Ayanokouji

Ibuki looked down at Horikita, who had completely lost consciousness, and after taking a deep breath on the spot, muttered to herself:

"It's been a while since I've run into such a tough opponent. If this girl had been in good shape, I might not have won. Honestly, she's pretty impressive."

Then Ibuki continued her digging work, and soon unearthed a flashlight and a two-way radio wrapped in a plastic bag.

"What's going on?"

Ibuki picked up the two items buried underground. The moment her fingertips touched the metal casing, a strange tremor spread through her palm. She frowned at the mud stains on her hand, feeling that the condition of these two devices was somehow off compared to when they were buried—a faint blue electric glow seemed to emanate from the seams of the casing, as if an abnormal reaction had occurred after being soaked by rain.

"Maybe it's because of the rain..."

She shook her head to dismiss the unnecessary speculation, gripped the two-way radio, and pressed the talk button. Amid the static noise, she reported her current coordinates to a contact at some hidden base, then slid down to sit with her back against the damp tree trunk.

About thirty minutes later, a beam of light from a flashlight appeared in Ibuki's field of vision. The light flashed twice, then three times in a steady rhythm, like precise Morse code. She picked up the flashlight at her feet and returned the signal in the same pattern.

Then, the figure that made her teeth clench—Ryuuen—appeared.

"Good work, Ibuki. Well done."

"Obviously." Ibuki flicked her wet hair, her fingertips unconsciously brushing the edge of her pocket. "If the digital camera hadn't malfunctioned..."

"Save the excuses." Ryuuen raised an eyebrow and cut her off. "Now's not the time to complain about the equipment. Where's the card?"

Ibuki silently handed over the card. Ryuuen swept the flashlight's strong beam across its surface, and the gold-embossed characters "Horikita Suzune" gleamed coldly in the rain. He suddenly lifted his gaze toward the depths of the shadows, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. "Your turn, Katsuragi. This was your condition, after all—worried I'd tamper with it?"

Footsteps came from among the tree shadows. Katsuragi Kouhei of Class A slowly stepped into the light, the hem of his clothes stained with half-dried mud. His fingertips trembled slightly as he took the card, his eyes narrowing into slits under the harsh light, as if confirming some long-awaited prey.

Ibuki maintained her outward calm, but her fingertips trembled faintly beneath her sleeve—the terrifying nature of Ryuuen Kakeru was now creeping up the back of her neck in an even more piercing way. The wild claim he'd made to her after the exam started, about "winning over Class A," she had originally thought was just the rambling of a madman, but now it had turned into a tangible transaction before her eyes.

As Katsuragi Kouhei took the card from Ryuuen, his thumb repeatedly traced the gold-embossed letters, his eyes gleaming coldly in the flashlight's glow. Naturally, forging documents on a deserted island was impossible, but this caution had long surpassed the bounds of common sense.

"It seems genuine." He finally spoke, his tone unreadable.

"So, can we make the deal?"

Ibuki watched the tight line of his lips and suddenly recalled the rumors about this Class A leader's "paranoid caution"—it was said he would even check the angle of the cut on his breakfast bread three times. Now he raised the card to eye level again, as if examining a dangerous item that could explode at any moment.

"The method for infiltrating Class D..." Katsuragi suddenly lifted his gaze. "What method did you use?"

"Normal methods would obviously be seen through." Ibuki unconsciously touched her cheek, where a bruise from Ryuuen's punch three days ago still lingered. "But the method is a trade secret—after all, to make a lie come true, you need a bit of blood as decoration."

She recalled Ryuuen's cold smile at the time, and the sound of the wind as his fist came down. Those real pains, the forced-down mouthfuls of blood, had now become barbs embedded in the lie, ensuring that when she played the role of "Ryuuen's betrayed victim" in front of Class D, the hatred in her eyes never wavered for a moment.

The Class D students naturally thought she had been beaten and then expelled. If it weren't for these genuine injuries on her body, she probably wouldn't have been able to infiltrate Class D so smoothly.

"Don't look so lost in thought." Ryuuen chuckled and continued, "Judging truth from falsehood—you can manage that, can't you? Besides, you've already got one foot on our boat—don't tell me you're thinking of backing out now?"

"...Got it." Katsuragi frowned at the mud pit at his feet and flipped the card in his hand. Ryuuen watched Katsuragi's conflicted expression, a hunter's smile spreading across his lips instead, his lowered voice carrying a sharp edge. "If you don't seize the chance to make a contribution now, how are you going to clean up the mess? I've heard that ever since news of your defeat in the student council election spread, the Sakayanagi Faction has been riding roughshod over you in Class A."

Katsuragi's head snapped up, his pupils contracting slightly, his tone tinged with shock. "How do you know about that..."

"Cooperate with us, and help Class A stabilize its position." Ryuuen took half a step forward, the rainwater from the edge of his umbrella dripping onto the other's hand. "When that happens, those who defected will naturally return to your banner—or do you want to make an enemy of me? You should know the consequences."

Ibuki watched the undercurrents surging between the two, suddenly recalling the rumors of Katsuragi's "paranoid caution"—he always believed that all games could be balanced through rational calculation. But the fire dancing in Ryuuen's eyes at this moment was clearly a threat with a blade pressed against the other's throat, not any kind of negotiation.

"Opportunities when Sakayanagi isn't around don't come often." Ryuuen chuckled again. "If you can't even make a decision like this, how can you manage Class A?"

"...As agreed, our side accepts the cooperation." Katsuragi finally extended his hand. "I accept the proposal."

But Ryuuen had no intention of shaking hands, only sneering. "That's more like it. You'd better pray you didn't make the wrong choice."

"Wait—" Ibuki suddenly spoke, her fingertips gripping the edge of the card. "What's the content of the cooperation? What's the return? I have the right to know."

"It's just a deal with Class A." Ryuuen glanced at her. "As for the details—all you need to know is that following me will get you closer to your goal."

Katsuragi shoved the representative card back into Ibuki's hand and disappeared into the darkness without looking back. Amid the curtain of rain, Ryuuen said in a low voice, "Don't worry. When it's all done, you'll get the answers you want—for now, just do your job as the piece you are."

"Are you sure Katsuragi will really stick to the agreement? He might break his promise one day."

"I've naturally considered that." Ryuuen gave Ibuki a faint glance, then continued, "That guy will definitely follow through."

Ibuki walked toward Horikita, her fingertips quickly brushing across the surface of the representative card, wiping away her own fingerprints cleanly, then forcibly pressed the card into the other's palm. Mud oozed out between their touching fingers. She looked at Horikita's pretty face and suddenly let out a soft laugh—this woman couldn't do anything right now. Even if she knew Class C had seen through her representative identity, she could only endure in silence until the exam ended. After all, a full week of observation had told her: Horikita Suzune never trusted anyone. Her representative card had been stolen, but she hadn't immediately confessed to her classmates. The only person she was willing to open up to, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, was also a lone "incompetent" who posed no threat. Besides, as long as the card was still in Horikita's hands, the fact that she had exposed her identity through a mistake might be hidden from the rest of Class D.

"You know her nature well." Ryuuen glanced at Horikita, who was unconscious on the ground, the toe of his boot crushing the dead leaves at his feet.

"High endurance, stubborn temper, never listens to advice. No matter how hard it gets, she'll grit her teeth and see it through to the end—right?"

Ibuki stood up. She looked at the card in the other's palm, then suddenly leaned down and whispered, "Use that clever head of yours to protect yourself, Horikita-san."

After Ryuuen and Ibuki left, Ayanokouji stepped out from behind a tree, briefly checked Horikita's condition, then pocketed the representative card, picked her up, and left.

In another corner, Takahashi sat on the ground, watching the scenes unfold before him, thinking to himself: Ayanokouji, huh. First, you douse Ibuki's camera with water; I bet Horikita getting sick was also part of your plan. The genius from the White House that the little cripple mentioned must be you, right? Well, well, this is all fine. Now I've got a rough picture of the class situation. Next up is cleaning out some of the dead weight...