Transformation

On the morning of the fifth day, before the sunlight had fully dispelled the dampness between the trees, Class D's camp was jolted awake by stifled sobs and the angry murmurs of girls.

"Hirata-kun! Ayanokoji-kun! Get up quickly!" Kushida Kikyo's anxious voice rang out outside the boys' tent, carrying a rare note of panic. "Something's happened! Karuizawa-san's... underwear has been stolen! She's crying really hard!"

A stir erupted inside the tent. Hirata Yosuke was the first to crawl out, his face etched with shock and gravity. "What? Karuizawa-san's underwear was stolen? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure!" A girl from Karuizawa's group, red-eyed, spoke with both anger and urgency. "She washed it last night and hung it at the edge of the camp. When she got up this morning, it was gone! Someone must have stolen it!"

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

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

"We have to get to the bottom of this!" Horikita Suzune stepped forward coldly. "Otherwise, camp security can't be guaranteed, and everyone will be on edge!"

"Right! Search the luggage!" The girl from Karuizawa's group immediately chimed in. "Everyone's luggage needs to be checked! Especially the boys'!"

Hirata Yosuke looked at the crying Karuizawa and the agitated girls, then at the grim-faced boys, feeling the immense difficulty of the situation. But as the vice-leader, he had to maintain order.

"Everyone, calm down." He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. "To prove innocence, find the truth, and settle this... boys, please cooperate and let us check your backpacks. I'll supervise along with Horikita-san and Kushida-san."

The inspection began. The boys lined up, their faces sour as they opened their backpacks and pulled out items one by one under the scrutinizing gaze of the girls. The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

Kazama In stood at the edge of the crowd, leaning against the thick trunk of a banyan tree. His jet-black eyes calmly observed the farce. He had no interest in such a low-grade theft and was well aware that this was likely Ryuen or his underlings' scheme to stir up internal discord in Class D. His thoughts drifted elsewhere—toward the assassin, toward Ichinose's safety, and toward the "Shadow" that had yet to return to his shoulder.

Just then, an extremely faint yet familiar sound of wings flapping approached from afar. A deep blue shadow, like a spirit blending into the morning light, glided lightly through the branches, circled twice, and finally landed steadily on Kazama In's raised arm. It was "Shadow."

The commotion in the camp didn't seem to affect it. It affectionately rubbed its tiny head against Kazama In's finger, letting out a soft chirp filled with the joy of returning home.

A faint, barely perceptible softness flickered in Kazama In's eyes. He immediately pulled out a bit of roasted bird meat he had deliberately saved from the night before, carefully feeding it to "Shadow." The nightingale pecked at it happily, letting out satisfied chirps.

This scene caught the attention of some girls at the camp's edge. They watched Kazama In quietly feeding the bird, his stern profile appearing especially calm in the morning light—a stark contrast to the farce of humiliation and suspicion unfolding at the camp's center. Remembering his self-introduction at the start of the term, which had been misunderstood as "never experiencing school life," and his usual aloof yet never overstepping behavior, a few girls exchanged glances, their eyes showing understanding and even a hint of... sympathy? They didn't approach to disturb him, simply silently observing this harmonious picture.

As he fed the bird, Kazama In gently stroked the smooth top of "Shadow's" head with his fingertips. His movements seemed full of warmth, but beneath his jet-black eyes lay a frozen, tranquil deep pool. His perception, like the most precise instrument, captured the faintest feedback from "Shadow's" body—the extremely weak bioelectric current beneath the miniature metal ring on its neck, the same color as its feathers. "The chip... is still working," he knew. The "injury" information he had passed to the assassin last night was false, and the intelligence "Shadow" brought back now was inevitably a mix of truth and trap. But he needed this information, needed to understand the assassin's movements, even if they were guided.

Through the subtle rhythm of "Shadow's" chirps, the slight trembling of its feathers, and the direction of its flight when returning to the nest, Kazama In's mind rapidly decoded the encrypted information stream:

"Target unchanged."

"Bait laid."

"Northwest Waterfall Area... signal interference point... preparing..."

"Patience... waiting... for the right moment..."

Fragments of information pieced together in his mind. The assassin's target was still him. The trap using Ichinose as bait was being set up in the Northwest Waterfall Area, choosing a location prone to signal interference to create an "accidental" scene. They were patient, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Kazama In's eyes sharpened instantly, cold as a blade. He gently patted "Shadow's" head, signaling it to return to the canopy to rest. The nightingale chirped obediently, flapped its wings, and disappeared into the dense foliage.

"In... in my bag?!" Ike Kanji's face turned pale, his voice distorted. He was holding a pink piece of girls' underwear, as if gripping a red-hot branding iron! Flustered, he tried to shove it back in, but in his panic, he dropped it, and it landed right in the hands of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka beside him!

"It wasn't me! I swear I didn't steal it!" Ike shouted in terror, his words jumbled. "I don't know how it got in my bag! Ayanokoji! Help me explain!"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, expressionless, put the item into his pocket.

However, during the subsequent body search, Ayanokoji was still discovered.

"Ayanokoji..." Hirata Yosuke's voice carried disbelief and heavy pressure.

The inspection ended in extreme awkwardness and suspicion.

Hirata Yosuke looked at the expressionless Ayanokoji and the emotionally charged girls, feeling a massive headache. He finally made a decision: "It seems the boys don't have it either. How about we check the luggage again?"

The underwear incident was temporarily put to rest, but the camp's atmosphere remained oppressive. Though Karuizawa Kei's emotions had calmed slightly, she insisted on moving her tent farther from the boys' area, closer to the core of the other girls. A few girls began dismantling the tent.

Hirata Yosuke and Ayanokoji also returned. Hirata's expression was complicated, but clearly, the matter had been temporarily resolved (by covering for Ayanokoji). He immediately joined in helping move the tent. Ayanokoji silently followed to assist.

Kazama In withdrew his gaze from the canopy, landing on the girls struggling to carry tent poles, then on Hirata and Ayanokoji silently helping. In his mind flashed Ichinose Honami's bright smile, the cold information about the waterfall trap from "Shadow," and the suspicion and humiliation that had permeated the camp just moments ago.

An extremely unfamiliar impulse—or rather, a drive rooted in the instinct for "protection" and "order"—made him take a step forward.

He walked over to Kushida Kikyo, who was helping, and spoke calmly: "Need a hand?"

Kushida was struggling to drag a piece of canvas. She looked up in surprise at the sound, and upon seeing Kazama In, her face immediately lit up with a mix of surprise and gratitude. "Ah! Kazama-kun! Thank you! Are you sure?"

The other girls busy working, including Karuizawa Kei who was still sniffling, also looked over in surprise. The ever-aloof, cold-tempered Kazama In was actually offering to help?

Kazama In didn't say much, just nodded and directly reached out to take the heavy corner of the canvas from Kushida. His movements were swift and powerful, easily hoisting the canvas and carrying it toward the new spot the girls had designated.

"Ah, thank you, Kazama-san!" "Sorry for the trouble!" The other girls snapped out of it, offering their thanks, their gazes toward him now carrying a newfound closeness and approval. The misunderstanding about him "never experiencing school life" seemed to be quietly shattered in that moment by this silent helping hand.

Koenji Rokusuke had somehow wandered over, watching Kazama In help with a smirk on his lips. "Oh ho? Arbiter has started experiencing the simple survival aesthetic of 'mutual aid'? What a heartwarming transformation!"

Kazama In ignored Koenji's teasing. He set down the canvas and silently moved to carry other parts. His heart was unruffled; to him, this was just a small effort, a necessary action to maintain basic camp order. Yet, when he felt the grateful and slightly warm glances from the girls, when he saw Hirata Yosuke's approving and understanding smile directed at him, an extremely subtle, indescribable sense of calm quietly replaced the tension that had been gripping a corner of his heart due to the assassin's threat. On this isolated island, full of suspicion and latent danger, this insignificant helping hand allowed his heart, accustomed to darkness and scheming, to feel a faint, warm glimmer belonging to the "collective." And this glimmer might become an unexpected source of strength when he faced the deadly storm ahead.