Do Not Overly Trust Everything Others Show

After walking for nearly half an hour, the members of Class D decided to stop and rest in a clearing within the jungle.

As soon as they stopped, the issue of the restroom was brought up again. However, this time it wasn't Karuizawa or the consistently skeptical Yukimura who raised it, but Hirata, who had been acting as the mediator all along.

Hirata pointed out that with forty people in the class, sharing a single makeshift toilet would be inconvenient even if they could endure it, and it might eventually hinder other tasks.

Faced with Hirata's well-reasoned explanation, Yukimura and the others who had been opposed suddenly found themselves without a rebuttal.

With the restroom issue resolved, the next priority was clearly the base camp. A good base camp could, to a certain extent, determine how their points would be used later. Hirata clearly realized this as well, so he began to rally the class, asking those willing to go to raise their hands.

In an instant, the class responded to the call, and over a quarter of the students raised their hands.

However, the person who made Chiba Yu the most curious was Koenji.

After all, he was the first to raise his hand, making it hard not to notice him. But what shocked Chiba Yu even more was that Ayanokoji, standing right beside him, had also raised his hand.

"That's truly surprising. I didn't expect you to take the initiative to accept a task like this."

Facing the teasing and surprise from Chiba Yu and Horikita, Ayanokoji replied expressionlessly, "Because if I don't take on some responsibilities, I'll stand out too much."

Regarding his explanation, Chiba Yu nodded abruptly. "That makes a lot of sense. If you don't go at a time like this, not only will you stand out, but other, more difficult tasks might end up falling on you later."

After saying this, Chiba Yu followed their lead and raised his hand as well.

After all, this was a necessary upfront investment to make slacking off easier later on; Chiba Yu told himself he could just endure it for now.

Seeing Chiba Yu raise his hand, Hirata's eyes visibly brightened, and he smiled at him.

After counting, there were nine people in total who raised their hands, so Hirata decided to split them into groups of three to conduct the survey.

And so...

"Why on earth did you end up in my group?"

"The rest of the class needs someone to lead them, otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble they'll stir up while we're gone. Hirata naturally became the one to stay behind. So, in the end, do you have some sort of problem with being in a group with me?"

Chiba Yu and Karuizawa Kei walked through the jungle, chatting idly.

The original plan was for groups of three, but in the end, theirs was the only one reduced to two. Chiba Yu hadn't anticipated this turn of events.

However, whenever he thought back to the looks the girls in the class had given him when they left, Chiba Yu felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn't help but complain to himself.

Actually, this arrangement is fine. I don't have to face classmates I'm not familiar with. Even though we're in the same class, trying to find topics to talk about with people I don't know is exhausting.

"Speaking of which, if we keep walking like this, won't we get lost?" Karuizawa asked, looking back with a hint of worry.

Chiba Yu glanced at her and said helplessly, "Don't worry, I left markers as we walked. Besides, if you were so scared, why didn't you just stay back there?"

"I... I sometimes want to help share the pressure with Hirata. Since he has to coordinate the class, as a female leader, I naturally have to contribute too."

"Oh, so what does that have to do with whether or not you stay at the camp?"

"(╬▔皿▔)╯" It was hard. Her fist was hard.

If this were an anime, a '#' symbol would surely be appearing on Karuizawa's forehead right now.

Is this guy really stupid, or is he just pretending? No, wait—if his intelligence is considered stupid, what does that make her, someone who is still beneath him?!

As she thought about it, Karuizawa found herself getting caught in her own logic.

Chiba Yu, watching from the side, felt a sense of bewilderment. What's wrong with this girl? I couldn't have actually insulted her into stupidity, could I? If that happened, how would I answer to Hirata when we get back!

"Forget it." Karuizawa felt that if she kept arguing with this guy, she would truly go insane, so she changed the subject. "Anyway, can we really find a suitable campsite like this?"

Chiba Yu shrugged indifferently. "Where there's a will, there's a way. As long as you're willing to look, you'll definitely find something."

The subtext of that sentence was: With just the two of us, we'd be lucky to find anything at all.

The two continued forward, encountering many places that could serve as a campsite, but due to poor geography, they decided to pass on them after some consideration.

"I say... mmph—"

"Shh—quiet."

Karuizawa, who had been walking along, suddenly had her mouth covered by Chiba Yu. At the same time, his other hand grabbed her and pulled her toward him, pinning her struggling body down.

Perhaps because it happened so suddenly, Karuizawa was startled to an unprecedented degree. She didn't react in time, and her body instinctively displayed signs of terror.

Even so, the series of fearful behaviors Karuizawa Kei exhibited made Chiba Yu frown.

After a moment of thought, Chiba Yu roughly understood the situation.

A physical defense mechanism triggered by past trauma, huh... Chiba Yu whispered to himself.

Seeing that Karuizawa, whom he was pinning down, was on the verge of tears, he quickly comforted her. "Don't be afraid, it's me. Don't make a sound, there's someone here."

This time, Karuizawa seemed to have heard what he said. The fear and agitation in her expression began to calm down, though she still struggled slightly.

She's calmed down, then...

"Katsuragi, should we head back now?"

Hearing the crunching of grass nearby, Chiba Yu held his breath. Even Karuizawa Kei, who was being held by him, went instantly silent the moment she heard the voice.

"Hm?"

Just as he was about to answer Yahiko, the sharp-eyed Katsuragi suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the dense jungle not far away, as if he had discovered something.

Did he find us? No, he probably just vaguely sensed something; it hasn't reached the point of exposure yet.

"Katsuragi, what is it?!" Seeing Katsuragi's unusual behavior, Yahiko asked hurriedly.

After staring for about half a minute, Katsuragi slowly averted his gaze and replied nonchalantly:

"It's nothing. We should head back. Also, remember what I told you just now: do not act on your own without my knowledge. And..." Katsuragi glanced at the bushes where Chiba Yu and Karuizawa were hiding, "...watch your words and actions."

Watching the two walk away, Chiba Yu keenly observed a small green card peeking out from Katsuragi's breast pocket...