Chiba Yu studied the rough map in his hands, comparing it with the roads around them while keeping part of his attention on Karuizawa Kei behind him.
"Where are we going now? Weren't we supposed to scout the area?" Karuizawa looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and asked nervously.
"If we keep going, we'll reach the beach. I heard that's Class C's base, so I want to take a look."
"Class C... Never mind. Since we're already here, let's go see what it's like." Karuizawa clearly wasn't keen on scouting Class C.
That made sense. According to Ibuki, who had ended up in our class, Ryuen was the kind of man who wouldn't hesitate to use force even against girls. It was no wonder Karuizawa was afraid.
After a bit of wandering, the two of them gradually caught sight of the deep blue sea.
Just then, Chiba Yu spotted a familiar figure.
No way. Could we really be that unlucky?
Chiba Yu's mouth twitched as unease stirred in his mind.
He'd made sure that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was still at the campsite when they left. Now he was right there in front of them. Had he really been cursed?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka soon noticed them too. Just as he was about to come over and say hello, another familiar figure appeared.
Behind him, Horikita stood with her arms crossed, looking their way with a stern expression.
Good grief. Did this come with a buy-one-get-one-free deal?
"Those two over there... That's Horikita and Ayanokoji, right?" Karuizawa had spotted them too.
With no choice, Chiba Yu couldn't just pretend he hadn't seen them, so he called out a greeting.
"Are you two out scouting too?" Horikita's gaze shifted between them. Then she asked uncertainly, "Or did you come out on a date?"
"W-Who would go on a date with this idiot? We're here to scout. Scout!"
Horikita glanced at Chiba Yu and nodded for some reason. "I understand. Since we've run into each other, let's go together."
For some reason, Chiba Yu felt there was something strange about the way Horikita looked at him. It was almost as if she thought he was a lost cause. Surely he was imagining it.
"Have you found out anything?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked casually.
"Nothing. I heard Class C's base is somewhere by the beach, so we were just heading over there." Sharing information would help us later, even though I hadn't found out anything yet.
"I see. We just checked out Class B and Class A. Let's set Class A aside for now, but Class B seems to want to keep the possibility of an alliance with us open."
So they'd already checked out Class B and Class A. They were quick. It was nothing like us, aimlessly wandering around outside all this time.
"Do we really have to go to that Class C place ruled by Ryuen?" Karuizawa asked timidly, trying to sound tough despite her unease.
Horikita shot her a glance and replied calmly, "We need to gather enough information. If you're scared, you can go back on your own."
Karuizawa immediately bristled at her tone. With her strong-willed personality, she wouldn't let someone talk to her like that.
"I'm thinking about everyone's safety, okay? And what do you mean, I should go back by myself? If anyone should leave, it should be you!"
Watching them, Chiba Yu exchanged a quiet look with Ayanokoji, who stood beside Horikita. For a moment, the two of them let out a tacit sigh.
Karuizawa and Horikita simply couldn't get along. They barely interacted in class at all, and both had their own strengths and weaknesses.
As the girl who led the other girls, Karuizawa couldn't stand Horikita, who ignored her and never even looked her in the eye. The two were like a powder keg waiting to explode; whenever they met, sparks flew.
Chiba Yu stepped in to cut off their argument, then headed toward their destination first.
Seeing that, Karuizawa and Horikita stopped bickering and put the scouting mission first.
Though you could call it an argument, Karuizawa had been the only one doing the talking. Horikita ignored her and occasionally threw in a sharp remark.
The four of them soon reached the beach marked on the map. Seeing the many people farther ahead, Chiba Yu knew they'd arrived at their destination.
Some of the girls were sunbathing on beds, while others sat with their friends under parasols, chatting and laughing.
The boys were diving into the sea, and some had even rented jet skis, racing across the water with wild enthusiasm.
The scene before them was so shocking that even Karuizawa and the usually expressionless Horikita couldn't help staring in disbelief.
"This is insane."
"What is Ryuen trying to do?"
Thinking of how their class had to scrimp and save for those Class Points, then seeing Class C partying like this, Karuizawa's mind was rattled by the stark contrast between the two scenes.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched without expression. Then, as if searching for someone, he shifted his gaze back and forth.
Chiba Yu stayed quietly behind the others without saying anything. But the scene in front of them was simply too wild. He'd been prepared for it, yet now that he was actually seeing it, he realized his ability to process it still needed work.
"Um... Ryuen told me to bring you over."
Just as the four of them were unsure what to do, a boy with a crew cut came over and beckoned them toward the center of the camp.
There, they saw Ryuen lying on a beach chair with his upper body bare.
"Well, aren't you enjoying yourself?" Horikita began by mocking Ryuen as soon as they met.
At that, Ryuen flashed a row of white teeth at us. "As you can see, we're enjoying this so-called summer vacation."
"You haven't changed a bit, Suzune. And you still have those two little dogs following you around. If you beg me, I might even be kind enough to let you stay here. What do you say?"
Being compared to one of Horikita's lapdogs didn't bother Chiba Yu.
He knew Ryuen was using his words to provoke them and make them act irrationally. That was exactly what Ryuen wanted.
Suddenly, Ryuen seemed to spot an interesting toy. He stared straight at Karuizawa, who stood beside Chiba Yu.
"Well, I remember now. Aren't you that popular girl from Class D? What, have you become Suzune's little sidekick too? Hahahaha!"
Karuizawa frowned at Ryuen's mockery and sudden burst of laughter, but she wasn't as forceful as usual. Normally, she would have started arguing with him by now.
Fortunately, Ryuen wasn't interested in Karuizawa at the moment. In fact, he hadn't even looked her in the eye.
When he saw Karuizawa edging closer to Chiba Yu, Ryuen's lips curved slightly. "I see. How interesting."
Then Ryuen turned his attention to Chiba Yu. "Suzune, I believe I told you it'd be better to keep someone else around. Otherwise, you'll have two idiots trailing you, and then you might catch their stupidity. That'd be a shame. I'm really looking forward to seeing which of us comes out on top."
"You don't need to worry about that." Horikita gave us a token defense.
At that moment, Chiba Yu wanted to point out that he wasn't Horikita's lackey, but even if he said it now, he doubted anyone would care.
Noticing Karuizawa trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, Chiba Yu subtly shifted his position.
"If you're going to do that, we may as well take it easy."
"Heh. So which of us is the idiot, anyway? You? Or me?"
Just then, Ishizaki brought Ryuen a bottle of water, cold enough to be covered in condensation. Ryuen took it casually and held it out to us. "Here, I'll give you this bottle. Be sure to show your gratitude."
Hearing that, Chiba Yu reached out to take it without thinking.
The instant he touched the bottle, its icy chill brought him back to his senses. Under everyone's astonished gaze, Chiba Yu pulled his hand away.
Seeing that, Ryuen laughed. "Looks like things aren't so harmonious within your group either, Suzune. At first, I wondered if that detestable 'rat' might be hiding among you. Now I see I expected too much of you."
Chiba Yu could hear the mockery aimed at him in Ryuen's words.
"Tsk!"
For a moment, Chiba Yu thought he heard someone click their tongue. He glanced back, but maybe he'd imagined it.
Horikita glared fiercely at Chiba Yu, then turned to Ryuen. "You don't need to lecture us."
"I'm starting to think coming all this way was a waste of time."
Horikita turned to leave. Ryuen stayed where he was, quietly watching them. Then Horikita stopped. "By the way, you know a girl named Ibuki, don't you?"