The Conspiracy

Ishizaki also realized something was off. "Boss, I guess I came at a bad time. I'll just leave and not bother you two."

"No, you've come at just the right time." Ryuuen grabbed Ishizaki, who was trying to escape.

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

The supplies exchanged from the teacher arrived at the campsite, costing a total of 75 special Points. The reason it was less than the previous 80 Points was because Hiyori had temporarily crossed off the motorboat Ishizaki wanted to exchange.

Ishizaki, on the verge of tears, looked at Hiyori with a pained expression, but little Hiyori turned her face away, neither explaining nor wanting to speak to Ishizaki.

Fortunately, little Hiyori was still kind. She only deducted Ishizaki's motorboat, not other items like the barbecue grill. Hiyori just wanted to express her displeasure and wasn't truly upset with Ishizaki.

In reality, Ishizaki didn't intentionally cause trouble; he just had bad luck. Ryuuen knew this, and little Hiyori knew it too, but some emotional reactions were still inevitable.

In the evening, Class C students held a barbecue party by the river. While other classes were still arguing about whether to buy a portable toilet, Class C was filled with laughter and joy.

Ryuuen sat not far away, watching the kids play, lost in thought as he gazed at the burning bonfire.

The weather this week had been quite good. There weren't many ominous clouds in the sky, only the bright moonlight cast by a full moon. When he tired of watching the bonfire, Ryuuen lay directly on the grass to look at the moon. Even the brilliant moon wasn't perfect. What kind of scenery did the shadows in that disk outline? Ryuuen didn't know and didn't want to explore.

A figure blocked Ryuuen's view. Although she was wearing sportswear, looking up from below, Ryuuen could still make out the graceful figure of the girl. Her dark hair shimmered under the moonlight.

Little Hiyori handed Ryuuen a grilled chicken wing and some cauliflower. "Ryuuen-kun likes looking at the moon?"

Ryuuen unceremoniously took the barbecue and stuffed it into his mouth. "Just a boring pastime. Hiyori, do you like the moon?"

"No."

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

"But there are many stars, and the moon is unique," Ryuuen sat up. He didn't have a habit of looking up at others.

"Every star is unique." The girl wasn't going to back down on this.

Ryuuen also sensed the girl's attitude. Although he usually disdained explaining anything, when facing Hiyori, Ryuuen now had an extra measure of patience. "Ibuki won't be in danger."

Ryuuen wanted to spit out the bone, but there was no trash can nearby. Little Hiyori took out a few pieces of tissue from her pocket, folded them in her palm, and then put her hand near Ryuuen's mouth.

After a moment of hesitation, Hiyori said, "Be careful."

Ryuuen spit out the bone, a little surprised. It wasn't hard to deduce that he was going to sell Points, but it wasn't easy to deduce that he was going to do something else. "You know what I'm going to do?"

Hiyori shook her head. "No, but I have a hunch that you, Ryuuen, aren't someone who gives up easily."

A woman's intuition was truly terrifying. Ryuuen held Hiyori's hand; Hiyori's hand still held the bone Ryuuen had spit out. "You know what to do, Hiyori, and this time I haven't put myself in danger, so don't worry."

The girl's silence and worried gaze were Ryuuen's answer.

Ryuuen stood up. "The light of every star belongs to itself, but stars are too far from us, and the moon is also an illusion; it doesn't emit its own light. I like the sun. When the sun appears, both the stars and the moon disappear!"

Without lingering by Hiyori's side, Ryuuen finished the last skewer of cauliflower and walked towards the pitch-black forest. Hiyori would explain his whereabouts to the students in the class; Ryuuen didn't need to worry about that.

Following the marks Ibuki made, Ryuuen quickly found her.

"Now can you tell me what needs to be done?!" Ibuki stood on a tree with her arms crossed, looking down at Ryuuen.

Ryuuen kicked the tree trunk a few times, forcing Ibuki to jump down. She grimaced and snapped, "What are you doing?!"

She was grimacing because her face was swollen. Although Ibuki's attitude was still terrible, Ryuuen had no intention of lecturing her in this situation. "You're going to be an undercover agent in Class D and find out who the leader of Class D is."

"Impossible! I'm a Class C student. Those people in Class D will definitely guard against me like a thief. I can't even get close to them! What were you thinking?! I'm totally incapable of that, okay?!" Ibuki was quite clear about her own abilities at this point.

"It's fine. You just need to follow them. They'll accept you, this lost stray dog. And I didn't expect you to actually succeed."

"What?!" Ibuki was furious, whether it was because Ryuuen called her a stray dog or because he had absolutely no confidence in her.

"Go to Class D and act boldly. The muddier you make the waters in Class D, the better."

Ibuki's mind couldn't keep up. She didn't understand what Ryuuen wanted to do, but she understood one thing: she had to infiltrate Class D and cause trouble for them!

Ryuuen pointed with his foot to a spot at the base of the tree, telling Ibuki, "Half an hour before the exam ends, come here. Remember this spot. I'll hide something here. When you dig it up, you'll know what to do."

Just as Ibuki was about to ask for more details, she saw Tarzan, Kouenji, swinging through the night on a vine.

"Ah, I'm so beautiful!" Kouenji admired himself in the moonlight. His appearance interrupted Ibuki. In Ryuuen's eyes, Kouenji wasn't the type to care about the class's survival, but since he had been seen, the best course of action was to deal with him. Ryuuen's plan couldn't have any flaws, otherwise Ayanokoji would catch wind of it and cause him a lot of trouble.

Kouenji wasn't far from Ryuuen's position. After confirming the vine's strength, Ryuuen also swung on a vine to Kouenji's side, though Ryuuen's movements were neither skilled nor graceful.

"Hahaha, Dargon Boy, are you here to perform acrobatics to make me laugh?" Kouenji made no attempt to hide his ridicule.

"Just passing by. Is the son of the Kouenji Zaibatsu interested in playing house?"

Kouenji stroked his chin, pondering the underlying meaning of Ryuuen's words. "I naturally have no interest in playing with those idiots in the class, Dargon Boy. Are you trying to invite me to join your game? Unfortunately, I'm not interested."

Ryuuen scoffed, "I just wanted to remind you that you didn't shower today, and you smell terrible."

This remark infuriated Kouenji. Although he himself didn't think he smelled, he still decided to go back to the Cruise Ship to take a shower. But just as Kouenji took a step, he paused. "If I go back to the ship now to shower, I'll be considered to have given up on the exam. I understand what you're trying to do."

Kouenji turned elegantly to face Ryuuen. "You're afraid I'll spill the beans, so you're trying to make me drop out of the exam."

As expected of his high intelligence, Kouenji's abilities were undoubtedly impressive.

Since he had been seen through, Ryuuen no longer denied it. "That's right. Let's talk about your terms. Since you're still standing in front of me, it means we can still negotiate." Ryuuen's heart bled; Kouenji would surely fleece him.

"One million personal Points. Compared to your plan, this price isn't high," Kouenji said leisurely, leaning against the tree.

Ryuuen smiled. It seemed the Class D's Point problem had also affected Kouenji. He must have been tormented by poverty for a while.

"Alright. I don't have my Student ID Card with me now. I'll transfer them to you after the exam."

No contract was needed; at this moment, both understood each other perfectly. However, as he left, Kouenji still mocked Ryuuen. "You're overly cautious, Dargon Boy. I never took you seriously in the first place, and I certainly wouldn't do something as lowly and inelegant as ratting you out. If you insist on giving me Points, I'll just reluctantly accept them."

"There will be a day," Ryuuen said with a forced smile. Someday, Kouenji would regret accepting his Points.

In the opposite direction, Kouenji swung towards the Cruise Ship, facing the moon, while Ryuuen walked back to his campsite with his back to the moon.