Chapter 122: The Actions of Ryuen's Class! Ibuki!
Was Hikigaya thinking about something?
Indeed, Hachiman was deep in thought.
With 20 bases already secured, it was certain that by the end of the exam, their base points would exceed 300.
This meant that their class had already secured a minimum of 300+ points.
As for the rule stating that if the leader's identity was guessed, the base points would become invalid and penalties would be applied—there was no need to worry. The initial points had already been spent, and besides, Hachiman believed that Koenji could handle it.
However—
While their class's leader and base points were safe, what about the other classes?
After all—
This exam carried a significant point value, and there was a lot of room for strategic maneuvering.
Although Class C had secured at least 300 points, Hachiman still wanted to increase their score further. Considering Horikita's condition and the discipline of their classmates, they had wisely spent all their points before any deductions could take place.
But reducing the gap between classes wasn't just about gaining points—it was also about taking points from other classes, effectively doubling the advantage.
That's why the "guess the leader" phase was worth paying attention to.
If they could correctly identify the leader of another class, they could take 50 points from them.
That meant a -50 for the opposing class and a +50 for their own, effectively shifting the score gap by 100 points.
If a class's leader was guessed by just one opponent, they would lose 50 points. But what if three classes managed to guess the leader's identity?
That would result in a loss of 50×3 = 150 points.
Thanks to Koenji's actions, the other classes had likely only secured one or two bases, meaning their base points were negligible.
However, by conserving their resources on the island, they could still have over 100 initial points left.
That meant the "guess the leader" phase was a prime opportunity to attack the other classes.
And right now—
Horikita was looking at him, as if she wanted to ask something.
But—
Please take care of your own health first, Horikita.
When Hachiman looked through the supply exchange manual, he also saw the rule that a leader could not be changed without reason.
However, according to Koenji, if a valid reason existed, the leader could indeed be switched.
For example, someone like Horikita Suzune—if she was chosen as the leader and then withdrew due to illness, the class could appoint a replacement.
Since illness was considered an uncontrollable factor, if they had initially designated Horikita as the leader, even if her identity was exposed, they could use her illness as a valid reason to swap leaders.
And in the process, they could even set a trap for the other classes.
The only issue was that Horikita was currently in a weakened state. Making her run around in this condition was obviously unrealistic—and, frankly, not very gentlemanly.
So this foolproof plan was immediately discarded by Hachiman as soon as it surfaced in his mind.
For now, he decided to wait a little and see if there would be a chance to contact Ryuen.
After all, Hachiman didn't think his classmates would be able to directly obtain information on Class A's leader.
However, the act Ryuen put on back on the cruise ship—creating the illusion that his classmates didn't get along with him—might prove useful now.
—
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ryuen had already started taking action.
They had no bases, but that didn't hinder their plans.
Since they had already traded their initial 300 points to Class A in exchange for supplies, they were now freely occupying one of Class C's bases.
After all, nobody was using this base.
Ryuen sought out Ibuki alone.
"So, what do you want with me?"
In the forest, Ryuen frowned slightly as he looked at the girl before him. His tone was stern, with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"You've already squandered all of our class's initial points."
"Squandered? I used our initial points to secure you guys a stable meal ticket," Ryuen retorted.
"But didn't you only give us half of the points?"
"So, you basically pocketed the other half, didn't you?" Ibuki accused.
She stared at Ryuen, her eyes filled with both suspicion and irritation.
On the cruise ship, Ibuki's hostility toward Ryuen had been an act, but in truth, she also wasn't happy about his apparent embezzlement.
"Foolish!" Ryuen scoffed. "First of all, I was the one who came up with the idea of having Class A pay for our initial points. And secondly—"
"As the one who executed the plan, isn't it only fair that I take a cut of the profits?"
"Or do you pigs actually think you could've come up with this yourselves?" Ryuen sneered. "Enough chatter. The plan for this exam is set."
"For starters, Class A has taken our initial points, ensuring we'll have enough living expenses going forward."
"So as long as we secure this part, we've already won this exam."
"Next is our deal with Class A: we need to obtain information on the leaders of the other classes."
"You and Kaneda will proceed with the original plan—go and gather intelligence on the leaders of Class B and Class C," Ryuen ordered.
"…" Ibuki remained silent.
She had nothing to say about this. In fact, she had expected that Ryuen would need her for this kind of mission, which was why he staged the bitter act with her back on the cruise ship.
And now, it was time to put that act to use.
"The rest of the students will return to the cruise ship," Ryuen continued. "I will remain on the island. Once you obtain the information on the other classes' leaders, bring me solid evidence."
"Even though our class's initial points have dropped to zero, that doesn't mean we can't participate in the 'guess the leader' phase."
"If I can correctly identify the leaders of three classes—including Katsuragi's Class A—we will gain a total of 50×3 = 150 points."
"If there's an opportunity to earn points, why wouldn't we take it?" Ryuen smirked.
"Wait, we can guess Class A's leader too?" Ibuki was surprised.
After all, wasn't Ryuen working with Class A?
Yet now he was planning to target his supposed ally.
"Foolish. Nowhere in my agreement with Katsuragi does it say that I can't guess their leader's identity," Ryuen chuckled. "That means we can exploit Katsuragi a little."
"At the same time, I'll be sending you to infiltrate Class C—Horikita Suzune's, Kushida's, and Hikigaya's class."
"They've claimed a ridiculous number of bases, and if we don't mess up their base points, I won't be satisfied. Given how many bases they've taken, they're definitely being extra cautious about protecting their leader's identity."
"So, Ibuki, this mission is tough. Only you can handle it. Understood?" Ryuen said.
For this mission, the spies being sent were Kaneda and Ibuki.
Kaneda was academically strong and sharp, but Ryuen believed Ibuki was more suited for this type of work. He had high expectations for her.
"Understood," Ibuki replied.
Ibuki was physically strong for a girl, but her academic ability was poor—and, frankly, she wasn't the sharpest either.
However, she knew that if she wanted to rise to Class A and graduate as part of Class A, she couldn't rely on herself alone.
Only Ryuen could lead them to the top.
"Then go bring Kaneda over," Ryuen commanded. "If we're going to infiltrate other classes as spies, we need to make it look convincing."
"So let me rough you guys up a little. Back when I recruited you, I got injured too. Now it's payback time."
"…" Ibuki.
And so—
Ryuen's class moved into action.
—
Meanwhile, Class C was also making their own moves.
That evening, when Koenji returned from securing bases, he shared an interesting piece of information.
One of the bases he had claimed earlier in the morning had been taken by Class B.
Apparently, Class B's students had been lurking nearby, waiting for the eight-hour claim period to expire before immediately reclaiming it.
The base they had taken was located near a small vegetable plot.
Some students who had exchanged points for a frying pan in hopes of stir-frying vegetables were a little disappointed.
However—
Since Ichinose's reputation was so good, a significant portion of the class actually didn't mind that her group had taken the base.
"Everyone!"
At that moment, Hirata had begun recruiting students for some additional tasks.
"Our tents are set up, but it'll be nighttime soon."
"Considering that we're on an island, staying warm is important. We need to gather some firewood for the night," Hirata explained.
With their home base secured and all supplies transported, it was time to focus on setting up camp.
For people like Hachiman, Horikita, and even Kushida, who had borrowed related books beforehand, this wasn't too difficult.
But they also hadn't forgotten that their class had someone particularly skilled at camping—Ike Kanji.
So, when it was time to set up the tents, they flattered Ike a bit, and he happily got to work.
With his help, they managed to set up the two tents provided by the school and the two additional ones they exchanged for points.
Because of this, Hachiman had been getting a lot of cold stares from Horikita Suzune all afternoon.
She had clearly noticed that he was slacking off.
However—
"Hey, everyone..."
"For those willing to gather firewood, please raise your hands. It's best to form small teams of two or three," Hirata said. "I walked through a forested area this afternoon and saw a snake, but don't worry, it was non-venomous."
If Hirata hadn't mentioned the snake, things might have been fine. But as soon as he brought it up, some students—who had initially been excited about the camping experience—immediately put their hands down.
The situation worsened to the point where, even after five minutes of recruiting, Hirata still couldn't gather ten people willing to help.
"Ugh." Life was hard.
Horikita sighed.
The students of Class C really needed to be coaxed and tricked into doing anything. Relying on their own initiative was hopeless.
So, she raised her hand.
Seeing this, Hachiman hesitated for a moment before raising his hand as well.
"Ah, thank you, Horikita-san, Hikigaya-san!" Hirata was relieved to at least form two small groups.
"So... anyone else willing to help gather firewood?" He looked around, hoping for one more volunteer.
But unfortunately, most of the class avoided his gaze.
After all, gathering firewood wasn't exactly fun, and besides, joining Horikita and Hikigaya's group?
Seriously.
It was bad enough watching their chemistry in the classroom.
Now they had to witness it on the island too?
Too much.
"Um... if—"
In the corner, a timid voice spoke up.
It belonged to a girl with dusty pink twin tails and plain glasses—someone easily overlooked. She seemed to be trying to work up the courage to volunteer.
But her voice was too soft, and Hirata, standing further away, didn't hear her.
Hachiman, however, immediately recognized her.
Sakura.
Wait, Sakura was this shy, and yet she was volunteering for labor?
Just as he was wondering about this, he noticed her shrink back.
She didn't speak again.
Ah.
She had used up all her courage.
It was a little disappointing that she didn't join, but working with Horikita wasn't too bad either.
That said—
Hachiman knew about her condition.
Why was she forcing herself to help out? Was she really that kindhearted?
Hachiman didn't think so. Maybe she wanted to talk to him about something.
With that in mind, he and Horikita followed the firewood-gathering group towards the southwest, where a dense forest awaited them.
Finding branches was the easy part.
"This island… we still don't know how wild it really is, or what dangers might be lurking," Horikita commented.
Perhaps because there were others around, Horikita, despite not feeling well, was still making an effort to act normal.
"You mean the snake?" Hachiman asked.
"Not just that. Haven't you noticed? The trees here are quite large, meaning the island's ecosystem is well-preserved. That means dangerous animals could be present," she said, pressing her left hand on her right elbow.
It might have been rude to think so, but a slightly sick Horikita was actually even cuter.
However—
"No, I disagree with you," Hachiman said. "Look at these wristbands we're wearing. They have GPS and various sensors. And don't forget, the school loves its surveillance. There are probably cameras all over the island. It's unlikely they'd let students get into serious trouble."
"I see." Horikita nodded.
Hachiman continued, "By the way, are you afraid of snakes?"
"Not at all," she replied calmly. "Our family restaurant serves dishes made from snake meat. I've been around them since I was young, so I'm not scared."
Oh.
That's impressive.
Meanwhile, Hachiman wasn't fond of snakes at all.
Just then—
"Snake—snake—there's a snake!"
A girl suddenly screamed.
The students gathering firewood scattered in all directions.
Most of them were clearly terrified.
"Why the hell is there a snake?!"
Even Sudo, part of the firewood-gathering team, quickly backed away.
"..."
Seriously? Even the tough guys were scared of a little snake?
Hachiman was about to comment when he suddenly froze.
Something was moving in the grass near his right foot.
Then, in an instant, a snake's head popped out.
"Horikita!"
It all happened too fast—the snake coiled around his left ankle.
It would probably strike any second now.
Crap.
Just earlier, he had deliberately spent all his points to ensure Horikita could stay comfortable, thinking it was a gentlemanly act.
And now?
He was about to get bitten and eliminated from the exam?
As he braced himself, he suddenly saw Horikita move.
Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed the snake at its seven-inch mark.
Before it could react, she casually tossed it away as if it were a piece of trash.
What?!
For a moment, Horikita's cuteness and reliability skyrocketed.
Hikigaya Hachiman felt an overwhelming sense of security.