Hirata's Request, Horikita Was Full of Energy

"..."

"So I think the key to this exam is figuring out the leaders of the other classes and..."

Horikita glanced toward the boys' tent.

"Hiding our class leader."

Ayanokoji nodded silently.

At that moment, he was analyzing the "key points" of the exam with Horikita.

He acknowledged her powers of observation.

She was just too rigid and not good at strategizing, but she was still smart.

After observing things for the past two days, she had successfully grasped the exam's main points.

And, well, after taking my medicine, Horikita's health had improved, and her intelligence had started to gain the upper hand too.

Thinking of that, Ayanokoji felt a little proud.

"Ayanokoji, do you have any ideas?"

Seeing Ayanokoji looking thoughtful, Horikita asked him, her gaze still fixed on the boys' tent.

Ayanokoji knew she was asking about Hirata, the class leader, being injured.

He watched the crowd around the tent in silence for a moment, then spoke.

"Horikita, do you remember what Chabashira said earlier?"

"We can't change leaders unless there are special circumstances. That means there's room to change the leader after all."

"Mm, I'd considered that too."

Horikita agreed.

"But if Hirata withdraws, who will take over?"

Ayanokoji turned around and looked her over for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I have an idea..."

Inside the boys' tent, Hirata sat in the middle, both legs stretched straight out in front of him. One foot was visibly a lot bigger than the other.

Several boys hovered around him, asking after his condition, while Karuizawa, his girlfriend, stood on the outskirts, looking both worried and frightened.

If it were just her boyfriend getting hurt, she probably wouldn't be feeling the latter.

Ayanokoji wondered to himself as he entered the tent and crouched beside Hirata.

"Sorry, Ayanokoji-kun."

"Because I wasn't careful, I've held up everyone's progress in the exam."

Ayanokoji shook his head and glanced at Hirata's abnormally swollen foot.

"Getting injured while living outdoors is normal. If anything, it'd be unusual not to have any wear and tear on your body. You don't need to blame yourself."

After hearing that, Hirata looked Ayanokoji up and down, then joked halfheartedly, "Looks like I have an unusual example right in front of me."

"Well, it's only the second day. The wear and tear on my body hasn't become that noticeable yet."

Ayanokoji replied casually.

Then his vacant gaze met Hirata's eyes, and a hint of seriousness entered it.

"Hirata, withdraw and go back to the ship to rest."

Hirata looked surprised. Just as he was about to ask why, Ayanokoji continued.

"If you don't go back and get that injury treated promptly, there's a good chance you'll have lasting problems."

Ayanokoji's tone was as cold as ice water.

"I think I can still keep going..." Hirata said, gritting his teeth slightly, his expression reluctant.

He seemed to know how serious his sprained ankle was. He could feel pain in the injured foot even when the wind blew against it.

"..."

"Listen to me. Go back."

Ayanokoji continued to gaze at him, his expression unchanged.

"You can't do anything for the class in your current state. You'd only make the others look after you."

"And with your injury, if something else happens..." Ayanokoji glanced sideways at Hirata's injured foot. "You might have to retire that foot for good."

Hirata's gaze faltered. Ayanokoji's humor at that moment struck him as rather morbid.

"But..." He lowered his head slightly, his face heavy. Gritting his teeth, he said, "That would cost the class 30 points for nothing..."

Ayanokoji stared at him in silence for a moment, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "Hirata, do you think you're worth only 30 points?"

His face was impassive, his gaze as cold as frost.

Hirata stared at him, dazed.

That expression, that tone—it was as if Ayanokoji wasn't worried about his injury at all. It seemed more like he had weighed Hirata against certain bargaining chips and made the decision based entirely on reason.

Ayanokoji had seen the value Hirata would have to the class in the future and made what he believed was the most beneficial choice...

"I understand..." Hirata said, looking a little helpless.

If the person urging him had been doing so out of personal concern, he might have stubbornly tried to push himself a little. But if they were urging him purely for the class's benefit, he had no reason not to listen.

"Ayanokoji, I'm counting on you all to take care of things in class from here on."

Hirata put on a serious expression and spoke each word heavily.

"Mm."

Ayanokoji nodded slowly.

But it was getting late, and the path was hard to walk in the dark. They would have to wait until tomorrow to help him back to the ship...

When Ayanokoji left the tent, Ike and the others had already lit a bonfire nearby, illuminating the whole camp.

As the sun set, the firelight gradually replaced the glow of the evening sun.

Aside from Hirata, nearly everyone from Class D was gathered around the bonfire.

The firelight fell across everyone's faces, as if it had laid a soft, natural filter over them.

The others were still discussing Hirata's injury, but Ayanokoji's attention had shifted to a short-haired girl sitting alone nearby.

Ibuki Mio from Class C.

When Ayanokoji had returned that evening, he had seen her at his class's camp.

Apparently, she had opposed Ryuen, who had driven her away by force. The big softies of Class D had taken pity on her and brought her back, letting her stay...

As expected of Class D.

Ayanokoji had a rare moment of heartfelt reflection.

"You also think that woman has ulterior motives, don't you?"

Noticing Ayanokoji's gaze, Horikita spoke to him.

"Mm... No matter how you look at it, she has no reason to be here."

"Ryuen and the others have already gone back to the ship. Staying here simply because she doesn't want to be with them seems like a rather flimsy excuse, but..."

Ayanokoji glanced at Horikita out of the blue.

"Why does it feel like there's so much hostility toward her in your words?"

"Nothing. My intuition just tells me we won't get along."

"..."

Ayanokoji fell silent.

Scary.

Women really did seem to be born with some kind of special ability.

As he marveled inwardly, Horikita broke the silence again.

"But the people in our class aren't completely naive, either. They're keeping her at a certain distance and lent her a simple sleeping bag."

"And they're giving her one person's worth of food every day..."

"Forget it. They are naive. Wasting points on an extra meal every day for no reason would be bad enough, but they've also kept a ticking time bomb right beside us. If you ask me, they should just leave her alone. After a couple of days, she won't be able to take it and will obediently go back. Besides, if anything happens, the school can locate us through our watches..."

"What, do you think I'm wrong?"

After a lengthy explanation, Horikita paused and turned to look at Ayanokoji, who was staring at her expressionlessly without saying a word.

She still had more to say, but the boy's complete lack of response made her feel a little disrespected.

She thought, I'm completely right. Let's see what you have to say for yourself with that face.

That was why she had challenged him with a rhetorical question.

However, she had no idea that Ayanokoji hadn't cared whether she was right in the first place.

He hadn't even paid attention to most of what she'd said.

He was merely looking at her impassively, with only one thought in his mind:

Uh... Great job, Horikita.

You're full of energy.