Ayanokouji POV
The day has finally come, the start of the island exam, and another class conflict I have to get involved with. Although Horikita is supremely confident with her ability, it would be best if I keep an eye on her from afar. I still have to keep tabs on Class-C as well, and their eccentric and cruel leader. I'll start moving along as soon as I can, but I guess for now, I will enjoy the warm sun on the deck of the ship. It sure is surprising though, to think they'd rent out a cruise ship just for the use of the staff and students. The rest of the students seem to like enjoying themselves and the luxuries on the ship, prolonging the inevitable reality of school just a little longer.
"The sun is nice, sure is a shame we have to deal with this annoying exam, right Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Yes, everyone's cooperation will be necessary if we want to get at the top of this exam, we'll need to do our best to catch up with the other classes"
As the cruise ship arrives at our destination, we continue to wait as the ship takes a few rounds around the island, it would be a fine opportunity to scout out this place in the meantime. The students are gathered at one place and we all seem to be complete. However, Horikita doesn't seem to be present, though after a while I see her walking sluggishly towards our side of the class. I head down to check on her and see if everything is alright.
"A little late, aren't we? What happened to all of that motivation from the last time we met?"
"I was just reading a book and had to return it to its proper place, I don't find little gatherings with our classmates useful"
"For someone who's reading a book, your hair and uniform sure is messy" Horikita's eyes widen a bit but she quickly fixes herself.
Some time passes and we eventually head down to the beach and receive instructions for the exam. While the entire class is attentive, Horikita again seems to be having trouble and looking tired. This might be a precursor to something more troublesome, so I'll monitor her as well. The class eventually starts heading out looking for a spot to settle down. We eventually do find a convenient spot by the river, and the class agrees to set camp here. Almost as soon as we stop, conflict quickly came up with the placement of the tents. The boys and the girls are separated by conflict of interests, but Hirata was able to calm everyone down for the mean time, what a reliable guy. Looking again, Horikita was just at the corner this time, remaining quietly. I expected her to take action and insert herself as a semi leader here, but she still didn't do anything.
We eventually got to settle down and start working on improving the condition of our base. Horikita had been designated as the holder of our class's card, so she stayed in one of the tents to rest. Hirata had started to designate tasks, and so far the flow of work has been smooth. Fortunately, Yukimura and Karuizawa had cooled down after their little quarrel about how they should handle the points. I decided to go out and contribute so that I don't get left out, I also wanted to scout out the area and try making contact with the other classes. I'll have Kushida come along with me for that.
"Ok, now that the tents are set, we should start working around making this place clean. Could I ask some of you to start clearing more ground around us?" Hirata asked the class
A few hands were raised after Ike enthusiastically raised his hand to start helping. It seems his energy is infectious, either that or they didn't want to be outdone by the class clown. Sudou and Yamauchi decided to tag along with Ike, so it's good to see those 2 be productive.
"Now for searching the area for dry firewood, I'd like to ask some volunteers"
I look for Kushida in the camp and eye her while making a gesture to raise her hand. She noticed me and immediately gave me a pout, but she complied and raised her hands anyways. Sakura raised her hand as well and this prompts Yamauchi to tag along. Horikita is still in her test resting around this time, and I'll leave her there in case I need her to do something for me.
We set out as a group of 4, or rather, 5 now with Kushida, Sakura, Yamauchi, myself, and Koenji to head out into the forest. This was a good time to scout out the area around as well so I run up ahead to check out what was in front of us, but I'll have to go deeper into the forest for this. I tell the group that I intend to go deeper and explore this place, and unsurprisingly, Koenji is gone as soon as he tagged along with us. According to Kushida he was babbling about beauty and how the forest was like his natural habitat or something before disappearing into the canopy and swinging into the vines like a certain western character.
"Man, that Koenji sure is unhinged. Always doing as he pleases without taking us into consideration" Yamauchi says while sighing deeply.
"I suppose we can't do anything about that now, so let's continue to gather wood while Ayanokouji goes on ahead of us" Kushida says to the pair with her.
Sakura remains timid, but looks a bit disappointed with how the group turned out. I ask Kushida to come with me after we finish gathering wood, and that we would leave returning the wood and telling Hirata about my intentions to the 2. I feel a bit bad leaving Sakura with Yamauchi who will most likely pester her a bit, but I'm sure he won't do too much.
I start to walk deeper and follow a small trail on the forest floor with Kushida who follows behind me closely.
"So, are you going to give me my next errand now?" Kushida asks in a flat tone.
"No, I just want company while I look around"
"I didn't think you were the type to get lonely, but where are we heading off anyways? Got a place in mind?"
"There are a few places I'd like to check that caught my attention while we were circling around the island"
"I see, as for your latest command your majesty?" She says sarcastically.
"When we get back for dinner, I want you to dirty Horikita's clothes by accident. Around enough to make her want to take a bath and change"
"Oi oi what kind of perverted plot are you putting me up to?" She says while exaggerating her disgust.
"I assure you, it's for the sake of victory"
"I hope that's all there is to i-"
Before she could finish speaking, I grab her quickly and bring her down with me to a large trunk. As Kushida was talking, I had already spotted Class-A students from over the forest line. It looked like Katsuragi and his companion Yahiko were with him, so they must have found a spot. Kushida squirmed a bit in my arms but quickly realized that I was hiding us from someone so she tried to stay as quiet as possible. Katsuragi was observing the areafor any eavesdroppers from other classes, while showing his card as he passed it to Yahiko. It was a bit strange for someone as careful as him to show something that important.
After claiming this area, they had left hurriedly, probably off to claim another spot.
"Seems like the coast is clear, we should-" I look down at Kushida who was curled up like a small animal in between my legs, and she looks a bit uncomfortable. I quickly let go and help her get up from the ground.
"Sorry about that"
"It's fine, I caught on pretty quickly and stayed silent. What class was it?"
"Class-A, and it was Katsuragi and Yahiko. It looked like they found a spot"
"I'm guessing they already claimed it?"
"Yeah, they had a card with them. Let's check it out either way. We don't know how the devices for the capture point look, so it would be wise to see for ourselves"
I start walking out of the tree line withKushida and head in the cave. It happened to have a little sheet covering the front and the machine at the back of it. So it looks like we just have to swipe our cards in it or something, though we won't be able to take it now that Class-A got it first. After a little bit more of exploring, we find ourselves at Class-C's camp. And it is nothing like we expected it to be. They're all partying and wasting their points so carelessly. They look like they don't even know an exam is going on and are on vacation, with boys and girls playing in the water and just having a good time.
"Well well, if you'd look at that, a bunch of Class-D dogs" Ryuuen seems to be having a great time sipping a cold drink under an umbrella planted into the ground.
"Ayanokouji and Kushida huh? What an unusual pair" Kushida stands guard behind me as a few Class-C students eye us from afar.
"I could say that your class is even more unusual, Ryuuen"
"What could you possibly mean, we're just having a bit of fun. It would be a waste not to enjoy the beautiful sun, don't you think?"
"Even thought an exam is going on, and that you have the chance to raise you class standing. It's careless whatever it is you are doing"
"I know exactly what I'm doing, and aren't you supposed to be sticking to that Suzune like a good errand boy?" He pulls his sunglasses off and looks to Kushida, then to me, and then to Kushida again.
"Or did you possibly bring this chick here for me to fool around with. Is she for a favor you want to ask of me?"
Although she was quite, even Kushida had a hard time hiding her contempt and playing it off.
"Well, my questions were pointless, but this 0 point strategy seems interesting"
I leave with Kushida and head back to the camp. It seems like Class-C will be doing their own thing, and the result of whatever their leader intends will be clear to see once this exam is over.
"I was wondering where you were, but I'm surprised that you decided to help out" Horikita says, looking like she just got up from rest.
"I just wanted to be able to say that I did my part. Better now than to get called out for it later"
"I see, of course you would be doing things half heartedly"
"Also, I can't help but notice..."
"Yes, and it seems like she's going to stay with us"
While Kushida and I were away, our class decided to welcome another student from a different camp. It was Ibuki Mio from Class-C. It looked like she got kicked out from her own camp, maybe some kind of disagreement with their leader. I expected there would still be friction between Ryuen and Class-C, so she might have been used as an example for those who disobey him. Either that, or for some other reason, but her cheek is a bit swollen, so the class probably put the pieces together and wanted to help her.
"I'm a bit suspicious of her. We can't just be welcoming other students into our camp freely"
"I agree, but the popular opinion is to help her out, so we'll just have to put up with it for now"
As night fell, our class is able to get through without much problem. Ibuki wasn't exactly a problem for an extra mouth to feed since Ike was able to work his magic and catch some fish by the river, although we still had to buy food with our points. Horikita hasn't done much either today, but it looks like she isn't getting much better. Around this time at night, everyone was asleep so I decided to leave my tent and walk around a bit. Looking around, I noticed a nearby tree with traces of having something buried.
"Oh, what might this be?"
.
.
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(The Next Day)
I was sleeping soundly until just moments ago when I hear a few girls scream.
"Aaahh!!!"
"H-huh?" The boys around me start to get up after hearing a sharp shriek.
We started leaving the tent slowly, and had gotten up to the sight of some angry girls glaring at us from our tents, and a teary Karuizawa who was being comforted by a few girls around her.
"H-hey, what's going on?" Ike asks
"One of you perverts stole Kei's underwear. There's a panty thief among you!" Shinohara replies, shouting from their side.
"What?! We didn't touch anyone's stuff over there!" Yamauchi was quick to refute their accusations, and a heated argument ensued. A few insults and a back and forth between the two sides
"It doesn't matter what you say, we know someone took it because it went missing. Our bags were laying close to our tents so someone could have snuck up and took them last night" Shinohara says, intending to be firm on her stance.
"That's right, we'll do a search in your belongings" One of the girls added
"What? That's an invasion of privacy!" Sudou and a few boys yell on our side.
"Oh, then does that mean you are hiding something?" one of the girls shoot back.
"Tch, fine, go ahead and look. You won't find anything"
Everyone eventually agreed on the search, but on the condition that Hirata would do it for us. The search eventually continued, and Ike found Karuizawa's panty in his bag. His friends noticed it but he quickly denied that he didn't take it. We eventually had to move forward to show what we have to Hirata, but he quickly dumped the underwear to me, and he had an apologetic face as if asking for my forgiveness for doing this. Sigh, I guess this is how I go out. With a girl's panties in my pocket, and my dignity along with it.
I go forward and, as Hirata feels up my pockets, he feels the lump of cloth in one of them.
"Ayanokouji...did you really-?" His face showed a bit of shock and disbelief.
"It is with me, but I didn't take it from her" Hirata seemed a bit distressed, but he made his decision.
"...Alright, I trust what you say. Ayanokouji-kun isn't that type of guy, right?"
Surprisingly, Hirata went with my story and told the girls that they didn't find anything. Despite Hirata speaking on our behalf, the girls were still suspicious of us and demanded that our camps be separated. It was worthless idea to waste energy instead of doing something more productive, like sniffing out the actually culprit, or put that energy for finding spots to increase our points.
I had already gone with Hirata to return the stolen undergarments to their tent and eventually saw that they had actually been secretly spending our points despite trying to save it for the class. Instead of consulting the entire class, they just went and asked Hirata since he'd be troubled to say no to so many people.
As the class separated with their bickering, I notice that Ibuki was still at the edge of the camp, probably not wanting to get any attention. Even so, they wouldn't put any suspicions on her because she wouldn't have any motive to steal Karuizawa's underwear as a girl, but it's that fact that they should have considered. She is from a different class after all. Even if she didn't like her class, she probably wouldn't mind putting down another to make her class more comfortable for herself, and that would mean sabotaging us as a spy.
I walk over to Ibuki and sit next to her while trying to make small talk.
"You seem very relaxed considering that your class is tearing itself apart over someone's missing underwear"
"Well, we still have a long way to handle this maturely"
"Still, it looks like more trouble than it seems. Maybe it would be good if I leave before I trouble your class"
"I don't think that would be necessary"
"Even though I'm from a different class?"
"Well, I don't think someone like Ibuki-san would do something like this" I say as I try to reassure her that she won't be any trouble.
"...You're naïve and stupid for letting another class in so comfortably" She says with her face turned away and buried to her knees.
I leave her side and head back to the camp while I look for Horikita in the mess. The class has stopped with their arguments, but there is a clear tension in the air, and a sense of distrust among the boys and girls. I eventually found Horikita at the edge of a group of girls complaining about the perverts in their class. They see me approach and get cautious while throwing a few glares at my way, but eventually stopped after seeing that I was only here for Horikita. One of the girls throw out a joke in the middle of their conversation.
"Well, I guess Ayanokouji-kun is alright since he would probably steal Horikita-san's panties than Karuizawa's"
Their group let out a few laughs before Horikita scolds them with a cold look in her eyes. Horikita gets up eventually to talk with me.
"I hope you aren't actually involved in this pathetic event" Horikita says with a little irritation in her voice still present from the other girl's comment.
"I don't know what you think of me, but even I have the decency not to do something stupid like that"
"Well, this class seems hopeless to even attempt something like this during our first special exam, not to mention how the class is handling it"
"Yes, it is unfortunate"
"I don't want anything to do with this mess, and it won't matter so long as the card is safe anyways. You can at least trust me with that"
"I don't think it's wise to leave this situation at that. It will let distrust fester, and it will be even worse in terms of getting the cooperation of the class"
"We won't need that if I just do my part and win this for our class" Horikita says this with confidence despite the condition of our class"
"Again with that attitude, I wouldn't be so sure of myself when you deal with this kind of school" I caution to Horikita again with her flawed mentality.
"Well, I'm sure this isn't the reason why you came for me, correct?"
It's clear in her voice and the expression on her face. I examine Horikita a bit more, and it seems that she won't be able keep up an energetic front. Her uniform looks a bit rough, and her breathing seems deep.
"It's not so reassuring when you claim to win this exam with that sickness of yours"
"W-what? I only need a little rest, your concern isn't necessary if this is what you came for"
I try to reach for her forehead and feel it a bit with the back of my palm, but she puts it away quickly. Despite that, even with just a little touch I could tell she was getting hot, and her eyes start to look weak and red. Horikita quickly makes her way back past the group and into one of the tents. I doubt Horikita will last any longer without having to rest for the entirety of the exam.
"Things are coming along quite quickly"
After checking on Horikita's condition, I went to look another girl in the class, whom I will need help with. I see Kushida at the side of the camp chatting and listening to her friends complain about the boys in the class. Again, this different group raise their guard against me, but Kushida recognizes I have another request to make of her and takes the initiative to approach me and excuse herself from the group.
"You didn't come to me to admit you were the pervert that stole Karuizaiwa-san's underwear, right?"
"You're the second person I heard to make another dry joke about underwear today"
"Heh, well, enough with that then. I guess you have something to ask me about?"
"Let's move somewhere else to discuss about it" I lead Kushida over to a fallen tree trunk behind the girls" side of the camp and have a seat there.
"So... It seems like Horikita won't be effective in this exam for long"
"Oh?"
"She appears to be unwell. I checked her temperature at the start of the exam with my palm, and it has only gotten worse after I checked it earlier today"
"Oh? Is she going to die soon?"
Kushida turns to me with enthusiasm that came out of nowhere, before I realized her exaggerated expression meant she was joking. Still, her beaming expression like she didn't say anything wrong would have seemed like her normal "happy" self to her classmates if they didn't hear what she just asked now.
"...I know I'm in no place to judge, but, your sense of humor is slightly demented"
"Hey, it was only a joke you know" She drops the exaggerated look but speaks with an apologetic irony in her tone.
"That's still pretty weird if you ask me"
"Since when did you get on your high horse and get to call someone else weird" Kushida says with a little pout on her mouth.
"Well, I guess I can't say anything else about that either. We're both a little messed up in the head after all" Kushida relaxes a bit on her seat leaning against me and the tree behind us.
"Before I make my request, do you have anything to report to me today?"
"I do. I didn't find any opportunity to dirty Horikita-san because she was holed up in her tent the whole time"
"Well, that's fine. I intended for her to separate her from the class card because I wanted to use it for something"
"Can't you just ask her for it if you plan to borrow it for just a bit?"
"If I told her what I was going to do with it, she wouldn't agree"
"Well, if you needed it, then I guess I can just hand it to you" She reaches into her pocket and reveals the class card with Horkita's name on it.
"!... Why do you have that with you?"
"I intended to give Horikita-san a little scare to get her out of that tent for once" She hands the card over to me. How convenient.
"So, what do you plan to do with it?"
"I'm going to give it to Ibuki"
"Hang on, what dumb plan is that?" Kushida is perplexed with what I just said.
"Well, I'm not going to exactly give it to her, but leave it conveniently where she can steal it from us"
"And where exactly is that going to get us?"
"Well, if it's not already obvious, she's actually a spy from Class-C. She brought a camera with her in a zip lock bag and buried it close to camp"
"Doesn't she just need to know the name on the card if they want to reveal it to the teachers and get the class points?"
"That would have been the normal course of action, but the fact that she brought a camera with her gave me a few ideas"
"And they are?"
"The two possibilities that I thought of are that Ryuuen wants to be perfectly sure of what his spy reports to him, meaning there isn't much trust yet in the class since he practically assumed dictatorship over Class-C. The other possibility is that there was some kind of deal being made, and that some other class is working with them to target Class-D"
"I see... this means they want proof so that cooperation between them goes smoothly"
"That's right, and if I had to throw out a guess, Ryuuen must be working with Class-A"
"That's cruel, even though we're so low and close to 0 class points, they really want to break us and make sure we can't compete" Kushida sighs thinking of all of our troubles.
"Yes, and that Class-C must be getting such a lucrative deal that it was worth forfeiting the this exam"
"I see...I should probably add that Ibuki isn't the only one of the Class-C students plotting something. I heard that Horikita-san asked some students to go check on the other classes and found a mole in Class-B, Kaneda-san specifically" I'm guessing Ryuuen had inflicted some injury on him as well.
"It looks like Class-C and A have really planned this thoroughly...I'll go find Ibuki and see if I can give her a bit of encouragement. I intend to cause an incident tomorrow once she gets the card, I want you to be the one to plant it where she can take it from us"
"Alright...Will that be all then?" Kushida asks, with a bit of expectation in her voice.
"Well...How are you holding up in the exam?" I try to meet that expectation and have some small talk before we part ways.
"The exam is alright, and conditions could have been worse. The girls actually managed to pressure Hirata-kun to buy some unnecessary things to make the girl's tents more comfortable"
"Even after making such a fuss over points and the incident with Karuizawa earlier?"
"Yes, it's a bit unfair, but I'm guessing you'll hold on ratting us since this will only further the divide in our class"
"Yeah...I think now is a good time for me to leave too"
"Alright" Kushida gets up from the log we were sitting on and starts to head back to their tents.
"Rest well, I might need you tomorrow"
"Geez, is that how you send me off? With more things to do?"
"Sorry, then would you like to share your complaints for today with me?"
"...Not...today. We can still be heard from here"
"Alright, enjoy the rest of your day then"
"Yeah, you too..." Kushida leaves this time, and immediately goes on to have some girl talk with the group earlier.
The rest of the day goes by, and both the girls' and boys' side of the camp remain separated when Hirata and I were asked to help separate the 2 sides. Kushida had returned the class ID back to Horikita, but was keen to observe Horikita the whole time to be able to take it from her tomorrow. The boys speculate, while Ike just stays on the camp and listens timidly in the discussion while avoiding my gaze the whole time. Night eventually falls, and we end our day with more problems added than solved. Ibuki is still an outside factor that the class is too oblivious to consider acting cautiously around, and they haven't made the connection of Kaneda being conveniently in another class's camp as well. I have a lot other concerns in my mind tonight, but I'll leave it to tomorrow's me to figure out. I let myself go and rest quietly.
The next day comes quickly as I find myself waking up earlier than the other boys in our tent. I decided that it would be good for me to walk around and get some stretching, and soon, get the plan I've discussed with Kushida going. More and more students have started to get out of their tents to get on with their day, and even a day later, the tension is still present with the girls and boys still not getting along with their suspicions of one another. I find myself keeping an eye out for Kushida, whom I make eye contact with to let her know to get started. The students started getting breakfast and had the class discuss how to spend their points with the current supplies and balance we had.
Breakfast had eventually finished, and as Horikita was making her way to take a bath, Kushida intercepted her and asked if she could join Horikita with her. Horikita didn't seemed pleased as it wasn't like she coulddeny Kushida either. With that, I'll be able to take the Class ID safely. I wait for Kushida and Horikita to disappear farther away from the river and trail them closely.
"I only had the intent to steal the ID card, but I might unintentionally steal glances of the two girls as well...No, I shouldn't, stay focused, I can't slip up and ruin the plan" I give myself a little pep talk on the way following the pair of girls.
Forgive me, both of you, but this is for the class...
After following the two closely, I set myself up on a tall tree while keeping an eye on Horikita's placement of the ID. They eventually get to a point farther up the river where the class won't be able to see. As I wait for them to get in the water, I spot Kushida, who instead of getting in the water served as a look out in case some peeping toms decided to follow. I make my way down and call for Kushida quietly, who responds quickly and shouts to Horikita who is already in the water that'd she'd set her clothes away.
Whilte they could have gone in the water at the same time, I completely disregarded that they could've taken a bath one at a time while the other stays on the guard. I'm not very sure why, but I feel somewhat disappointed.
"You look a little down. Did you think we'd both go together with your perverted eyes leering at us?" She says with devilish grin forming on her face.
"Not exactly..." I looked away with the intention of avoiding her eyes but she quickly grabs my face with both hands and keeps me locked on her.
"Not so fast, you're not allowed to look you peeping tom" Kushida then spreads her arms out as if to block my path with a grin on her face.
"That's enough teasing, do you have the card with you?"
"Yeah, take it" She quickly hands it off to me after taking it from her pocket.
"Good. Go join her now so she doesn't get suspicious that the card gets lost while you were on the lookout"
I take the ID and quickly make me way back to camp and let Ibuki steal it away from us. When I had arrived, the camp was still relatively peaceful. I waited a little longer so that Kushida and Horikita could arrive only a little bit later after the planned incident. After some time, I had set a fire close to the one of the tents. It wasn't big enough that it would damage our things significantly, but it should be big enough and to catch their attention and concern for any damage of their things. As planned, Sudo quickly called out the fire close to our camps as he was closest to it, and a few students had rushed in to see what they could do. Students went to bring water to put out the fire, and it had just gotten Ibuki interested enough to get up from the corner of the camp. I had intentionally brushed past her, and along the way, dropped the Class ID, which she spared no time in checking because everyone had already gotten to the fire. I glance back and see her dash through an open path from our camp, and just a few seconds later, the pair of girls had arrived. As I anticipated, Horikita rushed back to camp because she had lost the ID, and she quickly separated from Kushida to report this to me, not knowing that Ibuki had just left seconds ago.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I have...trouble to bring you. The Class ID...I misplaced it...This is my fault, I can't believe I slipped up at such a simple thing" Horikita had a regretful look on her face as she said this.
"Are you going to inform the class?"
"No, this is my fault, and I should be the one to solve this problem. Besides, it seems like something happened while I was gone"
"That's right, a small fire broke out, and Ibuki is nowhere to be seen" Horikita's face stiffens a little at this revelation.
"So, that means..."
"Right, the worst must have happened"
"She took the Class ID and used the fire to escape without anyone looking for her"
"The we have to look for her now, it hasn't been too long so we can catch up to her"
Almost as if to curse her fate, rain started to pour. This didn't faze Horikita however, and her determination to get it back looks only stronger. She drops her luggage and chases after her from the same clearing that would be the most obvious place Ibuki could run to. As Horikita disappears from the camp, Kushida moves closer after listening in on our conversation.
"I hope this doesn't end badly for us all. It would be terrible if she just gets away right now"
"Its fine, the route she's taking should be the fastest one to where Ryuuen is, and that should be a place close to the cruise ship where they can withdraw quickly with our Class ID with them"
"He's still here?"
"Well of course, the most trustworthy person for a plan is the person who made it. He probably can't ask anybody else to do something as important as this for him anyways"
The last look I got from Horikita's face was terrible. Although the bath let her rest for a while, the adrenaline rush from her seeking the ID might push her more than she can handle right now. And with the rain, I'll have to act quickly.
"We'll go after Horikita to make sure things go smoothly, and to intervene in case of anything unusual happens"
I start to run quickly in pursuit of those two girls with Kushida trailing behind me. She looks like she's having a hard time keeping up, but she should be able to follow where I'm going. I can feel myself getting closer and closer, and eventually I see Horikita facing off with Ibuki. Horikita is able put up some resistance, but her body was at the point of collapsing. Her face was paler than usual, and she couldn't stop Ibuki from darting away after she took a blow to the side which caused her to collapse. As I've been watching from the sidelines, Kushida finally catches up with me, looking exhausted.
"Haah...y-you...gaah" I leave Kushida from side and head over to Horikita who looks like she passed out. This would have had extreme consequences had nobody followed her. I'm sure even the medics would have a tough time getting to this part of the thick forest. I don't feel regretful having done this though, and I'm sure Horikita would have done what she could for our class.
"You've done your part...rest easy now" I pick her up from the cold wet ground and wipe the mud off her face. Kushida follows to see her condition.
"Here I am going around doing everything you tell me and getting exhausted while you carry princess Horikita" She complains with a pout on her face.
"Would you like me to princess carry you from the dorm to school then?" Although I said this as a joke because we had more pressing matters at hand, but it seems she took that a little too seriously.
"Wait no! I don't want you to think I'm heavy!" She seems more concerned of her weight than me actually carrying her to school.
"Well let's put that on hold until I lose some weight so you can be my personal carrier teehee~" Our little back and forth seemed to have waken Horikita, who opens her eyes slowly trying to get a grasp of the situation. She sees only me for the time being as she's too weak to look around, and she doesn't seem opposed to being carried right now. Kushida moves back so as to not be seen by her.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun...the ID...I-"
"It's alright, I can handle things from here" I reassure her as she slumps back after trying to walk on her own.
"But..." Before she could argue further, she blacks out again. Even though we took cover and dried her up as best as we could, she's still very cold.
"I'll get her to the teachers, so you can head back to the camp"
"So you dragged me here for nothing, huh?"
"Not exactly, you can still see Ibuki's tracks, right?" Kushida turns to the trail and nods.
"So you want me to go run deep into this forest with the pouring rain? Are you nuts?" Kushida protests at my request, which leads me to reconsider.
"Well, if anything happens, then you might get princess carried sooner than we thought" I tried to throw out a joke but that only get me a blank stare from Kushida. Well, that failed.
"Erm, anyways, you can go back then. I just needed to confirm something but that might not be necessary now"
I'd originally wanted her to see if she could eavesdrop on whoever was behind this and get some information, but I shouldn't be too greedy and force anything now. Horikita's state is already bad enough as it is.
I continue to carry Horikita to the teachers with haste so she can get treated quickly. She starts to mumble a bit, maybe she's half awake. I could hear a few audible words from her. "My fault", "Sorry", "Make up". It seems like she still can't let go of this, but she can't do anything now. I run past the trees and shrubs while getting a few scratches, and eventually find myself at the shore and follow it 'til I reached the teachers. Chabshira-sensei calls the staff and has her brought to the ship quickly. So this leads our class with 2 students retired now, but this shouldn't be a big setback if all things go according to plan.
(AN: Oh yeah, I forgot about the infamous line. I won't add it though because I'm sure you've all heard it a million times by now -^-)
I head back to the camp like normal, but with something else in my pocket. Despite the scheming going on behind our backs, our class shouldn't suffer anything by the end of this exam. I've done my part, and now all that's left is to wait out this exam and finish it. After some time I find myself at the camp being questioned about Horikita being missing, although Kushida was quick to step in and explain on my behalf. After being saved from going through that trouble, the day ended with the students returning to their camps, feeling relief that the Special Exam would end tomorrow. Kushida had appeared after some time with our class.
"You were gone for a while. Hopefully you didn't take advantage of Horikita-san's weakened state and do something terrible to her"
"What kind of a person do you take me for?"
"I won't exactly rule that out considering how unpredictable you can be. And...you're a little weird, if I had to put it" I don't know why but hearing that stung a little.
"Well, was there anything important you wanted to talk to me about before we sleep?"
"Well, not really. I think I already have an answer to my questions. You wanted me to go look for Ibuki-san and see for sure who Class-C is working with?"
"It was already obvious so it wasn't necessary anymore. I shouldn't have asked"
"We'll, that's alright..."
"..." Kushida hunched over to where I was and went next to me, but didn't say anything after that.
"...So...anything else you want to add?"
"...Then, do you think everything will work out?"
"It should..."
"..."
"Maybe it's best we end the night now"
"Right, I just spaced out and sat next to you without thinking of anything. I'm sure you feel exhausted with the exam" Kushida had returned back to her bubbly and usual self after a little daze.
"That's right...hopefully nothing serious happened to Horikita as w-" I got cut off quickly with Kushida suddenly leaning and pushing me, but I put a hand on my side to hold myself.
"I go running around and doing you bidding and you're worrying about someone else? How shameless"
"But you're fine right here. I'm sure Horikita must be feeling terrible then" Although I thought I gave a reasonable and logical answer, that only earned me a hopeless stare from Kushida, who seems to be trying her best to keep her appearances.
"But...I appreciate all you did today. Good job"
"Hehe, that's right, I'm amazing aren't I?" I don't think I asked much from Kushida for this exam, but I'd rather not anger her now.
"Ayanokouj you bastard, trying to get chummy with ladies aint'cha?"
Suddenly, a wild Yamauchi appears, and with him, the idiot trio. Sudo put me in a quick headlock before asking about Horikita. It seems like he wasn't there when Kushida was explaining the situation, so I told him that she had fallen sick which led to a disappointed and saddened Sudo.
"Aren't you a little too close with miss Kushida there?" Ike put up a mischievous grin while pretending to fix his non-existent glasses.
"That's right, that's right, all the couples in this world should be crucified!" Yamauchi chimes in to add on with their jokes and share their sentiments.
"Ehhhhh? Even if I get a boyfriend right now?" Kushida speaks up and lookos like she wants to horse around as well.
"Ugh-no way, did you get yourself a boyfriend during these difficult times? Which smooth bastard got to you?" Ike had brazenly asked with Yamauchi looking curious as well.
"He's riiiight here!!!"
Kushida puts her arms up and grabs me off my seat into space between her legs with a scheming smile on her face. It seems like I'll have to be a part of this little joke. With the ruckus we're causing more and more of her friends move in to poke fun at her joke here. Despite what had happened to Karuizawa, Kushida was here messing around with a bunch of boys which really eases the tension in our class who've realized to just be glad that the exam is over.
Such an existence who is admired by everyone, and is able to bring the class together, is indispensable. Horikta, Kushida, and Yousuke will definitely be the pillars of this class, with wild cards like Sudo, Yang-san, and Yukimura. This class has potential to rise up from Class-D. I just have to lay the foundations and the class will rise on its own.
"Aren't ya a little too close, Ayanokouji?" Karuizawa had gotten closer with her friends, and Yousuke to lighten the mood and enjoy the final night of the exam. Now that I realize, I can feel a few daggers pointed at me from a few boys at the back.
"Right right, I should stop messing around" Kushida had finally put me out of her grasp and had gone to back to the sociable and friendly "Kushida". I'd put myself away closer to the tents, where I see Sakura by herself.
"Are you alright staying here behind everyone, Sakura?" I'd set myself next to her with just the right distance to not make her uncomfortable.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun! Well...er- I'm not that good with crowds, as you may know" Sakura had look a little glum as she said that.
"I guess that makes two of us" I think she took a little comfort in that as her eyes light up a bit after having someone to talk with.
"I still can't get used to dealing with so many people, I really hope I didn't cause everyone any trouble for anyone during the Special Exam"
"It's alright, you didn't cause any trouble. Considering the state of our class, just staying out of trouble would be enough"
"That's...reassuring to hear. I hope I can do better on the next exam as well" Sakura showed me a worried but optimistic smile. I'm not sure if she's aware or not, but it looks quite cute. I'm sure she many of the students here would flock around her just for that.
"W-well, I don't to take up any more of your time Ayanokouji-kun, so, good night"
"Alright, good night to you as well, Sakura" Although there were still many students gathering around talking the night away, I think I'd like to end the night sooner, so I head myself to the tents and rest.
(The Next Day)
The next day had come and we'd all been called back to the cruise ship. All the classes aside from Class-C all look roughed up, but had gone through the exam nonetheless. But there was a sort of tension as the classes had remained very quiet, and everyone was waiting for the results. Mashima-sensei had announced the results, and as I expected, Class-D came out on top, and Class-C at the very bottom, which shocked everyone, even ourselves. They wanted answers as to how this had happened, and I had instructed Kushida to tell everyone that it was Horikita who pulled off the miracle. Fortunately, the students didn't pry with the details, just being happy that they were going to get points next month. I'm sure Horikita is going to have her own reaction, and will probably be swarmed by our classmates later on the ship, and probably by Ryuuen as well. Kushida was a bit disappointed, and that's understandable as she'd contributed a bit as well, but it was necessary for Horikita as this newfound attention would let her grow out of her shell, gain allies, and find a place as a leader in our class.
As for me, I'd retired myself to the room early to avoid any trouble, although I realized I'd probably run into Koenji as well. So I headed to a part of the ship that didn't have a lot of people around. Coincidentally, I found Kushida who looked like she was by herself at a small café.
"I didn't expect to see you here, I thought you'd be with some friends?" I gestured if I could sit with her, which she allowed.
"Even I have moments where I want to be alone. As for you, I guess you're always alone, huh?" Yeouch.
"Heh, though so- *cough cough*" Now that I look at it, she doesn't seem so well.
"Are you...feeling unwell?"
"Yeah, you had me tiring myself out in the cold rain. I'd expected this much *cough* " I felt bad since this was my fault, so I decided to get up and look for a pharmacy to get some medicine.
"Where are you headed off to?"
"A pharmacy, if there's one nearby"
"I'll go with you"
"No, it's alright. I caused you enough trouble this time"
"Oh, so you actually have a heart? I'll still go with you, I needed to get something there anyways"
I helped her up her seat and went into one of the drugstores with her. I picked out a few over the counter pills for her fatigue and cold. Kushida was on another nearby aisle picking out a few painkillers and girl's necessities from what I could see. I decided to get buy a first aid kit since I could get it, and it would be useful in my room. Kushida and I went to the cashier and paid for our things. I found my eyes at some contraceptives on the shelf next to the cashier.
The school doesn't want to pry and monitor us 24/7, so I guess that being available was understandable when you realize this is a place filled with young adults going through puberty. Kushida looked back and found where my eyes were pointed to, so she decided to play another prank on me.
"Hey, Kiyotaka-kun, don't you think we'll need this too for later?" Kushida put on a devilish grin on her face.
She masterfully put up the bright and cheery girlfriend act while immediately closing our personal space with my first name and grabbing my arm. She had intentionally said this loud enough for the employee to hear, which made her look at the condom she was pointing at. This caused the employee to get flustered a little while hiding a chuckle. The employee looked to me with her brow raised as if questioning what it was gonna be for. I couldn't find the words, and I must've looked so awkward as Kushida let out a laugh.
"Sorry for messing with you, and we don't actually need that miss" Kushida had cut in the last moment to stop the purchase, and we'd hurried out of the pharmacy.
"Don't you think you should be careful not to spread rumors?"
"It was alright, there weren't any students. Also, that caught you off guard didn't it?" She'd let out another laugh as if she were satisfied with the teasing.
"Well, you looked really dumb when you couldn't speak up, and it would've been funnier if you looked more flustered"
"I admit it caught me off guard, but I'd appreciate if you refrained from doing things like that" I am still a high school boy after all, and even things like that would cause anyone to be flustered.
"Alright, I'm quite satisfied with that. So I'll be going now?"
"Ok, don't forget to take the medicine and rest"
"Yeah, see you"
I started heading for my for my room after some time had passed, and while I thought I'd run into a Horikita with a lot for questions for me, it seemed like she was still recovering in her room. I make it back in front of our room door and opened it to see my classmates on separate parts of the room doing their own thing. I decided to rest too and lie on the bed.
Although some students are still on guard with the possibility of another surprise test, most of them are enjoying themselves on the luxury cruise ship. Whether we have new trials to face or not, we'll have to face it head on and not crumble at only a little pressure.
END
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So that's chapter 8. I finished this a bit later than I thought when I said I'd put this out on Friday. Hope you all still enjoyed it.
Also, I'm wondering if I should still add the scenario from Y1 Vol. 4 since that was mostly character development for Karuizwa. Maybe I'll still add that interaction between Ayanon and Karuizawa, but only to stop Manabe and her group's harrassment. What do you all think?
I'll prob skip Vol. 4 and just let it be fanservice chapter and let the class have their fun, and changing the plot of something with a lot of irrelevant details is a pain in the ass. So surprise lemons at ch. 9 :3? maybe not but I'll think of something. Ciao
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30/4/2022
8487 Words