You Test Me, I Test You / Hajima Hikaru: Whatever, I Can Climb Trees

Yamashita Saki was still somewhat taken aback by the other party's sudden change in attitude, but she soon saw Hashiba Hikaru turn around and speak quite gently.

"Then let's go back. I'll explain to everyone. For the next few days, please treat this place as your own campsite, Yamashita -kun. Don't be shy at all."

"Um."

Yamashita Saki silently followed the boy back to Class A's camp. In fact, quite a few people had been watching this place since Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose left the camp alone, but the first one to greet them was always Ichinose Honami.

"Classmate Hashiba, you're back." The girl had a gentle smile on her face.

"Yes, the matter is resolved."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly, and after Yamashita Saki entered the camp, he whispered to Ichinose Honami was leaning close, "Let's have a small meeting tonight, not too many people. Ichinose can decide the list. We'll discuss it in detail outside the camp."

"Yes, I understand."

Both of them knew that now was not a good time to discuss these matters, so they proceeded as usual until night fell and the roll call session ended.

As darkness fell, the students of Class A began chatting in the camp, while the group chosen by Ichinose Honami, along with Hashiba Hikaru, went to an open area some distance from the camp.

Those present included Hashiba Hikaru Hajime and Ichinose Honami, followed by Shibata Sou, Kanzaki Ryuji, Ando Sayo, and Himeno Yuki.

"Classmate Hashiba, have you made some new discovery?" Everyone looked at his face.

"I have confirmed the name of the leader of Class D."

"Really?" Ichinose Honami seemed extremely surprised, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a bright light.

"Yes, they did not give up on the exam," Hashiba Hikaru explained calmly.

"So, Yamashita -kun really is an undercover agent?" Kanzaki Ryuji's expression turned serious, and the others all wore similar expressions.

"That's right, but that's no longer a threat. My classmate Nanfang and I have already resolved that concern, and we won't be using the Key Card until the exam is over."

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Shibata standing beside her and asked, "So the plan only has one class left, Class C. Didn't you already confirm the location of Class C's camp, Shibata? Have you made any discoveries recently?"

"Some of them do form a large circle when they swipe their cards at the base, so our undercover team can't see exactly who's using the Key Card."

After learning that Class C was the final target, Shibata's expression immediately became much more serious.

"No matter what, Class C is the final target. There are still three days left until the end of the exam. We must figure out the answer," Hashiba Hikaru's gaze swept over everyone. "Does everyone have confidence?"

"Have!"

"That's good, let's work together then."

"Uh-huh."

Chapter 166 You Test Me, I Test You

On the fifth day of the Uninhabited Island Exam, after roll call in the morning, Hashiba Hikaru and her classmates began their daily tasks, from gathering intelligence to organizing supplies. Everyone was already familiar with these tasks, so the process proceeded smoothly.

After yesterday's impromptu meeting ended, Hashiba Hikaru asked the students who attended to pass on the arrangements for the next few days. After all, holding a large meeting would be more energy-consuming, so it would be better to have the information pass down from top to bottom to achieve the fastest notification effect.

Kanzaki and Shibata are among the more influential students in Class A, and the boy trusts their abilities, so the plan can be reliably communicated to everyone, allowing everyone to work together towards a common goal and execute the plan more efficiently.

Although Class C's camp had already been discovered, simply finding Horikita Suzune wasn't enough; the information was too limited, and Hashiba Hikaru couldn't use Class Points to bet on it for the time being.

Only by piecing together that crucial answer bit by bit can we guarantee that the final result is correct.

Just then, while the students in Class A were still eating breakfast, another commotion came from outside the camp.

When Hashiba Hikaru looked up, she found that several classmates from Class C had come to their camp, and they were all acquaintances.

There were three classmates: Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. After they arrived, Ichinose Honami, the class leader, quickly glanced at Hashiba Hikaru and then immediately got up to greet them.

The boy put down his chopsticks and told everyone to eat as usual before following Ichinose Honami.

"Good morning, Kushida, Horikita- san, and this..." The pink-haired girl greeted them gracefully, "You're Ayanokoji, right?"

"Good morning, Ichinose. We just happened to be passing by."

Since only Kushida Kikyo among the three is sociable, the other two tacitly agreed to entrust her with the task of communication.

This morning, after roll call in Class C, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, in order to gather more information, approached Kushida Kikyo, a popular first-year student, and invited her to visit Class A's camp.

This was an opportunity for her to show herself, so the short-haired girl naturally had no reason to refuse. However, just as they were discussing it, Horikita Suzune suddenly chimed in and said that she wanted to join in as well.

She was equally eager to win the exam, and as the chosen leader, she wanted to make a greater contribution.

Although it deviated somewhat from the original plan, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had no objections. After observing the situation of Ibuki Mio and Ryuen Kakeru that day, he spent the rest of his time monitoring the stronghold occupied by Class B.

Katsuragi Kohei was a cautious person, but because the chosen leader Totsuka Yahiko, did not have high overall qualities, he still revealed some weaknesses despite repeated emphasis.

In addition, in order to obtain more points, Class B occupied a total of three strongholds. During the repeated occupation and card swiping process, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took advantage of the situation and discovered the candidate for leader.

Therefore, he has now set his sights on the remaining Class A.

Good morning, everyone.

Hashiba Hikaru walked up to Ichinose Honami and stood beside her, nodding slightly to the three people in front of her.

Although he was close to both Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune, he couldn't reveal that directly now.

As for the last one... Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Remember the information Kushida provided before? It was this boy who came up with the idea of buying the exam papers, and he also seemed to have helped Sudo find witnesses.

[Perhaps one of Class C's fighting forces?]

While Hashiba Hikaru was silently observing the other party, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained calm. In fact, he had already made a basic judgment about this shadow leader of Class A: if he were to get entangled with him, it might be troublesome.

"What brings you here on your way?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Ichinose Honami smiled and looked at Kushida Kikyo, who was the main speaker. The short-haired girl also smiled and replied casually, "We just came to take a look around. Does Ichinose intend to send us away?"

"Of course not, we have a pretty big place here, and you'd be very welcome to come and visit us."

After the Key Card was properly stored, everyone in Class A, including the real leader Minami Kozue, had gotten used to the situation of no longer mentioning the matter, so the arrival of people from other classes did not cause any concern among them.

"Is it really okay? We're a bit tired from collecting supplies in the forest, so it would be great if we could rest here for a bit."

Kushida Kikyo smiled and revealed her true thoughts, which were actually Ayanokoji's ideas. They had come here to gather information about the leader.

"Sure, we're all classmates, and we'll continue to get to know each other when we go back to school."

After exchanging glances with Ichinose Honami Hashiba Hikaru, Honami Ichinose immediately went back and, together with a few classmates, cleared a clean clearing. In front of them was the stream that flowed through the campsite.

"Would you all like to come and sit for a while?" Ichinose Honami, like the patriarch of Class A, directed the three people to come and rest after everyone had finished tidying up.

She was quite clear that this was a good opportunity to test the waters, and she planned to hand over the stage to Hashiba Hikaru while she provided support and gathered information from the sidelines.

Hashiba Hikaru perfectly understood Ichinose Honami's meaning. After Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came over, he immediately approached them as the "host" of the camp.

"Kushida, have your classmates gotten used to living on this island?" The boy started the conversation by asking about their current situation.

"I guess we're getting used to it. Although everyone was a little uncomfortable at first, we gradually accepted it after enduring it for a while." The short-haired girl hadn't been in close contact with Hashiba Hikaru for a long time, and looking at the boy sitting next to her, a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

"That's right. The school probably set up this Special Exam to test everyone's patience."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Horikita Suzune, whom she had helped before. Although the black-haired girl was quiet, it was clear that she wasn't daydreaming, but rather thinking about something.

"What a mean exam! There are so many bugs in the forest, even with a tent it's still a bit scary." Kushida Kikyo smiled, looking quite charming.

"Classmate Hashiba, don't the girls in your class have this kind of problem?" She stared directly into the boy's eyes.

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami and calmly said, "Well, you'll get used to it if you just endure it. The girls in our class are very strong."

He naturally wouldn't reveal the details of the insect repellent he had created; currently, Class A and Class C were not in a cooperative relationship, so there was no need to tell them.

"But I heard there are no bugs in the base," Kushida Kikyo said slowly, her gaze sweeping over Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami. "Because the base was artificially created, and the school has also carried out some development to reduce the forest and bush content, bugs basically won't go there."

"I see, that analysis makes a lot of sense."

Hashiba Hikaru stroked her chin, glanced at Horikita Suzune beside her, and said to her, "But I think given Horikita's personality, you probably wouldn't care about bugs or anything like that."

"Yes, I'm not afraid of these insects that appear in the forest, so it doesn't affect me much." Horikita Suzune tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear and began her own tentative exploration.

"Since you can make herbs, you must know this Classmate Hashiba quite well, right?"

"It can only be considered as some discoveries, it's just a matter of practice makes perfect. After all, we'll be spending seven days here, so we need to do some preparation, right?"

"Yes, I think the school set up the outpost to help us pass the exams more easily. It not only has supplies, but also reduces the danger to everyone."

Horikita Suzune placed her small hands on her chest and pondered for a moment, "If we don't capture any strongholds, it might be even more difficult to cope with the exam."

Hashiba Hikaru didn't respond immediately, but instead shifted her gaze to Ichinose Honami beside her.

"But capturing a stronghold is actually very risky. Our Class A won't risk it for these points, right, Ichinose?"

After hearing Hashiba Hikaru's call, Ichinose Honami turned to look at the boy's smiling face. After roughly guessing what he meant, she smiled and explained to the three students from Class C.

"That's right. Actually, it's not a secret. All the students in our class want to implement a more reliable plan to get through the exam."

"Oh, is that so?"

Upon hearing these words, Kushida Kikyo's face showed a hint of surprise, though it was unclear whether she was genuinely surprised or feigning it.

"So, does that mean Classmate Hashiba's class has completely given up on capturing the base?"

Horikita Suzune looked surprised after hearing the two of them announce this information in a coordinated manner.

She had no idea that Class A was in such a state; it seemed her original plan to find out about the leaders was no longer feasible.

Without realizing it, the black-haired girl gently placed her right hand next to her pants pocket, where her Key Card, which she never parted with, was kept.

This is a habit she has recently developed; no matter what she does, Horikita Suzune does not allow the Key Card to lose contact with her.

"Don't be so surprised, right? After all, a safe and conservative tactic is the simplest. It just saves you points and you don't have to deal with those troublesome things. It's a perfect fighting style for our Class A."

Hashiba Hikaru naturally noticed Horikita Suzune's subtle movements. Ever since entering Class A's camp, the boy's eyes had never left her.

The situation I observed on the day the medicine was delivered is still vivid in my mind.

Horikita Suzune is highly likely to be the leader.

Any unusual behavior is a manifestation of the answer; once this intelligence is gathered, only the final step remains.

Chapter 167 Hashiba Hikaru: It doesn't matter, I can climb trees

"Won't this be very strenuous for you?"

Kushida Kikyo glanced at her two companions. Horikita Suzune fell silent, while the usually quiet Ayanokoji didn't show much reaction, just staring blankly at the stream in front of her.

No, it won't.

Ichinose Honami shook her head and explained to the others, "The classmates all strongly support this plan, so we've been implementing a plan of hard work and patience from the very beginning."

"Only by helping each other can we reap the rewards of victory."

The pink-haired girl's expression was quite gentle. This wasn't just a perfunctory gesture; it reflected her true feelings at that moment. If everyone couldn't unite, many problems would likely arise on the very first day.

"As expected of Ichinose, it seems your class has a really strong sense of cohesion." After praising her, Kushida Kikyo glanced at her two classmates beside her. Seeing that they didn't have anything to say, she simply stood up.

"Well, we've rested enough, why don't we head back?"

"Can."

After Horikita Suzune stood up, her gaze shifted back to the boy. She had actually wondered if the leader of Class A might be Hashiba Hikaru or Ichinose Honami, but after seeing how openly they announced the information, she dismissed the idea.

"Then we'll take our leave."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke his first words besides greetings, and he said them while looking at Hashiba Hikaru. Although his gaze remained calm, there was clearly something else in it.

The plan to abandon the outpost sounds ordinary; almost any class could easily carry it out.

Since there's no risk of exposing the leader if Key Card aren't used, and as long as points are used sparingly, the Class Evaluation Points can still be obtained in the end.

Before the exam began, Class C's homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae, had mentioned this. If one wasn't greedy, this exam was essentially like a camping trip on Uninhabited Island, with no need to compete with other classes.

However, since Ayanokoji Kiyotaka saw Hashiba Hikaru following behind Ibuki during the ambush, he naturally wouldn't believe his nonsense. Class A's goal must be to guess the leaders of all the classes.

This is beyond doubt.

After all, the scores in Class B are very close. If they can't widen the gap this time, they might be caught up later.

Goodbye, everyone in Class C.

After smilingly seeing the three off from the camp, Ichinose Honami quickly returned to Hashiba Hikaru's side.

"So, what information did you get, Classmate Hashiba?"

"Of course there is. Now we only need a few more pieces to complete the answer."

The boy touched his chin. He had obtained the names of the leaders of the previous two classes through observation and verbal probing, then tricked them into revealing their weaknesses.