Ichinose Honami

That evening, Ryuuen returned to his tent in a foul mood, only to find Hiyori sitting inside.

"What's wrong? You're in my tent so late. Aren't you afraid I'll turn into a beast?"

"You have two unfamiliar scents on you." Hiyori didn't answer Ryuuen's question; she just sniffed and posed her own.

This wasn't something that needed to be kept from Hiyori, so Ryuuen briefly explained what had happened.

Hiyori said nothing after listening; she simply stood beside Ryuuen, rising on her tiptoes.

"Something's off. Hiyori, you're unusually proactive today." Though he said something was off, Ryuuen didn't refuse Hiyori's enthusiasm. Without a long prelude, Ryuuen bit her thin lips.

"Ngh."

Hiyori whimpered, letting out a soft moan.

Hiyori instinctively wrapped her arms around Ryuuen's neck, allowing him to plunder her mouth as he pleased.

Teeth and tongues touched, tongues intertwined. Hiyori felt her head spin, not noticing that Ryuuen's large hand was no longer content to stay in her hair, but was exploring downwards.

"Yin!"

Ryuuen's hand slipped inside Hiyori's clothes, touching the girl's tender waist.

Hiyori got angry and bit Ryuuen's lower lip, but she was afraid of hurting him, so she didn't bite too hard. This slight pain seemed more like a tease to Ryuuen.

She couldn't breathe.

Ryuuen released Hiyori.

Hiyori leaned on Ryuuen's shoulder, panting, and whispered into his ear:

"Don't go any higher with your hand~ I'll get angry~"

Ryuuen wrapped one arm around Hiyori's waist, his other hand continuing to explore upwards little by little. "What happens if you get angry? Will you bite me?"

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

"Tsk."

Ryuuen let out a sigh of admiration. Hiyori truly had hidden depths. However, Ryuuen didn't go any further. Although Hiyori in this state could be at Ryuuen's mercy, the current environment was certainly not conducive to romance. Good ingredients were best enjoyed in the right setting to truly bring out their flavor.

Ryuuen's hand was still resting on Hiyori's stomach. "Are you worried? Worried about falling out of favor because I went to find Ibuki just now?"

Her thoughts guessed by Ryuuen, Hiyori didn't dare meet his eyes, burying her head in his chest.

This was the downside of being too smart; sometimes being a little dumber meant fewer worries. Ryuuen gently stroked Hiyori's belly. "There's no need to worry about that."

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

Hiyori's jealous expression was quite adorable, but it wasn't the time for jokes, and Ryuuen wasn't in the mood to tease her.

"It's just because she's more suitable." This was the truth, but Ryuuen knew this wouldn't satisfy Hiyori. Words to coax a girl needed to be more emotional, so Ryuuen added, "Hiyori, you're special. I wouldn't put you in danger."

That night was quite peaceful, because Hiyori had gone back. If Hiyori had stayed any longer, Ryuuen would have lost control.

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

Kanzaki Ryuuji stood in front of Ryuuen. "Class B doesn't welcome you. Please leave immediately!"

"When you hit a dog, you look at its owner. For Ichinose's sake, I won't hit you. Call Ichinose out; I have something to discuss with her." Ryuuen knew Kanzaki Ryuuji wasn't easily provoked, and his harsh words wouldn't affect the subsequent negotiations.

Ichinose arrived, her broad chest not hidden even in her gym clothes. She truly lived up to her nickname of 'Fatty-chan.'

"Kanzaki-kun, you should be polite to others. Ryuuen-kun, you also need to be careful not to casually curse at people." Ichinose was still the same angel, showing no favoritism at this moment.

Hiyori looked at the plump girl with pink hair and blue eyes in front of her. Her crossed bangs and ear-covering hair made her look both energetic and very alluring. She instinctively felt hostile towards her. This was an innate intuition; Hiyori felt that the girl in front of her would pose a threat to her.

"We're old acquaintances. Let's go into the tent and talk slowly." Ryuuen casually put his arm around Ichinose's shoulder. Kanzaki Ryuuji and Shiina Hiyori both widened their eyes.

Ichinose's eyes dimmed for a moment, then brightened again. She broke free from Ryuuen's grasp. "Ryuuen-kun, let's go inside and talk."

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

"Just say what you need to say, Ryuuen-kun." Ichinose feigned composure.

"Are you really going to pretend to be polite when you dislike me so much?" Ryuuen asked Ichinose from the center of the tent.

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

Even though she herself was being threatened by Ryuuen, Ichinose said it was her own problem. This was the difference between her and Kushida Kikyo. Kikyo was a fake, Ichinose was a true angel, but in Ryuuen's mind, she was just a bleeding heart.

Threatening Ichinose was something that had happened previously. At that time, to prevent Class B from helping Horikita, Ryuuen had to go to Ichinose first and threaten her with her past. This was why Ryuuen said they were old acquaintances.

"This time, I'm here to help you." Ryuuen didn't dwell on whether Ichinose disliked him or not.

Ichinose was somewhat disbelieving. She thought Ryuuen was coming to cause her trouble again; why would he help her? But she still politely asked, "How does Ryuuen-kun plan to help me?"

"I'll sell you 225 special points. I believe with these points, you'll have a very good time over the next few days, and it won't be difficult to achieve a good result." Ryuuen knew the girl in front of him was incredibly wealthy, with most of Class B's points in her hands, so he was ready to extort her.

"Ryuuen-kun wants me to use class points to buy them?" Ichinose roughly understood Ryuuen's purpose for coming.

Ryuuen snapped his fingers. "Exactly. A flat rate of 2.25 million points."

Since Ryuuen had stated a flat rate, Ichinose didn't try to haggle. After a moment of thought, she nodded.

Having achieved the desired outcome, Ryuuen left the tent and wandered around Class B's camp. Hiyori stayed in the tent with Ichinose to handle the point exchange.

The students from Class B didn't welcome Ryuuen; they deliberately avoided him wherever he went, which actually made it easier for Ryuuen to observe.

Unlike Class C, which bought large quantities of purified water with points, only a small portion of Class B's water was exchanged with points. Most of it was obtained by distilling river water for drinking. Some of their food was also wild fruit.

There were also some people making tools. Ryuuen had previously borrowed books on wilderness survival, so he immediately recognized that the Class B students were making fishing tools.

With preparations for both water and food, plus the points Ryuuen sold to Ichinose, Class B would likely be the first place in this exam.

However, if there were no surprises, it wouldn't be an exam. Only surprises could add fun to this exam. Ryuuen had already thought of a way to create a surprise for Class B.