The Campsite Catches Fire

"I have two suspects: Karuizawa and Ibuki."

If it was Karuizawa, then she probably just wanted to cause Horikita trouble because she thought Horikita had provoked her.

"Hmm... I think it was probably Ibuki. Karuizawa was waiting in line outside the showers the whole time, and so were her two friends."

"That makes Ibuki the most likely culprit. Of course, we can't rule out the other students. After all, Yamauchi got beaten up by me today, and given how much he likes picking on people, he might have stolen it to get back at me." Horikita analyzed the situation with one arm folded across her chest and her other hand resting against her chin.

Ayanokouji thought about the way Yamauchi had looked after being beaten up and said, "I don't think it was Yamauchi. You beat him up pretty badly, so he probably won't dare retaliate anytime soon."

"Then it must have been Ibuki. This morning, you wanted to look at the card, dropped it, and made a fuss. She might have seen it then. And the timing is too convenient. Still, stealing the card is an extremely risky gamble. The representative's name is engraved on it, so just seeing it would be enough. Why would she steal it?"

Horikita looked at Ayanokouji with uneasy eyes, as if hoping he would give her an answer.

Before Ayanokouji could respond, Horikita noticed a wisp of gray smoke rising into the air above the campsite.

By the time Horikita and Ayanokouji hurried back to the campsite, Ike was shouting, "This is bad! There's a fire! There's a fire behind the toilets!"

The girls who had been waiting outside the showers had disappeared, too. They had probably heard Ike shouting and left.

"I still can't see Ibuki anywhere. She might have started this fire, so let's find out where she is!" Horikita said anxiously.

Ayanokouji and Horikita hurried toward the source of the smoke, behind the temporary toilets. Hirata and several other boys were already trying to put out the fire, and Ibuki was standing nearby.

Horikita was about to question Ibuki, but hesitated when she saw her profile. Ibuki's expression looked too genuine; her face was full of confusion about the fire.

Could she really not have started it?

The question exploded in Horikita's mind, leaving her confused and at a loss.

If Ibuki was the only person who could have stolen the Representative Card, then she should also be the only one who could have started the fire. And yet Ibuki had stayed at the scene, making no effort to hide her surprise.

Once the fire was out, everyone saw scraps of paper still smoldering at the site. Almost all of them had turned to ash, but the words on a few remaining pieces made it clear that they were from the Guide Manual.

"Was the Guide Manual burned?" Hirata said, looking at the charred remains. It was hard to tell whether he was speaking to the person beside him or to himself.

"Damn it! If I find out who did this, I'll make him pay!" Sudo shouted, clenching his fist.

"One thing after another..." Hirata's eyes were vacant. He seemed to be talking to himself. "This is my responsibility. I put the Guide Manual in my luggage and left it right in front of the tent. I was too careless. I never imagined someone would steal it in broad daylight... Why...? Who would do something like this...? Why can't we all just get along?"

"Um... I don't think you need to take so much responsibility." Ayanokouji put a hand on Hirata's shoulder to comfort him.

"Thank you. I think we should discuss this with everyone."

"What? You think we did it? Why would we do something like that? Are you crazy?"

While Ayanokouji and Hirata were talking, an argument broke out at the campsite. The boys and girls were quarreling over the fire.

"Heh. You had the nerve to steal someone's panties. You really expect us to believe you wouldn't start a fire?"

"That has nothing to do with the panties!"

"Who knows? Maybe you started the fire to cover up what happened."

"Don't be ridiculous. We'd never do something that stupid."

"Everyone, let's calm down. Stop arguing. We'll discuss this in a little while." Hirata quickly stepped between the boys and girls to mediate.

Ever since their trip had turned into a Special Exam, everyone had been under a lot of stress. Then the panties had been stolen and the Guide Manual burned. All that pent-up frustration finally boiled over.

As Hirata tried to calm both sides, the clouds overhead turned dark and gloomy. It began to rain.

"Ibuki from Class C is missing!"

As the boys and girls argued, Matsushita Chiaki suddenly shouted.

Everyone fell silent. Then, as if they had silently agreed, they began searching for Ibuki.

"Her luggage is gone, too!"

"Could the Panties Thief and the arsonist both be...?"

"This is bad. Let's stop discussing it for now. It'll be a problem if our luggage gets soaked." Ike and the others hurried to bring the food and luggage left outside into the tents.

"Hirata!" Ike called out to him, but Hirata stood motionless, staring blankly into space.

Takahashi had just returned to the campsite after seeing Ibuki leave. He spotted Hirata standing there like a fool. When he came closer, he realized Hirata hadn't even noticed him approaching. Hirata murmured, "Why... did it turn out like this...? Just like back then..."

"What... have I been doing all this time? What have I been working toward...?" Ike's shouts came from a distance, but Hirata seemed unable to hear them. He just kept muttering to himself. Only when Takahashi lightly tapped his shoulder did Hirata slowly turn around as if startled. His face was pale and blank. Takahashi pointed toward Ike, and only then did Hirata realize it was raining. He slowly got up and began helping them pack.

Takahashi watched Hirata's back disappear behind the tents, then headed down the path to the beach to catch up with Ayanokouji, who had left a short while earlier.