Vigil

The night was deep, the campfire reduced to a few dim embers, the forest clearing shrouded in thick darkness and the chorus of insects. Most of Class D's students had already sunk into deep sleep in their crude tents, exhaustion overcoming the unease of their first arrival on the deserted island.

Kazama In slipped out of his single-person tent without a sound, his movements as light as a shadow merging into the night. The moment he stood still, he spotted Koenji Rokusuke leaning against the trunk of a massive banyan tree, his posture languid but his eyes sharp. His signature flamboyant golden hair seemed to carry its own soft glow even in the faint moonlight.

"Here," Koenji mouthed silently, a hint of a playful smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Just as their eyes met, Kazama In's perception, like invisible tendrils, keenly caught two other faint traces of presence—one from the gap in the tent where Ibuki Mio was stationed, and the other from the direction of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's tent.

"As expected, not asleep," Kazama In thought to himself. Ibuki, as Ryuen's spy, was naturally on high alert; and Ayanokoji... that classmate who had always struck him as "not simple," seemed to possess perception far beyond the ordinary.

Kazama In and Koenji exchanged an extremely brief but meaningful glance. The plan was adjusted.

Kazama In deliberately lowered his voice to a near whisper, but pitched it just enough to be barely caught by the two awake listeners in the tents. He said to Koenji, "Rokusuke, the plan remains unchanged. I need you to confirm whether the key points marked on your watch are accurate. As the 'leader,' I have to keep the overall picture in mind." He stressed the word "leader" intentionally.

Koenji caught on instantly, lowering his voice as well, but his tone still carried his characteristic flamboyance: "Oh ho ho, of course, Arbiter. It's my honor to share the burden for the 'leader.' I'll head to the eastern stream marker to double-check." With that, he deliberately strode off in the direction opposite their true goal, his steps seemingly "casual" but still silent, his figure quickly swallowed by the dark woods.

Kazama In remained where he was, seemingly operating the special watch on his wrist. The faint glow of the screen lit up his stern profile for a moment before fading. He looked up, his gaze sweeping deliberately over the direction of Ibuki's tent, pausing for an instant, then turned and moved stealthily in the opposite direction from Koenji—toward their true objective.

Ibuki Mio curled up in her tent, holding her breath, staring through the gap at the outside activity. She clearly heard Kazama In's words "as the 'leader'" and Koenji's response! Her heart pounded wildly.

"As I thought! Kazama In is the leader! Koenji is just his deputy!" she exulted inwardly. "Ryuen told me to confirm Class D's leader identity—this intel is too important! Kazama In and Koenji splitting up late at night must mean they're scouting some key location... I have to report!" She quickly pulled out a hidden micro-communicator (forbidden by the rules, but Ryuen always had a way) and began composing an encrypted message.

In another tent, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka lay still in his sleeping bag, eyes open in the darkness. He too had heard the deliberately lowered but not entirely concealed conversation.

"'As the leader'... Kazama In is emphasizing his role. Koenji's response was cooperative... but it feels... too deliberate?" Ayanokoji's mind raced through analysis. "During the daytime registration, that brief glance between Kazama In and Koenji... The direction Koenji left in doesn't match where he claimed to be going..." A clear conclusion emerged: "Kazama In is lying. He's probably not the real leader. Koenji is."

Yet new confusion followed: "Why did they split up late at night? Where is Kazama In going alone? Where is Koenji going? What's the real purpose?" He couldn't understand this behavior, which went beyond the scope of "ordinary student survival competition." Kazama In and Koenji seemed shrouded in a fog he couldn't yet see through.

Kazama In hadn't gone far. After leaving the camp a certain distance, he stopped in a forest clearing where moonlight barely filtered through. He raised his arm, facing the dense canopy of a tall oak tree, and let out an extremely short whistle, almost blending into the insect noise.

A small, deep-blue figure, like a spirit merging into the night, glided down silently from the canopy, landing precisely on Kazama In's raised arm. It was "Shadow." Its tiny head nuzzled affectionately against Kazama In's fingers, letting out faint "chirps."

Kazama In gently stroked its smooth feathers, his gaze focused. He leaned close to the nightingale's ear and issued a few brief commands in an almost inaudible breath, while pointing his finger in a specific direction—the path toward the rendezvous with Koenji, heading toward the wealthy scions' camp.

"Shadow" tilted its head, seemingly understanding his intent, its small eyes glinting with lively light in the moonlight. It rubbed against Kazama In's finger in response, then flapped its wings, rising silently into the air like a deep-blue leaf, quickly vanishing into the night sky, flying in the direction Kazama In had indicated. It would serve as his silent aerial scout.

Kazama In continued moving swiftly through the forest, his direction matching "Shadow's." Soon, at a stream confluence hidden by giant ferns, he saw Koenji Rokusuke waiting there.

"Oh, Brother, has your 'little sentinel' already gone ahead?" Koenji asked, leaning elegantly against a moss-covered rock as Kazama In appeared.

"Mm," Kazama In nodded, scanning the surroundings to confirm safety. "Do you know any important children of wealthy or noble families among the first-years, besides ourselves?"

Koenji stroked his chin, his golden eyes shimmering with thought in the moonlight: "Oh ho ho, of course. This little school is like a microcosm of high society's salon. Let me think... Class A's Sakayanagi Arisu, the jewel of the Sakayanagi financial group—that goes without saying. Katsuragi Kohei, his family has solid political connections, not top-tier zaibatsu, but their influence is not to be underestimated. Class B's Ichinose Honami, family background... hm, relatively low-key and pragmatic, ordinary. Class C's Ryuen Kakeru... tch, beneath mention. Class D... aside from us, there don't seem to be any particularly notable targets from wealthy or noble families. Of course, some might keep a low profile..."

Kazama In quickly filtered the information: "Katsuragi... those few are the primary targets. The assassin's goal is unclear, but whether it's creating panic or eliminating important figures, these fit the value profile best. A madman like Ryuen probably wouldn't catch an assassin's interest. In other words, it's just the two of us."

"Brilliant analysis, Arbiter!" Koenji snapped his fingers elegantly. "So, where do we 'stake out' to enjoy this possible 'dark drama'?"

Kazama In looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the layered canopy toward some direction on the island: "Class A's camp. Katsuragi is there. And..." He paused, a flicker of extremely complex emotion passing through his jet-black eyes, "that place is the most likely target."

"Oh? Most likely?" Koenji keenly caught the faint, almost imperceptible tremor in Kazama In's tone, pressing with interest.

Kazama In didn't answer. He simply turned and moved stealthily toward the direction of Class A's camp, his figure once again merging into the darkness.

"Heh, that's quite 'beautiful,' indeed." Koenji chuckled softly, his golden hair stirring slightly in the night breeze, following close behind, his steps still elegant and unhurried, yet carrying the alertness of a panther.

The two moved like ghosts born of the forest itself, silently threading through the moon-dappled primeval jungle. Target: Class A's core camp. Purpose: to become watchers in the shadows before the shadows descended. And the nightingale "Shadow," like a silent scout, searched the higher, broader night for any trace of discord. On the deserted island's deep night, undercurrents surged, and an unknown game of protection and hunting, centered on the top-tier wealthy and noble scions, quietly began. Ayanokoji's confusion and Ibuki's false intelligence became the first pieces on this grand chessboard, kept in the dark.