Karuizawa desperately fought back her tears. Her nostrils twitched twice, and after a long moment, she finally lowered her head and said:
"You... go ahead."
"Do you remember when we went to scout out Class C together?"
"...What does that have to do with this?" After a moment, Karuizawa asked in a gloomy voice. She had stopped sobbing, but she still hadn't gotten over what happened. For now, all she could do was listen to Chiba Yu's explanation, just as he'd asked.
"Back then, there was a two-way radio on the table beside the chair Ryuen was lying in. You might not have seen it since you were hiding behind something the whole time, but I'm sure the rest of us noticed it, including me. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ayanokoji tomorrow morning."
Karuizawa pressed her lips together and waited quietly for him to continue.
"Do you really think a man like Ryuen, who'd go to such lengths to figure out the school's rules and trip us up—and who'd even attack Sudo to gain an advantage—would give up on this exam so easily?"
"According to what we've learned, every class except Class A has taken in students Ryuen expelled from Class C. And the most important part of this exam is that on the morning it ends, each class gets to guess the leaders of the other classes. Is it possible Ryuen isn't as foolish as he seems?"
Karuizawa didn't understand how any of this related to what was happening now, but she couldn't help frowning.
"Based on that theory, we can assume Ryuen is probably hiding somewhere on this island, waiting for the final day. If he wants to find out who the leaders of the other classes are without exposing himself, what do you think he'd do?"
"...A spy?" The moment Karuizawa said it, she felt as if she'd plunged into an icy abyss. A chilling sense of dread rose from her feet and spread through her body.
Ibuki's injuries when she first came to their class, and the awkward way she'd spoken afterward... If all of it had been an act, then...
Seeing that Karuizawa had finally understood his point, Chiba Yu silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since you've figured it out too, what do you think those spies would have to do to convince Ryuen that the information they'd gathered about the class leaders was accurate—and prove they couldn't have lied?"
"The answer is simple: get hold of the card with each class leader's name on it. There's no other way."
There was another way, but Chiba Yu wasn't worried about it. He already knew what someone had done the day before he left.
"Tomorrow will be the fifth day of the Special Exam. I think the spy is probably getting restless by now. To steal the card, they'd need to cause some confusion and throw everyone off. If they wanted to make a really big scene, what do you think they'd do?"
Staring at the personal clothing in her hand, Karuizawa trembled all over.
She couldn't believe it. They'd been helping her all this time, even spending Class Points to provide her with precious food, yet now, for the sake of victory, she'd gone so far!
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, and anger welled up inside her.
It looked like the crisis had been averted.
Chiba Yu wiped at his forehead, though there was no sweat there, and sighed inwardly.
Now that everything had been explained, Karuizawa wiped her tears and eyed Chiba Yu suspiciously. "So... I was wrong to blame you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Chiba Yu answered her question with another question.
"Who... who knows if you just made all this up to cover for yourself..." Though she was mostly convinced, Karuizawa still muttered stubbornly.
"But~ didn't you say you weren't as smart as Horikita and the others, and that you only got good exam scores because you were lucky? How come you're so impressive now, seeing through Ryuen's scheme and everything?" Karuizawa teased him, leaning closer with a mischievous grin.
Chiba Yu: "..."
"...It's because I was almost framed, and my brain finally got some exercise for the first time in ages. I had a sudden burst of intelligence far beyond my usual level... You get it, right?"
But under Karuizawa's teasing gaze, his explanation seemed utterly unconvincing to her.
"Heh. You think I'm three years old? If you're going to make something up, at least come up with a better story."
Chiba Yu's only thought was: I'm tired. Let it all burn.
"...Now I understand why she chose to target you. With that kind of temper, if this really comes out tomorrow, the whole class is going to be in chaos."
"Th-that's not my fault! Anyone would be angry if something like this happened to them!" Karuizawa complained, puffing out her cheeks.
"Hmph! I'm furious. I'm going to wake her up right now and confront her, so everyone in class can see what she's really like!"
With that, Karuizawa stormed toward the tents. Chiba Yu caught her by the wrist.
"Wait a minute."
!!!
Caught off guard by Chiba Yu's sudden move, Karuizawa didn't react at first. She struggled against his grip, her cheeks starting to turn red.
"W-what are you doing?! I knew you were up to no good. If you try anything here, I really will scream!"
"...Stop messing around and listen to me first." Chiba Yu rubbed his brow helplessly, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Oh..."
At last, Karuizawa stopped fidgeting. Chiba Yu said nothing more, simply looking into her eyes, his face calm and indifferent in a way she had never seen before...