The commotion over the stolen underwear gradually died down, but the atmosphere in Class D remained tense. The rift between the boys and girls had yet to heal, and their wariness of Mio Ibuki had never eased. Over the next few days, the four classes' maneuvering grew increasingly covert. Class A kept up the pretense that Katsuragi was its leader, while Masumi Kamuro traveled frequently between Classes A and C, her movements shrouded in secrecy. Class B had gone completely quiet, staying at its own campsite and watching from the sidelines. Class C's "revelry" never stopped. Ryuen Kakeru appeared to have nothing to do, but the schemes in his eyes grew ever more pronounced. Meanwhile, Class D guarded its camp and managed its supplies while Hirata secretly kept an eye on Mio Ibuki, yet still couldn't catch her doing anything suspicious.
Time slipped by, and the Uninhabited Island Survival Exam reached its final day. Night once again blanketed the entire island. The evening breeze carried a bleak chill and the damp, briny smell of the sea, making the campfire at Class D's campsite flicker. Most of the students had crawled into their tents to rest and save their strength until the exam ended. Only a few students on watch patrolled the area, their expressions wary.
During a shift change, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji quietly slipped away from the patrol. Calm-faced and light-footed, he headed for a corner at the edge of camp where discarded branches and empty cardboard boxes had been piled up. He had picked the spot long ago: it was far from the tents and free of flammable materials, so he could easily start a fire while keeping the damage to a minimum. More importantly, after observing the clouds for several days, he had already predicted that a shower would arrive in twenty minutes. It would be enough to put out the fire before it spread, leaving nothing to chance.
This was Ayanokoji turning the tables, and the second stage of his plan. Mio Ibuki had been lying low for days, refusing to make a move. Watching her from the shadows alone wouldn't reveal a flaw or expose the scheme behind her. Only by creating chaos and breaking the current calm could he force her to hurry and complete the task Ryuen had given her. Then she would act, revealing her true purpose. Ayanokoji's calculation was to go on the offensive as a means of defense.
Ayanokoji pulled the lighter he carried from his pocket and, without the slightest hesitation, set fire to the discarded branches. The dry wood immediately burst into flame. Fueled by the evening breeze, the fire quickly leaped higher, reddening the night sky over the corner as a thin column of smoke rose and the acrid smell of burning began to spread. Once he was done, Ayanokoji slipped silently back to the patrol, his expression still calm, as though he hadn't been the one to start the fire. Only now and then did he glance toward the flames, a trace of certainty flickering in his eyes.
"Fire! There's a fire!" Before long, the students on patrol spotted the flames. Their panicked shouts shattered the camp's silence. The students in the tents were jolted awake and hurried outside. Some were half-dressed; others clutched makeshift firefighting tools. Seeing the flames and smoke in the corner, they looked confused and alarmed.
"How did a fire start? Did someone set it on purpose?"
"It has to be the boy who stole the underwear! He set the fire to cover his tracks and destroy the evidence before we could find him!" The girls erupted, speaking heatedly as they turned their eyes toward the boys once more. The old rift widened in an instant, and the arguing began anew.
"Don't talk nonsense! We didn't start any fire! You girls are making a fuss over nothing. Maybe one of you started it by accident!" The boys weren't about to back down. They shouted their denials, and the two sides continued to argue. Shoving and tugging quickly sent the scene spiraling into chaos again.
Yosuke Hirata stood in the middle of the crowd, watching the chaos and the flames spreading nearby. A crushing pressure seemed to bear down on him. The strain of managing everything and investigating in secret for days had already worn him out. The stolen-underwear incident remained unresolved, and now a fire had broken out, setting off another flare-up of conflict within the class. His fists clenched, his chest heaved, and his face flushed red. His long-suppressed emotions were about to erupt, and even his voice trembled. "Who did this?"
But the students only argued more fiercely. Just as Hirata was about to lose control and explode, a hand gently patted his shoulder. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's voice, calm yet somehow soothing, sounded in his ear. "Hirata, now isn't the time to get angry. If we don't contain the fire, it'll spread to the tents, and the damage will be irreversible. You're the heart of Class D. You're the only one who can keep everyone calm, evacuate the students, and organize the firefighting. Right now, you're the only one who can do it."
The words were like a bucket of cold water, snapping Hirata back from the brink. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Remembering his responsibility, he watched the panic fade from his eyes and determination take its place. He raised his hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, quiet! The boys, come help me put out the fire. Cover the flames with sand—don't pour water directly on them, or the fire could spread! The girls, evacuate everyone and move the supplies from the tents to a safe area. Don't panic. Stay organized!"
Hirata's voice cut through the uproar, and the crowd fell silent. Seeing his resolute expression, they stopped arguing and followed his instructions. The boys grabbed shovels and buckets and hurried to the fire, covering the flames bit by bit with sand. The girls evacuated everyone in an orderly fashion and carefully moved the supplies from the tents. The once-chaotic scene gradually fell under control.
The moment Suzune Horikita noticed the fire, she didn't go to help put it out. Instead, she instinctively searched for Mio Ibuki. The fire seemed too suspicious to her. Coming as it did on the final day of the exam, it was likely that Ibuki had started it deliberately to throw Class D into disarray and complete her task. Horikita soon spotted Ibuki at the edge of the crowd. Ibuki stood there, staring at the blazing fire, looking utterly shocked, with even a trace of panic in her eyes.
Horikita paused at the sight of Ibuki's expression, doubt rising in her mind. If Ibuki had set the fire on purpose, she shouldn't look so flustered. Could it really not have been her? But who else would deliberately cause chaos at a time like this?
As Horikita hesitated, Ibuki's gaze happened to pass over the key-card holder at Horikita's waist. Inside was Class D's Leader Card—the very thing Ryuen had told her to obtain at any cost. In a flash, Ibuki realized that whoever had started the fire, it was her one chance! Everyone was busy fighting the flames and evacuating the camp. No one would notice her. If she took the key-card holder, she could finish her task and get away clean.
Suppressing her excitement, Ibuki put on a wounded expression. While Horikita was distracted, she suddenly reached out, snatched the key-card holder from Horikita's waist, and took off toward the woods. She moved swiftly, disappearing into the night in an instant.
By the time Horikita reacted, Ibuki had already gotten far away. The empty feeling at her waist jolted her fully awake: her key-card holder had been stolen, and the Leader Card was inside! "Mio Ibuki!" Horikita shouted. Ignoring the chaos around her, she immediately chased after Ibuki.
By then, a few scattered raindrops had begun to fall from the sky. The evening breeze had turned even colder, and the drops struck her face with an icy sting. After only a few steps, Horikita felt cold all over. Her head grew heavy, and her throat was painfully dry—she had come down with a fever. Perhaps it was from days of rushing around and the night wind. Her strength was ebbing, and her pace gradually slowed. But when she thought of the Leader Card, she gritted her teeth, forced herself onward, and continued the chase.
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