Camp

"Look, this is the campsite we scouted. How about it? Isn't the river water clear?" Ike announced loudly, looking pleased with himself.

After arriving at the livable campsite Sudo and the others had discovered, the group ignored Ike's excited proclamation, simply setting down their heavy supplies and finding spots to sit and rest.

"Yeah. There's clean water, shade to block the sun, and the ground is really flat. If we pick this as our camp, it's practically ideal. Ike, you guys did great." Hirata praised Ike and the others as he looked around.

"Heheh, of course!"

The river babbled as it flowed. It was about ten meters wide. Dense forest and gravel surrounded it, but this spot was unusually open, as if deliberately leveled.

Such an environment wasn't a coincidence—it was likely a place the school had intentionally created.

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

The river was wide, and downstream seemed to stretch far into the distance. At first glance, aside from the flat ground where they stood, the terrain around was steep and uneven. Only this spot had good conditions, but it felt like other classes might forcibly claim it too. Plus, they could use the river without anyone knowing. Could it be that the privilege the school granted for this campsite was just this space?

Ayanokouji had his doubts. He walked to the riverbank, heading toward the forest. Takahashi and Horikita followed.

"It seems the school has fully considered this situation. Only we can use this river."

By the path where the river could be accessed, a wooden sign was planted.

It read: This river is a designated base. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

The three returned to Hirata's side, where everyone was already discussing choosing a representative.

"Let's make this our camp. But there's a question: should we claim this place or not?"

"Of course we claim it! Is there even a reason not to?"

"There is. The benefits of claiming it are obvious—we can monopolize the river and earn points from the occupation rights. But the problem is, we have to renew the rights every eight hours, and only the chosen representative can do it. If the representative gets seen by another class, that's a huge problem. We have no idea if anyone's watching us."

Even across the river, the surroundings were all forest. If someone hid in the dense thickets to spy, there was no way to spot them.

"Can't we just surround the representative when they use the representative card to claim the territory? That way, no one can see."

"Yeah, yeah. If that's not enough, when swiping the card, a dozen people can take turns circling around for each swipe, but only one person actually does it."

After hearing different opinions, everyone agreed to claim the place.

"Then next, we need to choose who our representative will be," Hirata said.

More than whether to claim it, who became the representative was the key. After all, the exam's goal was to guess the representative, not which class claimed which base. As everyone thought about who to pick, Kushida called them to gather in a circle and whispered:

"I've thought it over carefully. If we pick Hirata or Karuizawa, they're too conspicuous. To be a representative, you need a sense of responsibility and a focus on the exam and class points, right? I think the person who meets all three conditions is Horikita. What do you all think?"

Hearing Kushida, Takahashi glanced at Horikita beside him. Horikita hadn't expected Kushida to recommend her, but her expression didn't change. Always aiming for Class A, she was probably weighing who would pose the least risk as representative. Horikita calmly observed everyone's reactions, as if she had her own ideas.

Hirata chimed in: "I agree with Kushida. I also think Horikita is well-suited to be the representative. It depends on Horikita's willingness. If she's willing, I hope you'll take on this duty."

Everyone's eyes focused on Horikita, but she maintained her usual calm demeanor.

"Looks like she doesn't want to, right? Don't force her. I'll take her place."

Sudo mistakenly thought Horikita was unwilling and volunteered. Ironically, this became the catalyst—Horikita's gaze sharpened slightly, and she made a quick, cool-headed decision.

"I understand. I accept this position."

Rather than letting Sudo or Ike lead, even if it cost more effort, Horikita preferred to control the situation. With her consent, Hirata immediately stood and walked over to Teacher Chabashira, returning quickly with a card. He handed it to Horikita without a fuss. The whole class moved in unison, naturally surrounding the device, deliberately blocking others' view with their bodies to ensure the representative's identity stayed hidden.

"Awesome," Ike, who had pushed for claiming the base, said excitedly. "That solves the bathing and drinking water problems, right? Right! This way, we can save a huge amount of points."

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

"What? Drink river water? Have you lost your mind?" Shinohara looked at Ike with disgust.

It seemed Ike planned to use the river for both drinking and bathing, but the girls, Shinohara included, didn't share that idea. They stared at the river in surprise, then at Ike like he was an idiot. Though the water was clear, they had no intention of drinking it.

"This river's fine for swimming... but drinking it..."

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

"Y-yeah... it looks drinkable..." Yukimura stammered in support of Ike's point-saving plan, though he wasn't sure himself.

Shinohara watched Ike keep pushing for savings and tugged lightly on Hirata's sleeve.

"Um... Hirata... is it really okay to drink river water? This isn't regular drinking water."

A few other girls gathered around, looking worried as they appealed to Hirata.

They stared at the slowly flowing river and shook their heads in opposition: "I can't believe this is drinkable..."

Ike, annoyed by their murmuring, said impatiently: "What's the big deal? This water's as clear as bottled water."

Though the water was clear and pure, not just the girls but even some boys looked at the river with little interest from a distance.

"What's wrong with you guys? What's the complaint? It'd be a waste not to use such a rare river resource."

"Then you drink it yourself."

"Fine, I will!"

Urged on by the girls' half-hearted prodding, Ike scooped up some river water and took a sip.

"Wow! It's cool and refreshing! Tastes pretty good!"

"Unbelievable... actually drinking that stuff. So gross."

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

"People like you, who live like savages in a primitive tribe, are the ones I hate the most."

"What did you say!"

The two faced off again, their gazes clashing, the atmosphere instantly tense and on the verge of explosion.

"I hear arguing helps deepen bonds, but it doesn't seem to apply to those two, huh?" Hasebe said with keen interest, watching the pair and speaking to Takahashi.

Takahashi nodded. Indeed.