A Change

On the morning of the fifth day, before the sunlight had fully dispelled the dampness in the forest, Class D's camp was awakened by stifled sobs and the angry whispers of the girls.

"Hirata-kun! Ayanokoji-kun! Get up, quick!" Kushida Kikyo's anxious voice rang out from outside the boys' tent, tinged with rare panic. "Something's happened! Karuizawa's... panties were stolen! She's crying really hard!"

The tent erupted into commotion. Hirata Yosuke was the first to crawl out, his face full of shock and concern. "What? Karuizawa's panties were stolen? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" A girl from Karuizawa's group replied, eyes red with anger and worry. "She washed them last night and hung them up at the edge of the camp. When she got up this morning, they were gone! Someone definitely stole them!"

Karuizawa Kei herself was sitting inside her tent, wrapped in a blanket, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

The atmosphere in the camp instantly grew unbearably awkward and tense. The boys exchanged glances, their expressions varied; the girls were indignant, their gazes sweeping over every boy present like searchlights.

"We have to get to the bottom of this!" Horikita Suzune stepped forward, her face cold. "Otherwise, we can't guarantee the camp's safety, and everyone will panic!"

"Exactly! Check everyone's bags!" a girl from Karuizawa's group immediately chimed in. "Everyone's bags need to be searched! Especially the boys'!"

Hirata Yosuke looked at the crying Karuizawa and the furious girls, then at the boys' grim faces, and felt completely at a loss. But as the deputy leader, he had to keep order.

"Everyone, calm down." He took a deep breath, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "To prove your innocence, find out the truth, and settle things... boys, please cooperate and let us check your backpacks. Horikita, Kushida, and I will supervise."

The search began. The boys lined up and opened their backpacks with sour expressions, taking out their belongings one by one under the girls' scrutinizing gazes. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

Kazama In stood at the edge of the crowd, leaning against the trunk of a sturdy banyan tree, his dark eyes calmly watching the farce. He had no interest in such a petty act of theft, and knew it was most likely a ploy by Ryuen or his lackeys to sow discord within Class D. His thoughts were elsewhere—on the assassins, Ichinose's safety, and "Shadow," who had yet to return to his shoulder.

Just then, the faint but familiar sound of wings beating drew closer. A deep-blue shape, like a spirit blending into the morning light, flitted gracefully through the branches, circled twice, then landed neatly on Kazama In's outstretched arm. It was "Shadow."

The commotion in the camp seemed to have no effect on it. It affectionately rubbed its little head against Kazama In's fingers and gave a faint chirp, happy to be home.

A trace of warmth flickered in Kazama In's eyes. He immediately took a few crumbs of roasted bird meat he had set aside the previous night from his pocket and carefully held them out to "Shadow." The nightingale pecked at them happily, giving a contented little chirp.

The sight drew the attention of a few girls at the edge of the camp. They watched Kazama In quietly feed the bird, his stern profile looking particularly composed in the morning light—a sharp contrast with the humiliating, suspicious commotion at the center of camp. Remembering his introduction at the start of school, which had been misunderstood as meaning he had "never experienced school life," and his usual aloof but always proper behavior, several girls exchanged glances. Their eyes held understanding and a hint of... sympathy? They didn't approach or disturb him, but silently watched the peaceful scene.

As he fed the bird, Kazama In gently stroked the smooth crown of "Shadow's" head with his fingertips. His movements seemed tender, but his dark eyes were a cold, tranquil abyss. His senses, as precise as the finest instruments, picked up the tiniest response from "Shadow's" body—the faint fluctuations of bioelectricity beneath the miniature metal ring around its neck, the same color as its feathers. The chip... is still working. He knew it well. The "injured" signal he had sent to the assassin the previous night was false, and the information "Shadow" had brought back now was bound to be a trap, half true and half false. But he needed that information. He needed to know what the assassin was up to, even if he was being led in a particular direction.

From the subtle rhythm of "Shadow's" chirps, the faint quiver of its feathers, and the direction it had flown from on its return, Kazama In's mind rapidly decoded the encrypted information:

"Target unchanged."

"Bait set."

"Northwest Waterfall Area... signal interference point... preparations underway..."

"Be patient... wait... for the right moment..."

The fragments of information pieced themselves together in his mind. The assassins' target was still him. They were rushing to set a trap in the northwest Waterfall Area, using Ichinose as bait, and had chosen a location where the signal could easily be disrupted, intending to stage an "accident." They were patient, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Kazama In's gaze instantly sharpened like a blade, turning icy cold. He gently patted "Shadow's" head, signaling it to fly back to the treetops and rest. The nightingale gave a compliant chirp, flapped its wings, and vanished among the dense leaves.

"In... in my bag?!" Kanji Ike's face went deathly pale, his voice changing as he held a pink piece of women's underwear as though it were a red-hot coal! He frantically tried to stuff it back into his bag, but in his panic, he fumbled and dropped it. It landed right in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's hand beside him!

"It wasn't me! I really didn't steal it!" Ike cried in terror, his words tumbling over each other. "I don't know how it got into my bag! Ayanokoji, help me explain!"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained expressionless as he put the underwear in his pocket.

However, during the follow-up body search, Ayanokoji was discovered.

"Ayanokoji..." Hirata Yosuke's voice held disbelief and a heavy sense of pressure.

The search finally ended amid extreme awkwardness and suspicion.

Hirata Yosuke looked at the expressionless Ayanokoji and the agitated girls, feeling a splitting headache. In the end, he made a decision. "It seems the boys don't have them either. How about we check the suitcases next?"

The underwear scandal was temporarily put to rest, but the atmosphere in camp remained oppressive. Karuizawa Kei had calmed down a little, but insisted that her tent be moved farther from the boys' area and closer to the other girls' main gathering spot. Several girls started taking the tent down.

Hirata Yosuke and Ayanokoji returned as well. Hirata's expression was somewhat complicated, but the matter had evidently been dealt with for the time being (he had covered for Ayanokoji). He immediately joined the others in moving the tent. Ayanokoji silently went over to help, too.

Kazama In lowered his gaze from the treetops to the girls struggling to carry the tent poles, then glanced at Hirata and Ayanokoji, who were helping in silence. Ichinose Honami's bright smile flashed through his mind, along with the cold information "Shadow" had relayed about the waterfall trap—and the suspicion and humiliation that had filled the camp moments ago.

An unfamiliar impulse—or perhaps an instinctive drive to "protect" and preserve "order"—moved him to step forward.

He walked over to Kushida Kikyo, who was helping out, and spoke calmly. "Do you need a hand?"

Kushida was struggling to drag a piece of canvas. She looked up in surprise, and when she saw Kazama In, her face immediately broke into a smile of delight and gratitude. "Oh! Kazama-kun! Thank you! You really don't mind?"

The other girls who were busy working, including the still-sniffling Karuizawa Kei, looked over in surprise. Kazama In, who was always apart from the group and had such a cold aura, was actually offering to help?

Kazama In said nothing more, merely nodding as he reached out and took one heavy corner of the canvas from Kushida. His movements were efficient, and he was strong enough to lift it with ease and carry it toward the new spot the girls had chosen.

"Ah, thank you, Kazama!" "Sorry for the trouble!" The other girls quickly came around and thanked him, looking at him with a newfound closeness and appreciation. The misunderstanding that he had "never experienced school life" seemed to quietly dissolve in the face of his wordless kindness.

At some point, Koenji Rokusuke had wandered over as well. Watching Kazama In help, he gave a playful smile. "Oh-ho? Has Arbiter started experiencing the simple survival philosophy of 'helping one another' too? What a delightful change!"

Kazama In ignored Koenji's teasing. He set down the canvas, then silently went to carry the other parts. He felt nothing in particular; to him, this was simply a small favor and a necessary act to maintain basic order in camp. Yet when he felt the girls' grateful, faintly warm gazes, and saw Hirata Yosuke smile at him with approval and understanding, a subtle, indescribable calm quietly eased one corner of the tension that the assassins' threat had kept taut. On this island filled with suspicion and lurking danger, this tiny act of kindness had somehow let his heart, so accustomed to darkness and scheming, feel a faint, warm glimmer of "community." And that glimmer might become an unexpected source of strength as he faced the deadly storm ahead.