Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

"...Exactly how many points did you spend?"

"I don't mind telling you. All of them, of course. With your capabilities, you could never possibly understand the freedom I possess right now."

"All of your points..."

Just then, Ishizaki followed orders and brought over a basket of fruits and vegetables, placing it on the table beside Ryuen, before setting out several drinks. Ryuen casually grabbed a bottle, popped the cap, and downed the drink in one go. Then, he picked up a bottle of ice-cold water and held it out toward me.

"Here, consider this bottle of ice water a gift for you two."

Hearing those words, I instinctively reached out my hand, wanting to take the water. However, the moment my fingertips touched the cold surface, I snapped back to reality and pulled my hand away.

"Tsk tsk, it really doesn't look like you're a couple. Your little sidekick doesn't seem to have the same firm convictions as you, Ichinose. Also, I suggest you find a smarter student to follow you around, lest their stupidity becomes contagious and makes you even more boring."

"My classmates are not for you to discipline!" Ichinose immediately defended me, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the other side. "You will pay the price for your current extravagance."

"Hehehe. Eh, who knows." Ryuen's indifferent voice echoed behind me. "Since you don't want to join our party, then goodbye."

Ichinose didn't respond to that remark, instead pulling my hand and walking quickly back into the forest, looking visibly angry. I don't know how much distance we covered while Ichinose held my hand like that, nor did I know how to start a conversation at a time like this.

All I knew was that Ichinose's hand was truly soft.

Chapter 65: The Coming and Going of Female Anger is Always Inexplicable

"Um, Ichinose, where are we going right now?"

After I almost took the ice water Ryuen offered, Ichinose had been dragging my hand through the forest, wandering around like a headless chicken. Although we weren't exactly lost yet, it was only a matter of time before we ran into trouble if we kept this up, yet Ichinose ignored me.

"Ichinose?"

"..."

"Ichinose?"

Could it be that she was angry because of my earlier actions? After gauging her grip strength and current mental state, I gave a tug to pull Ichinose back, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"Are you angry?"

"...I'm not angry." As she spoke, Ichinose turned her face away and crossed her arms over her chest.

That posture definitely meant she was angry.

"...Then which direction should we head in now? If we keep walking like this, we're going to get lost, aren't we?"

"That's not the problem." Ichinose looked at me with an unhappy expression.

"Then what is the problem..."

"Doesn't Raku feel angry about what Ryuen said just now?"

"That doesn't really count as an issue."

"He was insulting you, you know!"

"But no matter what Ryuen says, the facts won't change just because of his words."

"That may be true, but you can't just keep letting things go like this."

"...Then should we go back and retort a few times?"

"Ugh—" Ichinose's cheeks puffed up instantly, her indignant expression impossible to suppress. "Ah, seriously... Raku, were you often bullied by others in the past?"

"I suppose you could say that." I recalled my past experiences and nodded.

"And that thing with the candy before, don't tell me you're often swindled by others too!"

"Ah, you could tell that too?"

And I hadn't even said anything.

"That's obvious at a glance! At this rate, Raku is definitely going to be an easy target for bullies!"

"I don't really see where the bullying part comes in..."

"Ugh—how can someone like you exist." Ichinose stomped her foot in frustration, as if venting her misplaced anger.

"If I've made you unhappy, then I apologize."

"Don't apologize! Although, that's exactly why you..." Ichinose bit her lip, leaving the rest of her sentence unsaid.

"Anyway, if you run into any trouble in the future, you must tell me, understand?"

"That doesn't seem necessary..."

"No, you must tell me, understand! If you don't discuss things with others, Raku, you're definitely going to suffer a huge loss every single time."

"It's not that serious; I haven't suffered that many losses up until now."

"That's just because you haven't realized it! Anyway, if you run into trouble in the future, you must tell me, understand?"

"...I understand."

"Honestly, you're quite smart, yet you make people worry so much. Ugh—"

"..."

I told you she was angry.

Due to the comfort of my sleep last night, my watch was forced into intimate contact with a rock beneath the hammock. I quickly submitted a replacement request to Teacher Hoshinomiya this morning and successfully received a brand-new watch. However, this was not free of charge; because of the watch's malfunction, our class was forced to forfeit one point from our exam-specific total.

It sounds like a small amount, but when layered over the accumulation of other costs, it would definitely be a heartbreaking sum.

After finishing our reconnaissance of Class C, should I say it was thanks to Ichinose's aimless wandering? We only spent twenty-six minutes finding the next class's campsite.

The base was a cave that looked as if it had been chiseled out of the deep mountain, resembling a monster's gaping maw. It was unclear which class had occupied it, but at first glance, it had the feel of a primitive savage's survival site.

At its entrance sat two portable toilets and one shower stall, with a total value of sixty points.

The exterior of the cave was draped in a massive screen made of interconnected plastic bags, which made it completely impossible for outsiders to see the situation inside.

"Class C exposed their entire situation, but this class here is the complete opposite—a total mystery."

"Ichinose? What are you doing over here?"

A tall, bald man emerged from the nearby jungle, followed by a shorter student.

"Classmate Katsuragi? If you're here, does that mean this is the base for Class A?"

"That's right. I discovered this cave while we were on the ship, so I headed straight here as soon as I arrived."

"Eh? You discovered these facilities while you were still on the ship?"

"That much is obvious. First, there was that strange broadcast, and then they said the ship was moving at sightseeing speeds, yet it was three times faster than usual. That must have been an action taken by the school to provide hints to the students. You could see the path cleared through the forest from the ship's deck. All that was left was to head along the shortest path from the landing dock to that road."

"...There was something like that?"

"Ichinose was still in her cabin on the ship at that time."

"Haha, I suppose that's true. I didn't hear that broadcast at all," Ichinose said with an embarrassed, awkward laugh.

"Are you here to scout the situation of other classes?"

"Yes, mainly because students from Class C came to our territory this morning, so we wanted to go take a look at other classes. That said, Class A's cave is sealed off a bit too tightly, isn't it?"

"The sunlight is quite intense, so we made some appropriate adjustments."

"Then, would you mind letting us take a quick look inside?" Ichinose tried to ask Katsuragi.

Usually, such behavior would likely be met with a reprimand from a rival class. But whether it was due to Ichinose's unique charm or the fact that Katsuragi himself didn't want to engage in unnecessary conflict, they didn't scold us.

"There's nothing inside, but it contains many of our students' personal belongings. Even if I wanted to let you see, I would need their consent."

"That's a shame. Then, may I know if the device is inside?"

"I can answer that question: the device is indeed placed inside the cave, but I cannot show it to you."

"That's fine. I was just asking; I have no intention of forcing my way in. After all, the rules state we aren't allowed to trespass into others' territory without permission."

"I appreciate your understanding... Where is the territory occupied by Class B?"

"Our territory is roughly in this direction. If you can't find it, just go back to the landing point; there's a giant broken tree there, and if you head into the forest to the southwest, that's our base. We've occupied a well." Ichinose told Katsuragi our Class B territory without any guard.

Katsuragi didn't seem particularly surprised by this.

"I understand. If I have time later, I'll go take a look. I wish you luck on the exam."

"You too, Class A."

With just a few simple words, Katsuragi demonstrated the mystery-first philosophy of Class A to the fullest, which only fueled my urge to force my way in.

"Class A's defensive strategy is really tight. A class led by Katsuragi is bound to be secretive, as expected."

"But doing this so openly makes it easy for others to guess that there are unspeakable secrets inside the cave."

"Hmm, although we couldn't see the machine with our own eyes, if we had rushed in, we would have been penalized to some degree. Also... Raku, did you see it?" Ichinose turned her head and looked at me with an expectant expression.

"What are you referring to? If you mean the situation inside the cave, I think even the Maasai, who have the best eyesight among humans, wouldn't be able to see through those thick plastic bags."

"Not that. I'm talking about their class leader's specialized key card."

"That's even more impossible. How could something like that be left exposed?"

"But I saw it. Although only a small corner was showing, it was definitely the leader's card. It was in Classmate Katsuragi's pocket."

"...Ichinose, you really are amazing."

"It's nothing... But I think this might just be a trap to lure us in. I don't think someone like Classmate Katsuragi would make such a low-level mistake."

"Are you very familiar with Katsuragi, Ichinose?"

"No, no, we aren't familiar with each other. We just met a few times during the student council interviews, along with Classmate Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A."

"They're both from Class A, then."

"They are very interested in that sort of thing, after all, and they both have their own agendas. How should I put it... well, it feels like Classmate Katsuragi is the conservative faction, while Classmate Sakayanagi is the reformist faction."

"Then, inside their class—"

"Yes, those two factions are engaged in a fierce struggle. But I don't know the specifics."

I nodded to show I understood.

"Let's head straight back to camp now. We won't observe Class D."

"Is that really okay?"

"Yes. After all, we are in a cooperative relationship. With Classmate Horikita there, I'm sure they can handle their internal affairs. Besides, I'm a little tired."

"Then let's head back."

Chapter 66: On the Fact That Pelargonium Graveolens Can Repel Mosquitoes

"Ah, Ichinose-san, you're back. We have visitors here; how should we handle them?"

As soon as Ichinose and I returned to the campsite, the students reported what had happened while we were away. I turned my head to look to the side, where Kanzaki was hosting Ayanokoji and Horikita from Class D.

It's that duo again, as always...

Wait, does this mean Ayanokoji and I have crossed paths again right after waking up?!

"I understand, I'll go take a look." Saying this, Ichinose gave me a quick nod and ran over to Kanzaki, while I continued working on the hammock I hadn't finished before leaving, all the while listening to their conversation.

"Oh, Horikita-san and Ayanokoji-kun, we meet again."

"Are you back already?"

"Sorry, I just went out with Raku-kun to check on the situation with the other classes, but we hadn't made it to your side yet. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, we just came over from Class C ourselves."

"So that means you already know about what's happening with Class C, then."

"Yeah, he's acting like a madman. I really don't understand what he's trying to do... Your situation here looks pretty good, though."

"Ahaha, there were a lot of difficulties at first, but fortunately, many people in our class are skilled at these things. If you want to talk about it, why don't you sit down first?"

With that, Ichinose urged them to sit on the hammock, but they declined.

"I'd like to continue our previous cooperation. I wonder what your thoughts are on that, Ichinose?"

"That's fine by me. It's what I was hoping for as well. At the very least, we can reduce the number of enemies we have."

Following that, Ichinose and Horikita exchanged information regarding the allocation and use of class points, and discussed solutions to various problems. Horikita was essentially the one asking the questions, yet Ichinose showed no signs of impatience toward them.