On the morning of the fifth day, the Class D students had just returned to their base after roll call and hadn't even had a chance to sit down.
The once-clear sky suddenly darkened, as though someone had drawn a huge gray curtain across it.
Horikita was resting by the river when Yamauchi, one of the Three Idiots, came over for some reason.
"Just the two of you? How sweet. You look really close."
Without warning, Yamauchi scooped up a handful of mud and smeared it on Horikita's head. Horikita and Kushida stared at him in shock, unable to understand why Yamauchi had suddenly lost it.
Without a word, Horikita walked up to Yamauchi and swiftly threw him over her shoulder, slamming him hard onto the ground.
"Yamauchi, that's not an appropriate joke."
Kushida said.
"You should wash up. It'll be too late once the rain starts."
Ayanokoji said. Horikita nodded and headed for the makeshift showers, but the line was long. Everyone wanted to wash up before the rain came.
With no other choice, Horikita followed the river until she found a secluded spot. Shivering slightly, she changed clothes and washed her hair.
She didn't notice someone sneaking up behind her and skillfully slipping the Leader Card out of her pocket.
By the time Horikita realized it was gone, the culprit had vanished.
Then huge raindrops came crashing down, pattering against the tents. The students cried out in alarm. Everyone who had been playing in the open clearing ran in a panic to their tents.
Some of the students who were farther away got soaked. Their wet hair clung to their faces, leaving them looking miserable. Rain seeped in around the edges of the tents, and the ground gradually turned to mud. A few students in charge of the barbecue scrambled to save the food, but quite a bit of the charcoal was still doused by the rain.
"Everyone, hurry and bring in the clothes that are drying!"
Hirata began giving orders. They needed to keep everything out of the rain.
"Girls, bring in the clothes. Boys, find some plastic sheeting and cover the firewood. Let's get moving!"
At Hirata's direction, the students scattered.
"Rainy weather and a chaotic crowd. Perfect conditions for causing trouble."
"Little Ibuki, will you take the bait?"
Nagami muttered to himself.
"Horikita, where were you just now? You don't look well."
Under the strain of both physical exhaustion and stress, Horikita's face had gone deathly pale.
Even facing Ayanokoji, she could only speak softly.
"Ayanokoji, something happened. It was my mistake."
"What? Was your underwear stolen too?"
"No. My Leader Card disappeared while I was changing by the river.
"I'm certain I put it in my pocket and checked. Someone must have stolen it. I suspect Ibuki."
"Only you and I know about this."
"Yeah. Let's not tell anyone else for now, or it'll cause chaos in the class."
"Go on without me. I want to be alone for a while."
Horikita stared at the ground, frowning as she thought about something.
After a long while, she suddenly heard a noise in the bushes and quickly chased after it. But her unwell body was out of breath after only a few steps.
The miserable weather made it harder and harder to breathe. Her body was on the verge of giving out.
Fortunately, Ibuki wasn't running at full speed. Instead, she had stopped up ahead.
"You're the one who's been causing trouble in Class D, aren't you?"
Ibuki didn't answer. She just stared at Horikita.
"No answer? I'll take that as a yes. Did you steal the Leader Card too?"
"Talking won't get us anywhere!"
Ibuki charged down the slope and struck Horikita with a spinning hook kick.
Horikita staggered back a few steps and assumed a martial arts stance.
"I didn't expect this competition to end with us settling things through violence."
Ibuki swayed from side to side, using fancy footwork to throw Horikita off. A straight punch struck her head-on, then a sweep knocked her off balance, and finally, a Flying Moon Kick slammed into her head.
It was all over in less than two seconds.
Horikita couldn't fight back at all. She fell to the ground in a helpless heap.
"Since you worked so hard, I'll let you take a look. I'm a very busy person."
Ibuki showed her the Leader Card, then immediately fled the scene.
Horikita slowly steadied her breathing and tried to get up so she could chase after Ibuki, but her body wouldn't cooperate.
The drizzle and her cold began to cloud her mind.
Just then, Ayanokoji appeared unexpectedly.
"You've done enough. This exam ends here for you."
"Don't... worry about me. Ibuki has the Leader Card."
Horikita wasn't surprised to see Ayanokoji suddenly appear. She forced herself to speak.
Her breathing was faint. Ayanokoji shook his head and ignored her protest, picked her up, and carried her toward the teachers conducting roll call.
He needed to get Horikita out of the exam so she could receive treatment. If she kept pushing herself, her life might be in danger.
At that moment, no one noticed that a third person had been watching the two girls fight.
"Everything's going according to plan."
In the bushes, a disheveled student with long hair sheltered from the rain under a raincoat cut from a tent. It was unclear what he was waiting for.
Along the way were special marks made for Class C. Only the spies from Classes B and D knew what they meant.
"Rain really is the perfect chance to fish in troubled waters."
Just then, the Class B spy, Kaneda, got his hands on the Leader Card as planned. Ryuen smiled with dark circles under his eyes like a panda. His days of quenching his thirst with dew and sleeping on grass while insects bit him hadn't been in vain.
The Class D spy, Ibuki, also got her hands on the Leader Card shortly afterward. As Ryuen looked at the two cards, victory seemed within reach. His face twisted with excitement as he tried to hold back a smile.
"Well done. You can withdraw now. This victory belongs to Class C."
At that moment, Ryuen picked up a walkie-talkie and contacted Katsura from Class A, arranging a time and place for the exchange.
"Understood. I'll be there right away."
Katsura said.
Class A: +74 for occupying territory; +300 default points; Sakayanagi withdrew: -30; Classes B and D nominated them: +100. Total: 474 points. What an overwhelming victory.
Katsura arrived at the agreed-upon place, where Ryuen was already waiting.
"Did you bring it?"
Katsura asked urgently. Ryuen handed over the two Leader Cards, and the deal was done.
When the students of Class A heard the news, they erupted in cheers.
"Now our Class A is truly unbeatable!" one student said excitedly.
Katsura stepped forward, wearing a confident smile.
"That's right, but we can't let our guard down. The other classes won't just give up. Still, this is worth celebrating. Let's have a little celebration."
The students of Class A began preparing a small party and popped open the champagne. They spent points to have food delivered and put on some cheerful music.
Everyone sat together, sharing amusing stories as their laughter filled the air. Some students told jokes that had everyone in stitches.
Before long, the rain stopped and sunlight spilled through the clouds, as if cheering for Class A's victory.
Every face was lit up with joy. They savored the moment and felt confident about the future.
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