"Why is Kitagawa-kun here?"
Hirata Yosuke looked surprised as he saw Kitagawa Ryo stroll casually into Class D's camp. It was the second day of the special exam, late in the afternoon approaching dusk. Hirata, who was grilling some fish they had caught, hadn't expected any C-Class members to still be on the island—after all, he and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had seen C-Class board the boat and seemingly forfeit the exam that morning.
"I obviously have my reasons for staying," Kitagawa replied nonchalantly. "For example, to propose a friendly collaboration with your Class D. How about it?"
He was about to find a spot to sit down when Hirata beat him to it, bringing over a cushion made from stacked plastic bags and even offering a cup of hot water.
"Sorry, the accommodations are a bit rough."
It had to be said—Hirata Yosuke was impeccable when it came to manners. While urging the other Class D students who had gathered to return to their tasks, he politely said:
"Most of the class is still out. If it's not urgent, would you mind waiting a bit?"
"Is that so?"
Kitagawa took the hot water and casually scanned the Class D camp. Indeed, many familiar faces were missing—Karuizawa Kei, Horikita Suzune, even Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was nowhere to be seen. It seemed only Hirata was present to oversee things.
"If it's urgent, you're welcome to tell me first and I'll relay the message. How about that?"
Hirata interpreted Kitagawa's glancing around as impatience.
"Hmm, actually, it's fine telling you. You were going to find out anyway."
Kitagawa nodded slightly.
"The truth is, before this special exam started, I had already discussed a possible collaboration with your classmate Karuizawa-san."
"A collaboration? Between Class C and Class D?" Hirata repeated with some confusion. "But I hadn't heard anything about this until now."
"That's because the format of the exam and the method of collaboration hadn't been determined yet."
Kitagawa took a sip from the bamboo cup. Crude, but functional.
"But the conflict between Class D and Class C..."
Hirata still couldn't fully grasp it. Since the Sudou incident, Class C had never stopped attacking Class D, even orchestrating the expulsion of four students during the midterm exam. Moreover, Class D had no leverage to collaborate—Class C was over 600 class points ahead. Why would they seek cooperation?
"Precisely because of that, I believe it's time to reset our relationship."
Kitagawa explained:
"Previously, Class C targeted Class D because the two classes were direct competitors. For Class D to rise in rank, it had to overtake Class C. But Class C is about to replace Class B. Once the swap happens, there will be no direct conflict of interest."
"Besides, the monthly debt you used to owe has now been transferred to Class B. As for the four students expelled during the midterms... I'd argue it might've been a blessing in disguise for Class D. Don't you think?"
Hirata thought back to the conflicts and inefficiencies his class faced during this exam. Imagining if Yamauchi or Ike were still around... Yeah, maybe Kitagawa had a point.
"So, how does Class D cooperate with Class C?"
"There are two parts."
Kitagawa held up two fingers.
"Has Karuizawa-san been restricting the use of special exam points lately?"
"...Yes. Quite a few students have voiced complaints, actually."
Hirata smiled bitterly.
"We don't even have a shower setup yet. If we don't fix that tonight, there might be an uproar."
"That's the first part of the cooperation," Kitagawa said. "Tonight, you should receive a shipment of supplies from Class A worth 200 special exam points."
"200 points? From Class A?!"
Hirata stared, dumbfounded. He thought he misheard and swallowed nervously.
"What happened?"
"That I can't explain for now," Kitagawa said, shaking his head. "I'm only here to deliver the outcome and proceed with the second part of the deal."
"Before the exam ends, I will provide you with the list of leaders from Classes A and B."
After his initial shock, Hirata began thinking again, puzzled.
"But 200 points' worth of supplies... even combining the leaders of Classes A and B, that's only 100 points. I don't think Class D can offer an equal return."
"You can."
Kitagawa met Hirata's eyes.
"After the exam, I want Class D to cooperate with me in one action, unconditionally. Don't worry, it won't involve expulsions or affect class points."
"That's all?"
Hirata still found it hard to believe. If Kitagawa was telling the truth, then Class D could end up with 300 special exam points, which would convert to 300 class points after the test. And all Kitagawa wanted in return was a single action with no real cost?
He looked down in thought, then awkwardly looked up and asked in a quiet voice:
"Um... Kitagawa-kun, are you and our classmate Karuizawa-san... uh, involved? Like, in that way... a relationship?"
Kitagawa was speechless for a moment at Hirata's unique train of thought. Hirata, seeing Kitagawa say nothing, assumed he was right and leaned in to comfort him:
"Don't worry. Romantic relationships across class lines are tough, but if it's true love..."
"Nothing like that. I'm leaving now."
Kitagawa stood up and returned the cup. As he turned to go, the ever-sunny Hirata added cheerfully:
"I get it. I'll be rooting for you guys!"
To Hirata, there seemed no other reason why Class C would go so far to support Class D unless Kitagawa had special feelings for Karuizawa Kei. Framed that way, it might even be a sweet gesture. And if they kept it secret, it wouldn't damage the two classes' public rivalry.
Kitagawa, of course, had no idea Hirata had mentally constructed such a scenario. His plans were nearly complete. Now, it was time to close the net.
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"Oh? So it was you, Kitagawa-kun."
"If you'd come back any later, I might've had to take some people to go looking for you."
As night fell, the sounds of wind and insects in the dense forest grew louder and more chaotic. Kitagawa Ryo stepped on a dry branch with a crisp snap as he finally returned to Class B's campsite.
The bonfire was already lit, casting a warm orange glow across the area. Under the flickering flames, Ichinose Honami's smile seemed even warmer and brighter. She stood up and waved in Kitagawa's direction. To anyone watching, it might have seemed like he was a member of Class B.
Even Kanzaki Ryuji, who had been wary and hostile earlier that day, now looked slightly more relaxed. Perhaps it was thanks to the healing power of the plantain herb.
The rest of Class B still felt somewhat awkward around him, but out of respect for Ichinose, they quietly made space, giving Kitagawa a wide spot to sit down.
"We're doing a bit of bonfire storytelling. Want to join, Kitagawa-kun?"
Ichinose invited him without hesitation, pulling him over to sit beside her. The firelight flickered in her blue eyes, revealing a different kind of expression from her usual demeanor.
"Storytelling? That sounds kind of fun."
Kitagawa smiled and sat cross-legged by the fire, turning his gaze toward the crackling wood.
Though he said he was interested, he mostly remained a quiet listener for the next half hour. If Ichinose hadn't tossed a couple of conversation prompts his way, it was likely the Class B students would've completely forgotten he was there. Still, thanks to Ichinose's gift for managing the atmosphere, the group gradually warmed up again despite his presence.
Since everyone had plans for the next day, around 9 p.m., Ichinose clapped her hands and told everyone to return to their tents. The students, still chatting, trickled back to their respective shelters. Kitagawa also prepared to leave, but Ichinose followed after him.
"What's wrong? I mean, we tested the hammock's weight limit earlier, but two people sleeping on it might still be a bit risky, you know."
Kitagawa flopped onto the hammock Class B had prepared for him, resting his hands behind his head and gazing up at the stars, making a teasing remark.
"Nothing. I just thought maybe you'd have something you wanted to tell me. So I followed."
Ichinose leaned against the tree to which the hammock was tied. She was noticeably quieter than she had been earlier when surrounded by her classmates.
"Anything I want to tell you, huh?"
Kitagawa stretched out his legs and yawned.
"Honestly, you didn't need to take me in. I know a bit about surviving in the wild."
"But sleeping in a proper bed is always more comfortable."
"Aren't you going back to sleep?"
"I'm not tired."
"Is your wound any better?"
"It doesn't heal that fast."
Their conversation drifted along, trivial but strangely pleasant.
"So you really don't have anything you wanted to say to me alone, Kitagawa-kun?"
"Ah, you caught me."
Kitagawa smiled helplessly.
"The leader of Class A is Totsuka Yahiko. I just managed to dig up that classified info not long ago. I was actually planning to tell you on the last day."
Ichinose nodded softly with a quiet "mm." She waited a little longer, but Kitagawa said nothing more.
He closed his eyes, pretending to have fallen asleep.
Ichinose whispered:
"If you sleep in a hammock outside at night, there might be a lot of bugs."
Using that as an excuse, she pulled something small from her pocket and placed it next to Kitagawa's ear.
Kitagawa heard the soft patter of her footsteps. When he opened his eyes again, she had already returned to Class B's camp.
He reached up and picked up the object she left behind. Under the moonlight, he saw what it was—
A small scented pouch. It had a clean, subtle fragrance.
The scent of iris flowers.
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"Ryo? Ryo? Ryo?"
Moonlight like flowing water draped the entire forest in a silvery glow. Karuizawa Kei carefully avoided protruding branches as she stepped cautiously on the fallen leaves, softly calling out Kitagawa Ryo's name.
"Over here."
Ryo emerged from behind a tree, his foot snapping a twig with a sharp crack that echoed through the moonlit night along with his voice.
"Keep your voice down," Kei whispered instinctively, wary of being discovered. But the moment she saw Ryo's face, her anxiety gave way to a thrill—the kind that came with a secret rendezvous. The mixture of fear and closeness made her dizzy, and she nearly stumbled into his arms.
"I could've come to you tomorrow morning. There was no need for you to come this late," Ryo said as he reached out to steady her. "Didn't sleep well?"
"Too excited..."
Kei gradually settled down. Leaning together against the same tree, they gazed at the moonlight filtering through the leaves like shattered silver, falling gently upon their faces.
"A-Class actually agreed to the contract."
"They had no other choice. Otherwise, they'd have been directly accused of stealing D-Class's supplies. If they hadn't used them yet, they might've had a way out. But the fatal mistake was that they opened the supplies and even called the school staff to confirm everything."
Ryo wasn't surprised by the outcome. In truth, the moment A-Class agreed to a deal with C-Class, their failure was already sealed. At the core of it, Katsuragi Kōhei had never fully gained control of A-Class. Even without Kamuro Masumi as the planted informant, most students only followed Katsuragi temporarily—barely willing to listen.
"Seeing all that equipment being delivered shocked everyone in D-Class—especially those girls who've been grumbling for days," Kei chuckled.
She loved sharing her feelings with Ryo. A good mood doubled when shared.
"So I took the chance to announce the collaboration between D-Class and C-Class. Luckily, the supplies were real, and Hirata backed me up the whole time, so everyone finally accepted it."
"Still, some people are convinced C-Class is plotting something. Their complaints are really annoying."
She pouted.
"What about Suzune? What did she say?"
"...She didn't say anything."
Kei clearly didn't want to hear Horikita Suzune's name and quickly changed the topic.
"But her sidekick, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—the one you told me to watch—has been really active these past two days. Secretly active. If I hadn't had someone keeping an eye on him, we wouldn't have noticed that he's been operating solo a lot."
"It's fine. Ayanokouji's actions were part of the plan. Without his movements, Step One wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"To frame A-Class, the four key points were: First, the medicine had to be inside A-Class's camp. Second, the medicine had to be used. Third, among the four classes, only D-Class had exchanged test points for medicine. Fourth, there had to be a prior conflict between A-Class and D-Class."
Kei thought for a moment and asked, "But there's no surveillance on the island's forest. How would the school confirm that A and D had interacted?"
Ryo pointed to his empty wrist.
"That's why I told you not to bring the school-issued watch when you came. It has a satellite tracking system."
"Ayanokouji was bound to head toward A-Class territory to gather intel. All we needed was a little nudge. I also had an insider in A-Class who would make contact with him. If A-Class refused to sign the contract and chose to confront D-Class instead, the school could easily track the interaction through GPS."
"Ayanokouji is smart. If he acted for D-Class, he'd naturally ride the wave and insist that A-Class stole the medicine."
"Even though we never officially coordinated, you could say we pulled off a remote collaboration."
Ryo laid out the entire first phase of his plan.
"Now... it's time for Phase Two."
Just as Ryo was about to launch into his next scheme, Kei didn't seem that interested. She merely looked up at the brilliant stars above and murmured:
"It's beautiful."
Ryo chuckled and shook his head. Maybe he really was bad at reading the mood. So he followed Kei's gaze and looked up.
Under a sky full of stars, Ryo softly recited a quote that came to mind:
"The stars shine so that someday, everyone can find their own star."
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