The Mysterious Masked Man

"Boys, come over here! We need to search your bags!" Shinohara shouted.

Ike and Sudo grumbled a bit, then pulled Ayanokoji over with them. Up in the tree, Ying breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he hadn't been spotted. Taking the opportunity, Ying slipped away from the scene.

"No way, playing hide-and-seek all the time is killing me! Isn't there some way I can avoid being found without having to skulk around like this?"

On the beach, Ying vented his frustrations toward the sea. He was exhausted from hiding all day, and the only time he had spoken to anyone was when Ryuen came to eat.

He wanted to return to Class B to finish the exam properly, but he was even more afraid of retaliation from Class C later on.

Ying walked slowly along the shore with his head down, when his foot suddenly kicked something. He looked down and realized it was the coconut he had finished drinking earlier, still featuring the hole he had chiseled into it.

"I... I think I've got it... Hehehehe!"

Excitedly, Ying scooped up the coconut and returned to the secret base he shared with Ryuen, where he began to use the tools from the supply crate to make drastic modifications.

"This mask reminds me of an old friend."

Next, Ying used vines as a rope, threading them through the mask. He also gathered various leaves and tied them together to create a leafy hat that could cover his hair.

Ying even modified his straw mat, turning it into a cape.

Fully equipped, Ying put on the coconut shell mask, which had a hole only for the right eye and some patterns carved around it. He picked up a wooden stick and declared:

"From the moment I put on this mask, the person known as Baiye Ying is dead. The person standing here is named Uchiha Coconut Mask!"

Inside the Class B camp, Amikura and the other girls were worried about their food supply for the past few days.

"Chihiro, we've been eating corn for every meal these past few days. Now, just seeing corn gives me a headache," Amikura complained.

"It's true. I really miss the gourmet food on the cruise ship," Shiroba replied.

"You should be content. This is the cornfield that Baiye and the others worked so hard to find. Besides, the corn is almost gone now, and we don't even know what we'll eat after that," Kobashi Yume said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Speaking of which, have they found Baiye yet? Honestly, even though he does a lot of confusing things sometimes and his train of thought is quite unique, he's actually... not a bad person, right?"

Amikura said this while recalling that the "Baiye Ying Search Party" had still come up empty-handed today.

"That's true. Although we know Baiye has a lot of points, I'm not sure if he just doesn't have a concept of money or what... he seems to spend it quite lavishly," Shiroba said.

"Right? One time I was shopping at the mall and happened to forget my terminal. Baiye was nearby, so he just paid for me. He even kept trying to sell me some 'advanced products' and gave me a bunch of weird stuff," Kobashi Yume recalled.

"Alright, alright, it's our turn to go explore nearby," Amikura said, standing up.

"Yeah, I hope we can find some new food," Shiroba hoped.

"Hehehehe... I have heard your wishes!"

"Who, who's there!" Kobashi Yume was startled. Before they knew it, a strangely dressed figure had appeared in front of them, wearing a creepy mask.

"Rest assured, I am not a bad person. I am here to help you. You may call me Uchiha Coconut Mask." Ying pressed his left hand against the mask, lifted his leafy cape with his right, and continued, "If you want to eat new food, go to the beach on the west side. You will find what you desire there. Gana!"

After speaking, Ying didn't wait for a response from Amikura and the others; he climbed up a tree and moved through the branches with speed. Although he accidentally fell while jumping from one tree to another, he simply did ten push-ups on the ground before climbing back up and leaving.

Amikura and the others: ...Could that have just been Baiye?

Up in the trees, Ying felt refreshed.

"Hahahaha! As expected of me! To think I could come up with this method. Looking at the expressions on Amikura and the others just now, my disguise will never be seen through by anyone!"

Ying wandered through the jungle of the Uninhabited Island when the sky suddenly turned gloomy and it began to rain. Ying hurriedly wrapped his cape tighter, preparing to find a place to hide from the rain.

"Pitter-patter..."

Ying seemed to hear a series of hurried footsteps and turned to look.

"Who... are you!?"

Ibuki was confused. She had stolen Horikita Suzune's leader card and was preparing to hand it over to Ryuen. She had expected Horikita Suzune to come chasing after her, but she couldn't understand why there was a strangely dressed person near the Class D camp.

"My name is Uchiha Coconut Mask," Ying said, instantly getting into character with a deep voice.

"Did you start the fire?" Ibuki asked.

Ying just tilted his head in confusion.

"Well, regardless of whether you're the one who started the fire, since you dare to block my path, you'll have to move!" Ibuki said, rushing toward Ying.

Ibuki tapped her toes on the ground, her figure darting out like an arrow. Her right leg swept across like a steel whip, aiming straight for Ying's waist.

The expression under Ying's mask was quite animated; what did she mean by blocking her path? He could have moved!

Ying tilted his wooden stick to parry. With a crisp "clang," he accurately caught her ankle with the shaft of the stick, using the force to deflect most of Ibuki's momentum.

Ibuki gritted her teeth, adjusted her stance, and followed up with a back kick.

Ying lowered his wrist slightly, sweeping the stick across the ground, forcing Ibuki to retract her leg and leap backward.

Before Ibuki could steady herself, Ying's stick suddenly changed its trajectory, the tip striking out like a viper toward her throat, only to stop abruptly just before making contact.

Ibuki's pupils constricted. She stomped her right foot hard into the ground, splashing mud and rainwater, and used the recoil to retreat rapidly. At the same time, she unleashed a series of kicks with her left leg at the stick, trying to disrupt Ying's rhythm.

Ying, however, simply held the stick horizontally in front of him with ease, parrying every move.

Ibuki couldn't help but click her tongue, launching a high whip kick straight at Ying's face. Ying finally stepped back, flicking the stick from bottom to top, accurately striking Ibuki's lower leg with a gentle nudge. Ibuki had no choice but to use the momentum to backflip away.

"What is going on with you? Dressed in such a strange getup, who exactly are you!? Why have I never seen you at school?"

Ibuki was incredibly annoyed; she felt that all the martial arts training she had done in the dojo was like punching cotton.

"I am no one, and I have no desire to live under anyone's identity. Right now, I am simply Uchiha Coconut Mask."

Ying pressed a hand against his mask as the rain slid down his cloak.

"Uchiha..."

Ibuki stared coldly at the man, contemplating her next move.

"If you want to pass... then go ahead." After saying this, Ying stepped aside to clear a path.

Ibuki was stunned for a moment. Her first instinct was that Ying was up to something, but then she remembered that Ryuen's mission was more important, so she stopped overthinking it and hurried away.

"Pitter-patter..."

No sooner had Ibuki left than Horikita Suzune chased after her.

"Who are you? Did you steal the card? Where did Ibuki go?"

Ying: ...How am I supposed to answer your three questions in a row?

"If you're sick, don't push yourself. Sometimes, giving up is a wise choice."

As he spoke, Ying pointed toward the direction of the cruise ship behind him.

"Did Ibuki run that way?"

Horikita Suzune said this and ran off in that direction.

"Uh... did Ibuki really run that way?" Ying remembered it being the other side.

"Byakuya, what are you trying to do?"

After Horikita Suzune left, Ayanokoji emerged from behind a tree.

Ying: Are you people never going to stop? I just wanted to find a place to hide from the rain.

"I am Uchiha Coconut Mask, and I just wanted to find a place to hide from the rain."

"A place... to hide from the rain? So that is your goal." Ayanokoji said, looking thoughtful.

Ying had to leave to find shelter from the rain, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Ayanokoji was overthinking everything.

Ying: Forget it, I'm going to find cover first!