Kushida's Intentions, Horikita's Strategy

Class D campsite.

Upon returning, I saw everyone gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

Ayanokoji quietly moved over and sat down.

He blended in perfectly, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.

However, a woman's keen "intuition" once again came into play.

The moment Ayanokoji sat down, he noticed a sharp gaze darting over from across the circle.

And he had specifically chosen the furthest spot, too.

Although Horikita was very concerned about Ayanokoji's previous explanation, she didn't jump out of the class discussion to confront him directly at this moment.

Moreover, after her cold, she seemed to have gained a slight understanding of the importance of her companions.

The care Sakura had shown her from yesterday until now could be described as very attentive.

As for Ayanokoji, who knew what he was up to? Perhaps in his plans, she wasn't ready to exit the stage just yet.

"Everyone, I have a proposal."

Kushida, who had been quite passive throughout the exam until now, suddenly spoke up:

"Since Hirata-kun is heading back to the ship later, I think we should choose the next leader now to prevent any accidents or someone spying on us later."

As she finished speaking, she glanced at Ibuki Mio, who was sitting alone on the other side of the camp, as if implying something.

"I agree, but who would be the best person to be the leader..."

Sato, sitting nearby, continued the conversation, her eyes glancing at Karuizawa, who looked a bit dazed, with a hint of worry in her expression.

"Since Yosuke is injured, why doesn't Kei take his place? After all, they are boyfriend and girlfriend, right?"

Shinohara Satsuki said with a reasonable tone.

"Eh? I can't..."

Hearing this, Karuizawa hurriedly declined, her expression filled with panic.

"How could I possibly lead the class like Yosuke does?"

She gave a slightly awkward smile, but to others, it looked like she was just being modest.

"But you've always been the one speaking up for us."

"Yeah, yeah, in my eyes, Kei is the most suitable."

"This..."

Karuizawa's face twitched slightly, her smile gradually freezing. Just as she was about to be backed into a corner where she couldn't refuse, Kushida seized the conversation:

"Everyone, listen to me. I don't think Karuizawa-san is suitable for the role of leader."

As soon as these words were spoken, most people turned their gazes toward Kushida, their faces showing slight surprise.

Everyone knew that the girls in the class were basically divided into two factions: the "well-behaved" faction represented by Kushida and the "outgoing" faction represented by Karuizawa. Although the two sides usually did their own thing, their relationship wasn't exactly unfriendly.

Kushida had even lent Karuizawa "money" a few times.

But now that Kushida was opposing Karuizawa becoming the leader, it naturally sparked some suspicion.

Could it be that Kushida wasn't as gentle and easygoing as she appeared, but rather quite calculating?

Was she trying to use this to become the leader herself and further elevate her status in the class?

Thoughts like these vaguely surfaced in the minds of those around her.

And ironically, the person who understood Kushida best at this moment was the silent boy sitting beside her.

Ayanokoji could hear the sound of Kushida's scheming loud and clear, even from thirty-seven people away.

The reason she was willing to sacrifice some of the image she had carefully maintained just to stop Karuizawa from becoming the leader was hidden in her next sentence.

"I think Karuizawa-san is too conspicuous in the class; it would be very easy for others to guess."

"And it's not just Karuizawa-san who isn't suitable; I'm the same..."

She looked around with burning eyes, speaking sincerely to those around her.

She swept her gaze across the people in the class, finally letting her eyes rest on the silent, black-haired girl:

"I think the person most suitable to be the leader in our class should be Horikita-san!"

She said with a touch of certainty.

Seeing the people around her begin to look confused and puzzled, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest and made an expression as if asking for their agreement, saying:

"Everyone, don't you think Horikita-san has a natural leader's aura?"

?

Ayanokoji was stunned when he heard this.

You spent all that time building up the tension, and you just hit me with a basic attack?

Fortunately, Class D was not lacking in idiots and clowns.

As soon as Kushida finished speaking, they had already filled in the blanks for her, justifying why she had nominated Horikita as the leader.

"Actually, now that you mention it, she really does have the aura of a leader..."

"Right? Horikita-san has high academic ability, and her cold, aloof personality makes it hard for people to guess her true intentions."

"Kushida-chan, you're too smart!"

Hey, there were definitely some insults mixed in there.

Kushida accepted the flattery with a smile, then turned her head toward Horikita.

"Horikita-san, what do you think?"

As the words reached her ears, Horikita lifted her gaze slightly.

She let her eyes linger on Kushida's sugary smile for two seconds before speaking.

"That's fine, but I demand we take more secure measures to refresh the base."

She cast a sidelong glance at Ibuki Mio, who was deliberately standing with her back to them in the distance.

She had long felt that this method of using a crowd to surround the leader to refresh the base was unreliable; it felt too much like trying to hide something only to make it more obvious.

Even if they added a few people into the "safety circle" to create confusion, anyone who paid a little extra attention would eventually notice the faces that never appeared on the perimeter.

While it might not be possible to pinpoint exactly who the leader was, the scope of the guess would be narrowed significantly, and the risk remained high.

"I suggest we build a simple shower stall centered around the base location and purchase some plastic partitions from the school to provide cover..."

She glanced at the temporary toilet they had purchased with points earlier and continued.

"The girls are always boiling water to wash up in the toilets anyway, and there have been plenty of frictions due to sharing the facilities, so this would be a good way to separate them."

"This way, the leader can refresh the base while blending in with the people taking turns to shower every day. We won't need any obvious cover-ups, and it won't be easy to guess, since basically everyone will be showering once a day."

After Horikita finished sharing her unique insight, the entire group fell into silence.

Just as she began to think she had done something foolish and closed her eyes, preparing to sit back down.

The next second, the people around her let out cries of surprise.

"That's amazing! Horikita-san, to think of such a perfect solution."

"As expected, you really do care about the class."

"Thank goodness, you haven't given up on us deadweights..." Yamauchi said, moved.

"I told you, didn't I? Horikita is actually quite kind-hearted." Sudo's face showed a hint of pride.

"Is that okay, Kushida-san?"

Horikita ignored their flattery, keeping her eyes fixed on Kushida to seek her approval.

She knew that Kushida was the one driving this entire situation.

"Of course!"

The next second, Kushida answered without hesitation, a look of pleasant surprise blooming on her face.

"It's so wonderful that Horikita-san is thinking of everyone like this~"

She said with a smile.

Having received unanimous approval, Horikita said nothing more.

She sat down silently, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Ayanokoji, who was sitting opposite her with an expressionless face, as if observing his reaction.

However, she gave up after a moment.

Because, as usual, she couldn't detect a single ripple of emotion on the boy's face.

Is this guy paralyzed or something?

A thought that was dozens of chapters late surged into her mind.