After receiving Ayanokoji's affirmative reply, Amane-san finally left the lighthouse with satisfaction.
Only Ayanokoji remained, looking up at the faintly visible stars, lost in thought. After a long while, he murmured softly,
"Why are you running so hard?"
Amane-san's unusual behavior had already caught Ayanokoji's attention.
It was just an ordinary island exam.
Although a large number of points could be obtained through some maneuvers.
However, it inherently required a considerable amount of effort.
And the outcome might not necessarily be as desired.
For instance, it's easy to say that all four classes could work together to get huge points, but it's incredibly difficult to execute.
She could have treated it like a vacation, enjoying the leisurely life on the island.
Yet, Amane-san remained in a state of high tension.
Undeniably, in this state, even Ayanokoji couldn't guess what Amane-san was thinking or what she was going to do.
In other words, Amane-san was serious.
But even when serious, the points Amane-san could obtain would largely depend on luck. The rules of having both key card holder and infiltrator identities made guessing useless.
Because the penalties were too severe, all classes would basically be fixated on the key card with a mindset of 'no credit for success, but no blame for failure.'
Without the key card, they couldn't confirm if their judgment was correct.
Unable to make a decision, they naturally couldn't get points by guessing who had it, which formed a harmonious cycle.
And what Amane-san was about to do was break this damned cycle.
She intended to take the initiative to snatch chestnuts from the fire.
So, why was Amane-san working so hard?
She clearly wasn't interested in being promoted to Class A.
Nor was she enthusiastic about fighting.
Then why was she working so hard?
Unfortunately, Amane-san had already left, and the answer to his question was destined to go unanswered.
Class B camp.
"How about that? Wasn't I right? Ryuuen and Shiina, those two, really left the island, which means they forfeited this exam. This proves that Ryuuen is indeed keeping his promise this time, and it's not a trap, as someone speculated."
Classmate Kanzaki loudly announced the good news to everyone.
Once Ryuuen's plan succeeded, they would gain two hundred class points, plus the remaining special points and base points from the exam, allowing Class B to almost immediately return to its previous state.
This was undoubtedly great news for Class B.
Shibata Sō looked at Classmate Kanzaki with a gloomy expression.
"How do you know this isn't a trap? What if he suddenly changes his mind..."
Shibata Sō's words were cut short by Classmate Kanzaki raising a hand.
"Alright, alright, Shibata Sō, you're talking nonsense again. Katsuragi has already signed the agreement, why don't you believe it? Ryuuen leaving the island was something Ichinose and I saw with our own eyes. That can't be fake, can it? You can question me, but are you going to question Classmate Ichinose too?"
Shibata Sō glanced at Ichinose, who looked hesitant, then at Classmate Kanzaki, whose expression seemed calm but whose words were full of a forceful demeanor.
"Sigh, I really envy Ryuuen for having an opponent like Classmate Kanzaki."
Shibata Sō's lament drew everyone's attention.
This was the first time Shibata Sō had openly challenged Classmate Kanzaki.
"What did you say? Shibata Sō, are you trying to disrupt Class B's unity?"
Classmate Kanzaki skillfully accused Shibata Sō.
Disrupt unity?
Shibata Sō looked at Classmate Kanzaki with disdain. If disrupting unity meant forcing others to conform to the group, then was that really unity?
If, in their eyes, unity meant obedience, then such unity was better off without.
"You're not worth strategizing with."
Shibata Sō angrily rebuked Classmate Kanzaki.
"What did you say?"
Classmate Kanzaki didn't even understand what Shibata Sō said.
Shibata Sō grabbed his clothes and quickly walked towards his tent.
Classmate Kanzaki, seeing that Shibata Sō was truly angry, was somewhat at a loss, especially with that last phrase he had never heard before. He had a feeling it wasn't anything good. He was tempted to go after him and ask, but recalling Shibata Sō's angry look just now, he gave up on the idea of pursuing it further. He didn't want to get punched by an enraged Shibata Sō.
Shibata Sō, alone in his tent, quickly calmed the anger on his face.
Sitting in the tent, he began to listen to the sounds outside.
After making sure no one had followed him, a smile with an ambiguous meaning appeared on his face.
"I said everything I needed to say, but Classmate Ichinose, why won't you believe me? I really didn't want to go this far. I never wanted to hurt any of you, but you insist on going down the wrong path, so you can't blame me..."
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