The Choice

Back in the clearing they had chosen as their temporary base, exhaustion mingled with the excitement of being in an unfamiliar place. Their most urgent task was to choose a leader to coordinate their efforts to survive. Everyone sat in a circle, the mood somewhat somber.

Kushida Kikyo spoke first, wearing her usual sweet smile. "I think our leader should be someone responsible who cares about everyone! Who do you think would be a good fit?" Her words could always steer the conversation with ease.

The discussion quickly got underway. Someone mentioned Horikita Suzune, saying she was calm and rational. Someone else quietly suggested Kazama In, given the strong leadership he had demonstrated on the ship—especially during the Painted Skin incident. Though the details had been concealed, his presence had left a deep impression. Horikita Suzune immediately rejected the idea in a cold voice. "I'm not interested." Her sharp gaze swept across the group, radiating an unmistakable sense of distance.

As everyone debated, Kazama In calmly raised his hand. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone. "I'll do it."

His offer instantly silenced the discussion. Many people breathed a sigh of relief. Kazama In's demonstrated abilities and reassuringly steady presence undoubtedly made him the best choice at the moment. Koenji Rokusuke applauded elegantly from the side. "Ohoho! Arbiter's commanding abilities will surely add a magnificent movement to our journey of survival!"

Hirata Yosuke smiled and voiced his support as well. "I think everyone has seen what Kazama can do." Kushida Kikyo nodded again and again, her smile radiant. "Yes! I'm sure Kazama can do it!"

The choice of leader was settled. Next came registration. According to the rules, the leader had to enter the information on their student ID into a special wristwatch to bind their identity.

"To prevent any information from leaking, let's gather close and block the view from outside," Kazama In said calmly. His suggestion was met with immediate approval. The Class D students instinctively drew closer, forming a relatively enclosed human wall to block any prying eyes from the direction of the other classes.

Kazama In took his student ID from his pocket. Just as he was about to hold it up to the watch's scanner, his gaze met Koenji Rokusuke's, who was standing at the edge of the group. The glance was brief and seemed entirely casual, but it passed like a flash of lightning. No one else noticed the unspoken meaning it held.

The corner of Koenji's mouth lifted in a barely perceptible, knowing smile.

Kazama In's wrist shifted, and he smoothly swiped the card across the watch. A soft beep sounded, and registration was complete. He put the card back in his pocket.

"Identity binding complete."

The identity that had been bound belonged to Koenji Rokusuke's student ID. The true leader's identity had been cleverly concealed beneath Koenji's flamboyant, showy exterior. It was an arrangement Kazama In and Koenji had agreed upon on their way back: Kazama In would serve as the public-facing "leader," drawing potential attention and risks, while Koenji would control the situation from the shadows, making it easier for him to carry out his "purge."

As the sky darkened, the forest's outline blurred into something mysterious. The exploration team of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Sakura Airi, and Yamauchi Haruki returned with an unexpected addition: Ibuki Mio of Class C. She claimed that Ryuen Kakeru had abandoned her and that she had nowhere else to go. Though the Class D students were suspicious and wary of her, Kushida Kikyo urged them not to leave someone in danger, and Kazama In, as the new leader, gave his tacit approval. Ibuki was temporarily taken in at Class D's base.

They lit a bonfire. Its orange-red flames drove back the forest's chill and darkness, offering a little sense of security. The girls had gathered some wild fruit during the day, and it was washed and handed out. There wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Just as everyone was gathered around the fire and beginning to relax, Koenji Rokusuke and Kazama In appeared once more at the edge of the firelight. Koenji carried several cleaned frogs strung together with vines, while a small, delicate bird perched on Kazama In's shoulder. Its feathers were a deep blue, almost black, flecked with star-like white spots—a rare nightingale.

"Whoa! Food!"

"Frogs! And a bird!"

"Koenji and Kazama are amazing!" At the sight of the food, the exhausted students cheered, temporarily forgetting the day's hardships and their wariness of Ibuki.

But even more people were captivated by the unusually docile nightingale perched on Kazama In's shoulder.

"What a beautiful bird!"

"It... isn't afraid of people? It's actually sitting on Kazama's shoulder?"

"Kazama seems to be popular with animals, doesn't he?" someone murmured.

Kazama In paid no attention to the comments around him. His gaze rested on the little creature perched on his shoulder, and a rare softness showed in his eyes. There was something unusual about the nightingale. It wasn't entirely wild: its feathers were too clean, and its claws and beak showed no signs of wear from living outdoors. Most importantly, he could smell an extremely faint scent on it, something that didn't belong in the forest and reminded him of a particular cleaning product. It was a sign of professional training. Combined with the concealed campsite he had discovered at a high vantage point that day, where traces of gunpowder remained, the answer was clear: this nightingale was most likely a trained bird belonging to the two lurking assassins, used for scouting or carrying messages.

Yet at that moment, the bird that should have belonged to the enemy was rubbing its small head affectionately against Kazama In's neck, trilling softly as if asking for attention. Kazama In extended a slender finger and gently stroked its smooth feathers. He picked up a tiny morsel of wild fruit he had just been given and held it out to the bird. The nightingale pecked at it without hesitation, chirping contentedly.

Many of the students stared, spellbound. The firelight illuminated Kazama In's stern profile, while the gentle touch of his fingertips and the bird's affectionate nuzzling made for a striking contrast. It gave him an indescribable charm. Several girls watched with cheeks turning pink.

"Taming..." Kazama In's thoughts drifted back to his distant childhood. In the grand family estate, the only thing that had ever brought him comfort was a wounded canary his mother had secretly brought him. He had cared for it with meticulous attention, shared his thoughts with it, and watched it recover and sing. That brief memory, filled with warmth and the vitality of life, was one of the few bright spots in his dark childhood. Later... the bird died, and his mother, too... As he looked at the equally well-trained nightingale before him, complicated emotions began to stir in his heart.

"From now on, you're coming with me." Kazama In's voice was so low it was almost a whisper, audible only to the nightingale on his shoulder. He had made his decision. It wasn't just because he could use the bird against the assassins; it was also because it had stirred the long-buried tenderness in his heart. I'll protect you. The thought surfaced quietly. He was even beginning to plan how to use his personal points to apply to the school for the legal right to keep it once they returned.

"Why don't you give it a name, Kazama?" Kushida Kikyo came over, curious as she watched the tame bird.

Kazama In pondered for a moment, looking at the bird's feathers, which shimmered with a deep blue sheen in the firelight. "Let's call it 'Shadow.'"

The food was handed out. The frog meat and the ordinary bird Koenji and Kazama had brought back were roasted over the fire. They tasted bland, but to the hungry students, they were a delicacy. Kazama In carefully tore off some boneless, tender roasted meat and fed it to Shadow. It ate with relish, occasionally chirping brightly to show its delight.

Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo took some food over to Ibuki Mio, who sat alone in the shadows at the edge of the bonfire's light.

"Have something to eat, Ibuki," Hirata said gently.

Kushida smiled warmly as well. "Yes, don't be shy."

Ibuki Mio looked up and studied them with a complicated expression. She then glanced quickly at Kazama In, who was playing with the nightingale by the fire, before silently accepting the food.

Kazama In's gaze passed over Ibuki, his dark eyes full of understanding. Ryuen Kakeru's castoff strategy? Crude, but effective. He didn't call her out. Ibuki's presence might provide a lead on Class C's movements, or even... bait to draw out a greater threat. On a chessboard where survival and hunting were intertwined, every piece had a purpose.

Shadow finished eating, then affectionately preened Kazama In's silver-white hair with its beak before settling quietly against his neck and shoulder, as if it had decided he was the safest perch. Kazama In's fingers absently stroked its warm body, feeling the trust and dependence of the tiny creature. The bonfire crackled, lighting the exhausted or excited faces of the Class D students, and revealing, beneath the unfathomable layer of ice in Kazama In's eyes, a glimmer of something awakened: the desire to protect.

The nightingale's song, the smell of gunpowder on the assassins, the eager excitement of the hunt in Koenji's eyes, Ibuki Mio's hidden intentions, and the unexpected warmth on Kazama In's shoulder, laced with danger... Beside the bonfire on this isolated island, far from civilization, the struggle to survive had only just begun, and the hunt and the protection taking shape in the shadows were quietly becoming intertwined. Kazama In knew the true test would come after dawn.