Classroom of the Strongest Assassin

After effortlessly depleting Sakayanagi Arisu's stamina, Kure Ragna changed his clothes and stepped out.

The main event was Kushida Kikyo, she had been in a hurry.

The two had agreed to meet at "BLUE OCEAN," a semi-outdoor coffee shop on the cruise ship's deck. True to its name, it overlooked the vast blue sea.

By the time Kure Ragna arrived, Kushida Kikyo was already seated. A cup of cappuccino sat before her, and she idly stirred it, taking occasional sips.

"Kept you waiting?" Kure Ragna asked casually as he took a seat beside her, snapping his fingers toward the bar.

"I'll have the same as hers. Thanks."

"Understood." The waitress nodded and got to work.

Kushida let out a small sigh, switching to a more relaxed, inner-circle tone. "Yeah, five minutes and twenty-six seconds. I was about to grow old waiting for you."

"Now that's exaggerating." Kure Ragna chuckled.

After all, he had just come from Sakayanagi Arisu's room, not from some distant realm.

"Here, take a look."

Kushida Kikyo placed her phone on the table and slid it toward him.

Kure Ragna glanced at the screen, recognizing the familiar text message interface, nearly identical to what Kei Karuizawa had received. The only difference? The group designation.

Kei was in the Rabbit Group.

Kushida Kikyo was in the Dragon Group.

In other words, she had been selected as the group's favored person.

Kure Ragna barely skimmed through before covering the screen with his hand.

"Wait, are you sure you want to look at this here?"

"It's fine. No one comes here in the morning anyway," Kushida replied nonchalantly.

She had a point. Most people were still having breakfast, leaving the semi-open café practically empty. It was precisely why she had chosen to let her guard down a little.

However, Kure Ragna's gaze shifted toward a certain passageway leading to the deck.

"Don't be so sure… You might want to fix your skirt. It's a bit breezy out here."

"Huh?"

Just as Kushida was about to react, a tall, straight-backed figure emerged from behind a nearby partition. Dressed in her usual knee-high black stockings, she walked toward them with an unshaken composure.

"Horikita-san? What are you doing here?" Kushida blurted, her surprise evident. She had been sitting here for a while, yet she hadn't noticed the other girl at all.

Horikita Suzune remained unfazed, her expression carrying the same perpetual air of aloofness, as though the world owed her 500 million yen.

Without a hint of embarrassment for eavesdropping, she took a seat on Kure Ragna's other side, her long black hair swaying slightly.

"Nothing much. I just saw my groupmate lurking alone in a place like this, clearly waiting for someone. Naturally, I was curious about who it might be." Her eyes shifted toward Kure Ragna. "I didn't expect it to be you."

"I can't tell if you're complimenting me or taking a jab." Kure Ragna rubbed the side of his forehead with his little finger.

"But you and Kikyo are in the same group?"

"That's right." Horikita didn't even blink.

"Well, that's convenient." Kure Ragna clapped his hands together. "By the way, is it okay to ask who else is in your Dragon Group?"

Horikita gave him a wary glance. "And why would you need to know that?"

Kure Ragna shrugged. "Nothing too serious. The school didn't say we can't share the group list with outsiders. Besides, it's not like knowing will get anyone pregnant."

Horikita opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Kushida Kikyo leaned forward, tapping her finger against her chin as she tried to recall.

"If I remember correctly…" she mused, "Class A has Katsuragi-san, Class C has Kanzaki-san, and our Class D has Ryuuen-san… That's about all I remember."

However, before she could continue, Horikita calmly closed her eyes and began reciting the names with robotic precision.

"Class A: Katsuragi Kohei, Nishikawa Ryoko, Nobuji Toba. Class C: Ando Sayo, Kanzaki Ryuji, Tsube Hitomi. Class D: Ryuuen Kakeru, Oda Takumi."

Kushida's eyebrows lifted in surprise as the list rolled off Horikita's tongue without hesitation.

"And in our class," Horikita continued, opening her eyes, "it's me, Kushida, and Hirata."

"Wow."

Kure Ragna gave her a few quick claps, while Kushida forced an admiring smile.

"Impressive! I had no idea you could memorize the list so perfectly, Horikita-san!"

"It's nothing. When the teacher mentioned we couldn't take the list outside the room, I figured it might be important. So, I memorized it." Horikita brushed it off like it was no big deal.

Kure Ragna glanced at Kushida Kikyo, knowing her well enough to read her true thoughts behind the facade.

'Damn it, this little bitch has a brain like a calculator. She needs to go to hell!'

"Ragna-kun~" A saccharine voice chimed in.

Turning toward the sound, he was met with Kushida's flawless, beaming smile.

She truly had perfected her 'sweet and friendly' act. But for some reason, there was an ominous aura lurking behind it this time.

"…What are you thinking about?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, nothing much." Kure Ragna leaned back lazily. "Just that your group is stacked. I mean, you've got Katsuragi and Ryuuen. That's basically a 'monster room.' The intensity is almost maxed out."

"Right?"

Kushida let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temple.

"To be honest, I don't feel confident I can keep my identity hidden from them."

Hide your identity?

Horikita's gaze sharpened slightly at those words.

Meanwhile, Kure Ragna suddenly thought of something. He clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers.

"Wait a sec, let me check something."

Under the curious gazes of both girls, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected within seconds.

A calm, indifferent female voice answered.

"It's me. What do you want?"

"Well, it's nothing urgent," Kure Ragna said, choosing his words carefully. "I just have a question about this special exam."

He paused, then asked, "If I'm not chosen as the favored person, can I switch groups to take the exam?"

"No."

The response was immediate.

Kure Ragna wasn't discouraged and quickly added another condition.

"What if I paid extra?"

"That won't work either," Chabashira Sae replied with an exasperated sigh. "The list is fixed. There are no exceptions. That's final."

"Wait, hold on!" Kure Ragna interrupted before she could hang up. A smirk played on his lips.

"Actually, I do have one more thing…"

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