The White Room's Greatest Masterpiece

Life on the uninhabited island entered its fourth day.

Everyone gradually adapted to island life, and Class D was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Each person had been assigned their tasks, and at this moment, Qiuyue was fishing with Ike and the others—yes, that was his job, living a leisurely life.

"Qiuyue, have you had any luck these past two days?"

Hirata Yosuke found Qiuyue and probed him with a questioning tone.

That's right, no mistake—two days. Qiuyue had obtained the Class A leader identity on the second day of the island. So what was Qiuyue doing on the third day? To avoid work, he'd slipped over to Class B to slack off, blending in and wasting the whole day.

"Nope. I've been to Class C, Class B, and Class A—I know where their bases are. Class C seems to have forfeited entirely. As for Class B and Class A, I can't tell who has the leader card yet."

Qiuyue thought: (I'm waiting for Class C's base to be empty, then I'll confirm whether Ryuen's there, along with Kaneda lurking in Class B and our class's Ibuki.) (Class B shouldn't be a worry—I've set up plenty of safeguards. I need to make sure Horikita's too sick to continue, or else don't blame me if I end up selling out Class D myself.)

"I see... It's fine, Qiuyue. Just do your best—no need to push yourself."

Hirata Yosuke encouraged Qiuyue.

Qiuyue thought: (...You... what do you mean by that? Let's throw Ayanokoji under the bus.)

"Hirata, actually, there might be someone who knows something—Ayanokoji. You could ask him."

"Is that so? Thank you, Qiuyue. I'll go ask Ayanokoji."

Hirata Yosuke, having gained nothing, didn't linger and headed back toward the camp.

"Whoa—! The fish is hooked! Pull it in, Qiuyue! Pull!"

At Ike's excited shout, Qiuyue's spirits lifted, and his eyes locked onto the water's surface. He quickly grabbed the rod, reeled in the line, and stepped back—the line instantly went taut.

"You can't do it like that! The line'll snap! Qiuyue, move aside! Leave it to me."

Unable to stand Qiuyue's amateurish display, Ike rushed over, afraid of losing the fish, and took the rod from him. Qiuyue didn't argue, as if aware of his own inexperience, and handed it over without a fuss.

The moment Ike took it, the rod in his hands seemed to come alive. He crouched low, then suddenly stood up, gripping the rod with both hands, his waist subtly exerting force as he swung it back. At the same time, he twisted his wrist smoothly, reeling in and pulling the line in one fluid motion. Under this chain of movements, the fish in the water seemed to feel Ike's strength and determination, struggling desperately—but it was all in vain. The fish was caught and dropped into the bucket.

Qiuyue thought: (...Damn... a master, huh. Perfect—fishing's easy, slacking's easy, and I've got a pro carrying me. I'm set. Good luck, good fortune—fish for lunch today.)

"You're... really something, Ike. Nice catch. We'll have fish for lunch today."

Qiuyue said, watching Ike cast the line back into the river.

"Of course. Call me the Fishing Prince."

Ike puffed out his chest proudly, looking like he might float off into the sky.

"Alright, alright, Fishing Prince. I'll take the fish over and hand them to Kushida and the others to cook."

"OK, leave this to me."

Qiuyue picked up the bucket of fish, scanning his surroundings as if searching for someone, and slowly walked toward the camp.

Qiuyue thought: (...Where's Horikita?... Ah... found you. Sorry, Horikita—for the class's sake, you'll have to take one for the team.)

Carrying the bucket, Qiuyue took a slight detour, careful not to draw attention. He came up behind Horikita, pretended to trip, and splashed the water and fish from the bucket all over her. Most of the water drenched Horikita, with a fish flopping on her head. Qiuyue quickly scrambled up and apologized to her.

"Horikita, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—my bad, I lost my grip."

Horikita said nothing, just closed her eyes and furrowed her brow.

Qiuyue thought: (...Isn't she furious...)

The people nearby snapped to attention and gathered around, especially Kushida, who hurried over.

"Horikita, are you okay? What happened? You'll catch a cold like this. Quick, everyone, start a fire. Horikita, let's go change clothes first."

Horikita still didn't speak, standing rooted to the spot, the chill radiating from her growing heavier.

"Horikita, I'm really sorry—it's all my fault. Please go warm up."

Qiuyue thought: (Sorry as I am... if you don't get warm soon, I'm really afraid you'll collapse early.)

"What's going on? Why's everyone crowded around here?"

Sudo made his grand entrance.

"You! Horikita, what happened to you? Which bastard did this? Get the hell out here!"

Sudo swept his gaze over everyone present with a venomous glare.

Qiuyue: (...Whoa, what a loyal dog.)

"Enough. I'm fine."

Horikita, who had been silent for a long while, finally spoke, then turned and walked toward the camp's luggage area without another word to the group.

Everyone knew Horikita was going to change clothes, but Sudo still chased after her, hovering beside her and fussing over her uninvited.

Qiuyue: (...Sudo, you... your IQ and EQ are both pitifully low...)

Qiuyue silently picked up his own fish and dropped it into the bucket.

"Why?"

Qiuyue looked back.

Qiuyue: (...It's Lu ge...)

Qiuyue casually wiped the water off his hands on his pants.

"Her situation—Class A already knows. Class C is about to move too. You need to swap one out. Handle the rest."

"...I understand."

Ayanokoji gave Qiuyue a meaningful glance, then replied like that.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. If I stay any longer, my fish are going to kick the bucket."

Just as Qiuyue had taken two steps, Ayanokoji spoke up again.

"I'll guess Class B's leader—just not during the exam."

Qiuyue stopped in his tracks, turned back to look at Ayanokoji, and tightened his grip on the bucket in his hand.

"...Is that so? I understand. Then I'll guess Class D's leader too. The winner owes the other one favor—how about it?"

"Fine. Even if you don't record this, I'll keep my promise."

Qiuyue ignored Ayanokoji's last remark, turned around, and kept walking forward. After a few steps, his face filled with disbelief.

Qiuyue: (...I'm seriously screwed... That move of wiping my hands on my pants—it was actually me turning on the voice recorder to start recording. And he caught it.)

(With the moves I honed from my Pickpocket Talent, he still saw through it. Sigh... damn...)

(But can you really see through my plan to set up a leader in Class B? Let's see how impressive the White Room's greatest masterpiece really is. Just how far can you see?)