Ichinose Honami

That evening, Ryuuen returned to his tent with an irritated look, only to find Hiyori sitting inside.

"What is it? Staying in my tent this late—aren't you afraid I'll lose control?"

"You smell like two outsiders." Ignoring Ryuuen's question, Hiyori sniffed and voiced her doubt.

This was not something he needed to keep secret from Hiyori, so Ryuuen gave her a rough account of what had happened.

Hiyori said nothing after listening. She merely stepped up beside Ryuuen, raised her head, and stood on tiptoe.

"Something's off. You're unusually proactive today, Hiyori." Though he said something was off, Ryuuen did not refuse Hiyori's enthusiasm. Without any drawn-out preamble, he bit her thin lips.

"Mmph."

Hiyori let out a muffled, soft moan.

Hiyori instinctively wrapped her arms around Ryuuen's neck, letting him freely plunder her saliva.

Teeth met tongues, and tongues tangled together. Hiyori's head felt dizzy, and she failed to notice that Ryuuen's large hand was no longer content to rest in her hair, instead moving downward in search of more.

"Eek!"

Ryuuen's hand slipped inside Hiyori's clothes and touched the girl's delicate waist.

Hiyori got angry and bit Ryuuen's lower lip, yet she was afraid of hurting him and could not bring herself to use much force. To Ryuuen, that faint pain felt more like a tease.

She couldn't breathe.

Ryuuen released Hiyori.

Hiyori lay against Ryuuen's shoulder, panting heavily as she bit his ear and said,

"Don't let your hand go any higher~, or I'll get angry~"

One hand around Hiyori's waist, Ryuuen continued inching the other upward. "What happens if you get angry? Will you bite me?"

"Nothing will happen." Hiyori buried her head in Ryuuen's shoulder, sounding weak and breathless.

"Tch."

Ryuuen clicked his tongue. Hiyori really had been hiding her depths. Still, he did not make any further advances. Though Hiyori in this state could let Ryuuen do whatever he wished, the current setting had nothing romantic about it. Good ingredients naturally tasted best when consumed in a good environment.

Ryuuen's hand still rested on Hiyori's stomach. "Are you worried? Worried you'll fall out of favor because I went looking for Ibuki just now?"

Having had her thoughts guessed correctly, Hiyori did not dare meet Ryuuen's eyes and buried her face in his chest.

That was the downside of being too smart. If one were a little dumber, there would not be so many worries. Ryuuen gently stroked Hiyori's belly. "There's no need to worry about that."

"I just wanted to know why you wouldn't let me help you, and chose Ibuki instead."

Hiyori looked adorable when she was jealous, but this was not the time for jokes, and Ryuuen was not in the mood to tease her.

"It's only because she was more suited for it." That was the truth, but Ryuuen knew it would not satisfy Hiyori. Words used to soothe a girl had to be more emotional, so he added, "Hiyori, you're special. I won't put you in danger."

The night was quite peaceful because Hiyori went back. If she had stayed any longer, Ryuuen would not have been able to keep himself under control.

As the morning sun rose, Ryuuen took Hiyori to Class B's base.

Kanzaki Ryuuji stood in Ryuuen's way. "Class B doesn't welcome you. Leave at once!"

"Before beating a dog, consider its owner. For Ichinose's sake, I won't hit you. Go call Ichinose out. I have something to discuss with her." Ryuuen knew Kanzaki Ryuuji was not so easily provoked, so his insults would not affect the coming negotiations.

Ichinose arrived. Even in a tracksuit, her ample bust was impossible to hide. No wonder people called her Fatochi.

"Kanzaki, be polite to others. And Ryuuen-sensei, you should also watch your language and not insult people casually." Ichinose was still the same angel, taking neither side even now.

Hiyori looked at the full-figured girl before her, with pink hair and blue eyes. Her crossed bangs and ear-covering hair made her look energetic and alluring. Hiyori instinctively felt hostility toward her. It was an inborn instinct—she felt the girl before her would become a threat.

"We're all old acquaintances. Let's go into the tent and have a proper talk." Ryuuen casually draped an arm around Ichinose's shoulders, making both Kanzaki Ryuuji and Shiina Hiyori widen their eyes.

Ichinose's gaze dimmed for an instant, then brightened again. She broke free from Ryuuen's grasp. "Ryuuen-sensei, let's talk inside."

Ryuuen swaggered into the tent with Hiyori. Kanzaki Ryuuji also wanted to follow Ichinose in, but Ichinose signaled with her eyes for him to remain outside.

"Say whatever you came to say, Ryuuen-sensei." Ichinose forced herself to remain calm.

"You clearly hate me, yet you still put on such a polite act?" Ryuuen asked Ichinose as he sat in the center of the tent.

"I don't hate you. It was my own problem that led to today's situation." Ichinose shook her head helplessly.

Ryuuen had clearly threatened her, yet Ichinose claimed it was her own fault. That was the difference between her and Kushida Kikyo. Kikyo was a fake, while Ichinose was a real angel. Though in Ryuuen's eyes, she was merely a hopelessly softhearted fool.

Threatening Ichinose had happened earlier. To stop Class B from stepping in to help Horikita Suzune, Ryuuen had had no choice but to approach Ichinose first, then threaten her with her past. That was why Ryuuen called them old acquaintances.

"This time, I came to help you." Ryuuen did not dwell on whether Ichinose hated him or not.

Ichinose found it hard to believe. She thought Ryuuen had come to cause her trouble again—why would he help her? Still, she politely asked, "How does Ryuuen-sensei intend to help me?"

"I'll sell you 225 Special points. With these points, I believe you'll have a good time over the next few days. Getting a good result won't be difficult either, right?" Ryuuen knew the girl before him was loaded and that most of Class B's points were in her hands, so he intended to squeeze her for a profit.

"Ryuuen-sensei wants me to use Class Points to buy them?" Ichinose roughly understood the purpose of Ryuuen's visit.

Ryuuen snapped his fingers. "That's right. Fixed price: 2.25 million points."

Since Ryuuen had said it was a fixed price, Ichinose did not try to bargain. After considering it for a while, she nodded.

Having gotten what he wanted, Ryuuen left the tent and strolled around Class B's camp. Hiyori remained in the tent to handle the exchange of points with Ichinose.

Class B's students did not welcome Ryuuen. Wherever he walked, they deliberately kept away from him, which instead made it easier for him to observe them.

Unlike Class C, which had used points to purchase large quantities of purified water, only a small portion of Class B's water came from Point exchanges. Most of it was distilled from river water for drinking. Some of their food also consisted of wild fruit.

Some people were making tools as well. Ryuuen had previously borrowed books on wilderness survival, so he immediately recognized that Class B's students were making fishing tools.

With water and food prepared, plus the points Ryuuen had sold Ichinose, Class B would be first in this exam unless something unexpected happened.

But if nothing unexpected happened, it would not be an exam. Only surprises could add fun to this test, and Ryuuen had already thought of a way to give Class B a surprise.