Professional Camping Team

The winter forest was veiled in soft sunlight, and the air near noon carried a hint of warmth, lacking the bone-chilling bitterness of deep winter.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse treetops, casting dappled golden spots upon the ground.

The Class D group, led by Hirata, trudged slowly over the patches of light. He held a compass in his hand, marking the map as he checked their progress.

"There's a base here, but the clearing is too small for camping."

After walking for a while, the students' breath no longer formed white mist, and their cheeks were flushed with a faint red.

"So comfortable! This sun is just right!"

Ike, dressed in a windbreaker, stretched his limbs. At around 9°C during a winter noon, his body, heated by the long hike, was in the most comfortable temperature range.

"Hey! Don't get too relaxed, we haven't found a spot yet."

Beside him, a girl with a fierce expression, Shinohara Satsuki, spoke up.

"Kikyo, get the chocolate out of my right pocket."

With his hair warmed by the winter sun, Nagami leisurely admired the well-preserved Primeval Forest while enjoying the feeding service from a beautiful girl, chewing as he watched the shadows of the trees sway in the distance.

This special exam did not restrict students from bringing personal items, but no one brought oversized tents. Everyone basically carried one handbag and a backpack, not only because the bus space was limited, but because carrying heavy loads on a hike was a foolish choice.

Nagami had even swapped his favorite sparkling water for lighter instant coffee packets. Compared to the boys' luggage, the girls' was heavier, so the gentlemanly Nagami naturally helped Kushida carry her handbag to lighten her burden.

"Kagami, I'm so sorry to trouble you, I accidentally brought too many things."

Kushida expressed her apologies to Nagami.

"It's just this much weight. I usually use 20kg dumbbells for my warm-up."

Farmer's walk is a common exercise for training the forearms. Specifically, it involves walking while holding a dumbbell in each hand, which is extremely effective for forearm development.

"Explode, you normie!"

This display drew envious glares from many of Kushida's male admirers, which only grew more intense.

A few meters away, Sudo, wearing a thick down jacket, held a tree branch and poked at the fallen leaves on the ground listlessly, as if looking for something interesting.

"Oh, there's a black mushroom here! Hey, is this edible?"

He turned back to shout from time to time.

"If you want to eat it, Sudo, go ahead and try, just don't get poisoned and drag the class down."

Sotomura replied lazily from behind.

"The competition between classes in this exam is only about occupying points. No matter how I think about it, hogging the Trust Card does more harm than good. If it were before graduation, I could understand it—needing money to buy a transfer ticket."

"But for a first-year student to become a social pariah for the next two years over a few hundred thousand points is really not worth the loss. Ayanokoji, do you have any ideas?"

Horikita pondered.

"Hmm, either we spend the New Year peacefully, or we fall apart and can't recover. That's the feeling."

"What's the situation with Kushida and Nagami? I was wondering why Kushida suddenly quieted down; now it seems she's fallen in love and found someone more important."

"Well... it's a relationship of savior and saved."

Ayanokoji said, lacking conviction.

"That makes no sense. Can you explain it more clearly?"

"This, I don't really understand either. I was actually going to ask Nagami about matters of the heart."

"Disgusting. I didn't expect Ayanokoji to be a moron with his head full of romance. I thought you were different from ordinary boys; I misjudged you."

Horikita seemed to have misunderstood something from Ayanokoji's words.

"The high-voltage line is ahead. Is this the edge of the area?"

To prevent students from accidentally touching it, the school had cordoned off a buffer zone next to the high-voltage line with wire mesh, and there were no weeds or trees in the surrounding area.

"This spot looks good. Hirata-kun, although there aren't many bases, it's suitable for camping."

Hirata looked at the map. According to his estimates, the Primeval Forest was about 400 hectares. The densely packed markers for bases were all in areas with thick bushes and weeds, making them hard to find even if one specifically looked for them, as if the school had designed it that way.

"Alright, let's decide on this place. The flat ground is also suitable for a helicopter to land."

With his experience from the Uninhabited Island, Hirata prioritized comfort and used his phone to spend class points on the necessary tools for camping, such as tents, portable toilets, stoves, and shovels.

After the tools were delivered, the entire team scattered under the noon sun, as if the special exam were just a facade and the true purpose was merely to enjoy the camping fun brought by this winter forest.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, time stretched out long and slow, and the winter cold, soothed by the sun, became a distant concern.

By the stream in the distance, a few members of Class B crouched around the flowing water, their fingers gently brushing the surface, trying to feel the temperature.

"It's so cold! But the water is so clear, like a mirror."

Ichinose took off her gloves, cupped a handful of water, and gently sprinkled it into the sunlight. The droplets sparkled like shattered gems, shining with a crystalline light.

"If only we could be this relaxed forever."

Beside her, the physically exhausted Shiranami simply lay on the ground, hands behind her head, staring blankly at the treetops and muttering to herself.

Sakayanagi from Class A was still nowhere to be seen; it felt like the school was persecuting her again.

A gentle breeze blew past, causing the withered yellow weeds on the grass to sway, looking messy and desolate.

A group of students gathered in the center of the clearing, spreading outward from the middle. Holding shovels, sickles, and brooms, they began the work of clearing the campsite ground, having learned from their previous experience in order to ensure the quality of their sleep at night.

They stepped on the grass, which emitted faint "crunching" sounds, leaving shallow footprints behind.

Nagami wore goggles and work gloves. He crouched down and swung his sickle rapidly, the blade cutting a crisp arc through the grass stems, accompanied by a soft "swish" sound as the withered grass fell in response.

His companions nearby quickly caught the pile of grass with burlap sacks, stacking it into small mounds in preparation for collective removal.

As the sickle swept across the ground, an occasional "ding" could be heard when it struck small stones on the surface.

Some of the weeds had roots that reached deep into the soil, requiring the use of shovels to dig through the thin layer of earth, expose the tangled roots, and pull them out with force.

While pulling the weeds, cold soil particles clung to the gloves, and some wet mud even slid onto his wrists, bringing a chill.

The girls held brooms, sweeping the scattered withered grass and fallen leaves on the ground into piles. The brooms slid back and forth across the ground, making a "rustling" sound.

Mixed in with the fallen leaves were some dry branches; someone would gently step on the longer twigs to snap them, making them easier to collect.

"Please, have some hot water."

A thermos of hot water was placed in the center of the clearing for easy access. There were also kind-hearted students, such as Kushida, who took cups directly to feed Nagami.

In a small corner of the group, some people were also distributing snacks.

As the clearing progressed, the ground that had originally been covered by thick weeds gradually revealed its true appearance.

The dark brown soil was mixed with a few tiny stones, emitting a faint scent of earth.

After the clearing was finished, several students used entrenching tools to loosen the ground again and pack it down.

The "clanging" sound of shovels echoed through the air where the crowd had gathered.

Once finished, they stood up, brushed the dirt off their gloves, and looked over the cleared patch of land with satisfaction.

It had become flat and empty, as if a warm bed had been prepared for the tents that were about to be pitched.

The piles of weeds and branches to the side were bundled together, with plans to use them for warmth.

After a bout of busyness, the students finally realized the greatness of industrial society; the labor of 30 people for half a day was only equal to the efficiency of one excavator in an hour.

"Everyone is full of energy for this camping trip!"

Hirata exclaimed. Compared to the arguments and embarrassment of the first time, the consensus on how to spend their class points had been reached very quickly.

Everyone was much more composed, with orderly division of labor and work.

The sky gradually darkened, and in the small central campsite, the cold began to set in.

Everyone gathered around the small campfire they had set up, carefully stacking the firewood and using a flint to ignite the dry grass. The moment the flames rose, everyone cheered with excitement.

The firelight danced, dispelling some of the chill of the sunset.

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