Volume 27: Chapter 191: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XIX._Classroom of Doom

11 am.

As per usual, nobody was late. To make sure of that, some players even stood inside the room instead of going to their respective dorms.

With every player present, including the new player that everyone kept staring at, the round was ready to start; as the points this round would be 192 per correct claim.

"ROLL IT!!" The dice was cast as there were 11 possible choices ".........." Her mood darkened as she was the choice, this time around "You are in big trouble." Hyunda immediately looked to his left side "NASHA SANA, STEP RIGHT UP!! THE CHAIR IS COMFY JUST FOR YOU!!" Basara spoke words that Sana could not disagree more "16 rounds, without scoring..." The implications were dreadful "Oh, right... We have 16 rounds because Ikkiri decided as such... In other words, if we actually get 11 claims wrong we actually die?!" Stratos feared for his life "That's right!!" And Ikkiri was happy to agree with him "16 x 192 is 3072, so that's too much to miss..." Kawahara deducted "She might actually even be behind the new player when the execution round comes up..." Akimiyashika began to feel sorry for Sana as she was accompanied to the central chair albeit she was not demonstrating a rebellious attitude about it.

And that was because Sana already knew the amount of unfair advantage she held.

"Shit..." Kawahara didn't like how confident and snarky Sana looked at the center "Wh-What is it?!" Akimiyashika got worried as soon as Kawahara's expression darkened "She knows exactly what's going on..." He sighed "???" Akimiyashika didn't understand "THE FIRST ROUND WILL NOW BEGIN!!" Basara commanded the attention of every single person present.

With 16 rounds left to go, this would be the lengthiest judgment round yet.

"Ever since 6 years old, Nasha Sana has practiced money laundering." The first claim was therefore made "Money laundering? Me? Hmm..." Sana pondered with a smug look on her face "Oh fuck..." Tateyana also came to the realization "This is..." She gulped and decided that it would be wise to get the ball rolling in her favor "Hey, Sana!" She called out to her "Hmm? Oh, hi." Sana calmly replied which made Tateyana even more nervous due to her calm behavior.

But even so, an attempt had to be made.

"What do I have to do to get the right answer from you?!" She went straight to the point and nobody interrupted their dialogue as fifty seconds remained "That was quick." Sana remarked "Well, for starters, I need to score. Without that, we aren't going anywhere at all." Sana cut to the chase "But you can't score..." Tateyana countered "Oh, not necessarily. I think that if you propose to me a contract that has a condition that I score, that it will work." Sana clarified "Is that... even possible?" Akimiyashika turned to Kawahara "Technically." Kawahara remained motionless "......." Tateyana gave it some thought.

Forty seconds remained.

"Anything on your mind, captain?" Hinagiku's sarcasm dripped to him "Don't form a single contract with Sana." Daniel then looked to his left "Especially you. Stick to observation." He ordered "Ok... I'm... good at observing people, yeah." Lus confidently told herself "Oh Daniel..." Hinagiku sighed "Uh so... I think I'll hold off on that!" Tateyana reluctantly backed off "Oh really? Fine then, enjoy playing the 50/50! I'm sure that nothing bad will happen down the way!" Sana giggled "The odds are not in your favor..." Tateyana countered "Oh but the odds don't matter, actually. Because, unless I get what I want, at least one person in this judgment round will die the same way Tsudo did." Sana became cold "Sheeesh, that's my girl!" Hyunda clapped "...." Sana looked at him with a disgusted look.

At the end of the day, nobody wanted to test the waters just yet and so, the first round came to an end, with the updated ranking ladder on the screen.

> 1 - Hyunda - (37826/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (2/3)]

> 2 - Tatsu (17154/35000 points) [Has a 100% 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 four hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 100% 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] [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {1 red light}

> 3 - Tateyana (15534/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved] {1 red light}

> 4 - Arkalee (14215/15000 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 - Hinagiku (11770/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {1 red light}

> 6 - Kawahara (10724/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account]

> 7 - Kuzan (9904/10000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {1 red light}

> 8 - Kanawari (9828/10000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account] [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day (2/3)]

> 9 - Yulia (8436/10000 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Stratos (5060/7500 points)

> 11 - Akimiyashika (4684/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {1 red light}

> 12 - Lus Sera (4540/7500 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] [Scored correctly one time]

> 13 - Yukishiro (4380/4500 points)

> 14 - Ikkiri (1924/2500 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] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier]

> 15 - Hugo (192/250 points)

> 16 - Daniel (0/99 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {1 red light}

"So she didn't do it..." Tateyana was forced to recognize as she went for the wrong choice "Mhmm..." Daniel was slightly puzzled "There's nothing to drain off..." He added "It's really 50/50, her body language isn't telling shit." Hinagiku noticed "By the way..." Lus was curious and decided to alert Daniel "He's ahead of you, but it shouldn't be a problem for you to catch up." Lus told him "......." Daniel looked to his left side, where the newest player bought by Tatsu in the last round is.

The second round would then begin.

"Nasha Sana has been found guilty of tearing apart limbs from people who were drugged before." The claim was stated "Oh no, my necrophilia secret is out..." Sana looked preoccupied for a second "So, you drugged people with paralyzing substances and then cut off their limbs? Hey, that's kinda neat! Did you sell those body pieces to anyone, Sana?" Kuzan asked her, with enthusiasm "Oh, um... I can't tell names, obviously----but I know someone that knows someone that knows someone----blah, blah, blah, you know how it is!" Sana laughed in a charming manner "Ah, I see! One more question though..." Kuzan managed to capture Sana's full attention "What's your number one tool for cutting limbs?" He calmly asked "......." Sana gave it some thought "Kuzan, there's no way I'm revealing that. It's a matter of privacy!" She replied back "Oh, my bad!!" Kuzan laughed it off and instantly voted.

Kanawari, who is on Tateyana's left side, saw Kuzan's option for voting as he is on Tateyana's right. And likewise, so did Tateyana.

"The last time he questioned Arkalee, he got it right..." Tateyana pressed the same option as Kuzan and so did Kanawari "Oh, but I wouldn't rely on that, Tateyana~" Sana, from afar, saw what they were doing "If you want the correct answer, then I am all ears... Just form a contract where I am able to score with you, for example." Tateyana's expression stiffened "Just imagine this... Your contract implies the following: Every time you correctly score, I score as well. So simple, right?" But therein lies the problem "That doesn't really work, Sana." Hyunda interfered from afar "?" Her expression flinched as Hyunda sighed "Alright, time for some explanation. Assuming the idea is there and the contract is formed, you won't be able to gain any points, Sana. Why? Because the target of the judgment round cannot earn points of their own. Take your mind back when Daniel won a lot of points when he was the one being interrogated. Did he score points of his own or did he win the points of others?" Hyunda asked her "He earned the points of others but he was also able to lose his own points. Are you telling me that I can't earn points of my own but that I can lose them instead?" Sana was quick to realize "It's unfair in that regard, but yes, it's why the idea doesn't work." Hyunda concluded.

But this wasn't enough to bring Sana's idea down.

"Then how about this instead----a contract where I earn half of the points you score----should I tell you the correct answer?" Sana proposed, with thirty seconds on the clock "But my five upcoming point acquisitions are halved..." Tateyana didn't see too much benefit "So? You have plenty of points! And to make things better... When I said that I would give you the correct answer----what I also meant to say was that I alone can give you---alone---the right answer." Tateyana's eyes widened "How...?!" Many were paying attention to this chit-chat, naturally "Hit me up with the contract and I'll give you some hints. You'll have to use your brain though!" Sana warned ".........." Tateyana was having a lot of second thoughts.

Now that she has a solid lead, she thought that it would overly zealous to seek any further for now.

"Nope, I'm done. I'm good, there's no way I will have such bad luck... My lead is immense as well..." Tateyana said, cackling "Oh God, that's just really dumb." Sana countered "What good is your lead if you die?" Those words sent a shock down to Tateyana's core as she was further enticed despite resolving herself out of the possibility.

Even so, the second round was concluded as no contract was made yet.

The ranking ladder updated as well.

> 1 - Hyunda - (38210/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (1/3)] {1 red light}

> 3 - Tateyana (15630/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (4/5)] {1 red light}

> 4 - Kuzan (15288/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {1 red light}

> 5 - Arkalee (14215/15000 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] {1 red light}

> 6 - Hinagiku (11962/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {1 red light}

> 7 - Kawahara (10724/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {1 red light}

> 8 - Kanawari (9828/10000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (1/3)] [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day]

> 9 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Yukishiro (7072/7500 points)

> 11 - Stratos (5060/7500 points) {1 red light}

> 12 - Akimiyashika (4876/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {1 red light}

> 13 - Lus Sera (4540/7500 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] {1 red light}

> 14 - Ikkiri (2356/2500 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] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier]

> 15 - Daniel (484/600 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {1 red light}

> 16 - Hugo (192/250 points) {1 red light}

"Only two people have managed to score correctly now..." Lus pointed out "It's luck, but I have to admit that Ikkiri scoring in her position is very beneficial. But..." There was also a catch if she were not to score and Hinagiku didn't fail to capture that "Damn it." Daniel was displeased "I didn't want to score..." He got grumpy "...?" Lus didn't understand why such was the case.

The third claim rapidly came forth.

"Nasha Sana's father has not been found in more than five years. However, in 2013, an autopsy of a missing leg was revealed to belong to her father." Sana's expression was blank, utterly unclouded "That's a no, right? It's connected to the last claim and I got it right since I voted no, which means that Sana doesn't cut people's limbs off." Tateyana talked to Kanawari "........" But her lips were sealed "Oh right, you can't talk for the whole day..." She realized once again "Hey, at least you got to live." She remarked as she confidently voted.

The first real contract was formed, as he was behind already.

"That's a tempting offer, Tatsu..." Sana giggled as she placed her eyes on Tatsu, after reading the contract form that's in front of her "But surely you don't think that after what I saw you did to Arkalee that I wouldn't have second thoughts about it?" Sana's expression became serious "YOU-----!!" Arkalee realized what the condition for the contract was right away "I think it's worth it. You won't be able to score and realistically, it all comes down to luck." Tatsu reasoned "Yes... You are even offering me 7500 points in order for only you to know the answers... And considering how you have a 35000 point barrier to break, you would be significantly behind too..." Sana found it strange "Yes, I am deliberately putting myself in a bad spot just to find a way to get the correct answers. The situation is that dire, Sana." Tatsu acknowledged "Oh, I'm sure it is... But I don't like this outcome, so NO!" The contract was firmly rejected for the first time.

This raised the question.

"What was the condition...?" Lus asked Daniel "The same that he always proposed." Daniel replied "The one that gives you points but he'll be in control of your decisions in the execution rounds?!" She became aware "Yes. 7500 points from Tatsu would put him at below 10000 points with an enormous distance from his point barrier. Unless he were given a chance to adjust his point barrier, you could argue that this didn't entirely benefit him." He told her "There's no way I would ever accept that. It's fine if it's for a round, but for the whole day? Tatsu is taking her for granted." Hinagiku joined the conversation "But... It just goes to show that your points don't actually matter that much in this judgment round... Usually, the one that's being judged is the one at the center but it's almost as if she's..." Lus couldn't finish the sentence.

With no contract accepted still, the third round came to a swift end and the ranking ladder was updated right away.

> 1 - Hyunda - (38402/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (1/3)] {1 red light}

> 3 - Tateyana (15630/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (4/5)] {2 red lights}

> 4 - Kuzan (15288/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {2 red lights}

> 5 - Arkalee (14407/15000 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] {1 red light}

> 6 - Hinagiku (12154/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {1 red light}

> 7 - Kawahara (10916/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {1 red light}

> 9 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (7072/7500 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) {1 red light}

> 12 - Akimiyashika (5068/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {1 red light}

> 13 - Lus Sera (4924/7500 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] [Scored correctly one time] {1 red light}

> 15 - Hugo (534/600 points) {1 red light}

> 16 - Daniel (484/600 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {2 red lights}

"And there goes my short-lived streak..." Ikkiri sighed as she became depressed for not scoring once "Oh thank God she didn't score!" Bryce was happy that Ikkiri didn't live up to his expectations "I was almost convinced she actually was applying some unknown sorcery to get all the right answers!" He continued as he mainly spoke to Andrea, the figure who would be most prominent now that president August was away for the time being "If you are talking about the last judgment round, it was because Kitsuya Arkalee and Hirakibo Tatsu were hiding their interactions through patterns. That's how she was able to get a valuable grasp on what the answer could be. In other words; body language. Kitsuya Arkalee was also far more emotional than Nasha Sana, who is in firm control. As long as there isn't a pattern, this is a 100% 50/50 type of game." Andrea gave her reasoning "So it's just a matter of when a new pattern arises..." Skan thought "But for that to happen, the players must feel like they need to be in a contract with Nasha Sana. Take Hirakibo Tatsu, for example... Although his point lead is massive and he has noticeable bonuses to him, if he doesn't score correctly in most of the rounds, he will die. A contract has to be made between the two of them." Andrea noted "Or, for someone else to form a contract and exhibit a pattern. It's a very tricky situation..." Liyuga became stressed.

The fourth claim came forth as Basara wasted no time.

"Nasha Sana is an accomplice to the murder of her chemistry teacher in highschool." Basara said "One minute to go." He reminded them, but it was useless by now as everyone knew that already.

The negations took a stronger stride this time around.

"How about this then?" Tatsu formed yet another contract and Sana analyzed the content "Man, you are OBSESSED with that condition!!" Sana was delirious "It's just for one round." Tatsu clarified "You will be with 10000 points by the end of this. I don't think you have room for worry." Tatsu added, calmly "Tatsu, I am not surrendering my ability to vote in the execution round." Sana calmly told him as well "It's a 1 in 16 chance. Do you realize how improbable that is?" Tatsu grew weary of her adamant attitude "Oh, I am aware, but what if I'm chosen? You can just transfer my points to yourself and it will be like I was just scammed! FUCK OFF!!" Sana shouted in his direction and rejected the contract "......." Tatsu was struggling to convey his way "Sana, you're kinda turning me on, stop that." Hyunda made the comment "And why are you acting like you're immune to this dilemma too?" Sana didn't intercept his particular comment but was curious "No, no, listen----if I die, then my points won't go to anyone. Surely you guys will figure a way to keep me alive." Hyunda was optimistic "HAH! You really think so?!" Sana laughed at him "But hey, if you need a hero to save you just in time, I'm your man!" Hyunda smirked at her "Kill yourself." She was instantly disgusted by his fake prestigious chivalrous act of an attitude.

But Tatsu wasn't the only one who wanted to negotiate with Sana.

"Tell me what you think about it!" Nobody expected Ikkiri to offer her a contract "Mhmm..." Sana gave it some thought as there were thirty seconds left "So you only want the four next ones?" Sana was surprised at the lack of demand "Uh, yes! I don't want to enforce some condition that you won't like, I am aware that you hold the control here! So, give it some thought, ahhh but... Just in case you do decide to accept it, please think of a way of telling me the answers to the claims in ways that only I can know and others won't." Ikkiri became serious as she demanded that "........" Sana gave it some additional thought "Okay, I'm in for it. I accept the contract, Ikkiri." Sana smiled at her "Yay!!" And Ikkiri celebrated "What's the contract?!" Tateyana was looking at the ranking ladder, where there bonuses would be exhibited and it would be the only way for the players to know exactly what Ikkiri proposed.

Though a player has to make a verbal chant in order to form a contract, there is no set necessity for the chant to contain loud volume. Even an almost silent chant can be formed, as long as the system behind the contract understands it.

Ikkiri took advantage of that and alluded many that were not looking at her in that specific time.

"For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims." Hinagiku recited the condition that was applied "Wait, next four rounds? So not this one?" Lus wanted to make sure "Yes." Daniel confirmed it "In other words... This round is still 50/50..." Lus was starting to get stressed "Not for long..." Daniel added as well.

With the contract formed, the fourth round came to an end and the ladder was updated instantly.

> 1 - Hyunda - (38402/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (1/3)] {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (17442/35000 points) [Has a 100% 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 four hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 100% 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] [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {3 red lights}

> 3 - Tateyana (15726/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (3/5)] {2 red lights}

> 4 - Kuzan (15672/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {2 red lights}

> This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

> 6 - Hinagiku (12154/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {2 red lights}

> 7 - Kawahara (11204/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {2 red lights}

> 9 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {3 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (7264/7500 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Lus Sera (5692/7500 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] [Scored correctly two times] {1 red light}

> 12 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) {2 red lights}

> 13 - Akimiyashika (5068/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {2 red lights}

> 14 - Ikkiri (2018/2500 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] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.] {2 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (1068/1500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {2 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (534/600 points) {2 red lights}

"Huh...?!" Lus was shocked at her progress "H-How many... points did I just earn from that correct guess...?!" In the blink of an eye, she managed to overthrow Akimiyashika and Stratos "768." Daniel answered her "If you get the next one correct you get the double of that; 1536 points." He added and made Hinagiku quiver "What..." She found the bonus slightly ridiculous to say the least "That's almost enough for me to break through...!!" Her hopes got up "I'm glad you're motivated." Daniel smirked at her "Pour all that energy into figuring out how Ikkiri and Sana will communicate a way to the right answer." Daniel told her "You don't have to tell me that..." She said, as she grew fierce as well as her desire to score once again.

"I must score... If I do, I will earn 1536 points which will put me at 7228 points...!!! And if I can keep that up, then...!!!" Her greed started to become insatiable now that this option provided her a new sea of opportunities "......." And Daniel didn't mind that attitude of hers, at all.

The fifth round came forth quickly as the next four rounds would prove to be most tasking to some.

"Nasha Sana organized the public destruction of a bus station near her highschool." The claim was made "Alright, Ikkiri----how do you wanna do this?" Sana began to trade "It's up to you, just present a way and I'll figure it out! It can be of any difficulty!" Ikkiri told her "Any? Alright, we'll start with something simple for the first claim then..." Sana put her plan into motion "Oh God..." Tateyana gulped "I can't really remember it all very clearly... But I think it was around November 25th or something; I asked a couple of friends if they were in the mood to stir some shit up and then six guys approached us... No, I think it was 5? Yeah, definitely five..." Sana seemed to be deeply trying to remember something from the past "I'll skip to the point, but those five guys were from another school nearby and they were thugs. They not only beat the shit out of my friends but even raped the other girl... Thankfully, I had managed to run away earlier, though of course, that would come to bite me later... Regardless, I didn't like it. So I told a group of thugs from my school what happened and they were outraged. The next day, a group of 19 thugs from my school marched into the school, alongside some others and things didn't end up well..." Sana concluded as her face was full of grief.

There was a short silence at first.

"Well, do I need to repeat it, Ikkiri?" Ikkiri was slightly stunned "Uhh..." Ikkiri realized something "No, I'm fine." She said "Okay. Alright then." Sana was happy that she understood "Just vote whatever she votes..." That was the basic approach "No, that won't work. She will wait until the last second. Even if you camp her behind her chair, you still have to be in your seat in less than a second and if you don't vote, then I honestly don't have trouble believing that your head will explode." Kawahara rejected Akimiyashika's approach "So what then?! A 50/50?!" Akimiyashika asked him, hoping for an answer "No, this one is easy." Kawahara admitted it "W-Well, then what's... you know, the answer...?!" She trembled as she asked "Sister, you're not independent enough. Arrive at a conclusion of your own." Akimiyashika thought that Kawahara was mocking her with those words.

The alignment had yet to be made on the other side of the table.

"Daniel, what's the correct answer?" Lus didn't hesitate to ask him "I can't say yet. I'm being watched." It's true, because some of the players have taken a notice of Daniel's absurd streak of correct guesses from the earlier rounds; particularly the last, and have decided to only vote after what he voted "I have to vote by speaking the answer to the screen, so it takes two seconds at least." Daniel added "...Hence why you should just tell me the correct answer to my ear..." Lus didn't give up "So needy..." Daniel sighed "Wh----I'm your asset!! Invest in me, no!?" Lus was not understanding Daniel's preoccupation "Have you even given thought about what Sana said and how it connects to the answer?" Daniel asked "No, of course not. Because I don't need to. You're the genius here, so I left all the hard work for you." She was honest "......" Daniel was unsure whether or not that was a good thing "I'm not saying it." Daniel retorted "Why NOT?!" Lus got angry "Because they are drawing answers from you... Someone from the opposite direction can see what you are voting just by looking at your screen. If you vote close to my time, then people will just vote the same..." Daniel explained.

Twenty seconds remained.

"...I get that. But who cares? Seriously, if I score, then I score way more..." Lus still defended her point "Alright, I get it, Lus... I'll tell you what I think is the correct answer for this one. But you'll have to use your brain for the next one, alright?" Daniel proposed "No... No, you should keep telling me the correct answers..." Lus didn't agree "......." Daniel gave her a monochromatic glance "And what if I don't know the correct answer?" Daniel asked her "......" Lus didn't know how to reply "You will still vote." She countered "And I will vote for that answer." She was faithful to her course of action "How reliable." Daniel remarked "Oh stop that... It's all your fault..." Lus gave him a dark glance.

The fifth round came to an end as Daniel voted in the last two seconds; Lus and Hinagiku followed him up in that regard.

Thus, the ranking ladder was updated as well.

> 1 - Hyunda - (38978/45000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (0/3)] {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (17730/35000 points) [Has a 100% 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 four hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 100% 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] [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {3 red lights}

> 3 - Kuzan (16056/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {2 red lights}

> 4 - Tateyana (15726/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (3/5)] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Arkalee (14599/15000 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] {2 red lights}

> 6 - Hinagiku (12346/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {2 red lights}

> 7 - Kawahara (11684/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {2 red lights}

> 8 - Kanawari (9828/10000 points) [The next first 3 correct guesses from Gayakirima Kanawari will be transferred to Hajime Hyunda's account (0/3)] [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {2 red lights}

> 9 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {4 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (7456/7500 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Lus Sera (7228/7500 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] [Scored correctly three times] {1 red light}

> 12 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) {3 red lights}

> 13 - Akimiyashika (5068/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {3 red lights}

> 14 - Sana (3344/4500 points) [Has a 75% point acquisition boost for the next four hours] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.]

> 14 - Ikkiri (2114/2500 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] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.] {2 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (1452/1500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {2 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (926/1000 points) {2 red lights}

She was ecstatic at the positive result.

"YES, YES, YES, YES!!! HE KNOWS, HE JUST DOES!! WITH HIM, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, I SWEAR!!!" Lus' thoughts echoed happiness "That bonus is..." Tatsu didn't fail to capture Lus' rise despite not altering any position this time around "Ummm, Sana...?" Ikkiri, with a rather disappointed expression, confronted her "Please don't use the cypher code again... That was like... very obvious..." Ikkiri wasn't happy at all "Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get a minimal grasp of the level of intelligence around here..." Sana confessed "Oh?" Kawahara felt intrigued "Nossa..." Hugo felt stressed as he was thrown into the lion's den.

His seat was Tsudo's prior seat.

In order to avoid any attention, Hugo has been going with the flow thus far and frankly, ever since Sana began to command the attention around here, nobody paid attention to him, which goes according to his plan.

"...Cy...pher code...?" Andrea was a bit confused "Vice pres?" Skan was worried about her "You don't know it? It's not used that often, so I don't fault you." Liyuga emphasized "........" Andrea didn't confirm nor deny it and allowed Liyuga to continue with the explanation "The answer to this claim was "Yes". In order to arrive at that answer, Nasha Sana had to mention the number 25, by mentioning November 25th, the number 5, by mentioning the five thugs, and the number 19 by mentioning the 19 thugs from her school. Go through the alphabet in order and you arrive at the answer." Liyuga explained "OH SNAP, IT'S "YES"!!" Bryce was shocked "...Bryce...." Liyuga expressed serious disappointment "Wh-What?! They never taught us this! The school is at fault, not me!" He became pragmatic "Well, you have a point and in all honesty, Nasha Sana wasn't completely obvious about it... It's just... Against them, it will require much more than that..." Liyuga's expression darkened.

The sixth round would now begin as the sixth claim would be recited out loud---with only ten other rounds to go.

"Nasha Sana has a history with drug usage and has been caught with large amounts of cocaine when she was barely 14." The claim itself provided content, but it would not be more than a 50/50 "Alright, ready?" Sana asked Ikkiri "Yup." Ikkiri nodded and Sana took a deep breath and closed her eyes fully "What in the world is she going to do..." Akimiyashika became stressed as she fell victim to the course.

The precision in her speech would come naturally, but Sana would not pull any punches as her speech's speed would reach impeccable velocity.

"Zero, one, zero, one, one, zero, zero, one!!" Sana took a deep breath as she readied the verbal canon "HUH?!" Tateyana was flabbergasted "ZERO, ONE, ONE, ZERO, ZERO, ONE, ZERO, ONE!! ZERO, ONE, ONE, ONE, ZERO, ZERO, ONE, ONE!!!! ZERO, ONE, ONE, ZERO, ONE, ZERO, ZERO, ONE!!!!!!" Sana now opened her eyes as she had to take yet another deep inhale for her final speech "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SAYING?! SHE'S JUST SAYING ZERO AND ONE?! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" Arkalee asked everyone else "HELL IF I KNOW!!" Tateyana couldn't figure it out either "ZERO, ONE, ONE, ZERO, ONE, ONE, ONE, ZERO!!!!!! ZERO, ONE, ONE, ZERO, ONE, ONE, ONE, ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sana's shout came to an end as she concluded her speech.

Her ragged breath was all over the place; but even so, she cast a tired glance at Ikkiri.

"I am not repeating that..." She clarified ".........." With almost forty seconds on the clock, Ikkiri decided to cover her ears to the maximum with her two hands and inside her brain, she replayed the speech that Sana made just a few seconds ago "I'm ashamed to admit but I'm completely clueless." Yukishiro turned to Hyunda "Cypher code was basic. This is just the evolution of it, in a sense." He told her "So it's a code that involves numbers..." She came to the conclusion naturally "Binary?" She asked "Yes." Hyunda didn't shy away from it "Unfortunately, in most cases, people have heard of it but don't know how it actually works." Hyunda sighed.

It was true. Some of them, though not the majority, could tell that it was some sort of code.

"I need help." Daniel was very quick to admit as he summoned Lus and Hinagiku's attention "...Wait... Are you serious...?!" Lus didn't want to believe it, but from Daniel's expression, which emitted vague confusion, she became aware "Wow, you don't know binary code? That's a shame, because neither do I!" Hinagiku exclaimed "Binary code?" He asked her "I literally just told you that I don't know the binary code. I could even be wrong, but whenever a lot of zeroes and ones are involved, it's usually binary code..." Hinagiku explained "I see... Lus, do you have any idea of how binary code works?" He turned his attention to Lus, with some twenty seconds on the clock "No?! How would I know the binary code?! I wasn't taught about it in school!" Lus replied fiercely "........." This was troublesome for Daniel, because they were running out of time.

With only twenty seconds on the clock, Daniel made the decision to replay the speech that Sana made, in his brain and leave it to his brain to arrive at the logical conclusion it could create.

Thus, he closed his eyes permanently until the very last two seconds.

"Uggghhh?!??!" Lus was not happy with Daniel's radio silence "I wouldn't interrupt him if I were you. He has a kin for numbers, so maybe he will arrive at the right answer." Hinagiku told Lus "........" Lus then looked at the solemn Daniel, who was undergoing through the passage "I sure hope so..." She gulped.

And eventually, he opened his eyes, as Lus and Hinagiku both held out until the very end and awaited for his answer.

"Yes!" He shouted minimally, and Lus and Hinagiku both voted yes as well "Please, please, please...!!!" Lus desperately wanted to score as it would mean she would earn the double of her previously earned points.

As the sixth round concluded, the ranking ladder was updated.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39170/45000 points) {2 red lights}

> 3 - Kuzan (16056/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Tateyana (15726/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (3/5)] {4 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (15212/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {2 red lights}

> 6 - Arkalee (14599/15000 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] {3 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (12346/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {3 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (11684/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {2 red lights}

> 9 - Yukishiro (10148/15000 points) {1 red light}

> 10 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {5 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) {4 red lights}

> 13 - Akimiyashika (5068/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {4 red lights}

> 14 - Sana (3560/4500 points) [Has a 75% point acquisition boost for the next four hours] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.]

> 14 - Ikkiri (2330/2500 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] [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.] {2 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (926/1000 points) {3 red lights}

"HUH?!!" Lus was shocked "Not enough time..." Daniel clicked his tongue "But did you get a clue to how it works?" Hinagiku asked him "I had to see the number patterns and draw logical conclusions as to how they could be conveyed to letters. Sana made intentional stops which symbolized the order and quantity of the numbers attributed to those letters. I voted yes, but since I got it wrong, it means that the correct answer was no." Daniel was visibly mad for a reason "I had no excuse... Calculus, out of all things... It's my expertise...!!" His eyebrows twitched "You're all forgiven if you can get the next one right!" Hinagiku told him as she slapped him in the back "Daniel, I was going to win 3072 points... My breakthrough would put me at 12800 points..." Lus could not come to terms with it "Don't worry, if the next one is still the same, then we will score correctly." Daniel oozed with confidence "So you did figure out how it works..." Hinagiku remarked "So... quickly too..." She found it fascinating yet alarming.

The seventh round would now begin.

"Nasha Sana has been accused of plagiarism in regard to copying several Youtube channels." A new claim was made "Youtube channels? You can get into jail due to plagiarism?" Kuzan didn't have the knowledge on the matter "Not really..." Tateyana countered "Unless it's something outrageous, like copying content from very famous content creators who will do anything to make sure you live hell, you will not face any consequences." Tateyana added "I see." Kuzan became confident of the nature of the claim "Shall we swap methods?" Sana proposed to Ikkiri "No, it's fine, actually. Just go slower and no intervals. The phrase should be bigger as well. Well... You only have forty-seven seconds, so go for it!" Ikkiri told her.

Sana wasted no time whatsoever, as she took a decisive final breath.

"ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ONE ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE ONE ONE ONE ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ZERO ONE ONE ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ONE ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE ONE ONE ONEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" An almost incomprehensible scribble of words was ushered out of Sana's mouth "I'm not even gonna pretend to know what the hell she just said." Tateyana cast her vote at random "There was never any need to." Kuzan told her "This shit is not normal, I swear..." The opinion was popular "All of this just for an answer..." It went without saying that those who didn't understand the binary code would not try it.

However, for those that knew the binary code, this could be argued to be easy. But with such little time and the amount of butchering that went on with Sana's speech, it actually proved to be difficult.

And then there was he, who he had yet to figure out the entirety of it, despite there only being twenty seconds left to go.

"A pen, do either of you have it?" Daniel asked the two of them "No, not me..." Hinagiku denied "I have..." Lus dug her skirt's left pocket and pulled out a backup pen that she always carries "Why do you------" Hinagiku didn't understand the necessity of carrying it "Fantastic. Write on your left palm the numbers I'm about to tell you with utmost precision." Lus wanted to complain but saw the time and didn't think twice about it "Zero, one, zero, zero, one, one, one, zero." In about five seconds, Lus wrote it down "Now write below it. Zero, one, one, zero, one, one, one, one." Yet another five seconds were taken, leaving only ten seconds on the table "There's not enough time, Daniel!" Hinagiku warned him "........" And she was right.

But it was alright.

"I already know the answer now. These first two letters are identical to the last two ones. The only different ones are the middle ones." Daniel told them with little time on the clock "No is no." Daniel added "What's the answer?!" Lus was not in the mood for the riddles as time was running out "NO!" Daniel shouted and Lus and Hinagiku voted "Ahh... I really should have swapped methods..." Ikkiri realized as she looked over to Daniel's side "So he knows binary code too...? But he got the prior claim wrong and I used the binary code..." Sana thought as the seventh round concluded.

The ranking ladder was updated instantly.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39362/45000 points) {2 red lights}

> 2 - Tatsu (18018/35000 points) [Has a 100% 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 four hours, whenever Kitsuya Arkalee breaks her point barrier; 100% 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] [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {4 red lights}

> 3 - Kuzan (16440/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Tateyana (15822/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (2/5)] {4 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (15596/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {2 red lights}

> 6 - Arkalee (14791/15000 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] {3 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (12538/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {3 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (12164/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {2 red lights}

> 9 - Yukishiro (10340/15000 points) {1 red light}

> 11 - Lus Sera (10112/15000 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] [Scored correctly one time] {2 red lights}

> 10 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) {6 red lights}

> 13 - Akimiyashika (5260/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {4 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) {5 red lights}

> 14 - Sana (3800/4500 points) [Has a 75% point acquisition boost for the next four hours] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.]

> 14 - Ikkiri (3570/4500 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] [For the next four rounds, every time Rikishima Ikkiri scores, Nasha Sana will receive half of the points that Rikishima Ikkiri earns from those claims.] {2 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (2336/2500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {3 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1518/2000 points) {3 red lights}

"Am I mistaken to believe I am safe now that I only have a single red light and there are nine other rounds left?" Yukishiro giggled at Hyunda "It's like that. You don't even have a bonus, so that's impressive in a sense." Hyunda complimented her "Yes... But neither do you..." She highlighted "But unlike you, I am not safe. If by some odd chance I don't get a correct one from here on, then I will actually die." Hyunda noted "That's true... But, mhm... Say..." Yukishiro looked in Yulia's direction "If she were to die by this conundrum, wouldn't your plan be rendered ultimately useless?" Yukishiro had to ask "That's a ridiculous assumption, to begin with." Hyunda denied it right away "To assume, he would let her die----that's not how the story works." Hyunda knew the lines "Very well..." Yukishiro felt more magnetized as she followed the script carefully.

The eighth round would shortly begin.

"Nasha Sana has been charged multiple times by the accusation of doing sexual favors to one of her teachers against their will." The claim was drawn forward "Do one that you think that nobody in this room, myself included-----can hope to decipher..." Ikkiri requested "........" Sana knew that if Ikkiri didn't score, then neither did she "Please don't be under the silly assumption that I won't be able to verify what the answer is, Sana------just limit yourself to your approach..." Ikkiri giggled "Alright." Sana saw no problem in doing that "Write down in your palm whatever she says." Daniel ordered Lus "My skin isn't fucking paper!" She complained but was ready at any notice.

It came.

"Eight four three." Sana stopped momentarily "Two six seven nine three seven." And took a small breath away "Four seven--------nine three seven." Sana concluded ".........." Ikkiri posed silence and didn't vote right away "Wait...!! Let me trace the letters through the alphabet, that's gotta be it!!" Tateyana was hopeful "Tell me what you came up with afterwards!" Kuzan welcomed her enthusiasm ".........." Kanawari didn't look as confident as before as she knew the binary code, but not this type of code.

Lus was dutiful and noted everything down on her left palm.

"843 267937 47 937..." She left some spaces as she thought that Sana was intentionally delaying the answer "I have no fucking clue." Hinagiku was quick to admit it "But you do, right?" Lus looked at Daniel ".........." He did the logical thing and ran through the alphabet to decipher it instantly "Hdc Bfgicg------HUH?!" Tateyana was bewildered "Yeah, it doesn't work like that." Kuzan voted as he was confident of his answer "W-What?! So you know what's going on?" Tateyana and Kanawari both looked at Kuzan "Uhhh---No, no, I am just telling you that it's not something that can be easily cracked, so I'm better off not thinking about it!" Kuzan smiled "..........." The two of them found him useless in this regard.

Daniel's knowledge in mathematics, calculus, algebra, and other similar areas, don't necessarily intertwine with codes. Codes are akin to languages in this regard; though there is knowledge about the language, there is no clear way of identifying what it means.

"I can most likely come up with a positive answer, but only if she were to do it again..." Daniel gave them the negative reply as thirty seconds remained "50/50 it?" Hinagiku asked "Yes; I don't know the answer to this one. It's also worth noting that their contract ends as soon as this round ends as well." Daniel reminded the two of them "........." Lus didn't vote as Hinagiku did "Don't be stupid..." Daniel didn't find her approach necessarily logical "I am serious. I don't know the correct answer here. If I vote incorrectly, then you will vote correctly. If you vote incorrectly, then I vote correctly." Daniel told her "It's nevertheless 50/50, so it's alright if I vote what you vote, Daniel." Lus argued "........." He found her rather oppressive as of late "Have it your way." He dismissed it.

The ranking ladder was updated shortly after the eighth round ended.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39362/45000 points) {3 red lights}

> 3 - Kuzan (16824/20000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Kanawari (15980/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {2 red lights}

> 5 - Tateyana (15822/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (2/5)] {5 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (12730/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {3 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (12164/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {3 red lights}

> 9 - Yukishiro (10340/15000 points) {2 red lights}

> 10 - Lus Sera (10112/15000 points) [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Every time Lus Sera scores correctly, the points earned will be doubled (this effect stacks), however, should she score incorrectly more than three times, she will die.] {3 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8820/10000 points) {6 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5444/7500 points) {5 red lights}

> 13 - Akimiyashika (5260/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] {5 red lights}

> 14 - Sana (4040/4500 points) [Has a 75% point acquisition boost for the next four hours]

> 15 - Ikkiri (3810/4500 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] {2 red lights}

> 16 - Daniel (2336/2500 points) [Has a 50% point acquisition boost for the rest of the day] [Lus Sera's turn will be under Daniel Lead's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [If a claim is correctly guessed five times in a row, the sum total of the points of those five claims will be added] {4 red lights}

> 17 - Hugo (1518/2000 points) {4 red lights}

"Woah..." Sana didn't expect Ikkiri to actually score "Phone code, good choice! A shame I actually know all of the modern codes, teehee~" Ikkiri stuck her tongue out "Fucking nerrrrdddddddddddddddddd......" Hyunda was pissed "HEY!!" Ikkiri shouted in his direction "Fucking NEET I swear to God, you know TOO much useless shit." Hyunda didn't slow down with his words "DON'T SAY THAT!! I STUDIED A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW!!!" Ikkiri smiled though argumentative "That's her excuse for casually knowing too much. You should have seen her at her prime with her glasses~" Hyunda smirked at Sana at the center "UGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH--------" Ikkiri was irritated this time around.

Before the ninth round would begin, Sana was struck with a proposal.

"What do you say? Pretty nice, right?!" Kuzan elevated his wide smile to Sana "Oh great, another contract... Damn it...!!" Yulia was getting more and more stressed as she kept a firm count of how many red lights she has on her choker "The math is simple; if I breakthrough, my bonus points will be 5000. And I am offering you 5000 of those points, furthermore a single additional one out of charity! All for yourself..." The offer was far too tempting to decline "Hold on, what?" Tateyana was confused at Kuzan's words "Only she can see the context of the contract... Kuzan, that bastard..." Kawahara became weary of him "What is he planning...?!" Akimiyashika got nervous as well.

Though reluctant, after giving it thought, nothing seemed wrong about it. As a matter of fact; only a large margin of profit remained for Sana, in hindsight.

"Yes... I accept it..." Kuzan became ecstatic "HELL YES!!! You've made an excellent choice, Sana! Don't worry, this isn't some sort of scam! We both greatly benefit here!" Kuzan flashed a smirk and gave his thumbs-up "..........." But Sana had a hard expression "Hm..." Daniel looked over the ranking ladder and saw the new condition applied to Sana and Kuzan "In exchange for all of Nasha Sana's current points which will be transferred to Takeshi Kuzan upon this contract's formation... If until the last round, Takeshi Kuzan correctly scores, then 5001 points will be attributed to Nasha Sana directly from Takeshi Kuzan's account...?!" Lus was skeptical about it "Sana already accepted the deal, which means that if Kuzan doesn't score correctly once, she is at zero points. Why would she do such a thing?" Hinagiku thought it was beyond risky "No, no---you guys are painting me as a bad guy but I am not that type of person... I actually just want to score because I benefit from this more than she does. Just do the math and you'll see." Kuzan told them.

Akimiyashika tried to make the calculations by herself.

"Uh so... Kuzan just won all of Sana's points which were..." She could not remember as she looked at the ranking ladder which was already updated "4040." Kawahara told her "4040!! Yes, I remember now!" She rapidly added as she pretended to know all along "And Kuzan's points right now are..." She cast a glance and gulped "25864...?! How much did he win from breaking the barrier?!" She asked "5000." Kawahara answered yet again "And if Kuzan gets all the correct answers from here on then... That's... Uh..." She couldn't wrap her head around it "3072 points for Kuzan. Assuming that he sticks to the deal..." Kawahara was skeptical about it "In other words....!!! Kuzan will be uh...!!" Akimiyashika couldn't remember the exact number "Dear sister, I swear... You need to work on that brain of yours." Kawahara sighed "Stop SAYING THAT!!" She was emotional about it.

Kawahara ignored that and delivered the answer anyways.

"It's 28936. Minus the 5001 that will be given to Sana in theory and Kuzan will be at a grand 23935, albeit his point barrier will be 30000 and not 25000." Kawahara reasonably concluded "That's... still a fuckton of points no?! And just for 5001 points from him?!" Akimiyashika found the deal unfair "You'd have to see things from her perspective. If the deal goes well, she will win 5001 points, break her point barrier and be awarded with 2500 additional bonus points; thus she will be at 7501 points. By the way... That's above you, Akimi." She could no longer ignore those words "I know... But... My situation isn't dangerous yet... And besides, they will have to communicate a way to get to the answer, so we'll see..." Akimiyashika wasn't ready to give up.

With things out of the way, Basara deemed it was time for the ninth round to begin.

Volume 27: Chapter 191: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XIX.

目录