Scheming in the Deep Night and Commotion at Dawn

Night gradually shrouded the uninhabited island. The wind in the forest turned chilly, carrying a salty, damp scent that made the leaves rustle. The campfire at the Class D campsite dwindled, leaving only sporadic sparks that illuminated the weary yet vigilant faces of the students on watch. After a busy day, most students were exhausted and had retreated to their tents to rest; only a few, following the schedule arranged by Yosuke Hirata, took turns standing guard to ensure the safety of the camp.

Mio Ibuki lay in her makeshift resting area, but her eyes held no trace of sleepiness. Her gaze was fixed intently on the direction of the girls' tents, a glint flickering in the depths of her eyes. Taking advantage of the gap during the shift change of the guards, she quietly rose. Using the shadows of the tents as cover, she hunched over and slipped toward the girls' tent area. Kei Karuizawa's sleeping spot was on the outermost edge, which was exactly the target Mio Ibuki had selected.

She carefully pulled the zipper of Kei Karuizawa's tent, her movements so light they were almost soundless. While Kei Karuizawa was fast asleep, she quickly reached toward the bedside, grabbed a light-colored piece of women's underwear, and swiftly tucked it into her own pocket. She then pulled the zipper shut without a sound and returned to her resting area the same way she came. The entire process was completed in one fluid motion, without alerting anyone.

Back at her resting area, Mio Ibuki did not rest immediately. Instead, under the cover of night, she quietly circled around to the boys' tent area. She had observed for a long time and found the tent belonging to Haruki Yamauchi. Haruki Yamauchi was timid and cowardly, easily flustered when things went wrong; hiding the item there would make it the easiest to discover and the easiest to frame him successfully. Thus, while Haruki Yamauchi was fast asleep, she quietly pulled open a gap in his tent and stuffed the underwear into the pocket of his jacket. Afterward, she acted as if nothing had happened, returned to her resting area, lay down with peace of mind, and waited for the chaos of the next day.

At the same time, Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji finished their watch and returned to the Class D campsite. As they passed the boys' tent area, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji caught a glimpse of a vague figure flashing by. He frowned slightly and whispered to Suzune Horikita, "There was movement just now. It seems someone was lingering near the boys' tents."

Suzune Horikita immediately became vigilant. Her gaze swept across the surroundings, but she saw only swaying tree shadows and the extinguished campfire, finding nothing unusual. "Could it be a student on watch? Or perhaps one of the boys getting up in the middle of the night?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji shook his head, his tone flat yet carrying a hint of certainty. "That figure was very nimble, and their movements were very stealthy; it didn't look like a student on watch. It was most likely Mio Ibuki. Keep an eye on her tomorrow, and keep an eye on the boys' tents as well—there might be an unexpected incident."

Suzune Horikita nodded, taking Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's words to heart. The two returned to their respective tents to rest, and the campsite returned to silence. Yet, beneath this silence, a commotion about to erupt was quietly brewing.

Just as the sky began to brighten, a sharp scream shattered the tranquility of the uninhabited island. It came from the girls' tent area—it was the voice of Kei Karuizawa. "My change of underwear is gone!" Her voice was filled with panic and anger, followed immediately by the panicked murmurs of the other girls.

Hearing the scream, the students of Class D emerged from their tents one after another, gathering in front of the girls' tents. Yosuke Hirata arrived first. Seeing Kei Karuizawa's red-rimmed eyes and panicked state, he quickly stepped forward to support her, his tone urgent yet gentle: "Kei, what's wrong? Don't worry, tell me slowly."

Kei Karuizawa gripped Yosuke Hirata's hand tightly, her voice trembling with tears: "Yosuke, my underwear is gone! It was right by my pillow, and when I woke up, it was gone! It must be... it must be the boys in our class who did this! No one else would do such a thing except the boys!"

Once these words were spoken, the scene instantly exploded. The girls revealed expressions of anger and vigilance, their gazes cast in unison toward the boys present, echoing her with agitated tones: "That's right! It must be the boys! How disgusting!" "Our tents were guarded very strictly; only the boys would have had the chance to sneak close!" "We must search them! And search the boys' tents too; we must find the person who stole it!"

The boys instantly erupted, refuting the claims: "What are you talking about! How could we do such a disgusting thing!" "Maybe you misplaced it yourself, or it was blown away by the wind. Why blame us boys?" "Search us? Impossible! That's an invasion of our privacy!"

Both sides held their own ground, and the argument grew increasingly intense. The originally harmonious class atmosphere instantly became tense. Ken Sudo, being hot-tempered, couldn't help but shout loudly upon seeing this: "You girls, stop making false accusations! We boys are upright and honorable; we would never do such a thing! If you want to search us, you have to search the girls too, otherwise, we absolutely won't agree!"

"You're lying! How could we girls do such a thing!" The girls were so angry their faces turned pale, and the argument became even more heated, nearing the point of physical conflict.

Yosuke Hirata quickly raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. As both Kei Karuizawa's boyfriend and a core leader of Class D, combined with his usual sunny, cheerful, fair, and reliable image, he had already established prestige within the class. Seeing this, everyone gradually stopped arguing, and all eyes focused on him.

"Everyone, calm down," Yosuke Hirata's tone was steady and firm, a trace of helplessness on his face. "Kei's item is missing, and everyone is very anxious, but arguing won't solve the problem. I know everyone feels wronged—the boys feel falsely accused, and the girls feel offended. But to find the truth and to clear everyone's name, I propose that I take responsibility for the search. I will only search the boys' bodies and tents, and the girls will stay where they are. This way, it won't violate the girls' privacy, and we can find the missing item as quickly as possible. Does everyone agree?"

The girls nodded one after another; they trusted Yosuke Hirata's fairness. Moreover, Yosuke Hirata was Kei Karuizawa's boyfriend and would surely do his best to find the culprit and seek justice for her. Although the boys were still somewhat dissatisfied, Yosuke Hirata's proposal had considered both sides' positions, and given his usual conduct, they had no reason to refuse and could only nod reluctantly.

Yosuke Hirata took a deep breath, comforted Kei Karuizawa a few times, and began the search. He started with the boys' tents closest to the girls' tents, searching one by one. His movements were gentle, trying his best to avoid violating anyone's privacy. After searching each person and each tent, he would announce loudly, "Nothing unusual found," to put everyone at ease.

Haruki Yamauchi stood in the crowd, his face pale and his body trembling slightly. He had slept very soundly last night and had no idea that something had been stuffed into his jacket pocket. At this moment, seeing Yosuke Hirata searching one by one, he felt an inexplicable panic, sensing that something bad was about to happen. He quietly touched his jacket pocket and his fingertips brushed against a soft, foreign object. He instantly froze, his face turning as pale as paper.

It's over... it's all over... Haruki Yamauchi repeated in his heart, his legs turning to jelly, barely able to stand. He knew that once Yosuke Hirata found it, even if he had a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain it. He would be branded a disgusting thief by everyone and ostracized. In his panic, he subconsciously wanted to dump this mess onto someone else. His gaze darted around, and he soon spotted Kiyotaka Ayanokoji standing at the edge of the crowd with a calm expression.