Was Class D Planning to Give Up on the Exam? / Helpful? Letting the Wolf in!

This is really bad luck.

Chapter 154 Does Class D Want to Give Up the Exam?

Although they bumped into Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune by the roadside, they were in the midst of Special Exam, so they only exchanged a brief glance before quickly parting ways.

Everyone knows that it's best to avoid too much contact with students from other classes at this stage. Too much contact could lead to the unknowingly leaking of information, so we need to be extra careful.

Entering the forest, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami continued collecting supplies and herbs from the island. After noticing that the black-haired girl looked a bit off, the boy decided to make some cold medicine as soon as possible, as it might come in handy later.

Besides collecting supplies, the two also continued exploring the base and other class camps. Whenever they came across a suitable hillside, Hashiba Hikaru would quickly climb up to observe the surrounding scenery.

After a busy period, it was already noon. According to the agreement made within the class, the students who went out to explore and collect supplies had to plan their itineraries according to the time displayed on their watches.

After setting off in the morning, we will return to the camp for the first assembly at noon, followed by a second assembly before dinner, and finally, we will wait together at the camp for the roll call as specified in the manual.

No one agreed to use exam points to exchange for portable rations, so they had to return to camp to replenish their strength and fluids.

"Hikari, it's almost midnight, we should go back now, right?" The pink-haired girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled as she greeted Hashiba Hikaru. "We can't keep everyone waiting."

"Um."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. He and Ichinose Honami had set off around nine in the morning, but they still hadn't found a suitable target.

Thinking of this, the boy couldn't help but recall the new item that had appeared in the System Bar yesterday.

[Lucky Amulet]

Although this requires 20,000 yuan in system funds, if it could really improve one's luck, perhaps it would make this exam much easier?

Hashiba Hikaru pondered for a moment and decided that she could try exchanging for it during future searches, hoping to increase her chances of winning this exam.

After the two returned to the camp, the students who remained at the camp were preparing lunch in an orderly manner. Although there were quite a few people, forty people was a lot, but fortunately the kitchenware set they had exchanged was designed to handle large groups, so they did not encounter any particular difficulties in cooking.

"Classmate Hashiba, Ichinose, you're finally back!"

When some classmates saw them return, they quickly gathered around, some with expressions of relief on their faces.

"What... what happened?"

After putting down the resources they had collected, both Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami were somewhat puzzled.

"Actually, Yonezu and the others discovered something very strange, so everyone is waiting for you to come back and make a decision."

"?"

"Yonezu-kun, what did you find out?" Hashiba Hikaru looked at the boys who came out from among the students. Standing in the middle was Yonezu Haruto, a boy who was usually quite active in the class.

"It's about Class D."

Yonezu Haruto's expression was somewhat serious. After all, when he led his companions into the forest to collect supplies, he suddenly saw his classmates lined up and walking out of the forest. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were all members of Class D.

To find out what had happened, Yonezu and his two classmates immediately decided to follow them, only to discover that the students from Class D had actually returned directly to the beach where they had left the island the day before.

Not only that, they also packed up some items that they had probably exchanged earlier, returned them all to the staff stationed on the shore, and then lined up one by one to walk up the boarding ladder.

"You mean all the students in Class D have returned to the ship?"

Hashiba Hikaru instantly understood what the other person meant, and immediately seized the key point, asking, "Have you counted the number of people?"

"... Well, because we were a bit far away, we couldn't see everyone's faces clearly, but it seems like they've all gone back."

Yonezu Haruto was so stunned by the scene that he didn't have time to check it in detail.

"Is there no headcount count?"

Ichinose Honami understood what the boy was worried about. After all, if Class D really did withdraw from the exam, it would mean that Class A would have one less enemy.

"However, we took some remedial measures regarding this matter later."

Seeing Hashiba Hikaru's expressionless face, Yonezu Haruto quickly added, "After seeing them all return to the Cruise Ship, we immediately turned back into the forest and followed the direction their main group had come from."

"Yes," Sumida Makoto chimed in, continuing to address the others, "The three of us followed this direction and eventually found the campsite that Class D had set up."

"We discovered that their campsite had been completely cleaned up. Because there were signs of a campfire and camping, we could determine that it was the original campsite of Class D."

"I see."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded after hearing the explanation. If the camp had indeed been confirmed, then it could serve as a basis for her judgment.

After all, each student who drops out will lose 30 points in the exam, and a maximum of ten people would deplete all the points. In addition, the camp has already been cleaned up, so it is unlikely that there will be any people left here, which is illogical.

"So, it seems everyone in Class D has completely given up on the exam..."

Ichinose Honami, this was the first Special Exam held since the start of the school year, and shouldn't the bottom-ranked class have worked even harder to get Class Evaluation Points?

"That should be true." Yonezu touched his hair. After handing over this information to the two key figures in the class, he no longer needed to handle the rest.

"So what are Classmate Hashiba and Ichinose thinking? Should we give up on gathering information about Class D now?"

"I need to think about this carefully. What do you all think?"

Hashiba Hikaru stroked her chin, her gaze sweeping over the students in Class A: "I'd like to hear everyone's opinions."

"I think it's probably true. After all, the camp is gone, and so many people have already returned to the ship, so their points must have been completely deducted."

"Yes, regardless of whether anyone remains on the island, Class D' s performance in this exam is already destined to be last."

"Shouldn't we focus our attention on Class C now? They're the only ones left."

Listening to everyone's thoughts, Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami beside her. The girl was also pondering how to deal with the truth of the matter.

After all, she didn't see the boarding procession with her own eyes, but the three boys who witnessed it were unlikely to lie about such a thing, and Ichinose Honami had always trusted her classmates.

What does Ichinose think?

"... Since the students in Class D have abandoned the camp and many have already returned to the Cruise Ship, I think we can temporarily stop gathering intelligence on them." The pink-haired girl pursed her lips. After all, it would be a waste of energy to keep everyone gathering intelligence on a class that had already given up on the exam.

"Well, I agree with that view." Hashiba Hikaru nodded and said to everyone in a deep voice, "Since Class D has forfeited and we already have information on Class B, I'll ask all of you intelligence gatherers to focus most of your energy on Class C in the next few days."

"However, in order to ensure that our final guess on the leader's list is correct, someone still needs to monitor Class B's situation. This is to confirm the leader's physical condition and to prevent any unforeseen changes in leadership. Does everyone understand?"

"Clear."

The students in Class A immediately expressed their support. After learning that Class D had forfeited, everyone was in a much better mood. After all, they had already secured the name of the leader of Class B, Hashiba Hikaru. If they could also get the name of the leader of Class C, victory in this exam would belong to their class.

"Okay, everyone, let's help with the cooking. After lunch, we'll continue with the next round of resource exploration."

As everyone resumed their busy work in the camp, Hashiba Hikaru walked to the open space where he had just placed the herbs. As a resource storage area that had been cleared, he needed to check the harvest from the past half-day.

After obtaining the [Wilderness Survival (Master)] skill, the boy has done quite a lot in the past two days. In addition to teaching everyone how to identify edible wild vegetables and fruits, he has also collected some herbs and made insect repellent, among other things.

In addition, Hashiba Hikaru conducted multiple patrols around the campsite and carried out a series of checks and repairs, such as placing noisy bushes in various small places to better alert everyone.

After all, apart from the base, people can move freely in other parts of the island, so it cannot be ruled out that members of other classes might be lurking nearby to observe the situation inside the camp.

"Classmate Hashiba."

Ichinose Honami shout came from behind.

"What's wrong?"

"Would you like to go with me to the old Class D camp this afternoon Classmate Hashiba- san?" Ichinose Honami had just agreed to the arrangements, but she was still a little hesitant to confirm it with her own eyes.

"Sure, after we check the camp, let's go back to the beach and investigate everything."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled, inwardly agreeing with the girl's idea.

"Um."

Chapter 155 Being Helpful? Inviting a Wolf into the House!

After lunch, the students who were assigned to intelligence gathering and supplies set off again. Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami walked out of the camp together as planned. They had just asked Yonezu Haruto about the general direction of Class D's camp, so they knew how to get there.

In such an important exam, caution is definitely not a bad thing.

Following the direction Yonezu pointed out, the two walked along the forest path. After spending the night on this Uninhabited Island, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami began to get used to the feeling of their bodies moving through the forest, and their steps became more and more steady.

"I didn't expect Hikaru to agree with my idea. I thought you would think it was a waste of time."

Ichinose Honami leaned against Hashiba Hikaru's shoulder and chuckled as she voiced her doubts.

"Caution is a good quality, especially in an exam where you need to gather information about the other party. I think it's quite admirable to have this kind of thinking. As expected of Ichinose."

However, after he said those words, Ichinose Honami did not respond. Instead, she stared at his face and remained silent.

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru immediately understood, smiled, and said again, "As expected of Honami, you consider things very comprehensively."

"I believe that as long as everyone works together, we will definitely succeed in this exam."

After the boy called out her name, Ichinose Honami's pretty face blossomed into an even brighter smile, declaring that she would definitely lead everyone to victory in this exam.

"Yes, that's what I think too."

After walking for more than ten minutes, the two finally arrived at the place that Yonezu Haruto had mentioned, which was the original location where Class D had set up camp.

After passing through the towering bushes, a fairly spacious, man-made clearing came into view. Although there was no stream flowing through it, it still looked quite nice.

It is surrounded by many trees and vegetation, which not only provide shade but also prevent students from other classes from spying on it.

"These must be the traces of a campfire."

Hashiba Hikaru crouched down and carefully touched the remaining black substance on the ground. To start a campfire, wood needed to be piled up underneath and there needed to be something to start it.

Although the air flows frequently in the forest, and there is not much residual scent left, the various traces of activity on the ground still indicate that people did live here.

"It seems it's true."

Ichinose Honami walked over from the shade of a nearby tree, carrying a transparent plastic bag with a description of the types of meat products on it.

"These must be the supplies they exchanged; it seems they forgot to clean them up."

"Well, so he really gave up on the exam?"

Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but think of Ibuki Mio's face. Would this short-haired girl, who seemed more competitive than any of the boys, really agree to such a class strategy?

Or do they believe that they can't possibly succeed in such an exam, and it's better to give up early than to suffer?

Aside from selling the rules to Class D at the beginning of the school year, the boy spent the next few months in contact with Shiina Hiyori, mostly in the Library, so he wasn't quite sure what the current situation in Class D was like.

"In short, everything here has been checked. Let's go back to the beach and take a look."

Hashiba Hikaru stood up and dusted off her pants. Now that she had decided to investigate this matter, she was determined to see it through.

When we returned to the beach on the lower island, it was basically unchanged. Large tents were placed in the shade, and people in work clothes walked around, some staring at computer screens in front of them.

Since the school dares to hold a seven-day survival test here, the relevant safeguards naturally need to be activated around the clock. Whether it's the watches or the various checkpoint instruments placed in the forest, these all need to be constantly monitored.

Look over there.

Ichinose Honami and Hashiba Hikaru stood under the shade of a tree, gazing at the Cruise Ship deck ahead.

Sure enough, there were quite a few students playing and joking on the deck. Everyone looked relaxed, and some were even leaning against the railing with a drink in hand, enjoying the sea breeze, presenting a very leisurely vacation posture.

"..."

Ichinose Honami, having clearly seen the scene on the deck, muttered to herself, "Looks like we can go back. They've really given up."

"Okay, let's go."

After confirming both steps, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami returned the way they came. It was still early before dinner, so they could continue wandering around.

However, quite by chance, the two of them, who were moving through the forest, found Shibata, their classmate, and two other girls by a relatively wide road.

"Classmate Hashiba! Ichinose!"

When those two incredibly familiar figures came into view, Shibata, as if seeing a lifeline, quickly lunged towards the boy.

"What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?" Hashiba Hikaru ignored the enthusiastic Shibata Sou and instead turned her gaze to the other two girls, who both had expressions on their faces that suggested they wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

"What are you doing here..." Ichinose Honami was also puzzled, but soon her gaze fell upon an unfamiliar figure Kinoshita ahead.

It was a girl carrying her backpack, with brown pigtails, sitting on the ground without saying a word.

"This is?"

"We found her while we were collecting supplies; she's Yamashita Saki from Class D."

Shibata led the two to an open space nearby and began to explain in a low voice.

"A student from Class D? Didn't they all withdraw from the exam?" Ichinose Honami's expression changed slightly, and she immediately asked, "Could it be that this student hasn't given up on the exam yet?"