The other side of the island.
Class D camp.
Hirata stared dumbfounded at the raging flames soaring into the distance. Despite being half an island away, Hirata could still clearly see the burning light of the Class A camp.
He watched the dark, rolling smoke continuously rise into the sky and then scatter in all directions.
Hirata was now speechless, unable to express his feelings at this moment.
Originally, he thought Amane's plan was just some minor mischief.
But from the current situation, it was far from minor mischief; he would even believe it if someone said Amane had burned down the Class A camp.
If such a large-scale fire wasn't extinguished in time, once it spread, the entire island might be engulfed by the raging inferno.
"I hope no one was hurt."
Hirata sighed.
He knew very well that it was impossible for no one to be injured in such a large-scale disaster. Moreover, after all this commotion, whether Class A could even complete the upcoming exam became a question.
Overall, this operation was a success.
Hirata glanced at the time; it was already 9:45 PM.
According to his agreement with Amane, they were supposed to return to their base before 10 PM.
10 PM wasn't just a random time; it held significant meaning for Class D.
10 PM was their check-in time.
Currently, the class's key card was with Ayanokoji, and without Ayanokoji, they couldn't check in.
Once the time started to drag on, all subsequent check-in times would be disrupted, which could lead to someone taking advantage of the situation.
The main reason Hirata was still patrolling so late was to guard the check-in point, ensuring there were no outsiders interfering when Ayanokoji returned.
Originally, this task was to be completed by him and Horikita.
But Horikita had been missing since after dinner.
Unable to contact Horikita, he had to take on the heavy responsibility of patrolling alone.
The reason was simple: because Class D's area was closer to the sea, and after a recent rain, the ground was still muddy, the boys who had moved into the lighthouse were simply unwilling to move back out.
Although the tents had all been pitched outside, no one was staying in them.
With no one living outside, Hirata didn't feel comfortable asking classmates to accompany him to patrol these few strongholds in the middle of the night, so he simply carried out the patrolling arrangements alone.
Fortunately, generally, not many people approached Class D.
This made Hirata's task relatively easier.
Hirata originally thought that today would also pass without incident, just like usual.
Then, the unexpected happened.
Two wild-looking figures suddenly rushed out of the forest not far from the Class D camp. The huge commotion quickly attracted Hirata's attention.
When Hirata, who quickly rushed to investigate, saw who the two intruders in the Class D camp were, his entire face was filled with shock.
"Ryuuen-san? Yamada-san? What are you doing here? Didn't Class C already leave the island?"
Hirata looked at Ryuuen, who was soaking wet, his clothes and pant legs stained with a lot of mud, and his face, arms, and tracksuit covered in scratches from traversing the forest. His mind was temporarily overwhelmed with confusion.
If Albert had appeared here, Hirata would at least be able to accept it, even if he didn't know the other party's intentions.
Because he had learned from Amane that Class C had left Albert behind.
So, his appearance anywhere was within an acceptable range.
But Ryuuen's appearance made no sense to him, because all the information he had received from both Horikita and Amane was that Ryuuen had already left the island.
Now, suddenly, someone who had left the island reappeared before him. Although he knew the other party meant no good, Hirata still couldn't hide the confusion in his heart.
"Yo, isn't it Hirata? What's with that expression? You look like a dork. What? Didn't expect me to show up here?"
Ryuuen glanced at the time and then started chatting with Hirata.
"I really didn't expect Ryuuen-san to be here. Do you and Yamada-san have some business at Class D?"
Hirata guessed that Ryuuen's sudden attack was most likely for the check-in point, but it was also possible he was looking for Amane. Class D's defenses were very weak right now, and without the certainty of being able to defeat the two people in front of him, Hirata really only had one choice.
That was to stall.
By stalling for time, he could hold out until Amane and Ayanokoji returned to the class, and then the unfavorable situation would instantly reverse.
Hirata also glanced at the time.
There were less than five minutes left until the agreed time. He only needed to stall for these five minutes to thwart Ryuuen's potentially detrimental plan for Class D.
"What business? Hirata, it's amazing you can ask such a question. Can't you tell from our actions that we mean no good? Did we choose this time to come over to urge you to go to bed early?"
Ryuuen subtly adjusted his breathing, quickly recovering his stamina, his peripheral vision constantly scanning the tents and the lighthouse.
The tents were pitch black, without lights, appearing empty, but if someone was sleeping inside, any major movement from Ryuuen could wake them up.
Hirata, in Ryuuen's eyes, was just a puppet-like leader who posed no threat to him.
But if the Class D boys were woken up and swarmed them, Ryuuen was confident that he and Albert could take down all the Class D boys.
However, this would affect the tactic of a quick battle.
If Amane returned to Class D precisely on time… Ryuuen didn't think he would lose, but he also had to admit that Amane was an unpredictable factor.
If he failed here, his plan could be declared a failure from the start.
Hirata noticed Ryuuen's gaze directed at the tents behind him.
With just a little thought, Hirata understood Ryuuen's concerns.
"Sleeping is certainly not something Ryuuen-san needs to supervise. Whatever you and Yamada-san are here for, I hope you can keep your voices down. If you wake everyone up, it could be very troublesome."
Hirata accurately pinpointed Ryuuen's fear of getting caught in a human wave tactic and tried to mislead Ryuuen with words, making him believe that there were people in all the tents behind him.
"Hahahaha, Hirata, you're adorably foolish. Originally, I was a bit apprehensive about your Class D having strength in numbers, but it seems those tents are all empty, aren't they? No… I should say the entire Class D is empty right now, right? It's hard for you to put on a brave front in front of me."
Ryuuen laughed arrogantly.
There was no reaction from the tents, which indirectly confirmed that Ryuuen's guess was correct.
"How do you know the tents are empty?"
Hirata-san warily adopted a defensive stance.
An inexplicable sense of crisis arose within him.
This feeling prompted him to prepare in advance for a violent attack from the opponent.
"If it were me, facing an unfavorable situation, I'd scream loud enough to wake everyone up to help me. But you said not to disturb them? Isn't that like proclaiming 'no silver here, three hundred taels'? And judging by your overreaction, could it be that D Class's main force happens to be absent right now?"
Ryuuen showed a cruel smile.
He raised a hand, gesturing to Albert beside him.
"Deal with him."
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