[I was used.]
After interacting with the two students from Class A, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka quickly realized this fact. Combined with the clues he'd gathered earlier, he had more or less deduced Class C's strategy this time: a "zero-point strategy" on the surface, hiding a real plan to manipulate the remaining three classes into suspecting one another.
This was a tactic that could only be implemented with access to all the class leader identities. Class C could approach all three other classes offering "cooperation," while secretly giving away their leaders' identities. At first glance, this would earn them 100 special exam points. However, the class cooperating with Class C would inevitably be betrayed. Take Class A for example: they'd receive the leader info of Classes B and D, but in the end, all three classes—B, C, and D—would correctly guess Class A's leader. That would net Class A a loss of 50 points. The same logic applied to Classes B and D.
There were only two ways to gain points in this uninhabited island exam: acquiring base camps and reducing expenditures. Because nearly all of Class C had left the island, their base-camp income would naturally be much lower. But if the other three classes had their leaders guessed, their base-point bonuses would be nullified. In a roundabout way, this pulled all classes back to the starting line—keeping their initial 270 points (300 for Class B) was paramount.
"On the first day of the exam, Class A signed a contract with Class C. In exchange for a monthly one million private points, Class C provided supplies purchased with special exam points. But today, our class suspects Class C tampered with the goods, as many Class A students have experienced symptoms of discomfort."
Hidden in the forest's shadows, Ayanokouji listened as Katsuragi Kouhei spoke. The web of clues now connected—he could finally see the full picture.
[Kitagawa Ryo, huh...]
To be able to draft such a strategy on the very first day based on known rules and their starting hand—Ayanokouji couldn't understand how someone like that was placed in Class C.
If he truly wanted Class D to ascend ranks, then one day he'd have to face off with Kitagawa Ryo.
In fact, Ayanokouji already had a premonition: Kitagawa Ryo had his eyes on him—or perhaps, had long since noticed him.
[This is going to be a headache.]
Still, with Chabashira Sae's threat looming, he had no choice but to think of a way to turn the tables. After all, giving up on his current school life wasn't an option.
His footsteps heavier than before, Ayanokouji headed back toward the Class D base.
To give up freedom in order to protect it—it was absurd, yet inevitable.
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By the time he returned, his classmates were buzzing with excitement, sorting through the massive amount of supplies delivered by Class A—enough to let Class D live comfortably for the next five days. Karuizawa Kei stood at the center, directing the logistics, surrounded by a group of girls. Horikita Suzune, whose health hadn't fully recovered, had been allowed to rest in the tent, but still chose to help with minor tasks outside.
"Have you figured out what's going on?"
Few noticed Ayanokouji's return, but Horikita was one of them. As she tossed more wood into the campfire, the flickering flames gave her pale face a healthier hue.
"Not yet. I just got back," Ayanokouji replied flatly. "What's with all these supplies?"
"They came from Class A. Hirata and Karuizawa said it's the result of cooperation between Classes D and C."
If you had to pick the person in Class D who wanted revenge against Class C the most, it was undoubtedly Horikita. Even now, while the rest of the class celebrated, she showed no hint of excitement—only confusion and helplessness.
From her perspective, just yesterday Class C had seemed to give up, squandering points and acting like they were quitting the exam. She'd even confronted them for it. But now, less than two days later, the situation had completely flipped. Even more frustrating was that she hadn't known any of it was happening. Class C and Class D were suddenly allies, and the fruits of that alliance—a bounty worth 200 points—were right in front of her, and she had no idea how they'd come to be.
"I don't believe Kitagawa Ryo is that kind-hearted," she muttered, absently flipping a grilled fish. But no one seemed to want it now that better food was available.
She bit into the slightly charred fish with frustration, a wave of helplessness washing over her.
"Right now, Class D is being led by the nose. This isn't cooperation—it's like a well-fed master tossing a bone to a stray dog."
"One unconditional favor, carried out by the whole class… Kitagawa Ryo stirred up all this with just one class at his disposal…"
Ayanokouji listened silently.
He had considered finding a new pawn to help hide his own actions, but of the influential students in Class D, each had their own flaws—Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyou, and Karuizawa Kei were all problematic. That left only Horikita Suzune.
At the very least, her pride and competitiveness made her easy to motivate.
"Hey, Horikita."
Ayanokouji had decided—it was time to elevate her back into Class D's leadership. But first, she'd need to earn the class a victory.
"How well do you understand the class leader rule?"
"The leader holds a key card to claim base camps. Each class has one leader, and they cannot be changed without cause."
"On the final day, each class gets one chance to guess another's leader. Correct guesses earn 50 points; incorrect guesses cost 50. Being guessed correctly also results in a 50-point loss."
Horikita raised an eyebrow at Ayanokouji—he rarely started conversations—but she answered anyway.
"Right. Now, what happens if the leader forfeits?"
"If there's no leader, the class can't claim base camps. But they also can't be guessed, since no leader exists."
But she quickly added:
"No, that doesn't sound fair. The school must ensure the rules are balanced."
"Exactly. So it's more reasonable to assume that if a leader forfeits, the class must select a new one."
"And if the class doesn't choose, the school will randomly assign one from the remaining students, same as when we arrived."
Ayanokouji scanned the area. No one else was paying them any attention. Fitting, considering he was a nobody and she was largely isolated.
"If the leaders are guessed randomly, the chance is 1 in 40 per class, except our own. The logical strategy is to focus on defense and skip guessing on the final day."
"But Class C's zero-point strategy is… innovative."
Ayanokouji shared what he'd overheard at Class A's camp. Though he insisted it was by chance, Horikita gave him a doubtful look—no way an ordinary student could deduce all that.
She didn't know why Ayanokouji was telling her this now, but she didn't think too hard. She desperately needed a proper victory against Class C to restore her confidence.
"Exchanging special exam points for a monthly supply of private points… then manipulating the situation so Class A had to spend 200 points for supplies to give to Class D…"
"If all goes smoothly, even if Class C doesn't end up with many points, they'll still be the biggest winner."
"Kitagawa Ryo… really knows what he's doing."
Ayanokouji's expression didn't change as he continued:
"But."
For the first time, a glint sparked in his normally emotionless eyes.
"By having almost all of Class C leave the island, they've also drastically narrowed down our options for guessing their leader."
"As we said, the leader must still be on the island. Which means…"
"The one person still here—must be the leader."
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"A, B, and D classes all have their share of smart people. They'll definitely figure that out."
Kitagawa Ryo tossed a fruit to someone hiding in the tree above.
"Ryuuen, how did you sleep last night?"
"Thanks to you? Not well."
Ryuuen Kakeru's pants were covered in mud and grass stains. A full day and night on the deserted island had clearly worn him down. And there were still four more days to go. But for the second phase of Kitagawa's plan to succeed, the class had to choose someone who could stay hidden on the island—
The real leader.
"You don't need to capture too many strongholds. Just don't get discovered."
"Relax. I've been sneaking out at night to capture one every now and then."
Ryuuen bit into the fruit with large chomps.
"But you—how did you end up mixing into Class B's camp?"
The original plan was for both Kitagawa and Ryuuen to hide out on the island to confuse the enemy. But now, Kitagawa was enjoying food, shelter, and even looked like he was on vacation, while Ryuuen was playing survival with a scruffy beard.
"Would you believe me if I said I was leading them into thinking I'm the leader?"
"Bullshit!"
Ryuuen glared at Kitagawa. "You just wanted to see that Ichinose girl from Class B, didn't you? I've seen the way you look at her."
"Eat more and talk less. You won't choke."
Kitagawa waved him off casually. "I'll try to bring you more food when I can. Don't starve to death out here."
"Yeah, yeah. Get lost."
"Sure, sure. I'm going back to my hammock. You just stay up here being Tarzan."
Kitagawa smirked. "At least Tarzan had a heroine. You've got mosquitoes and caterpillars."
"Tch."
Ryuuen flicked his hair, but after two days without a wash, Kitagawa thought that gesture just smeared grease on his hand.
Not wanting to overstay and risk exposure, Kitagawa swiftly vanished into the woods. Ryuuen also returned to hiding.
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"Hungry, hungry, food~"
On the third night, Karuizawa Kei came out to meet Kitagawa as usual and found him slouched under a tree looking weak and starved. Panicked, she started digging through her pockets and managed to find a few snacks like milk candy and pudding.
"Alright, I'm not that hungry. Where did these come from?"
Kitagawa didn't hesitate to grab the handful of snacks and tossed one into his mouth.
He had actually given all the food he received from Class B today to Ryuuen Kakeru. Not that he was truly starving—he was just teasing Kei a little. But she had taken it seriously and seemed ready to run back for more.
"They were part of the supplies from Class A. Turns out they had a few tricks too. Out of the two-hundred-point shipment, they included a bunch of sweets and snacks that aren't even proper meals. Everyone in class got a bit."
Karuizawa Kei sat beside him, smiling as she watched Kitagawa chew on the candy, almost as if she could taste the sweetness too.
"Class B is so mean. They really are just a bunch of fake nice guys."
After explaining the origin of the sweets, she puffed her cheeks in frustration. Kitagawa didn't know how to explain the truth either, so he silently let Class B take the blame.
"Hey, why don't you come stay at our Class D camp? Since Class A's supplies arrived and we only have 36 people, it wouldn't be hard to feed one more!"
"Besides, Class C and D are allies now, right?"
Feeling like she had come up with a great idea, Karuizawa's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"And if anyone in Class D objects, I'll just give you my share. I don't eat much anyway. I won't go hungry."
"How's that?"
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