Ryuuen sneered. The key to this exam was conserving points and guessing the leaders of the other classes. If the original plot had not been interfered with by Ryuuen, he could have guessed the leaders of the other classes by now. But he was not sure whether Ayanokoji would follow the original plot. After all, on the ship, Ryuuen had noticed that Horikita Suzune looked perfectly healthy, without the slightest sign of illness. Whether Ayanokoji would later use an illness to replace Class D's leader was therefore uncertain.
Class C, arriving late, could only barely find a less-than-ideal base camp. It was very close to Class D's, separated only by a river. Ryuuen could see Class D's students putting up tents, but he could not hear what they were saying.
Although quite a few people in Class C had complaints about Ryuuen, only Ibuki stepped forward. "Ryuuen, it's all because you delayed us that we couldn't find a good base camp!"
Ryuuen did not care. Pressing a hand on Ibuki's small head, he addressed the class. "Use 100 Special points to buy the supplies you need and whatever you want to have fun with. Tomorrow night, we'll abandon the exam and return to the ship to rest."
Ryuuen's words were undoubtedly a thunderbolt.
"Are you insane? Abandon the exam? Do you know how many Class Points that is? If we're lucky, we could totally rise to Class A through this exam!" Ibuki's head was still in Ryuuen's hand, but her little mouth kept rattling off insults at him.
Ryuuen gave Ibuki no time to react and slapped her across the face. Girls all cared about their appearance, especially their faces. Although Ibuki looked like a tomboy, she was still a girl, and her little face was soft and delicate. Ryuuen was not cruel enough to disfigure her for the sake of his plan, so while the slap looked frightening and sounded loud, it only made Ibuki's face swell. It would probably go down in two or three days.
But Ibuki looked especially pitiful, and many Class C students who had just been blaming Ryuuen inwardly no longer dared to speak.
"Anyone who won't follow my orders can get the hell out now!"
After saying that, Ryuuen kicked Ibuki to the ground. That kick was not only for Class C to see, but also for Class D. Quite a few Class D students had already noticed Ryuuen's brutality and sympathized with Ibuki, but there was nothing they could do.
Ibuki left the camp without saying a word.
The remaining Class C students were uneasy. At that moment, Hiyori stepped forward and clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. "Ryuuen-sensei doesn't want everyone suffering on the island. Ryuuen-sensei just said that we would keep 200 Special points. I imagine those points will be used to trade with other classes for benefits. Although we have a chance to rise to Class A through this exam, everyone knows that we still fall short compared to Class A. Even if we were lucky enough to rise this time, we would soon fall back down. So why not relax during this exam? Since we chose Ryuuen-sensei as our leader, the first thing we should do is trust him. All right, everyone, come report your needs to me. We'll go buy supplies from the teachers."
Hiyori's words quickly eased the tension. The students also began to notice Ryuuen's good intentions, though they still had reservations about him beating Ibuki up.
Only Yabu Nanami—the green-haired girl who had failed the previous exam and had a bit of baby fat—had little stars in her eyes as she stared at Ryuuen with admiration.
"I knew Boss wouldn't just give up on the exam like that." Ishizaki seized the moment to suck up to him, drawing a chorus of jeers from those around him. The tense atmosphere was finally swept away.
Ibuki was a fairly unconventional girl in the class and had few friends, which meant that the class did not actually care much whether she stayed or left.
Ryuuen looked toward Hiyori. A crowd of students surrounded her, telling her what they wanted. She held a small notebook and pen, listening and writing as she went, rejecting excessive requests when necessary. Although there was always noise around her, Ryuuen felt that Hiyori standing there seemed very quiet from afar.
Naturally, Ryuuen did not help with something as trivial as pitching tents. It was not that he was unwilling to help; Ishizaki and some other students had already put up the tents and invited him inside to sit down so he would not have to stand out in the sun.
At this time, every class was setting up tents and looking for supplies. It was not a good time for business, so Ryuuen casually lay down inside the tent.
"May I come in?"
Hiyori's voice came from outside the tent.
"Come in."
Ryuuen sat up straight.
"This is the supply order. Take a look and see if anything needs changing."
Hiyori knelt beside Ryuuen and handed him the list. The girl's fragrance reached him along with the paper.
"You don't need to ask me about something this minor. But didn't I say you had a budget of 100? Why did you only spend 80? I don't believe Ishizaki and the others can't spend that many points." Ryuuen merely glanced at the list before looking at Hiyori. His reflection was in her eyes.
"The supplies we need are already enough for us to enjoy ourselves for two days. Buying more would be too wasteful. Since you plan to sell the points anyway, the more we have left, the greater the benefit for the class."
Ryuuen's large hand stroked Hiyori's hair. Though he did not say anything, the gesture carried the meaning of praise.
Ryuuen, who admired violence, had always lacked a sense of boundaries. Hiyori knew that too. Although she still felt shy, when Ryuuen's large hand touched her hair, she felt more delight than anything else.
I helped Ryuuen.
At first, Ryuuen had simply wanted to touch Hiyori's hair. But the tent was enclosed, and Hiyori's shy kneeling posture made her look like a lovable newlywed wife, instantly stirring Ryuuen's desire to bully her.
There was nothing wrong with following one's desires. People spent their entire lives striving to satisfy them.
Ryuuen's hand moved down from Hiyori's hair to her neck, then from her neck to her cheek. The girl merely blushed and did not resist, looking as though she would let him do whatever he pleased.
Ryuuen slowly moved closer to Hiyori. His nose drew nearer and nearer to hers until they touched. He could feel her breath trembling in time with her heartbeat.
Ryuuen pressed his forehead against Hiyori's. "It's not too late to pull away."
Hiyori said nothing and raised her chin slightly.
Just as Ryuuen was about to taste Hiyori's soft lips, the tent was opened.
"Boss, when are we exchanging the supplies? I can't wait anymore!"
The air froze, and Ryuuen's fist clenched.
Before you continue