The Deserted Island

The next morning, the school called everyone together and explained the rules of this Special Exam.

First, they had to survive on the deserted island alone for seven days.

At the start, they would be given a certain number of points to buy supplies. Any points left over after the seven days would be converted directly into Class Points.

Each class would have a leader. At the end of the exam, they would earn 50 Class Points for every other class leader they correctly identified. A wrong guess, on the other hand, would cost them 50 points.

There were also bases they could capture, which would earn them a certain number of points every eight hours.

Then there were rules for deducting points. For example, if a student withdrew, the class would lose 30 points; polluting the environment would cost them 50 points, and so on.

Xia Mu summed it up.

The game was simple.

Each class had to survive while keeping as many of the points they received at the start as possible, then correctly guess the other classes' leaders. Capturing bases would be key to identifying the opposing leaders.

Or, rather, they could be key to misleading the other classes.

Of course, there was nothing to rule out playing dirty.

They could steal another class's cards or send someone undercover, for example.

As long as the rules didn't forbid something, anything was fair game.

Once the rules had been explained, the ship pulled up alongside the deserted island.

Then each class's homeroom teacher led their students ashore and went over the rules again, emphasizing the important points.

After that, the students were told to find a suitable base first. Once they had discussed things among themselves, they were to return before nightfall to exchange points for supplies.

Xia Mu didn't take part at all.

Kanji Ike from Class D found a small stream with plenty of wild fruit growing nearby.

After that came the argument between the boys and girls over a toilet.

Xia Mu simply stood by and watched. Instead of arguing endlessly over something like this, they might as well discuss how to guess the other classes' leaders and earn points. Or perhaps...

Xia Mu looked toward Suzune Horikita, whose face was pale as she clutched her arm.

He needed to look after his classmates so that none of them withdrew and cost the class points.

He'd almost forgotten that he needed to work on this girl's Correction, too.

Her main problem was probably that she didn't treat other people like people. She thought she could do everything on her own, so she never considered anyone else.

Then there was her blind pursuit of her older brother and her habit of looking down on everyone.

So this time, Xia Mu would try approaching her through those issues and see if he could shake her resolve.

If it didn't work, that was fine. He could always give up on her and move on to the next target, just as he had with Kushida.

Someone like Sakura was much easier.

Feeling Xia Mu's gaze, Sakura blushed and didn't dare meet his eyes.

"It's so wonderful. I get to live on a deserted island with Xia Mu..." Living so close together, they were bound to have plenty of interesting experiences.

When it was time to gather supplies, she eagerly raised her hand and said she wanted to go with Xia Mu.

Xia Mu didn't say much. He simply brought along the dagger he had bought earlier through special means.

The school allowed students to bring some personal belongings to the island.

The two of them walked through the forest. Sakura Airi, who rarely exercised, was drenched in sweat. It soaked through the back of her shirt, revealing her pink bra.

He'd seen it before, of course, but seeing it like this felt even more mysterious and alluring.

"Smack!"

She reached out and slapped her tender, pale arm. When she opened her hand, there was a smear of blood and a black mosquito.

Seeing this, Xia Mu walked over to a patch of grass and picked up a handful of unusual, jagged weeds. He held them beneath his nose and sniffed.

Then he grabbed a clump, cut off the roots, and turned toward Sakura, reaching for the side of her face.

"Huh?" Sakura thought Xia Mu was going to pat her head. Her heart fluttered, and her cheeks turned pink as she stood perfectly still.

But Xia Mu only tucked the pungent weeds behind her ear.

"These weeds repel mosquitoes," Xia Mu explained. "Out in the wild, you can't let mosquitoes drink your blood. They might transmit viruses."

As he spoke, he tucked another clump of weeds behind his own ear.

Sure enough, the army of Dravens stopped bothering them.

"That red fruit is edible. It's a good source of vitamin C." Xia Mu pointed to a fruit on a bush.

"And the coconuts on the beach are a good source of water, but there are plenty of supplies on this island, so we don't need to eat coconuts unless we have to."

"But we can have some as a refreshing drink."

Sakura walked on Xia Mu's right, listening as he explained everything in detail.

He seemed like he'd come straight out of the wilderness. He knew all about this stuff.

"Xia Mu, you're amazing!"

Sakura's eyes lit up. "It feels like there's nothing you can't do."

She felt so safe with him.

Her face turned red again.

She was naturally shy to the core.

"They're just little things. If you read enough books, it's not that hard to learn," Xia Mu said with a wave of his hand.

He searched through the forest until he finally found what he needed.

A dozen or so short, straight saplings.

He swung his dagger, its blade flashing as he cut the saplings neatly.

"Xia Mu, what do you need these branches for?" Sakura came closer and asked curiously. "They're still green, so you can't use them for firewood, can you?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Xia Mu smiled but didn't answer directly.

After that, he gathered some branches from a bloodwood tree and a few vines.

The two returned to camp with their arms full.

Hirata looked at the basket of wild fruit Sakura had brought back and smiled warmly. "Sakura, Xia Mu, thank you."

"N-no..." Sakura Airi spoke in a tiny voice. "It was all Xia Mu. I only helped carry a few things."

"What are you saying?"

"As long as you helped, you contributed to the class. You did great!"

Hirata's voice was gentle. He really did know how to win people over.

After they put down the fruit, he saw that it was getting late and told the students to come back and set up their tents.

By the time they'd finished everything, it was already seven in the evening.

Everyone sat around the campfire, chatting and eating fruit.

Only Suzune Horikita sat with her legs pressed tightly together. Even though she was right beside the fire, her back felt cold.

Xia Mu naturally noticed that something was off with Suzune, but now wasn't the time.

He took his dagger and began sharpening the branches he'd found that day.

With each cut, one end of a branch grew sharper.

Once he'd finished, he started shaping the bloodwood branches into a bow and arrow.

He planned to make a bow and arrow, as well as a spear.

If he hadn't been limited by what he had on hand, he would have liked to add some fletching to the arrows.

When he was done, he wrapped them in cloth and put them away.

Then he took out his phone and sent Karuizawa Kei a message.

When Karuizawa Kei received it, she looked up toward Xia Mu, slightly startled.

But she didn't dare say anything and quickly looked away, a little flustered.

Hirata and Ayanokoji had both noticed.

Late that night, Xia Mu glanced at Ayanokoji, who was pretending to sleep, and Kanji Ike, who was sleeping like a log. Then he slowly opened the tent and slipped outside.