The Third Day on the Uninhabited Island: "Confusion"

The next day, Ayanokoji woke up earlier than everyone else, just as he had the previous two days.

Today, however, Horikita had finally gotten her body clock back to normal.

Early in the morning, Ayanokoji saw her stretching on the grass.

Good. She seemed more energetic.

But he didn't feel like going over to greet her. He knew he still owed Horikita some information.

Information was most useful when shared with the right person at the right time. Otherwise, a leak could easily undermine its intended effect.

Of course, he didn't think Horikita would let it slip easily.

It was just that...

There was a more important reason.

He couldn't be bothered.

So today, he was especially keen to admire the morning view of the sea and headed in the direction Horikita was facing away from.

The camp was some distance from the shore, and he had to pass through a small patch of woods to get there.

Ayanokoji strolled along, planning his next moves as he went.

After walking for a while, he spotted a few people up ahead, wandering around as if they were searching for something.

One of them looked familiar, and he was curious, so he decided to go over and see what was going on.

"Good morning, Ichinose."

"Ayanokoji-kun? What are you doing here?"

Ichinose looked puzzled. She knew Class D's camp was some distance away, and it was still early.

"I came out for a walk and happened to see you, so I thought I'd come over."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Ayanokoji spoke in his usual calm, even tone.

"Um... actually, one of our classmates has gone missing."

"We're looking for her now."

Ichinose furrowed her pretty brows as she spoke, looking worried.

"Then I'll help you. It's not like I have anything else to do."

Ayanokoji offered, almost as if he were testing her.

"Thanks, Ayanokoji-kun."

They'd already interacted several times, so Ichinose didn't turn down his offer.

But the other Class B students seemed wary.

As soon as Ichinose finished speaking, Kanzaki moved to her side and shot her a sidelong glance, making sure she noticed. It seemed like he was trying to warn her.

But a moment later, Ichinose said to him:

"It's fine. Ayanokoji-kun isn't the sort of person who's always plotting something."

Ayanokoji: "..."

Was she saying he was stupid?

Ichinose, how did you manage to make so many friends?

After hearing her, Kanzaki stopped objecting, though he still occasionally glanced at Ayanokoji with suspicion.

After that, Ayanokoji joined the Class B students in searching the woods.

He suggested they split up to cover more ground. They agreed, and he chose a direction and searched on his own.

He wanted to trust his instincts for once.

The missing student was Shiranami Chihiro from their class—the girl Ichinose had rejected when she confessed to her the other day. What a strange coincidence. He hadn't gone far before he noticed someone by a tree up ahead, circling it as if searching for something.

Ayanokoji quietly approached and asked:

"Are you Shiranami from Class B?"

"Wah—!"

The girl was startled by his sudden voice. She patted her chest and took a moment to compose herself before speaking, her voice cautious:

"Y-yes... And you are?"

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Class D."

"Your classmates are looking for you. They're worried."

Ayanokoji spoke calmly. What he meant was that she should hurry back. Little kids shouldn't wander off on their own.

As for why he'd decided she was a little kid, it was because she really was tiny.

If that wasn't clear enough, he could put it another way.

She was really flat.

Ayanokoji never judged anyone unfairly or made rash assumptions about anyone's figure. Even Horikita had a decent amount to her, but this girl really didn't.

When Shiranami learned her classmates had started looking for her, she froze. A few seconds later, she began to panic.

Watching her flustered state, Ayanokoji couldn't help asking:

"Did something happen?"

"I... accidentally lost something really important."

"..."

"Can you tell me what it looks like? I could help you look for it."

Ayanokoji was being helpful for the first time in a while.

"N-no, it's fine. I can look for it myself."

The girl declined, fidgeting awkwardly.

By then, Ayanokoji had more or less figured it out.

His suspicions had been confirmed.

Kanzaki's wariness. The girl's refusal of help. The way she was shouldering this alone.

It had to be that thing!

That perfectly neat, square thing that looked a bit like a bank card, except it only let you withdraw ten cents at a time.

The answer was clear.

Ayanokoji spoke up:

"Do you remember where you went yesterday?"

This time, he genuinely wanted to help.

"I remember I spent almost the whole day at camp. I only went out once to gather some firewood, around here. I didn't go anywhere else..."

The girl looked confused, as if to say, "That doesn't make sense." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

After hearing her out, Ayanokoji furrowed his brow slightly. Then he thought of something he'd seen in Class D the previous evening and ventured a question: "Does your class have anyone from another class staying at your camp?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

Shiranami Chihiro looked surprised.

"Kaneda from Class C was treated violently by Ryuen, so he's staying at our camp for now..."

Sure enough, Ayanokoji's brow immediately relaxed.

It wasn't that the girl couldn't find her lost item. She'd been searching in the wrong place from the start.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke again:

"Try looking around your camp again. If you spent most of the day there, it's more likely you left it there."

"Check the tent, the beach, or your bag. It might be mixed in with your other things. You probably haven't looked carefully through all of those places, have you?"

Ayanokoji spoke calmly.

He understood the mindset of people who'd lost something.

They started doubting every place, even ones they'd already searched. Since losing the item was a fact, they'd stay trapped in a state of self-doubt until they found it.

At times like that, all you had to do was give them a nudge, and they'd wonder, "Could it be that I really didn't look carefully?"

Then they'd go and search again.

Sure enough, after Ayanokoji's suggestion, the girl stood there dazed for a while before raising her head and saying:

"...You're right. I'll go back and look more carefully!"

Then she turned and headed back to Class B's camp, glancing over her shoulder from time to time to make sure Ayanokoji wasn't following.

I'm afraid not, little girl.

I already know what I wanted to know.

And your figure doesn't interest me, either.

Ayanokoji's thoughts remained calm.

It wasn't really because of those two lumps on her chest.

It was because when the girl rejoined Ichinose and the others, they would probably discuss some "important" things, and his presence would make it awkward.

And he hadn't sent her back just to get her out of the way.

He guessed that Kaneda from Class C had only wanted to compare the card with the one belonging to his class leader. Or perhaps he'd happened to see someone nearby while peeking at it and had taken the card along without thinking. He probably hadn't actually intended to steal it.

That would have been pointless. He only needed to know who held the card.

Stealing it would only make the class he took it from more alert and prompt them to take precautions.

Now it was up to Class B to realize that their "leader" had been discovered.

After a moment's reflection, Ayanokoji stretched his stiff neck and looked up at the sky.

So, who was Class C's leader?

Kaneda? Ibuki?

Or someone else?