"A few days ago, a man contacted the school, saying he wanted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to be expelled."
Chabashira-sensei casually smoked a slim cigarette for women, but the atmosphere around her shifted drastically the moment she spoke. Her narrow eyes narrowed further as she scrutinized the boy before her.
"Expelled? I don't know who this person is, but the school can't just expel someone against their will, right?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained as impassive as ever. For most high school boys, a private one-on-one with a beautiful teacher in an unmonitored counseling room might be a dream come true—but the mood between them was anything but romantic.
"Of course. No matter what a third party says, we can't expel a student without cause. As long as you're enrolled, you're protected by the rules. However... if you were to commit problematic behaviors, that would be another matter entirely. Smoking, bullying, theft, cheating—if scandals keep piling up, expulsion is inevitable."
Chabashira had probably shared more information in this moment than she had all semester. Ayanokoji replied coolly:
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of doing any of those."
"This isn't about your intentions. I'm Class D's homeroom teacher. You're a student of Class D. If I decide that it's true, then it will become reality."
She was no longer hiding the threat.
"Are you threatening me?"
A teacher threatening a student—it sounded like a bad joke.
"It's a deal, Ayanokoji. You aim for Class A on my behalf, and I'll provide full support to protect you. Don't you think it's a win-win?"
Though Ayanokoji had known she was strange, only now did she show what lay beneath her mask.
"Lead Class D to Class A, or be expelled yourself."
She dropped all pretense, giving him a single choice. She knew he would never pick expulsion.
If she truly wanted to reach Class A, why didn't she support the students like the other teachers did?
Ayanokoji didn't voice the question. Before he realized it, his hand had gripped Chabashira's collar—yet even then, she didn't flinch. He let go.
"You'll regret using me."
"Don't worry. My whole life has been one long regret."
Ayanokoji awoke from a heated sleep. The memory from the dream lingered faintly. Shaking his head, he sat up.
It was earlier than he expected. The tent was packed with boys sleeping in disarray. Since they'd only wiped down with river water the night before, a sweaty odor lingered. Thankfully, no one had foot odor, or sleeping would've been much worse.
Without pillows or cushions, his back ached as he stood. Moving quietly to avoid waking anyone, he checked his watch.
5:43 AM.
It was Day 2 of the uninhabited island survival exam. Under the guidance of Karuizawa Kei and Hirata Yosuke, Class D had chosen a relatively good campsite—a flat clearing near a sizable lake. Surprisingly, Karuizawa, who had never shown any such knowledge before, seemed quite familiar with camping basics. Thanks to her leadership, the class had delegated tasks well, organizing food gathering, tent setup, and more.
Still, some students were dissatisfied. Karuizawa was clearly trying to save as many test points as possible. The previous day, she only exchanged for two meal sets, basic medicine, a temporary toilet, and small tents. She refused to approve a shower booth despite the girls' requests. The boys didn't care as much—a river or waterfall would do. The argument dragged on until it was abruptly stopped by bad news.
Kouenji Rokusuke had returned to the ship, dropping out of the exam. Class D lost 30 points.
Finally, everyone had a scapegoat to blame. Karuizawa seized the moment to propose waiting another day before exchanging for a shower. Given their 30-point loss, it made sense to conserve what they had.
With Kouenji's unintentional help, Karuizawa barely managed to delay the demand.
[Something's off.]
Ayanokoji pondered Karuizawa's actions. On the surface, it looked like she was simply saving points through self-restraint. But to him, Karuizawa was essentially part of Class C. Everything she did should be connected to their plans. Was Class C using the shower issue to stir gender tensions within Class D?
But what would they gain? Class D was no threat to Class C—their point gap was over 600. Even if Class D saved 200 points, they couldn't catch up. Also, harming Karuizawa's credibility would be counterproductive if Class C wanted her to control Class D.
"Good morning, Ayanokoji. Up early to use the toilet?"
It was Hirata Yosuke, emerging from another tent. Despite having handled most of the heavy lifting the previous day, he didn't look the least bit annoyed. Even toward the low-profile Ayanokoji, he greeted with a smile.
"Yeah. Did I wake you?"
"Not really. Just sore from the hard ground."
Stretching, Hirata chatted while loosening up:
"With Kouenji quitting, we used about 80 points yesterday. I think we could've saved 120, but Karuizawa wants to save even more. I'm worried it might cause more arguments, so I got up early."
Hirata was clearly thinking about the class even in his sleep. Ayanokoji nodded.
"Mediating the class must be exhausting."
It was a role Ayanokoji had no interest in. He relied on Horikita for class affairs. But now that she had lost influence, he faced a decision: find a new puppet, or restore her to power.
Hirata handed him a wet towel:
"I do it because I want to. As long as everyone in class can be happy, I'm satisfied. It's harder than I thought, though. Point savings will affect future campus life, but if it causes pain and conflict, that's not okay either."
Clearly, Hirata was also slightly unhappy with Karuizawa's methods. Still, he likely wouldn't speak up unless things got worse. Ayanokoji suspected Hirata would even support Karuizawa fully. That was just the kind of person he was.
It sounded naïve, this desire to make everyone happy. But Ayanokoji didn't dislike that purity. People with such flaws and shadows were the easiest to manipulate.
"By the way, I remember you exchanged for some medicine yesterday. Where is it kept?"
Ayanokoji had only interacted with Kitagawa Ryo briefly, but he knew the guy wouldn't act without purpose. Exposing Horikita's illness wasn't in Class C's interest—if she dropped out, Class D would lose 30 points. Yet Kitagawa pointed it out and even encouraged Class D to buy medicine. Whatever Class C was planning, it had to be worth more than those 30 points.
"Oh, the meds? Aside from what Horikita took, the rest are in Karuizawa's luggage."
Hirata pointed to the mountain of bags in the camp. Girls' and boys' bags were stored separately. Ayanokoji noted where Karuizawa's was. He planned to check it when the chance came.
"Are you not feeling well, Ayanokoji?"
"No, just curious. What kinds of medicine do we have?"
"Let me think… Cold medicine, fever reducers, cough syrup, stuff for runny noses and diarrhea. Plus some bandages and alcohol."
"Got it."
Ayanokoji was about to ask more when noise erupted from the beach, drawing both their attention.
Finding a higher spot, the two looked toward the commotion. Class C students were lining up to board the ship. Though it was too far to count exactly, it was clearly more than ten people. That meant Class C's points were now zero.
"Didn't think Class C would actually quit the exam."
Ignoring Hirata's surprised comment, Ayanokoji stared at the now nearly empty beach. Most of the tents were deserted.
He felt like he had just found a clue.
-------------------------------------
The next morning, after roll call, Class A students began exploring to gather food and information. Although Class C had secretly moved all their supplies into the cave that served as Class A's base last night, they still needed to keep up appearances. If Classes B and D discovered the transaction between Classes A and C, they might team up against Class A.
"Good morning, Kamuro."
As Kamuro Masumi ventured alone into the forest in search of fruit, a figure suddenly dropped from a nearby tree. However, Kamuro didn't seem surprised. She stepped back a few paces and crossed her arms, glancing at Kitagawa Ryo, who was fully wrapped in sportswear.
"So you didn't leave after all."
"I couldn't take the risk," Kitagawa replied. "I wasn't sure if the final part of the exam—guessing the leaders—required the responder to still be on the island. If Class C returned to the ship entirely and couldn't participate, that'd be a huge loss."
Though he explained casually, Kamuro wasn't quick to believe him. Sakayanagi Arisu had warned her before the exam: don't trust anything that sounds even slightly manipulative unless it's a direct order. While Class A and Class C were currently allies due to the effort to undermine Katsuragi Kohei, Kitagawa could easily use this alliance to sabotage his allies for future advantage.
"Class A's leader is Totsuka Yahiko."
Ignoring Kitagawa's statement, Kamuro cut straight to the point with the intel she possessed.
"Class A has 250 special exam points left. Thanks to the deal with Class C, those points will likely remain intact. Plus, you're also providing Katsuragi with the B and D class leaders' names, so altogether, Class A will benefit by 350 points."
She glanced at Kitagawa, who showed no reaction, and continued:
"Even if Class C correctly guesses Class A's leader and deducts 50 points, Class A will still have 300 points left."
"But what if B, C, and D all guess it correctly?"
Kamuro paused at his question, then frowned as she calculated:
"Then Class A would still retain 200 points. It wouldn't be much of a blow to Katsuragi."
"Is that really all I've got?"
"Trying to provoke me won't work."
Kitagawa took a step forward and handed Kamuro a small packet of yellow powder—just a few grams.
"What's this?"
Kamuro held it up to the sunlight, opened it, and sniffed.
"Something fun I smuggled in under my tongue when I arrived. Courtesy of Ryuuen. His underhanded tricks do come in handy sometimes."
He jumped back up into the tree and leaned against a thick branch, speaking with a tone that oddly suggested he was holding back laughter.
"So what is it, exactly?"
Kamuro was getting a bad feeling. Sakayanagi made that exact face when she was about to torment someone.
"Laxatives."
Kitagawa answered plainly.
"You want me to drug one of our classmates so they're forced to drop out?"
Kamuro stepped back in shock, sizing up Kitagawa.
"That would get discovered for sure. The school isn't stupid—they'd investigate a mass withdrawal. We'd be doomed."
"You're overthinking it."
"And this amount isn't even enough."
Kitagawa turned slightly to reveal half his face.
"I meant for you to take it."
"What?!"
Kamuro looked completely incredulous. Despite her aloof and stern personality, she was still a bona fide beauty with no shortage of admirers. Yet Kitagawa, with zero tact or sympathy, was asking her to take laxatives herself?
Thinking of the consequences, she hurriedly shook her head.
"No way."
"If you manage the dosage, it won't be a disaster. Just a quick stomach ache."
Kitagawa gave her a hopeful, trusting look, but Kamuro continued shaking her head.
"Fine, then. Who else in Class A could do it? I don't believe Arisu left you as her only piece on the board."
Realizing Kamuro wouldn't budge, Kitagawa clicked his tongue and looked for another target. Beautiful girls clearly weren't up for this kind of job.
Surprisingly quick to shift blame, Kamuro immediately named someone else without hesitation:
"Hashimoto Masayoshi."
"Alright, then you deliver it to him."
Kitagawa casually instructed her, while mentally noting down the intel about Hashimoto and Sakayanagi.
"And? What's the point? One person drops out, you lose 30 points. You didn't go through all this just for that."
Now that she had avoided the social disaster, Kamuro reconsidered the plan more calmly.
"Of course not."
Kitagawa shook his head.
"If Hashimoto falls ill, have Arisu's agents stir up the class. At the height of the confusion, just say something like: 'Maybe it was something from Class C's supplies that caused this.'"
"Did we even get anything like that?"
Kamuro tried to recall the massive haul from Class C. Many items were still unopened, and most students had only cross-checked the contents with the contract list.
"We did."
Kitagawa assured her with a smirk.
"Just use it without worry."
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