Everything Is Ready

Hirata Yosuke stretched and chatted with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka while loosening his limbs:

"If we include Koenji's withdrawal, we only used about 80 points yesterday. Although I think we should have at least 120 points left, Karuizawa seems to want to save more. I feel like if we don't handle this well, the class will fall into arguments again. Just thinking about this makes me unable to sleep, so I decided to get up."

Hirata Yosuke seemed to be thinking about the class even in his sleep, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded in agreement.

"The work of mediating in the class is really tough."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt completely incapable of handling this kind of work, which is why he chose to rely on Horikita Suzune to participate in class affairs. However, as Horikita Suzune gradually lost power, he now faced two choices: whether to find a new tool or to revive Horikita Suzune.

Hirata Yosuke wet a towel with water and handed it to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka:

"I'm only doing this because I enjoy it. I'll be content as long as everyone in the class is happy. But I've found it's harder than I imagined. Although how many Special Exam points we have left will greatly determine our future school life, I don't think it's right to force everyone for it and make them feel miserable and argue."

It seems that Hirata Yosuke is also a little dissatisfied with Karuizawa Kei's approach, but he probably won't bring it up before things get worse. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka even believes that the other party will do his best to assist Karuizawa Kei's work; Hirata Yosuke is that kind of guy.

The idea of making everyone in the class happy sounds too naive, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka doesn't dislike this kind of simplicity. People with flawed personalities and inner shadows are the easiest to control and exploit, so Ayanokoji Kiyotaka doesn't deny the other person's statement.

"By the way, I Hirata you exchanged some commonly used medicines yesterday, where did you put them?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kitagawa Ryo only had a brief encounter yesterday. He believed that Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't act arbitrarily. Horikita Suzune's concealment of her illness should be a good thing for Class C, since withdrawing from the exam would deduct thirty Special Exam Points from Class D. However, Kitagawa Ryo chose to point this out, even "kindly" advising Class B to purchase some common medicines. Although he didn't know Class C's specific plans, this should be a significant step, at least yielding benefits exceeding the potential thirty points.

"Oh, you mean medicine? Apart from the cold medicine Horikita- san took, the rest seem to be in Karuizawa's luggage."

While washing his face, Hirata Yosuke pointed to the mountain of luggage piled up in the camp. The boys' and girls' luggage were placed separately in front of their respective tents. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka secretly noted the location of Karuizawa Kei's package, planning to find an opportunity to rummage through it.

"Is Ayanokoji not feeling well either?"

Hirata Yosuke Ayanokoji Kiyotaka a concerned look at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head and replied:

"I'm not feeling unwell, I'm just asking out of curiosity. What kinds of medications are available?"

"If you ask that, let me think about it..."

Hirata Yosuke recalled the Matoba when he exchanged the currency yesterday:

"It's basically common medicines for colds, fevers, coughs, runny noses, diarrhea, etc., bundled together with some bandages and alcohol."

"OK."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was about to ask a few more questions when a commotion came from the beach, drawing their attention.

Finding a higher vantage point, Hirata Yosuke and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked in the direction of the sound. It seemed that the students of Class C were lining up to board the ship. However, because of the distance, they couldn't count how many people had returned to the ship, but there were definitely more than ten. In other words, Class C's Special Exam Points had now dropped to zero.

"I didn't expect Class C to actually give up on this exam."

Ignoring Hirata Yosuke, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the beach, which was much emptier than yesterday, with only a few empty tents remaining.

He seems to have found a clue.

On the morning of the second day, after roll call, the students of Class A began to explore and gather food and information. Although Class C had taken advantage of the darkness to move all the supplies into Class A's base in the cave the night before, they still had to maintain appearances. After all, if Class B and Class D found out about the deal between Class A and Class C, they might unite against Class A.

Good morning, Kamuro.

Just as Kamuro Masumi entered the dense forest alone to find some fruit, a figure suddenly jumped down from a nearby tree. However, Kamuro Masumi didn't seem surprised. She took two steps back, crossed her arms, and looked at Kitagawa Ryo, who was completely covered up in a tracksuit.

"You really didn't leave."

"There's nothing we can do about that. After all, I'm not sure if the guessing- Leader segment on the last day of the exam will require the participants to still be on the island. If Class C can't guess the Leader of another class because everyone has returned to the ship, we'll be at a huge loss."

Although Kitagawa Ryo said this, Kamuro Masumi didn't believe it immediately. After all, Sakayanagi Arisu had told her before the exam not to take any suggestive words to heart unless they were given explicit orders. Although the two sides had formed a temporary alliance to suppress Katsuragi Kohei, the other side might take advantage of this alliance to sabotage their ally and gain an advantage in the next confrontation.

"The Leader of Class A is Totsuka Yahiko."

Kamuro Masumi ignored Kitagawa Ryo's statement and preemptively revealed the information she possessed.

"Class A still has a full 250 Special Exam Points left. Because of the agreement with your Class C, and with your supplies, these 250 points will most likely be preserved intact. Moreover, you also need to provide Katsuragi with the Leader of Classes B and D. In total, Class A can gain a full 350 points from this Special Exam."

She glanced at Kitagawa Ryo, who showed no reaction, and continued:

Even if Class C manages to guess Class A's Leader correctly in the end, Class A will still have 300 points left after deducting 50 points.

"But what if all three classes, B, C, and D, guessed it correctly together?"

Kamuro Masumi was somewhat moved by Kitagawa Ryo's words, but still frowned and calculated:

"Class A can still retain 200 Special Exam Points, which won't be a significant blow to Katsuragi."

"Is this all the tricks you have, Kitagawa?"

"Provocation doesn't work on me."

Kitagawa Ryo stepped forward and handed Kamuro Masumi a small packet of yellow powder, probably only a few grams in size.

"What is it?"

Kamuro Masumi examined the small packet of powder in the sunlight, then opened it and sniffed it.

"Some interesting little things I brought in with me when I arrived on the island, which I had pressed under my tongue."

"It was prepared for me by that guy Ryuen, but sometimes his underhanded tricks are quite useful."

Kitagawa Ryo leaped back into the tree, resting his head on the broad trunk while speaking to Kamuro Masumi with his back to her. His tone, however, was abruptly strange, as if he were suppressing a laugh:

So what exactly is it?

Kamuro Masumi also felt a sense of unease; whenever Sakayanagi Arisu tried to torment her, she would show an expression similar to that of Kitagawa Ryo now.

"Laxative."

Kitagawa Ryo succinctly summarized it.

"You want me to drug my classmates and force them to withdraw from the exam?"

Kamuro Masumi abruptly took two steps back, looking Kitagawa Ryo up and down:

"It'll definitely be discovered, and the school isn't stupid. They'll investigate such a large-scale mass exodus, and then we'll all be finished."

You're overthinking it.

"This amount isn't enough."

Kitagawa Ryo turned to the side, revealing half of his face, and said:

"What I mean is, give it to yourself."

"Ha?"

Kamuro Masumi looked incredulous. Although her personality was a bit eccentric and her habits somewhat naive, she was still a standard beautiful girl, and she usually had no shortage of suitors in her class. However, Kitagawa Ryo showed no chivalry whatsoever, immediately asking her to administer laxatives herself. Thinking of the consequences, Kamuro Masumi quickly shook her head and refused.

"No."

"If you control the amount, it won't kill you in public; at most, you'll just have a stomachache for a while."

Kitagawa Ryo had a look that said, "You have to believe me," but Kamuro Masumi still shook her head and refused to agree.

"Alright, then who else among you can do this? I don't believe that Arisu only kept you as a pawn in Class A."

Seeing Kamuro Masumi's resolute expression, Kitagawa Ryo could only click his tongue and change his target. It seemed that beautiful girls really did reject this kind of thing.

It must be said that when it comes to shifting blame, people's thinking is always unusually quick; Kamuro Masumi didn't even hesitate before naming another person:

"Hashimoto Masayoshi!"

"Alright, you can give that thing to him."

Having obtained another piece of information about Class A and Sakayanagi Arisu, Kitagawa Ryo calmly gave instructions while writing down the name.

"Oh, and then what? Thirty points are deducted for each person skipping the exam. Kitagawa, you didn't go to all this trouble just for this, did you?"

Having escaped the Fate of being killed by the company, Kamuro Masumi also came to her senses and, after rethinking, asked a question.

Of course not.

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and denied it:

"If Hashimoto Masayoshi ever feels unwell, have the Sakayanagi Faction disrupt the class atmosphere as much as possible. All you need to do at the height of the chaos is casually mention something like, 'It seems like there was some medicine for diarrhea among the supplies sent by Class C. '"

"Is there?"

Kamuro Masumi recalled the supplies that Class C had brought over yesterday. Because there were so many items, and a significant portion of them were unopened food and water, the members of Class A simply checked them against the list on the contract and carried them into the cave.

"Some."

"You can use it without worry."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Everything is Ready

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was trekking swiftly through the dense forest. If the other members of Class D were to see him, they would be amazed at how fast Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who didn't look particularly strong, could move. It was precisely because he knew that he wouldn't be watched or followed in this forest that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been hiding himself, was able to reveal his true form.

Pushing aside the branches and leaves, a distinctive tower came into view; Class A's base cave should be nearby.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took out a borrowed pen and folded paper from his pocket and drew a simple map of the terrain he had traveled along the way.

After a day of deliberation, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had made his own assessment of this Special Exam. Eighty percent of the Special Exam, held on the Uninhabited Island, was a "defense test" to confirm whether the class cooperated effectively—that is, whether the entire class could work together to overcome difficulties. Horikita Suzune's definition of it as a test of "endurance" was somewhat reasonable. However, the remaining 20% was equally important; it tested their ability to investigate and gather information from other classes—an "offensive test."

However, this 8 to 2 ratio will not be reflected in the exam results.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the 20% contains factors that can significantly influence the exam results.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stopped in his tracks. Below him was a cliff. He glanced around casually and found a ladder leading down. Climbing down the ladder, he came to a small, man-made hut.

The electronic device at the entrance of the cabin indicates that this is a base set up by the school. If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is the Leader of Class D, he can occupy it once every eight hours, and each time he can add one Special Exam Points to the class.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stepped forward to check the occupation status of the base. Sure enough, the text above indicated that it belonged to Class A, with approximately four hours remaining.

Peeking through the window, one could see fishing rods and other equipment. This meant that if one could claim this spot, one could fish even without spending points to rent fishing gear from the school.

However, the props inside showed no signs of being touched; in fact, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on them.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took out a map from his pocket and marked the location of the hut. Of course, it was only a rough location; accurately measuring the spot would likely take a lot of time.

After marking the paper, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka folded it again and put it in his pocket.

Just as Class D operated with the riverbank as their center, Class A should also have considered the area around the cave as their activity zone. This hut should also have been within their activity zone, but they didn't choose to take these items, even though they could have saved some food-related points.

Because of Sakayanagi Arisu's absence, Class A started with only 270 Special Exam Points, and should have been just as strapped for cash as Class D, having to be frugal in every way.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka climbed the ladder back up the cliff, squinting as he surveyed the cave not far away. The entrance to the cave was blocked by a huge curtain made of plastic bags, and two students stood on either side of it, looking around like guards.

As expected, Katsuragi's initial occupation of the cave was not without reason.

The true charm of this cave stronghold lies not in its shelter from the wind and rain, but in the significance inherent in the location itself.

That's its excellent concealment.

As long as you keep an eye on the single entrance, whatever is hidden inside won't be easily discovered.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tried to continue approaching the cave. Class C's plan was definitely closely related to Class A, but now that Class C had most likely withdrawn, Class A was the only remaining target for investigation.

Considering the relationship between Class D's current Leader, Karuizawa Kei, and Class C, it can be said that Class D has already lost half the battle in terms of defense in this exam. Therefore, if they want to gain more points, they can only choose to attack, which is risky but also has high potential rewards.

Just a few dozen meters after Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had walked a few dozen meters, two boys suddenly appeared from the thicket, as if waiting for their prey to fall into a trap.

"What are you doing there? This is Matoba Class A is using."

They surrounded Ayanokoji Kiyotaka as if to pin him down, each holding a thick tree branch, seemingly as a weapon... It was probably a deterrent, since violence would be severely punished.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka raised his hand to indicate that he meant no Malice.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before."

One of the boys from Class A held a branch to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's throat, seemingly enjoying the sensation, and threatened him to reveal his identity.

"I'm Ayanokoji from Class D."

Upon hearing the letter "D," the two students from Class A relaxed slightly, but their attitude remained unchanged; in fact, they laughed with an air of arrogance.

"Let's investigate whether he's carrying any suspicious items."

The two men moved closer to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, one reaching into his pocket while the other checked his ankles for anything hidden.

"This is not an act of violence, you understand?"

The two continued to intimidate him while searching him, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded in understanding.

They quickly found ballpoint pens and folded papers.

"Why bring a ballpoint pen?... A hand-drawn map?"

The boys in Class A confronted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with a rough sketch of the island and a record of whether it had been occupied, questioning him about it.

Give it back to me.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tried to snatch his things back, but missed.