Prelude to the Uninhabited Island: The Invisible Man's First Move

The scorching sun baked the beach, and the air was thick with the salty dampness of seawater and... the stench of despair.

The students of Class D lay sprawled across the ground like a band of abandoned refugees.

Discipline was in shambles.

Morale was low.

Supplies were scarce.

They had started on hell mode.

"Damn it, what is the school trying to do?!"

"I'm almost out of sunscreen..."

"I'm starving. The snacks I brought aren't nearly enough."

Complaints rose one after another, mixed with the sobs of girls, making the already irritable atmosphere even more chaotic.

Natsume Yu leaned beneath the shade of a coconut tree, his eyes half-closed. He looked just as exhausted as everyone else by this sudden survival test.

Yet inside, he was as cold and still as a lake.

His gaze slowly swept across every person.

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were huddled together, complaining.

Shinohara Satsuki and several girls had anxiety written all over their faces.

Horikita Suzune stood to one side with a deep frown, trying to maintain order, but achieving very little.

Everyone was like an actor giving their all onstage, while he was the only audience member.

This Uninhabited Island was hell to them.

To him, it was the perfect hunting ground.

A clear map unfolded in Natsume Yu's mind.

The Uninhabited Island Special Exam would last seven days.

Each class began with 300 special points.

The points could be used to buy supplies, or they could earn extra points by occupying certain "bases."

Each correct guess of a leader's identity would add 50 points to the class, while each wrong guess would deduct 50 points.

Every rule, every trap, every crucial event point surfaced in his mind one by one, like a script written long ago.

He knew how cruel this exam would be.

More importantly, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to firmly seize control of the scattered mess that was Class D.

He stood up, brushed the sand from his pants, and walked toward Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

One was proud and aloof, eager to prove herself.

The other concealed his true abilities and played the fool.

Both were excellent chess pieces.

"Hey."

Natsume Yu spoke lazily. His voice was not loud, but it was just enough for both of them to hear.

"Are we just going to let them keep arguing?"

Horikita Suzune shot him a cold glance.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I wouldn't call it an idea. There's just something I don't understand."

Natsume Yu shrugged, looking like he was merely curious.

"The school gave us three hundred points to buy things. But... it never said we had to spend all the points, did it?"

He paused and watched a thoughtful glint flash through Horikita Suzune's eyes.

"What if the real purpose of this exam isn't how to spend points, but how to... save them?"

The words were like a stone dropped into a still lake.

Horikita Suzune's pupils abruptly contracted.

She had been trapped by the idea of "how to use points to obtain the most supplies," yet she had never considered the possibility of approaching it in reverse.

Beside her, even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eternally expressionless face showed the faintest twitch of his eyelids.

Natsume Yu said nothing more.

He knew the seed had already been planted.

Those two would think harder than he ever needed to and refine the plan themselves.

All he had needed to do was give the steering wheel a slight nudge at the start.

Not far away, a lovely figure moved through the crowd like a diligent butterfly.

It was Kushida Kikyo.

"Hang in there, everyone! The teachers will definitely come rescue us!"

"Have some water. Don't get heatstroke."

An angelic smile rested on her face, and her sweet voice soothed every agitated classmate, radiating that damnable friendliness.

The boys around her were practically staring at her with hearts in their eyes.

What a wonderful performance.

A cold curve formed at the corner of Natsume Yu's mouth.

He saw it all clearly.

When Kushida Kikyo turned and handed a bottle of water to Sudo Ken, her smile was flawlessly practiced.

But in her blind spot, a fleeting yet utterly genuine disgust passed through those beautiful eyes.

Yes, that was it.

That crack.

That was exactly what he needed most.

A perfect angel had no weaknesses.

But a demon wearing an angel's mask was covered in gaps that could be exploited.

His gaze shifted to the edge of the crowd.

A small figure sat curled up in a corner, hugging her knees and trembling.

Sakura Airi.

The girl was timid and poor at socializing, like a startled rabbit filled with fear toward unfamiliar surroundings.

Natsume Yu took an unopened bottle of water from his backpack and slowly walked over.

He did not say anything. He simply crouched in front of her and gently placed the bottle on the sand beside her.

"Gulp."

Sakura Airi startled, and when she looked up to see Natsume Yu, her eyes became even more flustered as she fumbled helplessly.

"For me?"

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's.

"Yeah."

Natsume Yu merely answered, his gaze calm. There was no extra expression and no false comfort.

Yet that very calmness gave the terrified Sakura Airi an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

She looked at the bottle of water, then at Natsume Yu's retreating back, and clenched the corner of her clothes in her little hand.

That trace of safety was far too precious to her right now.

"I'm going to look around and see if there's any danger nearby."

Natsume Yu casually called out in Horikita Suzune's direction. Without waiting for her response, he headed into the woods on his own.

Of course, it was not for safety.

It was to gather intelligence.

He needed to personally confirm the movements of the other classes.

He had not gone far before he spotted Class C's camp.

Unlike Class D's chaos, Class C was orderly as an army under Ryuen Kakeru's rule.

They had already claimed the best spot by the river, where they had fresh water and convenient access for fishing.

Ryuen Kakeru himself sat atop a crude wooden stump, his gaze arrogant and domineering as he directed his pack of "lackeys."

What a simple, straightforward dictator.

Natsume Yu did not approach. He merely gave them a cold look from afar before turning away.

He then circled around to the other side of the island.

Class B's camp presented a completely different sight.

Ichinose Honami, the woman who seemed to radiate holiness, was smiling as she built tents alongside her classmates.

Their camp was filled with laughter and cheer. The atmosphere was harmonious, and they were so united that it felt less like a survival exam and more like a pleasant summer camp.

Everyone trusted her and relied on her.

That kind of leadership came naturally.

Natsume Yu stood behind a tree, his eyes dark and deep.

Ichinose Honami, the core of Class B, was also a "collectible" that he had to acquire for his plan.

It was not time yet.

He silently noted the two classes' locations and preliminary strategies before returning to Class D's camp without a sound.

The moment he returned, he heard a fierce argument.

"Why do you girls get to use the tents first?!"

It was Ike Kanji's voice, filled with dissatisfaction.

"Yeah! We guys need to rest too!"

Yamauchi Haruki chimed in.

"You boys have better stamina. Can't you be a little more considerate?!"

Shinohara Satsuki's face was red with anger.

Just as expected, it had begun.

Because of unequal supply distribution, Class D's first internal conflict had arrived even sooner than he expected.

Natsume Yu did not step forward. Instead, he found an inconspicuous corner and quietly took out his phone.

Kushida Kikyo quickly ran over and began playing her role as peacemaker.

"Come on, everyone, stop fighting. We're all classmates!"

"Ike, Yamauchi, the girls really are having a harder time. Can't we give them a little consideration?"

Her voice remained sweet, and her smile remained soothing.

But Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were furious and did not buy any of it.

"No! It has to be fair!"

"Yeah! Why should they?!"

The argument became more intense, and their voices grew louder.

Natsume Yu quietly pressed the record button.

The camera was aimed at Kushida Kikyo's face.

After her repeated attempts at persuasion failed, and Ike Kanji even impatiently shoved her, Kushida Kikyo's smile froze for an instant.

Now.

Her brows unconsciously furrowed.

A suppressed irritation and contempt flashed through her eyes.

It lasted only a fraction of a second, but the phone's camera faithfully captured the moment.

"Click."

Natsume Yu stopped recording and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

The bait was ready.

Just then, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka walked into the center of the argument.

"I have a suggestion."

He spoke in his usual flat, emotionless tone.

"We can establish a temporary point management system. All supplies, including the right to use tents, can be 'purchased' with personal points. That would be the fairest arrangement, and no one would have any complaints."

This proposal was precisely the direction Natsume Yu had guided him toward earlier.

Simple, efficient, and suited to the logic of this group of egoists.

The arguing gradually died down.

Horikita Suzune glanced at Ayanokoji. Though reluctant, she still nodded in agreement with the proposal.

Class D's chaos was finally brought under control, at least for the moment.

After announcing the rules, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka inconspicuously glanced in Natsume Yu's direction.

Natsume Yu returned an approving look.

Good.

His most useful chess piece had already begun carrying out his will on its own.

Night fell.

After an exhausting day, the students each found somewhere to rest.

Sakura Airi hugged her backpack and curled up as far away from the crowd as possible.

She was hungry and afraid, feeling like she could barely hold on any longer.

Using the cover of night, Natsume Yu quietly circled behind her.

He pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket and swiftly, silently slipped it into the mesh pocket on the side of her backpack.

Then he quietly left, hiding behind a tree and observing with interest.

A few minutes later, Sakura Airi seemed to be looking for water and accidentally touched the mesh pocket.

She froze.

She took out the piece of chocolate, her little face filled with confusion and puzzlement.

She looked around blankly. The night was dark, and she could see nothing.

In the end, she lowered her head and looked at the chocolate in her hand. After hesitating for a long time, she carefully peeled back the wrapper and began eating it in small bites.

A trace of sweetness melted in her heart.

It also eased the tension in her expression considerably.

Behind the tree, Natsume Yu watched the look of surprise and confusion on her face and smiled in satisfaction.

The feeling of manipulating someone else's emotions from the shadows was truly... addictive.

He returned to his crude tent and lay down.

The waves gently lapped against the shore.

All around him were his classmates' snores and sleep talk.

Natsume Yu closed his eyes, but the image that surfaced in his mind was the intensely impatient look in Kushida Kikyo's eyes during the argument earlier that day.

Beautiful.

Far more beautiful than that hypocritical angelic face of hers.

The corner of his mouth curled into a barely perceptible, amused smile.

"The angel's wings will soon be stained with mud."