Ambush

11:00 PM, the new Class D campsite.

Ken Sudo and two other boys were on night watch. The three of them guarded three different directions, patrolling every half hour.

In the center of the camp, most people were already asleep. Twenty-four hours of high-intensity guarding had left everyone exhausted.

Ayanokoji lay in his tent, wide awake. He was listening.

[Insight (Beginner)]

was even sharper at night. He could hear the breathing in the camp—Hirata's breathing was steady, he was asleep; Karuizawa's breathing was very light, she might not be asleep; Horikita's breathing... she was feigning sleep.

And then, there were the sounds outside the camp.

The wind, the waves, the chirping of insects... and a sound that shouldn't have been there.

The very faint sound of footsteps treading on sand.

Someone was approaching.

Ayanokoji rose silently and lifted a corner of his tent.

Under the moonlight, a dark figure was sneaking in from the west side of the camp. The person moved lightly, avoiding Sudo's patrol route; they had clearly been observing for a long time.

Was the target... the supply pile?

No. The person didn't stop when passing the supplies and continued moving toward the center of the camp.

Was the target... a person?

Ayanokoji followed, keeping his distance and making no sound.

The dark figure finally stopped in front of a tent—it was Hiyori Shiina's tent. As a wounded student from Class B, she had remained at the Class D camp because her foot injury had not yet healed.

The figure crouched down, seemingly confirming something. Then, they pulled something out from their chest pocket.

Was it a knife?

Ayanokoji did not hesitate and rushed out.

The dark figure heard the commotion and turned around immediately. The moonlight illuminated his face—it was a student from Class C; Ayanokoji remembered his name was Shiho Manabe, who usually followed Daichi Ishizaki around.

When Manabe saw Ayanokoji, a flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly steadied himself. He shoved the item in his hand back into his pocket; it wasn't a knife, but a small box.

"What are you trying to do?" Ayanokoji asked.

"N-nothing," Manabe stepped back. "I walked to the wrong camp."

"Wrong camp?" Ayanokoji sneered. "To 'walk' from the Class C camp to here, you'd have to cross half the island."

Manabe fell silent, his eyes darting around.

At this moment, the others in the camp were awakened by the noise. Sudo was the first to rush over, followed by Hirata, Horikita, and Karuizawa.

"What's going on?" Hirata asked.

"Someone from Class C snuck into our camp at night," Ayanokoji said. "The target seems to be Shiina's tent."

"What?!" Hirata's expression changed.

Hiyori Shiina also emerged from her tent, leaning on a makeshift crutch, her face pale. "I... I heard a sound."

Manabe was surrounded, with nowhere to run.

"Search him," Ayanokoji said.

Sudo stepped forward, pinned Manabe down, and retrieved the small box from his pocket. Upon opening it, they found some white powder and a note.

"What is this?" Hirata picked up the note.

A line was written on the paper: "Mix into food; will cause diarrhea and weakness. Dosage: one packet per ten servings."

Everyone gasped.

Was this... poison?

"You were going to poison Shiina?" Karuizawa's voice trembled.

"N-no..." Manabe panicked. "I was just... following orders..."

"Whose orders?" Ayanokoji stared at him.

Manabe gritted his teeth and said nothing.

But everyone knew the answer. There was only one person who could order a Class C student to do something like this.

Kakeru Ryuen.

"Are you people in Class C insane?" Hirata said angrily. "This could kill someone!"

"It won't... it won't kill anyone," Manabe defended himself in a low voice. "Just diarrhea, a few days of weakness... Ryuen said that way Class B would take Shiina away, and Class D would be down one helper..."

So that was it. It wasn't about killing; it was about creating conflict.

If Shiina suffered "food poisoning" in the Class D camp, what would Class B think? Would they still trust Class D? Would the alliance shatter?

What a vicious plan.

"Tie him up," Ayanokoji ordered. "Tomorrow morning, we take him to see Ryuen."

"See Ryuen? Will he even admit to it?"

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't admit it," Ayanokoji said. "What's important is letting everyone know what Class C did."

Manabe was tied up and locked in the corner of the campsite, with Sudo personally standing guard.

The turmoil had temporarily subsided, but the atmosphere in the camp had completely changed.

Anger, lingering fear, unease... all sorts of emotions were spreading.

"Everyone, get some rest for now," Hirata said, trying his best to soothe them. "We'll strengthen the watch tonight; nothing else will happen."

People returned to their tents, but there were few left who could still fall asleep.