"Hah… where am I?"
I began looking around, trying to figure out my location or the right direction, but it was useless.
Well, I'm not a sailor… Even if my sense of direction is decent, moving through a forest without a map isn't exactly easy.
This would make me a laughingstock in front of her…
No one has to know about this. All I need to do is return to the beach, then look for where the ship is docked, and I'll make it back to camp on my own. It might take time, but I'll get there eventually.
I picked one direction and decided to keep walking until I reached the shore.
I moved at a slow pace while wiping sweat off my face. If I ran in this heat, I'd collapse on my head.
It was obvious that someone had passed through this area before me. Picked fruits and clear footprints covered the ground. Maybe other classes had been here already…
What also caught my attention were the voices of students nearby.
Could that be Class D's camp?
No, our voices are way more annoying… these sounded cheerful.
I headed toward the sound to check from afar. The closer I got, the more obvious the traces of camping became.
Without a doubt, this was another class's area.
I pushed aside some plants so I could see properly. There really was a group of students camping here, all working together in harmony like one unit.
This had to be Class B's camp.
Class C had already withdrawn after all…
Some students noticed my presence and started staring at me while whispering among themselves.
Well, I probably did look suspicious staring at them from here. It was better to retreat and continue searching for my destination.
"Ah… Hikigaya-kun."
Just as I turned to leave, I heard a girl's voice calling me from behind.
What now? Were they going to accuse me of spying too and start chasing me?
I slowly turned around while trying to stop my body from trembling.
I really didn't want to run again under this sun.
A girl with long pink hair was walking toward me, and beside her was a slightly tall boy with dark hair.
Ah, it was just Ichinose.
Aren't they our allies? They wouldn't chase me, right…?
"Hello, I haven't seen you in a while," Ichinose said as she stopped in front of me.
"Hikigaya?"
The boy behind her seemed to realize something after hearing my name. He pulled her back by the arm and whispered to her.
"This is Hikigaya, one of the students Hoshinomiya-sensei warned us about. It's better to keep him away…"
It looked like the boy was telling Ichinose something I couldn't hear clearly.
But for some reason, I felt like it was hostile toward me. Maybe he was saying, "Let's chase this creepy loner away."
It was better to leave before they actually did it.
Without replying to the boy, Ichinose stepped forward again as if trying to stop me from leaving.
"Hikigaya-kun, you look really tired. Why don't you rest a little before leaving?" Ichinose said while pointing toward their camp.
"Ichinose, you…"
The boy stepped forward as if angry that she invited me.
I understood how he felt…
"Ah, no need. I was just passing by. I'll continue on my way…"
"Come on, we're allies. Can't we spend a little time together…?" she said while standing between me and the other boy.
They really had decided we'd form an alliance during this exam.
Did that mean the classes were supposed to spend time together too?
"O-Okay… just for a little while."
I'd sit for a bit, then leave. I'd treat it as a short break.
"That's great. First, let me introduce you two. Hikigaya-kun, this is Kanzaki-kun. Kanzaki-kun, this is Hikigaya-kun."
Ichinose made space for us to greet each other.
I gave a small nod while Kanzaki continued staring at me sharply.
"Let's give you a tour of our camp."
"Ah…"
Kanzaki tried to say something, but Ichinose didn't give him the chance and started walking ahead.
Our eyes met. Kanzaki frowned at me slightly before sighing and following after her.
I put my hands in my pockets and walked after them.
The moment I officially entered Class B's area, I felt the eyes of their students turn toward me as if they had just spotted some strange creature entering their territory.
I don't know if it was intentional or just instinct, but they all started moving toward one side, like they were trying to hide something from me.
Their leader, huh…
Well, since we had an official agreement between us, I'd respect them and avoid looking that way.
Still, what a naive way to hide someone. Wouldn't that only attract more attention?
I turned my gaze elsewhere, looking around at the carefully arranged tents and tables lined up neatly beside each other.
"So, what do you think, Hikigaya-kun?" Ichinose asked with her hands behind her back.
"This looks… nice."
Each class had approached this exam differently.
Class D struggled with saving points, while Class C spent all theirs recklessly. As for Class A, information about them was still scarce.
Class B seemed to have balanced their strategy well. They bought all the important comfort supplies and entered this exam with high morale.
I knew what those cheerful students were thinking.
"If we don't win this exam, at least we'll enjoy ourselves."
Then they'd probably throw up peace signs while saying it.
"Are you facing any problems?" Ichinose asked, checking on her allies' condition.
"No class is free of problems, but thanks to everyone's efforts, I think they'll overcome them."
"That sounds wonderful. I think Yukinoshita-san and the others are doing a great job too…"
"Y-Yeah…"
Why was this girl so happy that another class was doing well?
"Aren't you helping too? What's your role in the class?" Kanzaki asked in his rough voice.
"Kanzaki-kun, it's not polite to ask that…" Ichinose stopped him.
"I gather firewood."
I pointed at the pile of sticks on the ground.
From my vast experience, theirs didn't look like very high-quality wood.
"Gathering firewood?"
Kanzaki stopped walking and lagged behind us.
Was he shocked by how impressive my work was?
"Ah, no, I didn't mean that, I—"
"That's enough talk about the exam. Let's rest here," Ichinose interrupted him while pointing at a table and chairs nearby.
I'd already made it this far. I might as well sit too.
I sighed while running my fingers through my hair, then sat down reluctantly, keeping my body turned away from the other students.
Why were they all still standing there…?
I'm not interested in your leader. Relax already.
Ichinose and Kanzaki sat across from me.
What caught my attention was a student wearing glasses standing alone at the edge of the camp…
"That's Kaneda-kun from Class C. He had some problems with his class, so he's spending time with us," Ichinose explained after noticing my gaze.
So he had the same mission as Ibuki…
But he looked smarter than her. If they weren't careful, he might actually discover their leader.
"How has he behaved so far?" I asked while tapping my finger on the table.
"Ah… he helps us with the daily work as if he's one of us," Ichinose said while lowering her head slightly, almost looking sad for him.
Hmm… helping, huh?
Well, Ibuki was helping us too—by causing pointless trouble.
I didn't know how far he'd gotten, but Ichinose was a kind girl. It would be easy to earn her trust.
I only met her once, and she already invited me into their camp.
If they weren't careful, someone would take advantage of that.
Still, weren't we allies?
I should say something.
"Ichinose, you should talk to them," I said while pointing behind me at the students.
"…What do you mean?"
"I know your friends don't mean anything bad, but they're instinctively trying to protect your leader with their bodies. That only makes it more obvious. You should change that," I explained while noticing Kanzaki's expression shift from hostility to shock.
"What do you mean…?"
An awkward smile appeared on Ichinose's lips, like she felt uneasy about my interference.
"Anyone with good eyes could notice their behavior and figure out your leader. Why not—"
"He means that if they keep acting like this, they'll expose our leader without realizing it, right, Hikigaya?" Kanzaki narrowed his eyes at me.
"More or less…"
The important thing was making sure Ryuen's followers didn't trick them.
"Hahaha… I don't think anyone could figure it out that easily, right?" Ichinose laughed awkwardly while rubbing her hands together.
She still wasn't convinced.
I rested my arm on the back of the chair and glanced toward the Class B students.
They were watching me suspiciously even while pretending to focus on their work.
My eyes moved across them one by one until they stopped on a girl standing in the background, almost shrinking into herself…
Goal for Team Chiba.
"That short-haired girl is the leader," I said while keeping my eyes on Ichinose and Kanzaki.
Well, it was just a guess. I could be wrong.
"Hahaha, that's— huh?"
It seemed Ichinose finally processed the description I gave. Her smile vanished and her eyes widened.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki stood up abruptly and slammed his hand on the table in shock.
Bullseye.
"You…"
Kanzaki's caution toward me suddenly returned full force.
"R-Relax. I respect our alliance. I swear I won't tell anyone," I said while raising my right hand.
"Hahaha… I understand what Hikigaya-kun is trying to do. He's only helping us," Ichinose said nervously while playing with her fingers.
"Hikigaya… you won't tell anyone, right?" Kanzaki leaned forward, trying to intimidate me.
What a stupid handsome guy.
Did he seriously think that face would scare me?
He should know I stare into zombie eyes every morning in the mirror.
"Like I said, I won't say anything…"
"Thank you very much. I'll talk to them about it," Ichinose nodded respectfully.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki crossed his arms.
He clearly wasn't comfortable with my presence.
I should leave.
"Time for me to go…"
I stood up, ready to leave.
"Hikigaya, we owe you for helping us," Ichinose stood up as well.
"Ah…"
Why?
I only wanted to mess with Class C's idiots…
Why was she saying that?
"If you ever need anything, come to us immediately," Ichinose said while glancing at Kanzaki.
"…Yeah," Kanzaki agreed reluctantly.
Need something…
"Ichinose, can I ask you something?"
"P-Please do."
Ichinose straightened up immediately as if she didn't expect me to ask for something so quickly.
"Which direction is Class D's camp?"
"Hah?"
Kanzaki raised an eyebrow in confusion while…
Ichinose froze for a moment before bursting into cheerful laughter.
"Hahaha! Hikigaya-kun… hahaha… is it possible that you were lost?" she said while holding her stomach.
"…Yeah. More or less."
I scratched the back of my head while staring at my shoes.
I wasn't lost in the literal sense.
If those idiots from Class A hadn't chased me around like maniacs… I would've returned normally.
But why was this girl laughing at me?
And why was that idiot Kanzaki smiling like he'd just discovered something amusing?