Conspiracy

Ishizaki also realized something was wrong. "Boss, it looks like I came at a bad time. I'll get going and stop bothering you two."

"No, you came at exactly the right time." Ryuuen grabbed hold of Ishizaki, who was trying to make his escape.

By then, Hiyori had already fled the tent with the list, with Ishizaki's screams trailing behind her.

The supplies exchanged from the teachers were delivered to the campsite. They ultimately spent 75 Special points. The reason it was less than the previous 80 was because Hiyori had crossed out the motorboat Ishizaki wanted at the last minute.

Ishizaki, on the verge of tears, looked miserably at Hiyori. Little Hiyori merely turned her face away, neither explaining herself nor wanting to speak to him.

Fortunately, little Hiyori was still kind. She had only deducted Ishizaki's motorboat; she had not crossed out the barbecue grill or anything else. Hiyori merely wanted to express her displeasure, not truly make things difficult for Ishizaki.

In truth, Ishizaki had not meant to ruin anything. He was simply unlucky. Ryuuen understood that, and little Hiyori understood it too, but she still had her little sulk.

That evening, the students of Class C held a barbecue party by the little river. While the other classes were still endlessly arguing over whether to buy a convenient toilet, Class C was filled with laughter and cheer.

Ryuuen sat some distance away, watching the children play around as he stared blankly at the steadily burning campfire.

The weather had been fairly good all week. There were few clouds in the sky, and the moonlight cast by the lone full moon was exceptionally bright. Having grown tired of watching the campfire, Ryuuen lay directly down on the grass to look at the moon. Even the pure, radiant moon was not perfect. What sort of scenery did the shadows on that round disk depict? Ryuuen did not know, nor did he care to find out.

A figure blocked Ryuuen's view. Although she wore a tracksuit, he could still make out the girl's graceful figure from below, her black hair gleaming under the moonlight.

Little Hiyori handed the grilled chicken wings and cauliflower to Ryuuen. "Ryuuen-kun, do you like looking at the moon?"

Ryuuen accepted the barbecue without ceremony and stuffed it into his mouth. "Just a way to pass the time. Hiyori, do you like the moon?"

"No."

Little Hiyori's answer surprised Ryuuen. Then Hiyori explained, "The brighter the moon is, the fewer stars there are. I like stars."

"But there are many stars, while the moon is one of a kind." Ryuuen sat up. He had no habit of looking up at others.

"Every star is unique." The girl had no intention of yielding on this matter.

Ryuuen could see the girl's stance as well. Though he had always disdained explaining himself, he now had a little more patience when facing Hiyori. "Ibuki won't be in trouble."

Ryuuen wanted to spit out a bone, but there was no trash can nearby. Little Hiyori took several tissues from her pocket, folded them over in her palm, and held her hand up to Ryuuen's mouth.

After hesitating for a while, Hiyori finally said, "Be careful."

Ryuuen spat out the bone, somewhat surprised. It was not difficult to infer that he intended to sell points, but it was not easy to infer that he intended to do something else. "Do you know what I'm going to do?"

Hiyori shook her head. "No, but I have a feeling. Ryuuen, you're not someone who gives up easily."

A woman's intuition was terrifying. Ryuuen grasped Hiyori's hand, which still held the bone he had spat out. "You know what to do, Hiyori. Besides, I haven't put myself in danger this time, so there's no need to worry."

The girl answered him with silence and a pair of gentle, worried eyes.

Ryuuen stood. "Every star's light belongs to itself, but stars are too far away from us. The moon is fake too. It doesn't emit light on its own. I like the sun. When the sun appears, the stars and moon both disappear!"

Without lingering by Hiyori's side, Ryuuen finished the last skewer of cauliflower and headed toward the pitch-black forest. Hiyori would explain his whereabouts to the class; that was not something Ryuuen needed to worry about.

Following the markers Ibuki had made, Ryuuen found her quickly.

"Can you tell me what we need to do now?" Ibuki stood on a tree branch with her arms folded, looking down at Ryuuen.

Ryuuen kicked the trunk several times, forcing Ibuki to jump down. She bared her teeth and snapped, "What are you doing?!"

She was baring her teeth because her face was swollen. Although Ibuki's attitude remained terrible, Ryuuen had no intention of lecturing her under such circumstances. "Go undercover in Class D and find out who their leader is."

"Impossible! I'm a Class C student. Those people in Class D will guard against me like I'm a thief. I won't even be able to get close to them. What are you thinking?! I don't have that kind of ability!" At least Ibuki had a clear understanding of her own abilities this time.

"It's fine. You only need to follow them around. They'll take in a stray dog like you who's been cast out. Besides, I never expected you to really pull it off."

"What?!" Ibuki was furious. It was unclear whether she was angry because Ryuuen had called her a stray dog or because he truly had no faith in her at all.

"Go to Class D and do whatever you want. The muddier you make their waters, the better."

Ibuki's mind could not keep up. She had no idea what Ryuuen was planning, but she understood one thing: she needed to worm her way into Class D and cause trouble for them!

Ryuuen tapped a spot beneath the roots with his foot and told Ibuki, "Come here during the last half hour of the exam. Remember this location. I'll hide something here. Once you dig it up, you'll know what you need to do."

Ibuki had just wanted to press him for details when she saw Tarzan Kouenji swinging through the darkness on vines.

"Ah, I'm so beautiful!" Kouenji admired himself beneath the moonlight. His appearance interrupted Ibuki. In Ryuuen's eyes, Kouenji was not the sort to care whether his class lived or died, but since he had seen them, the best solution was still to deal with him. There could not be the slightest flaw in Ryuuen's plan, or Ayanokoji would sniff it out and create all sorts of trouble for him.

Kouenji was not far from Ryuuen. After confirming the vines were sturdy enough, Ryuuen swung over to Kouenji as well, though his movements were neither practiced nor elegant.

"Hahaha, DARGON BOY, are you here to perform a circus act and make me laugh?" Kouenji made no effort to hide his mockery.

"I was just passing by. Is the son of the Kouenji Zaibatsu interested in playing house too?"

Kouenji stroked his chin as he pondered the deeper meaning behind Ryuuen's words. "Naturally, I have no interest in playing with those fools in my class. Dargon boy, are you inviting me to join your game? Unfortunately, I am not interested."

Ryuuen snorted. "I just wanted to remind you that you haven't bathed today. You stink beyond belief."

Those words enraged Kouenji. Although he did not think he smelled at all, he still decided to return to the Cruise Ship and take a bath. Yet just as Kouenji took a step forward, he paused. "If I return to the ship to bathe now, it will be seen as giving up the exam. I understand what you're trying to do."

Kouenji turned around with flair and stared at Ryuuen. "You're trying every possible way to make me withdraw from the exam because you're afraid I'll expose you."

As expected of someone with such high intelligence. Kouenji's abilities were evidently beyond question.

Since he had been seen through, Ryuuen no longer denied it. "That's right. Name your terms. Since you're still standing here, it means there's room to negotiate." Ryuuen's heart bled inwardly. Kouenji would definitely fleece him for a fortune.

"One million Personal Points. Compared to your plan, that price is not high." Kouenji leaned against a tree and spoke faintly.

Ryuuen smiled. It seemed Class D's lack of points had affected Kouenji too. He had likely suffered through poverty for quite some time.

"Fine. My Student ID Card isn't with me right now. I'll transfer them to you after the exam."

There was no need for a contract. At that moment, both understood perfectly. Before leaving, however, Kouenji still mocked Ryuuen once more. "You're being overly cautious, Dargon boy. I never cared about you to begin with, and I certainly would not do something as vulgar and inelegant as informing on you. Since you insist on chasing after me to give me points, I suppose I have no choice but to accept them."

"We'll see each other again." Ryuuen smiled without warmth. One day, Kouenji would regret taking his points.

In the opposite direction, Kouenji swung toward the Cruise Ship beneath the moon, while Ryuuen walked back to his own camp with his back to it.