Hajima Hikaru: So Many People! / Even a Spy Can Be a Source of Information

Hashiba Hikaru looked the short-haired girl up and down again. She had obvious dark circles under her eyes, a sign that she hadn't slept well.

"What's wrong with my behavior? Do I have to report to you what I do?"

Feeling the scrutinizing gaze on him, Ibuki couldn't help but feel a little angry.

The source of her anger wasn't the boy's uninhibited staring, but rather her own anger at herself for revealing to this troublesome fellow that she was still on the island.

Having already met Hashiba Hikaru Hashima several times, Ibuki Mio was quite aware of her abilities. From the moment she enrolled, she had been scheming against the other classes and was a habitual liar—the type she would never like.

"Of course you don't need to report to me, but Ibuki must be regretting coming here to take a bath right now."

Hikari Hashima shook her head; it was actually quite easy to guess what Mio Ibuki was thinking.

Since this short-haired girl, who displayed a defiant and competitive spirit from their first meeting, is still on the island, she must be there to contact the undercover agents sent out. Perhaps not only his own Class A, but also the other two classes have students from Class D.

Abandoning the campsite and sending most of her classmates back to the Cruise Ship meant that she would have to live alone on the island, unable to rely on anyone else for anything, from sleeping to finding food—this was no joke.

But after all that effort, I've encountered this situation myself.

This means that all the previous efforts have been in vain, so it's easy to understand why they would regret coming here to take a bath.

"So what? Whether I regret it or not, it's my own responsibility. I don't need you to say anything to me." Ibuki Mio's attitude remained firm.

"Indeed."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, her face showing great admiration, and said, "Ibuki, you've truly shattered my expectations of you once again. I really admire you for being able to make such a decision all by yourself."

"..."

Ibuki Mio, of course, wasn't buying his flattery. She simply replied coldly, "I have no interest in continuing this nonsense with you. Name your terms. How can you let me leave without you following me?"

"Honestly, Ibuki is so impatient. If you think about it for a moment, you'll realize that these conditions are meaningless to both of us."

Hashiba Hikaru sighed and explained to her, "Since you're still on the island, it means your Class D hasn't given up on this Special Exam. We're still competitors."

"Under such circumstances, how could I possibly pass up such a good opportunity without trying to find out information about your class's leader?"

"Then why are you still dragging me into all this nonsense?" Ibuki Mio glared at Hashiba Hikaru.

"We've known each other for so long, a simple reminiscing shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"..."

Ibuki Mio took a deep breath. She had been trying very hard to control her anger, but hearing the other person's nonchalant words still made her want to explode.

What exactly do you want to do?

"How about I take you back? To where you're resting tonight," Hashiba Hikaru suggested with a smile.

He had just convinced Ibuki Mio to give up her idea of running away because he wanted to test her attitude through conversation, since it wasn't easy to directly determine whether she was the leader of Class D.

But it's clear the other party isn't cooperating. In that case, let's take a simpler approach to handle this.

They had already abandoned the camp and hadn't occupied any strongholds, so it wasn't against any rules for me to follow Ibuki.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ibuki Mio fell silent again. Sensing the unwavering look in the other's eyes, she knew that getting rid of Hashiba Hikaru would not be so easy.

Should we really take him back to the cave where he's hiding? Ryuen is still there.

However, since the girl had already hidden the Key Card, it wouldn't be so easy for him to guess who the leader of Class D was if he saw the two of them.

After pondering for a while, Ibuki Mio finally decided to agree to take Hashiba Hikaru back to her hideout. At worst, she would just move to another place with Ryuen after dealing with him.

"How's your thinking going, Ibuki?"

"I can take you there, but you have to agree to one condition."

"I understand your concerns. I'll leave immediately after I've seen your hiding place."

"Not enough."

Ibuki Mio stared at the boy in front of her and said, word by word, "After you leave, you must promise not to reveal my information to the other classes."

"Isn't this a bit...? What if I don't agree?" Hashiba Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Then we'll just stay here together. Anyway, our class doesn't take attendance. If you don't care about losing points, you can stay here indefinitely. I'm not going back." Ibuki Mio didn't back down at all. She already understood the other party's purpose and knew that Hashiba Hikaru wouldn't give up this opportunity.

"... I really underestimated you, Ibuki."

"How about it?"

"Okay, I agree to this agreement."

"Then let's write a contract."

Ibuki Mio pulled a piece of paper from her tracksuit pocket. It was a document left over from the cooperation agreement she reached with Ryuen and Katsuragi of Class B. The girl didn't believe in verbal agreements; she needed a contract to make it binding.

"Can."

After the simple handwritten contract was completed, Hashiba Hikaru followed Ibuki Mio into the depths of the forest. After passing through a small path in the bushes, a system notification suddenly rang in the boy's ears.

[Beep! Ibuki Mio's stock is now online!]

[Current stock price: 20]

[Number of shares issued: 3000]

"?"

Chapter 163 Hashiba Hikaru: So many people!

When a new notification popped up in the System Bar, Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but glance at the short-haired girl leading the way. He had known her for quite a while, but they hadn't been trading stocks back then. Why had it been so long?

Somewhat puzzled, Hashiba Hikaru stopped observing her system, as there were more important matters to attend to at the moment.

The existence of Ibuki Mio and Yamashita Saki already provides a lot of information, but to truly confirm who the class leader of Class D is, more information must be gathered to make a judgment.

When Yamashita Saki was brought back to the camp that day, she said that Ryuen Kakeru had become the new class leader, but now the person left on the island is Ibuki Mio.

If she's not an undercover agent, and if she's not the class leader, then what other mission does she have on the island?

What about Ryuen?

Is he still on the island?

Hashiba Hikaru listed out the possibilities she could think of and followed behind Ibuki Mio. The two of them moved quickly and quietly.

After walking for about ten minutes, Ibuki Mio led Hashiba Hikaru to a secluded thicket. Once they crawled inside, the boy discovered a hidden cave entrance.

This place is clearly a hidden spot that hasn't been artificially developed yet. Although it's not a stronghold, it's still a decent place to spend the night.

Ibuki Mio surveyed her surroundings, feeling somewhat annoyed. Since this guy was already here, she would have to give up on this place; she had searched for it for a long time back then.

When the sound of their footsteps reached the cave entrance, Ryuen Kakeru, who was inside, naturally heard them. Just as he stepped out, the figure at the entrance startled him.

"Oh? Isn't this Ryuen? What a coincidence!"

When Hashiba Hikaru saw the disheveled man emerging from the cave, her eyes lit up. She hadn't expected her prediction to come true.

"Hashiba Hikaru! What are you doing here?" Ryuen Kakeru quickly glanced at Ibuki Mio beside him, wanting to ask what was going on.

"Because I followed Ibuki's whereabouts, and then we came here together," Hashiba Hikaru explained before Ibuki Mio could.

"Hmm... that's about it."

Ibuki Mio looked somewhat embarrassed; she couldn't deny that this whole thing started because of her.

"... I see. It seems your luck really isn't very good."

Upon discovering this uninvited guest, Ryuen Kakeru was quickly devising a plan. He was quite familiar with Hashiba Hikaru's abilities; since she had come here with Ibuki Mio, her purpose must be singular: to find out the name of the leader of Class D.

Only then did Ryuen realize that the suggestion Shiina Hiyori had made was really useful. If he were really alone, and this guy discovered his whereabouts, wouldn't that instantly expose the leader's information?

"Yes, I just wanted to see how Ibuki lived on the island. It's just curiosity."

Hashiba Hikaru began to look around at her surroundings, as if she were part of the team herself, her expression quite relaxed.

After exchanging a glance, Ibuki Mio and Ryuen Kakeru both understood what they needed to do: get rid of the other party as soon as possible and then quickly leave.

"You've seen where I live, can you leave now?" Ibuki Mio crossed her arms and stared at Hashiba Hikaru's face.

"Hmm... this place feels really nice, and it's quite secluded. You must have been looking for a long time."

Hashiba Hikaru ignored the implication that Ibuki Mio was trying to get rid of her; after all, the contract stipulated that the hiding place had to be confirmed, and simply looking at the entrance of the cave was definitely not enough.

He continued to explore his surroundings, but thanks to his mastery of the [Wilderness Survival (Master)] skill, the boy's perception of the forest had become quite acute.

Hashiba Hikaru quickly noticed a prying gaze coming from afar.

"Hehe, so many people..."

The boy chuckled inwardly. He didn't bring it up directly, but instead looked at Ryuen Kakeru standing beside him and asked, "I heard from Yamashita that Ryuen has become the class leader? Is that true?"

"Do you think I'll answer you?" Ryuen Kakeru smiled dismissively.

"That's true. Only people in the class probably know this kind of thing, and I have no way of knowing the truth if they're lying."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly, then pointed inside the cave and tentatively asked, "May I go in and take a look?"

What if I say no?

A ferocious look appeared on Ryuen's face. The Key Card was actually hidden inside. What if this guy saw it if he went in to check?

"Look at what you're saying, this isn't a base. Everyone can use it freely." Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ryuen Kakeru's face and explained slowly.

"Are you going to use violence against me? That's not the way to solve the problem."

"If you engage in violence or steal items from students in other classes, and this is reported to the teacher, your entire class will be disqualified, and your Private Points will be confiscated."

"You've stayed on the island for so long, are you really willing to let it all go to waste?" Hashiba Hikaru turned to look at Ibuki Mio. "That doesn't break the promise, does it?"

"..."

"Then let's go in, we'll go with you."

Ibuki Mio gritted her teeth. Having already suffered on the island for several days, she absolutely refused to allow herself to be disqualified from the exam.

Ryuen Kakeru also understood the risks of using violence; he had only made a threat.

That's more like it.

Hashiba Hikaru smiled as he entered the cave and began to observe the environment inside. Ibuki Mio and Ryuen Kakeru followed closely behind him, both with somewhat solemn expressions.

Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was still hiding in the bushes in the distance, remained expressionless, but he was somewhat surprised.

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to sense that this Classmate Hashiba had noticed him and glanced in his direction, but hadn't said anything.

[He really is a troublesome person...]

While Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was pondering, Hashiba Hikaru had already quickly circled the entire cave. Since the other party dared to let her in, they must have already hidden the Key Card.

His actions were intended to observe the expressions and reactions of Ryuen Kakeru and Ibuki Mio.

Fortunately, the boy had already gathered the information he needed during the process. Now, all he had to do was return to the camp and probe that Yamashita -kun, and he would immediately know who the leader of Class D was.

"Thank you all for your hard work, I've finished reading it."

Hashiba Hikaru swaggered out of the cave, smiled at the two of them, and said, "Then I'll head back now. I'll keep my promise."

After he turned and left decisively, Ryuen Kakeru immediately followed, wanting to confirm whether Hashiba Hikaru really left.

Ibuki Mio stood there silently, needing time to process what had happened that day.

What's this?

A chain reaction triggered by a single bath has forced us to relocate.

"Sigh..." The short-haired girl sighed heavily.

Chapter 164 Undercover Agents Are Also Sources of Intelligence

After confirming that Hikari had really left, Ryuen Kakeru was following Hashiba Hikaru, returned to the entrance of the cave where they were hiding with a gloomy expression.

He glanced at Ibuki, whose expression was also not good. At this point, there was no point in questioning or discussing the reasons; it was better to evacuate as soon as possible.

"Hurry up and pack your things, let's get going." Ryuen walked into the cave without looking back.

Ibuki Mio quickly followed. The unexpected events of the day had indeed disrupted their original plans. Logically, if they had successfully infiltrated until the last day, that would have been the best time to appear in front of everyone.

But unexpectedly, they've already been exposed to others, especially those from Class A, who are at the very top. Now, it's completely unpredictable whether they can still get the name of their leader from the undercover agents.

However, Ibuki felt that her timely stop-loss action should still be effective. If Hashiba Hikaru used the fact that she had discovered her to make a deal with other classes, then they would be in a real predicament.