The special exam on the uninhabited island had reached its fourth day. With seven days total, the trial had finally hit its midpoint—the time when changes would likely start appearing in the other classes as well.
So far, no mistakes.
Class D's mass retirement around noon yesterday, the transfer of one unused boys' tent to Class B—none of it was wrong.
And yesterday evening, I'd also confirmed the ship anchored off the coast.
Class D's retirements happened around noon. That meant the ones who retired in the evening belonged to another class.
I couldn't tell from that distance which class it was, but as long as I factored in that someone from another class had retired, it wouldn't be an issue.
Keeping all that in mind, I slipped into the single remaining boys' tent.
…It's spacious.
That honest impression escaped me as I surveyed the interior.
An eight-person tent shared by four boys. Once we placed our four sets of belongings in the open space, the single tent effectively became a functional makeshift base.
Thanks to Ichinose's tip about laying down plenty of plastic sheets beneath the tent, we couldn't call it luxurious, but it provided a decent enough quality of life even on an uninhabited island.
"…Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Morning, Hirata."
Hirata greeted me while propping up his upper body.
The sleepy expression and tone were rare for him. Hirata was always kind to everyone and paid close attention to his appearance.
Seeing this more relaxed side of him was uncommon.
It also showed just how mentally settled he was.
"I slept better than yesterday—how about you?"
"I feel the same. Yesterday was rough, being crammed in so tightly."
Hirata let out a wry laugh as he said it. Even he had struggled with that.
"More importantly—how was the watch on the spots?"
"I don't think there was any sign of activity."
I pulled the card labeled "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka" from my pocket.
With Horikita—the original leader—having retired, the leadership had naturally shifted.
I was her successor. Thanks to the credit of having worked closely with her, the decision had been unanimous.
I handed the card I'd taken out to Hirata…
"Thanks. It's my turn to hold it now, so I won't let my guard down."
It was a simple method, but the most effective one available.
We'd rotate the card at regular intervals—the best defensive measure we could manage.
"Ugh… You guys are already up?"
"Yeah. You're third—Sudou."
Sudou, blessed with an impressive physique, finally stirred.
The Class D basketball club member—and, aside from Horikita, the boy I'd spoken to most at this school—stretched with a huge yawn.
"I'm not last… Nah, that bastard Kanji's still out. Guess I win."
"There's no winning or losing here."
Freshly awake, Sudou scratched his back as he cracked the joke.
He slowly stood, then shifted his gaze toward the last remaining sleeper beside him—Ike.
"Hey, Hirata, Ayanokouji. Check out Kanji's face. It's hilarious."
Curiosity got the better of me, and I moved quickly with Hirata. Standing beside Sudou, we peered at Ike's face—and I immediately understood.
Mouth hanging open, drool trickling from the corner as he slept. Whatever dream he was having must have been delightful.
"Ahaha. Looks like Ike-kun was really worn out."
"Yeah. He's sleeping so soundly it's almost refreshing."
I agreed with Hirata's troubled smile.
But we needed to wake Ike soon or we couldn't get moving.
I told Sudou as much. He responded with a confident "Leave it to me," reached out, and gripped Ike's shoulder.
"—K-Kushida-chan!"
"Wah!"
The instant Sudou touched him, Ike shouted Kushida's name and bolted upright.
The suddenness left Sudou stepping back, eyes wide, frozen in place.
"Huh…? Oh, it's just you, Ken. Morning."
"…Hey, Kanji. You scared the hell outta me."
Grumbling, Sudou closed in on the still-drowsy Ike and slipped him into a headlock.
It was light—just playful roughhousing.
"H-Hey! Why am I getting this first thing in the morning?! Help me out, Hirata, Ayanokouji!"
"Ahaha, Sudou-kun, that's enough. It's about time anyway."
"Hm? Yeah, fair point."
Sudou released the headlock and sat cross-legged.
Hirata and I followed suit, settling down. Ike, finally coming to his senses, joined us a moment later.
"Then let's decide today's plan right away."
Hirata opened the meeting with his usual straightforward lead-in.
"First, let's reconfirm the roles we discussed yesterday.
Ike-kun and Sudou-kun handle food procurement—got it?"
"No need to ask!"
"Yeah! Leave the carrying to me!"
Both answered with real enthusiasm.
"Hirata-kun and I investigate enemy leaders. During that time, either Sudou-kun or Ike-kun holds the card.
And we always gather as four to renew spot occupation. That's it."
After listing the points, Hirata met each of our eyes.
We all nodded to show we understood, and he moved on to the main topic.
"So today we'll check if the divided roles are workable and make adjustments as needed.
We'll meet once around noon, and immediately if an emergency arises—sound good?"
All three of us voiced agreement in unison.
"Alright! Let's get moving!"
At Hirata's command, we split into the planned pairs—Hirata with me, Ike with Sudou.
As Hirata and I headed out to investigate, I brought up something while walking.
"Hirata, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Yesterday evening, a ship was anchored at the rendezvous point."
Hirata stopped walking, his expression turning serious at my brief report.
"…Meaning someone besides Class D retired?"
"Yeah. I couldn't tell who, but there's been movement in the other classes too."
"We can't let our guard down. We need to stay sharp."
"Exactly."
We ended the conversation there and resumed moving.
We immediately began carrying out our respective duties.
…
"Hirata, we're getting close to Class A's base."
"Got it."
Hirata and I had reached the vicinity of Class A's stronghold.
From scouting with Horikita, I knew they were using a cave as their base, so their activity radius was likely centered around it.
We wandered through the forest, pressing forward until the faint sound of waves reached us.
Hirata and I exchanged a nod, pushed aside obstructing branches and leaves, and advanced toward the sound.
We successfully emerged onto the beach.
"Ayanokouji-kun—watch your step down there."
"…Looks like it."
At Hirata's warning, I looked down and stopped carefully. The exit from the forest led to a slippery cliff.
The beach stretched out in my field of vision, but a sheer drop lay right in front of us.
I scanned the area for any way down. Hirata did the same, searching for a detour.
Finding none, he began walking along the cliff's edge. I followed close behind to avoid getting separated.
"…This is…"
Hirata's voice drew my attention—he'd spotted something.
"A ladder."
"…The island really is well-managed. If this is here, that means…"
"Yeah. There's probably something ahead."
We stopped talking and descended the ladder to the bottom of the cliff.
Continuing our exploration, we soon discovered a small hut.
At its entrance was the device marking it as a spot.
"I can see fishing gear inside. Looks like occupying this place cuts unnecessary points for fishing-related stuff."
"Seems so."
We approached the occupation device and checked its status… It displayed Class A's name.
"…Let's move on, Hirata."
"Yeah. There's no room for negotiation here, and that's the right call. But do we have a next destination?"
"Yeah. I think there was a tower over that way."
Relying on the memory from when the ship had circled the island, I started walking.
We climbed back up the ladder and reentered the forest, following footprints on the ground and surroundings.
Eventually, we reached an elevated area.
Climbing the installed ladder would likely offer a full view of the beach, but it didn't seem particularly useful as a facility.
The area was thick with trees and bushes—a place where someone could easily be watching from hiding.
"Ayanokouji-kun, over there…"
Hirata pointed something out to me.
Ahead was a spot-occupation device mounted on a wall.
We approached to check its status.
But after a few steps, I signaled Hirata to stop with my hand.
The bushes near the elevated area had rustled.
"My my~ What are you two trying to do?"
Leading the trio that emerged was a tall boy with slicked-back blond hair.
Appearing at a moment that felt almost premeditated, the three blocked our path forward.
—I analyzed their behavior as concealing some form of "impatience."
It didn't feel like they'd been waiting in advance; more like they'd been forced to reveal themselves to hide something.
"Hm? Wait—if it isn't Class D's Hirata-kun."
"Been a while. Since the violence incident, right, Hashimoto-kun?"
So the blond was named Hashimoto. The two seemed to know each other.
"Hirata, you know him?"
I whispered to Hirata, hoping for an explanation even from a background figure like me.
"He's Masayoshi Hashimoto-kun from Class A. He showed a cooperative attitude during the violence incident."
Hirata only explained the blond one. The other two were apparently unknown to him as well.
"And who's the guy next to you?"
"I'm Ayanokouji."
I answered Hashimoto's sudden question with a slight twitch of my shoulders.
"OK, Ayanokouji it is. So, Hirata, Ayanokouji~ What brings you here?"
"We came for that spot over there."
"Hmm, but that won't work. Class A's occupying it, so we can't exactly let you inside."
Hashimoto informed us with an affable smile.
"That's strange. Checking which class occupies a spot is allowed under the rules, isn't it?"
"True, but this is Class A's policy this time—we're sticking to absolute defense, even if it's a bit heavy-handed. Sorry, but we're not budging from here."
"Which means there's something inside you don't want seen?"
"Exactly. And we're guarding it with our bodies like this. Care to try breaking through?"
Hashimoto's tone carried a slight provocation.
Even knowing something was there, we couldn't make a move.
"…No, I'll pass. Using violence against another class violates the rules."
"Smart choice. As expected of Class D's prince—helps when people listen."
A bit forceful, but worthy of Class A. How many in Class D could pull off such assertive behavior?
While thinking that, Hirata dropped a sharp piece of information like a blade.
"But it's not really your style, is it? You're in Sakayanagi-san's faction, Hashimoto-kun."
At the mention of that name, Hashimoto's body stiffened for an instant.
Sakayanagi—the counterpart to Katsuragi, one of Class A's two major powers.
I'd heard rumors she was extremely aggressive.
If those rumors were true, she'd be the polar opposite of Katsuragi.
Katsuragi was cautious, always testing the ice before crossing.
That matched what I'd seen on the first day with Sakura and the second day facing Horikita.
If Hashimoto belonged to Sakayanagi's faction, then focusing on defense like this did indeed seem out of character.
"Yeah, I'm in Sakayanagi's faction, but she's absent this time. So I've got no choice but to follow Katsuragi's strategy for now."
"I see. It's true—Sakayanagi-san has a congenital condition, so it can't be helped that she couldn't participate."
A student named Sakayanagi with a physical illness. Surviving the harsh conditions of uninhabited island life would be extremely difficult for her.
"Well, putting that aside—we've got one more thing we want to ask. Hey, Hirata, Ayanokouji… who's your leader?"
"…That's pretty direct. You think we'd tell you?"
"No, no, not at all. I don't expect any leaks from a class that deliberately narrowed down to a few people to strengthen unity."
Hashimoto flashed a sly grin as he said it, implicitly declaring that he already knew our situation.
"But—Hirata, Ayanokouji… if we offered a hundred thousand private points for the name of your leader, what then?"
"That would mean selling out the class for money?"
"Yeah, exactly."
Dazzled by cash and betraying comrades—a classic tactic, and one Class A could easily pull off with their high monthly private points.
"I find that hard to believe. You'd pay after the exam ends, right? There's no guarantee."
I responded in Hirata's place, posing the obvious question to keep the conversation going.
"Don't worry. Of course we'd write a proper memorandum."
"Would someone trustworthy witness it? Katsuragi, or even… Sakayanagi?"
"Yeah, Sakayanagi-san would do it without hesitation. But if you want that contract, steer clear of Katsuragi. He's a pain."
Suppressing a hint of dissatisfaction, Hashimoto maintained his relaxed smile.
—I recognized that this guy's conversational skill was excellent; he gave away nothing.
"Ayanokouji-kun, it's almost time to regroup."
"Yeah."
At Hirata's words, I glanced at the watch on my left wrist. Noon was approaching.
We needed to get back to Sudou and Ike soon or we'd be late.
"Time already?"
Hashimoto asked considerately.
"Yeah. Sorry for making you worry, Hashimoto-kun."
"Don't sweat it. We were pushy too. Get back safe."
With that, we turned our backs on the three Class A students and started walking toward base camp.
Pathetic, though. My eyesight had caught the fact they were desperately trying to hide.
All that frantic effort—utterly futile.
"Hirata, could you head back first?"
"Huh? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"There's something I want to check. Please."
"…Got it. If you have a reason, I'll trust you."
I saw off the smiling, nodding Hirata, then turned back toward the previous spot.
Killing my presence, I moved into the bushes to hide.
I had confirmed that the class occupying the spot wasn't Class A—it was "Class C."
—And that the renewal time had only advanced by minutes.
Meaning the person who renewed it had still been nearby moments ago.
Their hurried emergence had likely been to shield Class C's leader who'd just renewed.
This confirmed that Classes A and C were in full cooperation.
From their earlier behavior, they also believed Class D hadn't yet realized Class C was still active.
That was complacency. If they kept that misconception, the chance of me already knowing Class A's leader change would drop significantly.
…Unless he'd advised them otherwise.
The man who provided that information couldn't possibly have overlooked the utility of transfers. I needed to confirm whether he was still around.
Anyway, it was a worthwhile harvest. Time to gather more.
.
.
.
"They're gone."
Once Hashimoto confirmed that Class D's Ayanokouji and Hirata had left, a sigh escaped the Class A group.
After carefully scanning the surroundings, he instructed the other two Class A students to keep watch.
"…Alright."
When no one remained nearby, the boy reached for his neck, stroking his head with a weary "good grief" gesture.
That Class A boy was Masayoshi Hashimoto.
A close aide to Class A's leading figure, Arisu Sakayanagi.
"That should do it, right?"
Hashimoto called toward the supposedly empty bushes.
The foliage rustled unnaturally.
After a few more sounds, two figures in tattered clothes emerged.
One was a man with fierce, predatory eyes. The other cowered behind him like a small animal.
"Kuku. Then let's pick up where we left off."
The battered man—Kakeru Ryuuen—declared it with a fearless grin.
"But I'm not sticking around much longer. Let's wrap this up quick."
"The answer's already clear. As long as you accept our terms."
"Tanuki… no, bat, huh. Kuku. But this time, I'll thank you for that trashy nature of yours."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Ryuuen and Hashimoto exchanged cunning smiles.
Their relationship looked anything but friendly. An eerie atmosphere hung over the space, making the other student tremble.
"…Hm? Come to think of it, wasn't there one more bodyguard?"
"Who knows."
Ryuuen glanced briefly at the student beside him.
That alone made the other Class C boy flinch.
Don't say anything—that message was clear in the look.
"…Well, your circumstances don't matter to me. Let's settle this."
"Fine."
Their intense gazes locked, and the conversation resumed.
"My demand's been the same from the start. Change part of the point collection.
Specifically—exempt me, Sakayanagi-san, Kamuro, and Kitō. Those four.
In exchange—I swear I won't do anything to betray Class A this time."
"That works. I'll exempt the four of you from collection.
Kuku. We got lucky that it was you carrying out Sakayanagi's orders. If it had been that aggressive woman… this wouldn't have ended so easily."
"…Ooh, scary. She doesn't seem the type to show mercy."
Sadism. That's what Ryuuen's smile conveyed.
Considering the straightforward weapon he trusted—violence—it was easy to imagine what would've happened if Hashimoto had resisted this off-the-board deal.
On top of that, he showed no leniency based on gender.
Hashimoto sensed it and shivered slightly.
"Please. My position's a bit precarious too. Make sure it succeeds—"
"—Who're you talking to? There's no failure in this plan."
Ryuuen cut him off.
With those final words, he left the area with his subordinate.
…
After our encounter with Class A, Hirata and I returned to base camp.
Ike and Sudou were waiting with the food they'd gathered.
They'd clearly been impatient for us, and we started eating right away.
"It's a ton, Hirata! We probably won't need to forage tonight!"
Ike announced happily in a loud voice.
"Well, I'm the one who got the nuts from the high places."
"I filled the bottles with water too!"
Sudou and Ike engaged in some inexplicable rivalry. Hirata watched with a gentle smile.
"If we don't need food tonight, that means all four of us can focus on leader hunting. Great job, you two."
"O-Of course!"
"Yeah, Hirata. This is for Suzune… for Class D."
The two were elated by Hirata's sincere praise.
Command was excellent. Things were off to a strong start.
"Oh! There you are!"
As we chatted over the meal, a clear, high voice reached us.
All four of us turned toward it—Ichinose and Kanzaki from allied Class B were approaching.
"O-O-O-Ooh!"
Ichinose waved enthusiastically.
The parts jiggling in response drew an inarticulate cry from Ike.
"Way too obvious, Kanji."
"Geh!"
Sudou chopped Ike on the head as his breathing grew rough and his voice stuttered.
Even Hirata could only manage a wry smile.
Ichinose and Kanzaki soon reached us.
"What brings you two?"
Hirata asked, still smiling wryly.
Kanzaki seemed to grasp the situation but stayed silent, not wanting to waste time.
"Just thanking you for the tent and checking how you're holding up."
"Don't worry about the tent. It was too big for just the four of us anyway. We just did the best thing to avoid wasting it."
"No, no. Some girls wanted to sleep in a tent, so it was really popular. Thank you so much."
Ichinose smiled kindly as she expressed gratitude. Ike clutched his chest at her words.
"Ugh… I'm loyal to Kikyo-chan…"
"…What are you even fighting?"
Sudou looked exasperated. I fully agreed.
Anyway, leaving the noisy Ike aside, let's continue.
"So, Hirata—how's the leader hunting going?"
"So-so. We just scouted Class A and got something out of it."
Kanzaki spoke coolly; Hirata answered with a smile. The two different types of handsome guys kept talking.
"Find anything?"
"Yeah. We learned Class C and Class A are working together."
"…Did you find evidence?"
"Yes. Thanks to Ayanokouji-kun."
Hirata smiled and explained the Class A encounter to Kanzaki, Ichinose, Sudou, and Ike.
"Nice one, Ayanokouji!"
"…It was just good eyesight."
It wasn't something to brag about, so I brushed it off.
"But this puts us a step ahead. Forward, forward!"
"Yeah."
Ichinose beamed, pumping both fists in a guts pose.
Combined with her looks, I understood Ike's reaction perfectly.
"Well, we should head back now."
"Yeah. Can't leave everything to the class forever."
Ichinose and Kanzaki turned and started walking away.
"Damn… Kanzaki's gotta be dating Ichinose-chan, right?"
"They do seem like a good match."
Ike glared at the departing Kanzaki as if trying to bore holes through him, but Kanzaki wasn't the obnoxious type, and there was no reason to be jealous.
"Anyway, let's get ready too. We can't lose to the other classes."
Hirata stood, cleaning up the food remnants while rallying us for leader hunting.
Ike and Sudou responded with full enthusiasm.
"Then let's go—scouting time!"
After finishing cleanup, we regrouped with our gear.
Ike looked almost like he was enjoying the exam, brimming with energy.
"Ike-kun, stealth is top priority, okay?"
"Leave it to me! Come on, Ayanokouji—show some spirit!"
"Sorry, Ike. I need to hit the bathroom quick."
I cut in.
"No problem! But hurry back or we'll leave without you!"
"Spare me that."
I replied to Ike and separated from the three.
Now alone. This would let me think a little, at least.
"…We can assume it starts tomorrow."
I muttered to myself.
I'd thought they'd move today, but that prediction was off.
My expectation is they will surveillance us using Class A's numbers.
Only four of us remained in Class D.
Although it had advantages such as greater mobility and efficiency, there was also the disadvantage of stricter individual supervision.
If Class B's forty people watched us, that meant ten per person on our side.
That level of monitoring would severely restrict our movements.
And only one class could do this. Class C, in a similar situation, couldn't. Class B was our ally.
So I'd been wary of pursuit from Class A.
—Of course, I'd already considered a countermeasure.
Simple. Just move to Class B's base.
Numbers against numbers.
Joint living with allied Class B would easily solve the issue.
It would inconvenience the teachers with things like moving the makeshift toilet, but it was for victory—no helping that.
But not today. Acting preemptively would be optimal, but it would signal to anyone reading our moves that… someone remained who could predict them.
I couldn't stand out. I couldn't draw attention and threaten the peace.
If needed, falling a step behind was fine. It would conceal my existence as the mastermind.
Leave no information to narrow whether the plan came from someone remaining or someone retired.
That way, it would carry over to the next round.
Build a path to ultimate victory.
"Hey, Ayanokouji You're slow We're really leaving you!"
"On my way. Wait a sec."
A goofy voice called out. Further thought seemed impossible.
I jogged back to Ike and the others.
***
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