Chapter 231 Kamuro Masumi: Sell the Intel to Katsuragi Kohei! Stupid!
After speaking with Shiina Hiyori, Shimizu Akira turned to find Chabashira Sae. She happened to be outside for the roll call, saving him the trouble of knocking on her door. Over the past few days, Shimizu had been obsessing over the exam rules—particularly regarding "Leaders"—and several new questions had cropped up:
Can the leader be changed on the seventh day? If so, what is the deadline? What is the specific schedule for the seventh day? Must every class have a leader? Suppose only one student remains in a class, and that person is the leader but has to withdraw due to force majeure—does the class count as "having a leader" or "not"? If another class guesses this withdrawn leader, is it a correct guess? Are all point deductions real-time? Such as penalties for violations, student withdrawals, or littering.
Chabashira Sae answered him without reservation.
The deadline for changing a leader is August 7th at 8:00 AM. Any changes made before then are valid; after that, it is locked.
The schedule for the seventh day is as follows:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Form-filling period. The four classes must fill out the leader information sheets. Teachers distribute these to other classes, allowing two hours for deliberation. Forms must be submitted by 10:00 AM, or the class is considered to have forfeited. 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Classes return to their spots to pack up and then gather in front of the luxury cruise ship for the final tally of remaining points. After the report: Everyone can leave the island and rest on the ship.
Regarding the second question, a leader is mandatory. Rules dictate that every class must have a designated leader; there are no "leaderless" exceptions. If a student withdraws, they automatically lose their leader status.
"If the final student of a class withdraws due to force majeure, it's an extreme case, but there is precedent—that final student is directly designated as the class leader. If another class guesses them, it counts as a correct guess."
As for the third question, she confirmed: "All deductions are applied in real-time."
Shimizu had wondered why the island's penalty system differed from daily conduct rules. Now he understood: the exam uses "Special Points." If deductions weren't real-time, a class could simply spend all their points before a penalty hit, rendering the rules toothless.
In fact, Ryuen's "Zero-Point Plan" was only viable because of this third rule.
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Once Shimizu finished his questions, Chabashira didn't let him leave. Instead, she called him back—as expected, it was about the "matchmaking" she mentioned yesterday.
"The other party has agreed. Since we're on a desert island with nowhere to hang out, just have a simple chat. she's coming now; find a place to talk."
A few minutes later, Matsushita Chiaki emerged from the woods. Seeing her, Chabashira tactfully left to give them space.
Matsushita didn't beat around the bush.
"Shimizu-kun, I'm sorry. I imagine you're as confused by Chabashira-sensei's 'survey' as I am. I don't intend to waste your time; I'll ask one question, and then you can go."
Shimizu felt a surge of relief—one question was far easier than he anticipated.
This confirmed his judgment: Matsushita was smart. She likely saw through the teacher's clumsiness just as he had. It wasn't a survey; it was an attempt to set them up. Not everyone is a romantic; most wouldn't catch feelings for a stranger just because a teacher said so.
In Shimizu's view, Matsushita was clearly more interested in helping the class rank up than finding a boyfriend.
However, based on her words yesterday, he sensed she didn't like "carrying" the class alone. Rather than being the vanguard, she wanted to convince him to take the lead as class rep.
Matsushita posed her question: "Shimizu-kun, why have you suddenly become so serious for this island exam?"
This was what she truly wanted to know. The old Shimizu didn't care about class affairs; his current proactiveness was abnormal.
"Well, because I'm getting an appropriate reward," Shimizu thought for a moment. No need for details; a general answer sufficed. If Chabashira hadn't promised him 2 million Private Points, he wouldn't have bothered.
"In other words, as long as there's enough profit, you can be moved to action?" Matsushita reached an unexpected conclusion.
"You could put it that way," Shimizu waved a hand simply.
As he watched Matsushita walk away deep in thought, a hunch hit him.
'Is she wondering if she should 'hire' me to do something too?'
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On the fourth day of the exam, as the sky just began to pale, Shimizu woke up and headed to the beach as per his routine. He rarely encountered other students there, aside from the school staff. On this island, most were too hungry or tired to bother with early morning exercise.
But this environment wasn't a problem for Shimizu. Even after four days, he was in great shape: he had a private tent and Horikita cooked his game every afternoon. He was living much better than the others.
"Morning, Shimizu-kun!"
"Here to train again?"
A few staff members stepped out of their tents and greeted him. Having come every day, he was on friendly terms with these middle-aged men and knew their shift change was around 7:00 AM.
"Morning, sirs!" Shimizu replied without slowing down.
"Oh, by the way, a female student came looking for you around 7:30 yesterday," one man recalled. "She asked if we'd seen you training, knowing your name and your 6:30 AM routine perfectly. She said her name is Kamuro Masumi and told us to tell you not to leave in a hurry after your run today!"
"Eh?" Shimizu paused, surprised. Kamuro was looking for him? And she knew his habits that well?
The beach was indeed the only suitable place for a run. Since she'd left a message, he slowed his pace and waited. Sure enough, around 7:20 AM, a familiar figure appeared at the beach entrance.
Kamuro Masumi walked across the sand. When she spotted him, her face betrayed a look of—finally, he showed up.
Shimizu approached her.
"Kamuro, morning. Did those snacks I gave you taste okay?"
"They were fine," she replied flatly. In reality, when she'd brought the snacks back to Class A, she'd become the center of attention. Many tried to beg for some, but with her personality, she'd refused them all.
"Why did you call me out? Do you need to check with your class leader or something?" Shimizu asked, remembering his previous concerns.
"Everyone in Class A can move freely," Kamuro shook her head, sounding annoyed with Katsuragi.
"You overthought it last time. Katsuragi can only order his own faction around. Hashimoto Masayoshi runs all over the island talking to other classes, and Katsuragi never stops him—Hashimoto is in Sakayanagi's faction, he doesn't listen to him."
She added, "As for me, I haven't joined any faction. No one controls me."
"I see." Shimizu raised an eyebrow. He'd almost forgotten that Class A was split between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, and Kamuro was a free agent.
After a moment of silence, Kamuro turned her head away awkwa"I don't like owing people. You gave me so many snacks... tell me, what do you want me to do to repay you after this exam?"
"Anything?" Shimizu teased.
Kamuro's ears turned pink. Her heart fluttered—Is he going to ask for something embarrassing?
Before her thoughts could spiral, Shimizu threw out a name: "Do you know Yamamura Miki from Class A?"
"Huh? What do you want?" Kamuro's face cooled instantly. Why was he suddenly bringing up another girl?
"I have a favor to ask her," Shimizu said honestly.
"I want her to track Ryuen Kakeru. Since you're friends, it would be easier if you reached out."
"Ryuen?!" Kamuro gasped.
"You know he didn't withdraw too?"
She completely ignored class loyalty—she already considered Shimizu a friend. Katsuragi had told the class, but how did Shimizu know?
"Call it 'good luck.' I just guessed," Shimizu smiled. He ignored the fact that she'd accidentally leaked info and shared his deductions.
"I want Yamamura-san to confirm it. I think he stayed behind on purpose and is likely the Class C leader."
Kamuro widened her eyes.
'This guy really knows things others don't! Like an intel-gathering Jiraiya!'
Yamamura Miki was indeed the best at tracking. Kamuro was hesitant to say it as a friend, but Yamamura's naturally low presence made her perfect for the job. She hadn't expected Shimizu to realize that.
"I didn't hear a word of that," Kamuro snorted, but then gave him a way out.
"However, Year 1 Class A's Yamamura Miki might just happen to show up on this beach at 7:00 AM tomorrow."
The meaning was clear: she'd keep his secret and act as the bridge.
"Oh? Kamuro, thank you! That's a huge help!" Shimizu laughed. She really was good to him.
"Look at how happy you are! If Yamamura gets solid proof, don't forget you can sell that intel to Katsuragi Kohei. Don't just use it for your own class. Leader intel isn't restricted to one buyer." Kamuro added quickly.
"Eh?" Shimizu was surprised. Her idea matched his own. But it was strange—she was in Class A, yet she was planning for him.
"I told you, I'm not a Katsuragi lackey. I don't care about his feelings! Stupid~" Kamuro rolled her eyes.
"Besides, Yamamura is in Sakayanagi's faction. If you get key intel and sell it to Katsuragi at a high price, you're helping Sakayanagi's side suppress Katsuragi's. They might even thank you. I want Class A to win, but you're the one doing the work; you shouldn't end up with nothing. Your class definitely doesn't have a contribution system. If you don't seize this chance to make a fortune and save points for a class transfer, when will you? Besides, you aren't betraying your own class! There's no reason not to do it!"
"Fine! I'll do as you say! Kamuro, you've helped me out yet again!"
What else could Shimizu say? He could only nod.
"Hmph~ as long as you know."
In her heart, this was nothing. Shimizu treated her well; helping him was something she did willingly. In fact, she felt a bit regretful she couldn't be more useful herself.
Since he planned to join Class A in the future, the more active he was now, the better.
Thinking of this, she felt happy for him.
'If this works, doesn't it prove his value to Class A? A 'muscle-head' that can use his brain! What class wouldn't want a talent like that?'
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