When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kushida Kikyo returned to Class D from the cave, Kōenji was still nowhere to be seen.
Under Kushida's puzzled gaze, Ayanokoji asked her to report the useful information about Class A's leader to Horikita and Hirata.
To help stabilize the class going forward, Hirata chose to share the encouraging news with everyone.
The class erupted into an uproar. Kushida had once again made a huge contribution to Class D!
Class D then established its Base Camp beside a small stream. There was a screen terminal nearby, making this a pleasant riverside spot to live.
Class D also chose the most convenient basic strategy for picking up Bonus Points for free:
They would set up their Base Camp near one of the checkpoint locations, making it easy to check in each day.
Next, Class D began choosing a leader for the exam.
For a while, everyone had a different opinion.
In the original story, Kushida would have deliberately targeted Horikita Suzune here and recommended her for the position.
But the Kushida of now was content to watch from the sidelines.
She was even starting to grow tired of this Defective Product class, where people flew into arguments at the drop of a hat.
While everyone argued over who should be leader, Kushida recalled something that had happened aboard the cruise ship before the Deserted Island Special Exam began.
During the cruise ship's journey:
"Gowe: For future exams, would you like me to tell you important information about the class?"
"70: No need."
Kushida tilted her head. Kaede didn't even want information about the other classes?
Or was he so confident that he wouldn't need it?
After all, she was now volunteering to act as a Spy for Class D.
"70: I've told you before, please trust me.
So I'll never ask Gowe to do anything that betrays her class.
That wouldn't be right for you."
Warmth spread through Kushida's heart.
She still had more she wanted to say. She wrote it, deleted it, then wrote it again, unable to make up her mind for ages. She was like some struggling writer trying to get her words down.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to tell Kaede that she was somewhat interested in changing classes.
With 20 million Private Points, you could transfer to the class you wanted.
A semester had passed since the start of school. For anyone who cared to ask around, this was hardly a major secret.
As far as Kushida was concerned, life in Class D at the moment... was bearable, as long as she put up with it.
Kushida looked up. In the time she'd been lost in thought, Class D had already chosen its leader.
For some reason, the position had gone to Horikita Suzune.
Kushida's expression grew complicated. Even now, she still had mixed feelings about Horikita.
If this had been the Kushida who'd just started school, she would've been the first to recommend Horikita and dump the responsibility on her.
Because if they failed to protect the Keycard this time, there would be no place for her in Class D ever again.
Earlier, Class C had also found a broad beach by the sea and chosen it as their Base Camp.
It would make a great place for a celebration.
The sign at the checkpoint read: "Class C, 7:22:33."
As Class C's leader for this exam, Ryuen had claimed the checkpoint on the coast.
Kaede lowered his eyes in silence. Based on the "fruit" reported by the Haigoku System just now, it seemed Kushida was once again considering transferring to Class C.
Come to think of it, even during the Deserted Island Exam, Kushida couldn't stop thinking about him.
Kaede wondered if he'd somehow gotten tangled up in some enormous Karma connected to her...
Meanwhile, Ryuen sat on a boulder, picking out items for the upcoming celebration.
Class C had only 100 of its initial points left.
"I've completed the deal with Class A. How about your end?"
Kaede put away his terminal. "No problems there either. Hiyori and Ibuki have both been sent to BD Class. Hopefully, they'll be able to help you out later."
"Heh. You're too softhearted," Ryuen sneered at Kaede. He hadn't even dared to go through with the Ruse of Self-Injury.
"Don't worry. Class D has plenty of do-gooders too. I couldn't bear to see the two of them get hurt. And thanks to your fearsome reputation, they've always been closer to me anyway. It's only natural they'd get pushed out of Class C."
After submitting the list to the others, Ryuen sighed. "None of it matters now. Since I found out the leader can be changed at will, I've lost interest in winning that way... Your method is much more reliable."
Kaede suddenly asked, "You said earlier that Katsuragi's side checked in first, and you happened to run into Kōenji Rokusuke from Class D?"
Ryuen smiled wryly. "That's right. I'd planned to follow the route we'd mapped out beforehand, check out that conspicuous cave checkpoint, then visit Katsuragi to negotiate on the way.
"I didn't expect that useless lackey of Katsuragi's to blurt out Class A's leader information in such a panic! Heh. And that Golden Monkey who suddenly showed up had the same goal."
Ryuen furrowed his brow. "That guy called Kōenji is strange. He was certain I was the leader even though he had no evidence..."
"You can ignore him. Class D will have to deal with the headache," Kaede said, showing no interest in Kōenji Rokusuke, the first character from the original story he'd encountered.
"Hmph! Anyway, the contract with Class A turned out even more favorable than I'd originally planned. I can't complain."
Kaede shook his head. He hadn't expected this part of the original story to change so much right from the start, partly because of his own plans.
"It's a shame, though. I'd planned to betray Class A. A Traitor from the Yanagi Faction had even contacted me, but now there's no need."
Kaede knew the Traitor he meant was Hashimoto Masayoshi of the Yanagi Faction. The man was indeed excessively selfish and self-centered. He loved stabbing people in the back.
Even so, the contract Ryuen and Katsuragi had signed this time had gained a brand-new clause: neither side could try to guess the other's leader.
And that was without even counting the contract Kaede had planned...
It was no wonder Ryuen had completely lost interest in winning by guessing the class leaders. There were practically no possible candidates left to guess.
In this Deserted Island Exam, after roll call on the Seventh Day, the classes could guess the leaders of the other classes. Each correct guess earned 50 Class Points, up to a maximum of 150.
But even one wrong guess meant losing 50 points, and all the points earned from checking in over the seven days would be nullified. It was the ultimate high-stakes gamble, with the risks matching the rewards.
Ryuen closed his eyes to rest. "Only Class D left. Let's see what they do..."
Kaede gazed out over the boundless beach. Class C's feast was about to begin.
He wondered whether Ibuki and Hiyori would get through these seven days without a hitch.
Night fell on the eve of the first day of the Deserted Island Exam.
Ibuki, who had deliberately made herself look filthy and disheveled, had been taken in by Class D according to the original plan, successfully infiltrating their Base Camp.
She first made her way near Class D's Base Camp, where she ran into Ayanokoji, Minami, and Matsushita, who had gone out to gather firewood. After putting on a pitiful act, they brought her back with them.
Her story was simple: she was unhappy with Ryuen Kakeru's actions, and he'd pushed her out of Class C.
Ibuki had even faked a few bruises from being struck with a blunt object. The red marks would fade soon enough anyway.
As soon as she arrived at the Class D camp, she learned that Kōenji Rokusuke had withdrawn from the exam without permission. She was speechless for a moment.
The other man who caught her attention was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Ibuki still remembered Tennoji telling her that this guy might be even stronger than he was.
How could that be possible? She refused to believe it!
That was also the main reason why, after talking it over with Kaede before coming here, Ibuki had said she was more than willing to take on this mission!
She would investigate Ayanokoji Kiyotaka!
The first day of the First Year summer vacation's Deserted Island Special Exam passed amid an atmosphere thick with intrigue.
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