Reconnaissance / I Can't Take It Anymore

"Okay, then, sorry for the trouble."

Hirata agreed at once and replied warmly.

As Horikita watched in disbelief, Kiyotaka simply took her by the hand and slowly led her away.

"I really can't believe you actually volunteered to find something to do."

Horikita wore a jacket and stood with her arms crossed, speaking coolly.

"There's nothing else to do, so I thought I'd pass the time. Besides, don't forget Ryuen's provocation on the yacht. You've definitely become one of his targets, haven't you?"

Horikita sighed softly at that.

"Yeah, you're right."

Reconnaissance

"Hey, aren't those Ayanokoji and Horikita?"

Kiyotaka and Horikita appeared in front of Class B's camp. Ichinose, who had been chatting with someone, spotted them and greeted them enthusiastically.

"Hi! What brings you over here?"

Ichinose looked at Kiyotaka, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, then asked in a natural, open manner.

"Ah... We had some free time, so we're walking around. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not! I'll show you around!"

As Ichinose led the way, Kiyotaka saw how cheerful and harmonious Class B was. Everyone had a clearly defined role, and none of them looked tense about the exam. If anything, Kiyotaka felt as though they'd come here on vacation.

"There's plenty of fruit in the forest, and we can just about catch fish in the sea. Since we're near this waterfall, getting drinking water is easy, too."

Seeing Kiyotaka look around, Ichinose took the initiative to explain.

"As expected of Class B. You're even more united than I imagined," Horikita remarked, impressed by what she saw.

"Hahaha, not really. We've been through plenty of hardships, too. We struggled at first, but we came up with all sorts of ways to manage, and things are going fairly well now."

"I think there's still room for cooperation between Class D and Class B, right, Ichinose?"

"Mm, I think so."

While Horikita and Ichinose were talking, a voice interrupted them.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if there's anything you need me to do."

"Hmm... Let me think. You can go help Chihiro."

"Okay, got it. Sorry to bother you."

Watching Ichinose speak with her classmate, Horikita couldn't help asking,

"Isn't it a bit too polite to talk to your own classmate like that?"

"His name is Kaneda. Apparently, he had an argument with someone from Class C and got kicked out of their camp."

At this, Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed slightly. Fragments that had once been difficult to make sense of slowly began to fall into place.

"I see..."

Ichinose looked curiously at Kiyotaka as he pondered.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. Your classmates are calling you. You must be busy, so we won't keep you. We'll come by again when we have time."

When she heard Kiyotaka say they'd visit again, Ichinose blushed even more. She gave them both a sweet smile.

"Okay, I'd better get back to work. See you next time."

"I have to admit, Class B is basically an upgraded version of Class D. In every way, they're beyond where we are now," Horikita said after Ichinose had walked away.

"Yeah... Who could disagree?"

In the grass, some distance from Class A's territory.

"I can't see anything from here. Class A has covered their territory completely with cloth."

After watching for a long time without getting a look inside, Horikita said in frustration.

Kiyotaka stood up.

"Then let's get closer and take a look. Even if they're Class A, they can't keep hiding like this."

"What are you trying to do? Revealing ourselves for no reason isn't a wise choice. It won't benefit us at all."

Kiyotaka glanced down at Horikita and said calmly,

"Sneaking around here won't get us anywhere. Or would you rather do something with me?"

At that, Horikita's face turned red. Without another word, she stood up and followed Kiyotaka.

"Hey, who are you? What do you want here?"

As the two approached, one of the Class A students guarding the entrance called out to them.

"We're here to scout. Is there a problem?"

After speaking, Horikita looked at the large cloth blocking their way and tried to lift it so she could walk inside.

"What are you doing? Class A has claimed this place."

"Oh? So Class A has claimed it. That doesn't stop us from taking a look, does it? The rules don't say that other classes can't inspect a claimed area."

As they argued, a figure slowly emerged from inside. He was tall and bare-chested, with a crude homemade bow slung across his back. It was Katsuragi, Class A's leader.

"What's going on? I don't remember allowing guests here."

"I'm sorry, they—"

Before the guard could finish, Horikita cut him off with a cold laugh.

"We just want to take a look inside. The rules don't say we can't. Are you planning to break them?"

Katsuragi smiled at that.

"Break the rules? Finding territory of your own and defending it until the exam ends—that's the unspoken rule of this exam, isn't it? If you go around violating that, it's bound to upset the people in Class A."

As Katsuragi spoke, Kiyotaka and Horikita heard footsteps rustling behind them. They turned around and saw that Class A students had gathered behind them, all holding weapons such as wooden clubs.

Kiyotaka gave a faint smile.

"Sorry. We were out of line. We'll be going."

With that, Kiyotaka took Horikita by the hand and slowly led her out of the circle of Class A students. They left under the group's wary gaze.

"Why did you pull me away? They were threatening us with violence! Why give in?"

Horikita complained as Kiyotaka led her along.

Kiyotaka stopped and drew Horikita into his arms.

"What would we gain by picking a fight with them? This isn't school. There aren't cameras everywhere to prove what happened. Even if something did happen, they could brush it off with a few words."

For once, Horikita looked like a little girl, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

Seeing this, Kiyotaka kissed her, holding her close as he explored her body.

Only after Horikita was left breathless and began squirming in his arms did Kiyotaka finally let her go.

"Feeling better now?"

Horikita's face was bright red. She shot Kiyotaka a glare.

"W-what am I supposed to be mad about? That you took advantage of me again? I don't have any strength left. How am I supposed to walk?"

Kiyotaka laughed and scooped Horikita up in his arms.

"Come on. Let's check out Class C last. After that, I'll miss you..."

Horikita's heart fluttered at his words, and she shyly nestled against him.

Her slender, pale hands wrapped tightly around Kiyotaka's neck, and her cheeks burned.

It's the Dragon Boat Festival today. Mengdong wishes everyone a peaceful holiday and happiness every day!

Unable to Hold Back

The beach was filled with loud music, and everyone from Class C was playing by the sea in their swimsuits. The tables on the shore were covered with all kinds of food and drinks. Horikita was taken aback by the sight.

"Um, Ryuen wants you to come over."

One of the students from Class C came over and spoke to Kiyotaka and Horikita timidly.

Ryuen was lying on a beach chair, with someone standing behind him holding a parasol. When he saw Horikita, he grinned.

"Well, look who it is. You came, Suzune."

Ryuen took a sip of the beer in his hand, then frowned.

"Hey, come here."

The Class C student who had led them over immediately approached, terrified.

Ryuen poured the beer over his head. It streamed down the student's hair.

"This isn't cold. Got it?"

"Got it, got it."

The student nodded like a chicken pecking at grain, then scrambled over to the cooler to fetch another beer.

Watching this, Horikita furrowed her brow.

"You've spent all your points on food and drinks. How do you expect to last seven days?"

Ryuen gave a derisive laugh.

"Is enduring the heat and all the stress like you poor things really the right way to do it? Why not enjoy this time like we are in Class C?"

"I'm ashamed I came here with such a cautious attitude. I feel like an idiot."

Horikita sighed sincerely.

"An idiot? Who, you or me? If we have points to spend, why shouldn't I use them?"

Horikita didn't want to keep arguing with Ryuen. She went straight to the point.

"Ibuki is in your class, right? When we ran into her, we saw that her face was badly swollen. What happened?"

"Oh, she's one of ours. It's perfectly normal for me to teach people who disobey orders a little lesson. Got a problem with that?"

Ryuen took a sip of his beer and said it without a care.

"You really are a tyrant!"

Horikita despised Ryuen for casually using violence against others and rebuked him without holding back.

But Ryuen laughed uproariously, taking it as a compliment.

"Hahaha, thanks for the praise, Suzune. Want to join us? I can set you up with a tent all to yourself."

"Ayanokoji, let's go. Staying here is a complete waste of time."

Horikita ignored Ryuen's invitation, turned, and started walking away.

"Hey, leaving already? You really don't want to join us? Come on, enjoy yourselves!" Ryuen laughed arrogantly behind them.

Horikita clenched her fists and quickened her pace.

In the forest, the two of them walked along the path.

"What a waste of time. It's a shame that Class C has a leader like that. With him squandering points so recklessly, there's no way they'll last until the end," Horikita said, utterly baffled.

"Maybe Ryuen never planned to last until the end."

"What do you mean?"

Seeing Horikita's confusion, Kiyotaka put an arm around her and explained.

"It's simple. Maybe they've given up on this exam, just like Koenji. They can come up with some excuse—mental problems, feeling unwell, whatever—and after enjoying themselves, they can go straight back to the ship."

So this was Ryuen's Zero-Point Plan? In a way, perhaps it counted as a success.