Taking Ibuki In

"If we decided to boil river water to solve our drinking-water problem, could everyone who agrees please raise a hand?"

This time, Ike wasn't demanding that everyone drink river water on his own initiative. He was asking for everyone's opinion. Of course, he raised his hand first. Nearly half the boys followed. Did Takahashi raise his? He was in the grove holding Sakura's hand and pressing her against a tree, kissing her. Didn't that count as raising his hand? Shinohara looked unsure, but Ike gently told her, "You don't have to force yourself."

"I... I really want to try, but I just don't think I can stomach it. If we boil the river water a few times, though, I could give it a try."

"In that case..." Though there weren't many of them, the number of students in favor had increased. The timing had changed, and a proposal that had once been rejected now passed with ease. Shinohara looked reluctant, but she raised her hand, too.

Kushida raised her hand along with Shinohara, hoping to get the remaining students on board. Seeing Hirata, Karuizawa, and Kushida raise their hands, the others slowly followed.

"I don't know if I'll be able to drink it, but I'll give it a try."

"I'm in favor, too. I think once we get the first sip down, the rest will be fine."

"Let's do it, brothers! We'll save more points and live well next month."

"Everyone," Hirata said, looking at the raised hands, "I understand that drinking river water all of a sudden might be hard to accept. So I think we should use some points to buy bottled water for now. We don't need much, just enough for today and tomorrow. We can reuse the empty bottles to carry water and things like that."

After getting everyone's approval, Hirata turned to Ike. "Ike, it looks like you're the only one in our class with any camping experience. Could you help us out?"

"Uh, since you're asking so sincerely, I suppose I'll take pity on you and lend a hand."

"Thank you, Ike!"

Everyone immediately asked for his advice about food.

"It'll be dark soon, so we'll have to use points to buy food for today. But let me think about what to eat starting tomorrow. There's all kinds of food around us out here. Anyway, I'll take a look around the forest tomorrow and see what I can find."

"Ike, there's a river at our campsite, right? Could we catch fish?"

"Yeah, we can catch fish. They taste great roasted over a campfire."

"But how are we supposed to catch them? None of us has any experience fishing."

"Hmm... That's a problem. But I remember the Guide Manual said we could rent fishing rods."

"Fishing? Really? I love watching Jeremy Wade."

"Besides fishing, Little Kikyo, could you take me to the place where you picked fruit today?"

"Sure, Kanji."

Now that everyone had stopped crowding around Hirata, Ayanokouji finally had a chance to speak with him.

"Hirata..." Ayanokouji had barely started when someone interrupted him.

"By the way... Isn't that girl over there Ibuki from Class C? I've seen her before." Sato looked toward Ibuki, who was sitting quietly in the distance, and spoke with some confusion. It seemed someone in the class had noticed her before Ayanokouji and Hirata had.

Yamauchi offered a slightly flustered explanation. "Ibuki got into some kind of fight with her classmates and they kicked her out."

"I see. Then we can't just leave her alone. It's far too dangerous for a girl to be in the forest at night," Hirata said.

"But Hirata... She might be a spy, right? One part of the exam is figuring out who the other classes' representatives are..."

"Oh, right... I forgot about that. Darn, how did I only just remember? Ayanokouji, why didn't you remind me? Oh, wait. Takahashi was the one who asked me to bring her back." Yamauchi clutched his head.

"I'll go ask Ibuki what happened. Yamauchi, Ayanokouji, could you come with me?"

Hirata, Yamauchi, and Ayanokouji then went over to Ibuki.

"Could I talk to you for a moment, Ibuki? I'd like to ask you a few questions, like what happened in more detail."

"I'm in your way, aren't I? Sorry for causing you trouble. I'll leave now." Ibuki jumped to conclusions and started to get up, intending to leave the Class D campsite.

"Wait. I'd like you to tell me what happened that made your classmates... well, kick you out. Don't get me wrong—we really want to help you."

Hirata stopped Ibuki, emphasizing the end of his sentence. When he saw her cheek, he realized the situation was serious.

"Even if I tell you, it won't change anything, will it? I don't want to waste any more of your time."

"This is an exam, so it's understandable that students might be suspicious of you. And you're injured, and can't go back to your class. We don't want to send you away, and we really do want to help. Yamauchi brought you here because he feels the same way, so I hope you'll tell me exactly what happened."

"But this isn't something that can be solved just by talking about it. I heard what you were discussing earlier, too. You don't want to keep giving away your plans for passing the exam, do you?"

Ibuki turned and started to walk away. Yamauchi circled around and stopped her, a little forcefully.

"If you really were a spy, you wouldn't just come out and say you were leaving, would you?"

Takahashi: (picture a sideways smirk) Spies don't say they're spies.

"Enough. Stop blocking me. I'm just looking for somewhere to sleep."

"It's too dangerous for a girl to spend the night alone in this forest. It's already dark, and if you run into a wild animal, you'll be in trouble."

"Even if it's dangerous, I have no choice. You don't get anything out of helping me, do you? You'd only have something to worry about—that I'm a spy trying to steal information about who your class representative is."

"That has nothing to do with it. We'd be worried if we left a girl alone in the forest. I just want to help someone who's in trouble. We don't abandon anyone, and everyone feels the same way."

Hirata gave her the bright, charming smile that made girls fall for him in an instant.

In the end, Ibuki gave in to Hirata's persuasion and began explaining how she'd been kicked out.

"I got into an argument with some guy in my class, so he hit me and kicked me out. That's all."

"That's awful... How could he hit such a cute girl?" Yamauchi said angrily.

"I'm not going to explain any further. I don't want to talk about being hit, and I don't expect you to take me in. That's it."

"Wait. I know you're really in trouble, and I understand your situation. Could you spare me a little time? I'll explain what happened to the others. They're all very understanding, so if we talk it over, they'll definitely let you stay. Ayanokouji, could you stay with Ibuki? Yamauchi and I will go explain things to everyone."

As for the decision, Hirata's explanation and assurance eventually convinced everyone to let Ibuki stay with Class D. Some students strongly opposed it, but Hirata pointed out that if a member of Class C was missing during roll call, the class would lose points. In the end, even those who'd objected accepted the decision.

Although Hirata didn't seem to have any ulterior motive, the other students did. They agreed to take Ibuki in because it benefited them—a pragmatic way of thinking that put "gaining an advantage" at the heart of every decision. Having Ibuki in Class D meant Class C might lose points, which worked in their favor, so they let her stay.

However, control of this area was a very sensitive issue. Class D and Ibuki agreed that she wouldn't approach the check-in device without permission. If she figured out that Horikita was the representative, Class D would suffer a major loss—no less than the points Class C would lose from missing a roll call.