Cracks in Trust: Class D's Internal Game

Only two days remained until the special exam ended.

The joy of victory was gradually replaced by a stifling atmosphere in the camp.

By the campfire, several Class D boys gathered together, whispering among themselves.

"Hey, don't you think it's strange?" Ike Kanji lowered his voice, though his eyes kept darting toward Natsume Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. "Beating Ryuen this time did feel great. But from start to finish, we were like headless flies, relying entirely on those two to direct us."

"Isn't that a good thing? Getting carried to victory feels amazing." Yamauchi Haruki scratched his head, looking guileless.

"Good my ass!" Ike Kanji's voice rose despite himself. "Didn't you notice? We're like puppets on strings! We do whatever they tell us, but we don't know a damn thing about what's actually going on! Those two are hiding way too much from us, aren't they?"

Once the floodgates of complaint opened, they could no longer be shut.

"Exactly. Especially that Natsume guy. He's always smiling, but just looking at him gives me the creeps."

"And Ayanokoji's like some mute jar. Who knows what kind of schemes he's cooking up in that head of his?"

"Are they treating us like idiots?"

Those words, like barbed seeds, drifted into the ears of the surrounding students and swiftly took root.

Trust was fragile beyond belief in the face of absolute interests and unequal information.

On the other side of the crowd, Sakura Airi held her camera, yet the lens refused to focus.

Every one of those harsh remarks reached her ears.

Her heart twisted into a knot.

How could they say such things about Natsume-kun?

It was Natsume-kun who had led everyone out of trouble time and time again.

It was Natsume-kun who had protected her and given her a sense of security she had never known before.

Sakura Airi clenched her camera tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

No.

She could not just stand by and watch.

Taking a deep breath as though she had made up her mind, she set down her camera and walked toward the lone figure sitting beneath a tree.

Natsume Yu was leaning against the trunk with his eyes closed, resting as though completely unaware of the undercurrents swirling around him.

"N-Natsume-kun..."

Sakura Airi's voice trembled slightly.

Natsume Yu opened his eyes. Seeing her, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"It's Airi. What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

There was a peculiar calming power in his voice.

Sakura Airi sat down beside him awkwardly, wringing her hands together. With her head lowered, she haltingly repeated the things she had overheard.

The more she spoke, the lower she buried her head, until her voice even began to quaver with tears.

"I'm sorry, Natsume-kun... I... I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but what they said was too much..."

She felt like a petty informant, filled with guilt and unease.

Natsume Yu listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

Only after Sakura Airi had finished did he reach out and gently stroke her hair.

Sakura Airi stiffened, freezing completely.

The warm touch atop her head made her mind go blank in an instant.

"I understand."

Natsume Yu's voice was soft, yet filled with unquestionable certainty.

"It's all right, Airi."

He looked at the girl as she raised her panicked face, her fawn-like eyes full of worry.

He smiled.

"Everything is going according to my plan."

"Let them talk. Let them guess."

"Sometimes, it's quite entertaining to watch clowns put on a show."

After saying that, he withdrew his hand and patted Sakura Airi's shoulder.

"Thank you for telling me, Airi. You did well."

That simple praise made Sakura Airi's eyes light up at once.

All her unease, guilt, and worry were washed away in that moment by an overwhelming sense of happiness.

He trusted her.

He was protecting her.

That realization made her heart race, her cheeks so hot they could have fried an egg.

"Mm!" She nodded vigorously, and every shadow in her heart was swept away.

In an inconspicuous corner of the camp,

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka found Natsume Yu observing the terrain.

"Ryuen's side has begun moving." Ayanokoji's voice was calm and flat. "Through people in Class C, he has spread some half-true, half-false information within Class D. For example, that we have a private deal with Class A, or that the leader's identity in this exam can be changed through some special means."

Natsume Yu turned to look at him, an amused smile resting on his lips.

"Oh? So he wants to break us apart from within?"

"Yes. Ike, Yamauchi, and the others have already started wavering."

"As expected." Natsume Yu did not seem concerned in the slightest. "The human heart is the least able to withstand temptation. Ryuen's move may be crude, but it's effective."

He paused, and his gaze deepened.

"Kiyotaka, go deal with it."

"How should I deal with it?"

"There's no need to clarify anything, and no need to deny it." Natsume Yu's order was simple and deadly. "When someone asks, answer them with vague words. Give them room to imagine. Let them guess and doubt."

A flash of understanding passed through Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyes.

"You want to intensify this uncertainty?"

"That's right." Natsume Yu's smile turned cold. "You can't catch a big fish in stagnant water. I want to muddy these waters completely."

"Understood." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned and left without another unnecessary word.

Horikita Suzune watched all of this unfold.

When she saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka respond to Ike and the others' questioning only with ambiguous phrases like, "I can't answer that question," and, "Isn't that just a rumor?" she felt a profound sense of helplessness for the first time.

She did not understand.

She could not understand Natsume Yu's intentions at all.

What was the purpose of allowing internal conflict to ferment, even actively adding fuel to the fire?

Wasn't this tearing down their own defenses?

Yet she vaguely sensed that a deeper calculation had to be hidden behind it all.

She began forcing herself to think, to analyze every person's motives and the possible meanings hidden behind every word.

Her perspective gradually widened through painful contemplation.

Night, like thick ink, enveloped the entire camp.

Inside her tent, Kushida Kikyo tossed and turned.

The day's unrest had allowed her to catch the scent of an opportunity.

Class D... had begun to fall into internal chaos.

Natsume Yu and Ayanokoji seemed to be facing a crisis of trust.

Could this be... could this be her chance?

To escape the threat of that video and break free from Ayanokoji's control!

The thought was like a wildly growing poisonous vine, instantly winding itself around her heart.

She knew it was risky.

But she could not endure even one more day of living like a pet under someone else's control!

Kushida Kikyo suddenly sat up, her eyes shining frighteningly in the darkness.

She thought of a plan.

A plan that could deal a heavy blow to Class D while giving her new leverage.

She took out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen as she found a hidden contact.

It was a backup plan she had prepared long ago—a core member of Class C.

[I have real information about Class D's leader. This information is enough to let Class C turn the tables.]

The message was sent.

After doing all that, Kushida Kikyo let out a long breath, her body trembling slightly from excitement and tension.

She felt like a gambler walking a tightrope, but as long as she won, she could reclaim her life.

She could even imagine the chaos Class D would descend into once Ryuen received this information, as well as the furious expressions Ayanokoji and Natsume Yu would wear.

A smug smile quietly crept onto her lips.

However, she did not see it.

On a rock at the highest point of the camp, Natsume Yu stood there, overlooking the entire camp.

The night wind stirred the hem of his clothes.

His phone screen lit up, displaying a message he had just received.

[The fish has taken the bait.]

Natsume Yu turned off the screen and directed his gaze precisely toward Kushida Kikyo's tent, not a trace of warmth in his eyes.

The curve of his lips was cold and cruel.

"Little pet, do you think you can escape?"