Zhuge Linghao's Baffling Moves

[This isn't right!]

[That's not how the script goes!]

This was clearly way outside Zhuge Linghao's plan!

And most of Class D had agreed to make Zhuge Linghao their Leader? What was that supposed to mean?

Weren't they worried Zhuge Linghao would completely wreck the class?

Wait a second. Zhuge Linghao suddenly remembered Ayanokoji's amazing move of changing the Leader at the last moment. He could imitate that!

[When the time comes, I'll change the Leader to Ayanokoji!]

[Heh heh, then I'll definitely be able to mess with Class A and Class C!]

[As for Class B, since they helped out during Sudo's violent incident last time, I won't mess with our allies...]

Once he'd figured that out, Zhuge Linghao immediately relaxed.

[Good thing I remember the anime's plot.]

[The ones who came before plant the trees, and those who come after enjoy the shade!]

But Zhuge Linghao still had one question. He went to ask Ayanokoji, "Can you help me figure out why so many people agreed to make me the Leader?"

Ayanokoji thought for a moment, then said, "I'm guessing some of them might have ulterior motives. If we lose a lot of points on this exam, they can blame you, the Leader."

"Some of them are probably neutral. They might think it doesn't matter who the Leader is."

"As for the last group, I think they genuinely hope you'll take responsibility as the Leader."

Zhuge Linghao thought that made sense, and stopped worrying about what felt off!

Hirata solemnly handed the Key Card to Sudo and said, "Could I ask you to do this, Sudo? You're the fastest runner. Could you take the Key Card to Chabashira-sensei and ask her to put Zhuge Linghao's name on it?"

Sudo thumped his chest and promised, "No problem! Leave it to me. I'll be back in no time!"

With the Key Card in hand, Zhuge Linghao was surrounded by his classmates. At last, they'd claimed the base camp near the water!

Kanji Ike was unusually animated. "Great! That takes care of both our drinking water and bathing water!"

But some of the girls voiced their doubts. "Is this river really clean? Is it safe to drink the water?"

Hearing all the objections, Kanji Ike got a little angry, too. "You girls are such a pain! It took so much effort to find a river. It'd be such a waste not to make good use of it!"

Seeing that the boys and girls were about to start arguing again, Zhuge Linghao knew it was time for him to step in.

He strode over to the river, let out a loud shout, crouched down, stuck his butt out, and then, in front of everyone, guzzled down the delicious river water with a series of loud slurps!

Once he'd drunk his fill, he shouted again, "This spring water is so sweet and refreshing!"

Last time, he'd sided with Karuizawa Kei and the girls. This time, he had to side with Kanji Ike and the boys.

He'd take each side once, maintaining a delicate balance!

And so, the gender conflict that Hirata feared most was resolved by Zhuge Linghao through this crooked method...

Seeing this, Ayanokoji seemed to have learned something new from Zhuge Linghao...

One girl said hesitantly, "Um, Zhuge drank it, and he doesn't seem to have had any problems..."

Another girl chimed in, "Looks like the river water really is clean!"

The third girl had a very large chest—oh! It was Sakura!

She bravely stepped forward to back Zhuge Linghao up. "I-if Zhuge says it's fine, then it must be fine!"

Hirata looked at the class, which had regained its spirit, and felt relieved that he'd given Zhuge Linghao the Leader's Key Card!

Zhuge Linghao deliberately praised Ike in front of everyone. "Ike, you seem pretty good at surviving in the wilderness!"

Kanji Ike said confidently, "Of course! I used to go camping with my family all the time when I was little, so I naturally know a lot about the outdoors! With a clear river like this, I can tell at a glance whether it's safe to drink!"

After that, lots of girls praised Ike, and the class was harmonious once more.

Zhuge Linghao wiped away a bead of cold sweat and thought, It's really much harder to unite a class than to tear it apart!

For those 100,000 points, and for a swimsuit photo of Chabashira-sensei, Zhuge Linghao would definitely give everything he had for the class!

That's right, Zhuge Linghao still hadn't given up. His obsession was getting a swimsuit photo of Chabashira-sensei!

After Class D had chosen their campsite, Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo organized everyone. Some set up tents, some gathered branches, some collected food, and some went to sleep.

Oh, oh! The one sleeping was Horikita, who was feeling unwell!

In short, every member of the class had a clear role, and for the time being, there were no more major mishaps.

One of the people Hirata assigned to gather branches was Zhuge Linghao. He told Zhuge Linghao to take one or two people along, so they could look out for each other!

Zhuge Linghao nodded furiously, then slipped away on his own in the blink of an eye, when no one was paying attention.

To be honest, the artificial island wasn't huge, but it wasn't small, either.

After wandering around for more than fifty minutes, Zhuge Linghao finally reached his destination.

Zhuge Linghao sauntered over to Class C's base camp and said, "Yo, Ryuen. You guys seem to be enjoying yourselves."

As he spoke, he casually picked up a drink from Class C's little cooler and gulped it down!

Ryuen lay back on a lounge chair with his hands behind his head. "I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's you, you coward!"

Drooling, Zhuge Linghao went over to the barbecue grill and sat down. "Those grilled beef skewers smell great. Mind if I have some?"

Ryuen didn't mind, because he had plenty of supplies—more than enough!

So Zhuge Linghao eagerly wolfed down the barbecue!

Only after he'd eaten and drunk his fill did Zhuge Linghao notice the three thugs who'd been involved in the violent incident kneeling nearby!

The three of them stared at Zhuge Linghao fearfully, afraid he might suddenly lose it and come over to slap them!

Zhuge Linghao gave them an approving nod. Whatever happened, those guys would think twice before getting into a fight from now on. After all, they'd really thought they were going to die that day!

Zhuge Linghao gave himself a pat on the back. He'd successfully corrected the three thugs' violent behavior!

Ryuen gave a sinister grin. "Horikita sent you to gather information, right? Go back and tell her that Class C is going with a zero-point strategy."

Zhuge Linghao instantly lost his composure, looking shaken. "H-how could you possibly know Horikita sent me?"

Ryuen snorted. "Because I'm not a small fry with a brain that doesn't work like you. I saw through your little scheme at a glance!"

Zhuge Linghao shuddered, drenched in sweat. "Then can you see through what kind of scheme this is?"

As he spoke, Zhuge Linghao pulled the Key Card out of his pocket and held it right in front of Ryuen!

Now it was Ryuen's turn to be dumbfounded!

[What does this mean?]

[You're showing your cards on the very first day?]

[Or have you betrayed Class D and defected to Class C?]