"Ayanokoji, sorry, we're a little short on firewood. Could you go gather some?" Hirata asked when he saw Kiyotaka while he was still setting up camp.
"Sure. I'll go pick up some."
"It's too dangerous to go alone."
"It's fine. I'll find someone to come with me."
With that, Kiyotaka left. On the way, he spotted Airi and took her along to gather branches.
"Kiyotaka, is it really okay to just drag me out here like this?"
Airi looked at Kiyotaka nervously as she asked.
Seeing the nervous, bashful expression on Airi's face, Kiyotaka couldn't resist getting a little playful.
He pushed her against a tree, then laid a hand on her soft curves.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy I brought you out here?"
Airi hurriedly shook her head.
"No, it's just that everyone's busy. It doesn't feel right for us to sneak off like this."
She spoke softly as she quietly endured the pleasant sensation of his hand on her.
Once he'd teased her enough, Kiyotaka let her go.
"What are you thinking? We came out here because we might not have enough firewood, so we're gathering some more."
"Then why were you groping me?"
Airi pouted unhappily and looked at Kiyotaka with teary eyes.
"Just collecting a little interest."
After saying this calmly, Kiyotaka began picking out suitable firewood.
Watching Kiyotaka get to work, Airi stamped her foot cutely and scolded him in a fierce little voice.
"Kiyotaka, you're awful!"
Before long, they'd gathered a large amount of firewood. But on their way back, they spotted a forlorn figure sitting by the path. Looking closer, they saw that she was covered in bruises, as if someone had just beaten her up.
Mio Ibuki
"Oh! What happened to you?" Kindhearted Airi immediately started toward the girl, seeing how miserable she looked.
Kiyotaka grabbed Airi and murmured,
"You're Ibuki from Class C, right?"
Airi looked at Kiyotaka in confusion.
"What is it, Kiyotaka? She's hurt."
Kiyotaka glanced at Airi, then let go and shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Airi immediately went over to Ibuki and crouched beside her.
"Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Didn't you hear him say I'm from Class C?"
Ibuki glanced at Airi and replied coldly.
Airi just smiled and said,
"It doesn't matter which class you're in. You're hurt, so I can't just ignore you."
With that, she helped Ibuki to her feet and slowly guided her back to camp, where she settled her down nearby.
As evening fell, a group of people gathered around Ike.
"Look, you just strike it like this, and a flame appears!"
Following Ike's demonstration, a fire quickly sprang up in the woodpile and soon blazed brightly.
Just then, the girls who had gone to gather fruit returned. Kikyo among them smiled cheerfully at everyone.
"We're back! We picked lots of fruit, but we don't know which ones are safe to eat."
"Yeah, how can we tell if these are edible?"
"Maybe they're blueberries?" Kikyo said, holding up a cluster of slightly bluish-purple fruit.
"Oh, those are bog bilberries. They're really sweet! Hey, did you find figs too? I haven't had those in ages. You all gathered these? Kikyo, you're amazing!"
Ike had just finished lighting the fire. When he saw the fruit in Kikyo and the others' hands, he exclaimed in delight.
"Ike, you know so much. You found a water source, you can tell which fruit is edible, and you know all sorts of tricks," Hirata remarked from nearby.
"He even taught us how to start a fire. He's amazing," Kei Karuizawa added.
Hearing Kei praise him, Ike hesitated, then stood up and said,
"Karuizawa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you fussy this morning. It reminded me of the first time I went camping and argued with my parents about the primitive toilet. I didn't think it through. Please forgive me."
"Why are you suddenly apologizing? We were at fault too. Looks like we'll have to do something if we want to hold on to our points."
Kei felt awkward about Ike's apology and replied.
At that moment, Hirata clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Everyone, I hope we can get along over the next week. If we can keep at least 250 points, that'll be enough."
"What, are you planning to spend 200 points?" someone asked in confusion.
"Here's how I see it. If we need to replenish both food and water, even the cheapest meal will cost 15 points. From tonight until the end of the exam, we'll need 12 meals, which comes to 180 points. Add the 50 points we spent on the toilet and tent, and that makes 230. If we keep the remaining 20 as a reserve, holding on to 250 points would be pretty good."
"What do you think?" Kiyotaka asked, standing beside Horikita.
"That's a realistic estimate. It's exactly the same as my calculations," Horikita replied coolly.
"Oh? Did you teach him?"
Horikita rolled her eyes at Kiyotaka.
"Of course not."
Hirata continued speaking.
"And since Ike found a water source, if we can gather our own food, we might be able to keep more than 300 points! That would be a huge improvement over our usual scores, which don't even reach 100."
The students in Class D thought Hirata's analysis made sense, and their confidence grew.
About half an hour later, Kiyotaka walked over to Ibuki, who was sitting alone nearby.
"Sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer. Hirata and the others are discussing what to do about you."
Ibuki buried her face in her bag and replied,
"It doesn't matter. You'll kick me out in a while anyway. Whatever."
Kiyotaka sat down beside her.
"Not necessarily. There are plenty of good people in our class."
Before Kiyotaka had finished speaking, Kikyo came over with some food.
"You're Ibuki, right? Have some of this to fill your stomach. You might have to wait a little longer."
Looking at Kikyo's warm smile, Ibuki couldn't help showing a hint of surprise.
"You're all idiots, aren't you? Being so nice to someone from another class."
Kikyo didn't seem bothered. She smiled sweetly.
"I hope we can have a nice chat later. Eat something first..."
Ibuki watched Kikyo walk away, then turned to Kiyotaka in confusion.
"Aren't you afraid I'm a spy from Class C?"
Kiyotaka looked Ibuki straight in the eye, a sharp glint flashing briefly in his golden gaze. He spoke calmly.
"That has nothing to do with me. I don't speak for Class D. As long as you don't cause trouble for me, it's none of my business."
The look in Kiyotaka's eyes had made Ibuki's hair stand on end, but when she blinked and looked again, it seemed as if she'd imagined it. She was left feeling even more puzzled and wary of him.
At the same time, a long-familiar voice rang out in Kiyotaka's mind.
"Target acquired: Mio Ibuki. Quest accepted.攻略 begins."
The brief message made Kiyotaka narrow his eyes slightly. He'd thought Honami Ichinose was more likely to be his next target, but he hadn't expected it to be Ibuki from Class C.
Kiyotaka studied Ibuki covertly. He didn't know much about the blue-haired girl, but her proportions and the firm muscles in her arms and calves made it clear that she exercised regularly. She even seemed to have some martial arts training.
And her appearance here, in Class D's territory, was far too coincidental. Kiyotaka couldn't help feeling intrigued.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ibuki had grown more wary of Kiyotaka, so although his scrutiny was subtle, she still noticed it.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about your question."
Kiyotaka looked at Ibuki calmly.
"What question?"
"If you were a spy sent by Class C, how I could make you regret it."
After saying this, Kiyotaka smiled at Ibuki, then headed toward Horikita at the camp. He needed to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happened.
Kikyo's Obedience
Kiyotaka's gaze seemed to pierce right through Ibuki. When he looked at her, she felt as if she were standing naked in front of him, without a stitch of clothing. The feeling sent a chill through her, and even after Kiyotaka had left, she couldn't recover for a long while.
The appearance of Ibuki's quest had opened up a new line of thought for Kiyotaka. Horikita and their homeroom teacher, Chabashira, both wanted the class to advance to Class A. To do that, they would have to defeat Classes A, B, and C one by one. Ibuki's arrival gave Kiyotaka a possible opening into Class C. Winning her over and using her to gain a foothold there was one option.
As Kiyotaka weighed this, Sudo's furious roar snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Koenji, you bastard! I'm going to beat the hell out of you!"
Kiyotaka approached the crowd and asked,
"What happened? Why are you so angry?"
Hirata rubbed his temples.
"Koenji didn't show up for the evening roll call. Our homeroom teacher told us he'd gone back to the cruise ship without permission. He can't return during the exam, and 20 exam points have been deducted."
Horikita shook her head at Hirata's explanation. To Kiyotaka, though, it was unexpected yet entirely in character.
The homeroom teacher had called everyone in Class D trash, and each of them had their own flaws. Kiyotaka didn't know Koenji very well, but given how he usually did whatever he pleased, this was exactly the sort of thing he might do.
"The important thing now isn't to dwell on what's already happened. It's what we're going to do about Ibuki."
Kiyotaka rarely spoke up, so Horikita glanced at him with surprise and suspicion. She hadn't expected him to chime in at a moment like this. It wasn't like him at all.
"Ayanokoji's right. I think we should let her stay. Even though this is an exam, it's far too dangerous for a girl to wander around alone on an uninhabited island."
Hirata nodded, then gave his opinion.
Kei always followed Hirata's lead, so she didn't object.
As for Kikyo, there was no need to mention her. Her outward kindness wouldn't let her say no.
With these three agreeing, the decision about whether Ibuki could stay was all but settled. Seeing that everyone had made up their minds, Kikyo said,
"Should I go talk to Ibuki?"
Hirata smiled at Kikyo.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Seeing Kikyo heading over to Ibuki, Kiyotaka quietly moved closer and spoke in a low voice.
"Come with me."
Before you continue