"Everyone, we're back!"
"Hey there~!"
Around 4:00 PM, we finally heard the returning voices of Mori and Satou. With them were the rest of the group members; Horikita, Matsushita, Makida, and Kikuchi.
"We have good news. It really was a spring. We should be able to drink this water," announced Matsushita.
"Oh yeah! I told you it was clean." Ike pumped his fist in the air.
"The terrain was pretty tough on some parts, but it should be pretty easy to go there again. Horikita-san said that a spot might be hidden somewhere," said Makida as he approached me. "We found some food on the way. We're not sure if all of them are edible, though."
They tried to hand me a bunch of fruits.
"Please give them to Ike. He can evaluate whether they're good or not," I replied.
From a short distance, I heard Makida and Kikuchi engage in a spirited conversation with Ike and the rest of his group. It's rare to see the mature Kikuchi look so enthusiastic.
"Oh, that's some good stuff you got there! Well, as a rule of thumb, we should avoid white and yellow berries..." Ike started picking out the appropriate fruits one by one. He really was knowledgeable about them.
"Ike-kun's been such a huge help, isn't he?"
"He hasn't been obnoxious for a while."
"To be honest, he's looked really cool ever since he took the lead in a lot of things."
The girls on the opposite side of the camp started murmuring about Ike in a very positive light.
"Ayanokouji-kun, can I have a moment with you?" asked Horikita.
"Sure," I replied before facing Hirata and the rest. "Can you fill in the rest about what we just talked about earlier?"
"Okay," nodded Hirata. "Mori-san, Matsushita-san, Satou-san, Kikuchi-kun, and Makida-kun, can you listen to us for a second?"
The other five were called out to the girls' area of the camp.
Horikita and I sat near the boys' tents. We didn't have any logs to sit on, but we found some large tree branches that can act as alternatives. After telling her about the things I'd laid out earlier, it was finally her turn to report their findings.
"You've heard it from Makida-kun earlier. The river shifts from northeast to straight north before going northwest. The main reason why water was running towards the south was due to the source's elevation. It's above a hill with a pretty tall cliff at the end. The northern beach can be seen beyond it. We've left marks as you've instructed. We can head there again tomorrow if you want," she narrated.
"I see... Good job on that." I took out a piece of paper that and a ballpoint pen as I listened to her descriptions.
"This is..."
"It's what I've noted so far. The only help that the map on the manual gave me was the island's general shape."
For now, the detailed parts were the areas around our base camp and a little bit of the central area.
"You departed around two in the afternoon, right? Just how long were you running to cover this much ground...?"
I chose to ignore Horikita's question so I can explain the more important things.
"From what I've observed, the terrain and tallgrass patches that are scattered around the island serve as clues as to where some key locations are."
"Tallgrass? I see... Then, I'm a bit curious about this. It's right next to a tallgrass according to your map." Horikita pointed at a marked location. "It's leaning near the west-side of the island. What did you find there?"
"Corn."
"Really?"
"It's man-made cultivation, too. That says a lot about how this island is structured."
"So it really was the case. I've noticed that too. The paths were deliberately laid down so people would rarely get lost during the day... But as expected, their purpose isn't solely about helping us."
"Yeah. Because the paths are already laid down before us, the thought of randomly heading into another direction disappears. The unusual yet natural terrain along with the wall of tallgrass was carefully worked around on so that the spots can be easily missed by the people passing through."
"Of course, there are exceptions like this river where the spot was conspicuously placed," she said.
I looked at Horikita, who was focused on my impromptu map.
"Are you okay, Horikita? How are you feeling?"
Surprised by my sudden question, Horikita softly cleared her throat before responding.
"If you're talking about my fever, then it's still there, unfortunately. But you don't need to worry. Chabashira-sensei didn't confiscate the medicine we bought so I can still take them regularly."
She didn't confiscate them? I guess it's not against the rules as long as it's already a part of our luggage.
Or maybe...
"I see. I wanted you to be a part of the search party with me, but if you're unable to, then I wouldn't want to force you."
"I'll be okay. Please let me join the group."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it, Horikita."
Finally, Horikita and I decided on the other group members for the search party. They'll be Okitani, Makida, Onodera, and Matushita. The fewer people involved, the better. However, I have to consider that the other classes will look out for our leader once they encounter anyone in the class. If they find out that our group's purpose isn't just recon, but also spot occupation, then their choices will be instantly narrowed down to whoever was present. Six people shouldn't be too bad. I also have to take their physique into account. Any guy should be fine as long as they're not Ijuuin or Professor. For the girls, Onodera was easily the most athletic of the bunch. I chose Horikita and Matsushita for their overall qualities in terms of quick-thinking and athleticism.
Kikyou, Yokoyama, or Shinohara were plausible choices, but they can help out in other places.
After giving them a small rundown of my plans, we decided to help out in the base camp for the rest of the day.
1st Day, 5:57 PM
"Alright, can I ask you guys to find some tree branches? It'd be great if you can bring smaller ones." Ike instructed us.
"Alright, Ike-kun," nodded Hirata. "Let's make two groups of four and find some. One will be led by me and the other will be led by Ayanokouji-kun."
My group consisted of Horikita, Professor, and Ichihashi. We explored the southern part of our camp where Kikyou's group and my friends looked for food. Of course, we saw the marks they left behind, indicating that they've traveled in this area.
Meanwhile, Hirata's group explored the western area of our base.
We were considerably near the camp and even though it was almost 6:00 PM, a bit of sunlight still illuminated the island. After all, it was the summer season.
Our group collected a bunch of small wood branches and dried leaves.
"This exam really isn't for me and Wataru-dono. It is quite hard to move around so we cannot demonstrate the true extent of our powers. You've also noticed our struggle, haven't you, Ayanokouji-dono?" Professor said as he fixed up his glasses.
Like Professor, Ijuuin also volunteered to help with the search and joined Hirata's group.
"It's fine. As long as you do what you can in the base camp, it'll be enough contribution for the class."
"Surely," he nodded proudly. "Making those mats and pillows was a new and refreshing experience. I never thought I'd utilized these hands of mine for craftmanship. After all, I was born to conquer technology."
I don't know if he's referencing anything so I just stayed silent.
"Horikita-san, I'm really sorry about the misunderstanding I've brought upon you and Ayanokouji-kun. I've been trying to clear it up with everyone as fast as I can." Ichihashi took this chance and apologized to me and Horikita.
"It's alright. No harm was done to me or Ayanokouji-kun, anyway." Horikita shrugged it off after hearing that the problem was slowly getting mended.
I thought she'd be more against the rumor and would want it to be cleared up as soon as possible, but she's acting more cool-headedly than I expected.
A few minutes passed and we can already see the light from our base. The smoke looked faint, but it was barely noticeable.
"It seems like Hirata-kun's group has returned first," said Ichihashi.
"At least we'll be able to head back quickly even if it's already quite dark," added Horikita.
After judging that our loot was enough, the four of us decided to return. As we turned around, a familiar voice called out to us.
"Oh, is that you, Horikita-san, Ichihashi-san? Sotomura-kun and Kiyotaka-kun, too!"
Kikyou called out to us from a distance. With her were Ishikura, Onodera, Nishimura, Inogashira, and my friends from the Ayanokouji Group.
"Ya-ho~! We're back Kiyopon!" yelled Haruka.
"Welcome back, Kushida-san and the rest of you! We were asked to get some leaves and branches for the campfire," greeted Ichihashi.
"Ohh, so it really was a campfire. I thought we were about to get lost because the sun was already down. The light from our base camp helped guide us back," Kikyou replied with a smile.
"Ken, are you alright?" I asked the most haggard-looking guy in the group.
"U-Ugh... Yeah... I just... need to... use the toilet..." he replied with an expression of suffering.
"This idiot ate some sort of weird berry. His stomach started acting up later on." Akito explained to me with a shrug.
"It's just the usual idiot Kencchin, I guess," Haruka commented while shaking her head.
When our big group got back, the rest of the class received us with joy. Everyone gathered around a simple campfire that was skillfully made by Ike and the others.
"They're back!"
"Kushida-san!"
"Oh! You've got tons of stuff with you, Kushida-chan!"
Ken bolted towards the temporary toilet. The rest of the class readied everything for our supper later in the evening.
Meanwhile, Hirata approached me with a guilty expression.
"Ayanokouji-kun... There's something I'd like to tell you..." Hirata turned in a certain direction.
It was a little bit far from the main place where our classmates stayed. There, I saw a female student leaning against a tree.
"You see, when our group was out there, we stumbled upon Ibuki-san of Class D. Her face was swollen and it was already sundown. We couldn't just leave her alone.
Ibuki Mio, of Class D...
"Did you leave a mark on where you found her?"
"Ah, yeah, I did."
"Alright, that's fine. You made the right decision, Hirata. I'm alright with having her stay here, for now."
"Great! Most of our classmates already agreed. We were willing to have a discussion if you happen to be against it, but as expected, you're really kind, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Nah, I'm just showing the bare minimum amount of human decency like all of you did. It's nothing special." I glanced in Ibuki's direction before turning back to Hirata. "Of course, it's also possible for her to be a spy."
"You're right. That's why the talk of opposition came up," he nodded, looking somber.
Hirata and I approached Ibuki. I wonder how she wound up in that place. Was Class D's base camp near? If so, I would've noticed their presence when I was scouting out the area earlier, or did they just arrive recently?
"Ibuki-san, how are you? Is everything alright?"
"I'm okay. You don't need to bother with me."
"It's fine. You're welcome here."
"What are you saying, Hirata? I'm in Class D. I'm your enemy."
"It's fine, really. We're all students of the same school. And we can't just leave you there in the darkness. You're also injured-- maybe we can help."
"What the hell...?"
Hirata's kindness overwhelmed Ibuki's aloof attitude. I feel you, Ibuki.
"Well, it seems like you already know each other. I'm Ayanokouji, by the way." I tried to be casual and friendly, but Ibuki responded with a sharp glare.
"I know who you are. That bastard won't stop talking about you and a girl named Horikita," she spat indignantly.
"That bastard? Are you talking about Ryuuen?" I asked.
"Who else would it be?"
"Is that injury of yours related to him?"
"That's none of your business."
Hmm... I couldn't really infer anything else other than her blatant dislike for Ryuuen. To be honest, I can't tell if she's acting or genuinely hating on him. If it's the former, then we have to be on extra high alert.
Ryuuen challenged us head-on after the contract signing. I'm curious to see how he's planning to beat us this time.
"Well, why don't you join us for a meal later?" asked Hirata.
"You just don't understand, do you? I'm a Class D student. I might be a spy." Ibuki glared at Hirata, looking at him straight in the eyes. She stood up and planned to leave.
"Wait, Ibuki-san. If you really were a spy, then you wouldn't want to leave, right?"
"I'll get chased away eventually. It doesn't matter if I leave now or later. I need to find a place to sleep."
"It's dangerous." Hirata shook his head. "Class B has its doubts, but after I convince them, I'm sure everyone will let you stay without a problem."
"You'll gain nothing by helping me."
"It's not about gains or losses, Ibuki-san. We want to help you if you can't return to your class tonight." At that moment, Hirata turned to me and asked a favor. "Ayanokouji-kun, can you please watch Ibuki-san for a bit? I'll talk to everyone about her."
And with that, Ibuki was left sitting there with me.
"He's a really nice guy, isn't he?" I started the conversation.
"Nice? Well, yeah, I guess. But he's also naive." Ibuki still looked displeased.
"Do you not want to talk about your injury?"
"This is nothing. Just a minor swollen cheek."
"If it was a fight between girls, then it must've been pretty wild."
"Tch..." Ibuki didn't really respond. 'Seems like it's quite the sensitive topic for her.
Hirata arrived shortly. He told us that the whole class agreed to let her stay. Of course, Kikyou backed him up at the forefront to convince everyone.
With a slightly awkward and despondent expression, Ibuki reluctantly stayed with Class B for the night.
"What's with this class...?" she muttered.
8:00 PM finally arrived. Chabashira-sensei held the roll call without any problems. At that moment, Kikyou noticed something odd.
"Sensei... You said that we have complete attendance, but where's Kouenji-kun?"
Because of his low presence and utter lack of involvement, everyone just noticed Kouenji's absence the moment Kikyou mentioned his name.
"Ah, Kouenji, huh? If you're curious about him, he decided to retire a while ago saying that he was feeling unwell. Of course, your class will be penalized by 30 points." Chabashira-sensei spoke loudly and clearly. It was so sudden that the class turned completely silent for a brief second, probably to process what they just heard.
"What?!"
"He retired?!"
"30 points will be gone just like that?!"
"Kouenji, you bastard!"
The whole class made quite an uproar. Hirata and I expected this already. This time, he resolved himself to preserve the class's morale despite this disaster.
"Everyone, I know it's unfortunate that Kouenji-kun has retired, but please calm down. As long we do everything consistently, we can earn those points back up."
"I agree with Hirata-kun. 30 points seems a lot, but if we spend our remaining points prudently, I think we'll be okay," Kikyou added her own words of reassurance.
"As long we have Hirata-kun and Ayanokouji-kun taking the lead, I'm sure we'll be fine," Karuizawa commented with a shrug.
It didn't take long until Class B gained its cool.
"Dang... That's 92 points taken from our 300."
"Kouenji-kun probably didn't even feel unwell..."
Some of them were still downtrodden, but it's not like there's anything we can do.
After moving on from Kouenji's matter of retirement, it was finally time to eat.
Using the second-tier Cookware purchase that includes gas, some of our classmates prepared the food. The group that was tasked to boil river water earlier had prepared enough to hydrate the whole class. They used the gas canisters from the cookware set to heat everything up. With unlimited refills, buying the second-tier cookware set was really worth it. Ike and some of the guys who were possessed by their outdoorsy spirits chose to use the bonfire to grill some fish.
Even after our greatest efforts to find lots of food, we were barely able to feed the entire class without buying the meal set.
"Unless we find more food sources, we might need to spend those 10 points more than once," I said.
"That seems to be the case. We have 208 points left. As long everyone works hard, buying one meal set a day should be enough. If we can hold off on the last day, we'll be left with 158 points by the end," mused Hirata.
As long as everyone works hard, that is. Hirata would need to put in the effort to keep everyone's mental state as high as possible. That's his job.
As soon as she finished the roll call, Chabashira-sensei left us to our own devices. Hirata, Horikita, and I were allowed to follow Chabashira-sensei all the way to her special tent with the purpose of familiarizing the path. It wasn't too far from our base camp and the way was quite easy to remember.
When the three of us returned, everyone was just about ready to hit the sack.
"Alright, Ayanokouji-kun. You should be quite tired for the day. We'll be in charge of the night watch so you can go ahead and get some rest."
It seems like I was assigned for tomorrow's night watch. I actually planned to wake up early tomorrow. Getting a good amount of sleep should be pretty nice.
"I see. I'll be heading inside the tent now. Be careful out here, Hirata."
"Yeah, thanks for today."
When I got inside the main tent for the boys, Ken, Makida, and Onizuka were already sleeping. The other guys were also resting inside the other tents. Of course, most of the girls were the same. Meanwhile, a handful of our classmates were hanging out by the bonfire.
As I laid on top of our vinyl mats, it finally dawned in on me that we'll be living on this deserted island for a week.
I'm Class B's leader. Like Hirata, I have my own responsibilities. As someone who dislikes trouble, I can't say I'm fond of my position on a personal level, but if I wanted to test myself, I need to accept the side effects of showcasing my abilities.
It's alright. Once we reach Class A, this so-called "Self-Test" will finally come to an end. At that point, I can focus solely on enjoying my high school life to the fullest. Maybe doing that can answer some of the questions I have regarding this society, regarding this world...
Maybe I can also answer some questions regarding myself. Myself? Maybe it's more appropriate to say something like "This person".
At this point, I don't even know if I'm acting like my real self. I don't even know who or what my real self is. My only choice is to keep playing the person I am now.
The school, my classmates, the people I consider friends-- Hopefully, they can help me find some answers...