The rain grew heavier, soon turning into a steady downpour. The water was icy against the skin, and it gradually began to put out the fire at Class D's camp. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watched the flames die down. Once Hirata had arranged the remaining watch duties, he noticed that Suzune Horikita and Mio Ibuki were nowhere to be seen and headed toward the woods to look for them.
Meanwhile, Suzune Horikita, relying on sheer perseverance, chased Mio deep into the forest. Rain soaked her uniform and plastered it to her body, while the chill cut to the bone. The dizziness from her fever grew stronger, and her vision began to blur, but she never stopped. Following Mio's footprints, she pressed on step by step.
Deep in the forest, the trees grew thick and lush. Rain dripped from the leaves with a rustling sound, mingling with distant thunder and making the woods seem especially ominous. After running for a while, Mio stopped and leaned against a sturdy old tree, waiting for Suzune to catch up. She had no intention of running away. She had deliberately waited there—the fire seemed far too suspicious, and she had to find out whether Suzune had planned it.
"Running away, are you? Why'd you stop?" Suzune's voice was hoarse and weak. She braced herself against a tree and gasped for breath. Her face was pale as paper, cold sweat beaded her forehead, but her gaze remained sharp as she fixed it on Mio. "Give me back the key card holder. You have no right to touch what's inside!"
Mio smiled, idly turning the key card holder over in her hand. Her tone was laced with mockery. "I didn't expect you to chase me this far while running a fever, Horikita. I'm impressed. But getting your key card holder back won't be easy."
"What are you trying to do?" Suzune forced herself upright, her eyes full of caution. "Did you start the fire? What did Ryuen want you to accomplish by infiltrating Class D?"
Mio raised an eyebrow but didn't answer directly. Instead, she walked toward Suzune one step at a time, her tone probing. "The fire? I'd like to know if you started it. Horikita, had you already figured out who I was and deliberately set the fire to make me act first, so you could catch me slipping?"
Suzune froze for a moment, then gave a cold laugh. "I thought you were smarter than that. I never imagined you'd be so paranoid. If I wanted to catch you, I wouldn't need some clumsy scheme like starting a fire. I could just expose your identity. I didn't start the fire, and I want to know who's behind it, too."
Seeing how weak Suzune looked, Mio gradually let go of her suspicions. She could tell Suzune wasn't lying. Her weakness was real, as was the confusion in her eyes. So someone else really had started the fire? Who? Someone else in Class D? Or a student from another class?
"Stealing another student's belongings is strictly forbidden by the school," Suzune warned her.
Mio scoffed. "No one can prove anything. This conversation is over."
"Don't even think about it!" Suzune shouted. Ignoring her body's protests, she suddenly lunged at Mio and reached for the key card holder in her hand. Even though she had a fever and her limbs felt weak, sheer determination kept her movements sharp and her gaze keen as a blade. She didn't back down an inch.
Mio was ready for her. She dodged Suzune's attack and kicked at her knee. Suzune's weakened body made her a fraction too slow. The kick struck her knee, and she staggered back several steps, nearly falling. A sharp pain stabbed through her chest, and she couldn't stop coughing. Her face grew even paler.
"Just give up, Horikita," Mio said, looking at Suzune's feeble state with contempt. "You're no match for me right now."
Suzune gritted her teeth and slowly straightened. She wiped the rain from the corner of her mouth, her gaze still unwavering. "I won't give up. The Leader Card is Class D's lifeline. I won't let you hand it over to Ryuen!" With that, she charged at Mio again. This time, she put everything she had into it, her attacks growing fiercer. Though her body was already at its limit, she still refused to retreat.
Seeing this, Mio's gaze darkened slightly, and she stopped holding back. The two clashed in the rainy forest, trading blows as water splashed around them. Suzune attacked again and again with relentless determination, but her weakened body left her on the ground each time Mio struck back. Still, each time she managed to struggle to her feet and keep fighting, the resolve in her eyes never wavering.
After several exchanges, Suzune was covered in bruises and had almost no strength left. The fever's dizziness grew more intense, and her vision blurred further. Mio was breathing a little hard, mud and rainwater streaking her face, but she remained composed. Looking at Suzune, who could barely stay upright, she sighed softly. "You're incredibly stubborn, Horikita. Since you refuse to admit defeat, I'll have to stop going easy on you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mio lunged forward and slammed a fist into Suzune's chest. Suzune could no longer keep standing. She fell backward and hit the muddy ground hard, splashing mud and water everywhere. The rain beat mercilessly against her face, icy to the bone. She tried to push herself up, but her body had no strength left—not even enough to raise a hand. All she could do was watch Mio walk toward her.
Mio crouched down and looked down at Suzune, her tone flat. "Don't blame me, Horikita. Blame yourself for being so stubborn and getting in my way." Then she turned away without another glance, picked up the key card holder, and headed deeper into the woods. Her figure soon vanished into the rain.
Suzune lay in the mud, rain soaking her hair and clothes as the cold seeped through her and her consciousness began to fade. She stared in the direction Mio had disappeared, filled with regret and self-reproach. She hadn't protected the Leader Card or stopped Mio. Class D was likely headed for an even greater crisis. Just as her consciousness was about to slip away, a familiar figure appeared before her. It was Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
Kiyotaka crouched beside Suzune, who was battered and utterly weak. His tone remained calm, though a hint of concern was barely perceptible. "Horikita, are you all right?"
Suzune struggled to open her eyes. When she saw Kiyotaka, her eyes immediately reddened, and her voice caught with a sob. "Ayanokoji... Mio Ibuki... She took the Leader Card. She's going to deliver it to Ryuen... We... We've lost..."
Kiyotaka gently shook his head, then helped Suzune sit up and carefully draped his jacket over her. "We haven't lost. It's not over yet. What Mio took may not be the real Leader Card."
Suzune froze, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes. "What... What do you mean?"
Kiyotaka didn't explain. He simply helped Suzune to her feet. "Let's go back first. Hirata and the others must be looking for us. We need to get your injuries and illness treated as soon as possible, or they'll get worse. As for the Leader Card and Ryuen, we still have a chance to turn things around."
Seeing Kiyotaka's calm, certain expression, Suzune felt her regret and self-reproach gradually fade, replaced by a little hope. She nodded and leaned on his support, but instead of heading toward Class D's camp, they went to the school staff's base, where their homeroom teacher was stationed. The rain remained icy, and only two defective products, as judged by the school, pressed onward.
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