The Little Spy Kamuro

By afternoon, the cruise ship had reached the Uninhabited Island—the school's private island, specially used to give students all sorts of strange exams.

This exam tested not only the students' ability to survive on the Uninhabited Island, but also their cooperation and competition with other classes.

The August sun blazed down on the beach. The students had only just enthusiastically set foot on the sand when an announcement began playing over the cruise ship's loudspeakers:

"The rules for the Uninhabited Island Exam will now be announced." (A brief introduction)

First, students had to survive on the island for seven days. The school would provide tents, flashlights, and toiletries, but food and water had to be purchased, though they could also be gathered in the wild.

The school would give each class 300 temporary points. They could be used just like regular points, and any points left at the end of the exam would be added to the class's Class Points. Breaking the rules would result in a deduction.

There were also "bases" on the island. Each time a class occupied one, it earned one temporary point. An occupation lasted eight hours, which meant they had to check in once every eight hours.

The leader had to check in with the card. The leader couldn't be changed except under special circumstances.

Without any dispute, Class D chose Horikita Suzune. Since Sakayanagi couldn't participate and Sakamoto wouldn't take part, Class A put Katsuragi forward. Katsuragi hadn't yet decided who to give the card to.

"Ah, how come there's another exam?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be a vacation?"

The students groaned.

Hearing that, Sakamoto thought about how much worse the next few days would be.

What vacation? In a few days, they'd be fast-forwarding straight to a real-life brawl. Would they still be scared then?

A sudden chill ran down his back.

"(｡ì_í｡)"

As soon as they got off the ship, Sakamoto caught the gaze of a certain purple-haired girl. Her stare made him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Is something wrong with your eyes, Kamuro?"

"N-no, nothing o((⊙﹏⊙))o."

Kamuro hurriedly denied it, but whenever Sakamoto turned around, he could still feel someone watching him from behind.

Sakamoto looked back and saw Kamuro standing off to the side, pouting as she kicked at the sand and pretended to look for shells.

Sakamoto sighed as he watched Kamuro's eyelashes tremble despite her trying to look composed.

"Kamuro, did Sakayanagi tell you to do this?"

"Ah! N-no, she didn't (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ."

Kamuro looked awkward, but her expression practically screamed, "I'm definitely not going to tell you Sakayanagi told me to stick to you and keep an eye on you."

Sakamoto: "..."

Why did it seem like Sakayanagi had sent her to do the grunt work and she was actually pretty happy about it? What a silly girl.

Besides, was Sakayanagi really that vindictive? All he'd done was act mysterious—quietly drinking coffee without saying anything—and now he was being watched this closely.

Fortunately, Katsuragi began organizing Class A and assigning tasks.

Some students would set up tents and gather firewood at the camp, while others would survey the island's terrain and look for food.

Katsuragi had already set out with his follower, Yahiko.

Sakamoto was assigned to survey the island's terrain.

He took a slip of paper from Yamamura Miki, who was in charge of assigning the groups.

Sakamoto thought he might be able to shake Kamuro off. He unfolded the paper, which listed three names.

Sakamoto Junichi, Machida Koji, and Kamuro Masumi!

"Hello!"

Kamuro Masumi suddenly appeared in front of Sakamoto like a rabbit, casually showing him the slip of paper in her hand.

"Looks like we got lucky and ended up in the same group."

I seriously suspected she'd rigged the draw.

"Um, um... Machida's got a stomachache, so he can't take part in the survey."

Yamamura came running over, her cheeks bright red as she told Sakamoto they were short a person. For now, the two of them would have to carry out the task by themselves.

Suspicious. Very suspicious.

Kamuro Masumi even pretended not to care, but her pointed ears stood straight up, catching every word Yamamura said.

Is that so? You like playing little tricks, huh, girl? You're trying way too hard to look like you don't care.

Sakamoto smiled indifferently.

"The survey's starting." He turned and headed toward the dense woods. Behind him came hurried footsteps and the crisp snap of broken shells.

Kamuro followed about a meter behind, skipping along like a little creature following its mother.

The damp air from deep in the woods carried the smell of decaying leaves. Sakamoto used a branch to push aside the cobweb-covered shrubs, recording the terrain and watching his surroundings.

The forest floor was uneven. Kamuro Masumi nearly bumped into his back.

"Be careful." He abruptly turned around, and a vine-entangled branch brushed Kamuro's ankle. The girl stumbled into Sakamoto's arms. Beneath her dew-damp clothes, a heartbeat pounded like a drum. It was impossible to tell whose chest was trembling. The smell of decaying leaves suddenly seemed sweet, but then Sakamoto spoke, ruining the mood.

"That's the second time."

"Sorry."

Kamuro hurriedly stepped back, but the tips of her ears turned red.

"Ugh! How can I be so clumsy?"

Kamuro had already started blaming herself for her clumsiness, wishing she could stomp her foot in frustration.

"Listen, there's running water up ahead..."

Sakamoto focused intently. When he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was three shades raspier than usual. After listening carefully for a moment, he pointed in a direction.

"Southwest. Within a kilometer."

"Huh? How can you tell?"

Kamuro was curious. The sound of the water was faint, which meant it was far away. How could Sakamoto tell which direction it was coming from at that distance?

"Look at the terrain over there. It's lower than this area, and the plants are noticeably denser. Plants absorb high-frequency sound waves, so it'll be easier to find water in that direction."

Following the sound, the two quickly found a stream.

Dense woods surrounded the gently flowing water. Sakamoto's handsome profile flickered in and out of view beneath the dappled shadows as he stood on higher ground, surveying the terrain. Close by, Kamuro Masumi's footsteps snapped dry twigs as she approached the stream.

She'd never seen a sight like this before. The water was so clear she could easily make out the movements of the fish.

Kamuro stood on a small mound, bending forward to admire the stream. She even took a few steps closer to get a better look at the creatures in the water.

She didn't notice that the soil beneath her feet was loose and unstable.

Suddenly, the earth gave way. With nothing to support her, clumps of soil tumbled in every direction. Kamuro let out a startled cry as her body slid forward against her will.

Sakamoto grabbed Kamuro Masumi by the back of her clothes as she curled into a ball, leaving her dangling in midair. Soft soil and falling stones sprayed against her as she flailed in panic like a little dog being carried by the scruff.

"Don't move around." Sakamoto's voice was low and calm. He pulled Kamuro up with a slight flex of his arm.

Kamuro landed on her bottom on solid ground, her heart pounding and her face flushed. This time, she really was frightened. She looked down at her ankle and saw several scrapes, with blood beginning to seep out. She also had quite a few bruises.