The Girls' Tent Was Different

The girls fell silent.

"I'm only making this concession for Hirata's sake," Karuizawa said first.

"I have no problem with it," Horikita said.

And so, the discussion ended with Hirata, Ayanokoji, and Takahashi being allowed into the girls' area.

"If you've all finished discussing this, may I say a few words?" Hirata began. "I understand how you're feeling... but I'm against suspecting our classmates without any evidence. Like suspecting Ayanokoji because he isn't good at defending himself, or suspecting Takahashi because he spoke up for Ayanokoji. I don't want anyone in our class doing anything so unreasonable from now on."

"Hirata, you're too kind and too nice. Then who do you think stole them, if not one of those disgusting boys?" Shinohara asked.

"I don't know... but I don't want to just start suspecting my classmates."

"Wait, could it be..." A boy suddenly looked at Ibuki, who was sitting in the distance. "Could it be that girl from Class C, Ibuki?"

The moment they heard that, everyone seemed to have spotted their prey, and all their suspicion turned toward Ibuki.

"Since Ibuki's from Class C, it wouldn't be strange for her to do something that gets in the way of Class D's unity, would it? And why would she stay on the island after all of Class C left? Maybe she's trying to make us suspect each other!"

"You boys are going too far. You're still the most suspicious ones here."

Shinohara still suspected the boys of being the Panties Thief. She waved her hand, shooing them away.

"Until we find the Panties Thief, we're not going to believe a word you boys say. Right, Karuizawa?"

"Of course. The Panties Thief has to be one of you boys!"

"Sorry for making you work so hard, too."

Some of the other boys wandered around the forest, while others fished to get food or pass the time. In any case, they were taking it easy.

"It's no big deal," Takahashi said, then bent back down to drive a tent peg into the ground.

"Ah... no, Hirata, you don't need to apologize. If I left everything to you, I'd feel bad," Ayanokoji said. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he asked Hirata, "Hirata, can I ask you something that might sound strange?"

"What do you want to ask, Ayanokoji?"

"Why do you work so hard?"

"Work hard? I don't think I'm working hard. I'm just doing what needs to be done." He wiped the sweat from his face with the towel around his neck, then continued, "I don't think this Special Exam is a competition. It's a chance for everyone to get closer, so I want to make the most of it and bring everyone in the class together. I'm happy to do even the most difficult work for that."

"You really are a superhero," Takahashi said, listening from nearby.

What had Hirata gone through before, to become so fixated on class unity?

"All right, we've almost finished. Let's hurry up and get the rest done."

"Hirata! Come over here!" Karuizawa's group called from nearby.

In the blink of an eye, Hirata was surrounded by Karuizawa's clique of queen bees.

"Come on, over there!"

"Wait, the tent isn't finished yet!"

"Don't worry. Takahashi and Ayanokoji are still here. I'm sure they'll finish putting up the tent."

After saying that, one of the girls tried to drag Hirata away by force.

Once Ayanokoji had finished the remaining work, he went to find Ibuki. Takahashi headed for the beach with Sakura, who had been waiting nearby.

On the fifth night of the Special Exam, Ayanokoji and Takahashi sat around the campfire, chatting idly. In the distance, a few girls were arguing with the boys again, for reasons unknown.

"They're a real headache."

"Yeah... they are."

Footsteps approached. A few girls led by Shinohara came running over, looking furious. "Ayanokoji, Takahashi, please move your tent over there."

(Takahashi) →_→ ←_← (Ayanokoji)

"Didn't we already move it?" Ayanokoji replied.

"Move it farther over! It's still too close to those boys." Shinohara spoke loudly, clearly still fuming from whatever had just happened.

Takahashi didn't look up at the girls. He casually tossed a piece of firewood into the campfire and said flatly, "Get lost."

"Takahashi, what did you say? Get lost?" Shinohara stared at him in disbelief and challenged him.

"Do you want me to say it again?" Takahashi met Shinohara's challenging gaze.

"Um... Shinohara, let's go," one of the girls said softly, tugging at her sleeve.

The girls left. Before they had gone far, they could be heard saying things like, "I thought he was such a gentleman."

"Ugh, if we move it any farther, it'll be outside the camp."

"Yeah... it will."

"You two sure have it rough," Horikita said from behind them.

"You have some nerve saying that," Ayanokoji replied.

"I can't help it. Hirata isn't someone I can trust, either, so I'm in a difficult position."

"You're the only girl in the class who seems not to trust Hirata, aren't you?"

"By the way, Ayanokoji, you seem to trust Hirata an awful lot."

"Yeah, because he's reliable."

"Reliable?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Horikita's mouth. "Do you really think he can have a positive influence on the class?"

"Well, no one's perfect, and Hirata isn't perfect either. He can't resolve every dispute between the boys and girls, but he's willing to step forward and take on responsibilities the other students can't handle. I think he's doing his best."

"That's true. He takes on major responsibilities without ever showing displeasure, and that in itself is admirable. But if it doesn't produce results, then it's meaningless. No—in some cases, it could even lead to a very bad situation. Tell me, do you know how many points Class D has right now?"

"You make it sound as though there's been some unexpected expense."

"Hmm. As I thought, Hirata, the person you trust, has been hiding something from you."

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me."

Horikita turned and walked toward the girls' tent. When she noticed that only Ayanokoji had followed, she turned back and looked at Takahashi. "Takahashi, aren't you curious?"

Takahashi wasn't interested. He already knew exactly what was in the tent. Hasebe and Sakura had told him ages ago.

"Hold on. I'll add some firewood."

Horikita opened the girls' tent, then stepped aside so Ayanokoji and Takahashi could see inside.

It was completely different from the boys' tent, where only absorbent sheets had been laid on the ground. Inside the girls' tent, the floor was covered with very comfortable padded mats, and there were inflated pillows. There was even a battery-powered wireless fan.

"The other tent has exactly the same things. It all cost twelve points. Do you have anything to say?"

"Ah... I was wondering why the girls hadn't complained about the heat. Now I understand."

"Yeah... Also, why are there padded mats? Aren't the absorbent sheets made of cotton, too? And the school provides them for free."

"Heh. Some of the girls hated the idea of using absorbent sheets—the kind used in bathrooms. Even though the sheets were new and unused, they still said they were disgusting and absolutely refused to sleep on them. By the time I found out, they'd already ordered and gotten everything. The rules let anyone spend exam points. That's a huge problem."

Just like Kōenji had opted out of the exam on the very first day, there was no way to stop classmates from spending points.

"Takahashi, don't you have anything to say?" Horikita asked, looking at him.

Takahashi: ←_←