Ryuen's First Taste of Defeat: The Prelude to Class D's Counterattack

"Hahahaha! Is that all?"

Ryuen Kakeru kicked open a half-empty supply crate, sending several packs of compressed biscuits rolling out.

He ground them beneath his toe and let out a disdainful snort.

"Class D's trash actually treated this junk like treasure?"

The Class C students behind him burst into laughter, their arrogance reaching its peak.

Like bandits entering an unguarded land, they rummaged through the supplies Class D had "abandoned" without restraint.

To Ryuen Kakeru, this victory had come without the slightest suspense. It was even a little boring.

That Natsume Yu from Class D was nothing special after all.

"Boss, there's another tent over here!"

One of his lackeys shouted excitedly.

Ryuen Kakeru waved a hand, a cat-toying-with-a-mouse smirk on his face.

"Don't rush. We'll play with them bit by bit."

"Watching them fall into complete despair—that's what makes it fun."

He was savoring the feeling of having everything under his control, savoring the thrill of grinding his opponents beneath his feet.

However, at the very moment he was most complacent.

A sudden change erupted!

A Class C student near his feet suddenly cried out and fell backward.

Then, as if the first domino had been knocked over.

"Aah!"

"What was that?!"

"The ground! It's so slippery!"

Screams and startled cries rose one after another.

Vine snares hidden beneath the fallen leaves were triggered in rapid succession.

Several large nets prepared in advance dropped from above, covering a few Class C students who had been scrambling for supplies. The nets were filled with wet mud and rotting leaves, leaving them in a miserable state.

More people stepped onto ground coated in some kind of plant juice. Their feet slipped, and they instantly lost their balance, tumbling over one another.

The supplies they had just seized scattered across the ground with a clatter.

Class C's entire formation turned into utter chaos in mere seconds.

"Bastards!"

Ryuen Kakeru's pupils contracted sharply. He reacted fast, twisting aside to avoid a vine whipping at him from the side.

"It's an ambush!"

He roared.

But his warning came too late.

The instant Class C descended into chaos, several dark figures shot out from the surrounding bushes like lightning.

Their target was terrifyingly clear.

Not people.

The supplies on the ground!

Leading a group, Horikita Suzune swiftly rushed toward the nearest supply crates, grabbed them, and immediately retreated without lingering to fight.

On the other side, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka moved even more like a phantom.

He weaved through the chaotic crowd. Though he never collided head-on with anyone, he always picked up the key scattered items by the most efficient route.

Medicine.

Food.

Tools.

Every move was incomparably precise.

"Stop them!"

Ryuen Kakeru's eyes burned with rage. He felt humiliated like never before.

Like an enraged lion, he charged toward the nearest Class D student.

But Class D's approach was completely beyond his expectations.

They did not fight at all.

The moment they grabbed something, they ran. They ran faster than rabbits, vanishing into the dense forest in an instant without even leaving their backs in sight.

This was not a battle. It was blatant mockery!

Ryuen Kakeru punched empty air, his knuckles slamming into a tree trunk with a dull thud.

He felt like his lungs were about to burst from anger.

His so-called "all-out assault" had become a joke.

The strength and intimidation he had always prided himself on were completely useless against this slippery guerrilla tactic.

He abruptly turned around, his furious eyes sweeping over his subordinates.

"Trash! Every last one of you is trash!"

"You can't even catch a few thieves!"

At last, his gaze landed on the girl at the rear of the crowd, her face pale and her body trembling faintly.

Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida Kikyo felt as though all the blood in her body had frozen.

Ryuen Kakeru's gaze was like two sharp blades, scraping painfully against her skin.

How had this happened?

The intelligence had clearly said that Class D had abandoned this place!

Why were there traps? Why was there an ambush?

Could it be... Natsume Yu had been lying to me from the very beginning?

She did not dare think any further.

Ryuen Kakeru's fury filled her with a fear that came from the depths of her soul.

She began to wonder whether her "defection" this time had been a colossal mistake.

She instinctively took a step back, wanting to hide herself.

And Natsume Yu, standing atop a huge boulder high above, took in her panicked appearance completely.

The small camera in his hand precisely captured every subtle change in her expression.

At one corner of the chaotic battlefield.

Sakura Airi hugged her knees as she hid behind a dense bush, her heart pounding wildly.

She was terrified.

But at the moment of her greatest fear, she inadvertently looked up and saw the figure atop the distant boulder.

Natsume Yu.

He simply stood there in silence, overlooking everything below.

There was not the slightest trace of panic on his face, only the absolute calm of someone who had everything under control.

That calm crossed the distance and reached Sakura Airi's heart, miraculously soothing her fear.

She saw a Class D student accidentally drop a small first-aid kit while retreating.

That first-aid kit happened to roll right beside the bush where she was hiding.

As if possessed, Sakura Airi reached out.

She swiftly pulled the first-aid kit into her arms, hugged it tightly, then shrank even deeper into the bushes.

This was the first time she had made a "stand" for Class D, for... Natsume Yu.

It was insignificant, yet her cheeks burned from that small act of courage.

"Ryuen, stop chasing them!"

One of Class C's core members grabbed Ryuen Kakeru, who still wanted to lead people into the forest.

"They're too fast, and the terrain in the woods is complicated. If we keep chasing them, we might get split up!"

At that moment, the retreating Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to "accidentally" trip, staggering slightly.

He looked back in Ryuen Kakeru's direction and said to Horikita Suzune beside him in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, yet just loud enough for several nearby Class C students to hear.

"Everything is going according to that person's plan. Let's withdraw."

With that, he disappeared into the darkness without looking back.

"That person?"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Ryuen Kakeru's anger eased slightly, replaced by a hunting instinct that had been stirred awake.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expressionless face flashed through his mind.

Who else in Class D besides that guy could be so calculating?

So it was you.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

This defeat gave Ryuen Kakeru his first taste of frustration.

But rather than being discouraged, he found the game even more interesting.

"Good... very good."

He licked his lips, and his eyes became dangerously cold.

"Keep a close eye on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

Night once again shrouded the small island.

Yet the atmosphere in Class D's camp was completely different from the previous days.

Though they had lost some supplies, they had successfully thwarted Class C's attack and recovered many key items.

That small victory greatly boosted morale.

Horikita Suzune watched Natsume Yu distribute food, her gaze complicated.

This operation had allowed her to fully witness the brilliance of Natsume Yu's strategy, as well as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's unfathomable ability to carry it out.

For the first time, she felt that Class D could truly rely on the strength of teamwork to defeat powerful enemies.

Her trust in those two men had risen to a new height.

In a corner of the camp, Natsume Yu found Sakura Airi sitting alone.

The girl was still blushing and flustered over what she had done during the day.

"Here."

Natsume Yu held out his hand. A tiny unknown wildflower rested quietly in his palm.

Sakura Airi froze.

"You were very brave today."

Natsume Yu's voice was soft, yet it reached her ears clearly.

With a boom.

Sakura Airi's mind went blank, and all the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks.

He... he saw it?

Was he praising me?

Her hand trembled as she reached out and accepted the little flower, her fingertips accidentally brushing against Natsume Yu's palm.

The warm touch made her jerk her hand back as if shocked by electricity.

She lowered her head, too afraid to look into Natsume Yu's eyes. Her heart pounded as though it would leap out of her throat.

The sweetness of being acknowledged instantly filled her entire heart.

Elsewhere.

The atmosphere in Class C's camp was terrifyingly oppressive.

Ryuen Kakeru sat beside the campfire, his face dark as he stared in the direction of Class D's camp.

Firelight flickered over his face, illuminating eyes filled with brutality and calculation.

He was convinced that the mastermind lurking behind the scenes was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

And in the most inconspicuous corner of Class D's camp.

Natsume Yu leaned against a tree, staring at his phone screen.

The video playing on it was the one recorded during the day.

The image froze on Kushida Kikyo's face, filled with fear and regret.

He turned off the video, and a cold curve formed at the corner of his lips.

He murmured softly.

"Ryuen's pawn has already begun working for me."