His Mission

He slapped Ike unconscious.

At last, he could get a proper night's sleep.

It was the third day on the island.

The students had mostly gotten used to life on the island. They could now drink from the river without worry, provided they boiled the water first.

They had plenty of food, too.

In their spare time, some of the students had started playing little games. The Three Idiots were having the most fun.

Only a few students, like Suzune and Ayanokoji, hadn't joined any groups and were doing their own thing.

Ibuki was by herself. Some of the girls, including Kikyo, came over to greet her and invite her to join them, but Ibuki was cold toward them. Before long, she was alone again.

That was much like how she'd been in Class C. She usually acted alone and didn't like talking to people. When she did speak, her words were sharp. She'd trained in martial arts and was pretty capable, so nobody dared bully her.

She was willing to follow Ryuen because she didn't want Class Points to keep falling.

And although Ryuen had conquered Class C through violence, there was no denying that he was capable. His decisions benefited Class C.

That was why Ibuki followed Ryuen's arrangements.

Seeing her by herself, Eito didn't go over to talk to her. Instead, he sent Yamauchi to keep bothering her.

If she wanted to be a spy, she had to accept the cost—and that cost was Yamauchi's verbal harassment.

Yamauchi really was useful.

He was practically a weapon for annoying people.

With the right approach, even garbage could become treasure. There were no tools that couldn't be useful—only people who didn't know how to use them.

Clearly, Eito still had a long way to go before he fully understood how to make use of the ultimate weapon that was Yamauchi.

After enduring an hour and a half of torment this time, Ibuki finally couldn't take it anymore and left.

This time, she sat beside Ayanokoji.

Eito already knew what she was after: find the leader's card and take a picture of it.

She'd probably approached him last time to fish for information, and this time she was doing the same thing with Ayanokoji.

As it happened, the card was on Ayanokoji. But as long as he didn't reveal it, there was no way someone like Ibuki would find it.

They didn't talk for long before Ibuki left on her own, and her target—

was beside him again.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

There was a trace of anger on Ibuki's face.

"Why do you care? I can look at whoever I want. If you don't like it, you can leave."

"I'm staying right here."

Ibuki plopped down on the ground.

"Listen," Eito said. "If you really don't like being on the island, you can go back to the ship whenever you want. Why come to our Class D? As far as I know, Class C has already spent all its points. There's nothing left to deduct."

"None of your business. I like staying on the island."

"You'd rather stay with our Class D than enjoy yourself on the ship. Tell me, do you like Class D, or do you have some other reason?"

Eito's sharp words exposed Ibuki's intentions in just a few sentences.

Ibuki glared at him. "I'm sick of the people in Class C. I like Class D. Is that a problem?"

"Really? You'd rather stay on the island and suffer alongside Class D than be by yourself on the ship. Ibuki, I'm so touched by your actions I could cry."

That was what he said, but his tone was nothing but mocking. Ibuki nearly grabbed him by the collar.

"Hmph."

In the end, Ibuki sat back down.

She held it in.

Rather than vent her anger for a moment, she chose to stick to her plan.

Eito admired her—

nerve.

" Ibuki, you wouldn't want your classmates to find out you're a spy, would you?"

Before he'd even thought it through, Eito's body had already said the words.

Was it instinct, or his master's orders?

"I already told you I'm not a spy. Believe what you want."

Ibuki folded her arms across her chest and didn't even look at him.

But since he'd already said it, he wasn't going to take it back.

"How about I go talk to our classmates and see whether they believe you or me?"

The only reason nobody had objected to Ibuki staying in Class D was that Eito hadn't raised any doubts. If he pointed out the holes in her story, any reasonable person who thought it over would start to suspect her.

Even if Ibuki continued to cling to Class D, she'd be restricted at every turn and unable to act.

And some of the more aggressive students would even call for her to be kicked out.

Ibuki understood that perfectly well. Annoyed, she asked:

"What do you want?"

"What do you think I want?" Eito looked her over. Since she worked out, her figure was very well-proportioned. The subtle definition in her calves and her partly exposed ankles captured the charm of an athletic girl perfectly.

Still, he preferred someone soft and cuddly like Kikyo, someone who could double as a pillow.

He sighed and said:

"I feel like we could be friends for life."

"Are you looking down on me?"

Ibuki was furious at the look of disappointment on his face. She wasn't interested in romance, but she was still a girl. Even she couldn't stand having her feminine charm dismissed like that.

She grabbed Eito by the lapels and threatened him:

"If I kiss you right now, what do you think our classmates will say?"

"Are you crazy?"

"No. I admit you're clever, so you should know what the consequences would be if I did that."

Would people mistake him for a pervert?

No. They'd think there was something going on between him and Ibuki. Even if he reported her after that, no one would take him seriously, and they might even suspect him of being a Class C spy.

After all, why would a girl kiss someone she didn't like?

There was no way he could explain it away completely.

And Ibuki's supposed kiss would probably just be a trick of perspective, not an actual kiss.

But—

"Ibuki, if you hadn't said anything, you might've been able to catch me off guard. Now you still think you can trick me? Dream on."

Eito stood up and put a meter between them.

Ibuki's eyes widened. "You... You're despicable!"

"Haha—That's the funniest thing I've heard all year."

A despicable person calling him despicable? What was she thinking?

Eito said:

"Fine. I'm going to go talk to our classmates about you now. I'm sure they'll be interested."

He was about to turn away when Ibuki said:

"Fine, I get it. Come with me."

"What?"

"You just want to do that kind of thing to me, right...? I get it. This isn't the right place. Just come with me."

Ibuki blushed slightly.

"All right."

Eito nodded.

He wasn't particularly interested in Ibuki herself, but he thought she could be useful. If he made good use of her, she'd be a great weapon against Ryuen.

Eito followed her a fair distance, and the more he thought about her intentions, the clearer they became.

At last, they stopped in front of a large rock.

Ibuki turned to face him. The shy look she'd worn earlier had vanished, replaced by pure contempt.

"So you really are a pervert. You actually followed me all the way here."

"What, did you set an ambush? Are you planning to take me out?"

Eito joked.

"No. I can take you out by myself. Our class is out of points anyway, so even if I beat you up here, it doesn't matter. But if you fight back, you'll lose points, won't you? Haha."

Ibuki leaned against the rock, looking as if she had him right where she wanted him.

"Uh..." Eito said. "What if I run away? What can you do then?"

"Run? Haha! You think a weakling like you can outrun me?"

He was certainly being underestimated. But it showed just how confident Ibuki was in her abilities. Someone like Yamauchi wouldn't be able to get away, but Eito was another matter.

Still, he had no reason to run.

Ibuki couldn't hurt him at all, and he didn't need to beat her up, either.

There was more than one way to torment someone.

If she thought so little of him, he had to teach this arrogant woman a lesson.

He said:

"Go ahead and attack. I'll let you have the first move."

Technically, he was supposed to let her have three moves, but he thought one would be enough against Ibuki.

"Drop dead!"

Enraged by his attitude, Ibuki took a stance and launched a high side kick, her leg cutting straight toward his head.

What a move, full of openings.

Eito activated his superpower and grabbed her ankle.

"You—Let go!"

With one leg caught, Ibuki nearly fell over. She tried with all her might to yank it free, but his hand was like a pair of pincers. She couldn't move it at all.

Eito lifted her leg a little higher, bringing it level with his shoulder.

Since Ibuki worked out, her body was exceptionally flexible. She made no sound of pain, but the high kick had spread her skirt, leaving the view beneath it completely exposed to the air.

He wasn't a girl, but he could imagine how humiliating this position must be for Ibuki.

From her flushed, furious face, Eito could tell exactly how she felt.