Chapter 67: Reconnaissance
After roll call in the morning, the Class A students began to act freely.
After eating breakfast, Kamuro, holding a key card and supplies, went with Katsuragi and a few others to occupy a base.
Hikigaya originally thought he would have to go out exploring with them, but Katsuragi stated that he and the three key card holders would be enough to go.
Of course, before leaving, Katsuragi also gave instructions to the classmates to look for bases and gather intelligence on Class B and Class C's approach to the exam.
Watching Katsuragi and the others leave, Hikigaya took a deep breath; the thick smell of grass filled his nose. He didn't know if it was psychological, but he felt the oxygen here was plentiful, perhaps due to the lush forest.
The cool breeze was pleasant and comfortable, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves was mood-lifting.
'In the future, I want to find a place like this to be a hermit. I won't meet anyone; I'll just rely on online shopping for everything.'
Having nothing to do, Hikigaya decided to retreat into the shade of the trees first.
'Usually, a person would be bored stiff at a time like this, but after becoming a master of solitude at my level, I can easily and comfortably pass the time no matter the circumstances.
For example, observing birds. This deserted island is probably a fantastic location for birds. A huge number of all sorts of small birds have been chirping and flying around since earlier. Despite this, Hikigaya has no knowledge of birds, so the observation activity had to end in failure. The birdsong is too noisy.
For example, flicking stones. Aiming for a target, flicking the stone with the same feeling as shooting a marble. After three flicks, my finger started hurting, so I reluctantly gave up. The stones are too hard; in comparison, my willpower is far too fragile.
For example, observing insects. Why are summer ants so black and so big? They have an irresistible sense of strength compared to other seasons; is this what they call the peak season? Although I don't know what these busy little creatures are thinking, they all live in a small, narrow world. To put it this way, looking down from a skyscraper in Tokyo's business district might give one the same feeling.'
Tired of looking at the ants, Hikigaya leaned against a tree, sitting on the ground and staring blankly at the white clouds in the sky.
Just then, a black-haired girl walked out of the cave. She was wearing a rare combination of a white collared shirt and black long pants. Even though she wasn't exposing much skin, she had a unique sense of coolness.
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you still here?" Before Hikigaya could answer, Yukinoshita continued: "Never mind... it's fine that you're here. Come with me."
"...Where are we going?"
"A classmate found the location of Class B and Class C students. I plan to go over and reconnoiter the situation." (reconnoiter: make a military observation of a region)
"Reconnaissance?"
"Yes. To find out how students from other classes are spending their points, we can accurately determine the point expenditures by looking at the number of toilets, shower stalls, and tents.
Furthermore, since the base occupation rights are interrupted every eight hours, if we want to know who the leader is, we can find a base device occupied by another class, calculate the time backward, and aim for the refresh time, which might allow us to learn the other class's leader." Yukinoshita explained, then looked at the map Kamuro had drawn, confirmed the direction, and began to walk.
Yukinoshita led Hikigaya to a large, broken tree and stopped. Yukinoshita walked around the broken tree and suddenly said: "This giant tree doesn't seem to have broken naturally..."
"Do you mean this tree is actually a marker made by the school?"
"That's possible. Perhaps it's a hint that there is a base ahead."
After a brief exchange, the two continued forward, entering the forest toward the southwest. Stepping into the dense forest, Hikigaya saw traces on the path that looked like they had been trodden by many students, making it quite easy to walk.
If there was one annoying thing, it was probably the mosquitoes constantly flying around their arms and faces, causing irritation. Following the trodden path, they hadn't walked far when the two arrived at the camping site where Class B was staying.
"It seems Class B is operating very smoothly..." Yukinoshita looked around, speaking in a calm tone.
Although the initial conditions for all classes were the same, the items they chose to use were completely different.
Class B's chosen base was a well. Because there were many trees surrounding it, there wasn't much space to set up multi-person tents.
Instead, the Class B students chose to use hammocks to compensate, securing space for the night. There were about twenty or more hammocks, placed very close to the two tents provided by the school.
'It seems Class B students really like to gather together.'
Hikigaya looked with some curiosity at the device placed next to the well.
He had seen this item in the guidebook; it seemed to be called an outdoor shower. By filling the water tank next to it, the gas canister inside the device could produce hot water in a few seconds, which was very convenient.
Unfortunately, because the cave occupied by Class A did not have such a convenient and abundant water source, they had to use the standalone shower stall, which had a more complicated process for heating water.
But more surprising than all this was Class B's unique atmosphere. The Class B students reacted very naturally to the two's arrival, and the students seemed to be acting with individual responsibilities. Class B had a sense of cohesion without being rigid, and everyone looked very happy completing their duties—even the kind of tasks that some might dislike or skip.
"Oh? Yukinoshita-san? And Hikigaya-kun?"
A beautiful girl with pink-blonde hair was tying a rope onto a tree. She seemed to notice the sudden arrival of guests, turned her head, and spoke to the observing duo: "I'm so sorry, I'm a little busy right now. The rope for this hammock has come loose."
Ichinose was as energetic as ever. Even in her tracksuit, her impressive figure was apparent, giving the impression that the tracksuit suited her best. "Ichinose-san, we apologize for suddenly dropping by."
Even though they were here to reconnoiter, Yukinoshita calmly greeted her, and Hikigaya nodded along.
"Ahaha, did Yukinoshita-san and Hikigaya-kun come here for something?"
"We just came over to take a look at the situation. You've occupied a great spot."
"This well base was found by Shibata-kun. It's abundant in water resources, although it's a little cramped. It was tough at first.
We managed to solve the problem by trying various approaches, but as a result, the number of things to do has actually increased. However, it's much easier today compared to yesterday," Ichinose said, tying the rope tightly.
As if realizing something, Ichinose smiled and said: "I'm sorry, that might have sounded like I was trying to rush you off. But if you just want to look around a bit, that's fine. You probably visited because you have something you want to ask, right?"