The next morning, the rain had passed and the sky had cleared.
The scorching sun shone down from the sky, making the forest, freshly washed by a day of moisture, seem vibrant and full of life. Water glimmered everywhere, creating an exceptionally captivating sight.
At Class D's camp, the students were packing their luggage with both excitement and frustration. They took down the tents and cleared away the trash.
They were excited because the exam would end today. They could finally return to the ship and no longer had to live in the wilderness.
They were frustrated because Ibuki Mio had gone missing.
"So, even though Nanaya went out in the rain to look for her yesterday, he still couldn't find her."
"Why did Ibuki suddenly disappear?"
"Could it be...?"
By now, some of the students had begun to suspect Ibuki Mio's motives.
Otherwise, why would she vanish without reason?
There was no explanation for it.
"If something had really happened to her, the school would definitely have noticed, right?"
"Even if she suddenly collapsed from illness or injury while we weren't paying attention, the watch the school gave us would definitely have reported it."
"And if the school had retrieved Ibuki, they couldn't possibly have told us nothing, could they?"
That was exactly it.
Therefore, the possibility that Ibuki Mio had left Class D of her own accord was becoming impossible to avoid.
If Fang Li had not returned through the rain yesterday and calmly told everyone...
"Ibuki won't be coming back, but she's fine. You don't need to worry."
...then everyone would probably have felt more than just frustrated.
"What's going to happen?"
"I don't think we'll be able to relax even after the exam ends."
"After all, they still have to tally the points."
As they talked