At six in the morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the thin mist hanging over the forest, Class D's camp was already bustling with activity.
It was the fourth day of the Special Exam, and the decisive one. They were heading to the Island Center to find the legendary Special Supply Point.
Hanyu Xiuyi stood in the middle of camp, checking the supply assignments one last time. After yesterday's setbacks, everyone understood how important this operation was. No one complained or slacked off. Everyone was doing their part.
"Hanyu." Hirata Yousuke walked over, his blond hair gleaming in the morning light. "Everyone's ready. As you requested, we've split into four groups of ten and distributed the supplies evenly."
"Good." Hanyu nodded. "Team leaders, check your communication devices."
"Group 1, check." Ken Sudō raised his walkie-talkie, his red hair like a ball of fire.
"Group 2, check." Kushida Kikyo smiled sweetly, her shoulder-length hair swaying gently as she moved.
"Group 3, check." Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses.
"Group 4, check." Horikita Suzune nodded coolly, her long, straight black hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.
"Move out!" Hanyu ordered.
The forty-strong team marched into the forest. Unlike the previous two days, they weren't splitting up to explore. This time, they were moving as a single unit toward the same goal.
After walking for about an hour, the group reached the place where they had been ambushed yesterday. Hanyu stopped and carefully studied the area.
"It's quiet here," Ayanokoji Kiyonaga said, coming up beside him. "Too quiet."
"An ambush?"
"I don't know," Ayanokoji said. "But if it's Ryuen, he won't pass up the chance to get revenge here."
Hanyu thought for a few seconds, then made his decision. "We're changing our route. We'll take the ridge instead of the valley."
"The path along the ridge is harder," Yukimura warned.
"But it gives us a clear view, so we're less likely to be ambushed," Hanyu said. "Besides, we need to practice moving over difficult terrain."
The group turned toward the ridge. The path was indeed harder, but just as Hanyu had said, it offered a clear view of the surroundings.
Halfway up the mountain, Ken Sudō, who was near the front of the group, suddenly stopped.
"Something's up!" he called quietly. "There's... someone up ahead!"
Everyone immediately went on alert. Hanyu hurried forward and peered through the trees.
On the other side of the ridge was a relatively flat clearing. More than a dozen people stood in it. They were Class B students, led by a girl with pale pink hair—Ichinose Honami.
"Honami?" Hanyu said, surprised.
Ichinose spotted them too and smiled with delight. "Hanyu! I'm so glad you made it!"
The two classes met on the ridge. Ichinose explained that Class B had also found a clue to the Special Supply Point and was heading toward the Island Center.
"But we ran into a little trouble last night." Ichinose gave an apologetic smile. "A few of my classmates got lost while traveling at night, and we lost quite a bit of time."
"Do you need any help?" Hanyu asked.
"No, no, we've already sorted it out." Ichinose waved her hand. "But... it might be safer if we traveled together. This island is still pretty dangerous."
Hanyu looked at Horikita. She gave a slight nod of agreement.
"Fine," Hanyu said. "We'll move together."
The two classes joined forces and continued onward in a large procession. Along the way, Ichinose and Hanyu walked near the front, sharing what they had discovered.
"Class C seemed to be active in the Western Island yesterday," Ichinose said. "We found their camp, but it was already empty."
"They're looking for the Special Supply Point," Hanyu said. "And they may already know where it is."
"Then we need to hurry." Ichinose's gaze was resolute. "We can't let Class C get there first."
By noon, the group had finally reached the Island Center. It was a relatively open valley, with a huge cave in the middle—the location marked on the map as the Special Supply Point.
But someone was already there in front of the cave.
The forty students from Class C were lined up neatly outside it, led by Ryuen Kakeru. When he saw Classes D and B arrive together, surprise flashed across his face, but it quickly gave way to his trademark dangerous smile.
"Well, look who's all here," Ryuen called out. "Two classes teaming up? Interesting."
"Ryuen, what are you planning?" Ichinose stepped forward, her voice firm.
"What am I planning?" Ryuen laughed. "I'm here to claim the Special Reward, of course. But since you're all here, why don't we... play a game?"
"What game?"
"Simple." Ryuen pointed to the cave behind him. "There are three boxes inside this Special Supply Point. Each contains a reward of a different value: the best is worth three million points, the next-best is worth two million, and the worst is worth one million. But each class can send only one person inside, and they can take only one box."
He looked around at everyone. "In other words, there are four classes and three boxes. One class is bound to go home empty-handed."
"That's not fair!" someone from Class B protested.
"That's the rule." Ryuen shrugged. "Of course, you can choose not to participate. But then all the boxes will go to Class C."
Hanyu Xiuyi quickly considered the situation. The rules Ryuen described were probably genuine; the Special Supply Point could indeed have been set up this way. But why had Ryuen volunteered the information? It wasn't like him.
"Hanyu, what should we do?" Ichinose asked quietly.
"Send someone in," Hanyu said. "But first, we need to make sure Ryuen isn't playing a trick on us."
He walked up to Ryuen. "We'll inspect the cave first."
"Sure." Ryuen agreed surprisingly readily.
Hanyu took a few people into the cave. It wasn't large, and there really were three sealed boxes in the middle. Each one bore the School Emblem and a number. They found no traps or mechanisms.
"The boxes are fine," Hanyu announced when he came back out. "But we need to decide the order in which we enter."
"Draw lots," Ryuen said. "It's the fairest way."
Representatives from the four classes gathered to draw lots. The result was Class A first, Class D second, Class B third, and Class C fourth.
"This order..." Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses. "It's worst for Class C. Going in last means they can only take what's left."
"That's why Ryuen agreed to draw lots," Hanyu said. "He wants to gamble."
Class A's representative was Katsuragi Kohei. The tall boy went into the cave and soon came back out with a box. When he opened it, they saw it was the one worth two million points.
Class B's representative was Ichinose. After entering the cave, she chose the second box—the one worth one million points.
It was Class D's turn.
"Good luck, Hanyu!" Karuizawa Kei called.
"Make sure you get the good one!" Ken Sudō clenched his fist.
Hanyu Xiuyi entered the cave. Only the last box remained—the one worth three million points. But just as he was about to pick it up, he noticed a slip of paper trapped beneath it.
He pulled it out. There was only one line written on it: "The True Reward isn't the points in the box."
What did that mean?
Hanyu thought for a few seconds, then made a decision that surprised everyone. He left the last box where it was, walked out of the cave, and returned empty-handed.
"You—you didn't take anything?" Hirata asked in shock.
"No. I took something more important." Hanyu showed the others the slip of paper.
The note was passed around the classes. Everyone fell silent, deep in thought.
Then Ayanokoji Kiyonaga suddenly spoke. "I understand. The True Reward is information."
"Information?" Horikita frowned.
"The note tells us that the value of the Special Supply Point isn't in its points reward on the surface, but in the information it conveys," Ayanokoji said. "Maybe the school wants to teach us through this exam that sometimes we have to give up what's right in front of us to gain something greater."
The moment he finished speaking, the sound of machinery turning came from inside the cave. Everyone tensed, but what happened next left them stunned: the stone wall of the cave slowly opened, revealing an even larger chamber.
Inside were four boxes, each labeled with a class name.
"What is this...?" Ichinose covered her mouth in surprise.
A voice rang out over a loudspeaker. "Congratulations on passing the Final Trial of the Special Supply Point. Each of the four boxes contains a reward for its corresponding class: one million Base Points. In addition, the student who first found the note and interpreted it correctly will receive a Personal Reward of five hundred thousand points."
The students of Class D stood frozen for a few seconds before erupting into deafening cheers.
"Hanyu, you're the best!"
"That was amazing!"
"This is the True Reward!"
Hanyu Xiuyi watched his classmates cheering and, for once, smiled. He looked at Ayanokoji. The ordinary-looking classmate still showed little expression, but the corners of his mouth seemed to lift ever so slightly.
Just then, Ryuen Kakeru walked up to him.
"You won this time," Ryuen said, his tone unreadable. "But next time, I'll win it back."
"Anytime," Hanyu replied calmly.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Ryuen turned and left. The students of Class C followed him, disappearing into the forest.
Classes A and B also left one after another, each taking their own reward. Before Ichinose left, she waved to Hanyu. "Thanks for this, Hanyu! Let's work together again sometime!"
Only Class D remained in the valley. The students excitedly discussed what to do next, and some had already started calculating how many points each of them would get.
"Hanyu," Hirata Yousuke came over. "What should we do next?"
Hanyu Xiuyi looked at the slip of paper in his hand, then at his cheering classmates, and finally toward the sea in the distance.
"Back to camp," he said. "Get a good night's rest. Tomorrow... we'll be the winners."
The sun set, its golden light spilling across the valley. Carrying their spoils and their joy, the students of Class D set off for camp.
Walking among them, Hanyu Xiuyi felt genuinely at ease for the first time.
There was nothing left to stop them on the final day of the Special Exam.
And they had made it this far by standing together.
He looked at Horikita Suzune beside him; the usually cool girl had a rare smile on her face. He looked at Ken Sudō, who was awkwardly trying to talk to Airi Sakura. Then he looked at Ayanokoji Kiyonaga, still walking quietly at the edge of the group.
Class D was no longer the class everyone looked down on.
They were proving their worth in their own way.
And this was only the beginning.
Before you continue