Theft

"Manabe, come to my room tonight. No one is to ask any questions right now. Everyone, go back to the ship's study room to study," Ryuuen said, his tone icy.

Having played for two days on the island, many had started to feel that Ryuuen had become easier to get along with, or at least less detestable. It wasn't until just now that their last shred of illusion about Ryuuen was shattered. Ryuuen was still Ryuuen, and Manabe was in for a rough time.

Manabe herself was now regretting it terribly. All the girls around her had lowered their heads. It seemed no one was willing to speak up for her. Even if they did, it would be useless. Manabe knew this clearly, but she still found it hard to accept. The friendship between them had fractured at this moment.

Meanwhile, after Horikita Suzune led the students in clearing out all of Class C's supplies, the students in the class were much friendlier towards Ibuki. They had already arranged a place for her to stay at the camp.

Horikita Suzune shared a tent with her. Because of her connection to Ryuuen, and because Horikita Suzune could be considered the strongest female in Class D, only Horikita Suzune had the ability to keep an eye on Ibuki. Ibuki was also very satisfied with this arrangement. She had originally intended to target Horikita Suzune, and now it was even more convenient for her.

Most of the supplies Ryuuen and his group left behind were for leisure, but there was also a good amount of leftover food and water. The boys drank the few bottles of cola Ryuuen left. Although they were no longer cold, they were still very happy. The girls, meanwhile, were dealing with some leftover barbecue ingredients.

"This is delicious! It's the best barbecue in the world!"

"Damn it, save some for me!"

It had only been two days, and the Class D students were already sick of eating wild fruits and grilled fish (there were fish in the small river they could catch). Many were already starting to miss the school cafeteria's free meals. Although the meals tasted very ordinary, at least there was rice and noodles. Constantly eating wild fruits and grilled fish, which were low in starch, was a torment for their stomachs.

People often only cherish what they have after they lose it. At the same time, human nature is hard to change. If they were to return to school for two days, they would start complaining about how bad the free meals tasted again.

Ayanokoji, somehow having gotten a bottle of cola from Sudo Ken, handed it to Horikita Suzune, who was sitting alone with her knees hugged: "I didn't expect us to get Class C's supplies so smoothly. I thought Ryuuen would tamper with them."

"Ryuuen isn't that kind of person." At this moment, Horikita Suzune's eyes were a little unfocused. She felt very dizzy, and the cola she was drinking did clear her head a bit.

Ayanokoji observed Horikita Suzune's condition and formed a basic guess in his mind:

The Points Horikita Suzune received from Ryuuen before definitely weren't free. Given Horikita Suzune's personality, she wouldn't betray the class. Plus, with the previous rumors about Ryuuen pursuing Horikita Suzune, the price Ryuuen demanded must have come from Horikita Suzune herself. Horikita Suzune defended Ryuuen just now, which indicates that Ryuuen didn't force anything on Horikita Suzune. A basic trust relationship had already been established between the two, allowing Horikita Suzune to trust Ryuuen's character.

Ayanokoji felt a little down. He had planned to cultivate Horikita Suzune into the class leader, but Ryuuen's interference had created a flaw in his plan. Horikita Suzune's trust in Ryuuen would definitely be a hidden danger in the future, and this trust could easily turn sour. If it turned into a romantic relationship, it definitely wouldn't be good for Class D.

"Are you alright? Can you last until the end of the exam?" Although it was a question, Ayanokoji's tone didn't contain a trace of concern.

"I—can." Horikita Suzune rested her head on her knees.

Anyone could see she was putting on a brave face. Ayanokoji didn't want any mishaps in his plan, so tomorrow he planned to find some herbs in the forest to treat Horikita Suzune.

Ibuki was a misfit in Class D. When others went to find wild fruits, she went too, but she wouldn't share them. At night, she also gathered firewood alone and lit her own campfire. The girls in the class tried to talk to her, but Ibuki didn't respond at all.

Ibuki also didn't cause trouble, so the Class D students could accept this state of peaceful coexistence.

It wasn't until the fourth day that this tranquility was shattered.

"My underwear is gone!" Karuizawa Kei shrieked that morning.

As the central figure among the girls, Karuizawa Kei quickly gathered the girls of the class to confront the boys. Karuizawa Kei's good friend Shinohara Satsuki was particularly angry, and the other girls were the same, and also very worried.

"Hey, come out! Boys..." A girl named Shinohara Satsuki shouted outside the tent.

"What do you want?"

"So noisy!"

"What happened?"

Most of the boys were still asleep, but they weren't sleeping comfortably, so they all got up as soon as they heard the noise. When they walked out of the tent, they only saw a group of girls staring at them indignantly.

Hirata was also very distressed after understanding what had happened: "Can you please hear me out on this? Shinohara, Kei..." Hirata still wanted to mediate the conflict between them, but Shinohara Satsuki wouldn't listen at all.

"This absolutely demands an explanation! I'm going to find this pervert!"

"Wait a minute, why are you suspecting us?" Sudo Ken expressed his displeasure. He was already grumpy from being woken up, and he got even more annoyed when he heard the girls' accusations.

"Do you even need to ask? It must be one of you boys who stole it!" Karuizawa Kei said emotionally.

"Why are you so sure it's us? Couldn't it be that woman named Ibuki?" Yamauchi Haruki also voiced his doubt. All the boys supported his idea in their hearts, except for Ayanokoji, because Ayanokoji wasn't present. He was currently in the forest looking for herbs for Horikita Suzune.

Facing the boys' doubts, Ibuki remained indifferent, letting out a "hmph" through her nose, neither confirming nor denying.

Wang Meiyu also noticed that one boy was missing. She tugged on Karuizawa Kei's sleeve and whispered in her ear: "Kei, Ayanokoji isn't here."

Although Wang Meiyu's voice was very soft, everyone heard it. The boys finally noticed the problem as well.

Where was Ayanokoji?

Almost at the same time, Ayanokoji was branded as the culprit in everyone's minds. Horikita Suzune also frowned. She didn't believe Ayanokoji would do such a thing: "I don't think Ayanokoji would do that. Let's not jump to conclusions without evidence."

Although her head was still fuzzy, Horikita Suzune's mind was clear enough.

"Then let's go to his tent and find evidence!" Shinohara Satsuki was still very emotional and wanted to burst into Ayanokoji's tent to search, completely disregarding the boys' expressions.

Fortunately, Hirata pulled Shinohara Satsuki back: "Let me go. Boys' tents also have privacy. Don't worry, I won't cover for Ayanokoji. After all, I'm Kei's boyfriend, and I'm very angry about this too. I understand your feelings."

Seeing Hirata's empathy, the girls' emotions finally eased a little. They also trusted Hirata more, and Karuizawa Kei looked at Hirata with eyes full of reliance.

However, Hirata, who was searching the tent, was completely dismayed, because he actually found a pair of pink panties under Ayanokoji's pillow (a makeshift pillow made of sanitary pads: sanitary pads were provided in unlimited quantities during the exam). This clearly wasn't men's clothing, and putting such intimate apparel under a pillow was quite perverted.

Hirata paced back and forth in the tent, unsure how to explain to the girls outside. Once Ayanokoji was exposed, he would inevitably be ostracized and bullied by the girls. This was the one thing Hirata couldn't accept.

It wasn't that Hirata had any special friendship with Ayanokoji, it was just that his past experiences made him desperately want to maintain good relationships within the class.

Just as Hirata was in a dilemma, Ayanokoji returned!