Reconnaissance

"Remember this, Kiyotaka: it's incredibly stupid for someone capable to do nothing."

Ayanokoji opened his eyes. Was I dreaming? That man again...

Ayanokoji glanced at Zhuge Linghao, who was still fast asleep, and seemed to ponder something. Then he got up and left the tent.

Day 2 of the exam.

The forest was breathtakingly beautiful in the early morning.

Dewdrops clung to the drooping branches, crystal clear, like beautiful pearls.

Sunlight streamed through the towering trees and fell across the winding path, mingling with the morning mist to create what seemed like a thriving fairyland.

In this lush green forest, birdsong and the gentle babble of a stream intertwined into a pleasant symphony of nature, lifting everyone's spirits.

"Hey, look! We caught a lot of fish!"

Sudo and Ike carried a fishing net, unable to resist showing off their "accomplishments."

Just then, the girls from Kushida's group returned with a large haul of fruit and vegetables. They went over to Hirata, waiting for him to assign them tasks.

Hirata held several empty bottles. "Thanks for all your hard work! Ike, could you two get the bonfire going?"

Hirata continued giving instructions in an orderly fashion. "Kushida, I'll leave managing the food to you and the others. Thanks!"

Hirata took out some empty water bottles and handed them to the students around him. "Could anyone who's free help collect some drinking water?"

Hirata really was the heart of Class D. He was remarkably capable within his limits!

"Huh? I'm exhausted! Is it mealtime already? Oh! You want me to go claim the location? Hang on."

As he waited for Zhuge Linghao to finish washing up, Ayanokoji said to Horikita Suzune, "We'll go scout the other classes in a bit and survey the terrain. I'm planning to make a simple map."

Horikita said coolly, "That's unusual. I didn't expect you to take the initiative."

Ayanokoji replied, "There's no point just sitting around, so we might as well do something to pass the time."

Horikita folded her arms. "Going out to scout is a good idea, but I really don't want to waste too much energy."

"I understand how you feel, but staying cooped up won't change anything."

Ayanokoji suddenly brought up something else. "Besides, I don't think you can afford to sit back and do nothing. Ryuen will probably make his move before long."

Horikita considered it. "All right."

Class B's main camp was situated beside a large waterfall. Ichinose's class had settled near a water source too!

Ichinose led the three of them around the Class B camp, showing them its layout without a hint of caution.

Ichinose said energetically, "There's fruit all around here, and we can fish in the river. With the waterfall, our water supply is taken care of too."

Watching the thriving scene, Horikita remarked, "As expected of Class B. You're even more united than I imagined."

Ichinose smiled. "It was tough at first, but we came up with lots of ways to solve our problems. We've finally dealt with most of them, and things are going pretty well now!"

Zhuge Linghao grinned. "We're still cooperating, right, Ichinose?"

Ichinose turned to him and replied sweetly, "Yes. I hope our cooperation goes well!"

Zhuge Linghao glanced at a blond guy with glasses and straight bangs. "That's strange. That student's armband doesn't look like yours."

Ichinose explained, "That's Kaneda Satoru. I heard he got into an argument with someone from Class C, and then they kicked him out of their camp."

Zhuge Linghao deliberately raised his voice. "So he's a spy sent by Class C, then? Ichinose, you'd better keep your Leader well hidden!"

At Zhuge Linghao's shout, Kanzaki Ryuji, standing not far away, frowned.

Ichinose smiled. "Thanks for the warning, Zhuge. We'll be careful."

Someone called out to Ichinose from farther away. "Sorry, I have to go help out. You're welcome to visit again!"

In the end, Horikita summed up Class B as a whole: "They're like an upgraded version of our class."

Horikita asked, "Is that cave with the curtain Class A's base?"

Zhuge Linghao replied, "Probably. I saw that green-haired guy, Totsuka Yahiko."

Horikita didn't have binoculars. "I can't see what's inside from here."

Ayanokoji got up. "Let's go take a closer look. Even if they're Class A, we can't accomplish anything by hiding here."

Zhuge Linghao suddenly got excited. "Right, Ayanokoji! Charge in and take them down! You can beat all forty of them by yourself!"

Ayanokoji remained expressionless. "Hey, even if I were Superman, I still couldn't beat them all..."

Horikita said coolly, "What are you two trying to do? Revealing our identities so easily isn't a wise choice."

Zhuge Linghao grinned. "How about you keep hiding here while we go on ahead?"

Horikita snorted and slowly followed the two in front of her.

The green-haired guy was stretching when he suddenly became wary. "Zhuge Linghao? You're from Class D? What are you doing here?"

Horikita replied as if it were obvious, "We came to scout. Is there a problem?"

While the green-haired guy's attention was distracted, Zhuge Linghao shamelessly rushed into Class A's main camp!

The scene inside was actually...(left to the readers' imagination...)

"Hey, Zhuge Linghao, what are you doing? People who aren't from Class A aren't allowed inside!"

The green-haired guy angrily scolded Zhuge Linghao.

By then, Zhuge Linghao had backed up to the cave curtain. All he had to do was stick his head out to see the layout inside.

Zhuge Linghao put on an innocent expression, intending to deny everything to the bitter end. "Which of your eyes saw me go in? Do you have any proof? By the way, Horikita, Ayanokoji, did you see me go in?"

Horikita and Ayanokoji tried to stifle their laughter. "N-no!"

"What's all the noise outside? I thought I'd told you that guests were welcome here."

The green-haired guy looked tense and said nothing more.

Zhuge Linghao grinned. "Oh, it's you, Baldy! Those pull-ups you did last time were pretty impressive!"

Katsuragi, who was bald, said, "Zhuge? What are you here for?"

Zhuge Linghao said indignantly, "We're having a debate! I say I didn't go in, but this green-haired guy insists I did, and he can't even show any proof! Tell me, what should I do?"

The bald man smiled. "You're welcome to look around, but you'd better be prepared for the consequences. Class A has claimed this location, and it's our responsibility to protect our camp. So, are you trying to start a class war?"

As the people around them gradually gathered, Horikita and Ayanokoji didn't dare act rashly. Instead, they fell into thought.

And Zhuge Linghao once again did something that was asking for trouble.

Standing right where he was, he repeatedly shoved his head in and out through the curtain, loudly chanting, "I went in, now I'm back out. Do you have any proof? I went in, now I'm back out. Do you have any proof? I went in, now I'm back out. Do you have any proof?"

Everyone: "..."

A few dozen seconds later, Zhuge Linghao had seen the entire layout inside.

He stopped his humiliating antics and bowed at a ninety-degree angle, his face bright red. "I'm sorry! My neck cramped!!!"