yulia....." He didn't take his eyes off her for one second, but his expression emitted bitter sadness "Alright, wrap it up, bimbo! We don't got all day here!" Hyunda was getting tired of the lack of progression in regard to the game "......!!!!!!" Having taken it all in, Yulia was overwhelmed.

Lus was horrified, but not for what most would think.

For the first time in a while, she didn't feel like she was safe, standing next to him, as his eyes emitted a looming despair.

image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9c3e3c59-8f24-49ce-8a2b-546d1bb52197/di7j323-0b2c1da5-3b57-4093-a456-372d3954e190.png/v1/fill/w_967,h_686,q_80,strp/no_context__by_kumokuroro_di7j323-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9Njg2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOWMzZTNjNTktOGYyNC00OWNlLThhMmItNTQ2ZDFiYjUyMTk3XC9kaTdqMzIzLTBiMmMxZGE1LTNiNTctNDA5My1hNDU2LTM3MmQzOTU0ZTE5MC5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9OTY3In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.8pKa-1zC-QVXb6t8LmAEOlAvu17BDK0mxAnIHsLxRdY]

"...But was that even worth it though?!" Bryce, who saw the whole thing, questioned "5000 of his points! His point barrier is 20000! That just can't be right!" Bryce was trying to filter out the logic behind Rayazaki's sudden choice "There's so much fun in madness, isn't there?!" Erigaisi talked eagerly to the shaken Bryce "Huh...?!" He didn't agree "Just look how motivated he is!" Erigaisi pointed at him, as the cameras switched mainly over to his reaction as the crowd demands it "What does this mean?! How will he react?! What will he come up with?! And more importantly..." The unspoken sentence was heard the loudest.

The seventh round would now start, as Yulia and Rayazaki had concluded their activity; resulting in the formation of the contract where Yulia would be awarded with 5000 of Rayazaki's points, in exchange for an additional 25% point deduction from Yulia's account in the upcoming hour.

"Kitsuya Arkalee collects the body parts of all of her past boyfriends, including their genitalia, which she kept inside several jars in her house's cave." Nothing about this was surprising anymore "A brief reminder: the fifth claim said she made collaborated pornographic content at the age of 12 and we all noticed this was in fact, true." Hyunda remarked "It's not FUCKING LIKE THAT!!!" Arkalee impulsively replied "By the way, was it consensual or were you raped?" Hyunda, with no remorse whatsoever, asked, genuinely curious "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" To Arkalee's screams, Hyunda couldn't stop laughing it off.

Tatsu wasn't happy as to how Arkalee was missing the track here.

"Arkalee, true or not?" He asked, to which Arkalee decided to follow his lead "......" After ten seconds, she replied "Yeah, what of it?" Arkalee's face turned cold "They were all scum and deserved to have their dicks chopped off!!" Arkalee didn't back down "Now I know which option she's gonna pick if you're ever on the center again, Hyunda." Sana lowly laughed "If." He added.

With thirty seconds on the clock, Daniel wasn't feeling entirely in a rational mood.

Thus, he got up from his chair, which alerted Lus for a split second.

"Daniel, where are you going..." Lus had a bad feeling about this as Daniel no longer felt like he could be normally approached.

His point of interest was one of individuals at the bottom of the rankings.

"Can I have a minute of your time?" With dead eyes, Daniel glanced upon him, as he became nervous "...What...?" Daniel squatted down and then whispered the deal to his ear "...Hold the fuck up... What is going on? First Hinagiku and now him...?" Tateyana found this strange "......" Kanawari was starting to breathe faster by the minute, out of sheer anxiety "....I accept." Stratos confirmed it to Daniel and Daniel went back to his seat "Hey, hey, hey!!" Rayazaki shouted in Daniel's direction, which made him halt "What the hell are you two whispering about?! SHARE WITH THE CLASS, PUSSY!!" Daniel looked at him with hollow eyes "You want to know how you're going to die that badly?" Rayazaki became paralyzed "Wh----HAHAHAH!!!" But he just laughed it off as he saw Daniel going back to his seat.

Just before all the votings were made, Rayazaki ordered Yulia.

"Find out what he told him at the start of the next round." Yulia nodded "Got it." Resolved, Yulia was on a mission as her target was Stratos, who was not too far away to her right "Daniel...?" Lus talked to Daniel, who decided to cast a glance on her "What's up? Are you in pain, Lus? I think we're made from the same cloth, then." Daniel emphasized "That's... not funny..." She didn't laugh one bit despite Daniel's nihilistic small laughter "I know you probably won't listen to this since you love her but... Please, it's not her..." Lus tried to put some sense in Daniel's head "I know, but that's alright." Daniel confessed "Then... Why are you acting like----" Daniel then followed it up "But it's enough. I don't care who's behind it. It will do. I'll correct her from scratch and make her into the Yulia I know......" Lus began to lose hope as she saw Daniel's eyes become vicious "Lus, I've been meaning to ask you something." Daniel changed the subject.

Meanwhile, the rankings updated:

> 1 - Hyunda (24862/25000 points) {3 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (19794/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (8406/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 4 - Yulia (8292/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Hinagiku (3732/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 6 - Sana (3682/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (3612/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 8 - Daniel (3409/3500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 9 - Tateyana (2498/2500 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Kawahara (2488/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 11 - Kuzan (2328/2500 points) {3 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2112/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {2 red lights}

> 13 - Kanawari (1484/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {2 red lights}

> 14 - Stratos (1388/1500 points) {4 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (896/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back) {1 red light}

> The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

> 16 - Akimiyashika (746/1000 points) {3 red lights}

"AH FUCK, SO CLOSE!!!" Tateyana slammed her fists on the table as she couldn't break the point barrier "He's getting every single one right... As I thought, patterns work against me, rather than working in my favor..." Tatsu deduced "Our positions are equal in that regard, but it would be wise to prive him out of points if possible..." He then proceeded to make the necessary calculations in his head.

Lus widened her eyes as she heard Daniel's question.

"Stop that. Right now..." Lus made a killer expression towards the monochrome Daniel "Why? You've noticed how she looks at you. For how long are you going to run away from it?" Daniel further pursued "She... wouldn't do that! We're best friends! No, she... wouldn't...!!" Lus shook her head over and over "In denial, oh well---I guess you didn't learn from those three. That's fine." Daniel started to detach himself from Lus "Hey, you said that you'd reward me with undying loyalty and so far, you have done exactly that---sorta---so here is one." Daniel looked into her shaky eyes.

Then Lus was bombarded with his request.

"Kill yourself." Lus pondered for a few seconds if those words were actually said to her or not "You're a liability. By killing yourself, you are dying on your own terms, you get to keep your honor. Nobody can sully your death if you die on your own terms. But more importantly, you don't actually contribute to the other players------" Lus tried to speak amidst his rapidfire speech "What---the hell did you just----" But he continued "Your life in this game, has actual value. Sooner or later, someone will be rewarded for your life, because the points you have, will be transferred to that person, upon your death------" Lus spoke loud this time "YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND!!!!" Lus snapped at Daniel violently "STOP TALKING TO ME!!!" If she could move away, she would, but due to her physical condition, Lus was tied to her chair "Hey, what's going on over there...?" People began to suspect their argument "Friendship is not real, Lus. Not when your life is on the line." Daniel left her with those last words "Not another word." Her voice became the coldest yet as their relationship became bitter.

The eighth round would now begin.

"Kitsuya Arkalee's uncle, Kitsuya Reinin, has been accused of sexual assault onto the nine-year old Kitsuya Arkalee and is serving a life-time sentence." Basara laid out the claim "......!!!!" Arkalee's expression became enraged "That would explain why she's so fucking twisted." Akimiyashika murmured "True... I don't doubt this happened, but again... There's an easier way to go about this..." Kawahara had already noticed the pattern.

And Tatsu had already noticed that they noticed the pattern.

"Arkalee, tell me the truth, is it true or false?" Tatsu came forth as he elevated three of his fingers this time "He raised his fingers again. There's another pattern coming..." Tateyana didn't fail to catch that "......" And Arkalee proceeded with the plan "I honestly can't remember." Arkalee feigned ignorance "Oh fuck off with your bullshit and just answer the damn question!" Kawahara demanded from her "...No, I'm serious." Arkalee's expression looked rigid "...Sorry, Tatsu..." She became apologetic.

Without much to go around, Tatsu waited until the very last second in order to vote, and thus, the results came forth in the newly updated ranking ladder.

> 1 - Hyunda (24958/25000 points) {3 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (19986/20000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (8478/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] {5 red lights}

> 4 - Yulia (8316/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Sana (3778/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 6 - Hinagiku (3732/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (3708/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 8 - Daniel (3409/3500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {1 red light}

> 9 - Kawahara (3584/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Tateyana (2498/2500 points) {2 red lights}

> 11 - Kuzan (2424/2500 points) {3 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2112/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 13 - Kanawari (1484/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 14 - Stratos (1484/1500 points) {4 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (1036/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back) {1 red light}

> 16 - Akimiyashika (842/1000 points) {3 red lights}

"Oh shit, he finally didn't score!" Seok, who had been paying attention to Daniel's score, exulted himself and jumped from the couch without noticing "Simmer down, child!" Doctor Hwan found his behavior a bit excessive "I am confused... Does Rikishima Ikkiri's boost decreasement effect only take effect if she gets a claim wrong in a row? Because so far, she only got one wrong and it didn't decrease her points then..." Skan theorized "Yes, it's exactly like that. But frankly, even I find it absurd how often she's scoring. If this is entirely based on body language alone and from presented patterns, then she can be a fearsome foe..." Andrea delivered "It's still so dumb to me. Satou Rayazaki threw such a lead just for the sake of his ego." Bryce could not accept the decision "Besides, she's only receiving 24 points now! 75% of her points are literally gone for the next hour!! I'm aware it's ultra bad for her, but for Satou Rayazaki to make his way up, he has to adjust that point barrier!!" Bryce continued to throw his opinions "Not necessarily, Bryce." Liyuga intervened "What?" Liyuga reminded Bryce of something relatively obvious.

One of the factors highlighted in the previous round.

"Kill a player yourself, and that player's points will be transferred to you. Do that, and the point barrier no longer is much of an issue." Liyuga told Bryce "But that only applies if you really kill a player with a lot of points! He needs over 11000 points to break his barrier, so the only logical choices right now are Hajime Hyunda and Hirakibo Tatsu, WHICH WILL NOT BE CHOSEN SINCE THEY ARE NOT AT THE BOTTOM, unlike someone like Izayoi Akimiyashika." Bryce was on point "Yes, but we already went over the fact that it doesn't matter who is higher or not; if you can pull out the combo of switching the target of the execution round with the one with the highest points then you will------" Krale was about to conclude his sentence "Hmpf." The president felt humorous as most of the student body realized the critical flaw "That's right. Just because you can do it, it doesn't mean you should." By now, the flaw was evident.

Yulia, who had gotten some valuable information out of Stratos, returned to Rayazaki, before the ninth round.

"This is bad...!!" Yulia's face was torn with stress "...?" Rayazaki prompted her to tell her everything as she whispered it "He said that Daniel would give him half of his points if he chose you in the upcoming round to be swapped with whoever ends at the bottom, if he gets a turn!!" Rayazaki's face became perplexed "Are you fucking-----" He glanced at Daniel from afar, who happened to be looking at Rayazaki with mocking eyes "GHHHHHH!!!!" Enraged, Rayazaki felt like crushing his own desk with his fists.

To counter this and ensure Rayazaki's safety, she proposed something logical.

"Why not go around and propose that you'll give more than that to anyone who puts him in the center in the same way?" Yulia proposed ".....!!!" Rayazaki was stunned at her suggestion "That's... Shit, that's actually not bad at all...!!" Rayazaki was fond of the suggestion "But I can't waste too many points... I need to adjust my point barrier first..." Rayazaki was starting to show reluctance "But... How else are you supposed to convince the others to switch places with him?!" Yulia didn't agree that now was the time to be hesitant "........" Rayazaki didn't want to admit that she had a point "...But I can't go any lower than...!!" He was starting to slowly realize that his bargain chips came at a tremendous cost, from here on "Well... He proposed half of his points to Stratos, so... If we take that into consideration, all you need to offer is slightly above the cut. How many will it require?" Yulia asked Rayazaki, who made the calculations "...Assuming he breaks his point barrier soon, he would be around..." He looked at Daniel's points "...Somewhere between 7500 and 8000 points, so he's essentially offering 4000 points to Stratos... And of course, he accepted the offer because he's at the fucking bottom!!!" Rayazaki came to the conclusion "So, offer 5000 points to everyone in the room in exchange for putting him at the very center, no?" Yulia proposed "Alright, go and tell him that then." Rayazaki ordered Yulia and Rayazaki started to make his preparations.

The ninth round would begin shortly.

"A lot of motion between the players, eh?" Seok was amused "Negotiations are a must in this game." The president sipped on his tea "Hey, how many rounds will this judgment round have anyways?" Seok asked his grandfather "Twelve." He replied with a grumpy voice "So three more to go... But in theory, for them, they are probably thinking that this will end in the next round, so they will most likely pull out their big guns earlier." Liyuga said "Yes... Well, let's watch and be quiet." Andrea demanded their silence as she grew invested.

Basara would recite the ninth claim aimed at Arkalee.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has been arrested more than three times for falsely accusing male individuals of groping her." Basara terminated the claim and all eyes were on Arkalee "......" Tatsu didn't flinch and Arkalee knew what this meant "I honestly can't remember." Arkalee, just like the previous round, feigned ignorance "...Sorry, Tatsu..." Arkalee created the same apologetic look as well.

Thus, there was only one conclusion to take from this pattern. Anyone who had gotten the last claim right or wrong, would know the right direction.

Midst the voting, within that one minute time-span, Daniel elevated from his chair once again; alerting Rayazaki, Yulia, and mainly Lus as she didn't like where he was going.

"No... Wh... What the hell are you doing...." Tateyana noticed him approaching, but he was mainly interested in the person on her right "Kanawari." He recited her name and Kanawari abruptly felt terrified as she was called "We need to talk." Daniel coldly demanded "No..." This time, Kanawari, didn't move from her seat "What do you mean, no?" Daniel asked her as the two of them gained partial attention "I'm not obeying your requests any longer...!!" Daniel felt stunned at the impudence of her words "Figure it out by yourself, Daniel!" Shutting him down, Kanawari was no longer available for Daniel to use "........" He was speechless, transiently "Oh, alright..." He turned around "I guess you don't care about who's going to try and kill you...." Kanawari didn't fail to overhear that as he went back to his seat "You----what did you just say---" But Daniel returned back to his seat.

For the plan to work, there was only one loose string remaining.

"Please------lend me some of your points----!!" Ashamed, she could not say better words because the intent was clear "And why should I?" He wasn't feeling like it, as he made a bored expression, with little to no time on the clock, though the two of them had already voted "Because....!!" She was desperate and her expression could not lie about it "...I don't want to die...!! Or go through that experience again, it's horrifying!!" Akimiyashika was tearing up while feeling genuinely terrified "You should've thought about that more thoroughly before you wasted your points. Isn't this deserved?" Kawahara reasoned "I----Yes, but-----!!!" Akimiyashika was running out of words to say, that to her, would make sense.

So, out of impulse, she picked the set of words that didn't make sense to her but hoped it would bring a different reaction out of him.

"If I get chosen as the execution round's target, then your words were lies and he won't die, right?!" She didn't point at him, but Kawahara knew who she was referring to "Maybe you'll get swapped out by him, who knows?" Kawahara shrugged "Wh-----" Akimiyashika was baffled by the sheer indifference of Kawahara's motions "That's impossible! If I'm swapped then it's only for Yulia!" Akimiyashika claimed "No, no one will swap you out for her. Definitely not her. Oh no..." Kawahara became serious "What...?! She's worth 24k points! Of course I'm getting swapped!" Kawahara sighed at her assumption "You never change... You envision the result you want, but you are too lazy to go through the motions and figure out how to get there." He began scolding her, with his eyes closed "Alright, Akimiyashika. What needs to happen for my prediction to come through?" He asked her "....?!" She had no idea how to reply to it.

Kawahara then told her the truth of the matter as the ranking ladder was updated.

"I randomly said what I said. This game has too much luck involved. Me, pointing to that guy, and say he's going to die this round? All bullshit." Akimiyashika was bashful for believed his words "You damn LIA----" Kawahara pressed with his speech over Akimiyashika's "But despite that being bullshit, it's possible for it to happen. Death is an open interest among us. And well, Akimi----" Akimiyashika's eyes widened in surprise "Luck doesn't last forever. So, without a doubt, if you end up at the very bottom of this round, you will die." Kawahara proceeded to add something else "1 billion percent." He concluded "So, you better figure out a way to increase your points, or you are, shortly speaking, dead. Shit, I can't believe I'm emphasizing this so many times. Just fucking do something, what the fuck? WAKE UP!!" He snapped his fingers right in front of her face, which caused her to blink very rapidly "F-F-FINEEE!!!!" Pressured and desperate, Akimiyashika began to think of a way to increase her points, albeit Kawahara has said that he refuses to lend her his points.

The ranking ladder is now the following:

> 1 - Tatsu (30178/35000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 2 - Hyunda (24958/25000 points) {4 red lights}

> 3 - Rayazaki (8550/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] {6 red lights}

> 4 - Yulia (8340/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Daniel (7601/10000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {1 red light}

> 6 - Hinagiku (3828/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (3804/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 8 - Sana (3778/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (3680/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Kuzan (3520/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Tateyana (2498/2500 points) {3 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2112/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 13 - Kanawari (1484/1500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 14 - Stratos (1484/1500 points) {5 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (1176/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back) {1 red light}

> 16 - Akimiyashika (842/1000 points) {4 red lights}

"Th-That's....!!" Akimiyashika, instead of worrying about her situation took notice of the first place "...So you planned this far... I get it now..." Arkalee mumbled to herself as she saw Tatsu overtake even Hyunda "That's gonna be me in like a minute or two, so don't get it twisted, alright?" Hyunda talked to the rest "Boosts are..." Hinagiku had an idea but by now it was beyond evident "Beyond essential." The president finished Hinagiku's line "It is, statistically speaking, impossible to get out of the bottom bracket in the upcoming rounds, without a point acquisition boost." He added "Indeed. And as far as I know, the only way for someone to achieve such a boost is either by a contract with another player or for them to pick the option that allows the former options to apply to themselves; in which case, they have to pick one of the options that gives them the boost." Andrea closed her eyes as she said those words "At the cost of a body piece, though!" Bryce reminded her ".......Would I be able to do that if I were in their position...?" Skan started to ponder, slightly terrified.

Stratos looked over to Daniel and Daniel didn't fail to make eye-contact with him.

Daniel nodded to Stratos.

"Damn it...!!!" Akimiyashika entered a state of dread as she realized her end could be near "I was counting on this guy, who somehow knows the nickname that my elder brother used to call me, but he just refused to help me!! And what's more, Hinagiku and Ikkiri aren't going to help me----no, they want to kill me after what I just said!!" She looked over to Daniel "...No, even he won't help me. Ever since Yulia's come back, he hasn't been approachable in a sense... I need someone who wouldn't mind helping me, even if it meant that I would do something drastic...!!!" Her paranoia increased "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to dieeeeeeeeeeee!!!! I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING DIE!!!! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE MY BROTHER IS RIGHT NOW, ALL I WANT IS TO BE WITH MY BROTHER!!!!" Her paranoia peaked as her brain reached for the most logical thought of them all.

Her eyes landed on him by instinct and his eyes met her as well.

The tenth claim was recited by Basara.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has visited an underground black market, two months ago, with Hajime Hyunda." The main attention was directed to the second name "No, that wasn't a black market..." Arkalee mumbled "Oh boy. Suddenly the pressure is on me. Whatever will I do? If I get the right answer, I breakthrough and if I don't... Well, then what?" He posed the question to everyone "I can give it to you. But what do you have to offer that I want?" He continued "It's just one claim..." Hinagiku was finding Hyunda over-dramatic "Oh yes, one claim! Free 96 points! Now, let's do some basic reasoning: Assuming this is the last round before the final one, since you know, our teacher does announce that------I think he has to, because considering his personality, I don't think he would give two shits about it------" Hyunda giggled as he got a death glare by Basara "In conclusion, there are probably either two rounds or three left. Anymore than that is possible, but I don't think the crowd wants to see an all-out claim brawl. It's boring! The only fucking good thing about this game are the execution rounds! The judgment round is boring! It's a fucking self-inserted backstory arc that nobody asked for! So, with that in mind, can you really afford to be picky?" He mainly looked at those who were very close to breaking their point barriers.

To entice further interest, Hyunda added a few words.

"Oh yeah. To those that want to know the right answer, I will privately tell you-----and only you will know!" Hyunda's words alarmed some "You-----" Tateyana showed great interest, as there were about thirty seconds on the clock "OK, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Tateyana got up immediately and began to approach Hyunda "Since anything goes, suck my dick and make me cum, how about it?" Hyunda made the outrageous demand "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Arkalee was not pleased whatsoever as she exulted herself "You haven't changed your womanizer ways, I see...." Ikkiri as well, but she was less expressive about it "UHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Tateyana was blushing but there was something else on her mind "Twenty seconds to suck, five to go. Decide." Hyunda pressured her into making the decision.

Which would be bigger; the desire to keep her honor or having the correct answer to get ahead of others, potentially?

"FUCK YOU, NO WAY!!" Tateyana blatantly rejected Hyunda, despite him making the effort of distancing his chair from his desk to create some distance "YOU HORNY MOTHERFUCKERS NEED HELP!!!" Furious, Tateyana went to her seat and Hyunda sighed with his eyes closed "It's probably for the best, she would most likely bite it off------" As Hyunda was complaining, a partial voice interfered rather quickly "I'll do it." She took a step forward.

Lus became static and unable to say a word as she observed Kanawari get on her knees, in front of Hyunda.

"Oh?!" Hyunda was surprised by Kanawari's approach "Keep your word..." Kanawari insisted as she gave Hyunda a daunting glare, whilst unzipping the trouser's fly "Dive in." Hyunda invited her along as many were baffled by Kanawari's stance, just to get a free answer.

Bryce, the younger member, was feeling rather, uncomfortable as he watched the event unfold.

"OK, THAT WASN'T NECESSARY, NO?!" Bryce mainly looked at Andrea "Yes, it wasn't..." She agreed, though annoyed she was used as a point of reference "Bryce... Mind your manners..." The president scolded him a little bit "I----I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but-----!!!" Everyone understood "I don't know, she got it easy if you ask me." Erigaisi begged to differ "Huh?!" Bryce was in awe "Shalyva would have to do some insane tongue stretching to make me cum in under twenty seconds! Don't even get me started on Harini! If I didn't know any better, I would say that the white-haired guy pitied her and allowed her to have the answer!" Erigaisi's set of words disturbed some of the present members "Please don't use such uncouth words, for the love of God!" Andrea facepalmed "Reminder that we are all minors..." Liyuga added "Especially him." Seok pointed at Bryce "Y-Yeah!!" Bryce reluctantly agreed "Wait, you mentioned two of your wives?!" It clicked "Not my wives! They are part of my harem in Mumbai!" Erigaisi then proceeded to add an unnecessary dump of information about his "harem".

Kanawari managed to return to her seat on time and attribute the answer given by Hyunda.

"No... That... No... No, no, no, no..." Lus shook her head over and over as she saw Kanawari voting "Where's the honor at?" Daniel asked her "That's not her... Kana... wouldn't... go that low just for some points...!!" Lus started to panic "Mind you: She had to make him ejaculate in less than twenty seconds." Daniel reminded her ".......!!!!" She gritted her teeth "I wonder... Can that even be achieved without prior experience on the matter?" Daniel genuinely asked Lus, whose eyebrows twitched in doubt "No way, right? I mean... She looked like she knew how to get in the position all too wel----" The impertinent shout came forth "SHUT THE HELL UPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!" Lus adjoined her two hands against her head, whilst shaking "JUST SHUT UP....!!!" For the first time in quite some time, Daniel saw the underlying nature of Lus, as her eyes lit up an undying fire of rage "Mhm...." He felt compelled as everyone watched them argue.

The standings were the following, now that the round was over:

> 1 - Hyunda (37554/45000 points) {4 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (30178/35000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (8742/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] {6 red lights}

> 4 - Yulia (8364/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Daniel (7793/10000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {1 red light}

> 6 - Hinagiku (3924/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (3900/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 8 - Sana (3874/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (3776/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Kuzan (3616/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Tateyana (2498/2500 points) {4 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2136/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 13 - Stratos (2080/2500 points) {5 red lights}

> 14 - Kanawari (2056/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (1316/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back) {1 red light}

> 16 - Akimiyashika (938/1000 points) {4 red lights}

"See? What did I say?" They hated his blatant narcissism "I gotta wonder if it's even worth kicking people when you can just keep accumulating it..." Hyunda laughed "This guy...!!" Tateyana was outraged "DAMN IT!!!" She slammed her fists on the table "No, no way I miss the next two or three... It's 50/50...!!" She argued "Just open wide and you'll get it right!" Hyunda shouted across the room "GHHHHHH!!!!" She couldn't fully deny the advantage of it.

The eleventh round, the penultimate one before the final, would begin now.

"Kitsuya Arkalee has in her possession allegedly, over thousands of stolen jewelry, including diamond necklaces, rings, earrings, and many more." Arkalee awaited for Tatsu's signal "......." He formed a "0" symbol with his right hand and Arkalee understood the signal ".........." Thus, she posed silence "Oh for fuck's sake...!! 50/50?!" Tateyana fumed "I guess there's no point in sticking to patterns now that Tatsu has broken his point barrier..." Hinagiku mentioned "50/50 is the best way to do it." Kawahara seemed to agree.

Though he was mildly surprised by Kanawari's stance earlier and still somewhat is, Kuzan found this particular claim oddly strange for his liking.

"There's no way you stole that many items by yourself." He claimed and harnessed Arkalee's attention instantly "Hah?!" She felt offended "So..." Kuzan ignored her "Someone did it for you. Is your family rich?" Kuzan asked "..........." Arkalee refused to reply "Ever had a butler?" Kuzan asked again ".........." Arkalee's expression grew serious and a little nervous "Ah, so you have..." Kuzan then instantly voted "........." Many followed Kuzan's example "........." Tatsu made an abhorrent look towards Arkalee "It's not my fault that he caught on to it!" She answered in her mind to Tatsu.

The results were inserted after the voting session was done, thus rapidly updating the ladder.

> 1 - Hyunda (37650/45000 points) {4 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (30370/35000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Rayazaki (8936/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] {6 red lights}

> 4 - Yulia (8388/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Daniel (7985/10000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {1 red light}

> 6 - Hinagiku (4020/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 7 - Yukishiro (3996/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 8 - Sana (3970/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (3872/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Kuzan (3712/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Tateyana (3594/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 12 - Lus Sera (2256/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 13 - Stratos (2176/2500 points) {5 red lights}

> 14 - Kanawari (2128/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {4 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (1456/2500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back) {1 red light}

> 16 - Akimiyashika (1434/1500 points) {4 red lights}

"Huh?! How come they all scored?!" Bryce couldn't understand "Takeshi Kuzan became too confident of his assumption, which created a domino effect. It turned out he was right." Liyuga noted "As expected of the master thief..." Seok complimented him "But holy shit, we are finally getting to the juicy bit!!!" Erigaisi celebrated "...Why do I have a feeling that a lot of things will happen before the execution round?" Andrea murmured to herself "You might just be onto something." The president agreed with Andrea.

Basara, the maestro, followed the sequence.

"Given that the next round will be the last round of this judgment round, it will be slightly different." The interest was captivated "...I don't like this..." Tateyana was already negative "No, it's a good thing. It was made to promote interest, so with that said, allow me to tell you all what happens to those that successfully score in the upcoming final claim!!" Basara commanded all interest as he would tell them "Naturally, the points will be doubled. Therefore, given that you win 96 points should you get the claim right, you will instead, earn 192 points." The tension grew as Basara was delaying the main topic "Please, just tell us what's different this round." Ikkiri insisted "The people that get the claim right in this upcoming final round, will be able to select two options subsequently, instead of only one." Basara's words proved to be staggering "W...What...?! Two options?! Not just one...?!" Rayazaki was stunned "That's insane, right?! No, it's gotta be!!" Tateyana claimed as the others kept thinking about the possibilities.

He then added the final clause.

"It's, however, only available in this round, though. As I said, it's an interest promotion. So, with that said, let's get right into it!!" Basara would shortly announce the last claim "Two options... How will that work?" Liyuga asked the members of the student council "Tenma Basara said it was to promote "interest" so in other words, they most likely have intentions of upholding the idea of allowing players to use two options. It will, most likely, come at a high cost, but this is a good opportunity to allow them to see just how powerful it can be." The president deducted "Right. It will allow them to think more freely, however..." Andrea had a worry "...The person who will be the target for the execution round will be..." Their attention would now be shifted back to the main event.

With everything to lose and win, this meant life or death for some, potentially.

"The crime that got Kitsuya Arkalee selected for this program was: The killing of every girl in her highschool, which was organized by the creation of an only-girls after party during her graduation." Basara made the last claim and Arkalee's expression darkened "Five minutes to go, so, use this time very wisely." Basara terminated his speech "Five... minutes...?" Many didn't saw the necessity of this "They really want us to show them a brawl." Hyunda lowly laughed "Uh, so... Unless you get the right claim, you won't get the two options which are very nice..." Tateyana reasoned "........" Their eyes traveled to the figure at the center.

The one that holds the power to decide who wins those 192 points is no other than the person at the center; Kitsuya Arkalee.

"They all know by now." Yulia told Rayazaki "All?" He asked "...All I could come into contact with... Some are just..." Yulia in the end, couldn't contact everyone "It's fine... They've been told that if Daniel approaches them with something in regard to me that I will offer them the said quantity. That alone is enough. Plus, Stratos will put him at the very center if he's chosen." Rayazaki reasoned calmly "Yeah..." But Yulia was immensely worried about the more realistic approach.

In her mind, this didn't make any sense.

"Alright, name your terms." Kawahara was the first one who began the instigation "5000 points!" Arkalee told "Please, be more reasonable." Kawahara was still serious "Oh, I'm being serious. Fork 5000 points and I'll tell you the right answer to thi----" He saw the opportunity "Oh wait, I know the answer lol." The attention totally shifted as Arkalee looked at him with strong hatred "Hyunda....!!!" She gritted her teeth "DON'T BELIEVE A WORD HE SAYS, HE'S LYING TO YOU!!! I NEVER TOLD HIM THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS!!!" Arkalee angrily defied the possibility.

Hyunda shrugged as he seemed indifferent to this.

"No, no, you did tell me. Come on now, don't tell me you forgot?" Hyunda tempted her "........." Arkalee's expression remained stoic, without giving a sign "Alright, people!" Hyunda clapped his hands "To those that don't want to obey Arkalee's unreasonable demands, come to me and we can work it out! After all, we got more than four minutes remaining!!" Hyunda was happy to announce that he was offering his generosity ".........." However, they all knew what he meant "Sorry bros, but I'm only accepting points if it's from you! 96 minimum! You can't say it's a bad deal, eh?!" Hyunda looked over to the male players "Motherfucker, you're copying me." Rayazaki was annoyed at Hyunda's stance "The wise steal, always." He retorted "Wise, my ass!! I bet you're fucking lying and you just want to feel in control, don't you?!" Rayazaki continued to defy Hyunda "Huh? No, no, any girl that blows me will have the right answer. I promise." He crossed his two fingers as if to symbolize a promise.

Daniel and Hinagiku crossed glances with one another; which meant that the time was now.

"......" Hinagiku elevated from her seat and went to where Ikkiri is "........" Ikkiri, as she saw her approaching, got up from her seat and the two of them decided to have the conversation now, since Hyunda was hogging most of the attention "Now?" Ikkiri asked her as she kept looking at the main table where the conversation is ongoing "Yes." Hinagiku confirmed it "Alright... But I have to ask; why?" Ikkiri's expression stiffened "...I wasn't told the details. I was just told to do this." Ikkiri sighed "And you went along with his words...? Just how far do you trust him? I swear, Hina..." Ikkiri couldn't understand Hinagiku's approach "Well, it's whatever. Hit me up with the contract." Hinagiku got ready to recite it "By the way, if I hadn't proposed you this and Akimiyashika manages to gain points to overthrow your lead, what were you planning on doing?" Hinagiku asked as she formed the contract "Secret." The contract was formed as Hinagiku and Ikkiri formed a very temporary contract in exchange for some points.

On the other hand, Daniel got up from his seat and went in the direction of Stratos, which caught the attention of Yulia and Rayazaki from afar.

"What's he up to..." Rayazaki, stressed, observed with Yulia, as Daniel approached Stratos "Go and see what they're talking about!" Rayazaki ordered Yulia "Ok..." She elevated from her seat and started to walk from the right wing in order to get a glimpse at what Daniel and Stratos were talking about from afar "It works." Daniel confidently replied to Stratos "If it doesn't..." He was very stressed at the possibility of failure "Worst case scenario, I'll back you up. I never betray my word." Daniel put on a solemn expression "Oh, really?" From behind him, Yulia sneaked him.

Daniel's eyes became enchanted by her appearance and the mere fact that she was breathing so close to him.

"Yulia..." He slowly turned to her direction, where Yulia was, with a gentle expression "What were you two talking about?" She expressed enthusiasm "We were discussing the best possible strategy to save you." Daniel remained honest and didn't lie to the one person he vowed to never lie to "........" Yulia was momentarily stunned as she wasn't expecting to hear that "Isn't that right, Stratos?" Daniel put on a stoic dead expression as he placed his eyesight on the nervous Stratos next to him "Yeah..." Stratos avoided eye-contact with the gorgeous Yulia out of sheer anxiety "She's so beautiful..." He reflected "Stratos, it's time." Daniel told him and he began to walk at a normal pace past Yulia.

She turned around and wondered where he was going.

"Wai----" She tried to warn Stratos, but got instantly alarmed by something far greater that required her immediate attention "Hnnnmmmmm....." His nostrils were fully able to capture her scent as Daniel sniffed her neck's right side "!?!?" Alarmed, Yulia instantly retreated "Ahhh, it really is you... I couldn't mistake your scent, Yulia. How many times will y-----" A hurtful slap rained across his face as Daniel was sent back by her "GET OFF ME, YOU CREEP!!!" Embarrassed but mainly outraged, Yulia yelled at Daniel as she created some distance "Woah, what happened there?" Attention began to split "Daniel got slapped across the fucking face, that's what happened." Daniel was having trouble getting up as he couldn't use his hands nor his elbows for some balance" Oww....." In the end, he had to use his legs to bring himself back up, but Yulia had retreated back to Rayazaki.

Speaking of which...

"Right now?! No fucking way." Rayazaki brutally shut down his demand "But I need those points right now, dude... I want to get higher on the list!!" Stratos began to show more emotion as he kept demanding "The audacity...!! Listen here, you stupid fuck. The deal was: I will lend you 5000 points, if you select Daniel as the target of your choice to be swapped when the execution round begins, not BEFORE." Rayazaki angrily emphasized "If you got that, fuck off." Rayazaki applied the pressure "...Daniel said that he would offer me all of his points if I successfully did the same to you..." Stratos confessed as Rayazaki became horrified "Wh-What...?! All of his points, to fucking swap me...?!" Rayazaki's body started to shake in rage "Eh?! Seriously?!" Yulia, who was right next to Rayazaki, entered the conversation.

Two minutes and a half remained.

And Rayazaki had to think of a way to inevitable avoid this outcome.

"...I can't fucking give you all my points, that's fucking absurd...!!!" Rayazaki wasn't in the mood to be delusional over some unfortified wager "...Don't hold it against me then..." Stratos began to show signs of retreating ".......!!!!" Rayazaki reached out to his left forearm and halted his movements "Hold the fuck up, you're not going anywhere. Hear my proposition first." Rayazaki began to negotiate terms with Stratos "......." After hearing the proposition, Stratos gave it some thought "That's--------" He thought it a second time "No, I'm only accepting that if you increase it by 1000 points. Daniel's entire points for a chance like that, is very incomparable, dude..." He acknowledged "1000?! Bastard, I have to fucking fix my point barrier, I can't be loaning so much money at once!!" Rayazaki complained "Then I'm not accepting the deal." Stratos became defiant "You retard...!! Daniel's deal only works if you actually get chosen!!" Rayazaki retorted yet again "So does the one you initially proposed." Stratos replied "Yes, I FUCKING KNOW. Which is why, I'm offering you certified points for a deal that doesn't even require you to be chosen, so make up your mind!!" Rayazaki's voice kept increasing.

Yulia had some particular thoughts on the matter as the clock was ticking.

"So... That fucking creep is trying to get Rayazaki swapped by the target of the execution round at all costs; he even went around the class and from the looks of it, proposed half of his points to whoever got Rayazaki swapped with the said target. Rayazaki then told me to spread the information that he would give 5000 points to whoever swapped the execution round's target for Daniel Lead... A few minutes ago, Daniel Lead told Stratos that he would give ALL of his points if he successfully swapped the target for Rayazaki!!" She looked over Daniel's points "That's no joke. I don't know why, but this Daniel guy is mega obsessed with me. I'm not interested in knowing why that's the case, but this guy is seriously hunting down Rayazaki! That's 7985 points just to get Rayazaki in the center! No, if he gets the upcoming claim right, it's 192 doubled. Over 8000 points!! But..." She had the idea down in her mind ever since the last round.

Yulia looked towards the left side of the oval table, where the prominent figure of her doom lay; fully enjoying the motions produced by their mouths back and forth.

"It's not my first time sucking one for points... I got off pretty easy, I'll admit it, but this guy... Maybe I should...." She became tempted "No... I have to attach myself to the very best, which means that I have to attach myself to point sources that aren't necessarily the best out there, in order to extract more of their points cohesively. Rayazaki is experiencing a point acquisition decline due to the current events, so it's safe to say that I'll need to switch hosts soon. But who is-------" Her eyes unconsciously met Daniel's from afar, as he gently smiled "...........This.... was not part of the plan at all, woman..." Her thoughts concluded.

1 minute and 14 seconds remained.

"And it's done." The contract between the two was formed "...Do I get a saying when my turn comes up?" Akimiyashika asked Tatsu, as she stood near his chair "Absolutely not." He coldly rejected her "........" She was slightly annoyed at that "You're an investment in a sense, and I need to get my money back, Akimiyashika. Don't think that I saved you out of pity." Tatsu cleared it up "...Sure....." She started to distance herself from Tatsu as she looked at Kawahara, who was observing her all this time.

She took a seat next to him with a defeated look on her face.

"What else could I have done...?" Akimiyashika looked at the surface of her desk as she said those words "Suck dick for a few points?" Kawahara tilted his head "......" She looked at him with annoyance "No, no, it's serious. I mean, just look at how many he has on his cock. Shit hurts to watch, my ego is on fire..." He couldn't deny it as he looked at Hyunda from afar with a few selected female individuals trusting his word "Co-dependence is... I hate it..." Akimiyashika told him "I'll do it... I learned my lesson...!!" Akimiyashika looked resolved "...If I get the chance to kill... I will fucking do it." Her eyes turned hollow "........." Kawahara finally saw some utility in her, but it was too early to tell.

It was when there were thirty-five seconds left.

By now, there were only two choice paths that the players had taken.

The first choice path: Try and negotiate with Kitsuya Arkalee regarding the truth of the claim.

The second choice path: Trust Hajime Hyunda's word on the matter and take it for granted.

Though many tried to negotiate with Arkalee at first, her demands proved to be beyond ludicrous, so most of the players were divided between betting it at random or follow the second choice path. A few girls went for Hyunda's consultation on the matter and after doing sexual deeds for him, he privately told them, one by one, the answer.

However, it doesn't change the fact that there is no guarantee that Hyunda is telling the truth. Even so, some found it better to trust him on the matter as they saw that he had no reason for lying.

For Lus, on the other hand, to keep her honor, she decided to stick to the 50/50.

"...Huh...?!" Out of mere curiosity, she decided to check her points and her position in the ranking ladder.

The last time she checked her position, she was allocated in the 12th position, with 2256 points.

Time began to become far too critical.

"HOW-------HOW AM I LAST PLA-----WHAT?!?!?" Lus could no longer hold herself as she saw the ranking ladder "Mhmmm... Looks like you got played." Daniel saw the ranking ladder as well as Lus nervously looked at him "Daniel, what is happening?! This has to be some kind of mistake!! I'm in the DAMN LAST PLACE------" Daniel swiftly interrupted her as time ran out "It's not a mistake. It's your lack of preparation and commitment." His dark eyes pierced Lus entirely as there were thirty seconds left.

Given that everyone had voted, the call of the hour was nigh.

"And now, low and behold!" Basara's chant would lead them to glance over the newly updated ranking ladder.

Which was:

> 1 - Hyunda (37250/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account] {5 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (23254/35000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [For the next two hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 50% of her bonus earned points will be transferred to Hirakibo Tatsu's account] [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over]

> 3 - Yulia (8436/10000 points) [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the upcoming hour] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Arkalee (8023/10000 points) [Kitsuya Arkalee's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [For the next two hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 50% of her bonus earned points will be transferred to Hirakibo Tatsu's account]

> 5 - Rayazaki (7580/20000 points) [Has a 25% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day] [Every time Hikaru Yulia earns a point, no matter the quantity, 75% of it will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki for the rest of the upcoming hour] [The next time Stratos breaks his point barrier, 50% of his bonus points earned will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki's account] {7 red lights}

> 6 - Daniel (7369/10000 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [In the next execution round, Mayabashi Hinagiku's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control] {1 red light}

> 7 - Stratos (4868/7500 points) [The next time Stratos breaks his point barrier, 50% of his bonus points earned will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki's account] {5 red lights}

> 8 - Akimiyashika (4684/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {5 red lights}

> 9 - Yukishiro (4188/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Sana (4162/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 11 - Kawahara (4064/4500 points) {2 red lights}

> 12 - Hinagiku (4020/4500 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] [In the next execution round, Mayabashi Hinagiku's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control] {5 red lights}

> 13 - Kuzan (3904/4500 points) {3 red lights}

> 14 - Tateyana (3786/4500 points) {4 red lights}

> 15 - Ikkiri (3692/4500 points) [Rikishima Ikkiri has a 75% point boost acquisition for the rest of the day, but should she get a claim wrong, the 75% point boost acquisition will become a 75% point boost acquisition in reverse and will only change back when she gets a claim right (should she fail to get it right three times in a row it will not go back] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {1 red light}

> 16 - Kanawari (3528/4500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account] {5 red lights}

> 17 - Lus Sera (2256/2500 points) [Every time Gayakirima Kanawari earns a point, no matter the quantity, 25% of it will be transferred to Lus Sera for the rest of the upcoming hour] {5 red lights}

Although a little number of them was already aware of the ongoing changes that happened in that span of five minutes; most of them, were not.

"What the HELL?!" Tateyana exulted from her seat "What's with all the changes?! WHAT?!" She was beyond clueless "I knew a thing or two, but seriously, what..." Yulia couldn't hide her shock as well "HOW THE HELL DOES ARKALEE HAVE 8000 POINTS?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Rayazaki released his anger to the smug and over-confident Arkalee "Heh... Stupid fucks... YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD ME ALL ALONG?! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Laughing like a lunatic, Arkalee took everyone by surprise "Akimiyashika's score sure went high... I expected a change, but she got a nice deal off, although..." Hinagiku kept analyzing the contracts shown.

There was far too much going on for the players to rationalize. It would take partial viewers to internalize all of the ongoing events in those five minutes to have the right accurate information in order to filter it out.

Henceforth, all eyes were on him, as he gently put down his porcelain tea cup; ultimately crossing his right leg before addressing the mountain of events.

"Let's start from the very beginning, just when Kitsuya Arkalee was selected..." Through a VOD review, the president went back exactly when Arkalee was selected as the judgment round's target "Pay close attention to the ranking ladder, for Kitsuya Arkalee's name will vanish the moment she is locked into the chair." The president blessed them with information that they didn't know about "Wait, that happens?!" Bryce was surprised "Now that you mention it... I never really did pay attention to when the name of the target vanishes from the ranking ladder as it only shows up after the last round is done like it did now..." Liyuga admitted "Right here." The president paused.

He then zoomed in on Tatsu's camera and then they saw it for a brief second.

"He proposed a contract to her?!" Bryce was stunned "...It adds up why he scored perfectly now..." Liyuga murmured as he placed his right fingers on the surface of his lips "It wasn't entirely noticeable because Kitsuya Arkalee accepted it without a second thought." The video was unpaused and as Arkalee was carried away by the guards, she managed to instantly press the green check option with her right finger "The contract that was proposed was the following: Kitsuya Arkalee will be awarded with 5000 of Hirakibo Tatsu's points but in return, for the next two hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier, the bonus points will be transferred to Hirakibo Tatsu's account, by half." The president recited the contract "So Kitsuya Arkalee was never in danger..." Krale noticed "Indeed. Let's proceed." The president wanted to get a move on.

He pressed fast forward x32 in order to reach to the last five minutes, when the last claim was made.

"Look at the ranking ladder and tell me if you see any new bonuses; implying the opening of new contracts." They looked at the digital ranking ladder available on the right screen "No... Also, I just noticed something! Hirakibo Tatsu's contract with Kitsuya Arkalee should have exposed him on the ranking ladder since the bonus shows on your name regardless, but it didn't! Why is that?!" Bryce questioned "That's... a good question..." Andrea couldn't deny it "Uh... What if it doesn't show until the name of the person you're contracted with, shows up?!" Seok tried to guess "No, that doesn't make sense. Because Hirakibo Tatsu's bonuses involving Kitsuya Arkalee were shown throughout the whole round right next to his name. That couldn't have been why..." Andrea rejected the approach "Geh..." Seok felt defeated "That's because new contracts with a person whose name isn't shown on the screen during a judgment round will be hidden, albeit the prior contracts will be shown!" Erigaisi clarified "That's... sneaky, no? And also, not fair." Andrea didn't like it "The illusion gives entertainment!" Andrea sighed at Erigaisi's predictable line "Back to what I was saying... There were essentially no new contracts outside of that one. So, let's go, one by one." The president then unpaused the VOD and focused on the ranking ladder.

The playing speed was at x4 speed. In front of them, there are four plasma screens with immense width and fair height.

The first plasma screen shows footage of the players expressions, by circling around them, going through each player. This, of course, can simply be adjusted by pressing the desired number (if the number on the remote controller that is pressed is the equivalent of the player's ranking, then the camera will be permanently focused on them).

Following that up, the second plasma screen exhibits the wide variety of motions produced by the players and is labelled as the main screen since it's through that screen that you are able to follow everything, in general. The distance is very balanced and more often than not, the priority goes to the players that are in question about something or have extremely high points.

Next; the third plasma screen focuses on the player that's at the center; whether it's during the judgment or execution round.

Lastly, the fourth and final plasma has the ranking ladder with the points and the bonuses available, which are synchronized with the ongoing time of the game. In other words, it's impossible to have a delay.

"There!! Pause and look at Mayabashi Hinagiku and Rikishima Ikkiri's bonuses!!" Bryce, with a keen eye, noticed a change right away "Oh!" Seok paused the VOD with his own remote controller albeit the president has his own "They are also talking to each other... This was something I noticed back in the earlier rounds, Mayabashi Hinagiku went to Rikishima Ikkiri's chair and told her something. This is without a doubt, planned." Andrea concluded "It's very likely. This was the first contract in these five minutes, which was: In exchange for 1000 points, in the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier." The president, based on the screen and the point additions and subtractions, told "Uhhh... So, in theory, Rikishima Ikkiri, got 1000 points from Mayabashi Hinagiku... So, how come Mayabashi Hinagiku, currently suffered no such thing?!" Bryce couldn't understand it "We'll get there." The president halted Bryce momentarily.

The VOD was unpaused and the next contract was spotted fairly shortly after.

"That is most odd, I have to say." The president's expression became stiffened "BUT IS HE DUMB?! HE IS, DON'T ANSWER IT!!" Bryce was outraged "Uhhh, so what happened?!" Seok, clueless, asked "Satou Rayazaki and Stratos came to a deal in the form of a contract which is the following: In exchange for 1500 points, the next time Stratos breaks his point barrier, 50% of his bonus points earned will be transferred to Satou Rayazaki's account." Andrea informed them "But it's ridiculous!! He has a point barrier of 20000! Why is he giving away his points?! Is he THAT DUMB?!" Bryce was having a mental meltdown "It's Daniel Lead. I don't know what he told Stratos, but it managed to make Satou Rayazaki lose points. Although, it's not a bad bonus, if I'm honest." Liyuga reasoned "His bonus with Hikaru Yulia will end as soon as the next round begins. I agree that this was a dumb move." Skan sided with Bryce "RIGHT?!" Bryce felt happy that he had some window of agreement.

The search continued as the VOD was unpaused.

"Ahh, so that's how she got out of that position..." Liyuga said, as the VOD was paused "I was beyond certain she would be at the very bottom at the end of this, but she actually managed to pull it off." The president complimented her in a sense "Izayoi Akimiyashika approached Hirakibo Tatsu since she desperately needed points in high quantity." Andrea added "Yes. The contract that Hirakibo Tatsu proposed to her was the following: In exchange for 2500 points, Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over." They now understood "....Isn't that kinda good...?!" Seok thought "Possibly." The president didn't disagree "However, without this contract, Izayoi Akimiyashika would not have been able to get out of her prior position." He concluded and unpaused the VOD "Pause." Andrea instantly told him.

It was roughly formed two seconds later.

"Why did Daniel Lead decide to offer 1000 of his points like that..." Liyuga questioned "Huh?" Seok wasn't understanding "Daniel Lead offered the following contract to Mayabashi Hinagiku: In exchange for 1000 points, in the next execution round, Mayabashi Hinagiku's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control." Andrea recited it "I get the merit, but... Was that really a necessity... What did it accomplish, exactly?" Bryce questioned "It's a nice bonus, plus, he only had to forfeit 1000 of his points." The president replied "Yeah, I know...! But like, why would she accept it though?! She had 3000 points prior to it because she handed 1000 of them to Rikishima Ikkiri, for whatever reason, but to actually accept a contract that doesn't allow you to play in the execution round?! That has to be DUMB!!" Bryce now fully explained his reasoning "Oh, I see. True, you make a point..." Liyuga admitted as he thought deeper.

Five seconds later, the next contract was spotted as well.

"Hajime Hyunda..." Andrea spoke that name with utter disgust "I think I'm traumatized for life..." Bryce confessed as he had to watch those entire five minutes "Hajime Hyunda, apparently by Gayakirima Kanawari's request, decided to offer her a contract that implied the following: In exchange for 400 points, the next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account." The president theorized "That's... a pretty bad deal, no? I mean, think about it. In the next round, the points you'll earn per correct claim will be 192. Multiply 192 by 3, you get 576. How are 400 points even worth it? She should have demanded at least 500." Skan reasoned "You have to take into consideration the time of when this contract happened and the ranking positions." Andrea told him "Oh..." He then proceeded to look over the ranking ladder "Oh shoot, Gayakirima Kanawari was actually at the bottom when there were 31 seconds left to go?!" He finally noticed "Yes. Although a subpar deal as you said, it was enough for her to break her point barrier. By breaking the point barrier of 2500, you are attributed an extra 1000 points. That's why she accepted it. As long as it's enough to break the point barrier, that's all that matters." Andrea further added.

Which now lead to the reasonable conclusion as all the explanations had been made.

"Lus Sera is the target of the judgment round, for Gayakirima Kanawari's contract with Hajime Hyunda proved to be critical." Andrea concluded "With that said, let's get back to it." She demanded "We can just follow it up from here instead of potentially spoiling oursel-----" Seok's command on his remote controller, brought forth their greatest fear "OH SHIT--------!!" He accidentally exited the VOD and brought them back to the real time of the ongoing stream "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT------" Bryce exulted himself at Seok "S-SORR-----" Seok's eyes were accidentally drawn away from the angry Bryce and instead, were allocated to the central screen "WHAT THE...!?" Bryce couldn't control his emotions as he saw the conclusion of the round "NO WAY, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! REWIND, REWIND, RIGHT NOW!!!" Bryce demanded, albeit it was something that not a single person in that room wasn't curious about.

To understand and shed light on the subject, it's necessary to dive back to when there was one minute left until the round was over.

"I'm impressed at the lack of teeth, I gotta say." Hyunda fully relaxed his upper body as he saw Kanawari below him, underneath his desk, performing her duty "It's usually all teeth, zero technique.... Some fresh air is nice..." In a rush, Hyunda put his right hand on the top of Kanawari's head "Throat it, now." He moved her head closer to him "........GH!!!" Unable to breathe properly, Kanawari was forced to swallow every single bit "Suck it down to the very last, not a single drip of it will come out of your mouth, do you hear me?" Hyunda placed his cold white eyes on her "......." She didn't neglect this duty from her.

Impeccably, Kanawari performed the blowjob.

"Alright. The answer is..." Hyunda whispered it to her right ear as she kept swallowing it.

With fifty seconds on the clock, Kanawari hadn't seen anything that was going on, thus, she had no idea about the other contracts. Hyunda zipped his trouser's fly and looked at the ranking ladder.

"Oh shit, you are going to fucking die it seems." Kanawari instantly turned around as she was leaving "?!" She took quick notice that she was in fact, in the last place, with 2128 points "H-HOW?! AKIMIYASHIKA AND IKKIRI WERE BEHIND ME!! EVEN STRATOS...!!!" Kanawari shouted, as she went over their names in the ranking ladder, with their respective new points as well as bonuses "I'll spare you the entire lecture; they formed contracts and earned sufficient points to get themselves out of their predicaments. While you were busy sucking my long cock, they were making amends for themselves." He sighed "No..." She dreaded as she placed her fingers on her face "Such a shame... I wanted to try that pussy next..." Sana was disgusted by Hyunda's behavior but didn't interfere "I'LL DO IT, JUST PLEASE LEND ME YOUR POINTS!!" Kanawari didn't hesitate.

Forty seconds remained.

"Kanawari, I'll give you exactly no more than 400 points; which is enough for you to break the point barrier." Hyunda proposed and Kanawari paid attention to the board "I--------" She knew what it would meant "Please, give me more than that! 1000, at least!" She knelt down to Hyunda and begged "I'll have sex with you as many times as you want, just give me 1000 points!!!" She smiled amidst the despair "Oh fuck no. Choose, Kanawari-------your life or your best friend's." Hyunda pressured her "No, please...!!! Give me more points, it's not enough afterwards...!!" Kanawari told her "...Wait..." Hyunda had misunderstood Kanawari for a second.

A most grand evil smile erupted from the corners of his lips.

"Are you telling me you don't give a shit about Lus dying and that you only care about the aftermath?!" His eyes widened in ecstasy "Huh...?" Kanawari didn't understand the necessity of the question "Oh, her...?" She twisted her neck in Lus' direction "She's fully under the impression that I won't do it, but..." A most unhinged smile was shown "HUH? THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH FUCK THE DAMN BITCH!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING TO KEEP ON LIVING!!!" Kanawari demonstrated her tenacity as Hyunda smiled with his teeth cackling "GOOD, GOOD, THAT'S THE FUCKING SPIRIT!!!" He clapped at her.

image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9c3e3c59-8f24-49ce-8a2b-546d1bb52197/di7s3ey-7cde55a3-cd52-4f2f-964a-da325c13fc77.png/v1/fit/w_496,h_806,q_70,strp/no_context__by_kumokuroro_di7s3ey-375w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODA2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOWMzZTNjNTktOGYyNC00OWNlLThhMmItNTQ2ZDFiYjUyMTk3XC9kaTdzM2V5LTdjZGU1NWEzLWNkNTItNGYyZi05NjRhLWRhMzI1YzEzZmM3Ny5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NDk2In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.MGcWUpGrVnoxmnFMhaNWcSoFISJKnXnQnGIZH-N31og]

"Ah, but no. Only 400. Take it or leave it. If you need more points in the next round, we can work it out. But for now, only 400." Hyunda remained in control until the very end "It's up to you, my sweet whore." He began to form the contract.

Lus fell into a deep state of paranoia as there were less than thirty seconds on the clock.

"At least she got the message first. This means that between the two of you, one was clearly smarter than the other." Daniel cracked his neck to the right side "I'll say it again; kill yourself. This will result in Kanawari being selected in the execution round, but nobody can technically benefit from your death." Lus' head began to tilt downward as she had came to a conclusion "...If I don't get selected, Kanawari will be selected..." She realized "Yes, that's what I just said. But, you get to keep your honor. As I already said, if you kill yourself, nobody can sully your death. A happy ending for y----" Lus sneaked a look at Daniel with the will to kill "You planned this, didn't you?" Her words never sounded more hostile "........" Daniel felt his life on the thread.

His upcoming words would choose whether or not he would live.

"Ever since you said you'd repay me with undying loyalty, I've been curious. To be honest, I think you're a liar." Lus' expression stiffened to the maximum as her eyes narrowed "And to expose you, I planned every single thing in this round. I pinned you against Kanawari, because I think you're a liar, Lus..." He spoke with utmost seriousness as there were eighteen seconds on the clock "To die for your friend, you would be an amazing friend. If, by all means, you don't object the fact that Kanawari sold you out and deliberately took Hyunda's contract, you are an impeccable friend. If someone were to analyze the concept of friendship and used you as a pillar of reference; I would not find it illogical at all." He closed his eyes "But, you lied to me. Because by staying a friend to Kanawari, you are no longer pledging your undying loyalty. Your word, therefore, has no value." Her eyes widened in suspense "In a sense, it's all your fault. But let's see..." Daniel looked at the clock.

Over ten seconds remained and Lus' head was in meltdown.

"I find it strange. Do you actually not have any ambitions beyond this cradle?" He asked her as she remained silent whilst looking at Daniel with impaling eyes "A life of your own? A dream to fulfill? Experiences you wish to obtain? If the answer is no, then... All the words I said are sufficient. If, somehow, yes... Make me your lifeline, Lus." Five seconds remained.

The next five seconds would be critical as Lus purely acted based on her desires that she held deep down in her selfish, vain soul.

Volume 27: Chapter 189: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XVII.

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