"..."
So, should I touch it?
But that would be strange. Besides, her freshly washed hair had already dried while she walked out with him.
It looked soft and fluffy.
It seemed like it would feel nice to the touch.
"..."
Oreki restrained himself.
"Oreki joining forces with Class D nearly made us cry," Ichinose said. "I've never been forced to walk twenty-three thousand steps in a single day before."
"Even now, it feels like my feet don't belong to me anymore."
She seemed to be complaining.
But Oreki knew that Ichinose was gathering information.
"Kōenji swam to the Deserted Island by himself last night," Oreki said. "That's why he knows the information on every base."
"Oh." Ichinose seemed to nod lightly. "Then that explains it."
That explained why, after walking for most of the day, every base had already been occupied by Class D.
Class D was practically cheating.
Wait, he had swum over last night?
Either Kōenji possessed an exceptionally powerful physique, or he had known before the exam was even announced that this Deserted Island would be the testing ground.
So he had come here beforehand to scout it out.
And being able to come scout the place in advance was ridiculously impressive.
Either possibility... was enough to make anyone feel pressure.
"The base you reached had also been occupied by Class D. Then, close to six o'clock, we guarded it. After that, Kōenji from Class D showed up. He noticed us, shrugged, and decided not to claim that base."
"But everyone guessed that he was Class D's leader," Ichinose said, staring at Oreki with bright eyes.
Right.
From that angle, Ichinose was saying this to watch his reaction.
Then she intended to use that reaction to determine whether Kōenji was really Class D's leader.
Ichinose, you've