Chapter 236 All Four Classes Exposed / Shimizu Akira's Finishing Move
Shimizu Akira had actually arrived early—around 6:30 PM, he had received a notification on his transceiver from Hirata Yosuke stating that Horikita Suzune wanted to test the two girls from Class C to see if they were truly outcasts or undercover spies.
The current situation, however, had clearly exceeded his expectations.
He had anticipated that Ibuki Mio would expose her identity due to impulsiveness, but he hadn't calculated that by the fifth day of the deserted island exam, Shiina Hiyori would bring the crucial information—"the leader can be changed"—out into the open.
No wonder Shiina Hiyori had sounded so confident when she mentioned a "sure-win method" to him the other day; the "sure-win method" she spoke of was indeed this hidden trump card within the rules.
"I am disclosing this information in the hope that Class D will release Ibuki," Shiina Hiyori said to the group in a negotiating tone.
"This! Since the information is true, there's really no need to keep Ibuki locked up!"
"Indeed! This intel is highly valuable."
Seeing that the consensus was shifting, Hirata Yosuke turned his gaze toward Horikita Suzune and Shimizu Akira nearby, his tone inquisitive: "Horikita-san? Shimizu-kun? What do you think? I believe it's reasonable to let her go now."
"Fine," Horikita Suzune was the first to nod, without a moment's hesitation. Shimizu Akira followed suit: "I don't see any problem with it."
The value of the "changeable leader" intel provided by Shiina Hiyori far outweighed the benefit of trapping one Ibuki Mio. This information allowed Class D to prepare for other classes in advance. They wouldn't just release Ibuki; even if the other side demanded Private Points in exchange, they would likely consider it—compared to the final exam results, a temporary "concession" was nothing.
Seeing that Horikita, Shimizu, and Hirata had all relented, the other students no longer hesitated and stepped forward to unzip the tent.
A moment later, Ibuki Mio emerged from the tent holding her spare clothes. Her expression was somewhat resentful, but she didn't say another word, quickly walking over to Shiina Hiyori's side. As soon as she reached Hiyori, she couldn't help but blame herself: "Shiina, I'm sorry! Because of me..."
"Ibuki, say no more," Shiina Hiyori interrupted her gently.
"It's enough that we can leave safely. Besides, a change of clothes is important; you were right to want them back—otherwise, we wouldn't even have anything to cover ourselves with at night. How would we last until the end of the exam?"
Ibuki bit her lip and swallowed the rest of her words, though her eyes still carried a spark of defiance as she scanned the Class D crowd.
Shiina Hiyori turned, her gaze landing first on Horikita Suzune and then on Shimizu Akira. With a subtle hint of regret in her eyes, she shook her head slightly: "It seems we won't make it until the end of the island exam to reveal the mystery—the answer has been exposed early, Shimizu-kun."
She then shifted her gaze to Hirata Yosuke and the surrounding Class D students, her tone becoming more sincere: "Thank you, Class D. And thank you again for your kindness in taking in Ibuki and me these past few days. I hope the information regarding the leader-change rule serves as a small repayment to help Class D."
With that, she said no more. She gathered her spare clothes and luggage and gave a look to Ibuki, who was still organizing her things. Once ready, the two moved without lingering, turning toward the depths of the dense forest. Their figures were soon swallowed by the layers of shadows.
"So, how do you and this Shiina-san know each other?" Horikita Suzune asked, looking back from the forest and turning to Shimizu Akira as if suddenly remembering something.
"We met at the library. We're fellow mystery novel enthusiasts," Shimizu Akira replied casually. Ever since his last chat with Shiina Hiyori, he found the term "book buddy" to be both fitting and natural.
Just as he finished, he added as if remembering something: "I previously took a photo as evidence of Ryuen Kakeru checking in, but it seems that's useless now."
Horikita Suzune followed this train of thought: "Since Class C knows about the rule to change leaders, they will definitely swap people at the last minute. There's no point in Class D writing down Ryuen Kakeru as the Class C leader now. Furthermore, Class C currently has 0 Special Exam Points; in other words, it doesn't even cost them extra points to change their leader."
She thought for a moment, organizing her analysis: "Class C collaborated with Class A from the start and already secured a baseline profit. Combined with the 'change leader at any time' maneuver, it's impossible for other classes to guess their final leader, and they can safely claim the base point rewards for their spots. All things considered, they are almost guaranteed a profit."
Shimizu Akira nodded instinctively—that was true.
However, Class C's choice hadn't exceeded his expectations; they were clearly planning to swap leaders. But thinking deeper, the biggest loser of this island exam would likely be Katsuragi Kohei. Not only did he give Shimizu 500,000 Private Points for useless information, but simply guessing the leader wrong would cost him 50 Special Exam Points.
Combined with the points deducted for Class A accidentally touching spots and the points Ryuen likely planned to take from Class A, he stood to lose at least 150 Special Exam Points.
The biggest winner, however, was Sakayanagi Arisu, who hadn't participated in the exam at all. Katsuragi's complete failure as a leader meant the balance of power in Class A would tilt entirely—from now on, the Sakayanagi faction would firmly hold sovereignty over Class A.
-
-
-
After a while, Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken, who had rushed off to verify the news, finally came jogging back. Gasping for breath, they reported that they had specifically asked the staff on the beach, and the situation was exactly as Shiina Hiyori had described—one could apply to withdraw based on "illness" with almost no additional screening.
Horikita Suzune remained skeptical until she had Wang Mei-yu take her own keycard to the beach. When Wang Mei-yu returned and nodded, confirming that "faking illness for a leader withdrawal is feasible," she finally believed Hiyori's words were entirely true.
With the news confirmed, Class D's strategy was immediately clarified: since they had grasped the "change leader" rule, Class D would certainly take that path. As for who the leader would be changed to, there was no rush to decide—it wouldn't be too late to change at the very last moment before the exam ended. If they changed now and were guessed by another class in the next two days, they would have to change again, costing 30 points each time. This was the optimal solution for Class D.
-
-
-
The sixth day of the deserted island arrived. In the depths of the forest, a campfire crackled. Suddenly, the alarm on Ryuen Kakeru's watch beeped; he checked the time and saw it was 8:00 AM. Ryuen simply ignored the check-in tasks that the classes were supposed to complete. Class C had no points left to deduct; they lost nothing by not checking in.
This spot was deep in the forest, near the sixth location. Since slipping into these woods on the second night, Ryuen had been lying low here for four days.
Thinking of what happened last night, Ryuen couldn't help but chuckle: "That Shiina woman really gave me quite a surprise." He thought his "Zero-Point Strategy" was brilliant enough, but there was always someone better—she had dug out the "change leader" move from the cracks in the rules.
This way, as long as Class C completed the change before 8:00 AM on the seventh day, no other class could possibly guess their final leader. The game was practically won. Moreover, it cost Class C nothing to make the switch.
"Other than Class D, the other classes shouldn't know about this method, right?" Ryuen's mind whirred, and an even more devious idea surfaced, widening his grin.
"If I jump out and publicly announce I'm the Class C leader, sell this 'info' to Class A or B, and then suddenly withdraw on the seventh day... I wonder what their faces will look like then?"
Just imagining the scene made him feel giddy. If he didn't know the rule, and another class offered "leader info" for sale, he'd probably pay for it without hesitation.
Ryuen was the type to act on his thoughts immediately, but just as the idea formed, his transceiver hissed. He initially thought it was a message from Shiina Hiyori, but after pressing the talk button, Kaneda Satoru's frantic voice came through: "Ryuen! My cover is blown! I've been kicked out by Class B!"
"What did you say?" Ryuen's tone dropped instantly. "Are you sure?"
Kaneda was embedded in Class B—the class led by Ichinose Honami. That woman who always wore a gentle smile shouldn't have sniffed out a spy so quickly.
On the other end, Kaneda was still panting. "I'm sure! It seems Ichinose found out about what happened with Class D—their spy must have been exposed, and it dragged me down too! They were adamant I was a spy. Ichinose didn't say much, but that man Kanzaki Ryuji kicked me out directly!"
If Class D's spies were exposed, and Class B was ranked second only to Class A at the start, it was easy for people of their intelligence to connect the dots to Kaneda.
Ryuen pressed: "Did you find out who Class B's leader is over the past few days?"
Kaneda hesitated. "It should be Year 1 Class B's Shibata Souta. Even though I was watched closely, I saw him go out many times during breaks. It's most likely him."
"Then your infiltration wasn't a total waste," Ryuen's expression finally softened.
"It can't be helped if you're exposed. Get to the Class C camp immediately and meet up with Shiina and the others."
But Kaneda added before Ryuen could relax: "Ryuen, don't celebrate yet! I heard even more important intel—the Class B people explicitly said when they kicked me out that the leader can be changed at will! So the info I found on Shibata is useless!"
"What?!" Ryuen's voice rose. How did Class B know the key rule too? He recalled the incident in June when Class D and Class B joined forces to cost Class B 100 points. Did Class D leak the "changeable leader" info to Class B?
If that were the case, both Class D and Class B would certainly swap leaders at the last minute. Class C's plan to gain points by "guessing leaders" had almost entirely collapsed.
"Also! I saw something else in Class B—Shimizu Akira from Class D was delivering hunted meat to Class B. Just like our cooperation with Class A, Class B and Class D might have a partnership," Kaneda added.
"Hmph, interesting," Ryuen smirked. "Class D is quite generous to share such key intel with Class B. But... Shimizu Akira again?"
Sure enough, as he suspected, Class D was working with Class B. He just didn't expect to hear Shimizu's name again. When he sent Ibuki to Class D, he told her to watch that man. Ibuki's report last night mentioned that Shimizu was a core figure in Class D, responsible for hunting and supplies. But aside from delivering meat during check-ins, he was rarely seen, and he even stayed in a solo tent, showing little sense of belonging—quite different from his image of a "core figure."
It seemed Shimizu hadn't done anything this time other than hunt. Instead, it was that woman Horikita Suzune who caught Ibuki and forced Hiyori to trade the rule info to get Ibuki out of the tent—Ibuki had complained angrily last night that the idea to lock her in the tent must have been Horikita's.
Ryuen remembered the Sudo fight incident: Shimizu didn't do much then either, while Horikita was busy working behind the scenes.
"Did I misjudge him?" he muttered to himself.
"Is he just a physical type with some social standing? Is the one to worry about in Class D actually Horikita?" Based on the facts of the past few months, Horikita had contributed much more intellectually than Shimizu. Ryuen downgraded Shimizu's threat level in his mind, placing Horikita in a position requiring more vigilance. After all, her brother was the Student Council President, and like Sakayanagi in Class A, she was a woman with both background and ability.
As Kaneda headed for the Class C spot, Ryuen set aside Class D and B and looked back toward Class A. Katsuragi and his group probably hadn't noticed the "changeable leader" rule yet, right? He couldn't move against the Class D-B alliance for now, but Class A was different. They were his nominal partners.
Since he'd already played Katsuragi once, why not do it again?
Ryuen picked up his transceiver and adjusted the frequency, targeting the bald man. He had prepared four transceivers: one for himself, one for Ibuki, one for Kaneda, and the last for Katsuragi. While Ibuki and Kaneda were spies, Katsuragi's was a backup—in case the digital camera broke, Katsuragi would need to see the keycard himself. Katsuragi had taken it on the second night when Class A went to get supplies.
"Katsuragi, I'm planning to make another deal with you," Ryuen pressed the button.
"Ryuen? Let's hear it," Katsuragi's steady voice replied.
"I'm selling Class C's leader identity."
"What? You're actually selling that info?"
"Yeah, since we're partners," Ryuen chuckled.
"For you, it's a guaranteed win—with the intel from my spies in Class B and D, you can get 150 Special Exam Points just from the 'guessing' phase. Don't you want to establish a beautiful achievement for Class A while Sakayanagi is absent?"
He knew Katsuragi too well: the man seemed to be on equal footing with Sakayanagi, but it was an illusion. He had numbers, but few capable people. In Ryuen's eyes, only Totsuka Yahiko was somewhat useful, and only for physical tests; the rest were trash. Sakayanagi was different—she had tamed the brawny Kito Hayato and brought over the two-faced Hashimoto Masayoshi. In terms of "quality," Katsuragi was no match. Ryuen was certain Katsuragi wouldn't pass up this chance to solidify his power.
"So, shouldn't this deal be free?" Katsuragi wasn't biting easily.
"What are you thinking?" Ryuen sneered. "My promise only covered sharing spy intel, not the core info of Class C. I'll give you a discount—how about 1 million Private Points?"
He was certain he had Katsuragi cornered. 1 million points seemed like a lot, but compared to 50 Special Exam Points, it was a pittance to Katsuragi. The man's mistake was equating Special Exam Points to Class Points, assuming they would all convert perfectly.
There was silence on the other end, followed by a rare tone of anger from Katsuragi: "You're selling it to me for 1 million? Ryuen, you really are a shark! You think I don't know the rule 'leaders can be changed at will'?! You want to scam me for 1 million more?! Was the Hashimoto Masayoshi incident not enough?!"
"You actually know everything!" Ryuen was stunned, his expression turning to shock.
'So someone discovered Hashimoto was a spy.
And now... doesn't that mean all four classes know that leaders can be changed?!'
.
.
.
Time flew, and it was soon the seventh day of the island exam. Today was the final day, with the deadline set at 8:00 AM. For Class D, the fact that Horikita was the leader was "face-up," so there was no point in hiding it. Per Hirata's suggestion, the class chose five other candidates to stand with Horikita as leader candidates, surrounded by ten other students. This way, other classes couldn't see the final selection.
Shimizu Akira and Kushida Kikyo were among the five candidates. Around 7:00 AM, the group of over ten Class D students strolled to the beach to complete the leader-change process. Upon arriving, Shimizu raised an eyebrow—several other classes were already there.
Shiina Hiyori, Ibuki Mio, and Ryuen Kakeru from Class C; Ichinose Honami, Kanzaki Ryuji, and Shibata Souta from Class B; Katsuragi Kohei and Kamuro Masumi from Class A. Except for Class C, every class had brought about a dozen people. All four classes had apparently reached a silent agreement to change leaders on the seventh day.
At that moment, a staff member stepped forward and asked, "Are you students from Class D? Are you also here to change your leader?"
After they nodded, the staff member continued: "Since you're here for that, let me tell you—once your class finishes the procedure, could you wait a while until around 8:00 AM? Don't worry, there's no check-in today since the exam is ending. You can collect the 'Guess the Leader' forms directly from us then. Usually, the homeroom teacher gives them to you, but this saves time. The other classes have agreed to wait. Of course, if you find it troublesome, you can leave."
The group agreed; it was more convenient to get the forms early. Class A was currently at the desk, huddling together to shield Katsuragi and Totsuka Yahiko. They were clearly performing the swap. Class D tried to get closer to listen, but Class A's human wall blocked them, and some students intentionally spoke loudly about trivial things to drown out the core conversation. In the end, they could see or hear nothing.
A warning came from a distance—apparently, the school wouldn't allow students to loiter and occupy the staff's time without reason. So, after finishing, Class A had to leave the small table area, though they kept a few people waiting nearby to collect the forms.
Next was Class B. Their operation was identical: a circle of people protecting the candidates to ensure no one saw the final choice. Ichinose and the others also stayed on the scene.
Shimizu looked toward Class C. They were also starting their swap. Ryuen was clever; he knew his four-person class couldn't form a shield. He said something to the staff, and soon several staff members stepped forward to form a human wall, blocking the other classes from seeing the Class C operation.
'Did he use Private Points to buy that service?'
Finally, it was Class D's turn. Shimizu, Horikita, Kushida, and three others walked to the table.
"Good morning, sir!" Shimizu greeted.
"Good morning, Shimizu-kun!" The staff member behind the desk smiled.
"Your class is here to change the leader too? My, this year's students are interesting. This is the first time I've seen every class discover this hidden rule!"
The staff member wanted to chat more, but Horikita interrupted: "Sir, could you please move faster? I wasn't feeling well the day before school started, and I want to get more rest." This wasn't a lie—she had felt unwell the day before arriving at the island, though she felt better after a nap.
The staff member stopped chatting and checked Horikita before verifying the rule that Class D would be deducted 30 points for the withdrawal of the current leader. After checking the names of everyone involved, he prepared to start.
Horikita's gaze accidentally swept under the table and she froze—the four corners of the table were carefully wrapped in plastic bags. It had rained yesterday, so the ground was damp; this was likely done to prevent the table from slipping.
Horikita spoke decisively: "For the new leader, I choose Shimizu Akira."
With Class D surrounding the table and the other classes far away, no one would notice the choice. The others nodded in agreement.
"Year 1 Class D, new leader confirmed as Shimizu Akira. I'll confirm once more, no issues?" the staff member asked.
"Confirmed!" The six students, including Shimizu, nodded in turn. Shimizu Akira was now officially the leader of Class D for the final day.
-
-
-
8:00 AM.
As promised, the staff member distributed the sheets and pens for guessing leaders. Ryuen Kakeru stepped forward with a smirk, stopping in front of the other three classes. "Yo, hello there!"
Totsuka Yahiko from Class A was instantly provoked. "Ryuen! You bastard! You still have the nerve to greet us casually?!"
"What's it to you?" Ryuen raised an eyebrow, then turned to Class D. "But speaking of which, Horikita Suzune, right? You actually have some skill. I have to see you in a new light—you caught the spy and even figured out my identity."
Horikita didn't even look up, ignoring the provocation. Ryuen wasn't deterred, but his tone turned annoyed: "So, you guys were the ones who leaked the 'change leader at will' info, weren't you? You ruined my plans! I could have made a fortune selling that intel!"
"Heh, it wasn't us! Didn't you leak it yourself?!" Sudo barked back.
"Still acting tough even now!" Ryuen turned to Ichinose Honami.
"So, Ichinose, who told you the intel?"
"No comment," Ichinose said stiffly.
"Fine, I'm tired of guessing." Ryuen waved a hand, his face turning to one of smugness as he began to mock them. "But anyway, in this island exam, I doubt any class will guess the leader of another. How interesting! Thanks to Class A, my class made a nice profit on the side; and we didn't have to spend a single Special Exam Point to change our leader. Unlike you three classes, who spent 30 points each! It's laughable!"
He was still venting. The other classes knowing the intel had ruined his plans.
"You bastard!"
"Ryuen!"
The other classes couldn't hold back their fury. If not for the no-violence rule, they would have beaten him then and there.
The staff member checked the time—the deadline for changing leaders had passed. He ignored the tension and began packing up the machines on the table. As he packed, he caught sight of the plastic bags under the table and called out to the crowd: "Oh, thanks again, Shimizu-kun! It rained yesterday, and I'm glad you came over to help tidy the table last night."
Another staff member joined in: "Yes, yes! Though the rain had stopped when you arrived, it was very helpful of you to proactively cover the table legs with plastic to prevent moisture. Thank you."
Hearing this, Ryuen burst into laughter, his tone full of mockery: "Shimizu Akira, you're pathetic. It rained yesterday afternoon, and your first reaction was to run over and help the staff? If you have time for useless things, you should contribute more to Class D and study the rules. What, have you become a total 'nice guy' like Ichinose now? I'm disappointed."
To him, leaving class affairs to help the school during a storm was a total reversal of priorities. Besides, Shimizu had made him lose face twice in June; he wasn't going to miss a chance to mock him.
Shimizu ignored the mockery and stepped forward. He lifted the staff's small table slightly, hooked his left leg around the plastic bag underneath, and pulled it out.
"What? You're recycling plastic bags now? Shimizu, you really are the ultimate nice guy." Ryuen's laughter grew, but a second later, it froze on his face.
Shimizu slowly pulled a device out of the plastic bag. Ryuen knew exactly what it was—he used them often himself.
"A voice recorder?! You bastard!" Ryuen's eyes bulged as he stared at the device in Shimizu's hand.
"Shimizu-kun, you used the rainy day as an excuse to hide a voice recorder in the plastic bag wrapping the table leg?!" Katsuragi Kohei, usually the picture of composure, completely lost his cool, his voice full of disbelief.
"Wait!" Kanzaki Ryuji seemed to grasp the implication. "...Then doesn't that mean this recorder must have captured the leader-change information for all four classes? Whoever has that recorder can accurately guess the leaders of the other three classes!"
The faces of everyone present changed instantly.
All eyes were drawn to Shimizu like magnets.
They all thought the exam would end in a stalemate where no one could guess anyone. But the status quo was shattered—the key information for all four new leaders was recorded on the device in Shimizu's hand. The initiative of the island exam now belonged entirely to Shimizu Akira.
Shimizu looked up, a smile finally spreading across his lips. After so much preparation, his plan was finally complete. He had finally caught all three classes!
Whether it was the 250 Special Exam Points or the power to sell the intel to others, he held it all. He hadn't bothered with Ryuen's mockery because he knew this moment would be the one to shut him up.
Facts speak louder than words. And this recorder was his final finishing move.
He locked eyes with the shocked Ryuen and said bluntly: "Ryuen, what are you barking for? Who told you I do meaningless things? And who told you I had no way of guessing who the leaders of the four classes were?"
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting