The "Accident" on the Second Day of the Uninhabited Island

Evening, Class D's camp.

By the stream.

Kushida Kikyo stood a few meters away, watching the man and woman beneath the trees ahead. A baffling sense of betrayal and dejection welled up inside her.

As expected.

All that talk about them not getting along...

It was all fake.

Beneath a tree.

Horikita: "What's this?"

Ayanokoji: "Emergency cold medicine."

Horikita: "..." She stared at Ayanokoji for a long while.

Ayanokoji: "..."

What did you take my guy for?

Did the mighty Tyrannosaurus need to resort to such a low-down trick?

Ayanokoji gave an awkward little cough and said calmly,

"You don't want to be the second person to cost the class points, do you?"

"At this rate, even if you push yourself, you'll last three days at most."

At that, Horikita's gaze wavered slightly.

"Why would I be... the second?"

"Uh... You never know. If you don't take it, you might end up being the first."

As he spoke, Ayanokoji noticed Horikita's blank expression.

Maybe it was the cold, but she seemed to move much more slowly than usual. Even her breathing was faint.

Her eyes were dull and vacant, making her look a little adorable.

Of course, she'd look even better if she weren't furrowing her brows as if determined to get to the bottom of everything.

"Take the medicine and rest first. If you're able to get up tomorrow, I'll explain."

At last, Horikita took the medicine from his hand, then used the hand Ayanokoji offered to slowly get to her feet.

"Sakura, could you come over for a moment?"

Sakura Airi, who had heard him, froze for a moment, then walked a couple of uncertain steps toward them.

"Horikita's sick. Take her to the tent to rest."

Ayanokoji said it calmly.

Once she knew what was going on, Sakura looked a little worried too. She hurried over to Horikita's other side and supported her.

"Horikita, are you all right...?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

Horikita forced a smile. Her cheeks were even redder than before, and Sakura felt a little embarrassed just looking at her.

"I'll take you back to the tent to rest!"

Sakura sounded much more decisive than usual.

She finished speaking and slowly led Horikita toward the tent they'd just put up.

If only she made that face more often.

Watching the two of them walk away, Ayanokoji muttered to himself.

The next morning.

Ayanokoji crawled out of the tent and took a breath of the forest air.

Uh...

It wasn't especially fresh. A faint salty smell hung in it.

If not for that scent, Ayanokoji might not have realized he was on an island at all.

The island wasn't large, but the trees were exceptionally thick. Walking through them was almost like wandering in a primeval jungle.

It would be all too easy to get lost if you weren't careful.

That was probably one of the reasons the school had forced them to bring smartwatches.

Ayanokoji thought as he looked at the watch on his wrist.

He deliberately glanced at the other tent not far away. There was no movement.

As expected, the medicine's effects made you sleep more deeply. Combined with a weakened body, it was hard for anyone to keep to their usual routine.

Even Horikita, who'd gotten up early every day for years, was no exception.

After watching for a while, he turned his gaze from the girls' tent to the woods ahead.

He planned to take a walk and gather some information he wanted, so he wandered along, lost in thought.

To claim a site, the student serving as the leader had to personally bring a card to the check-in point and check in. They had to check in again every eight hours, or they would lose their claim. Each check-in earned one private point.

There were sixteen sites on the island, scattered all over. They had to be found by exploring...

One point per check-in was miserly, to say the least. If a class claimed just one site and checked in three times a day, they could earn at most eighteen points over seven days.

And judging by the past two days, it wouldn't be easy for a class to hold more than one site for long.

Setting aside the fact that the sites' locations were unknown, having the "leader" travel between several sites every eight hours each day was asking too much.

Unless they learned some kind of ninja technique, they'd collapse from exhaustion sooner or later.

And they'd be extremely likely to give themselves away.

If they did, and someone correctly guessed the leader, they'd lose fifty points. On top of that, all the points they'd earned from claiming sites would be voided.

The risk and reward didn't match at all.

In other words...

Was the key to this exam hiding and guessing the leader, with claiming sites not mattering at all?

What a boring guessing game.

That was what Ayanokoji thought, though another thought was faintly stirring in his mind.

As he was lost in thought, the figure of someone boldly perched in the trees ahead caught his eye.

Koenji...

Maybe he could make use of him.

By afternoon, Horikita finally opened her heavy eyelids in the tent.

After sleeping for so long, when she opened her eyes, her upper and lower lids felt as though they were stuck together. They were sticky, and something clung to her eyelashes.

After looking in the mirror, she promptly decided to go wash her face.

"Ugh..."

She stretched a little and felt much better than she had the day before. Was it the medicine's effect...?

A face with a cool, detached expression came to mind.

She'd never imagined she'd end up owing him a favor.

A breeze drifted through the woods, and she felt more alert.

"Have you heard? Class C seems to have given up on the exam."

"Huh!? Is that reliable?"

"Someone saw it with their own eyes. After spending their points and enjoying themselves for a whole day, they quit and went back to the ship..."

"I really don't get them..."

A nearby discussion reached her ears. She looked over, thoughtful.

"You're awake, Horikita."

Sakura noticed Horikita coming out and went over to ask, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

"...Thanks. Much better."

Horikita looked at her for a moment, then turned her gaze around the camp.

"Where's Ayanokoji?"

Sakura paused in surprise, then slowly replied,

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since this morning..."

At that, Horikita furrowed her brows slightly.

Then she thanked Sakura and walked back to the tent, arms wrapped around herself. She still seemed a little cold.

"Horikita doesn't use an honorific when she calls Ayanokoji-kun..."

Watching Horikita's back as she returned to the tent, Sakura Airi looked a little dazed.

At dusk, Ayanokoji strolled back to camp, looking as calm as ever.

As soon as he came out of the shade, he heard murmuring from inside a tent. Several girls were hovering outside, peering in with worried looks.

His brow twitched slightly.

Could he have...

Given her the wrong medicine?

But his next thought was immediately disproved.

Horikita emerged from another tent and slowly walked toward him, arms wrapped around herself.

Her expression was grave. She glanced at the boys' tent on the other side, blinked slowly, and spoke:

"Ayanokoji..."

"Hirata's injured."