'...': Writing
'...': Sign language
Kagurazaka's POV
I ate breakfast near the cruise ship pool when a bird landed on the table.
I didn't see the slip of paper I gave her.
Yes, it's a female, and I named it Brave.
Good job, Brave!
I rewarded Brave with a bit of my food.
Ayanokouji's POV
I returned to the base camp of Class D, "Did you find anything?" Horikita asked.
"It seems that the Class C students retired," I pulled out the paper, "Here you go."
"What is this?" She took it.
I didn't answer her, and I walked away from her.
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you mind if we talk?" I turned to see Hirata with a smile.
I shook my head, "I can talk."
"Let's talk over here," Hirata said.
I followed him to a secluded area, "Do you think Kagurazaka-kun stole Karuizawa-san's underwear?"
"I don't think he did," I answered.
Hirata sighed in relief, "I believe he didn't steal it either. He doesn't seem like that kind of person to do it."
"I'm asking a lot, but would you try to find the real culprit?" Hirata asked.
"Yeah, I could do that. May I know why?" I asked with curiosity.
"I feel bad. Kagurazaka-kun refused to let me talk to him about it. I think he knew that no one would have listened to him. I don't blame him for refusing to talk to me," Hirata said with a sad smile.
Kagurazaka's POV
I arrived at the cruise ship's pool, wearing my rash guard and swimming trunks. I might as well enjoy myself while I'm on the cruise ship.
"Oh God, why are you here?" Manabe was lying on a sun chair with an annoyed expression.
'I'm here to swim. Where's the rest of your friend group?'
"They are relaxing," Manabe answered, "Go away now."
I wasn't going to leave since you're giving me attitude. I sat down on the sun chair beside hers.
"You're annoying. How about making like a tree and fuck off?" Manabe growled.
'Why are you hostile toward me?'
"It's the way I talk!" She yelled.
I stared at her as she stared back at me with a glare. It didn't take long for her before she looked away with a groan.
"The reason I speak like this is because of my crew."
So, Manabe was the leader of a crew.
'I thought it would be your parents.'
For a moment, I saw her eyes darkened. It looks like her parents are a sensitive subject.
'Sorry, I shouldn't have said that.'
Manabe shook her head, "You're fine..."
An awkward silence filled the air as I brought my attention to the pool. I should leave Manabe alone and go swimming.
"Hey..." Manabe said, "I'm sorry about how our first interaction went," Manabe didn't make eye contact and had a bashful expression.
I nodded before setting my notebook on the sun chair and walking toward the pool.
Manabe's POV
"Oh my, are my ears working properly, or did the cold-hearted Queen apologize?" I whipped my head to see Saki with a smug smile.
Rika and Nanami were also with her...
"How much did you hear?" I glared at Saki.
"I'll never tell!" Saki giggled and ran away.
"When I get my hands on you, you're dead meat!" I shot up from the sun chair and chased after her.
~Timeskip~
Ayanokouji's POV
On the fourth night of the particular examination trial, the D-class personnel felt depressed. It felt like we were keeping vigil because of the incident. After all, the culprit was found, but the tension was still there.
Today, I was in charge of tending the fire. It was a monotonous task of adding branches.
The problem, though, lay elsewhere.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun! I told you to move the tent properly, didn't I?"
"Move it more to the left. Because it's too close to the boys."
A sigh escaped my lips, "All right."
They just gave me an unreasonable order, and I accepted it reluctantly. The girls left with anger.
"It's hard when forced to do miscellaneous routine duties."
"Look who's talking. I would have been alright if it wasn't for your unnecessary recommendation," Horikita said.
"There was no other way. Hirata is not to be trusted. Insurance is necessary."
"You are the only one in class who doesn't trust Hirata. It's better not to think that everyone lives by being two-faced."
"That's true. I am not two-faced," Horikita lives by being true to herself.
She ended up dodging this rather skilfully.
"However, most people use their real intentions quite differently from their principles. Just like you do. Moreover, I don't trust any of them because charity and hypocrisy are two sides of the same coin."
It seemed that her trust issues weren't limited only to Hirata. They applied to Kushida as well.
"Still, I trust Hirata very much."
"Ah! At least I can count on you. You are reliable," Horikita told me.
"Rely on me? Can you at least say that I have a good influence on the class because of him?"
Since Horikita believed I had information she didn't know and I answered her with no expression, she counterattacked.
"Despite Hirata-kun's imperfections, he still tries his best as a coordinator. Although, there are some challenges to organizing events with both boys and girls present."
"It's impressive that he took on a big role without complaint, but success is necessary. Unfortunately, the situation looks dire as we have very few D Class points."
"It seems that there was an excessive amount of spending. I can't estimate exactly."
"Just as I thought... Hirata, whom you trust so much, keeps his lips sealed," Horikita stated.
"What do you mean?"
Horikita had a severe expression, "Follow me."
I wonder what it is that I should see so much that we left the fire unattended.
Where are we going?
In front of the girls' tents.
Horikita opened the cloth on the main panel and showed the tent inside.
"That's..."
Unlike the empty boys' tent, the girls' tent had a different view because there was no space to sleep.
On the floor, there was a floor mat to soften the hardness of the ground, and several pillows seemed to have been inflated with air. Furthermore, they installed a battery-powered cordless electric fan.
"The same things are also placed on the other tent, too. A total of 12 points."
This class is a mess.
Exam Class Points: 170-12=158
5th day
Kagurazaka's POV
I heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. It was Nishino, "We are hanging out."
I nodded.
"There's a pretty good café on the deck," Nishino said, "We will be heading there."
Cruise ship's café
We both ordered our drinks and sat close to the ocean window.
"When did you retire?" Nishino asked.
'The 4th day... early in the morning. Just like your entire class did.'
Nishino's POV
I felt a cold shiver run along my spine as Kagurazaka stared at me. It felt like he was staring right into my soul.
'I know Ryuuen is on the island.'
Even with the stare, I couldn't help but ask, "How?"
Start of flashback
Kagurazaka's POV
I arrived on the cruise ship after retiring from the exam. I was greeted by Koenji, who had a confident grin.
"It looks like Silent-kun agrees that this exam is a waste of time," Koenji said.
I felt relieved to leave the island. I didn't have to listen to my classmates arguing anymore.
"Join this perfect being at looking at the beautiful moon," Koenji walked past me.
He's weird...
I followed Koenji and stopped at the railing beside him. His eyes weren't fixated on the moon but on a large group of students.
"Oh, it looks like we have more candidates that want to retire," Koenji grinned, "Tell me, Silent-kun. Do you see something amiss in their group?"
'Three students are missing, but the most important person missing is Ryuuen."
Koenji smirked, widened, "Haha, it looks like you're correct!"
"Enough about them," Koenji looked up at the sky, "Look at how gorgeous the moon is. It's almost as perfect as me!"
Yup, you're a weird one, Koenji.
End of flashback
I shrugged.
Nishino narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Fine, keep your secrets."
'Let's talk about something else.'
"I'm fine with that," Nishino said, "What do you want to talk about?"
'Who are your roommates on the cruise ship?'
"Shiina, Ibuki, and Kinoshita. What about you?" She asked.
'Ike, Yamauchi, and Akito.'
"Yikes, you have to deal with two perverts. I pity you," Nishino looked at me with remorse.
'I'm not going to stay in my room.'
"You can come to hang out with Shiina, Kinoshita, Ibuki, and me," Nishino suggested, "The four lone wolves of Class C.
'Lone wolves?'
"Yup, Ibuki-san would be considered the fiercest wolf, Kinoshita-San would be the quick wolf, and I would be the cute wolf," I rolled my eyes as she continued, "Finally, Shiina-san would be the adorable pup that you want to protect."
I haven't met Kinoshita, but Nishino's description seemed accurate.
~Timeskip~
I walked Nishino back to her room, and she allowed me to enter.
Shiina was lying in bed, reading a book. She looked away from her book with her eyes landing on me—a cute smile formed.
"Are you here to read with me?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Perfect," her eyes sparkled with excitement, "You're going to enjoy this book!"
Midnight
3rd POV
Kinoshita entered her room, and her eyes widened in shock, "What the hell..."
Nishino launched herself off the bed and tackled Kinoshita to the ground, "Shh! They are sleeping!" Nishino whispered.
"Get off of me," Kinoshita shoved Nishino off her before getting up.
"Explain why they are sleeping together," Kinoshita demanded.
"They fell asleep while reading together," Nishono answered.
"What?"
"I know. They read from the afternoon to midnight. I think they managed to finish the book," Nishino said.
"I don't think that's the problem," Kinoshita deadpanned, "Whatever... I'm going to sleep."
6th day
Ayanokouji's POV
Upon our return to base camp before noon, we had no results from our expedition. Despite the absence of the sun, the forest was sweltering during midsummer. Even Horikita, who claimed not to sweat, appeared slightly damp.
I asked Yamauchi to pour mud on Horikita, but he refused. However, he agreed when I promised to give him Sakura's number. After running into the ground, she threw Yamauchi like a ragdoll.
If I could laugh, I would have done it.
"You'd better wash yourself quickly, Horikita-san. You're quite muddy..."
"That's right... This situation is harrowing."
Having her hair and clothes covered in mud, Horikita was annoyed with displeasure.
"It's because I resent you for a lifetime. Prepare yourself."
Burbling, Yamauchi hid behind my back, trembling in fear, "I-I-I, I di-did it. Promise, keep your promise!" He whispered.
"It's alright. I'll tell you after the trial," It might have been bad for Sakura, but Yamauchi needed compensation for his heroic act.
"Oh no, it's impossible to use the shower room..."
The girls who had returned from the search waited in line for the shower room. Karuizawa and two other girls from her group were also in line. Even if Horikita and the others joined the line, they would have to wait long. Due to her muddiness, she didn't want to surrender to Karuizawa, who showed hostility towards Horikita. It seemed challenging to cut in line.
"How about using the river? It's easy, right?" I said.
"Right. It looks like there's no other option," Horikita said.
"I could go swimming as well. Would you come with us, Ibuki-san? I sweat a lot. If we get the approval, then Class C use the river?" Kushida asked.
Using the spot without permission was the unquestionable rule.
"I'll pass. I'll quietly wait for the shower room since I don't like swimming."
"Me too..." Sakura muttered.
I heard the sound of a bird chirping and glanced over into the trees to see the bird holding something between its beak.
It dropped the paper, and the folded sheet hit the ground. The bird flew away.
I walked over to where the piece of paper was, grabbed it, and opened it. It was a map showing the location of all the camps and each spot.
It looks like you have been busy, Kagurazaka.
~Timeskip~
"Ayanokouji-kun. Could you come for a moment...?" Horikita asked.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Follow me... We can't talk here," with only uttering this, Horikita left the camp, moving towards the forest.
"What happened? Are we going to enter the forest searching for food again?"
Horikita continued walking without responding to my calls. She eventually stopped when the camp was out of sight. Turning back towards me, she seemed to have something to say but hesitated as if reconsidering.
"It was my negligence. I wanted to say to you after I realized it was a mistake. Is that alright?"
"Mistake?"
"It was stolen."
Please don't tell me someone stole your panties because I don't need the island burning to the ground.
"Y-you aren't saying your underwear was stolen, are you?"
"No. Even worse. The thing stolen is... key card. It was a complete mistake."
Falling into self-hatred, Horikita showed a facial expression I hadn't seen until now.
"I wanted to talk to you since I trust you. I couldn't consult with someone who might be the culprit. It's so embarrassing. I want to die..."
I was honored to hear that, but I couldn't possibly rejoice in front of her when she was feeling down.
"Such a big mistake..."
"No, the one who stole it is to blame. Alright?"
"Even so, it's a matter of responsibility. It has nothing to do with me being in a bad physical condition or covered in mud." Said Horikita regretfully, casting her eyes down. The leakage of information could bring extensive damage to the trial.
"I shouldn't have let go of the card even for one second. But instead, I..."
"Don't blame yourself. Maybe it won't console you, but you did your best."
I didn't know if she had heard me. All she did was bit her lower lip in regret.
"We shouldn't announce this publicly for now. We should grasp the situation first."
"Yes... I think so too."
Everyone would have panicked if they had known the truth. I wanted to avoid that, at least.
"I suspect two persons. Karuizawa and Ibuki."
The former one would have done it out of simple hatred. Horikita hurriedly explained she could have stolen it out of fun.
"The chances are low. Karuizawa was the whole time in front of the shower room."
"Are you sure...?"
"Yes, I can affirm. The same thing about the two girls who were receiving orders from her."
"If Ibuki knew about the card's existence in the morning, she could be the culprit. However, stealing is a dangerous risk. The key card has the leader's name carved, so simply looking at it should suffice. Perhaps Ibuki is intentionally mimicking the crime."
"We can determine the truth by examining the timing and asking Ibuki. If we doubt Ibuki, we must keep a close eye on her to avoid the worst-case scenario of her escaping."
"That's right. But excuse me; I wonder if you could return before me to follow her immediately."
"Is that so? I get it. I'll go back and look out for Ibuki."
After about 10 minutes, Horikita returned and felt the campsite's uneasy air. It was because of the dark smoke that could be seen from the back of the temporary toilet.
It was too early to make a fire. She also noticed that the place where this was coming from was extraordinary.
"What's that smoke? What on earth happened?"
As I joined Horikita, I caught Ike's tension nearby and asked him about the situation.
"This is serious. It's a fire! Fire! Something is burning behind the toilet!"
All the girls lined up in front of the shower room are gone. They must have left quickly when they heard a fire broke out.
"I can't see Ibuki. The fire might have been her work. Where is she?"
"As soon as she noticed the fire, she just walked there."
I hurried to the back of the temporary toilet; Hirata and the others were there.
Ibuki was also there.
Horikita hesitated to call out Ibuki when she saw her genuine confusion about the fire.
"Does that mean... She didn't do this?"
Such doubts attacked Horikita, causing her confusion.
If the key card was stolen and there was a fire, it must have been Ibuki. Despite this, Ibuki was present and acted surprised by the fire. When I investigated the fire, I found something remaining after the east side of the papers had burned, but it mainly was soot, so that I couldn't identify it.
"Did the manual get burnt?"
Horikita also noticed the same thing, so she raised the question.
"Yup. It looks like that. Who would do this...?"
"It's one after another..." Horikita gave a slight cough and looked down regretfully.
"I am taking responsibility for losing the manual in my bag. We left them piled up in front of the tent, and I did not anticipate that someone would steal mine during the day. However, I need to process what happened."
Rather than searching for the culprit, Hirata headed towards the river, hoping to extinguish the fire first.
Hirata coughed gloomily while scooping water from an empty plastic bottle.
"Why... Who would have done something like this... Why can't we all get along..."
Spontaneously, with all his might, he squashed the plastic bottle in his hands.
Where did his usual refreshing expression go? There was a terrible atmosphere hanging in the air.
As he constantly worked as the leader to consolidate our class, Hirata's body and mind continued to bear a heavy burden.
"I don't think you have to overburden yourself."
I said words that couldn't be considered comforting to Hirata; however, he stood up, muffling a thank you.
"This incident... We have to discuss it properly."
"That's right. Most of Class D has witnessed the fire. I am sure they would like to find out the truth."
With a depressed expression, Hirata returned to the fire site, holding the scooped water in his hands.
"Hey, who did this? Does that mean there is a traitor in our class?"
When we returned, we found Karuizawa at the head of a confrontation between boys and girls.
"Why are you suspecting us? Isn't this a whole different matter from the one with the underwear?"
"You think we don't get it? Did you not burn it so that you can mislead us?"
"Don't speak nonsense, as if we could do something like this."
"Wait a moment, everyone! Let's calm down and discuss it altogether."
I received a request from Hirata to pass the water, but I took on the mission to extinguish the remnants of the fire instead. Hirata intervened to mediate a quarrel between the heated members of Class D, which the theft of the underwear event may have triggered.
"For now, there's no fear for the flames to spread out."
I was shaking the overturned empty plastic bottle a few times. There should have been no more contents left inside, but a few drops of water trickled down the fire one by one.
I looked up at the sky.
"Rain..."
Drops of water were falling and dripping onto my cheeks. The clouds were getting darker than before. This was proof that heavy rain would come soon.
Initially, all of us agreed to unite and overcome the last pinch.
But now, boys and girls were vehemently opposed each other and remained unmoved as if they were having a real war.
Hmm, where did Ibuki go?
Horikita's POV
Why did the weather have to get worse now?
Throughout this tone, I was already desperately dragging my plagued body around this island, and the weather only worsened it.
I continued pushing my body past the limits to catch up with Ibuki. She shouldn't have gone far.
I noticed a figure near me, "Why are you following me?"
"It's simple. I came back to get what was stolen from me."
"Tch," Ibuki scoffed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The underwear theft and the fire... It was you."
"Where's the proof that I did it?" Ibuki asked.
"I don't have any evidence, but I know it was you," I said.
"You wound me, Horikita-san. Is it because I'm from a different class?"
She wasn't going to let her guard down.
I needed to do something to get the keycard back to stop our class from failing. It's my fault that we are in this situation.
I need to win here. For my class, for Ayanokouji and Kagurazaka.
Ibuki started walking away.
My condition was getting worse as my breathing got slower and shallow. It was a struggle to continue standing.
"Struggling?" Ibuki asked in a mocking tone.
I chased after her as she took many left and rights. My sickness was getting worse as I continued to push myself forward.
Ibuki stopped at a tree with a handkerchief tied to one of the low branches. She bent down and started digging in the dirt.
"What are you looking for?" I questioned her.
"None of your business," she responded.
"I won't leave until you return what you stole."
"Seriously, if I did steal the keycard, why would I keep it on me? I could memorize the name and return it. Keeping it on me would be useless," there it is. The slip-up I was waiting for.
"You confessed," I stated.
My breathing was getting worse. I watched Ibuki kick her bag over to me.
I bent over, ready to open the bag, when her knee rushed to my chin.
It took every ounce of my strength to dodge the strike.
"I'm impressed. You managed to dodge that in the condition you're in."
I tried fixing my stance as I lowered myself into a fighting position.
Ibuki lunged at me as she placed her hands on the ground and used them as a spring to kick my face.
I barely brought my arms up to guard the decisive kick. The power and strength behind her kick sent a wave of pain, causing me to stumble backward.
She continued her relentless barrage as she stepped forward to launch a kick at the right side of my face.
I managed to duck out of the way and tried to counterattack. With strength, I brought my fist to her open side for my strike.
The blow didn't land as Ibuki caught it with her open arm and pinned me to her side.
"Pathetic," she lifted her knee to my face and landed a decisive blow.
I fell to the ground in agony as the pain in my head and arms was too much to handle. I lay there helplessly, falling in and out of consciousness on the muddy ground.
"For trying so hard for the past few minutes, I'll give you a reward," Ibuki reached into her pocket and pulled out a keycard.
She bent down to show it to me. The card read Kagurazaka Norogumi on it.
"I can't believe your class took in a rival. Kagurazaka-kun had the right idea to keep his eye on me, but it seemed like someone saw him as a threat."
What?
A dry chuckle escaped her lips, "I did steal the panties, but I never put them in his bag. It should've been in one of the pervert's bags."
That means...
Ibuki kicked my side, and I passed out.
Ibuki's POV
I take a deep breath as I look at Horikita, who has lost consciousness. It has been a while since I have faced such a stubborn opponent. The outcome might have been different if her physical condition had been better, but she was solid.
I resumed my task and unearthed a vinyl-wrapped flashlight and transceiver, hoping to avoid their use.
"What...?"
After digging up the two buried items, I felt a mysterious sensation, unsure of its cause but sensing a difference from the last time I buried them.
"I swear if this plan doesn't work, I'll..."
"You'll do what?"
Ryuuen appeared from the cover of the trees, "I'm going to kick your ass."
"Kukuku, I would like to see you try. Besides, this plan will work."
"So, where's the card?"
"It's here."
I took the card from my pocket and handed it over to Ryuuen. Ryuuen illuminated the card with the flashlight, confirming the name carved on it was that of Kagurazaka Norogumi.
"Come here and confirm as demanded. Don't worry; it's safe."
Katsuragi emerged from his hiding spot. He was calm and steady, unlike our leader. I tried to remain calm but couldn't ignore Ryuuen's threat to turn Class A against me. How did he...?
Taking Horikita's card from Ryuuen, Katsuragi observed it with his own eyes. It couldn't have been forged on this uninhabited island.
"Looks like the real thing. They even did the plan that we did."
"Do you agree with this?"
Despite providing proof, Katsuragi maintained his stern expression. He's known to be cautious, but this level of vigilance is excessive.
"Okay," Katsuragi replied flatly, "You will hold up the end o your bargain, and Class A will fulfill their destiny.
3rd POV
A bird watched the entire scene in a tree with a tiny camera attached to its leg.
Ayanokouji's POV
Horikita's figure was covered in mud near a big tree, and she lost consciousness and looked like she was dying.
A keycard lay beside Horikita's limp hand, dirt smudging her injured body. Ibuki had found her, confirming Horikita as the class leader. I lifted her after retrieving the keycard.
Horikita groaned, and her eyes fluttered open slowly, "Ayano... kouji-kun..."
She sounded dazed and didn't seem to understand the situation.
"My... head... hurts..."
"You have a high fever. You shouldn't strain to talk."
"Ibuki-san..."
Horikita's fever continued to rise as she worried about various problems instead of resting, but eventually, she began to grasp the situation.
"As expected.....it was Ibuki who stole my card."
"I see"
"I can't be dumber than the three idiots..." She was belittling herself about the situation.
"It's not a trial where you should keep hiding for 24 hours. You can be open to attack."
I intended to follow up with something else, but it saddened Horikita. She was too injured and in a state of total heartbreak.
"It could have been avoided if I knew how to rely on someone."
If you genuinely want to protect the leader's identity, you must rely on trustworthy individuals who would save the card 24/7. Unfortunately, Horikita lacked any such friends.
She looked miserable and was coughing a little, "When I was losing consciousness, I felt like I heard Ryuuen's voice.....That's odd. He should be retired since long ago...."
"Did you read the message that I gave you from Kagurazaka?"
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," Horikita apologized.
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
"That's because... there's no one else I can apologize to except you... The other person has to apologize to is Kagurazak-kun..."
Hmm, yeah. It's something that makes me think hard.
"If you think that's bad, try to make some reliable friends in the future. Start from there."
"That's difficult.....nobody is willing to be my ally."
The usual Horikita would insult the other party, but this time her words implied self-improvement. She said, "Nobody is willing to be my ally."
Changing direction with skill is insufficient; Horikita's vacant eyes looked past me.
"Such a thing... I understood it since long ago."
"Don't talk. You're sick," I reprimanded her.
I can convince her to be quiet, but Horikita refused to stop her self-reproach. However, she felt she had no choice but to rely on herself and couldn't consider any alternatives.
"With my strength, I will rise to Class A. I will surely recover from this failure."
Without strength, she grabbed my sleeve and made an impassionate appeal.
"I'm ready to be cursed by all the classes... I failed to that extent."
"According to this school's system, you can't reach Class A if you fight alone. We need classmates' cooperation at any cost. It's inevitable."
She was too weak to open her eyes, so they eventually closed. Horikita's grip on my sleeve gave me strength.
"It's impossible to admit. Regardless of how hard it is... in the end... I am alone."
"You can't bear heavy responsibilities. You're not that strong. Sorry to tell you."
"You're telling me to give up? I dream my brother will recognize my dream to be in a class."
"I didn't say that. You don't have to give up."
I looked down at Horikita, suffering and groaning in my chest, and added, "If you can't fight by yourself, it's better to fight with another. I will give you a hand."
"Why...? You're not the kind of person... who says such things..."
"Then, why not?"
Being intentionally vague is best. Afterward, Horikita lost consciousness again. I must now proceed without drawing attention. Retiring is easy, but I don't know the emergency button on the watch. The helicopter's arrival would be loud.
"I confused the road... it's dangerous, dangerous.."
I was proceeding with the prayer to exit from the path, but, unfortunately, I got out on a cliff.
I almost fell as I took a step forward. I looked down and estimated the distance to be about 10 meters. Unfortunately, I realized I was walking in the wrong direction. Should I go back to the original route? As I slowly turned around, not to burden Horikita, something happened.
The soil under my footing collapsed, and I lost my balance.
If I were alone, I would have grabbed a tree branch and stepped on it, but Horikita blocked both of my hands.
I fell. It was inevitable.
I curled up to protect Horikita but tumbled down the slope, losing all sense of direction. I am unable to recall what happened after the fall.
I'm unlikely to crawl up the slope while still holding onto Horikita, so should I express relief that she wasn't hurt?
"I screwed up."
Now is not the time to be stuck here. I must carry the still-unconscious Horikita on my back and proceed with a single lightstick through the forest. The relentless rain weakens me, and Horikita's heat is not helping; it could be dangerous if she remains exposed to the shower.
Deep in the forest, no artificial caves or shelters forced us to rely on nature. Luckily, overgrown trees provided some cover from the rain.
I looked around for big trees, then moved us right under them. Of course, it was better than being directly under the rain, for the rich foliage prevented a lot of rain.
Gently, I left Horikita to lie down on the ground.
"Where...?"
I wondered if she was temporarily confused. It looked like she didn't remember what happened a little while ago.
I explained what had happened. However, I was a bit doubtful whether she understood it all clearly.
"That's what happened... I remembered everything, now."
"That's good."
"I don't know how good this is. Since I can remember my mistake, I feel the worst."
"It's almost six o'clock, Horikita. You might think that it is harsh, but you should retire. I guess your body is at its limit already."
She has barely come this far by pretending to be alright, but from now on, this will no longer be possible.
"I can't do that. We can't afford to lose 30 points because of me... Wasn't I who confronted Karuizawa and the others who used our points carelessly? It will make me look like a total fool..."
"It's not only that... The key card was stolen from me, too. You clearly understand what that means...?"
"D class will lose another 50 points."
Horikita nodded her head slightly. Then, D class would have just a few points left.
"Go back alone and leave me here. If we do this, at least for now, I will be the only one absent from the evening's roll call."
"And what are you planning to do?"
"By tomorrow morning... I will somehow return alone to the camp. If I manage to surpass my bad condition during morning roll call, then for sure, we will be able to do something about retirement, too."
So we could pass this through with a minus 5 points. That was the target.
"This situation isn't so easy, you're pretty weak right now, and the teacher in charge isn't naive enough so that you get through this with a fake performance. Above all, you can't get back on your own."
"Still, I have no other choice... So that some points remain in Class D."
Aside from the critical card case, there was still a possibility that we could protect some points about roll calls and retirement. That was certainly not a small number.
"Go!"
Despite Horikita's weakness, her words carried an indomitable fighting spirit. She preferred to bear the strain alone rather than involve others. Without a word, I rose and gently placed her head on the base of a nearby tree. It was clear that she had set me up for this situation.
"I will leave you without hesitation, but our classmates will blame you if things happen like this."
"Yeah. That's the correct judgment. It was my responsibility, and it's all my fault."
Horikita praised my cold decision as being accurate. But she was feeling ashamed of herself for growing weak. She embraced her trembling body to endure the cold.
It is hard when you are not dependent on others.
The weather was still stormy, and there was no sign that the rain or wind would end soon.
"Can you come back alone tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah... I'll be okay."
When she finished her sentence, Horikita lost consciousness again.
I gently picked her up and shifted my position to make her feel even a little more comfortable, and then, when I stood up, I looked up at the unquenchable darkness and sighed.
"It would have been much easier if you had retired by your own will."
I didn't know what to think at the moment. I saw everyone as a tool, and the only thing I had on my mind was winning, but a lot has happened over this exam. I didn't care about the process or the cost, but I wanted to achieve victory.
There must be more that I must learn about to achieve the peaceful life I need.
Exam Class Points: 158-30=128