A Rainy Night's Shelter, A Companion's Promise

The rain did not cease; instead, it intensified. Bean-sized droplets hammered against the leaves with a rhythmic patter, turning the mud in the dense forest into a treacherous, slippery mess. Suzune Horikita was already covered in injuries and suffering from an unyielding fever; after only a few steps, her gait became unsteady and her coughing fits grew violent, her complexion turning pale to the point of translucence. Seeing this, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his grip on her arm tightened.

"This cannot continue. The rain is too heavy to reach the school's base camp, and your body won't hold out." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's tone remained flat, yet it carried an undeniable certainty. His gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings, quickly locking onto a natural rock cave nearby, which was sufficient to shield them from the torrential downpour.

"Rest here for a moment. I will start a fire to dry our clothes and help you ward off the chill." As he spoke, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji turned toward the withered branches in the corner. He gathered and arranged them with practiced efficiency, then pulled a lighter from his pocket—an emergency item he had prepared in advance for unforeseen circumstances.

The flames gradually caught, the dancing light dispelling the cold and dampness of the wooden shelter while illuminating Suzune Horikita's pale face. She wrapped herself tightly in Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's jacket; the faint scent of him still lingering on the fabric allowed her taut nerves to relax slightly. The exhaustion and pain of the past few days began to surface in the warmth of the firelight.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji sat on a bench opposite her, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames, his expression calm and ripple-free, as if the person who had been tracking her through the dense forest and was now caring for her was not him at all. Suzune Horikita watched his profile in silence for a long time before finally speaking, her voice still tinged with hoarseness: "I caught up to Mio Ibuki and fought her, but I couldn't stop her. She still managed to take the Leader Card."

She paused, a flicker of remorse rising in her eyes as her tone deepened: "I am too useless. I knew her target was the Leader Card, and I had already sensed something was wrong, yet I still let her find an opening. I even let my fever hold me back to the point where I couldn't win a single fight. If I were only stronger, I could have protected the card, and Class D wouldn't be in this predicament."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji slowly turned his head to look at her: "I know."

The three simple words held no superfluous comfort, yet they made Suzune Horikita's eyes redden instantly. She lowered her head, staring at her hands stained with mud and dirt, her voice choked with irrepressible sobs: "I know my current state is terrible. Staying in this exam will only drag the class down. Mio Ibuki will take the card to Kakeru Ryuen, and he will definitely target us during the Leader guessing phase. We will lose even more points then. Forget about advancing to Class A; I fear we will struggle even to maintain the status quo of Class D."

"Therefore, I have a solution." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's tone remained flat, yet it carried a reassuring strength: "You should apply to withdraw from this exam."

Suzune Horikita looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Withdraw? But withdrawing from the exam will deduct 30 class points, and we don't have many points left to spare!"

"30 points is better than having Kakeru Ryuen guess the leader correctly and losing 50 points, and it is certainly better than you pushing yourself until you collapse and plunging the class into an even greater crisis." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji spoke slowly, his logic clear: "As for the Leader Card and Kakeru Ryuen, leave that to me. Furthermore, the school has regulations that prevent changing the leader without a valid reason, but your physical condition fully meets the criteria for withdrawal. It will also allow me to take over as the leader of Class D quite naturally."

"You take over as leader?" Suzune Horikita was stunned. She had never imagined that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji would take the initiative to handle this—this boy who always appeared indifferent to the world and unconcerned with class affairs was actually proposing to become the leader of Class D.

"Yes." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded slightly: "Kakeru Ryuen is arrogant, and Mio Ibuki has been deceived by him. They both believe they have the real Leader Card and are convinced that you are the leader of Class D. As long as I take over, they are unlikely to suspect me, which will prevent us from losing points during the guessing phase. Besides, I have already locked onto the leaders of Class A and Class C."

He paused, adding: "The leader of Class A is not Kohei Katsuragi; it is Yahiko. Kohei Katsuragi has been deliberately putting on a show to attract everyone's attention, but the true leader is actually Yahiko, who has always been by his side and appears to have no opinions of his own. The leader of Class C is undoubtedly Kakeru Ryuen. This is evident from the fact that he planted Mio Ibuki in Class D and made a deal with Class A; only a leader would have such authority and audacity."

Suzune Horikita stared at him, her eyes filled with shock. She knew Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was intelligent, but she had not expected him to have observed so many details without anyone noticing, or to have accurately identified the leaders of the other two classes. His plan was so meticulous that she found no room to argue.

Yet, at the thought of losing 30 points for withdrawing, the heavy toll her mistake had already taken on the class, and the goal of advancing to Class A, her eyes dimmed again, her tone filled with self-reproach: "But... I cannot drag the class down any further. Because of my mistakes, the class has already lost many points. If we lose another 30 now, the gap between us and Class A and Class B will only grow, making it even harder to advance."

"Why are you so obsessed with advancing to Class A?" Kiyotaka Ayanokoji suddenly asked, his gaze fixed intently on her, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible inquiry. He was an artificial genius from the White Room, raised to be a "tool" devoid of emotion, capable only of calculation and strategy. He could not understand this near-obsessive persistence, nor could he grasp what "advancing to Class A" truly meant to Suzune Horikita.

Suzune Horikita's body stiffened slightly. She remained silent for a long time before slowly lowering her head, her voice carrying a hint of hidden fragility: "For my brother, Horikita Manabu. I want to earn his recognition. I want him to know that I am not just a sister who drags him down and only causes him disappointment. I am desperate to advance to Class A and become stronger, all so that he might look at me properly and acknowledge my efforts."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watched her fragile state, a faint ripple passing through his eyes, too fast to be captured. He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly, his tone still flat but carrying a trace of sincerity he himself had not noticed: "And if you earn his recognition, then what? What is it that you actually want to do? Are you living for him, or for yourself?"

This question was like a sharp blade, piercing through the facade Suzune Horikita had maintained for so long. She looked up abruptly, her eyes red-rimmed, and tears finally spilled over, mixing with the rain and mud on her face, making her look exceptionally wretched: "I don't know... I only know that all of this is my responsibility. If I had a companion, if someone could have taken turns guarding the key card with me, if someone could have helped me when I was weak, none of this would have happened."

"But I don't have such friends, no such companions." She choked out, her tone filled with regret and self-blame: "I always thought that as long as I was strong enough, as long as I carried everything on my own, I could handle it all and earn my brother's recognition. But in the end, I still messed it up and dragged the whole class down. This is all my own doing."

As she spoke, she buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her suppressed sobbing echoed in the small wooden shelter, weaving together with the sound of the rain outside, making her appear heart-wrenchingly lonely.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji sat opposite her, watching her quietly without speaking. He did not understand sadness, self-reproach, or the feeling of being enveloped by loneliness and regret, but he could feel that Suzune Horikita's pain in this moment was real. He thought of his days in the White Room—no family, no friendship, no joy or sorrow, only endless training and calculation. In that moment, he suddenly felt that this girl, who appeared strong but was actually fragile, was somewhat similar to his former self.

He was attempting to understand these unfamiliar emotions, trying to reclaim his own "humanity," and Suzune Horikita might just be the catalyst for him to understand it all.

After a long silence, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the sound of the rain and her sobbing, carrying an unprecedented firmness: "No, you have forgotten—we are companions."

Suzune Horikita's sobbing stopped abruptly. She looked up, her tear-blurred eyes fixed on Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, her expression filled with disbelief.

"I have already acknowledged you." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's gaze was calm and earnest, without a hint of perfunctoriness: "I acknowledge your efforts, your persistence, and your determination to protect Class D and advance to Class A. As for your brother's recognition, we will strive for it together."

He paused, detailing his complete plan: "You apply to withdraw from the exam on the grounds of illness. The school will approve it, and 30 class points will be deducted—that is a loss we can afford. Afterward, I will take over as the leader of Class D. Kakeru Ryuen and Mio Ibuki do not know the truth and will continue to assume you are the leader. During the guessing phase, they will submit your name, and they will lose 50 points for guessing incorrectly."

"And I will submit the names of Yahiko and Kakeru Ryuen during the guessing phase. If I guess both of them correctly, we will gain 100 class points. Combined with the points we have already accumulated, we will not only make up for the loss from your withdrawal but also surpass the others." Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's tone was logical, every step calculated to perfection: "Originally, I did not want to get involved in the muddy waters of Class D's competition. I have no great interest in class rankings or advancing to Class A."

"But now, I am willing to help you." He looked at Suzune Horikita, a faint trace of softness flashing in his eyes: "It benefits me as well. With more class points, we can buy emergency supplies. Although my material desires are low, having an extra layer of security never hurts."

Suzune Horikita stared at him, tears still swirling in her eyes, but no longer out of regret or self-reproach; rather, they were born of a sudden, overwhelming warmth and gratitude. No one had ever told her so firmly that "we are companions," no one had ever been willing to help her so unreservedly, and no one had ever acknowledged her efforts.

The rain outside continued to fall, but the firelight in the wooden shelter was warm enough to provide peace of mind. Two people whom the school regarded as "defective products" had made a pact of companionship in this rain-swept refuge, quietly altering the trajectory of this uninhabited island survival exam.