On the deserted island

Inside the cave, Katsuragi helped Yahiko up.

"You really should rein it in, Yahiko."

"But..." Yahiko wanted to argue, but then he remembered what Lezheng had just said and fell silent.

Outside the cave, Lezheng walked out of the entrance, found a shady spot, and sat straight down.

Rustle, rustle. Someone was walking softly through the woods.

Lezheng got up and headed over. The visitors noticed him approaching and stopped where they were.

"Hello," Lezheng greeted them.

"H-hello," the pink-haired girl replied timidly.

"Did you need something?" Lezheng asked, his gaze resting on Ayanokoji.

"No, we were just looking around. We heard something over here, so we came to check," Ayanokoji said, looking calmly at Lezheng.

"I see. That was probably us chasing away some bugs. Want to come take a look?" Lezheng stepped aside.

"No need. Knowing what made the noise is enough. We won't disturb you," Ayanokoji declined.

After watching the two leave, Lezheng turned and walked back toward Katsuragi and Yahiko.

"Who was over there just now?" Katsuragi asked.

"Ayanokoji and Sakura from Class D," Lezheng explained.

"When did you notice them?"

"Just now. So are you sure you still want to use a conservative strategy?"

What Lezheng meant was that he did not know when the Class D students had arrived either, which meant they could narrow their targets down to the three of them.

"Let's do it your way." Katsuragi took a deep breath.

When Lezheng and the others returned to camp, many of their classmates had yet to return from exploring. Only a few were gathering firewood nearby. Although it was summer, the temperature on the deserted island was not particularly high, so some of their classmates had instinctively gathered some wood.

Because Sakayanagi had taken leave, they had started with 270 points.

Not long after Lezheng and the others sat down, Mashima came over carrying a notebook.

Katsuragi stood and invited Mashima into the woods; a short while later, the two emerged. Katsuragi gave Lezheng a slight nod, then called a few students over and headed toward the beach with Mashima.

"Yo, Lezheng." Hashimoto sat down beside him.

"Found Ryuuen yet?" Lezheng suddenly asked.

"Not yet."

"Then what did you go out for?"

"To appreciate the beauty of nature. By the way, do you know who our class leader is?"

"Mashima."

"..." Hashimoto was speechless.

Of Class A's thirty students, sixteen were boys and fourteen were girls. With Sakayanagi absent, there were only thirteen girls. Katsuragi bought another two tents, along with some water and food.

Fortunately, there was no divide between the boys and girls in Class A. They mostly worked in mixed pairs.

"You can spend your time as you like, everyone, but make sure you're back before dark. We don't have phones or watches, so we can't tell the exact time. We can only estimate it from the light," Lezheng reminded his classmates.

Lezheng invited Kamuro and Yamamura to gather information with him.

"You're not going to suddenly get horny and do something to the two of us, are you?" Kamuro warily pulled Yamamura closer.

"I never thought you'd see through me. Guess I'll stop pretending and come clean." Lezheng rubbed his chin.

"Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds pretty exciting."

"Heh heh heh." The two exchanged a glance, then broke into sinister chuckles.

Lezheng and Kamuro were as ridiculously unhinged as ever, but Yamamura thought they were serious, leaving her cheeks bright red as her fingers kept twisting the hem of her clothes.

"Ahem... Back to business. Have you spotted any signs of the other classes?" Lezheng cleared his throat.

"I found the area where Class B is staying," Yamamura said softly.

"Could you take me there?" Lezheng gently pushed Kamuro aside and leaned toward Yamamura with a smile.

"Sure." Yamamura nodded.

"I found Class A's territory." Kamuro abruptly jabbed him with her elbow.

"Wow, what a good girl you are, Kamuro." Lezheng blocked the elbow.

Watching their exchange, Yamamura covered her mouth and laughed.

"Let's go check out Class B. I wanted to see how Ichinose was doing anyway," Lezheng said.

"Okay. They're this way." Yamamura pointed in a direction.

Lezheng silently counted to four hundred, and figures were already visible ahead.

"Are you students from Class A?" The Class B student on patrol naturally noticed the three of them as well.

"Hello. My name is Lezheng Youyan. We're friends of Ichinose's and wanted to visit her," Lezheng stepped forward and explained.

"Please wait a moment."

Before long, the student returned and invited the two of them to the camp.

Before that incident, Ichinose had given the impression of being cheerful, outgoing, and helpful; now she looked like someone who had only just recovered from a serious illness, the cowlick that symbolized her energy drooping against her head.

"Ichinose." Lezheng sat down two meters away from her.

"Lezheng?" Ichinose raised her head.

"I heard you were sick."

"Sick?"

"Sick here." Lezheng pointed at his chest.

Ichinose said nothing and lowered her head again.

Seeing that she would not speak, Lezheng looked around. Class B had the best internal atmosphere of all four classes because they were united, and their designated spot was right beside their camp too.

"Lezheng, were you the one who helped Class C last time?" Ichinose asked.

"I was." Lezheng nodded.

"Aren't you making trouble for yourselves by helping Class C?" Kanzaki asked.

"That incident let me get a sense of how Classes C and D were doing. Besides, aren't you our biggest enemy right now?" Lezheng did not beat around the bush.

"A very honest answer." Kanzaki looked thoughtful.

"You actually didn't comfort Ichinose and then confess to her while she was feeling touched."

After they left Class B's camp, Kamuro spoke in puzzlement.

"Why would I comfort her? This way, we at least have one less enemy out in the open. Still, your idea sounds like it could work. Remember to tell me next time you get sick." Lezheng stroked his chin.

"You? Win me over? What kind of ridiculous joke is that?" Kamuro jabbed him with her elbow without hesitation.

"Then I'll win Yamamura over."

"Huh?... Ah!" Yamamura's face suddenly flushed red.

On the first night, everyone in Class A sat around the burning campfire, waiting for Mashima to arrive.

"How many designated spots did you find?" Lezheng asked quietly.

"Four," Katsuragi answered truthfully.

"Any news about the other classes?"

"Ryuuen and the others... are living it up. He also proposed working together."

Katsuragi quietly told Lezheng about Ryuuen's proposed cooperation.

"Working together? I'll go with you to take a look later." Lezheng tossed aside the pebble in his hand.

In the woods, Lezheng, Katsuragi, and Ryuuen stood facing one another.

"I knew you'd come too." The corners of Ryuuen's mouth lifted.

"Let's talk about the deal first." Lezheng got straight to the point.

"I'll give you supplies worth two hundred exam points and information on the leaders of Classes B and D. But every person in your Class A has to give me twenty thousand Private Points every month. We'll also confirm each other's leaders to prevent betrayal," Ryuuen said with a smile.

"So you're planning to use a zero-point strategy," Lezheng said.

"You really are different from those two." Ryuuen's pupils contracted slightly.

"You should change the terms of this deal." Lezheng shook his head.

Ryuuen motioned for Lezheng to continue.

"We don't need your supplies, because we're planning a similar strategy ourselves. But we can share information on the leaders of Classes B and D. I do like your idea of neither side guessing the other's leader, though."

"I can do all that myself. Why would I work with you?" Ryuuen scoffed.

"Because our goals don't conflict. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we suppress Class B, aren't we helping you?" Lezheng argued speciously.

"Making yourselves sound so noble. You really are something."

The two exchanged a glance and smiled like a pair of sly old foxes. The deal was settled.