"Why are we heading towards the cave when you exposed the importance of it publically Demon-girl?"
I stopped in my tracks, so did he.
Interesting.
"What are you saying Koenji? Demon girl? I thought you were a gentleman. Never thought you would be rude to me" I feigned ignorance.
"No need to act demoness, or should I call you Masterpiece".
I sighed at his words.
"How do you even know about that place?"
"I watched you once, from the other side of the window. My father is also one of the sponsors of that white hell" he combed his hair looking into a mirror.
Did he just sneak the mirror and comb without the school noticing?
"So, why exposing yourself now? Isn't it better to keep me in the dark about it? You yourself made you my enemy now. Or are you confident that you can defeat me?" I glared at him.
"Demon-girl, it's true that you were undefeated inside that cage, but this is not that place. I know you are not like these peasants.
But don't think you can eliminate this beautiful perfect existence such as myself.
I never had the idea of making you enemy. We both are aware that I know your knowledge about me knowing you. You must have noticed my micro expression changes in the bus.
It was nearly impossible to contain my surprise. But that is not enough to hide from you. You clearly noticed my change in expression.
Also I am from an esteemed family which owns Koenji conglomerate. So it's not far fetched to think that our family is a sponsor to that ugly place"
Yes, I already knew about this. It was only a matter of time Koenji confronted me.
Narcissistic behaviour is characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.
People with narcissistic personality disorder have an inflated sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, and a need for constant attention and admiration.
While he doesn't have that disorder, he feels a sense of entitlement by praising himself. The psychology of this narcissistic thoughts is complex and involves various factors, including early childhood experiences, genetic predisposition, and cultural and societal influences.
Early childhood experiences are believed to be a significant factor in the development of this kind of behaviour.
Children who receive excessive praise and admiration from their parents or caregivers without being held accountable for their behavior may develop a sense of entitlement and an inflated sense of self-importance.
Conversely, children who receive little or no attention or validation may develop a compensatory need for attention and admiration.
Koenji could come under anyone of these two.
He innately fears that I will make his fantasies false. Him confronting me about this is simply a self-satisfaction for him. Even if I attack him, he wants to believe he will easily defend it.
Koenji is by no means a fool. He is simply plucking of the weed of doubt in his heart. He is very confident in his skills. Nothing wrong with it, but I am sorry Koenji, I need an enormous victory, I need those 30 extra points.
While it's true that I can still win by a large margin even with kenji retiring, this conversation changed my mind. I am going to make him stay.
"So I suppose you are going to retire"
We both started to move towards the cave at an insane speed.
"You truly understand this perfect existence. As expected of you. Yes demon-girl, I don't understand why a perfect being like me has to take part in an exam made for peasants"
We both arrived at the cave.
"Are you going to claim this spot 4th gen-girl?"
"Stop calling me with weird nick names. And yes, I am going to claim this spot, and the ones near it"
Saying this, I swiped the card on the machine that displayed 'Possession spots'. It changed its display to a timer which showed 7:59:59 Class C.
So they have micro cameras around these spots to monitor if leaders are the people who claims the spot. Very well.
Before I turn around, I ducked immediately.
The danger sensing ability of humans when they are attacked from behind is a complex process that involves multiple sensory and neural systems working together to detect and respond to potential threats.
The first step in this process is the detection of the threat. The human body has a number of sensory systems that can detect potential dangers, including the visual system, the auditory system, and the somatosensory system.
In the case of an attack from behind, the somatosensory system is particularly important, as it can detect physical contact with the body, even if the individual cannot see or hear the attacker.
Once the threat is detected, the brain must process this information and determine whether it is a danger that requires a response. This process involves the amygdala, a structure in the brain that is responsible for the processing of emotions, particularly fear.
I don't have such emotions, so that part of my brain is typically used for other things like parallel processing. They experimented me in that place regarding my brain activities and brain waves emitted while I am doing certain tasks.
I learned how to even manipulate them. Manipulation of involuntary parts of your body is truly a nearly impossible thing to do. But if you can, then it opens upto to infinite ways to improve yourself.
Now that my danger senses are triggered. These changes include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, an increase in respiration, and a release of adrenaline and other hormones that prepare the body for action.
It's been a while that I fought a opponent who made my heart rate increase by 0.01 percentage. Koenji is truly strong. I can sense he was considerably holding back in that kick.
Well, while I was in such a thought, On the other hand, I was evading his fierce attacks.
He did a jab-cross, a boxing move. I evaded it. He followed it with a roundhouse kick, a perfect one. Muay that it seems. I blocked it with my hands.
He closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye and tossed me to the ground. A hip toss, judo move. He finished his insane combo with a rear naked choke. Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In a single series of moves, he displayed four different martial arts with perfect precision of execution. His moves screamed perfection.
"What happened Demon-girl? Not going to fight back? At this rate, you will suffocate"
That's true, but it's not like I need air every second to survive. I can simply shut down most of my internal body functions, a state of semi-dead, not needing much Oxygen. In the first place, I can hold my breath for hours.
"I can do this all day Koenji. Though this position is very kinky, I already have a girlfriend"
Hearing my words, Koenji tightened his hold. He is warning me that he will kill me if I don't retaliate. Let's just play along with him.
I forcefully tried to get out of his hold. I struggled a lot, but I just hit his sides repeatedly. He has to leave this hold. He backed up a bit. I shouldn't reveal the abilities that are even hidden to the WR.
So defeating Koenji while using 8% percentage of my physical abilities is a bit difficult, but not impossible. Anyways I only need to stall a little.
"Not getting serious? I will make you use your full abilities Demon-girl"
Koenji did a very fast back kick. It was a very powerful one. If the students of this school takes this hit head on without any defence, more than half of them will be dead. The remaining people will get permanent injury.
I leaned my upper body backwards, approximately 50 degrees. His feet nearly touched my boobs though. Well even if he did hit it, my bouncy boobs will simply absorb the shock.
It's anime physics, I can depend on it. Maya had taught me it.
He continued with a front kick, using his lead leg to strike my stomach. Immediately followed up with a reverse punch, using rear hand to strike my face.
I blocked both his moves, but his combo didn't end there.
He transitioned his move into roundhouse kick, pivoting on his lead foot and using his rear leg to strike my ribs. I back stepped to evade it.
I tried to punch him, but he simply used a low block. We both were opposite to each other. His eyes were calculative, he was in a Karate stance. This whole sequence of moves were perfect karate moves.
The entire combo was executed quickly and fluidly, with each movement flowing into the next.
He did a cartwheel kick aimed at my head. It was Au badito, a Capoeira move. I backed away a bit, he did a front cresent kick, I ducked it, followed by a spinning hook kick aimed at my head, which I evaded again. Meia Lua de Frente, another Capoeira move.
He was trying to overwhelm me with these combos.
He continued with a low kick, a Shaolin low kick to be precise. I jumped up, while he used this opportunity to do a butterfly kick aimed at my chin.
I was in mid air, he engineered the situation forcing me to take the hit directly and not evade forever. I blocked his kick. It carried a lot of momentum. I had to do three black flips to cancel it out. It was Kung Fu.
A small miscalculation. He covered the distance to us quickly while I was backflipping. The moment I landed, a fist connected my stomach. Dragon style punch.
Or so he thought. An inch before his first connected my stomach, I caught his hand. I feinted him by making it look like I was using both my hands for the backflips, while my left hand was simply waiting for his punch.
I predicted his punch would be aimed at my stomach by simply watching the split second images while backflipping.
Now it was my turn to play. Before he could react to my moves, I used the index finger of my right hand to hit the radial nerve pressure point located at the inside of his elbow. It cause temporary loss of movement in the arm.
My next hit was the Brachial Plexus, located in the shoulder area, causes temporary paralysis or loss of sensation in the arm. His palm was open, or rather he lost his sensation of the hand.
So I hit the Pericardium Point, located on the inside of the wrist, it can cause pain and temporary loss of grip strength.
I just backed away in a split second. In less than a second, one of his hand got paralysed. He backed away. He already lost the match, and he knows it. There is no way he can defeat me with one hand while he wasn't able to with both of them.
Koenji was impressive. In the short span of few minutes, he displayed 8 different martial arts skills. Perfectly executed. There wasn't a single flaw in the way he fought. He simply chose the wrong opponent.
"Hahahaha You were able to paralyse my arm. It is my defeat for now, Masterpiece-girl. But remember, I am the perfect existence here. You are simply not a human."
Well whatever helps him sleep at night. Pft, it was funny though. Koenji tried to take his comb out, but forgot that his right arm is paralyzed. I held in my laughter.
"Laught at me all you can pervert-girl. Be grateful that a perfect existence like me is acting a comedic skit for you"
"Well whatever, your hand should be normal in about a minute. Now as a reward for my victory, I want you to stay in this island for a week. Don't worry you won't get any heavy work.
I am simply greedy for that 30 extra points. But even still you are free to retire. It was fun playing with you"
His eyes slightly twitched at the word 'play'. I mean Koenji was still not going all out. He was holding back a bit. I would estimate it was like 40 percentage of his full power.
While I will let you imagine how much I was holding back. A clue, I spent less than 1 percentage of my capabilities, but I won't say precise number. Tehee~.
"Don't get me wrong, I said 'play' because we both were holding back. I never intended to humiliate you"
"Your apology is accepted big-boobs-girl"
"Hey, that's sexual harrasment!"
"Not one if a handsome person like me says it. It is rather a complement. No, to be precise, even talking to a perfect existence like me is a reward"
We heard foot steps. While me and Koenji turned our head towards the entrance of the cave. Six people came into our view. Katsuragi, Yahiko and some other four noname.
"Well well what are two defe- I mean two people from class C are doing here?" Yahiko.
"Hmph, we have no need to tell to an ugly existence like you, ugly-kun. You should be filled with gratitude to be in the presence of this perfect existence. Rejoice scrawny-ass-kun"
"What the hell did you say?" Yahiko charged at Koenji.
But he was stopped by Katsuragi. He was scolding Yahiko. I don't have time to play more games.
"Koenji, so will you consider staying?"
"Hmm, If you need my perfection that much, then as a gentleman I won't let down a young maiden. I will see how this exam plays out. But if I get bored, or feel like leaving, I will simply retire."
Well, that's ok. Whether he retires or not, I can use either of the scenario. While we were talking, Katsuragi approached that machine and seeing the name of our class, he widened his eyes.
"You occupied this spot! So one of you is the leader huh. What a blunder, all those schemes but being very careless"
"Schemes? Careless? What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance.
"Your acting won't be enough to fool me. I was thinking why you purposely gave away that clue, and I reached the conclusion that using reverse psychology, you fend off other people who will use this camp as a base.
By mentioning it is an important spot, you knew everyone will aim for, or the opposite. In both cases you can claim this spot by being here first and then leaving as soon as you can.
While we are contemplating whether to come here or not, you will simply claim it.
But I saw through this, that's why I came here as soon as I can. Your plans are wrecked Ayanokouji"
Woah, getting a little arrogant aren't we. And no honorific? I thought Katsuragi was more capable, let's solidify this theory.
"What do you mean? Then isn't it better if I rush here alone? Why would I bring Koenji-kun here?" I asked him.
"That only supports my theory. You are someone who is cautious, him being here is a backup plan. In case of you getting caught, we still need to narrow down between you two. A precautionary step.
Also you chose someone who has extraordinary physical capabilities, this confirms that you did indeed rush here" he folded his hands. He looked like he won.
Woah, I didn't knew Katsuragi had it in him... But still, the Katsuragi from before wouldn't tell his opponents all this. Well I am the reason for this change.
Me purposefully giving a clue about those questions papers riled him up. It was like my way of saying 'I won you losers'. So I believe he is returning the favour.
"Well, my back up plan still worked right? You have to narrow down between the two of us, you won't be able to do that.
Let's go Koenji, Can you accompany me? I know you would like to explore the Island"
"Yes, let's leave from here sadist-girl. And I will only accompany your hours long trip only once"
Katsuragi is going to rack his brains over because of the clue Koenji gave him. He can't confirm the credibility of Koenji's statement, nobody can. He is the real sadist here.
We both left those people, Yahiko was spouting nonsense. Ignoring him, I waited for 2 minutes before heading towards the nearby hut to claim that spot. After that the tower.
It's time for grinding.
I started to sprint across all over the Island, swinging like monkey. Koenji didn't even break a sweat, he kept his pace with me. In less than an hour, I captured all the spots on the left part of the Island.
Leaving only one near the waterfall for class B.
One near a beach for class C.
There's a spot in few hundred metres ahead in front of the cave.
Those were the likely spots those each class finds. Even if they didn't, they don't have other choices.
Me and Koenji both returned to the spot our class was camping. They already started to set up the camp. Good. It was the final spot, the 21st spot. Just in one day we got 21points, and after 8 hours, another 21.
"I claimed this spot. Let's inform Sensei so that she will camp near us" I said to them.
Even before claiming the spot, we started camping, but I don't think it's a violation of rules. It is not a spot of another class, so it's fine.
"Kiyone, how many spots did you occupy?" Chiaki came near me.
"Hmm, including our spot, it was 21" her mouth was agape.
"W-what are you saying? There were this many spots around the Island? I saw about 10 in our ship.
And you ran around the Island to claim them? Are you insane, we don't need that much points, first drink some water and take rest"
Her emotions bursted out. She was shocked at first, then angry, finally worried. That was funny, is this what they call rollercoaster of emotions?
We were sitting on a log, people were working on setting up the camp, it was more than halfway completed.
Chiaki was near me restless What a caring girlfriend.
"Don't worry Chiaki, I was not alone, Koenji was with me. Also it's not like I am too tired, just a rest for few hours will be fine"
It was a lie. I can do that all day, but I don't want further worry my girlfriend.
"B-but why do we even need that much points? Hear me out Kiyone, whatever masterplan you have, please drop it. If running around the Island all week is a part of it, then more the reason to stop it.
I already calculated that we only need to spend 100 points to live comfortably for 7 days.
We can guess one or two leaders, claim the nearby 3 spots. 4 spots even with 1 leader guess, added with 200 remaining points will give us a total of 326 points. Don't you think it's more than enough to win?
Even if you consider 2 people dropping out, we will get 286 points. I think that's more than enough to atleast secure second place, if not first"
[Math part, you can skip it : Chiaki's logic]
First day : can claim spots twice - 4 * 2 = 8
The next five days : can claim spots 3 times - 4*3*5 = 60
The last day : can claim twice ( during the night time and after the first roll call, here the exam ends at 7th day at 12:00pm in the morning) - 4*2 = 8
Total extra points claimed - 76
100 points spent for living. I leader guessed - 50 points.
This is what Chiaki wanted. Easy win, no toll on Kiyone]
So she wants to win with minimum efforts, inorder to not take a toll on me? But what I am doing right now is minimum in my standards.
"Why not win with 659 points" her eyes went wide.
It was the scenario in which I occupy all the 21 spots all the time, guessing all the leaders with the worst case of 3 people dropping out from our class.
"K-kiyone, don't do it, please. You have to run for more than an hour 3 times a day. How will you even find time to figure out the other class leaders this way?" Her eyes teared up.
Chiaki is a strong girl, but when it comes to matters regarding me, she is easily the weakest one.
"Don't you believe in me?"
"N-no, I know very well how capable you are ... But do we even need that many points in the first place? Why do you have to do all the heavy lifting"
If I didn't show such a cruel side of mine to her, I would have buttered her up by cliche line like 'Someone has to do it right? I don't mind taking fall for the well being of our classmates'.
The thing is, I am doing this because I am bored. But if I say that to Chiaki, she will clap my cheeks. And by that I mean both my cheeks.
"Chiaki, it's for my selfish reasons, I want to do it. I am free Chiaki, I am able to make my own decisions after so long, please don't try to guilt trip this poor soul"
"Baka, you can do whatever you want, I am not force stopping you. But the moment you feel tired or not able to do it, please cancel the plan.
There's also the risk of getting injured while running around, also chances that other classes find you are the leader"
I went closer to her. Our face were inches away. We had been together for a few months now, but every moment I spent with her felt just as new and thrilling as my first date with her.
We gazed into each other's eyes, our breaths mingled in the cool breeze. This place was very much surrounded by larger trees than the other part of the Island.
Her cheeks has tear drops running down them, she was defenceless, it made her look hotter.
Without a word, I leaned, pressing my lips softly against Chiaki's. It was around 2 seconds. A soft kiss. I backed up a bit.
My eyes traced every curve and contour of her lips. To me, they were the most beautiful lips in the world. Full, soft, supple, and perfectly shaped.
Every time I looked at them, I felt a surge of desire that I could barely contain.
I kissed her again. I loved the way her lips felt against mine , the way they moved together in a perfect, synchronized dance.
The taste of her lips was like nothing I had ever experienced before, sweet and addictive, filling me with a heady rush of desire.
It was a gentle, tender kiss at first, but as our passion grew, our lips became more urgent, more hungry. We tasted each other's lips, savoring the sweet, delicious flavor of them.
My hands roamed over her body, caressing, exploring. We broke apart for a moment, our eyes locked in a fiery gaze, before diving in for another kiss, deeper and more passionate than before.
My body was aching with desire, and I knew if this continued any longer, I won't be able to hold back. We broke apart, Chiaki was gasping for air.
I think we did a little make out session, it was about 3 minutes long. I already miss the feeling of her lips.
"That was our first kiss wasn't it?" I laughed.
I caressed her cheeks. I wiped the rear stains away.
Chiaki blushed realising what had transpired.
Me and Chiaki was intimate, but didn't kiss each other. The mood was never perfect. I don't think it was any better right now, but I understood that I didn't need to set the environment for a kiss.
The kiss itself made us forget about our surroundings. And ... We were outside, sitting on a log. I realised this and turned my head towards the camp.
Everyone, every single one in our class saw it. Everybody was blushing except Koenji. Even our sensei saw it. I want to kill myself right now. I made out with Chiaki infront of 37 students and an Adult.
I was agressive too ... But you can't blame me, Chiaki looked so submissive and breedable. Chiaki saw the direction my eye was looking. She saw everyone.
I think Chiaki.exe has stopped working. She became a statue?
'Holy shit that was hot'
'Dude I pitched a tent looking at that scene'
'I think I am wet right now'
'Shit, she was very agressive. I wish she stomps on me'
'I am going to write a Yuri story about them and make millions'
'Kyaa~ Kiyone nee-sama is very aggressive'
Wtf am I hearing?
"Everyone, focus on your work. If we don't set up the camp and search for the necessary things like food and water, we will be in a need to rely on spending points"
Hearing this, they came back to their sense and started to do the work. We already spent 50 points, 20 for a toilet and 30 for things like extra tents and things.
I hope this doesn't became an topic for their gossip. Who am I kidding, it will surely be talked. *Sigh* What a blunder.
Chiaki was still frozen. I shook her. She immediately came back to her senses and eyes me confusedly.
"Your lips tasted very good Chiaki~ I wonder how you will taste as a whole" I licked my lips seductively at her.
She fainted. I carried her to a tent, and went to help others. In an hour, we completed setting up our camp.
It was around 12:30 pm. Around 20 minutes ago, we sent 7 teams of 4 people. 3 for food and 3 for wood, 1 to search for drinking water, or rather water in general so that we can use it for other domestic purposes.
And now everyone are back.
"Everyone, please hear me out"
Everyone turned their heads towards me, Chiaki woke up. It seems Horikita is not feeling well, so I instructed her to take rest for the first 2 or 3 days, to see if her condition turns better.
"Now I want you guys to tell what have you found"
"Ayanokouji-san,we found 4 different varieties of berries and plucked bags full of them. If all of them are edible, we have enough to feed all 40 of us for once" Kushida said in her angelic voice.
Wow, they picked up that much berries. That's great.
"Sasuga Kikyou-chan, you are amazing!!"
"Ah, t-thank you Kanji-kun, but it's embarrassing to be praised very highly" she did her act perfectly.
But still, first name basis with that defect? How low can she get? None of my business though, so I won't inquire her about it.
"Well, we picked up some fruits. We too found some berries"
The other teams found food too. Only one of them were unlucky enough to find very little food.
The teams who went to get wood got dry branches. Perfect to have camp fire.
"Ayanokouji-san, the place which you told us to skip, the one with the river. I scouted it out, the river is very clean, we can drink the water from it."
Oh, so that river is clean enough to drink? That's good news, this means water is unlimited for us. This reduces our expense enormously.
"Well done Ike-" before I could praise the pathetic Ike, which honestly I never did, Shinohara intervened.
"What the hell are you saying you pervert. Drinking river water? Only people who live in cave like you will drink it. Who knows how dirty it might be?
What if there are many bacteria in them? If people get sick and drop out, we lose even more points. So let's buy drinking water using the points."
She made a good argument. Some girls seemed to agree with her. The major change was, Kei didn't agree with her immediately. She seems to consider the options.
She wants to live in luxury, but at the same time she wants to be of help in some way. Is it directed to me? It seems I made Kei my tool using the concept of gratitude without even me knowing.
"Shinohara, let's consider what he is saying. Maybe that water might be clean"
"Karuizawa, why are agreeing with that pervert. Did you got your head or something? How can you eveg consider drinking river water. Maybe you are unstable after breaking up with Hirata-kun" Shinohara spatted venom.
A month ago, Kei broke up her fake relationship with Hirata. While some girls admired her for staying strong even after a heart break, some simply thought that Kei is only all talk.
Her social status plummeted among certain group, but respect for her increased amongst most of our classmates.
Shinohara smirked in victory. She never like the relationship between Hirata and Kei. In the beginning, Kei was hogging Hirata everywhere. For a social attention seeker like Shinohara, Kei was an hurdle.
But the more time Kei spent with us, the less she became Gyaru. She became her true self more and more. She became less aggressive. More approachable.
While tutoring her, I discovered she lacked in more basic stuffs. Her bullying must have been the reason. She was a great leaner. She picked up most of the things very quickly.
She even wanted to learn martial arts from me. But I put a hold onto that idea. Now she joins in the morning jog of me and Chiaki. Though both of them can't keep up with training regime.
Oops, I got side tracked, let's see what is happening.
So Kei was not able to reply anything to Shinohara. Kei simply smirked. She probably finds Shinohara's way of taunting childish.
"Shut up you uggo, I filled some bottles with the river water, you can check it's cleanliness yourself. If you are worried about he bacteria, just heat it" Ike retorted.
Oh, it seems Ike has some brain cells.
He handed out one of the bottle to me.
"Hmm it seems very clean Ike. I will drink it" at my statement, many didn't retort.
If their leader aka me, has agreed to drink the river water. They must agree. Though some girls were displeased about it.
Hirata eyed me, he wants to please everyone. True to his character.
"Hirata, what do you suggest?"
I suddenly asked him.
"Um, if you think the water is clean, then let's use it. But let's use it mostly for cooking and domestic purpose. Those who wants to use it as drinking water can freely use it.
For those who don't want it, let's buy the water. It is cheap anyways. Also I don't think we can collect food for all 7 days. At some point it will be inevitable to spend points for food" So Hirata wanted to please everyone this way.
Even though that is a flawed way of thinking, it was still a good idea.
"If you thought this much why not say it Hirata? Ok so let's buy some drinking water cans. Don't spend more than 20 points though.
A set of 4 bottles of 1 litre each costs only one point. You can get 80 litres of water with just 20 points.
It won't be enough for 40 people for 7 days. So people who can fine with using river water please use it" I said to them.
I smiled at Chiaki. When she mentioned it will cost 100 points to live freely, she took into account that some people will cause problems by not agreeing to drink whatever water we find in the Island. Good job Chiaki.
Meanwhile, Shinohara triumphed while Ike was frustrated. He considers buying drinking water as a waste of points.
People started to get in groups to eat.
Well can't really blame Ike. Maybe if he was a girl, Hirata would have tried to please him by supporting him. Just kidding, Hirata is not a Playboy, he just went the neutral way.
Classical Hirata.
"Classical Hirata-kun"
A wild Kei popped beside me.
"I am not a Pokemon, Kiyone" Kei glared at me.
Oops, it seems I said that out loud.
"Well what do you mean by classical Hirata?"
"*Sigh* playing dumb aren't we? You should have accurately guessed his character on the first day right? He is always neutral, a people pleaser.
He wants everyone to get along. But that's just impossible. He is naive. That's why I broke up with him."
"Why saying all this to me?"
"I thought of letting it all out to you. Also please remember Hirata is a good guy. He helped me in my tough times" she thinks I will destroy Hirata?
Hirata was hesitant to say his opinion on this matter. Hirata is wary of me. Kei must have noticed this. But Kei doesn't pity him. This is her way of showing gratitude to Hirata.
I never had any intention of destroying him in the first place.
"Kei, this past few weeks, after breaking up with Hirata, your whole character changed. Or rather you are free, true to yourself. Zero lies surround you now.
Though people don't know about your past, they still see the true Karuizawa Kei. How does that feel Kei?" My sudden question made Kei look at me questioningly.
"I feel free Kiyone. It's not that I am arrogant or delusional enough to think that my friends will always be there for me.
I still believe my behaviour from the first two month in this school will bite me back sometime. But I am not afraid Kiyone. I feel like I can even face my past bullies"
That's some absurd thing she is saying. Facing her past bullies? She make it sound so easy.
Karuizawa Kei, someone who was made up with full of lies, in the beginning of the school. Her tone, her walking pattern, her speech pattern, her taste in fashion, her judgement on surface level traits. Her word choices.
Everything was prepared and was a cover. She must have trained months to achieve that perfection. She was made up full of lies, just like me.
Still, a single series of events was enough for her to turn into a butterfly from caterpillar. It was a drastic change.
She believes. She has faith that whatever life throws at her, she can manage it somehow. It's not her trust in abilities, or us, her friend, or even herself. It was something absurd. Nowadays, her smile is big and genuine. She is enjoying her life.
She became full of emotions.
In such a short amount of time, she became someone completely opposite of me. Now everything except our gender is opposite. Our ideals, our beliefs, trusts, everything.
She has that exact smile as Matsuo. Both of them are incomprehensible.
She intrigues me. If someone can change this much in such a short amount of time, will I be able to change?
If I ask this question to Kei, she will say yes in an heartbeat. Even if she does or doesn't know my past, she will still answer yes. That's her belief, everyone can enjoy life no matter how hard it seems.
Her absurd belief is a characteristic that I noticed in some kids of the WR. Even on the verge of death, some were happy.
While I thought they were happy to be finaly free from the hardships, it was not the case. The were smiling even before that.
"Thanks Kei, our conversation has been very fruitful" I bowed to her.
"What the hell are you even saying? *Sigh* Well whatever ... The r-real reason I came her, w-what was that k-kiss scene. It was hella hot" she couldn't hid her excitement."
She didn't change in this one aspect. I think all girls like to gossip. So she didn't talk to me for the sake of Hirata? Am I the one who is delusional?
"*Sigh* Please forget what you saw. I just got carried away..."
"Got carried away? You should control your libido Kiyone" get started laughing and hitting me in the back.
We both went to eat our share of berries and fruits. It seems Ike has knowledge in camping and stuffs. In the 4 type of berries we found out, one of them was not edible. We simply discarded them.
We have to find food for dinner. It was 2 pm so we still have plenty of time. Ike and some boys were trying to make fishing rods. I guess he saw some fishes in that river.
I approached Hirata who was thinking deeply seeing a piece of paper.
"Hirata what are you doing?"
"Ah, it's you Ayanokouji-san. I was simply calculating how much points it will cost us for these 7 days"
"Don't worry too much Hirata. We can live in semi-comfortable state, by just spending a total of 100 points"
"Ah, that's also the amount I got after calculating. I was trying to lower it somehow."
"No need to rack your brain over it. 100 is not a bad amount" I told him.
"Say Ayanokouji-san. I thought you would be either more hostile towards Shinohara or won't like spending more points and disagree with her. Why did you agree to my opinion?"
"I simply forgot about the incident with Shinohara. It's true I am a bit greedy about points, and want to reach class A. But this is just the first special exam, so we don't need to go all out right? What's the harm in living comfortably?"
Hirata smiled at my words. He is relieved. If I wanted, I could destroy Shinohara more. After my little talk with Hirata months ago, he was paranoid about my motives and intention.
People thought he was distressed because of the breakup. I mean, I warned him so that he will be distressed, it was my aid to Kei for her breakup. I am a good friend aren't I?
"I see, thank you so much Ayanokouji-san"
"Hirata, the reason I approached you now is to inform my leave. I will scout out other classes for information. I will be taking Chiaki with me"
"Oh, ok. Don't worry, I will watch over the class for you. Please have a safe trip. A-also please don't make out in the forest. It's dangerous"
Did he really have to say that?
Well, It was time to scout other classes.
I searched for Chiaki, and found her immediately.
"Chiaki, let's go scout out other classes"
Nearby was Mori Nene, Inogashira Kokoro, Onodera Kayano and Horikita.
"Hmm, yea that's a good idea Kiyone. We can collect information on how well other classes are doing, at the same time have a chance to figure out their leader" Chiaki nodded to herself.
Hearing this Horikita perked up. It seems she wants to join us on the scout.
"I will join you two"
At Horikita's words, we heard three slap sounds.
Hmm? The three other girls were face palming?
"Horikita-san, isn't it better for those two to go alone? You know, you seem very tired" Mori tried to stop her.
"Yes Horikita-san, they may have some private talk, you may feel left out" Inogashira supported her friend.
Chiaki blushed. What is even happening?
"I am fine. I don't understand why you two would try to stop me. And I won't feel left out" Horikita told them.
"You are unsurprisingly dense Horikita-san" Onodera told her.
"What the hell do you even mean Onodera-san? Dense? I am not going to waste my time talking nonsensical things with you three. Let's go Ayanokouji"
Horikita exited the tent.
"We are sorry that we were not able to stop her Ayanokouji-san" Mori bowed her head.
"Even though you wanted to make out with Matsushita-san more privately" Inogashira wiped her tears?
Now I understand completely. Maybe I am dense too?
"Don't worry, you will get plenty of chances in this whole week" Onodera gave me us a thumbs up.
That's true, I can't wait to savour Chiaki's lips.
All four of them blushed like crazy. Seems like I said that out loud.
I grabbed Chiaki's hand and walked towards the direction of Horikita.
"Horikita, You have a fever right? Take rest, or else you won't be able to hold out for a whole week"
"Please let me join you. I can hold out for a week easily. I can be useful" she showed her determination.
Since she had a fever, her determination looked like a stray cat glaring at you, cute.
"Do whatever you want, please don't disturb me and Chiaki's quality time" Horikita glared at me.
"Well let's go, I know where the other classes will be"
They both nodded.
"What is the first class we are visiting Kiyone?"
"Class A"
"They occupied the cave? I believe you mentioned Katsuragi noticing it. So were you trying to scare him away from that cave by publically mentioned it"
Horikita widened her eyes. She didn't knew about that commotion after all.
"What the hell happened in the ship? You mentioned about a spot? How is that possible when you don't kno- No you knew there was some kind of exam. You predict this?" Horikita was flabbergasted.
"Not only did she predict it, she even correctly guessed that we will be living on the Island for this exam" Chiaki puffed her chest proudly.
Horikita was beyond shocked.
Chiaki then boasted about that incident fully to Horikita. Meanwhile we neared the cave.
"We are near the cave, but I already occupied it. Class A has only the one spot to occupy in this region. That is located few hundred metres down this path" I told them.
"Kiyone, so as you expected no one made a move towards the cave huh? That simply reverse psychology worked?" Chiaki asked me.
"What do you think? Do you think it would have worked?"
"I don't think so. So someone really came to the cave? Who was it, Ichinose? Katsuragi? Ryuen?"
Horikita understood why Chiaki asked those questions. Good, so far she can understand the reason behind why the leaders would approach that cave.
It doesn't matter why I exposed it's importance, in either scenario, there is a chance I will occupy it. So it was worth coming to it, atleast to check it out.
"Katsuragi and Ichinose came. Katsuragi first and Ichinose a few minutes later" Chiaki asked me.
"Wait, you saw them afar right? They didn't see you right?"
"Why ask that question?"
"You mentioned Ichinose arrived a few minutes later than Katsuragi. Then if the cave was empty, what made Katsuragi stay there for a few minutes?"
Brilliant Chiaki. Horikita widened her eyes. She didn't think that. Hehe, take that Horikita, don't underestimate my girlfriend.
"What happened Horikita? Always underestimating people. Can you not able to figure out those small inconsistencies?"
"I- yes, I admit Matsushita-san is very creative and cunning, but that's all. You were the one who said it, being better at academic ability or any other one or two abilities doesn't make them superior.
I don't believe Matsushita-san is superior to me. I am pretty sure I have certain aspects in which I am better than her" still delusional.
*Sigh* what did I expect from the superior Horikita.
Chiaki smiled at Horikita's words. She didn't take it seriously. It's true though, Horikita doesn't even hold a candle to the current Chiaki. Chiaki is superior in every aspect.
Academics, sports, critical thinking, social skills and many more. But Horikita won't accept that.
"Chiaki, for your question. I was the one made him stay, He saw me and Koenji inside the cave, we had a small conversation"
"Wait does that mean he saw you occupy the spot? Even if he did not, didn't get narrow down to the two of you?" Chiaki asked me.
"Yes, he did. Katsuragi now knows that the leader is between me and Koenji" I told them.
"What the hell are you even thinking Ayanokouji? Have you lost your *cough* mind?" Horikita shouted.
I swiftly pinned her down on a nearby tree. I placed my palm on her head.
"38.278 degree Celsius. You only have a mild fever. Hope that it won't get worse"
I backed up a bit. Chiaki was thinking seriously. Good, she thinks there must be a reason as to why I made such a mistake.
It could just be a small miscalculation in the timings of occupation and arrival of Katsuragi. But Chiaki knows I won't make such small errors. So what's my play here?. Her gears inside her head are turning.
"We are near the class A. Let's see what they are upto"
The time was around 4 in the noon. After visiting all the classes, I should be at the stating point of my grinding route exactly at 8:57pm.
We saw some tents, we reached their base.
It was a plain. Grasses that were tall upto your knees. But in the the farther back, there were very small grasses, a perfect place to camp.
There were resources everywhere. But the major advantage is, nobody can sneak into their camp. There are no trees immediately near them. They can see us from 87 metres far.
All three of us approached their class. They immediately spotted us.
"Hey guys, we are from class C. We are here to scout out other classes" I said cheerfully. Horikita glared at me while Chiaki giggled.
"Oh, if it isn't the queen. You are welcome here anytime queen" Hashimoto bowed.
Queen? What kind of nickname is that.
"You are the snake who stalks me all the time right? I understand if Sakayanagi told you to gather information on me, but the number of times you stalk me is abnormal.
It's almost as if stalking runs in your blood. Snake-kun" I told him.
He dramatically fell to the ground, as if an arrow struck his heart.
Katsuragi came out of a tent. The moment he spotted me, his face became serious. What is wrong with this guy? Can't he understand I am an harmless young maiden?
"What do you want Ayanokouji-san? Want to make a deal to not to put the name of your classs' leader? But unfortunately your fate is set in stone. I won't compromise on any deal.
You are a very dangerous opponent. But by the end of this exam, the gap between our two classes will widen and won't diminish under my watch"
Hearing Katsuragi's words, Chiaki got angry. While Horikita was frustrated. Does Horikita really think there is a chance I will lose to Katsuragi?
Maybe she is conflicted after seeing Katsuragi's confidence.
"Katsuragi, I don't know why, but after the midterm, when ever you encountered me, you glared at me with hostility. If I did anything wrong, please forgive me. This is simply a special exam.
We are still school students. I hope you won't let your personal feelings affect the course of action you take on these special exams" I elegantly bowed at him.
Hehe, the Sakayanagi faction glared at Katsuragi. It's clearly obvious that he is hostile towards me without a clear reason. The commotion backs up this claim.
Anyone who watched it fully will know that I never got angry, and was always calm. This will naturally make an ripple effect.
People will trust me more. I am not here to gain the sympathy of the class A students, but plummeting the reputation of Katsuragi seems like a great way to entertain myself.
"I don't want to answer anything. And my sense of rational thinking isn't affected by my emotions. Can I kindly ask you to leave the camp?" Katsuragi asked me.
"Why are you even in charge Katsuragi? Isn't it rude to send them away without even a proper welcome. We can even exchange information right? There are many things on the manual.
If they bought something that is usefull which is unknown to us, won't knowing them would be beneficial?
Also there maybe special exams where we have to team up with other classes, there's always that possibility. Hime told us right? This school is full of unknowns.
They are not even class B, by the process of elimination, isn't it better to atleast consider teaming up with them? Or something like that?" Hashimoto used this chance to rile up against Katsuragi.
Sakayanagi must have informed him beforehand that if I ever come to their camp, use that opportunity to oppose Katsuragi. Sakayanagi is very cunning.
"Hashimoto, we don't need any alliance right now. If the school specifically states that we have to team up, then we can consider it. Your arguments are very sloppy"
Hashimoto didn't retort, he simply smirked. This guy is a snake through and through.
"Well, we will take our leave. You put yourself on the line for me Hashimot-kun, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. You're a rare gem, and class A is lucky to have you on their side" I smiled at him.
Hehe it worked, most of the students blushed while some girls squealed.
The three of us left.
"Kiyone I somewhat understand what you did there... But was it really necessary to show them your smile?" Chiaki was irritated.
Well atleast the whole anger is not pointed at me. She is mad at Katsuragi.
However calm and collected a person might be, winning against a tougher opponent will make them arrogant.
"Leave those aside. Now a question for you two. Did you guys notice anything strange in their camp?"
"You mean that snake supporting you? But isn't it well known that they have a faction war amongst themselves for the leader position" Horikita asked me.
"I don't think Kiyone is asking about that. If I am not wrong, you are asking about that abnormal number of tents right? They had 8 tents."
If a tent can accommodate 8 people 5 tents are enough. Even if they want to sleep freely, 6 is more than enough. Each extra tent costs 10 points. The school provided only 3 of them, prompting us to use the points to buy othe other two.
So Katsuragi spent 50 points just for the tents? That's some insane amount. If that's the case, they will only end up with 180 or 170 points depending on other uses.
"Excellent Chiaki. Yes, isn't it suspicious that Katsuragi spent so much points on tents? You can just rule out the possibility of living in comfort. Even for that its absurd"
I complemented Chiaki, which wasn't recieved well by Horikita. She was again proven to be useless. I believe Horikita saw those tents too, but must have simply discarded it as useless information.
Horikita snorted, "Huh, it's useless information anyways. Isn't it possible that he spent those points because he is confident that he can figure out our leader?"
"Horikita, I admit it seems like an useless information, but it is not as useless as you" Chiaki laughed out loud.
Horikita glared at me.
"Tch, whatever, which class are we going to see next?"
"Class B, they must be near a waterfall location just north wast direction from here" both of them nodded at my words.
There was an eerie silence for a few minutes.
"So Chiaki, did you get any ideas on why Katsuragi spent those points? However absurd your theory maybe, just share it with me"
Horikita became attentive. She wants to know how Chiaki's mind operated.
"Well, he is not someone who spend excess points for comfort unless he got extra points. But the thing is, if he gained extra points someway, won't it be better to save them too? Why spend excess than necessary?
Unless it isn't class A's points at all. We all know that there is no way to transfer these S-points to other classes right? Then what if someone, some other class bought them the goods, in exchange for something.
But what can be satisfactory or can compensate class points? My theory seems wrong ... I can't form any other one. It seems like I am at an dead end."
Perfect. Just from thinking rationally, or from the point of Katsuragi, if these points are gained in someway, doesn't mean he has to spend them.
This made her conclude that this is not even their points.
Chiaki had a dejected look on her face. Cute. She looks like a lost puppy.
Horikita smirked.
"I thought you were capable Matsushita-san. You are simply spouting nonsense. Why would even someone spend their S-points for other classes. That theory is simple absurd"
The day I fought Horikita, she started to respect me. Not as much as her brother, but still she seems me as someone from whom she has to be recognised. She wants me to acknowledge her.
That's why it came as a shock that me and Chiaki were dating. In many instances I clued Horikita that Chiaki is very capable. Horikita is simply jealous of Chiaki, not due to our relationship, but rather due to my opinion on her.
My evaluation is absolute. It will take another hundred years for Horikita to reach the level of Chiaki. Chiaki just keeps on adapting, thinking from different perspective and so on.
That's the major flaw of Horikita. She refuses to think from other perspective. She is a stubborn little brat.
"Excellent Chiaki. I won't agree of deny whatever theories you formed. Don't be depressed, I will give you a clue. You were close to the truth" I ignored Horikita.
My words came as a shock to her. While Chiaki again started to think seriously. She doesn't waste any time.
"W-what are you even saying? That's just absurd"
I ignored her again. Anyways we reached class B.
They were very organised. Everyone had a smile plastered on their face. Everyone were in sync with each other. This is most organised class we have seen so far.
"Hey Kiyone-san. Came to see our camp? You are welcome to our humble home" Honami shouted at us, she was sitting on a hammock.
A good way to conceal a warning in the pretext of welcoming. People looked in our direction but soon resumed their work.
Honami and Kanzaki approached us.
"Hello Honami. It seems you guys are very well organised" Chiaki spoke instead of me.
"Yes we are. Want to exchange information? We can give you some tips on some utensils and things we bought on the manual.
While you guys give us the same."
I left the exchange of information in the hands of Chiaki.
I went near Kanzaki, Horikita followed me.
"Kanzaki-kun, do you want to make a truce between our classes just for this exam?"
He raised his eyebrows.
"What do you mean by truce?"
"A non-aggression pact. We won't try to guess your leader and write it down on the 7th day, while you guys do the same for us. How does that sound?"
He eyed Honami for a moment. She nodded her head. Kanzaki turned towards me.
"Sorry Ayanokouji-san, we can't make any promises. We can't agree to your terms" Kanzaki stated firmly.
Interesting.