"Over here...!"
Sudō shouted loudly as he led the group toward the area they had discovered.
The entire way there, he kept describing it as a place that had everything we needed — a river, trees, even fruits.
It sounded as if they had discovered paradise.
I just hoped he wasn't exaggerating.
After a short walk, we finally arrived at the place Sudō had been praising nonstop.
Surprisingly, it was actually close to what he described.
There was a river, dense trees suitable for placing our tents beneath, and even fruits that looked edible.
Maybe the school had prepared this place intentionally.
There were probably many locations like this scattered around the island.
The students spread throughout the area to explore the surroundings and familiarize themselves with the environment.
I noticed a strange device on the side, so I walked toward it to take a closer look.
It was a black machine mounted on a pole.
Maybe if we inserted the card Chabashira-sensei had mentioned earlier, we could claim the area.
There was also a camera attached to it, probably to confirm that the cardholder was the one occupying the zone.
As always, this school covered every loophole.
I stepped back away from the machine, but unlike the others who were only interested in the area itself, Ayanokōji was also approaching the device.
Maybe he was interested in it too.
Without speaking to him, I headed toward the river where Ike was performing something ridiculous.
He had taken off his shoes, placed his feet in the water, and started splashing around like an idiot.
Didn't that count as polluting the environment?
I looked at the water.
It was almost crystal clear.
It might even be drinkable.
There were fish too.
I wasn't an expert, but the river didn't look natural to me.
Maybe it was artificial.
"Look... the water is clear. We can drink it..." Ike said while scooping some water into his hands and drinking it.
"Hah...? Why would we drink that water...?" one of the girls said.
"It's drinkable, I guarantee it," Ike said while wiping his mouth with his shirt.
"It might be poisonous!" Karuizawa shouted.
"Are you stupid...? There aren't any factories around here."
Hmm.
Well, that made sense.
One point for the boys' side.
"Guys, let's calm down... I don't think we should drink river water directly like this. But we can boil it," Hirata said while trying to separate both sides.
"Ah... you might be right," Karuizawa admitted reluctantly.
"But wouldn't that just waste our time?" Ike said while struggling to defend his argument.
"Alright, alright... everyone, gather under the shade first. We need to discuss something," Hirata said.
Why did he suddenly want a meeting?
The class followed him toward the shade while I remained staring at the water.
I crouched down, scooped some into my palm, and drank it.
It was really cold.
And honestly, it didn't taste bad at all.
Still, as a precaution, boiling it would probably be better.
We didn't want students withdrawing because of poisoning.
I wiped my face with my hands before heading toward the shade and sitting down.
"Guys... I think if we want to pass this exam smoothly, we should choose a proper leader to make decisions and organize the work before we begin... Are there any volunteers?" Hirata said while standing in the center of the group.
"Hirata-kun is right... We need to work in an organized way if we want to succeed," Kushida stood up to support Hirata.
"Volunteers...? Why don't you do it yourself, Hirata-kun?" Karuizawa said while pointing at him.
But unlike usual, she didn't receive much support.
Maybe some of them had already realized that Hirata lacked the essential qualities of a leader.
He could function as everyone's friend, but being a leader was a completely different matter.
"Well... I don't think I'm suitable for it, so I wanted us to try someone else," Hirata said with an awkward smile.
"So then... does anyone want to volunteer for the role?" Hirata began looking around at everyone with searching eyes.
"Hirata-kun... I think Yukinoshita-san might be suitable," Kushida said while placing a finger on her chin.
"Yeah, you're right, but I don't want to force that responsibility onto anyone," Hirata turned toward Yukinoshita, who was sitting quietly on a rock at the edge.
"Even Yukinoshita-san seems suitable, right...?" Karuizawa stood up, convinced by the suggestion.
"Yeah..."
"She's the right person..."
Voices and cheers nominating Yukinoshita continued spreading.
"Yukinoshita-san, would this be alright with you?" Hirata asked while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Yukinoshita stared at the students of Class D with her blue eyes before slowly standing up with a sigh.
"I-If everyone agrees..."
"I think we all agree on this, right?" Kushida asked while turning toward the group.
"If Kushida-chan says so..."
"Seems fine to me too..."
Most of the students agreed with the proposal.
But nobody asked for my opinion.
Well, I refuse to let her become the leader.
She's ruthless.
You'll all regret this.
"Alright then..." Yukinoshita nodded as she stepped toward the center beside Hirata.
Then she cleared her throat as if preparing herself to speak.
"Well, I think this exam is strange for most of you, and for some of you, this might even be your first camping experience... I won't tell you that you must all get along and unite together, but at the very least, you need to cooperate in order to pass this exam... Understood?" Yukinoshita said in a clear and confident voice.
Silence spread among everyone, completely convinced by her words, allowing her to continue.
"I know this is supposed to be a vacation, so we'll divide the work fairly and efficiently so all of you can perform your duties and still enjoy days off..."
Smiles spread across everyone's faces.
Most of these idiots had only been thinking about the suffering awaiting them and forgot they were technically on vacation.
"That sounds amazing, Yukinoshita-san. How are we going to do that?" Kushida asked.
"I'll try dividing the tasks with Horikita-san's help so that one group can rest while the other covers their responsibilities, then switch afterward."
Kushida suddenly stopped talking.
For a moment, she seemed unable to respond after hearing that.
Was she shocked by Yukinoshita's plan... or by the mention of Horikita's name?
"Is there a problem...?" Yukinoshita asked after noticing her freeze up.
"No, nothing at all... I was just thinking, why don't we all take our break days together? That way we can enjoy ourselves more, right everyone?" Kushida said while waving her hands cheerfully.
"If Kikyou-chan says so..."
"I think that sounds better too," Hirata added.
Well, that was the thinking style of popular people.
Sharing fun moments together.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita thought like a company manager.
Equal distribution for efficient workflow.
Ah...
I want my vacation day separate from them.
"Well... but that would increase the workload on you," Yukinoshita said while placing her hand on her chin.
"No problem," Kushida replied with a cheerful smile.
"Then... please, if anyone here has experience related to camping, tell us. Any skill might be useful for us," Yukinoshita addressed the group.
That would definitely make things easier if everyone handled tasks they were good at.
"I... used to camp with my parents when I was little, so I know most things," Ike said.
Maybe that was why he wasn't afraid of drinking river water.
"Really...?" Yukinoshita asked before turning toward Hirata.
"Hirata-kun, divide the boys into groups and let Ike-kun teach each group something — from fishing to building tents and starting fires... That should be our priority tonight, especially with night approaching."
"Ah... understood," Hirata replied, shocked by Yukinoshita's speed in planning and decision-making.
Yukinoshita then turned toward the girls' group to assign their tasks.
"I assume most of you know how to cook, right...?"
"Uh... more or less," Karuizawa muttered on behalf of the girls.
"Alright, we'll handle that and gather some fruits too," Kushida said while trying to raise everyone's spirits.
After receiving their tasks, both Hirata and Kushida began moving to carry them out.
But things still weren't finished yet.
"Wait a second... there's still something else," Yukinoshita said.
Hirata and Kushida stopped and looked at each other, unable to understand.
Maybe they thought all the problems had already been solved.
"There's still the issue of spending points..." Yukinoshita said before turning to look for someone.
Her eyes landed on the glasses-wearing boy.
"Yukimura-kun, was it...?"
The boy looked as if he were collapsing under the pressure of her icy gaze.
"Y-Yeah... what is it?" Even in his weakened state, he still sounded defensive.
"If I remember correctly, you're good at mathematics, right...? Can you tell me how many points we'd have left if all the girls withdrew and returned to the ship?"
The boy didn't answer Yukinoshita's question.
He simply raised an eyebrow.
I raised my own hands and tried counting with my fingers, but it was hopeless.
I was terrible at this.
"For anyone who doesn't know, our points would become zero," Yukinoshita explained.
That was helpful.
There were definitely people bad at math who wouldn't understand otherwise.
Which was why Sudō should stop standing there with his mouth open like an idiot before a bug flies into it.
"Putting pressure on the girls isn't the solution. You understand that well enough. It could create emotional stress serious enough to cause one of them to withdraw too."
"B-But we need to save points..." Yukimura argued.
"There's a difference between saving and being stingy," Yukinoshita said before stepping away from him and returning to her place.
"And this applies to everyone, including the girls. Don't pressure one another just to prove your opinions. That will end the exam before it even begins. We'll buy a bathroom, some additional tents, and cooking utensils. If you all commit yourselves and work properly, we can recover the points we spend..."
"But that'll put us at the bottom of the rankings..." Yukimura said desperately, trying to oppose her decision.
"It seems you still don't understand the exam. The goal isn't first place. The goal is simply collecting as many points as possible to add to our class points. We're not competing for first place here. We're only trying to survive."
Hah.
Yukinoshita didn't actually want first place.
She was only trying to calm everyone down and suppress conflict.
Right?
"That settles it. All that's left is choosing the leader who'll carry the card," Kushida said.
Well, they only chose Yukinoshita to lead them.
"Ah... then we'll leave that to Yukinoshita-san. Everyone, let's get to work now," Hirata said as if he completely trusted her decisions.
"See? Yukinoshita is amazing..."
"Just like Hirata-kun said, she really is suitable for this..."
The students began moving to their tasks while openly admiring Yukinoshita's leadership style.
Though honestly, I felt a little bad for the glasses guy.
She completely crushed him in front of everyone.
Yukinoshita still hadn't moved from her spot.
Her eyes wandered between the students as if searching for something.
Hmmm...
I suddenly sensed danger.
I quickly stood beside a tree in an attempt to hide.
It was time to use the role I had mastered in elementary school theater plays.
The role of a tree.
I am a tree.
A natural tree.
Hikigaya... does not exist here.
Only a tree.
Just a tree.
But my attempt to blend into the background failed miserably, and she walked directly toward me.
"I see, Hikigaya-kun. So you're here..." Yukinoshita said with an irritating smile. "I have a task for you... You'll be responsible for gathering firewood throughout this entire week."
"Hah? Firewood? Why...?"
"I thought you didn't want to work with others. This should suit you," Yukinoshita replied.
"No, no. I don't want this task..."
"What an unfortunate misunderstanding. I'm not suggesting it. I'm ordering you. I'm the leader here," Yukinoshita declared firmly.
What an abuse of authority.
"Ah, one more thing..." Yukinoshita lowered her voice closer to a whisper.
"Who should carry the card?"
"Hmmm... isn't that obvious?"
There was no need to overthink this.
The game was bigger than simply choosing a leader.
We needed to protect them.
If we found someone capable of protecting the card, then it wouldn't matter whether they were the actual leader or not.
Someone the other classes wouldn't dare approach.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Ryūen tried to seize it through violence.
If we managed to completely protect that card, it would give us the opportunity to target the other leaders instead.