Observation

Under Shimiya Kuki's command, Class B quickly and orderly inventoried the basic supplies issued by the school, sorting tents, sleeping bags, toolboxes, and other items into categories. Everyone shouldered their own packs, and though their expressions still carried tension about the unknown, compared to the initial confusion, there was now a clearer sense of direction.

"Move out." Shimiya issued the order succinctly.

Class B's formation began advancing along the coastline. Shimiya Kuki took the lead at the front, his sharp gaze sweeping over the terrain ahead, the vegetation, and the traces left on the sand. Ichinose Honami followed closely behind, a smile on her face meant to encourage everyone, and from somewhere—likely Hoshinomiya-sensei had secretly slipped it to her—she produced a small flag printed with a cute cat pattern, waving it energetically as if they weren't heading into a harsh survival exam but a pleasant outing.

At the very back of the line, Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei watched her students' receding figures, her smile growing even brighter. She vigorously waved another, larger cat flag she'd somehow pulled out again, her voice carrying through the sea breeze with full vigor and the excitement of watching a show: "Go for it~ My little darlings of Class B! Teacher will be here silently (using binoculars) watching over you! Stay united and friendly, and work hard to survive! If you run into trouble, don't be afraid—remember to press your watch! Of course, unless the rules allow it, Teacher won't be helping! Fight da yo! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧" Her tone, which seemed to relish a bit of chaos, diluted much of the parting sadness, leaving everyone more amused than anything.

The formation advanced along the coastline. The white sand was fine and soft, leaving shallow footprints that were soon smoothed over by the incoming tide. To the right stretched an endless blue sea, gentle waves shimmering with a golden shimmer under the sunlight. To the left, the terrain gradually rose, with dense tropical vegetation spreading from the edge of the sand into a green barrier. Coconut trees, palm trees, and other broad-leaved plants whose names they didn't know intertwined, the air filled with the salty scent of the sea and the fresh fragrance of the plants, occasionally punctuated by the calls of unknown birds from the woods.

Shimiya Kuki's moving speed was steady—neither too fast nor too slow—ensuring the formation wouldn't scatter too much while allowing him to effectively observe the environment. He would occasionally stop to check the soil moisture at the boundary between the sand and the woods, or look up into the distance to judge whether there was a suitable water source or camping site ahead.

After about half an hour of travel, Shimiya Kuki suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, signaling the formation behind to halt.

"Alright, we'll set up our base here." He turned around and said to Class B.

Everyone looked in the direction he indicated, and the view opened up before them.

Not far ahead, on a rock face, a silver ribbon waterfall cascaded down. The water volume wasn't particularly huge, but the current was swift, crashing into the pool below with a crisp sound, splashing up countless crystal water droplets that refracted small rainbows in the sunlight. The pool was clear to the bottom, and the overflow formed a shallow stream that meandered into the sea. The air around the waterfall was especially moist and cool, as if it had a built-in cooling effect.

Perhaps nourished by the stable water source, the trees around the waterfall were notably thick and lush, their crowns spreading like canopies to provide ample shade. The arrangement of these trees was somewhat peculiar, as if shaped by some human intervention, forming a natural semi-circular shape that half-enclosed the waterfall and pool area, seamlessly connecting to the open beach on the outside. It balanced water source, shade, and visibility.

Most importantly, on a flat open space beside the waterfall, a silver-gray mechanical facility stood conspicuously out of place against the natural surroundings. Its design was simple, with a clear industrial design sense, and it seemed to have indicator lights and a display screen—without a doubt, this was a base camp set up by the school.

"Wow, a waterfall!" "It's so cool here!" "And there's a ready-made base camp!" The Class B students let out a small cheer, excitement and relief showing on their faces.

Under Shimiya's direction, everyone temporarily placed their luggage in a shady, dry spot near the edge of the woods, then quickly gathered around Shimiya, waiting for their new leader's next arrangements.

"I've already notified Hoshinomiya-sensei of our location via the watch; she's on her way." Shimiya raised his wrist to show them, then swept his gaze over the group. "Next, before I confirm the base camp location with the teacher and receive the key card, I'll go with Ichinose to collect some dry firewood from the nearby woods for tonight's campfire."

He paused, then shifted the topic, raising a question that required collective decision-making: "As for the rest of you, use this time to think and discuss together how Class B should allocate and use the three hundred exam points we initially have. And also, what our final goal for this exam should be—how many points to retain."

The students exchanged glances, and soon someone spoke up: "Shimiya-kun, you decide; we'll follow your lead!"

"Yeah, you have more experience; just tell us how to use them."

"We all trust your judgment."

Shimiya Kuki shook his head, his tone calm but firm: "No, this isn't just my exam. How the points are used—your opinions matter just as much. I want everyone to clarify their own thoughts and have a full discussion. My role is to optimize and finalize the most reasonable action plan based on everyone's ideas."

With that, he said no more, turned, and walked straight toward the nearby woods, not forgetting to signal Ichinose with a glance as he advanced.

Ichinose immediately understood. She quickly made an encouraging "you can do it" gesture to the classmates still digesting Shimiya's words, then jogged to catch up with the youth who had already stepped into the woods.

Inside the woods, the light was dimmer than outside, the air more humid, and the ground covered in thick fallen leaves and humus.

"Ichinose, let's split up nearby to collect some dry twigs, pile them together, and then carry them back together." Shimiya Kuki said as he deftly picked up a few suitable branches from the ground, his movements efficient and precise.

"Got it!" Ichinose began collecting in the same manner, but her mind was clearly still on what had just happened. "Kuki-kun! Why aren't we discussing with everyone? Wouldn't it be better to talk it all out together?"

Without stopping his work, Shimiya explained calmly: "When a certain number of people gather, especially with a clear leader present, it's easy for a psychology of 'obey authority' to emerge. There are definitely classmates who want to endure and conserve points, but there are also those who want to enjoy the vacation to some extent and improve their living conditions. If the two of us were present in the discussion, most would subconsciously defer to our opinions. That would suppress the true thoughts of those with different ideas who might lack confidence, leading them to stay silent or just agree. That wouldn't help us understand real needs, and it could plant hidden problems for later execution."

"Ah... I never thought of that..." Ichinose suddenly realized, then her expression turned a bit self-reproachful. "Everyone usually doesn't seem to express different opinions much... Is it because of me..." She seemed worried that her usual tendency to take the lead might have caused this.

But she quickly switched to worry mode: "But letting them discuss on their own like this—won't it easily lead to arguments? I'm still really worried they'll end up unhappy!"

"No, they won't." Shimiya's tone was very certain. "Someone will step in to guide the discussion and work to give both sides a compromise they can accept. The argument won't drag on."

Ichinose immediately thought of one person: "Kuki-kun means Kanzaki-kun?" That other brain of Class B, always calm, logical, and analytical, was indeed the best person to maintain discussion order.

"Yeah." Shimiya confirmed.

Ichinose finally relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across her face: "If it's Kanzaki-kun, then it should be fine!"

Just then, Shimiya Kuki suddenly stopped collecting wood, his gaze locking onto a particularly tall tree nearby with evenly spaced branches. Before Ichinose could react, he took two running steps, used both hands and feet like an agile monkey, and swiftly and steadily climbed the trunk, reaching the top in just a few breaths.

"Kuki-kun?!" Ichinose below stared in shock, covering her mouth with her hand, barely stifling a gasp.

At the top of the tree, Shimiya Kuki steadied himself and looked into the distance, quickly imprinting the surrounding terrain—the distant mountains, other possible beaches, the density of the forest distribution—into his mind, forming a three-dimensional map. Finally, he lifted his gaze to the blue sky, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if observing the cloud formations or something else.

"Is there something different about the sky?" Ichinose called up from below, puzzled, trying to see what Shimiya was looking at.

Hearing her, Shimiya withdrew his gaze. He didn't immediately answer the question about the sky but instead slid down the tree just as nimbly and quickly, landing lightly on the ground, as if the thrilling climb had been an illusion.

"No, nothing." He brushed the topic aside lightly.

Ichinose was clearly still in shock, sizing him up from head to toe, and couldn't help blurting out: "Kuki-kun... you're not secretly a special forces soldier or some secret agent, are you?" That climbing ability was far beyond what an ordinary high school student could do.

Shimiya glanced at her, his expression unchanged, and gave a seemingly reasonable explanation: "Climbing trees like this—many kids who grew up in the rural mountains can do it."

"R-really?" Ichinose blinked doubtfully. After all, Shimiya's movements had been too fluid, full of trained strength and efficiency, nothing like what he described as a country kid's ability.

"We have enough wood." Shimiya looked at the small pile of dry twigs they'd collected, ending the topic about climbing. "We should head back. They've probably come up with some initial conclusions by now."

"Oh, right!" Ichinose nodded immediately.

The two each picked up an armful of the collected dry firewood and turned back toward the waterfall camp. Only the rustling of footsteps and the unceasing sound of the distant waterfall remained in the woods.