Spoils and Strategy: Class D's Victory and Undercurrents

When the final results of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam were sent to everyone's phones by email, the screams from Class D nearly lifted the entire returning cruise ship's roof.

"Holy shit! Not only did we not lose points, we even gained fifteen!"

"Those idiots in Class C got points deducted for breaking the rules, huh? Serves them right!"

"Natsume! It was you, wasn't it?! You must have found Class C's traitor!"

Sudo Ken charged over excitedly and threw an arm around Natsume Yu's neck, squeezing so hard that he nearly couldn't breathe.

Natsume Yu merely smiled and patted him on the back, neither confirming nor denying it.

He silently withdrew from the frenzied crowd and leaned against a corner by the railing, watching his classmates cheer over their victory.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune stood at the center of the crowd, accepting everyone's praise and gratitude.

A perfect script.

A perfect scapegoat.

His gaze passed over the crowd and landed precisely on Kushida Kikyo.

She was smiling too, as sweetly as ever, like a flawless angel chatting happily with several girls.

But Natsume Yu saw it clearly.

Her smile was only on her face; it never reached her eyes.

Deep within those beautiful pupils hid a trace of stiffness and fear that she could not conceal.

Whenever her gaze inadvertently swept toward Natsume Yu, that fear deepened, and her body tensed for an instant.

Good.

It seemed she had begun learning to adapt to her brand-new role.

A sharp, obedient Blade of Intelligence.

On the other side of the cruise ship, in Class C's area, the atmosphere was so oppressive it could have dripped water.

Bang!

Ryuen Kakeru kicked the railing, producing a thunderous crash.

Even the metal railing trembled.

"Class D... those worthless trash..."

His face was filled with fury and resentment, his eyes dark and terrifying.

He could not understand it.

The plan had been flawless, and the traitor had delivered the crucial information.

Why had Class D emerged with a sweeping victory while Class C had lost points for an "accidental" violation?

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka..."

Ryuen Kakeru chewed over the name, the viciousness in his eyes nearly taking solid form.

"You rat hiding in the gutter, don't let me catch you."

"In the next exam, I'll pin that deadpan face of yours to the ground and stomp on it!"

He did not notice at all that, in Class D's noisy corner, an utterly inconspicuous boy was calmly watching everything with the eyes of someone observing a clown.

"Natsume..."

A timid voice sounded from behind him.

Natsume Yu turned around and saw Sakura Airi standing there with her head lowered, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands. Her beloved camera hung around her neck.

"Is something wrong?"

"I... can I... take a few pictures of you?"

Sakura Airi gathered all her courage and raised her head, a lovely blush spreading across her cheeks.

In her eyes was a light Natsume Yu knew all too well, a mixture of admiration and possessiveness.

"Just... just you alone."

She added softly, her voice carrying an insistence that allowed no refusal.

"Sure."

Natsume Yu readily agreed.

He leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze tousle his hair, with the blue ocean and sky behind him.

Sakura Airi raised her camera and watched the boy through the viewfinder.

Sunlight fell over him, defining the contours of his profile, while his gaze remained calm and deep.

At that moment, he was the only person left in her world, framed within the viewfinder.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Click.

The shutter snapped crisply.

Just as she was about to take another picture, Natsume Yu suddenly moved.

He stepped closer to her and bent down slightly, his face instantly filling her vision.

"Did it come out well, my personal photographer?"

His warm breath brushed against the edge of her ear.

Sakura Airi's body instantly stiffened. Her mind went blank, and her face reddened as though it might drip blood.

She nearly lost her grip on the camera.

"Don't... don't move..."

She spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but her fingers uncontrollably pressed the shutter again.

Seeing her shy yet focused expression, the curve of Natsume Yu's lips deepened.

He liked this feeling.

He liked watching her become flustered because of him, watching her heart race for him.

That pure, unreserved surrender gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Not far away, Horikita Suzune took in the entire scene.

She looked at Class D's final score, then at Ayanokoji, surrounded by everyone, and finally fixed her gaze on Natsume Yu, who was "teasing" Sakura Airi.

Something was wrong.

Everything was far too wrong.

Class D's rise was absolutely not a coincidence.

Although Ayanokoji kept his abilities well hidden, his approach was more inclined toward passively solving problems than proactively planning the whole board.

In this Uninhabited Island exam, everything from exploiting the rules, to steering Class C's traitor, to turning the tables at the end had been too ingenious and tightly linked. It did not seem like the work of Ayanokoji alone.

And Natsume Yu...

He was too transparent.

So transparent that people almost overlooked his existence.

Yet at every crucial moment, he seemed to be there.

It had been the same with Sakura, and it had been the same with this exam.

Like a ghost, he silently wandered along the edges of every incident.

Just how many secrets did this class hide?

Natsume Yu, what kind of person were you really?

For the first time, Horikita Suzune's eyes held scrutiny and curiosity.

In Class B's area, Ichinose Honami leaned against the railing with a glass of juice in hand, her gaze remaining fixed on the people from Class D.

She saw Class D's unprecedented unity and joy, as well as Horikita and Ayanokoji surrounded by the others.

But the one who truly caught her attention was the boy standing in the corner, speaking to the blushing Sakura Airi.

Natsume Yu.

He had clearly done nothing, yet he gave off the illusion that everything was under his control.

Her intuition told her that he and the expressionless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were the real keys to Class D.

Just as Ichinose was pondering this, Natsume Yu in the distance seemed to sense her gaze and glanced in her direction.

That gaze was calm, yet it seemed capable of piercing through people's hearts.

Ichinose's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked away, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening.

Natsume Yu withdrew his gaze and sneered inwardly.

The Uninhabited Island had only been the appetizer.

What came next would be the real show.

His gaze swept over Kushida Kikyo, who was still forcing a smile.

This "Blade of Intelligence" still needed to be properly honed, so she would understand that the only consequence of betrayal was complete destruction.

Then he looked at Sakura Airi beside him, who was still blushing and trembling from their earlier closeness.

It was about time for the next step.

He would turn her from his "personal photographer" into an object that truly belonged to him alone.

Complete surrender, without holding anything back.

Back in the dormitory, Natsume Yu took a shower, then lazily lay on his bed and opened his phone.

The first things on the screen were several pictures Sakura Airi had just sent him.

In the photos, he leaned against the railing and gazed indifferently into the distance. Both the composition and lighting were nearly perfect.

In another encrypted folder was a video.

The footage was somewhat shaky, secretly filmed in the woods. Kushida Kikyo was in the frame.

She was no longer the popular girl who always wore an angelic smile.

She knelt in the mud, her uniform covered in dirt and grass clippings.

Her face, always so polished and perfect, was now a complete mess of tears and mud.

Her suppressed yet sharp screams came through the video, filled with helpless rage and bone-deep hatred.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka... Natsume Yu... you two bastards! I'll destroy you! I definitely will!"

The sound was shrill and despairing, like the wail of a dying beast.

Natsume Yu lightly swiped across the screen, placing the video and the photos Sakura had taken into the same folder.

He admired the two utterly different images.

One was a pure, shy angel; the other, a broken and fallen witch.

Both would become part of his collection.

A playful curve rose on Natsume Yu's lips, his eyes filled with the pleasure of having everything under his control.

"My collection has grown quite a bit richer."

He murmured softly.

"Who will be next?"