The Campsite

"Look, this is the campsite we scouted out. What do you think? Isn't the river water crystal clear?" Ike announced loudly, looking rather pleased with himself.

When they reached the livable campsite Sudo and the others had found, nobody paid any attention to Ike's excited announcement. They simply set down their heavy supplies and sat wherever they could to rest.

"Yeah. There's a clean water source, shade to block the sun, and the ground is nice and flat. This would be the perfect place for a campsite. You guys did a great job, Ike." Hirata looked around and praised Ike and the others.

"Heh heh heh, of course!"

The river flowed gently by. It was about ten meters wide. Dense forest and loose stones surrounded it, but this spot was unusually open, as though someone had deliberately leveled the ground.

This kind of setting couldn't have formed by chance. The school must have deliberately created it.

"How can we prove this river belongs to us?"

The river was wide and seemed to stretch far downstream. At first glance, apart from the flat ground where they stood, the surrounding terrain varied greatly in elevation. This seemed to be the only spot with favorable conditions, but another class might still try to claim it. They might even use the river without anyone noticing. Was the privilege the school had granted them for this campsite limited to this patch of ground?

Puzzled, Ayanokouji walked to the river, then headed toward the forest. Takahashi and Horikita followed him.

"The school seems to have taken this into account. Only we can use this river."

A wooden sign stood beside the path leading to the river, which they were allowed to use.

It read: This river is part of the designated base. Use without permission is prohibited.

The three returned to Hirata. By then, everyone was discussing who to choose as their representative.

"Let's make this our campsite, then. But there's one issue: should we claim this spot or not?"

"Of course we should claim it! Why wouldn't we?"

"There are definitely benefits to claiming it. We'd have exclusive use of the river, and we'd earn points from occupying the area. But the problem is that we'd have to renew our claim every eight hours, and only the person chosen as our representative can do it. If someone from another class sees our representative, we'll be in trouble. We have no idea whether anyone's watching us."

Even across the river, the area was covered in forest. If someone were watching from among the dense trees, they'd never spot them.

"Why don't we just surround the representative while they use the Representative Card to claim the area? Then nobody will see them."

"Right, right! If that still doesn't work, we can have a dozen people take turns surrounding the device and pretending to use it, but only one person will actually operate it."

After hearing the various opinions, everyone ultimately agreed that they should claim the spot.

"Then the next question is who should be our representative," Hirata said.

Choosing the representative mattered more than whether or not to claim the area. After all, at the end of the exam, they'd have to guess who the representative was, not which class had claimed which base. As everyone considered who they should choose, Kushida called them together and had them form a circle. Then she spoke quietly.

"I've thought through a lot of possibilities. If we choose Hirata or Karuizawa, they'll stand out too much. A representative needs to be responsible and take the exam and Class Points seriously, right? I think Horikita is the only person who meets all three criteria. What do you think?"

At Kushida's words, Takahashi glanced at Horikita beside him. Horikita hadn't expected Kushida to recommend her, but her expression didn't change. She had always been focused on getting into Class A, and was probably considering who would be the least risky choice as representative. Horikita calmly watched the others' reactions, as though she had her own ideas.

Hirata chimed in. "I agree with Kushida, and I also think Horikita would be well suited to the role. Now it's up to Horikita. If you're willing, I hope you'll take on this responsibility."

Everyone's eyes turned to Horikita, but she remained as composed as ever.

"She doesn't seem to want the job. Don't force her. I can take her place."

Sudo mistook Horikita's reluctance and volunteered instead. Ironically, his words became the catalyst. Horikita's gaze darkened slightly, and she quickly made a calm decision.

"I understand. I accept the position."

Horikita would rather take control of the situation herself, even if it meant more work, than let Sudo or Ike lead. Once she had agreed, Hirata immediately got up and went over to Teacher Chabashira. He soon returned with a card and discreetly handed it to Horikita. In perfect unison, the entire class casually gathered around the device, using their bodies to block the view of others and keep the representative's identity secret.

"Awesome," Ike said excitedly. He had been arguing from the start that they should claim the spot. "That solves our bathing and drinking water problems! Right? We'll save a considerable number of points this way."

Ike's eyes sparkled as he urged everyone to save their points.

"What? Drink river water? Have you lost your mind?" Shinohara said, looking at Ike with disdain.

It seemed Ike planned to use the river for both drinking and bathing, but the girls didn't share his enthusiasm. They stared at the river in surprise, then looked at Ike as if he were an idiot. The water was clear, but they had no intention of drinking it.

"This river would be fine for swimming... but drinking it..."

"Is it really that bad? It looks clean enough."

"Y-yeah... It looks like it might be drinkable..." Yukimura stammered in support of Ike's plan to save points, though he wasn't sure himself whether the water was safe to drink.

Shinohara watched Ike keep urging everyone to save points, then gently tugged at Hirata's sleeve.

"Um... Hirata... Is it really okay to drink river water? It's not like the drinking water we're used to."

A few girls gathered around as well, looking worried as they asked Hirata for help.

They stared at the gently flowing water and shook their heads in disagreement. "I just can't believe it's safe to drink..."

Seeing them whispering among themselves, Ike impatiently spoke up. "You're making a big deal out of nothing. This water's as clear as mineral water."

Although the water looked clear and free of impurities, not only the girls but some of the boys, too, gazed at the river from a distance with little enthusiasm.

"What's wrong with you all? What are you unhappy about? It'd be a waste not to use such a rare resource!"

"Then you drink it yourself."

"Fine, I will!"

At the girls' half-hearted urging, Ike cupped his hands and took a drink.

"Wow! It's so cool and refreshing! It tastes pretty good!"

"I can't believe you actually drank that stuff. Gross."

"Hey! You're the one who told me to drink it, Shinohara!"

"People like you, who act like savages from some primitive tribe, are the ones I hate most."

"What did you say?!"

The two faced off again, and the atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

"I heard arguing helps people grow closer, but I guess that doesn't apply to those two," Hasebe said to Takahashi, watching them with interest.

Takahashi nodded. That was true.