After disembarking, the students immediately began moving toward their designated zones. Reaching the destination early offered generous rewards, after all.
Because of the disembarkation order, the first-years were able to move first. Kaoru had no intention of competing with them, and from where he stood, he could clearly see that his class had once again split into two faint factions.
Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kōhei had each formed their own group.
Arisu had Kamuro Masumi and Hashimoto Masayoshi with her, while Kōhei was accompanied by Totsuka Yahiko and Matoba Shinji.
The two groups briefly encountered one another on the beach.
Neither side said anything.
A moment later, they departed in separate directions, likely because both groups were in a hurry.
Although their target zones looked close on the map, the actual distances would probably be much worse. This was not a city with flat, paved roads. A single kilometer that would normally be easy might require half an hour of detours on the island.
Since earning points was not Kaoru's main objective, he slowed down and observed the groups behind him.
Honami seemed to be discussing something with her classmates. Afterward, she and Kanzaki Ryūji approached the Class 2-C students.
Honami's teammates were Horikita Suzune and Shiina Hiyori.
To be honest, Kaoru had been surprised when he first heard that Hiyori was joining them.
He knew the three classes had secretly reached an agreement to cooperate against Class 2-A.
But did Hiyori really fit the image of an elite combat group?
Ryūen Kakeru was not in their group. Instead, he had teamed up with Ryūji and Sudō Ken, clearly forming another all-elite group.
Suzune had not assigned Hirata Yōsuke to one of the elite teams. He remained among the regular Class 2-C students.
The expulsion of Yamauchi Haruki during the last exam had probably left the former class leader too emotionally exhausted to handle another major special exam.
In addition, Kikyō and Kei had followed Kaoru's suggestion and formed a group with Airi.
As for Hasebe Haruka, Kaoru had sent Manabe Shiho to protect her. Shiho had looked surprised at first, but then agreed with a cheerful smile.
Judging from the current arrangement, Honami and Suzune were in one group, while Ryūen was in another.
Although Ryūji had been placed beside Ryūen to monitor him, it would be strange if Ryūen did not take the opportunity to cause some trouble.
"Hey, Mitoma. What zone did you get?"
While Kaoru was considering his next move, the person he had been thinking about suddenly appeared beside him.
Ryūen casually leaned over to look at Kaoru's tablet, acting as though the two of them had been friends for years.
When he saw that Kaoru's designated zone was E8, Ryūen immediately looked disappointed and shook his head.
"How boring."
"Did you come over here just to hand me information?"
Kaoru looked at him speechlessly. "What did Nagumo tell you this time?"
"Heh. I don't have that much information to give you."
Ryūen clicked his tongue.
"So you really are acting alone. Are you carrying six million private points?"
He looked genuinely impressed.
"Just how many points do you have? It feels like you can never spend them all."
"Tell me how many points Nagumo has left, and I'll tell you."
"If even you don't know, how would I?"
"You've taken so many points from him. You expect me to believe you don't know?"
"What do you mean, taken?"
Ryūen sounded offended. "Don't phrase it so unpleasantly. He willingly paid because of you. Show him some respect."
"Of course you respect him. Those points aren't being given to me."
For some reason, Ryūen began laughing.
He patted Kaoru's shoulder and lowered his voice.
"Want to cooperate on something?"
"What are you planning?"
Kaoru's expression did not change.
They were still standing on the beach, and the third-years were continuing to disembark. Anyone could easily notice the two of them talking.
"Manabe is one of yours, isn't she?"
Ryūen stared directly at him.
"Don't play dumb. Every time I deliberately mention your name, she gets nervous."
He continued, "Her group this time is even stranger. She voluntarily chose a student from Class C. I remember Hasebe also has some connection to you, right?"
"If you believe that, why haven't you made a move against her?"
Kaoru showed no reaction and calmly removed Ryūen's hand from his shoulder.
No matter what Ryūen said, this was still only speculation. He had no decisive evidence.
And he could not casually use violence against Shiho either.
If Shiho truly belonged to Kaoru, then Ryūen could easily give the Student Council president evidence to use against him.
These days, Ryūen did not even dare use force freely within his own class. It would be troublesome if Kaoru caught him.
"Nagumo said he'd pay two million for each one of your people I captured."
Ryūen stroked his chin.
"I was tempted. But I'm even more curious about what you did to Manabe. Her personality is terrible. Did you find some kind of weakness to control her?"
"I can find plenty of weaknesses."
Kaoru glanced at him.
"For example, you just looked at my tablet because you plan to reveal my route, don't you?"
Although each student received a different designated zone, there were only twelve possible routes.
Once someone learned Kaoru's current zone, there were many ways they could predict and interfere with his movements.
That was also why Arisu had been so certain they would have a chance to meet during the exam.
Of course, that depended on being able to contact another group following the same route.
"Heh. I'm only sitting back and watching the tigers fight."
Ryūen licked the corner of his lips with faint excitement.
"After hearing you were acting alone, Nagumo decided to act alone too."
"It really makes me curious. Which one of you will win in the end—you or Nagumo?"
Even Miyabi had chosen to operate alone?
Just how suspicious had he become?
Did he no longer trust a single person?
"I won't touch Manabe for now."
Ryūen warned him.
"But if you don't arrange for her to transfer away, I'll deal with her sooner or later. Do whatever you want with that information."
After leaving those words behind, Ryūen turned and returned to his group with Ryūji and Sudō.
Had Ryūen temporarily abandoned the plan against Shiho because Miyabi could no longer afford the reward?
Or had he been telling Kaoru that he would not interfere in the conflict between Kaoru and Miyabi?
It would certainly be difficult to fight Miyabi while protecting all of his own people at the same time.
Kaoru looked troubled.
In truth, he did not have any real leverage over Shiho and the others. He had simply used rewards to turn them into contracted servants for a limited period.
When the contract expired, he wondered what expressions Shiho and the others would show.
Still, Ryūen currently seemed to believe that Shiho was the only spy, completely overlooking the remaining two.
Kaoru continued thinking as his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the Class 2-D students.
Girls like Shiho had already changed into athletic clothes. The loose jackets made them appear smaller and cuter than usual.
Then Kaoru noticed Ibuki Mio.
She also appeared to be acting alone.
Perhaps because of Kaoru's heightened perception, the instant he looked in her direction, Mio glared back as if staring at a sworn enemy.
'I'll kill you eventually.'
She said nothing, but Kaoru felt that was probably what she wanted to tell him.
Kaoru withdrew his gaze and finally began moving, heading alone into the forest.
The island appeared to be covered in ancient woodland, with few traces of human activity.
Once he left the harbor and beach, the terrain gradually became uneven. Thorny shrubs often blocked the path, and the surrounding air felt heavy and humid.
Although the trees shielded him from direct sunlight and prevented the heat from becoming unbearable, the route was still difficult.
As he walked, Kaoru used his tablet to confirm his position.
From time to time, he heard students talking nearby, probably discussing which route they should take.
The tablets had positioning functions, but that did not mean they provided detailed navigation.
Whenever students encountered an obstacle, they had to find their own way around it.
For someone with a poor sense of direction, the exam was extremely unforgiving.
Kaoru pretended to study the tablet.
In reality, he could use the Marauder's Map to plan his route and detect everyone within a one-kilometer radius.
He knew almost perfectly which paths would lead him toward other people and where students were currently gathered.
The only limitation was that he could not identify those people without seeing them personally.
Before long, he encountered a group consisting entirely of familiar faces.
They were classmates who had only recently begun moving.
"This mushroom looks edible. What do you think, Yamamura Miki?"
"M-maybe we shouldn't?"
"I read several outdoor survival guidebooks. This species isn't poisonous. We can have hotpot tonight."
"Uuu..."
Kaoru's expression became strange.
The people before him were Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki.
It was a very unusual pairing.
Ai was crouching on the ground, apparently studying a mushroom growing beside a fallen tree.
Miki stood nearby looking as though she was about to cry.
Their third teammate, Kitō Hayato, silently watched from the side. He neither objected to Ai's idea nor offered her any assistance.
Hearing Kaoru's footsteps, Hayato turned toward him.
To be honest, his appearance was extremely intimidating. Combined with his usual silence, he often frightened people without doing anything.
Even so, Kaoru noticed that Hayato was carrying the largest and heaviest share of the luggage.
He was clearly taking care of the two girls in his group.
"What are you doing here?"
Since they were classmates, Kaoru decided to ask.
Only then did Miki and Ai notice his arrival.
Miki, in particular, looked as though a savior had finally appeared.
"We're investigating what kinds of food can be found on the island."
Ai spoke naturally. "Mitoma Kaoru, do you want to take a look too?"
A moment later, she seemed to remember that the man in front of her was a pervert and that she should probably maintain some distance.
"Didn't you buy enough food?"
Since she had invited him, Kaoru naturally moved closer to her.
"Even if this mushroom is edible, how are you planning to cook it?"
"There are three of us. Even if we conserve supplies, it'll be difficult to last two weeks. We can't complete the exam while starving."
Ai showed him the contents of her backpack.
"I studied outdoor survival guides in advance and bought fire-starting equipment and cooking tools. Unfortunately, none of us knows how to fish."
Seeing Kaoru's faintly surprised expression, Ai looked slightly proud.
"That's not true..."
Miki suddenly offered a weak protest.
"Sakayanagi-san bought us an Initiative card. We used the additional 2,500 points to purchase plenty of food."
She looked miserable.
"Morishita-san simply... wants to experience living off the land."
Aside from Kaoru, Class 2-A had been divided into thirteen groups.
Twelve of those groups would eventually combine into six large groups when an opportunity appeared.
To preserve the strength of those six large groups, Arisu had purchased six Initiative cards specifically for acquiring food and drinking water.
That ensured most of the class could avoid any major food crisis. They would not need to risk gathering wild fruit or vegetables from the island and becoming sick.
If the other classes had not united to raise their prices, Arisu might have purchased even more item cards.
As for the final small group, the class had given it six million private points. Everyone had essentially accepted that it was a group of weaker students being abandoned by the main strategy.
Miki's group had already divided its food and drinking water with another group, so Ai's claim did not sound very convincing.
"Our food is only barely sufficient."
Ai did not look embarrassed in the slightest.
"If necessary, we need to consider eating wild plants."
"This isn't only for my personal interest, Yamamura Miki."
"N-no... I don't want to eat insects..."
Miki shook her head desperately.
The fact that she had gathered enough courage to object showed just how far Ai's suggestion had gone beyond her imagination.
"Insects?"
Kaoru stared at Ai in shock.
"You have that kind of hobby?"
"No. I'm simply curious about how they taste."
Ai had watched outdoor survival videos featuring a certain man and become curious about the nutritional value of insects.
If she actually tried one, Ai had no idea whether she would be able to swallow it. That was why she had wanted Miki to try it with her.
If two people did it together, perhaps they would both have enough courage.
Even without knowing exactly what she was thinking, Kaoru felt that this girl's mind operated very differently from that of an ordinary person.
Wanting to taste something merely because she was curious could only mean she was another girl with a dangerous fondness for experimenting on herself.
"Morishita-san, have you ever wondered why you don't have friends in class?"
"I don't have friends?"
Ai tilted her head.
"I always thought you and I were friends."
Kaoru was rendered speechless.
He withdrew his previous criticism, reorganized his thoughts, and asked, "I mean, why isn't your relationship with everyone else very good?"
"Is it because I never tried to become friends with them?"
Ai said it so matter-of-factly that an uninformed listener might assume she had personally isolated the entire class.
Kaoru remained silent for a moment.
"You're right. It really is your fault."
He finally understood why this group felt so strange.
One member was an insecure, nearly invisible girl with almost no presence.
Another was an eccentric whose thoughts operated on an entirely different wavelength.
The last was a silent boy with an intimidating face.
They were Class 2-A's only group formed from the students with the weakest social connections.
Even an idiot like Yahiko at least got along well with the other boys.
These three were complete lone wolves.
"Are you mocking me?"
Ai looked slightly displeased.
"Perhaps I shouldn't consider you my friend after all, Mitoma Kaoru."
"I'm not mocking you. I've always considered Morishita-san a friend too."
Kaoru spoke honestly.
"You're a very interesting girl."
She was certainly one of the most unusually minded girls he had ever met.
Ai stared at him for a while before handing him the mushroom in her hand.
"Since Yamamura Miki doesn't want it, you can have this."
"You don't want it anymore?"
"I can hear the voice of the forest. I already know where the food is, so there's no need to be polite."
"..."