I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Everything is related to luck.

For example, in the main competition, being eliminated is considered a failure. So, if the undercover agent hides well, they can eliminate 6 or even 7 people in one round...

Basically, the finals are already secured. But if you draw a commoner card, even if you win one game, you still have to play one more game to enter the finals. This extra game introduces a new variable.

Therefore, Arisu believes that this game seems to rely more on luck than on testing everyone's judgment.

When Arisu thought of this, he was about to persuade Amane that there was no need to attend such a meaningless gathering that could not yield any useful results, but after seeing Amane's enthusiastic appearance, he swallowed his words of persuasion.

It's just a game, nothing compared to Amane. If Amane feels happy chatting with everyone, then Arisu will choose to accompany her to the party. All her actions are determined by how to make Amane's life more comfortable and happy. As for things like maximizing benefits and right and wrong, Arisu considers them all to be secondary to anything related to Amane.

For Sakayanagi Arisu, Miyako Amane was everything.

The two chatted as they walked toward the agreed-upon location. After climbing a not-too-high hill, they finally arrived at the place they had arranged to meet Shiina.

A super-large balcony with a modern minimalist style appeared in front of Youqi and Tianyin. Various snow-white chairs and green plants were pleasing to the eye. Above the super-large balcony, there was a green vine-like canopy that was like a parasol to keep rain and snow out of the balcony area, making it convenient for tourists to rest here and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the snow mountain.

"My feet feel so warm..."

Arisu looked down at the ground. The ground in the E10 area was neither the traditional paving material nor the original style of nature.

The ground in area E10 is made up of dense black squares, which are said to be able to use solar energy to convert into electricity to heat the ground and the area around the tables and chairs. If it weren't for this, no one would choose to sit on a drafty balcony and shiver in the cold.

"It feels quite comfortable to step on. Hiyori and the others are over there!"

Tianyin, who was jumping around on the floor, suddenly pointed to a spot near the corner of the balcony.

At this moment, there were many students and hotel guests on the balcony watching the snow and chatting with each other, making the scene a bit noisy. It would be quite difficult to find one or a few people in such an environment. However, Amane found Shiina's location at a glance. After all, it would be very difficult for someone of Albert's size to be ignored.

"Hiyori, why are you and Albert the only ones here? Where are the others?"

When Amane and Arisu arrived at Shiina and Albert's seats, they were surprised to find that only she and Albert were waiting in the seats that Shiina had prepared, which were large enough to accommodate eight people for a discussion.

When asked by Amane, Albert, who was wearing sunglasses, shook his head. Amane didn't know if he didn't know or if he was just saying it was inconvenient to answer, so she could only look at Shiina beside her.

"Um...it seems like everyone is busy, so...I'm very sorry, I've taken up your time, Tianyin."

Shiina awkwardly tried to explain, but in the end, all that was left was a helpless apology.

Arisu raised an eyebrow in confusion. Could it be that all of these people had something to do when the qualifiers started in the afternoon?

Is there something else going on, or is it simply that they don't want to give Shiina face?

Amane could naturally think of what Arisu could think of. It was only at this moment that Amane realized a problem: the seemingly harmonious group atmosphere might not be as friendly as it appeared to her in private.

Since everyone was unfamiliar with each other, a major reason why they were able to unite in dealing with problems and accept Tianyin's management was that Tianyin was the class leader of Class A, and also the only one who led the class to rise from Class D to Class A in less than a year and a half. Moreover, she was superior to everyone in the same grade in terms of personal strength. It can be said that both her reputation and strength were enough to overwhelm anyone.

In addition, the members of the group were already selected by Arisu, and they were all good in terms of temperament and ability. So when they encountered a strong person like Amane, they were naturally willing to obey Amane's arrangements.

However, apart from Amane, these group members didn't know each other very well in private. Shiina wasn't as assertive as Ryuen, so when Shiina extended an invitation to the group members, everyone started making excuses as soon as they saw that Shiina was the one organizing the gathering. In the end, it was because Shiina's reputation and strength were not enough to make others respond to her invitation.

"What do you have to apologize for? Since they can't come, we can't force them. It's not like we necessarily have to talk about games. Hiyori, don't blame yourself too much. By the way, Albert, what are Ryuen and the others planning to do about this game?"

After Tianyin took her seat, she casually inquired about the movements of Albert Dragon Garden.

"The boss felt that this kind of game was not worth discussing."

Albert answered Tenon's question in a deep voice. Tenon felt a little disappointed that Ryuen didn't seem to have any ideas about the game.

In her memory, Ryuen had been keeping a low profile since the last survival special exam. Since Shiina and Ibuki hadn't provided her with any information, Amane didn't know what Ryuen was up to lately. Since he wasn't planning to play any tricks in this game, Amane thought it would be fine to proceed with the game normally.

Just as the group was about to have some drinks and chat casually, a surprised voice interrupted their conversation.

"Huh? Aren't these Amane and Arisu? What a coincidence, are you also here to enjoy the snow scenery?"

Chapter 319: The Bewildered

As they were chatting, the group heard a familiar voice and turned to look in the direction from which it came.

Ichinose was smiling and waving at Amane and the others from a short distance away. After talking with a few of the girls who were with her, she turned around and sat down next to Amane.

"Fanbo, are you here to enjoy the scenery too?"

When Amane heard that Ichinose had placed the milk tea on the table, which was only about half full and swaying in the cup, she knew that Ichinose had been there for quite some time. She must have been planning to go back when she saw Ichinose by chance and came over to say hello.

"We originally came here to enjoy the rare snow-capped mountain scenery, but there were so many people later on, and our seats were quite far in, so we couldn't see anything. Luckily, the girls who came with me didn't seem to mind, and we treated it as a relaxing get-together. If you came here to admire the scenery, you're probably going to be disappointed~"

Ichinose smiled and pointed to the men and women around them who were talking everywhere. It was already a little difficult to see the view from the corner, and the noisy environment ruined the atmosphere that should be enjoyed when appreciating the view. So it was quite difficult to enjoy the view from this position. Otherwise, Ichinose and the others would not have only sat for a short while before planning to go back.

There are just too many people here, which is really spoiling the experience.

"Actually, we're not here to enjoy the scenery. We initially planned to discuss the preliminary rounds of the 'Who's the Spy' game that the school announced for this afternoon, and see if there was a good way to get everyone into the main competition. Unfortunately..."

Shiina glanced at the empty chairs around her with a hint of disappointment.

Ichinose understood the reason with just a glance at the empty seats.

What puzzled her was that while Amane and Arisu were discussing game tactics, why did the other members of the group dare not join the discussion? If they said they had something to do, that was just making excuses. What could possibly happen when everyone was staying at the hotel? Surely they wouldn't disobey Amane's arrangements just because Amane had picked up the wrong treasure?

The thought that Amane might accidentally bring back an adorable teddy bear while participating in a treasure hunt made Ichinose smile involuntarily.

It's a bit of a pity that Tianyin returned the teddy bear. Otherwise, she might have been able to apply to the school to let the teddy bear stay at the hotel for a few more days, which would have been a good way to pass the time.

"So you were going to discuss how to deal with that game where the spy is... Forgive my bluntness, but that game relies too much on luck. Even if we start discussing strategies now, we probably won't come up with anything very useful. But it's a bit surprising that only half of you are participating in the discussion... Could it be that everyone is busy with something?"

Ichinose didn't hide her suspicions about the others, but she couldn't say it outright without evidence. Besides, inviting people to a party is voluntary, and you can't blame them if they don't want to come.

"Perhaps I was being a bit too presumptuous... If it were Tianyin, it should be able to unite everyone to face the challenges ahead."

Shiina was about to ask Amane to invite the group members again in her capacity when Amane and Ichinose, who had anticipated Shiina's intentions, shook their heads in unison.

"Inviting them out isn't difficult, but what's the point? Since no one seems to want to improve the relationship, forcing them won't be effective. After all, you can't force things. Besides, there's really nothing to discuss in this game. Asking them to put down what they're doing and reluctantly discuss something that's destined to have no result will only make the atmosphere more awkward."

Amane's incisive comment brought a hint of pain to Shiina's face. She had willingly retreated to the background because she didn't want to participate in the competition between classes. Even when Ryuen tried to coerce the students into obeying him with violence, Shiina never stood up to resist for herself or others.

She just wanted to stay away from all the backstabbing and scheming, and have a happy time on campus with everyone. But it was impossible to stay completely out of the way in this school, so Shiina naturally waded into the murky waters of class competition.

"But I really just hope that everyone can get to know each other better. After all, we're in the same group, and groups should be united..."

"Unity requires a common goal."

No one is more experienced than Ichinose in how to unite a class, but it was precisely because of her constant attempts to unite the class that the class, under her leadership, not only plummeted to the bottom of the grade, but also eventually chose to abandon her under the temptation of profit.

Ichinose didn't resent the classmates who chose to abandon her, because even Ichinose herself was confused about how to proceed when she didn't know whether her strategy would bring a huge negative class score to Class D.

As a leader, she was lost, which meant she no longer had the ability to guide her companions. If sacrificing herself could clear all the negative class points owed by the class, then she, Ichinose Honami, would be willing to be expelled from school.

Or rather, if Tianyin hadn't reached out and helped her back then, she probably would have left the school long ago.

After experiencing all sorts of deceit and intrigue, Ichinose finally understood that friendship is the most fragile thing in the world.

Because few friendships can withstand the constant allure of an enemy called self-interest.

Even individuals can be swayed by self-interest, so what is needed to unite more people?

Greater benefits.

"When I first joined Class B, it had only been a short time since the start of the semester. Kanzaki, Shibata, and Hamaguchi were already arguing about who was qualified to lead Class B. I couldn't join the conversation at all because I had never led a class before. I was envious of them being among the few people in the spotlight on the podium."

I used to think that if I worked hard, I could have the chance to stand in the spotlight like them. Then the opportunity came: Ryuen started harassing us frequently, and Ishizaki and Yamada even tried to bully students in our class.

Upon hearing Ichinose recount the old stories, Albert's dark face turned a deep red, clearly recalling those unbearable past events.

"Uh, Longyuan made me do that. Actually, I don't like fighting..."

Under the watchful eyes of several girls, even Albert had to speak up and clarify what happened back then, especially with Amane present.

"Huh? Really? I remember you were pretty hard-hitting when you fought me, Albert?"

Tenon's teasing remark drew laughter from everyone. Albert, realizing his secret had been exposed, stammered for a long time until his face turned completely red. Seeing that Albert, a tall man of 1.8 meters, was actually embarrassed by being teased, Shiina quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, Amane, stop making fun of Yamada. Most of the time, we just follow Ryuen's arrangements. Although we know that some of the things Ryuen does are not good, we can only grit our teeth and carry them out when we think that his actions are for the benefit of Class C."

Upon seeing that even Shiina, who wasn't very involved in the Ryuen project, had said such things, Amane and Arisu exchanged a subtle glance, both keenly aware of the real reason why Ryuen had kept a low profile.

People have begun to question Dragon Garden's fighting style.

In this era where Amane stands at the pinnacle of violence, Ryuen's methods of fighting using thuggery and coercion are simply not viable. Furthermore, both his enemies, Arisu and Amane, are extremely adept at defense.

Arisu's tactics are to counter each move and then use seemingly insignificant details to outmaneuver his opponents. This approach is very effective, and Ryuen, Ichinose, and even Amane have all fallen for it. It is virtually impossible for Ryuen to overcome Arisu's defensive system, which excels at counter-attacks, through brute force. The only way to turn the tide is to use the internal strife at Hashimoto to deliver a devastating blow to Arisu's authority. Unfortunately, Hashimoto was too eager to seize power, which angered Arisu, causing him to risk a bad reputation to sever the right-hand man he had personally cultivated.

Even in Amane's eyes, this blow was ruthless enough. Without Hashimoto, Class B was like a rickety, dilapidated ship, constantly facing the danger of capsizing.

As for Amane, she was too lazy to fight back against the attack from Class A. Relying on the luxurious defensive system composed of Katsuragi, Kanzaki, Horikita, and Ichinose, it might be difficult for them to counter Ryuen. However, the fact that each of them was more cautious than the last made Ryuen feel like she was facing a giant turtle that had retreated into its shell. Not only did she have nowhere to bite, but she was also at risk of being bitten hard at any moment.

Tenon is simply too lazy to trample Ryuen underfoot, not that she is incapable of doing so. If Ryuen goes too far, Tenon will not hesitate to use the most cruel methods to cause C-Class to fall into internal strife and eventually collapse.

Can a class that can only unite through violence resist the temptation to move up to a higher grade and leave this violent class?

It was precisely because Longyuan realized how difficult the two classes ranked above him were that he chose to keep a low profile, hoping to find an opportunity to turn things around in the future.

"Well, I was just joking, Albert, don't take it to heart. Fanbo, where were we? The biggest external threat to Longyuan is what brought you all together, right?"

"That's right. At first, Shibata and his classmates tried to lead the students to fight against the other side, but after several people were injured, everyone realized the gap in strength between us and Class C. Overwhelmed by the harassment, everyone even considered bowing down and begging for peace with Ryuen."

At this crucial moment that would determine the fate of Class B, I took this opportunity to step forward and proposed a fighting strategy where everyone should unite to protect each other. Our goal was to not abandon any comrade and for everyone to advance to Class A together, and to unite to resist the harassment from Class C.

This tactic proved extremely effective. Once everyone united, even when faced with coercion or deliberate harassment, we would stand together and stand firm. Even Longyuan couldn't do anything to us. From then on, we earned the title of the most united class.

Ichinose recalled the beginning with a happy smile. She looked up at Shiina, whose eyes were sparkling and whose face showed longing and envy.

"If all classes could be this united, perhaps there would be no more fighting?"

Shiina clenched her small hands. She understood that the reason everyone hadn't attended the gathering wasn't just because of her lack of personal influence, but more so because she lacked a shared goal to unite people. If only she could be like Ichinose...

“Hiyori, you’re thinking something like, ‘If only I could unite everyone like Ichinose-san…’ right now? It’s a wonderful start, but… you can probably tell what happened next from my current situation.”

After Ichinose's reminder, Shiina suddenly realized that what Ichinose had done back then was well-known, and that Ryuen and their Class C had also been involved in it.

That was to get Bai Bo to change his testimony and frame Tianyin.

At that time, Longyuan used 100 class points as a price to drive the students of Class B, who already knew that only by graduating from Class A could they enjoy the benefits promised by the school, into a frenzy.

With those 100 class points, Class B would become the class closest to Class A, so most people agreed to make the deal. However, Ichinose, Shibata, and Shiranami themselves were against it.

Ichinose didn't want to do something immoral against her conscience, so she tried to reason with everyone. However, her classmates used her promise to demand that Ichinose prioritize the collective interests of Class B. In the end, a vote was held, with 37 votes in favor and 3 votes against. According to the rules that Ichinose and everyone agreed on, the minority had to obey the majority.

So Ichinose made the decision that she still regrets to this day, because this decision not only betrayed her original intentions, but also had consequences that she could not bear.

According to Ichinose's estimation, it would be difficult for Amane to turn the tide, so he prepared a large number of personal points to compensate Amane after that incident.

Unexpectedly, Amane turned the tide in a desperate situation and caused students to drop out of Class B and Class C. Ichinose's vow to protect everyone was broken in just the second month. As a result, when Shibata took over Ichinose's management of the class, almost no one resisted and even thought that Ichinose was not capable enough to cause students to drop out. This foreshadowed the second time when everyone chose to abandon Ichinose in exchange for a chance to start over.

From the impeccable and most united Class B to the now obscure and unnoticed Class D.

What caused such a stark contrast in results for everyone?

"Why did it turn out like this? I remember when you first entered school, you were number one on the list of most popular girls, weren't you? Whether it was your personality or your social skills, you were one of the most outstanding. You were an excellent class leader and a united group of classmates. Why did it turn out like this?"

Shiina looked at Ichinose with a confused expression. She knew that Ichinose had the answer she wanted, but perhaps she couldn't accept it.

"Benefit."

"Interests? Interests are important in this school, but you're classmates! And you're all friends. How can you give up something so important for the sake of interests?"

Ichinose remained remarkably calm in the face of Shiina's questioning. She picked up the now-cold milk tea and drank it down with gusto through the straw until she had finished the remaining half-cup. Only then did Ichinose look at Shiina with a serious expression.

"Hiyori, why did you come to this school?"

“I wanted to get into my favorite university through this, but at that time I didn’t know that I had to graduate from Class A for the school to write us a letter of recommendation.”

"If someone were willing to give you a chance to have your wish granted... like Tianyin, all you have to do is kiss Tianyin to get the chance to have your wish granted, would you do it?"

Chapter 320: You really kissed me!

"Can a kiss grant my wish?"

Shiina glanced shyly in Amane's direction.

"That's right. If you really had this option in front of you, what would you choose?"

Ichinose asked the question with great confidence. The reason why Ichinose was so confident was that Ichinose knew the answer to the question from the very beginning.

Although Shiina and Amane's relationship has not made any breakthrough progress, Ichinose has managed to extract a lot of information from Ibuki, who is completely unsuspecting of her.

Ichinose also knew that Shiina's declaration of war against Horikita, stating that he would try his best to win Amane's heart, was not just empty talk. However, it seemed that there was some unspeakable reason that restricted the further development of their relationship. If it weren't for the obstacles between them, Ichinose had no doubt that Shiina and Amane would have officially established their relationship long ago.

The two have become so close.

Therefore, Ichinose was very confident that Shiina would agree to such a condition. As long as Shiina made a choice, it would mean that Ichinose's argument was correct. Here, interests could take precedence over many things, including friendship.

Even when it comes to someone she likes, Shiina still needs to "trade" to get what she wants, let alone other people she doesn't usually interact with.

"It sounds like the conditions proposed by the Heavenly Sound Society."

Arisu smiled and reached out to poke Amane's cheek.

"How could I! I would never make such a request. But, it's just a small wish. If I help you fulfill it, I wouldn't mind if Rifei kisses me as a thank you..."