What Is Ying Doing Behind Everyone's Back

On the fifth day of survival on the Uninhabited Island, sunlight spilled over Ying as he lay on his straw mat.

"Hmm? Has Ryuen already left? He's certainly diligent." Ying lazily sat up and stretched his limbs.

He first checked the remaining supply count, then headed to a nearby pond to wash up, taking the opportunity to retrieve two fish from the traps he had set yesterday.

After finishing his lunch, Ying began to ponder.

What should he do next? He couldn't just stay here forever, but he didn't know what to do if he went out wandering. He really wished he had someone to talk to.

Although Ryuen was also a loner, he spent his days trekking across mountains and rivers to check in at various spots; he had a clear goal and work to do.

Ying, however, was different. Because he had discovered Ryuen's secret, he had to live in isolation for the remaining days to avoid being targeted by Class C in the future. Though, after Ryuen failed to beat him, he didn't seem interested in using that method to target him anymore...

"How about I improve my bed first?" Ying looked at his crude straw mat and made up his mind.

"Now the question is, how can I get a good night's sleep?"

Ying thought for a long time and concluded that resources on this island were too scarce, and due to the school's environmental protection rules, he couldn't even chop down trees. In the end, Ying could only collect more leaves to pad his mat.

"What... is this!?"

While gathering leaves, Ying discovered something strange: a small depression in the dirt.

"Could it be? Is this a footprint from one of the creatures on this Uninhabited Island? I must not let them find me, or nothing awaits me but destruction!"

In reality, Ying had simply found a footprint...

"Where on earth did that guy Ying run off to!" Hamaguchi said, sounding somewhat agitated.

"It's fine, we'll definitely find him. Maybe Ying has already missed us and headed back to the camp," Shibata said. Beppu, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

Ying, who was only ten meters away from them, heard their voices and scrambled in fear to hide in the nearby bushes.

I can't believe they found this place so quickly!? Ying tensed his body, terrified that any major movement would give him away.

Now he just had to wait quietly until they left... wait, were they heading this way? Oh, crap! Ying had hoped to slip away unnoticed, but the path Shibata and the others were taking led right to his spot.

"Snap."

"Who's there!" Ying had intended to move his feet slowly, but he ended up stepping on a branch in the most cliché way possible.

No, could we please not have such a stereotypical trigger in this situation? Ying complained silently to himself, already preparing his excuse.

Actually, I was captured by the wild natives of the Uninhabited Island, and it took me great effort to escape.

"It was just a rabbit," Hamaguchi said.

Ying: ?

A wild rabbit was seen scurrying out of the bushes where Ying was hiding. Ying breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and continued to move slowly.

"Rustle..."

"I feel like there's still something there," Beppu said, staring at the bushes.

"Let's take a look then," Hamaguchi said, using a wooden stick to pry open the brush.

But there was no sign of Ying inside, only...

"It's a snake! There's a snake!" Hamaguchi recoiled in fear.

"Where!? Give me that stick!" Shibata stepped forward, grabbed the stick, and began a heated 1v1 battle with the snake.

Ying was drenched in a cold sweat, feeling as if a snake were crawling on his legs right now.

It's a good thing I wasn't bitten while I was hiding there for so long, Ying thought, letting out a breath.

Where exactly was Ying? Why don't you look above you?

Ying hadn't spent time learning the language of nature with Morishita for nothing; at the very least, he had mastered the skill of climbing trees and hanging upside down.

After Shibata killed the snake, the group left with the carcass. Ying's tense nerves finally relaxed.

"They finally left, but why do I still feel like there's a snake crawling on my leg?"

Ying whipped his head back, only to see another snake coiled around his leg.

This Uninhabited Island sure has a lot of snakes. Before Ying's shocked eyes, the snake opened its mouth and bit down...

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, what should we do if someone gets bitten by a snake?" Upon returning to the Class B camp, the group felt lucky they hadn't been bitten. As they roasted the snake, they asked Hoshinomiya-sensei about the issue.

"Hmm~, first, check the wound to see if the snake is venomous. Use a bandage or rope to tie off the limb five centimeters above the wound toward the heart. If it's venomous, you must suck out the venom first, then wash the wound thoroughly with clean water. Of course, these are just emergency measures; you must seek medical attention immediately afterward."

Hoshinomiya-sensei answered their questions, and the three of them ate the roasted snake, marveling at its delicious taste.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, how is Byakuya-kun doing?"

Ever since Ying went missing, Ichinose had come by every so often to confirm that Ying was doing alright.

"Everything is normal~," Hoshinomiya replied lazily.

Hearing this, everyone felt relieved.

"Brother Snake, you were heartless first, so don't blame me for being cruel. You were the one who bit me, so it's not unreasonable for me to roast you, right?"

Ying was roasting the snake at Ryuen's base. As luck would have it, the snake had bitten down on the Kaneda camera Ying had stashed in his pocket.

"What's that smell? It's actually quite fragrant. Grilled snake? Interesting." Ryuen returned to the area at this moment.

He would return here to restock whenever his supplies ran out, and Ying also timed his arrival to coincide with meal times to grab a bite.

"Don't you go eating this one casually; I almost got bitten by this guy, so I'm definitely going to eat it properly!" Ying said, picking up the skewer and shielding it behind his back.

Ryuen simply shrugged, walked over to the supply box, grabbed some supplies, and headed back out to clock in more hours.

After finishing the grilled snake, Ying had nothing better to do, so he continued wandering around the vicinity.

"Where on earth am I supposed to find underwear for those girls? Saying that if we can't find them, it must have been the boys who stole them—isn't that just looking for trouble? Especially that Shinohara!"

Ying had intended to take a stroll, but he unexpectedly ran into Ike and Ayanokoji from Class D, who were out searching for the girls' underwear.

Adhering to his principle of running away whenever he saw people, Ying immediately turned around to leave.

"We can't find them anywhere! It must have been those boys who stole them. Call them over! We need to search their bags!"

Led by Shinohara, several girls were searching right in front of Ying.

Seriously, do you guys always search for things by having one group look and then the other follow? If it really fell outside, it would be a miracle if they ever found it.

Ying felt speechless. He was currently caught in a pincer movement, and since the cover on both sides was poor, he would definitely be spotted if he tried to walk past either side.

Thus, Ying had no choice but to climb a tree again, though this time he began to pay attention to whether any snakes were crawling nearby.

Ayanokoji suddenly looked in Ying's direction.

Ying, crouching in the tree: He shouldn't have noticed me, right?

Ayanokoji: What is Byakuya doing here, and climbing a tree at that? Could he be trying to signal me to come over?

Ying: Why is Ayanokoji coming over here?