An Offer of Cooperation from Ryuen

After walking for about ten minutes, Class A stopped beneath a patch of shade.

"Everyone, rest here. I'll go ahead and check the route," Katsuragi said.

"I'll come too." Totsuka followed Katsuragi.

Although they were out of the direct sunlight, the island's humid heat clung tightly to their skin like a sticky film.

Sweat kept seeping from their temples and trickling down their necks into their collars. Their tracksuits were already soaked through.

Everyone found a relatively flat spot to sit down. Some tugged at their collars, fanning them back and forth to dispel the lingering, stifling heat-but it was only a drop in the bucket.

Takahashi Ren leaned against a thick tree trunk and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as much as possible.

A calm mind kept the body cool, though on this hot, humid island, that saying was rather self-deceptive.

"The school really went to great lengths to give us an unforgettable summer vacation."

Toba Shigeru suddenly spoke up beside him, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"How so?" Ishida turned to look at him.

"Think about it-"

Toba Shigeru drew out the words. "The school was worried we'd sit around in our dorms with nothing to do, so under the pretense of an 'Uninhabited Island vacation,' they kicked us out here to survive in the wilderness."

"Haha, that's true." Ishida sighed with genuine feeling. "When you put it that way, being able to buy supplies with points really is a huge help."

I wonder how Katsuragi plans to use these three hundred points, Toba Shigeru thought.

"He'll probably prioritize basic necessities. Tents, drinking water, food-those will take up most of it. The rest will probably all go into Class Points," Ishida said.

"I'd like things to be a little more comfortable. Portable toilets, for instance. Our class is way ahead in points, after all. Spending a little to improve conditions wouldn't be unreasonable," Toba Shigeru said.

"Hard to say. He's competing with Sakayanagi for leadership right now. Every decision he makes will be compared with hers," Takahashi Ren said.

"The points he saves could count as an achievement of his cautious leadership style, but being too frugal will also upset some classmates. So he might make some concessions to win support from some of the classmates who switched sides."

"Being a leader sure is tough," Toba Shigeru said. "You have to consider the whole class's needs, keep track of the points you have, and figure out how to beat your rivals. I definitely couldn't do it."

"I've thought of a way to get the best of both worlds." Ishida had a flash of inspiration. "As long as we can correctly guess the other classes' leaders, we'll get extra points. Then we won't have to worry so much about expenses."

"Sure. The question is, how do you correctly guess the other classes' leaders? Eeny, meeny, miny, moe?" Toba Shigeru teased.

"True... I can't think of anything."

"That's not something we need to worry about. Let's see what Katsuragi decides." Takahashi Ren brought the topic to a close.

Katsuragi and Totsuka walked out of a small hut.

"We've claimed all the sites. We should head back, Yahiko."

"That's Katsuragi for you!"

Totsuka's voice held undisguised admiration. "You saw through the school's intentions while we were still on the ship and worked out the approximate locations of three sites. We found them with hardly any detours."

"Now even Sakayanagi won't have anything to say, right? Even without her here, you can lead Class A to victory."

Katsuragi stopped and turned around. His normally stern face showed no smugness over their success.

"If you focus only on what's happening within our class, our enemies will exploit any opening."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a familiar voice came from the bushes.

"Well said, Katsuragi. I almost couldn't help applauding."

Judging by the footsteps, there was more than one person.

Katsuragi turned his head, frowning slightly. Totsuka instinctively took half a step forward, placing himself in front of Katsuragi.

Ryuen Kakeru emerged from the shadows of the trees.

An exceptionally large foreigner followed behind him. His muscles were clearly defined even beneath his tracksuit, and his mere presence exerted a sense of pressure.

"You! What are you doing here?" Totsuka's expression hardened as he eyed the newcomers warily.

"Don't be so hostile." Ryuuen spread his hands, his tone casual. "I'm here with something good for Katsuragi."

"What good could you possibly bring? You're definitely up to no good."

Ryuuen ignored him outright, looking past Totsuka at Katsuragi.

"Katsuragi, can you make that fly of yours quiet down? All that buzzing is getting annoying."

"Hey! You-" Totsuka's expression changed in fury.

"Yahiko." Katsuragi raised a hand and held back Totsuka as he tried to step forward. "Let me speak to him alone."

"But-"

"It's fine."

Totsuka gritted his teeth. Reluctant as he was, he still stepped back a few paces, giving the two room to talk.

"What do you want to say?"

Ryuuen got straight to the point. "I'll be blunt. I want to cooperate with you on this Uninhabited Island test."

"Why approach me?"

"That's a strange thing for you to say."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just the two of us here. There's no need to play dumb."

Ryuuen watched him with a half-smile. "Back in your classroom, you deliberately had that little fly of a lackey put on a show about your infighting with Sakayanagi in front of me. Wasn't that your way of sending me a message?"

"If you didn't put him up to it, I really can't think of another explanation. Surely Class A hasn't actually been keeping someone that stupid around?"

Katsuragi's expression did not shift, but inwardly, his heart sank.

"But don't worry. I haven't told anyone about it."

He did not respond to that remark, instead asking, "How would we cooperate?"

"Class A will accept aid from Class C on the Uninhabited Island. We'll spend our points buying your essential supplies, and we can hand over all the equipment we've used to you as well."

"In return, every member of Class A will pay twenty thousand Personal Points every month, until graduation."

Katsuragi did not answer immediately.

"You can keep all two hundred and seventy points," Ryuuen continued. "Convert all of those into Class Points, and Class A's lead will grow even larger."

"That doesn't sound like a good deal for Class C."

"No, exchanging Class Points for Personal Points is Class C's policy for this Uninhabited Island test."

Katsuragi fell silent.

"Don't just stand there thinking. You should know whether this deal is worth it, right?"

"If you don't seize the chance to score a major achievement now, things will only get harder.

"Ever since you lost the Student Council election, the Sakayanagi Faction has had the upper hand over you-am I wrong? With Sakayanagi absent, this is your chance to turn things around."

"You even know about that?"

"You and I can work together to secure Class A's position once and for all. When that happens, those who switched sides will naturally come back under your banner."

Katsuragi raised his head, his gaze sharp. "Not enough. Supplies and Personal Points alone aren't enough to interest me."

"Heh." Ryuuen laughed. "You really know how to ask for more, Katsuragi."

"What if I throw in the points for correctly guessing Class B's and Class D's leaders?" Ryuuen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Can you do that?"

"The question right now isn't whether I can do it. It's whether you'll agree."

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

Katsuragi broke the deadlock first. "All right. But the agreement will only take effect once I've seen the Leader Key Cards for Class B and Class D."

"No problem."

The two then settled a few details and went their separate ways.