“Looks like Ryūen’s really getting wrecked by Css A.”
Inside one of the rooms on the cruise ship, Uesugi Gen chuckled with schadenfreude as he read through the intelligence reports sent by his Css B cssmates.
Most students in Css B weren’t the type to enjoy conflict. Moreover, since Css B had already secured 20 million points, making them the biggest winners of the exam so far, they naturally opted out after transferring their excess points to Uesugi.
At present, it seemed like Css B, led by Uesugi, had gathered the most intelligence on the entire exam.
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you. In a way, aren’t you the biggest threat in the eyes of every css?”
Kanzaki Ryūji’s calm voice came through the phone. At the moment, he was also hiding in some corner of the cruise ship while speaking with Uesugi.
“I’m not as hated as Ryūen, and this ship is huge. It’s not like they’re going to find me so easily.”
Uesugi replied nonchantly while stepping out of his room.
And then—he immediately regretted his words.
“…Uh, Sakata, did you come here just to catch up?”
Facing him was Kaneda Satoru, panting heavily but gring at him with unwavering determination.
“Of course not! I came to send you straight to hell! And for the st time, my name is Kaneda! Kaneda Satoru!!”
Kaneda stood his ground, taking a moment to catch his breath before his face twisted into a maniacal expression.
“For the past few days since returning to the cruise ship, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night, haunted by nightmares. I dream that I’m still in Css B’s camp, being tortured day and night by you, working like a pack mule, living a life worse than death!”
“…You chose to infiltrate our Css B camp, remember?”
Uesugi attempted to defend his innocence.
“Shut up! It’s all your fault! You pyed me like a fiddle, maniputing everything right in the palm of your hand!”
At this point, Kaneda had completely lost it. His face was contorted in rage, unching into a textbook vilinous monologue.
“That was when I realized… If I don’t defeat you, this nightmare will never end!”
“And now, the time has finally come!”
Kaneda’s lips curled into a smug smile. “Uesugi Gen, your academic performance is nothing special. I looked into it—your scores hover around the 60s and 70s in every subject.”
“But I—”
Kaneda adjusted his gsses, his voice brimming with confidence. “—am one of the top academic students in Css C! Plus, I borrowed an extra 300,000 points from Ryūen!”
“So, regret it! Regret everything you’ve done! Your life is like a candle flickering in the wind!”
“Prepare yourself, Uesugi Gen!”
Kaneda roared, swiftly pulling out his phone.
“Forced Due—”
"Sore wa dō kana~"
Uesugi’s entire demeanor suddenly shifted, his tone carrying an unmistakable Dio-like energy.
“Nani!?”
“Shibata, you’re up.”
Uesugi called out to the figure standing behind Kaneda.
“Forced Duel! Kaneda Satoru, wager: 600,000 points. Duel content: 5-kilometer run.”
A resigned voice came from behind Kaneda.
“Impossible!”
Kaneda whipped around in panic, clinging to a st shred of hope. “You must be bluffing! You’re trying to trick me again!”
But his phone chimed mercilessly.
[Forced Duel Application Approved. Please proceed to the designated area.]
“Kaneda, ever heard the phrase, ‘vilins talk too much and get themselves killed’?”
Uesugi smirked at Kaneda, whose face had now turned an ashen gray.
“You can’t sleep? That’s probably because you don’t exercise enough. Just run 5 kilometers and see if you still have nightmares tonight.”
“No—No! Come back! Duel me properly! This time, I’ll definitely win—”
Ignoring Kaneda’s defeated wails, Uesugi exchanged a high-five with Shibata Sō.
“All yours, Shibata. Remember to split the 600,000 points with me.”
“Got it.”
Shibata sighed. “You could’ve beaten him yourself, couldn’t you? Why drag me into this?”
“Doing homework is boring. Plus, you get 300,000 points out of this, don’t you?”
Uesugi shrugged.
“Well then, Kaneda… Sakata-san~”
He turned back and waved mockingly.
“Victory and defeat are common in battle. Try again, brave warrior~”
“MY NAME IS SATORU!!!”
...
After dealing with Kaneda, Uesugi retreated to a room to reassess the current state of the exam.
Judging from Kaneda’s ambush, it was clear that top-tier duelists from each css were now being targeted. Even if they weren’t outright defeated in forced duels, opponents could simply stall them and call in reinforcements who specialized in their weaknesses.
In other words, he needed to stay hidden.
But since the exam area was shrinking, staying in one pce wasn’t an option—he had to keep moving.
Hide well… keep moving…
Uesugi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Just then, a waiter in uniform briskly walked past the hallway outside.
Got it!
Watching the waiter, Uesugi’s lips curled into a mischievous grin.
“Hey, buddy.”
A friendly voice called out from inside the room.
The waiter stopped, gncing around to see if anyone else was nearby before pointing to himself in confusion.
“Yes, you. Mind coming over for a second?”
Uesugi fshed an amiable smile and waved him over.
“Oh, uh… sure?”
The innocent, unsuspecting young man stepped into the room.
Uesugi shot one st sinister smile before quietly shutting the door behind them…
Five minutes ter, Uesugi strolled out of the room, grinning ear to ear.
Behind him, the now half-dressed, tearful waiter sat on the floor, completely stripped of his uniform.
“Ahh~ With a new disguise, things are so much easier!”
Now wearing a waiter’s uniform and a face mask, Uesugi leisurely walked down the hallway.
Now, where should I go…?
Before he could decide, two massive figures blocked his path.
More precisely, they weren’t targeting him—they were just standing in the hallway, preparing for a duel.
Css C and Css D’s strongest athletes—Yamada Albert and Sudō Ken.
Strangely enough, despite their imposing stature, the two of them stood there in complete silence, simply locking eyes.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, as if silently acknowledging each other’s presence.
Finally, Albert took the lead, speaking in broken Japanese.
“Rap?”
Sudō Ken cautiously responded.
“Basketball?”
