Volume 27: Chapter 191.5: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XIX._Classroom of Doom

"Nasha Sana has been arrested twice for stealing cigarettes." The claim was made by Basara "Okay, how are we going to do this, Kuzan?" Calm now, Sana asked him "A jewel's price has its value, doesn't it?" Kuzan asked her ".....??" Her expression became shackled as she didn't know what Kuzan was trying to imply "A thief's job is to steal; primarily that is-----but if you ask me, unless you have a client of your own, the thief's job is split in two! One; you acquire the goods... And two; you sell the goods and therefore earn your profit!" Kuzan explained it "However, from the looks of it... I have to steal the goods from you, Sana..." He adjoined his fingers and cracked them in reverse "Tell me, do you know how much a diamond ring costs?!" He enthusiastically asked her "I------No..." She didn't deny it "Alright, do you have an idea?" He continued "...Yes..." She replied "That's good. Now imagine this----you have a diamond ring. You have it and it was given to you. However, you have grown tired of it and want to sell it. And then---let's say that I want to buy that diamond ring from you..." Sana listened closely "What the hell is he on about?" Lus also didn't understand what Kuzan's plan was "I've always thought Kuzan as a dumb person, let's hope I'm still right..." Hinagiku dreaded slightly.

Kuzan got to the point as there were forty seconds on the clock.

"You have the idea of the price of the diamond ring, Sana?" Kuzan asked "Yes..." Sana had a thought about Kuzan's true intention "Alright, I'll try to purchase it. Let's start with 100$!!" Kuzan made his first bargain "No, rejected." Sana was quick to reject it "Hmm... 200$?" Kuzan tried again "Nope, too low." Sana rejected him again "Hmm..." Kuzan gave it some thought "No, seriously, WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Akimiyashika was definitely not the only one confused "Interesting mind games, Kuzan..." Kawahara complimented him "500$!" Kuzan bargained once more "Close but no cigar...!" Kuzan thought more and more "ALRIGHT, 1000$!!!" Kuzan shouted "YOU WISH!! REJECTED!!" And Sana laughed "FINE THEN, 4000$!!" Kuzan tried it again "Hmm..." Sana for once, decided to give it some thought "It's still a no, Kuzan." Sana sighed "Damn it...!!" There were twenty or so seconds on the clock "But I am close to the price, right?" Kuzan asked "Who knows..." Sana was elusive about it "Alright... 6500$ IT IS!!" Kuzan struck his bargain "CORRECT!!" Sana clapped in his direction "HELL YEAH!!!" Kuzan got up and struck a champion's pose.

The confusion did not cease.

"Daniel..." Lus looked at him "Hm... I have an idea... But I need to see more evidence..." Daniel told her "Please share this "idea" of yours with me." Lus demanded "No. You will definitely overthink it. 50/50 it." Daniel countered "I will vote whatever you vote." Lus told him "No, I'm voting at the last second, or rather---two seconds..." He warned her "You're seriously going to try and vote the same as Kuzan?" The distance between them wasn't massive as he was far to the right "No, that's pointless. He will literally vote at the last second and there is nothing anyone can do about this." He said "Then why at the last second, Daniel..." She felt frustrated "So I can think more... Don't distract me, now that you know that." Daniel's voice turned cold "........." Lus became silent though annoyed as she eventually voted as well.

The ninth round eventually ended and the ranking ladder updated.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39362/45000 points) {4 red lights}

> 2 - Kuzan (26248/30000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] {3 red lights}

> 3 - Tatsu (18306/35000 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] {5 red lights}

> 4 - Kanawari (15980/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {3 red lights}

> 5 - Tateyana (15822/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (2/5)] {6 red lights}

> 6 - Arkalee (14983/15000 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] {4 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] {4 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (12452/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {4 red lights}

> 9 - Lus Sera (10496/15000 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] {3 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10340/15000 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8820/10000 points) {7 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5444/7500 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] {6 red lights}

> 14 - 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] {3 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] {5 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1518/2000 points) {5 red lights}

"You're... kidding me..." Yulia's mouth slowly dropped "I'm already with seven red lights...?!" She grabbed her hairstrands in the midst of her paranoia "DAMN IT!! IT'S NEVER LIKE THIS!!! POINTS DETERMINE THE FLOW OF THIS GAME AND YET YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT MY LIFE IS ACTUALLY IN DANGER JUST BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE CORRECT ANSWER?! BULLSHIT!!!" It was an experience that she was not familiar with whatsoever "But even so... There is a clear path to victory... It doesn't matter if I don't know the answer... He does..." Yulia became confident of her skills as her eyes narrowed onto leading Kuzan.

It was something that it took the others as well no time to capitalize on, but some decided to follow a different path in order to escape this conundrum.

"So?" Tatsu, far more serious than before, faced Sana from afar as he was not in the mood to be a victim to this current circumstance "Umm----" Sana was just about to accept it as she saw no reason to decline such a favorable contract coming from Tatsu "Woah, hold your horses there!" But she was interrupted by Kuzan "?!" Sana didn't see the deal here "If you accept any contracts, I will not keep my word, Sana..." Kuzan's expression turned glacial cold "WHAT?! WHY?!" She was outraged by the sudden manipulation "Don't hold it against me, please... But you see, even if you try to tell me the wrong answer from here on out of spite, it's not as if I can actually die in this judgment round..." Kuzan exhibited his devilish grin.

And he's right.

Hypothetically speaking, if Kuzan were to get all the wrong answers for the upcoming claims, his choker's red lights would be increased to seven. His current red lights are three, and although the choker can only uphold ten red lights, it's a known factor that it takes the eleventh red light to be the ultimate trigger for the detonation. He is, in other words, immune to the dilemma.

"Sana, I can offer you way more than that." Tatsu earned her attention "......." But she felt like she knew where this was going "10000. Double of what Kuzan has offered to you." Sana definitely liked the proposal but the condition, on the other hand... "Tatsu, NO! I am not forfeiting my own place in the execution rounds!" Sana remained adamant "......." Tatsu was getting slightly annoyed by her behavior "And why the hell not? Your lead will be immense------" Sana had to interrupt him "I WILL NOT ACCEPT POINTS AT THE COST OF MY FREEDOM!!" Sana shouted in his direction "Fucking bitch....!!!" Tatsu was losing his composure.

But Tatsu's movement gave an idea to those that wanted to get the correct claims.

"Hold up, Sana! I think I have just the deal for you!" Tateyana came into play "7500 of my points! That's it! And I get the correct claims! Tell me that's not better than what Kuzan is offering you!" Tateyana dared her to say no "I'm warning you that I will not keep my word, Sana..." Kuzan was serious "Besides, good luck communicating it in a way with her that she will understand that will make others not. You're aware, right? Our code and what we developed in a matter of seconds is something that will prove to be difficult for the rest to assert. If you try and come up with something like that with her then..." Kuzan let out a mocking grin "FUCK YOU!!! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOUUUUUU!!!" Tateyana was not fond of Kuzan's words "But, it's your call! If you don't see the advantage in this illusion, then..." Kuzan looked at Yulia from afar "Then there's really nothing else to say..." Kuzan kept grinning "...!??!" Yulia was thoroughly confused as to why she was hawked by Kuzan from afar.

But to everyone else, it was clear what Kuzan was referring to.

Even so, despite all this commotion, no contract was accepted and the tenth round would be instilled quickly.

"Nasha Sana has been found the culprit for the death of two of her classmates, who were her friends back in highschool." The claim, which lacked value in the shock department, served only to feed the momentum that Kuzan had constructed "Tell me something you wish you had, that could be stolen!" Kuzan told her "Oh fuck, not this shit again...!!" Tateyana wasn't looking forward to this "A Nintendo Switch! I always wanted to play a few games in it!" Sana told him with much enthusiasm "Oh, I see, I see..." Kuzan thought about what price the most recent Nintendo Switch model was "Alright! 500$!" Kuzan made his first bargain "That's..." Sana gave it some thought "Mhm..." She was definitely interested "Ahhh, no... Pass!" Sana ultimately rejected the offer regardless "Fuck..." Kuzan was in trouble "Then, how about 850$?!" Kuzan bargained yet again "Okay, I'll take it!!" Sana smiled and thus, their conversation concluded with just two bargains.

Bryce felt like it was a waste of time trying to comprehend it; but the others were delving deeper into it.

"This----can't be nonsense, right? I mean, Takeshi Kuzan scored correctly in the last round, so if he does... Then..." Skan thought there was something more at hand "Could it be----that he's finding the answer by how much he believes the object to be worth...?" Liyuga proposed "What...?" Krale was curious "Takeshi Kuzan is a master thief. Yes, all of them, are thieves----they have stolen property which does not belong to them, but Takeshi Kuzan, according to the records of his crimes-----takes this way extremely. Therefore, he must have knowledge about the value of these objects that he steals. He even told us earlier that he sells the goods in order to earn profit. So, he definitely knows..." Liyuga told them "Okay... But where does that leave us...?" The question was persistent.

Whether or not it was worth it, there was a single consensus here.

All that mattered was getting the correct answer. For those who have more red lights then they should have, it's a given that they must act before it's too late.

"Heeeeyyyy~" There were quite a few sweat droplets around her face that exhibited a fake smile "Heya!" Kuzan greeted her with a smile, as there were thirty seconds left "I-----woah, that's quite the lead, I just noticed..." Yulia was in shock as she saw that Kuzan was in fact in the second place "Yup! Heh, I daresay I might surpass Hyunda before this round ends, actually..." Kuzan confidently stated "W-What?! No way, how?!" Yulia took advantage of the commotion and swirled around Kuzan, as Tateyana and Kanawari watched "Bitch, go back to your seat!" Tateyana told her aggressively "Hey! Don't be rude to my customer!" Kuzan apprehended her right away "Customer?" Yulia thought "It's 192 per answer! Of course, there isn't a way to transfer points, so a contract will have to be formed. What do you say?!" Kuzan was excited to do business "Uh..." Yulia's plan was not even allowed to be executed.

Twenty-three seconds remained.

"We don't have time to waste!" Kuzan told her fiercely "Here is the contract that I propose: Every round, until the very last, you will forfeit 192 of your points to me; in exchange, I will tell you the right answer!" Kuzan gave her the idea "Er---Can't it be the other way around?" Yulia thought that something was wrong with Kuzan's "simple" idea of a contract "I will accept if it states that every time I correctly score, 192 of those points will be transferred to you!" Yulia said "There, that should fix it-----" Kuzan interrupted her "Nope, I said what I said." Yulia's eyes widened slightly "Wh----" Kuzan would elaborate as time-efficiently as he could "Listen----by trusting you with the right answer, there will be others who will spy on you. It goes against my policy to endanger my client, you see... I don't want to put you in further danger, so please just trust me here!" Kuzan begged her "........" Yulia wasn't pleased at all.

She looked at the remaining time, which was fourteen seconds.

"I----Okay, make the contract and tell me the answer, please I need to go back to my seat in order to answer!" Yulia just wanted to get out of the dilemma "Right away, hold up..." Kuzan began to form the verbal contract "Lend me your ear real quick..." Yulia crunched down and told the answer to Yulia "Now go!" Kuzan ordered her as there were six seconds on the clock "........" Sana looked at Kuzan and Kuzan looked at her "........" Kuzan exhibited three fingers firstly, then four, then five, then ultimately silently spoke it with his lips and Sana understood what his plan was "...Good..." Sana had no objections.

The tenth round came to an allusive end as the ranking ladder was updated.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39362/45000 points) {5 red lights}

> 2 - Kuzan (26824/30000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

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

> 5 - Tateyana (15822/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (2/5)] {6 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (12922/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {4 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (12452/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {5 red lights}

> 9 - Lus Sera (11264/15000 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 two times] {3 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10532/15000 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8820/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5444/7500 points) {7 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] {7 red lights}

> 14 - Ikkiri (4002/4500 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] {3 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (3720/4500 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] {5 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1518/2000 points) {6 red lights}

"Wow, he didn't lie..." Yulia noticed "It's fine then... Who cares if I don't score? I won't die at least..." Yulia felt satisfied with knowing that at least as she puffed her chest ".........." He, however, didn't like how the flow of this was going "I... haven't scored in three rounds... B-But it's 50/50...!!" Akimiyashika gritted her teeth as she found herself in a dangerous situation "Hurry up and figure out what they're doing and then you'll score." Kawahara told her "Easier said than done! Hey, you're the genius here, aren't you?! Show me some of that magic of yours and tell me the secret behind their interaction!" Akimiyashika demanded right away "No. You've grown too spoiled for my tastes." Akimiyashika shivered "What..." She had trouble believing it was the same Kawahara that she knew for a while "No, seriously----who are you...?!" She has been fighting a ridiculous assumption for a while in her mind "What I am, my past----it doesn't matter. In this game, who you are, doesn't matter. Only the victorious matter. And right now, you're the loser. So tell me, what can you hope to do to change your predicament, Akimi?" She no longer had any doubt in her mind, but had a far more brutal task to accomplish.

The eleventh round would now begin.

"Nasha Sana has orchestrated a massacre of her entire classroom by organizing a send-off party which ultimately resulted in the deaths of 23 other people." Basara made the claim "Pffft." Sana found it funny, but nobody was actually that interested "Heeeey Sanaaaaa, I haven't scored in two rounds, can you just tell me the answer? I'll give you a kiss later, I swear." Hyunda, with a bored and lazy expression asked "Hyunda, have you thought about the amount of oxygen that you consume?" She dismissed him "Wooooooow, why are you acting so coldddd to meeeeeeee..." He sighed "Hey wait... I can actually die if I don't correctly score the remaining ones..." Hyunda's eyes widened "Do you need assistance?" Yukishiro kindly asked "I'll just leave it to chance, as he would say." Hyunda shrugged "Hmpf, very well..." Yukishiro adored his side.

Kuzan and Sana underwent their usual----inexplicable to many----dialogue.

"Now, what will it be this time?" Kuzan asked her "The Hope Diamond!" Sana spoke with elegance "The Hope Diamond... I can't say I'm familiar with its price, but I've heard rumors..." Kuzan confessed "Don't worry about the price; I know it." Sana reassured "Oh really?! That's great!" Kuzan was happy to know that "Uhh, okay... 50 million!" Kuzan made his first bargain "HELL NO!!!" She rejected it right away "100 million!!!" Kuzan continued "NO, KUZAN!! THAT'S TOO LOW!!" She rejected him again "AGHHHH, 500 MILLION?!?!?" Kuzan randomly guessed as he dramatically put his right hand on his face as if facepalming "500 million...?! That's... Hmm... That's a very tempting offer..." Sana gave it some thought "See? Right there? That's the line." Daniel told the two of them "...I'll only believe it if we do score..." Hinagiku was still skeptical about Daniel's theory "They can alternate the pattern, but frankly, nobody else seems to have caught wind of it. And furthermore... Most of them have actually given up on trying to figure out what's the deal here..." Lus gulped as Daniel said that.

Kuzan and Sana's dialogue had terminated a short while and with thirty-five seconds on the clock; Kuzan was under the attention of quite a few people.

Tatsu, Arkalee, Akimiyashika, Stratos, and even Tateyana, who had such a lead-----were all around him; albeit the latter is already close by regardless.

"Arkalee, why are you here..." Tatsu found her stance rather problematic "Motherfucker... DON'T TALK TO ME AFTER WHAT YOU DID!!" Her lack of arms was the cause of hysterical laughter coming from Hyunda far away in the opposite direction "FUCKING FUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUU HYUNDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! I FUCKING HATE YOU SO FUCKING M-------" Kuzan clapped three times with vigor "HEY HEY!!! WE DON'T GOT TIME TO WASTE, YOU GUYS!!" Kuzan refused to let this chance slide.

He got up and directed his proposal to every single one of them in order.

"Tatsu, usually I would demand 192 per round, but in your case, since you actually get a 100% boost, I'm demanding 288!" Kuzan told him "........" Tatsu pondered whether or not it was worth it to commit into it "Arkalee, I'll cover 192 per round for you." He told her "SO I NEVER GET TO SCORE, RIGHT?!" She was rather happy "Huh? Uh, yeah...?!" Kuzan found it strange how she didn't want to score "Oh---" He realized soon after though "Well, whatever----Akimiyashika, Stratos, and Tateyana, the same applies to all of you! Form a contract with me that specifically says: Until the last round of this judgment round, you will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan!" Twenty-two seconds remained on the clock "That's fucking ABSURD!! WHERE IS THE GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWER, KUZAN?!" Akimiyashika argued right away "I never betray my clients' trust!!" Kuzan solemnly vowed "It's bullshit, no way!" Akimiyashika felt resigned "Yeah, what the hell..." Stratos was turned off as well "Alright! Have fun you guys! I'm sure in your next life you'll feel fucking dumb for not taking my words seriously when you realize how easy it could have been! Have fun dying!" Kuzan didn't mind if they all decided to just go away.

And in reality, none of them wanted to accept these stupid conditions.

Midst this, Yulia approached Kuzan from the other side as the others gave some deep serious thought about it, with little to no time on the clock.

"Alright, but under one condition..." Tatsu awaited as Kuzan whispered the answer to Yulia, who hurried back to her seat "And what will that be?" Kuzan was willing to hear "I'll tell you later, not now. Time, Kuzan." Tatsu was aware "Oh, I know!! All of you, you too!! If there are no contracts this round made to me, I'm not rethinking this!!!" Kuzan was tyrannical as there were twelve seconds on the clock "KUZAN, I SWEAR TO GOD------!!!" Tateyana started to recite the contract "I WILL FUCK YOU UP IF YOU'RE LYING!!!" Akimiyashika as well; and rapidly, in less than five seconds, Kuzan had five contracts to his disposal to accept.

He prioritized telling them the answer right away, though.

"Yes." None of them wasted time as there were six seconds left and went back to their seats and voted; meanwhile Kuzan accepted all of the contracts just before the round ended "Ahhhh...!!! Ahhhh...!!!" Akimiyashika, who got to her seat just in time, took a few breaths "I have to admit, even I didn't foresee such an advantage to him. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's a marketing genius. It's a shame he actually fell down all the way to this shithole... Kuzan might have had an actual promising life otherwise..." Kawahara noted to himself.

The eleventh round ended and so, the ranking ladder was updated.

> 1 - Hyunda - (39362/45000 points) {6 red lights}

> 2 - Kuzan (28456/30000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Kanawari (16172/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {4 red lights}

> 5 - Tateyana (15822/20000 points) [Kaneta Tateyana's five upcoming point acquisitions will be halved (1/5)] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {6 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (13114/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {4 red lights}

> 8 - Kawahara (12932/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {5 red lights}

> 9 - Lus Sera (12800/15000 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 three times] {3 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10724/15000 points) {3 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8820/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 12 - Stratos (5444/7500 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 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] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 14 - Ikkiri (4434/4500 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] {3 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (4104/4500 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] {5 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1518/2000 points) {7 red lights}

They had a natural curiosity in knowing just how much he had won from all the contracts.

But they didn't expect this...

"HOW MANY POINTS DID HE JUST WIN??!?!?!?" Bryce exulted himself from his seat and while Andrea wanted to correct even, even she----was shocked "It was more than a thousand I'm pretty sure...!!" Seok contributed "So many bonuses..." Liyuga gulped "I haven't done the calculations but it's definitely a lot! I haven't seen anything like this before, so early in the rounds! We are already in the morning but the numbers don't reach this high until noon! We are hitting new grounds today!" Erigaisi clapped with enthusiasm "I am most definitely making a show out of this day alone." Erigaisi murmured to himself.

But despite Kuzan's new heights in terms of points, there was a sense of security implanted in the hearts of those who had been contracted.

Simply by consulting Kuzan after the claim was made, they would know the correct answer. Sure, their points will be transferred to Kuzan, but it's better than dying----for them.

The twelfth round commenced shortly.

"Nasha Sana has cut her mother, limb by limb, and used a meat mincer machine in order to make food portions, which were mysteriously mailed to several locations." A most macabre claim was made "Jesus----I know it's not really relevant anymore, but WHAT THE FUCK!!" Tateyana couldn't help herself "Kuzan, let's get down to business..." Sana wanted to wrap this round up "Gladly. What's on your mind?" He asked "Do gemstones vary too much in price?" She asked him "Hmm... They do, however, one thing is for certain... There's none that's cheap!" Kuzan told her "Ah, thank you, I see. We'll go with an emerald gemstone then!" Sana established the groundline "Got it! 1 million from me!!!" Kuzan went right after the answer "Absolutely not, that's too cheap..." Sana was abhorrent with her words "Yeah, I know, I know... Let's go for... 25 million!!" Kuzan upped the price by a slight margin "Kuzan, that's still too low! NO!!" And Sana rejected it "Oh fine... I see, you really do know the price of it then..." Kuzan had his mindset right on the matter.

This segment here was a mere educational line in order to encode the truth.

"Alright... No, I really believe it now." Hinagiku had seen all that she needed to see "I think Ikkiri also caught wind of it, though sooner..." She additionally remarked "Probably." Daniel didn't deny it "......" Daniel looked to his left side and saw Lus, who couldn't contain her excitement "3072...!!! 3072...!!!" She didn't like the fact that she had to wait even more time for her ambition to come true; as an ecstatic smile kept growing more and more.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Kuzan was frequented by Tateyana, Akimiyashika, Arkalee, Tatsu, Stratos, and Yulia.

To each and every one of them, Kuzan whispered, individually, the answer.

"I'm getting dethroned it seems..." Hyunda sighed with depression "Yes... But you could've done something about it." Yukishiro critiqued "No altering the script." He told her "Never---ever, alter the script. Everything must be natural, but direction must be there. Every character matters, has their own role, and will act differently according to the circumstance. To be an arbiter, interference is not allowed. Therefore, I too, am one." Hyunda waved his arms simultaneously "And so---the symphony unravels..." The twelfth round would come to a swift end shortly.

And with that, the ranking ladder would update afterwards.

> 1 - Kuzan (42588/45000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

> 2 - Hyunda - (39554/45000 points) {6 red lights}

> 3 - Lus Sera (20872/25000 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 four times] {3 red lights}

> 4 - Tatsu (18306/35000 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] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {6 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (16172/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {5 red lights}

> 6 - Tateyana (15630/20000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 7 - Arkalee (14983/15000 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] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {5 red lights}

> 8 - Hinagiku (14556/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {4 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (13412/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {5 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10724/15000 points) {4 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8628/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {8 red lights}

> 12 - Ikkiri (6164/7500 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] {3 red lights}

> 13 - Stratos (5252/7500 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {8 red lights}

> 14 - Akimiyashika (5068/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {8 red lights}

> 15 - Daniel (4488/4500 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] {5 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1710/2000 points) {7 red lights}

The pandemonium started.

"HUH?!" The eighth red light was lit up on their respective chokers "KUZAN, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?" Akimiyashika got up from her seat "YEAH, WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TELL THE ACCURATE ANSWERS!!!" Yulia as well, as she pointed at Kuzan "ME TOO...!! WHY DID YOU LIE, KUZAN?!" They didn't settle for words and started to walk into Kuzan's direction "DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING DIE, KUZAN?!" Tateyana, who also got the wrong answer, right on his right side, held her hands up high, wanting to strangle him "H-Huh?!?!?" Kuzan had an extremely nervous expression "W-Wait, you guys!" Kuzan was most definitely in trouble.

A physical brawl was most surely approaching.

"Any sort of brawl or usage of violence that isn't in accordance with the game, will be punished by adding red lights to your chokers!" Basara's words made the three of them freeze "BUT---THAT'S UNFAIR, TEACHER!! HE LIED TO ME AND MY POINTS WERE DEDUCTED!!! COME ON, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!" Akimiyashika begged Basara as she cried "But wasn't it you who proposed the contract despite fully knowing it could come down to that?" Basara asked her "IT'S A MATTER OF HONOR, DAMN IT...!!! FUCK YOU, KUZAN!!!" Defeated, with tremendous rage on her shoulders, Akimiyashika went back to her seat "Damn it...!!!" Stratos felt a shiver down his spine "Are you serious... That Kuzan, really..." Hinagiku was dumbfounded "........." Daniel only had his eyes for her; who had her core entirely shaken.

But Kuzan felt like there was something more to say.

"Uhh, guys?! I'm pretty sure I just confused the order!" Kuzan told them that "AND HOW WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE WHEN THE ANSWER WAS ALL THE SAME?! THERE WAS ONLY ONE CORRECT ANSWER! YES OR NO, IT'S THAT SIMPLE AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Akimiyashika screamed out of her lungs "That was because I didn't want others to catch wind of the correct answer, so I switched the answers, but..." Kuzan hummed "Sana, it looks like we need to switch up." Kuzan told her "I agree..." Sana, who had been paying attention to the ladder, could not ignore her rise "Ohh...?" Lus felt over-confident "Are they fearing me, by some chance...?" She chuckled "That's good... But I'm scoring no matter what..." Her eyes narrowed as she only saw success "TEACHER, WHAT'S THE MATTER!? WHERE IS THE NEXT CLAIM?!" Lus shouted at Basara "Someone's feeling herself..." Yukishiro didn't like Lus' stance "Our gap is large, but if she does score..." Hyunda couldn't deny it "Very well." Basara saw that the tension was high and given how hyped the comenters were for the next round, he didn't waste any time whatsoever.

The thirteenth round came forth; which symbolized that there were three other rounds to go.

"The crime that got Nasha Sana arrested was burning her aunt on fire alongside her children as they died in a locked room." Sana's expression darkened "Kuzan, what do you got for me?" Since Kuzan said he wanted to switch up methods, Kuzan would have to innovate "Country game." Kuzan told her "I-----Okay..." Sana wasn't sure if this was the most effective method "I'll start! GO!!" Kuzan's brain began to speed through the alphabet "STOP!!" Sana waited less than two seconds "E!" Kuzan passed the ball to Sana "Uh... Estonia!" She got one right "Damn... Uh..." Kuzan, on the other hand, had trouble "I actually don't know! Can I get a clue, please?!" Kuzan asked "Did you even try... Well, okay... Ecu..." Sana said no further "......" Kuzan gave it some thought "Wait, I know this one! Ecuador!" Kuzan got it right "Impressive... Egypt." Sana was quick "DAMN! HOW DID I FORGET THE MOST SIMPLE!!" Kuzan fretted "Uhh... A clue?! I really don't know more!" Kuzan begged her "No, Kuzan. No more clues. If you don't reply in five seconds, then I win this round!" Sana declared her terms "Wai---Erm----Eh---Uhhhh...!!!" Kuzan could not meet her conditions.

And in less than fifteen seconds, Kuzan was defeated.

"Daniel, what does this mean?!" Lus wasted no time and went to the most reliable information source she could think of "What do you think?" Daniel asked her "It doesn't matter what I think---what matters is what you think! Thanks to you, I was able to score four times! Make it a five!" Lus was honest to the core "Not good enough." He rejected her approach "What?!" She was not happy with that "I believe I know the method that they are using and through the vote, it will be confirmed. But unless you tell me the correct method and how to achieve it, I won't tell you..." Lus' expression stiffened "I told you, Lus, loyalty is not enough... You have to be useful..." He was not happy with her codependent behavior this round "....Fine, give me a sec..." Lus felt dignified to take the challenge.

Thirty-five seconds remained.

"Guys, get your asses in here or else I won't tell you the answer! I will tell every single one of you the correct answer this time!" Kuzan vowed "I really will, so please trust me! I won't deceive you!" Kuzan vowed yet again "You better not be lying..." Yulia got up from her seat "No, no, that was just a misunderstanding, I swear." Kuzan waved his right hand a few times "Wait." Tatsu got up from his seat and approached Kuzan, as the others who were bound by his contract also did "........" Kuzan heard Tatsu's request "Oh, alright..." Kuzan was fine with it "Here is the right answer! You will score, watch!" Kuzan went to the ears of each individual and told them the answer, even if they were dying to kill him.

If it weren't for Basara's words, then Kuzan would be in a lot of trouble.

"It has to be the same as the previous method he used, right?!" Lus asked Daniel "Is that all you could gather?" Daniel asked her, as there were twenty seconds on the clock "I mean! There's no other way they could understand each other so well otherwise, is there?" She tried to confirm an answer with Daniel "Is that all you could gather?" She became annoyed and moody "Fuck you! I'm trying, respect me, please!" She demanded "......." Daniel wondered if there was actually something conclusive in her research "...I've come to notice that Sana really makes sudden stops and tries to guide Kuzan to some sort of answer. Thus, I think I know what the correct answer is." Lus told him as there were thirteen seconds on the clock "Alright, vote then." Daniel urged her "........" She drew her right finger forward to the screen.

However, there was some obvious reluctance.

"What's wrong, Lus? You're confident that you've figured it out, right?" Daniel provoked her "......." But she pondered about something "Yes... I believe I know the right answer, but... What if I'm wrong?! If I'm wrong, then the bonus will be reset and I will lose out of the points!! It's better to just wait and see what Daniel will vote... He----knows better. His brain was made for this. I am right in entrusting my choices to him, because he knows better..." Lus came to the conclusion "Ah, I see." Daniel looked at her as if he could read her mind "You have no self-confidence, do you now?" Lus' eyes widened "No... self-confidence...?" The thirteenth round came to a swift end.

And thus, just like every time, the ranking ladder was updated.

> 1 - Kuzan (44220/45000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

> 2 - Hyunda - (39746/45000 points) {6 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (16172/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {6 red lights}

> 6 - Tateyana (15438/20000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {8 red lights}

> 8 - Hinagiku (14748/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {4 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (13892/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {5 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10724/15000 points) {5 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8436/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {9 red lights}

> 12 - Ikkiri (6596/7500 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] {3 red lights}

> 13 - Stratos (5060/7500 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {9 red lights}

> 14 - Akimiyashika (4876/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {9 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1710/2000 points) {8 red lights}

The reception was far worse this time, as Kuzan had purposefully pulled everything to his advantage and thrown those he controlled at a disadvantage.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" Tateyana shouted at the mocking Kuzan "Oh yeah? Go for it then. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to you!" Tateyana gritted her teeth "They've all been lied to..." Liyuga remarked to the remaining student council members "It was a false promise, but they had no other choice. They confined all of their faith on Takeshi Kuzan and hoped that he wouldn't lie. He has lied twice and they have all fell for his scheme. Not only are they lives in true danger, but Takeshi Kuzan is about to break another barrier." Andrea couldn't erase her stress as she wondered the magnitude of rage the individuals were feeling right now.

Though engraved with rage and the urge to kill Kuzan, their worst fear was not Kuzan's words-----but just to what length an offense could be qualified in order for them to earn an extra red light.

"I will kill him. Nobody lies to me..." Akimiyashika cried tears as she greeted her teeth "You'll die first." Kawahara told her "It---It wasn't supposed to go like this...!! Why wouldn't he keep his word?! He gains the same thing!" Akimiyashika couldn't understand his thought process one bit "It's simple, really." Kawahara didn't elaborate any further "The less players... The better..." Yet his mind agreed with the idea.

On the other hand, she could not believe what had just happened.

"You----Why the hell did you choose the wrong answer..." Dumbfounded, Lus looked at Daniel "Hm? Well, I haven't found out the method yet, so I just went with 50/50. You did the same, right? Hinagiku?" He asked her "Yeah and it's been working wonders! Just two more and I'll achieve my goal!" She smirked "No... No, no, no..." Despite her lead, Lus couldn't come to terms with the wasted potential "You knew the answer, you just voted it wrong to make me fail..." Lus shook "Yeah, that's right. What a shame, Lus. Do you want to know how many points you could have right now?" Lus already knew the answer "37016.......!!!!!!" With the added bonus of 10000 points, Lus knew for a fact that her points would skyrocket "Why... WHY?! I'M YOUR ASSET, DANIEL! THE MORE I SCORE, THE BETTER FOR YOU, NO?! WHAT'S THE POINT OF TRYING TO TEACH ME THIS LESSON?! IT'S NOT NECESSARY!!" She felt like crying "I told you, Lus. You have to be useful. Loyalty does not equal utility. What will it take for you to understand what this means?" Daniel asked her "..........." She could not reply, unfortunately.

As Lus underwent through her emotions, Daniel's interests started to navigate north, where she would remain, still shaken to her core, unaware of what the true direction really was.

The fourteenth round would now begin.

"Nasha Sana has been accused of animal cruelty due to the fact that she has killed at least three dogs." Sana's expression darkened "Wow, another dog hater? When are we getting married?" Hyunda asked her "Ugh, shut up..." She didn't feel like continuing "Kuzan, let's do this..." She was looking more forward to this "There's no need anymore." Sana was shocked at Kuzan's words "What...?" It hadn't clicked to her yet "Hm? I said, there's no need anymore, Sana. I don't care about your answer. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping I get it wrong so the contract is dissolved..." Kuzan grinned as he began to show his true colors "YOU SON OF A BITCH!! THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG?!" Sana was burning with rage "Hey, hey, stop branding me as the villain... Weren't you the one who made a victim out of everyone here in the first place? None of this would've happened if you had just told the right answers from the start. In a sense, you are heavily to blame, Sana." Kuzan could not stop grinning as his arrogance was dripping from his expression alone.

image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9c3e3c59-8f24-49ce-8a2b-546d1bb52197/di9prkv-c0f6cb5c-94ba-4978-a1c9-dacc808bdcca.png/v1/fit/w_502,h_626,q_70,strp/no_context__by_kumokuroro_di9prkv-375w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NjI2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOWMzZTNjNTktOGYyNC00OWNlLThhMmItNTQ2ZDFiYjUyMTk3XC9kaTlwcmt2LWMwZjZjYjVjLTk0YmEtNDk3OC1hMWM5LWRhY2M4MDhiZGNjYS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NTAyIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.ngyE-1lQ5IydJTsB99TwOdoZaFsfqQz5Eq0iKz2a6Mc]

"So... Nasha Sana will be the target for the execution round?!?!" Bryce asked "If she doesn't do something about this, yes... She has zero points and the only way for her to gain points would be if Takeshi Kuzan doesn't score incorrectly... In other words... She has to get lucky and hope Takeshi Kuzan somehow scores...!!" Liyuga told them the truth "What----but there's no way that's realistic, right?! I know it's possible, but...!!" And Bryce was right, although realistic, there was no ultimate guarantee.

A true 50/50 befell for all of them, as Kuzan was not interested in going for a pattern.

"WAIT, SO THIS MEANS THAT YOU CAN NOW ACCEPT CONTRACTS, RIGHT?!" Tateyana caught wind of it pretty quickly "Yes-----" Before Sana could even begin her sentence, Tateyana acted quickly "I'LL GIVE YOU 5001 OF THOSE POINTS MYSELF BUT I MUST SCORE, YOU HEAR?! AND ONLY ME!!! FUCK THE OTHERS, I WILL NOT BE DECEIVED ANY LONGER!!!" Tateyana passionately demanded out of Sana "You...." And strangely enough, a genius idea came to Sana right at that moment as her expression became blank.

But the thoughts in her brain all aligned.

"It's possible... No, but-----It's unrealistic! If Kuzan knows what I'm planning, then it won't work-----but...!!! The merit would be huge, I wouldn't have to settle for a mere 5001 points, no, I could----!!" The intensity of the desire caused her brain to come up with a tactic of deception "No... It's possible... I just need to... control my emotions perfectly and not let my mask slip... That's right... Nobody lies better than me..." Hyunda's gaze upon her intertwined with her cold eyesight "Watch me..." She momentarily closed her eyes.

She then looked at Tateyana and then the time of the round, which was a mere twenty-four seconds.

"Alright, Tateyana. Form a contract that states that I will be awarded 5001 points at the end of this judgment round, should you correctly score until the end..." The first order was in the making "Say no more...!!" Tateyana took about four seconds to make the contract and Sana accepted it instantly by saying the positive word "........." Kuzan paid attention to their interactions as it was crucial for Kuzan to not score correctly "Okay. Only you, you said? Well, I'll make this easy for you then..." Sana maintained her blank expression to the maximum "The answer is no." Sana openly confessed the answer to the claim for the first time "?!" Many were surprised but... "Of course she's saying the truth. She wins 5001 points from Kaneta Tateyana should she say the correct answer and none will come from Takeshi Kuzan either way." Liyuga deducted "Yes, I agree." And Andrea didn't have much else of a saying in the matter.

But Sana took it a step further as she only had eyes for Tateyana.

"...Wait..." Just as Tateyana would vote, Sana called out to her meekly, with fifteen seconds on the clock "Wait until the very last second and then vote......" With her lips she would continue her words "....Huh?!" Tateyana has no experience in lip reading "....Oh, I see..." But Kuzan, on the other hand, had an idea of what Sana was plotting.

Furthermore, Sana's left hand, had her index and middle fingers intertwined.

"She lied about it being no, by saying "yes" with her lips at the end. In addition, she's intertwining her fingers, which implies that she's lying about what she just said prior. Tateyana is so dumb that she needs very easy signals in order to understand what the correct answer is. Therefore, the actual answer is yes. However, since I want to get the wrong answer, I will vote no. Ultimately, this means that Tateyana and I will vote for the same thing. But that's the incorrect answer. She is trying to mind-game me." Kuzan became decided as he voted no "......." He cast a glance at Tateyana, who gulped as she voted yes "Yes, exactly like that. Now let's see the results..." Kuzan pinpointed his eyes to the newly updated ranking ladder.

As so did everyone else, as the fourteenth round ended.

> 1 - Kuzan (60852/70000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

> 2 - Hyunda - (39938/45000 points) {6 red lights}

> 4 - 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] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (16556/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {6 red lights}

> 6 - Tateyana (15438/20000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [5001 points from Kaneta Tateyana will be awarded to Nasha Sana if she gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] {8 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (14940/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {4 red lights}

> 8 - 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] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {6 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (13892/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {6 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10724/15000 points) {6 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8436/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {9 red lights}

> 12 - Daniel (7372/7500 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] {6 red lights}

> 13 - Ikkiri (7028/7500 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] {3 red lights}

> 14 - Stratos (4868/7500 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Stratos will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {10 red lights}

> 15 - Akimiyashika (4684/7500 points) [Izayoi Akimiyashika's turn will be under Hirakibo Tatsu's control in the execution rounds until this day is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Izayoi Akimiyashika will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {10 red lights}

> 16 - Hugo (1710/2000 points) {9 red lights}

Kuzan's eyebrows twitched as he saw that the contract was still lingering to his name in the ladder.

"Absurd... The only successful scenario for her would be one where Tateyana and I both equally score... No---it's more complicated than that..." He paused his right fist on the right side of his face as he delved deeper "In order for Sana to win the 5001 points from Tateyana, Tateyana has to correctly score. In order for me to get rid of the contract, I have to score incorrectly and it's done. Which conclusively means that I should never vote the same as her... If I don't, we can never have the same vote. It was this simple and yet... Tateyana waited until the last second as Sana said and our answers actually collided-----no, no, no, it was my mistake. I came to the conclusions that drove me into voting that, when in reality, it's just a matter of not voting what Tateyana votes for..." Kuzan arrived at the conclusion at last.

But these thoughts, were, to put it in a mild manner-----luxury, compared to the maelstrom of those that are just one red light away from being blown into oblivion.

"I'M GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!! AND I DON'T WANNA FUCKING DIE, SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" Stratos elevated from his seat and began to freak out "SANA, I'LL GIVE YOU ALL MY POINTS IF YOU JUST TELL ME THE RIGHT ANSWERS, PLEASEEEEEEEE!!!" On the edge of his desk, Stratos begged as he made his most desperate request "No fucking way... Your points aren't even that big..." Sana looked at him with disgust "PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!!! I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS, I DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!" Stratos continued his emotional cryout "I DON'T CARE, SHUT UP!! I'M NOT HEARING YOU OUT, IT SUCKS BUT IF YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'LL MAKE IT OUT ALIVE!!" Sana tried to at least be optimistic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEA-----NGHMGHH-----" A guard swept behind him and applied a temporary steel mask in order to cover his mouth as well as restrain his movements "You will not disrupt the pace of the game with your tantrum. Back to your seat, NOW!!" By kicking Stratos in his calves, the guard dragged Stratos, who is crying, all the way back to his seat via brute force.

There was, also, someone else with ten red lights, who could very well have her final moments in the last round.

"Um." With her head down and with her weakest voice yet, she talked to the only person who would hear her "Do you think that Hinagiku or Ikkiri would lend me their points?" She asked him, while only looking at the surface of her desk "No." Kawahara coldly replied "Yeah, I think so too." She was aware "If you were in my situation, what would you do?" She asked once more "Hard to say. It's not a matter of points but a matter of asserting the truth. You could wager a lot of points, even all of yours----but that wouldn't be enough to please her, most likely. You got unlucky. That's all there is to it." Kawahara was thoughtful "So you'd do nothing?" She went to the core of the matter "No. I am I. What I can do, is not determined by what can be done at the given moment. I always prepare ahead, so if I was in your situation, I would've acted long ago. You acted, but you got deceived. It is what it is, Kuzan played his cards well and took advantage of people like you who are easy to manipulate so long as they are promised an escape." Kawahara spared no quarters "Ahhh....." Her pale expression began to be overflowed with silent tears.

Kawahara patted Akimiyashika on the back twice.

"This is karma----for what I've done..." Akimiyashika drew that conclusion ".........." Kawahara remained silent as Akimiyashika slowly surrendered to the hopelessness of the situation "When was the last time you voted something different from me?" Daniel asked Lus "......." She felt mocked "I admire the attitude and commend it." Daniel flattered her "Shut up." Lus coldly shut him down "Mhm, alright." And Daniel accepted it "Teach, let's get the show on the road, shall we?" Hyunda thought that the pacing was slow "Indeed." And Basara agreed, as a matter of fact.

The fifteenth round, therefore, came.

"Nasha Sana had an abortion before." Sana's expression was stark cold "No, no, you behave too much like a virgin, no way." Hyunda instantly voted as he threw that snark insult at her "You'd be shocked to know there's more to me than you'll ever know..." She giggled "........." Hyunda was actually stunned for a while "Sana!" Tateyana, however, called out to her "Right." And she had a task to accomplish.

Sana took a deep breath and told Tateyana all that she had to do.

"Tateyana, I'll keep it real with you----just vote whatever Kuzan votes." Her words were confusing to say the least "!??!" And especially to Tateyana "I had a suspicion, but you are really going for it... It's dumb and unrealistic, Sana..." Kuzan remarked "It has a 25% chance of working, no, that's being optimistic, it's a 11% chance, at best." Kuzan noted to her "Huh? Wait, what?! Sana, just tell me the answer or you won't get 5001 points! What's wrong with you?!" Tateyana was not understanding "Wait, this is stupid." Kuzan turned to Tateyana this time around "What Sana is saying is nonsense. You actually don't need to vote correctly anymore. There is only this round and the upcoming one. Even if you fail both, you will get 10 red lights, which is not enough to blow your head off." Tateyana's eyes widened "Y-You're right...!!" Tateyana noticed that Kuzan had a point "In other words, you can just vote whatever you want and not what she's telling you." Kuzan added "And not only that, if you don't vote correctly, then your contract with Sana is dissolved. In other words, we are in the same dilemma." Kuzan explained.

With forty seconds on the clock, Tateyana was starting to see the picture, now that she had the option to not fall into the trap of needlessly forfeiting 5001 points to Sana. All she had to do was get the claim wrong; the same as Kuzan.

But therein lies the question.

"So they both have to incorrectly score...?" Lus was trying to grasp the situation at hand here "The moment Kuzan doesn't score correctly, his contract with Sana is dissolved. Likewise, the same can be said for Tateyana, so yes." Hinagiku simplified it "Wait, then all they have to do is vote differently and one of them is guaranteed to have the way out!" Lus came to the conclusion "Looks like my plan has been seen through..." Sana threw the towel as she sighed "It is like that, Tateyana. The moment you get an incorrect claim, the contract is over and you won't be handing any points to me..." Sana was honest about it "But... Does he deserve that outcome though?" Sana pierced Kuzan with her glare "No, I don't think so..." She added "Tateyana, don't listen to her." Kuzan warned her "......." But Tateyana was curious "Listen----if you vote the same as Kuzan, there are two outcomes: One; you two don't score, thus your contracts are dissolved. Two; you two do score, but your contracts stay. Now you might be asking, what's the deal here? Well, you see, there is a slight chance, if you vote the same as Kuzan---that he will actually correctly score and he will be forced to give me 5001 of his points!" Sana told her "But why do I have to vote the same as him?!" Tateyana asked "You don't, that's what I'm telling you." Kuzan replied instead "Tateyana, I'll be honest, this is too much theory for your brain, so I'll give you the basic reasoning: If you want to see Kuzan have to give up 5001 of his points, then do it! HE HAS TO PAY FOR LYING THIS MUCH, DON'T YOU THINK?!" Sana pulled her strings "FUCK YES, HE HAS!!" Kuzan sighed.

At the end of the day, throughout much confusion, they were oversimplifying a simple 50/50.

"Go ahead, Kuzan! Vote!" Tateyana urged him "........." Kuzan was getting tired of this "This is just a 50/50. It's luck, besides it's improbable. And it's just 5001 points. I don't care." Kuzan was steeled with resolve and just voted, as there were fifteen seconds on the clock "WHAT DID HE VOTE JUST NOW?!?!?" Sana asked Tateyana "HE VOTED NO!!" She told her "I don't care." Kuzan knew what they were up to "It's literally 50/50." Kuzan closed his eyes "Damn it...!!!" Sana gritted her teeth "Well, what now?! What does that mean, Sana?!?!" Tateyana wanted a conclusive answer "Ahhhh...." She sighed "SANA, JUST TELL US THE ANSWER!! HOW HARD CAN IT BE!! PLEASE, I'M GOING TO DIE!!!!" Akimiyashika begged Sana "........." And Sana gave it some thought "No." She simply said, as there were ten seconds on the clock "I-I-I-I--I-------I-----!!!" Akimiyashika trembled "WHAT IF SHE'S LYING?!?!" Sana's cold glare confused Akimiyashika and she didn't know what to believe it "Akimi." Kawahara spoke to her in a serious tone "If there is a plan for you, then you'll make it. You just have to believe it." Kawahara told her, as there were five seconds on the clock "I will believe it... I won't give up, I SWEAR!!! I am not fated to lose, I still have so much ahead of me...!!!" Akimiyashika demonstrated a valiant spirit and Kawahara smiled upon her "It is what it is." He softly spoke as time ran out.

With a lot on the line, everyone voted in time and thus, the awaited ending of the fifteenth round came to life, as the ranking ladder updated.

> 1 - Kuzan (62484/70000 points) [Has a 50% point boost acquisition for the upcoming three hours] [5001 points from Takeshi Kuzan will be awarded to Nasha Sana if he gets every claim right until the judgment round is over] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kaneta Tateyana will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Kitsuya Arkalee will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {3 red lights}

> 2 - Hyunda - (40130/45000 points) {6 red lights}

> 3 - Lus Sera (21256/25000 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 1 time] {5 red lights}

> 4 - 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] [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hirakibo Tatsu will forfeit 288 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {7 red lights}

> 5 - Kanawari (16556/20000 points) [Has a 50% acquisition boost for the rest of the day] {7 red lights}

> 7 - Hinagiku (14940/15000 points) [In the upcoming hour, Mayabashi Hinagiku will earn 50% of Rikishima Ikkiri's bonus points earned from breaking her point barrier] {5 red lights}

> 9 - Kawahara (14180/15000 points) [For the next hour, whenever Hirakibo Tatsu wins a point, 50% of it will be transferred to Ryousuke Kawahara's account] {7 red lights}

> 12 - Daniel (11256/15000 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] {6 red lights}

> 10 - Yukishiro (10916/15000 points) {6 red lights}

> 11 - Yulia (8244/10000 points) [Until the last round of this judgment round, Hikaru Yulia will forfeit 192 points every round to Takeshi Kuzan] {10 red lights}

> 13 - Ikkiri (7460/7500 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] {3 red lights}

> 14 - Hugo (1710/2000 points) {10 red lights}

It's important to know just how wide the radius of the mini detonators which reside inside the chokers are. It's 68,7 centimeters from all angles.

If it were to detonate close to someone, the risk of injury would be severe, to say the least. It's not a problem if it's right at the center, where there aren't people close by the radius, but if it's close by, then it's definitely a problem. However, there is at least a meter of distance between the players, so there is no chance of injury in this case.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" The loud screeching began as two players were eliminated, out of sheer misfortune alongside a combination of other ill elements "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!" Tateyana was caught off guard by the two simultaneous loud explosions "Heads fucking rolled, that's what happened." Hyunda was straight to the point "Mmmm... I thought they would last longer..." Ikkiri confessed "But I guess you get what you deserve, BITCH!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Ikkiri released an hysterical laughter midst her bliss.

Her head landed on the ground, while tumbling down and down, and the same was for Stratos, who also met the unfortunate outcome.

"Damn it." Kawahara's expression remained monochromatic "Collect the bodies, we aren't done yet! COME ON!!" By Basara's orders, the guards immediately began their pursuit against Akimiyashika and Stratos, who had their heads detached from their heads "Leave the head..." Kawahara got up from his seat "What's he doing?" Many watched Kawahara as he went in the direction of Akimiyashika's lifeless head.

Akimiyashika's head had rolled all the way to the west side of the room, but Kawahara took his time and walked slowly, in order to retrieve it. Afterwards, he went back to his seat, as he dragged her head with his right hand through her red hairstrands; where he ultimately reversed her face to him----once seated.

"There was no plan for you, you shithead of a sister. You just had to learn that the hard way, so now you know..." Gently, he kissed her forehead as her pale hollow dead eyes were at display "I'll show you how it's done, so sit back and relax. I've always been a shitty brother, but at least, this----I'll do." The guards collected the dead body of Izayoi Akimiyashika on his left and the dead body of Stratos as well "Good night and sleep tight, Akimi." He proceeded to retrieve his lips from her forehead as the time of departure came.

image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9c3e3c59-8f24-49ce-8a2b-546d1bb52197/di9suru-9f10baef-0c0d-4cf6-94a5-e10b442c7405.png/v1/fill/w_936,h_800,q_80,strp/no_context__by_kumokuroro_di9suru-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODAwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOWMzZTNjNTktOGYyNC00OWNlLThhMmItNTQ2ZDFiYjUyMTk3XC9kaTlzdXJ1LTlmMTBiYWVmLTBjMGQtNGNmNi05NGE1LWUxMGI0NDJjNzQwNS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9OTM2In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.03LHBIlreDxfjqrltJ1XjonDX8jKJjdYgzS4rnOFUAc]

The sixteenth round and final round, of this judgment round, would soon begin.

Volume 27: Chapter 191.5: Narcissist's Cradle Arc - Part XIX.

目录