Class 1-D Withdraws from the Exam

After all, they disembarked at noon.

"Let's go find some more..." Horikita Suzune had just raised her head when she saw everyone's completely exhausted state.

She obediently swallowed the rest of her words.

They had searched most of the places they could, and even found a cornfield that seemed to have been looted, with cornmeal residue still remaining.

They had already discovered the outposts of classes A, B, and C. Although they hadn't dared to approach them, it could be said that with the efforts of nearly forty students in each class, they had thoroughly searched the entire island and found most of the outposts.

Without exception, all these outposts bore the same two characters.

Class A.

Some of their hideouts were so well hidden that they thought no one would ever discover them, yet they were still marked with the name of Class A.

"..."

Despair.

Even if we searched again now, it would be too late, and we probably wouldn't be able to find a new base.

Therefore... if you want to minimize the losses...

"Class A," Horikita Suzune suddenly uttered these two words, "Let's go find Class A."

The unprovoked words left the other students in the class completely baffled.

"What's the point of going to them! Horikita, didn't you hear what Chabashira-sensei said? Even if we get the right to use the base from them, we can't set up someone else's base as our camp, and we still can't call roll!"

"Horikita, were you even listening? Don't think that just because everyone elected you as their leader, you're really the leader now."

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. Everyone's already exhausted from looking for a base."

The already irritable students became even more irritable upon hearing her words, and a few even subconsciously started to refute and attack her.

However, while refuting the claims, everyone also focused their attention on Horikita Suzune.

Until she spoke up to explain.

"The inability to take attendance is already unavoidable. What we need to do now is to minimize the losses." Calmly, Horikita Suzune glanced at the students around her. "The bonus points for the exam won't drop below zero. In other words, if we want to make up for the losses, we need to convert all the existing bonus points into supplies before the attendance deduction."

In theory, this is the only way to salvage the supplies.

But the problem is...

"But... but even if we exchange them for supplies, we can't get points back, right?" Sakura Airi whispered, voicing her question.

Perhaps because they had been running together for a long time, Horikita Suzune was no longer so unapproachable to her.

She's not too scared if it's just talking.

"That's why we need to go find Class A." Horikita Suzune turned her head, her calm gaze fixed on Sakura Airi: "To make them accept the supplies they've exchanged."

"Ouch..."

The moment their eyes met, Sakura Airi immediately shrank back down.

She still wasn't used to making direct eye contact with anyone other than him.

But if I go to Class A, I'll be able to see that person, right?

"Right, right!" Reminded by Horikita Suzune's words, Sudo Ken had a look of sudden realization. "As long as we sell them 300 points of supplies, we can get real Private Points in return!"

"And they're from Class A," the calm man named Yukimura Teruhiko added. "If they want to maintain their lead over Class B and keep Class A in the rankings, they'll definitely pay a hefty price for these supplies to secure their advantage."

"More importantly, we have an agreement with Class A."

The contract that originally restricted them from obtaining more than three hundred Class Points now seemed to have become their lifeline.

"Party A will provide Party B with as much assistance as possible in subsequent Special Exam."

Hirata Yosuke softly uttered the sentence from the contract.

As the words fell, a light shone in Kanji Ike's eyes, as if in a shout:

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

We are allies bound by a pact! They will definitely help us!

Even though their current predicament of being unable to name names seemed to be caused by Class A, everyone unanimously ignored this fact and placed all their hopes on Class A.

So, before dark, before the roll call at 8 p. m., they seized the last moments.

The entire Class 1-D went to Class A's base.

Beside the waterfall.

A campfire blazes, an enticing aroma fills the air, and beside the bubbling corn soup, skewers of grilled fish are arranged in a staggered pattern.

The finished products were being happily enjoyed by the students, while unprocessed materials were piled up to the side.

With just this much, if we're careful with our spending, we should be able to afford two or three meals.

Not to mention there seemed to be quite a few washed fruits and vegetables as well.

... These guys look like they're on vacation.

They were completely different from Class D, who were busy and disheveled but accomplished nothing.

"Let's leave the negotiation to Kushida," someone suggested, and everyone immediately agreed.

They dared not trust the negotiation skills of others, but there was no doubt about Kushida Kikyo's abilities.

They would accept any result, no matter how small, as long as it was negotiated by Kushida Kikyo.

"Hmm." Nodding slightly, Kushida Kikyo, who had been searching for someone's figure as she approached, quickly walked closer and met Ichinose Honami, who had noticed their approach and was also coming closer.

After all, she wasn't alone; the entire class came along with their homeroom teacher.

"Kushida, and... Class D?" Ichinose Honami was quite surprised.

There were quite a few students from Class B and Class C who came to investigate individually, but this was the first time that an entire class had come together.

What are they trying to do?

If she remembers correctly, violently damaging other classes' property is punishable.

The school will be keeping an eye on it.

"... Where is Asakusa?" After hesitating for a moment, instead of mentioning the transaction first, Kushida Kikyo asked about the whereabouts of Asakusa Toru.

Ichinose Honami seemed oblivious to anything and gave her a straightforward answer:

"Asakusa- kun is probably fishing."

"But judging by the time, he should be back soon, since roll call is coming up soon."

"Ah, you're back." She said, turning her head to look to the side.

Asakusa Toru approached from not far away, swaying slightly.

He had a camera hanging around his neck and was carrying buckets in both hands, made from free absorbent cloth that he had painstakingly cut, woven, and folded. It was hard to say whether they counted as buckets, but they were containers that could be used to bring back his catch of fish.

Without a doubt, the fish that the students ate were mostly brought back by him.

"Hey, good evening. How's your first day on the Uninhabited Island?" Asakusa Toru approached and raised his hand, handing over the haul to Kanzaki Ryuji, who was in charge of the barbecue.

Looking at the man in front of her, whom she hadn't seen for only half a day, Kushida Kikyo couldn't help but cross her legs and purse her lips.

My classmates are so infuriating.

After a moment, she revealed the purpose of their Class D's trip.

"We want to make a deal with you," she said.

Chapter 203 Class 1-D, withdrawing from the exam

Facing Asakusa Toru, in front of Ichinose Honami, and with her back to her classmates, Kushida Kikyo readily revealed all the secrets of Class D.

Whether it was the initial argument, the search for the outpost, or the most fundamental problem.

--Because they couldn't capture strongholds and therefore couldn't set up base camps, they were in a desperate situation where they couldn't call out enemy names.

She said it all quite frankly.

They completely disregarded the principles of negotiation, abandoned any attempt to fight for their interests, and placed themselves in a subservient position, as if betraying the expectations of their classmates.

"Anyway, just give me whatever you think is appropriate. Oh, and if possible, it would be best to give a suitable reason."

Because it was in front of Ichinose Honami 'outsider,' Kushida Kikyo didn't say the last sentence aloud. Instead, she conveyed it completely to her beloved Asakusa Toru through a tacit exchange of glances.

That's perfectly normal. After all, the students in Class D are just classmates. Why would she go to such lengths to fight for their interests?

Moreover, they had to get the money from Asakusa Toru to give it to them.

Who do they think they are?

Even so, she couldn't let her persona crumble, so she maintained her pitiful expression and adopted a humble attitude that everyone could see, as if she were genuinely crying and complaining about the class's difficulties.

But in reality, she was just pretending to reveal all the secrets of Class D.

As for whether Asakusa Toru will seize this opportunity to offer drastically lower prices...

It's irrelevant.

Extremely insignificant.

"... That's amazing." After listening to Kushida Kikyo's description, Asakusa Toru showed a rather strange expression.

Sure enough, no matter what, Class D is always the one who can pull off the most mischief.

The fact that roll call couldn't be done without capturing a stronghold was something even he couldn't have imagined before it actually happened.

Ultimately, the known information doesn't actually describe this aspect, since the original exam deliberately ignored the speed-run strategy of switching players and promoted a test gameplay based on mutual suspicion.

But upon closer examination, this result is surprisingly reasonable.

Ultimately, the Uninhabited Island Special Exam was a flawed system from the start.

The longer the Special Exam lasts and the more rules there are, the more loopholes may be created.

However, despite this, Asakusa Toru still believes that the school retains the right to amend its interpretation regarding the inability to take attendance.

After all, the only rule explicitly told to the students was, "I will set up a checkpoint there, and roll call will be conducted there."

If the terminal program hadn't locked the logic during its design, the phrase "setting up a base" could have changed its meaning.

Most importantly...

At that moment, Asakusa Toru turned his head and glanced at Chabashira Sae, who was accompanying Class D.

She always had a deadpan expression, and apart from her voluptuous figure, she showed no signs of life. Even in Special Exam on Uninhabited Island Exam, where the outcome could be drastically reversed, she remained lifeless.

It seems that even if she had the opportunity to report to the school and fight for an explanation, Chabashira Sae would probably do nothing.

She will personally eliminate her own Class D by adhering to the most rigid and strict examination rules.

"... Oh."

All I can say is, she truly lives up to her Chabashira Sae.

She will never be trapped by sunk costs; if she wants to let go, she will do so more decisively than anyone else.

"So, Kushida is planning to exchange the class's reward points for Private Points with us, right?" After a moment's thought, Ichinose Honami revealed D's purpose. "Because of Koenji's withdrawal, you have 270 points left."

"That's true. This way we can exchange for a lot of supplies, and we won't need to be so frugal with our points."

She nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.

However, negotiations often begin to take a turn when the other party agrees with the other party.

"But if you had come earlier, that would have been better." Honami Ichinose Honami said with a hint of regret, "Because we never expected this to happen, we've already spent several tens of points to purchase some necessary items."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at the fragrant grill beside her:

"Things like grill racks for grilling fish, essential seasonings such as salt, and pots and bowls that can't be found on the island."

"Of course, there are also 'outdoor showers' that allow you to use the water source for drinking and showering." Her gaze then drifted to a well on the other side.

Next to the well is the terminal equipment representing this base. Although Asakusa Toru previously liked to name this base after a waterfall, the well that the school specially dug next to the terminal equipment is actually the one that truly reflects the base's own supply point.

Beside the well, Ichinose Honami described, a simple, large-scale machine costing five points was slowly drawing water from the well in a wooden bucket, heating it into hot water for the students to take turns washing themselves.

Of course, the shower rooms had already been covered by tents provided with makeshift toilets, so that people couldn't easily see the students showering inside through the coverings.