Eavesdropping

It was their second day on the Uninhabited Island. The nervous excitement of arriving somewhere new had begun to fade for Class A, and they no longer looked around with the same wide-eyed abandon as on the first day. Still, they were eager to explore.

Katsuragi went out with several classmates to search for outposts.

Hoshinomiya was among them, of course.

"Look over there! A cornfield!"

Morishige Takuro lowered his voice and pointed through a gap in the trees at a broad swath of green crops, surprise lighting his eyes.

At the front of the group, Katsuragi Kohei immediately raised a hand to stop everyone. He leaned forward to study the field, his brows drawing together slightly, but made no move to approach.

"Don't go rushing in. We can't be sure there's nothing wrong with the crops here."

Totsuka Yahiko stood beside Katsuragi, scanning their surroundings warily.

"The corn looks ripe. If another class finds this place, they'll probably use it to supplement their food supply."

Sanada Kosei folded his arms and spoke quietly. "Should we send someone to check it out? See if anyone's guarding the area?"

"The school provided this island as the exam site. There shouldn't be anything wrong with the crops," Hoshinomiya Rinyu said calmly.

With that, he took off his jacket, tied its four corners together to make a makeshift sack, then showed the others how to do the same.

He stepped forward, crouched down, and snapped off an ear of corn with plump kernels.

The Class A students beside him stared for a moment. Once they saw how smoothly he'd done it, they followed suit.

Some took off their jackets, while others cleared space in their backpacks. One by one, they entered the cornfield and began picking.

Katsuragi said nothing more. He assigned several students to scout elsewhere.

After filling his sack with corn, Hoshinomiya handed it to Shigeru Takemoto, who was busy picking nearby. Then he turned, pushed aside the branches, and stepped into the forest.

Takemoto took the heavy sack without a word and watched Hoshinomiya go.

During their earlier classes, Hoshinomiya's mathematical ability had won his admiration. Takemoto had once asked him face-to-face if he could become his follower, but Hoshinomiya had politely declined.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu did not go far. He searched an area within roughly five kilometers of Class A's outpost.

Thick trees crowded around him, their broad leaves overlapping beneath dense canopies that could conceal a person completely.

Footsteps and voices drifted faintly through the woods.

Hoshinomiya stopped.

Holding his breath, he peered through a gap in the leaves.

The newcomers were Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka of Class D.

Without a moment's hesitation, he bent his knees and leaped, catching a sturdy branch overhead. Hidden by the dense foliage, he settled high above them.

If those two are here, Class D's outpost must be nearby, Hoshinomiya thought.

On the ground, Horikita pushed aside a bush blocking her path and spoke with a grave edge to her voice.

"We've been away from camp for a while, but we still haven't found any sign of the other classes' outposts. At this rate, getting to the checkpoints first will be difficult."

Ayanokoji walked slowly beside her, his expression calm as his gaze swept the trees without drawing attention.

"This island is large, and the outposts are fairly well concealed. It's normal not to find one right away. You shouldn't have come out. Keeping the leader's identity from being discovered matters more than occupying an outpost."

Horikita turned to look at him.

"I made that decision myself. I don't need you to talk me out of it. We're already behind the other three classes. If we don't occupy more outposts, we'll never close that enormous gap quickly. If we give up this chance just to hide my identity, they'll leave us far behind. Besides, a Class C student has already slipped into our camp."

Ayanokoji replied evenly:

"If you've thought it through, I won't argue. But if we run into another class, it'll be hard to get away unscathed."

High in the canopy, Hoshinomiya lay still among the branches and heard every word. Even Ayanokoji, with his extraordinary awareness, failed to notice him.

Only after their footsteps had faded completely did Hoshinomiya drop lightly from the tree.

Ibuki and Kaneda should have made it into the other classes' camps by now. I should head back too, Hoshinomiya thought.

Instead of returning at once, he kept searching the surrounding area. Before long, he found Class D's outpost.

"Hey! What class are you from? Why are you sneaking around our camp? What do you want?"

The speaker was Shinohara Satsuki, an ordinary-looking girl with short black hair.

She questioned him sternly.

Her sharp voice quickly drew the attention of the other Class D students in camp, and several came over.

Shinohara showed no sign of letting the matter drop. She pressed him aggressively.

Before Hoshinomiya could answer, she demanded more, giving him no chance to explain.

Just as the confrontation was about to reach a stalemate, Ken Sudō pushed through the crowd from behind and recognized the violet-haired boy at a glance.

"Hey, Hoshinomiya! What brings you here? And what's going on? Why's everyone gathered around?"

Everyone turned to Sudō.

Sudō paused, then looked at Hirata Yosuke, who had just run over and was still catching his breath. "Back at school, Hoshinomiya lent me the points I needed to avoid expulsion. He really saved me. He's not here to cause trouble."

Hirata stepped forward at the right moment and gently drew the agitated Shinohara aside. "Let's calm down, Shinohara. Hoshinomiya isn't here to start a fight."

He gave the violet-haired boy in the woods an apologetic smile. "It's just that every class has to keep a close watch on its outpost during the Uninhabited Island Exam. Shinohara only questioned you because she was trying to protect the camp. Please don't take offense, Hoshinomiya."

Hoshinomiya nodded slightly. His expression remained calm, without a trace of resentment at being questioned.

"It's fine. We need to stay alert on the Uninhabited Island. If I saw a stranger approaching our outpost, I'd question them too."

He paused, then stated his reason for coming.

"I came to see Horikita. I spotted her in the distance earlier and wanted to ask whether she'd returned to camp."

"Oh... oh? You're here to see Horikita?" Sudō scratched his cheek, his tone a little awkward.

Hearing that Hoshinomiya had come looking for Horikita stirred a strange discomfort in him.

"Right. She isn't back?"

"No, she hasn't returned yet."

Hirata shook his head.

"I see. Then could I speak with the girl over there?"

Hoshinomiya looked toward a girl sitting in the corner. Her neat, short blue hair framed an expression that seemed both aloof and aggrieved.

"Huh? Me?"