Kushida's Intentions, Horikita's Proposal

Class D's camp.

As soon as he returned, he saw everyone sitting together in a circle, apparently discussing something.

Ayanokoji quietly made his way over and sat down.

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

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

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

He'd picked the spot farthest away, too.

Horikita was still very concerned about what Ayanokoji had said earlier, but she didn't interrupt the class discussion to go straight to the point with him.

Besides, after catching a cold, she seemed to have gained a little understanding of the importance of her classmates.

Sakura had been taking remarkably thoughtful care of her since yesterday.

As for Ayanokoji, who knew what he was planning? Maybe, in his scheme, she wasn't allowed to leave the stage just yet.

"Everyone, I have a suggestion."

Kushida, who had shown little initiative throughout the exam, spoke up unexpectedly.

"Hirata-kun will be going back to the ship soon, right? I think we should choose the next leader now, so we don't end up being watched and discovered if something unexpected happens later."

As she finished, she glanced at Ibuki Mio, who was sitting alone at the other end of the camp, as if hinting at something.

"I agree, but who should we choose as the leader...?"

Sato picked up the conversation, glancing at Karuizawa, who seemed somewhat distracted. A hint of concern showed in her expression.

"Since Yosuke is injured, Kei should take his place. They're boyfriend and girlfriend, after all, right?"

Shinohara Satsuki made a fairly convincing argument.

"Eh? I can't do it..."

At that, Karuizawa quickly declined, looking a little flustered.

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

She gave an awkward little smile, but to everyone else, it looked like she was just being modest.

"But you're always speaking up for us!"

"Yeah, yeah. I think Kei's the best choice."

"This..."

Karuizawa's face twitched slightly, and her smile gradually stiffened. Just as she was about to find herself in the awkward position of being unable to refuse, Kushida cut in:

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

At her words, most of the class turned to look at Kushida, their faces showing some surprise.

Everyone knew that the girls in the class were basically divided into two groups: the well-behaved crowd represented by Kushida and the more outgoing crowd represented by Karuizawa. They usually did their own thing, but their relationship wasn't bad.

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

But now Kushida was opposing Karuizawa becoming the leader. It was bound to make people wonder.

Could it be that Kushida wasn't as sweet and easygoing as she seemed, and was actually quite calculating?

Was she trying to become the leader so she could further improve her standing in the class?

Thoughts like these faintly arose in the minds of those around them.

Ironically, the person who understood Kushida best at that moment was the silent boy sitting beside her.

Ayanokoji could hear the wishful thinking behind Kushida's plan as clearly as if he were sitting right next to her, even with thirty-seven people between them.

The reason she was willing to damage the image she'd maintained all this time just to stop Karuizawa from becoming the leader was hidden in what she said next.

"I think Karuizawa-san is too conspicuous in class. It'd be easy for people to guess."

"And Karuizawa-san isn't the only one who wouldn't be suitable. I wouldn't be, either..."

She looked around at the others, her gaze earnest and her tone sincere.

Her eyes swept over the class before finally settling on the black-haired girl who had remained silent all along.

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

She said it with confidence.

Seeing everyone look at her in confusion, she clasped her hands together at her chest, then asked as if seeking their agreement:

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

?

Ayanokoji paused when he heard that.

So after all that buildup, she'd just thrown out a basic attack?

Fortunately, Class D had no shortage of eccentrics.

As soon as Kushida finished speaking, they filled in the reasons for her recommendation on her behalf.

"That's true. Now that you mention it, she really does seem like a leader..."

"Oh, yeah. Horikita-san is smart, aloof, and doesn't fit in with the group. She'd definitely be hard to guess."

"Kushida-chan, you're so clever!"

Hey, one of those was kind of an insult.

Kushida smiled as she accepted their praise, then turned to Horikita.

"Horikita-san, what do you think?"

At the sound of her voice, Horikita lifted her eyes slightly.

She held her gaze on Kushida's saccharine smile for two seconds, then spoke.

"I'm willing to do it, but I want us to adopt a safer method for refreshing our base."

She glanced toward Ibuki Mio, who was deliberately facing away from them at the other end of the camp.

She'd long thought that surrounding the leader with a group of people to refresh the base was an unreliable method. It practically drew attention to itself.

Even if they added a few people to the "safe circle" to muddy the waters, anyone who paid a little attention would notice the faces that never appeared on the perimeter.

They still wouldn't know for sure which of those people was the leader, but the range of possibilities would shrink considerably. It was still risky.

"I suggest that we build a simple shower room around the base's location and buy some plastic partitions from the school to screen it off..."

She glanced at the temporary toilet they'd bought earlier with points and said:

"Don't the girls often boil water and bathe in the toilet? We've had quite a few conflicts because the bathroom facilities are shared. This would be a good chance to separate them."

"That way, the leader could refresh the base while blending in with the people taking turns showering each day. They wouldn't need to hide anything conspicuously, and it would be harder to guess who the leader was. After all, pretty much everyone showers once a day."

After Horikita shared her original idea, the whole group fell silent for a moment.

Just as she thought she'd done something foolish and closed her eyes, preparing to sit down,

the next second, everyone around her let out excited cries.

"That's amazing! Horikita-san, you came up with such a perfect solution."

"Of course you still care about the class."

"That's great. You haven't given up on us deadweight..." Yamauchi said, deeply moved.

"I told you, didn't I? Horikita's actually pretty kind." Sudo looked a little smug.

"Is that all right, Kushida-san?"

Horikita ignored their praise. She simply looked straight at Kushida, waiting for her approval.

She knew that Kushida was the one calling the shots in this situation.

"Of course!"

The next second, Kushida answered without hesitation, her face lighting up with delight.

"It's so wonderful that Horikita-san is willing to think of everyone~"

She said with a smile.

After everyone agreed, Horikita said nothing more.

She quietly sat down, glancing at the expressionless Ayanokoji across from her out of the corner of her eye, as if watching for his reaction.

However, a moment later, she gave up.

As usual, she couldn't see the slightest change in the boy's expression.

Was he some kind of stone-faced person?

A thought that had come several dozen chapters too late surfaced in her mind.