Day 3 of the Island Exam.
The sun beat down mercilessly, roasting the tropical jungle into a giant sauna. The humidity reached a point where simply taking a breath felt like swallowing hot steam.
At Class 1-C's Base Camp, the fiery enthusiasm from the first day had begun to wane, replaced by palpable physical exhaustion.
"I... I can't do this anymore..." Yamauchi Haruki complained, dropping a bundle of firewood onto the ground. "My hands are blistered. My legs are sore. And I'm starving! These food rations aren't enough!"
"Shut up, Yamauchi!" Sudou Ken snapped, even though his own face looked haggard. "If you stop now, we won't have a fire to boil water tonight. Do you want to drink raw water and get diarrhea like Ryuen's underlings?"
"But I want meat... I want a steak..." Ike Kanji babbled, his eyes unfocused.
The situation was growing critical. The morale of the manual labor squad (the Seven Dwarves) was at its breaking point.
Seiji Koroizumi, who had just returned from a patrol to secure the perimeter, surveyed the scene. He knew that if one person's spirit broke, it would spread like a virus.
"Ritsu," Seiji whispered. "Analyze their physical condition."
"Low blood glucose levels. Mild dehydration. Mental stress levels have increased by 40% compared to yesterday," Ritsu reported.
Seiji nodded. He walked over to their pile of supplies and pulled something out of his personal bag—something he had bought with his own private points before boarding the ship, not the exam points.
"Attention, Special Forces!" Seiji called out, clapping his hands loudly.
Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou turned their heads sluggishly.
"I have a new Quest Item for you all," Seiji announced.
He opened his hand. There, glistening under the sunlight, lay three packets of fruit-flavored jelly candies.
Ike's eyes went wide. "I-is that..."
"Sugar," Seiji said. "Instant energy. Whoever manages to fill this firewood pile to the top before noon gets one packet."
The effect was instantaneous. Eyes that were dead a moment ago now burned with the primitive fire of greed.
"SUGAAARRR!" Yamauchi screamed, suddenly endowed with superpowers. He grabbed his hatchet. "Get out of my way! This wood is mine!"
"Like hell it is! That's my ration!" Ike yelled.
In the blink of an eye, the work area was bustling once again. Sudou shook his head, but he too sped up his pace for the sake of the candy.
Horikita Suzune approached Seiji, watching the productive chaos with a look of both amazement and exhaustion.
"You train them like circus dogs," Suzune commented.
"Humans are simple creatures, Suzune," Seiji replied with a faint smile. "When basic needs aren't met, idealism about 'class victory' means nothing. You have to give them tangible, short-term goals."
"By the way," Suzune lowered her voice, her expression turning serious. "We have a guest."
Seiji followed Suzune's line of sight toward the bushes on the outer perimeter of the camp.
There, stumbling out of the jungle, emerged a bespectacled student in a filthy, torn Class D uniform.
Kaneda Satoru.
He looked pathetic. His face was covered in mud, his lips were chapped, and he was walking while clutching his stomach.
"P... please..." Kaneda groaned, dropping to his knees in front of Hirata, who was on guard duty. "Water... please give me some water..."
Hirata, with his angelic nature, immediately rushed over to help. "Kaneda-kun?! Are you alright?"
"Ryuen... he's insane..." Kaneda sobbed. "He threw me out... because I complained about the dirty water... He said I was useless..."
Hirata looked at Suzune, silently asking for permission. "Horikita-san, we can't just let him die."
Suzune stared at Kaneda coldly. "This could be a trap. He's a spy."
"But he's severely dehydrated, look at his lips," Hirata argued. "At least give him a drink. We have plenty of boiled river water."
Suzune hesitated. Allowing an enemy class member into their Base Camp was a high-level security risk. He would be able to see their tent layout, calculate their supplies, and most importantly... try to figure out who their Leader was.
"Let him in," Seiji's voice cut through the debate.
Suzune's head snapped toward him. "Koroizumi?"
Seiji walked closer, staring down at Kaneda, who was still putting on a pathetic act on the ground. Seiji's eyes scanned the micro-expressions on Kaneda's face.
Blinking too frequently. Hidden tension at the corners of his mouth. He is thirsty, but he isn't desperate. He's acting.
"We cannot allow a fellow human being to suffer," Seiji said loudly, intentionally making sure Kaneda heard him.
Then, he leaned his face close to Suzune's ear, whispering so softly it was barely audible, "He's a Trojan Horse. But a Trojan Horse can be useful if we control what he sees."
Suzune understood. She gave a stiff nod.
"Very well. Give him some water. But he is not permitted to go any further than the campfire area."
Kaneda was brought in. He drank greedily, thanking them repeatedly while shedding crocodile tears.
However, behind his cracked glasses, Kaneda's eyes were darting wildly.
He was observing.
He saw Suzune issuing orders with authority. He saw Hirata busy managing the logistics. He saw Matsushita Chiaki sitting near the girls' tent, busy filing her nails while complaining, "Ugh, it's so hot... my makeup is melting."
Idiots, Kaneda thought to himself. They've let their guard down. Horikita Suzune is obviously the Leader. She's in complete control. That Matsushita girl is just useless dead weight.
Kaneda had no idea that Matsushita was putting on an Oscar-winning performance, and that the Leader key card was safely tucked away in a hidden pocket behind her compact powder.
Seiji observed Kaneda observing them.
Take the bait, Kaneda, Seiji thought. Take that false information straight back to your master.
Midday - Forest Border.
After Kaneda was politely "evicted" once he had rested sufficiently, Seiji decided to go on an offensive patrol.
His goal wasn't to search for firewood or food, but to inspect the biggest anomaly on this island: Class A's Market.
Seiji walked down the dirt path leading to the open forest area where Class A had set up camp. The closer he got, the stronger the aroma of food became.
And it wasn't just the smell of food. He saw students coming and going.
There were Class B students carrying firewood, trading it for cold water. There were Class D students sneaking in (perhaps without Ryuen's knowledge, or perhaps under his exact orders) trading information about fruit locations for bread.
"This isn't a campsite," Seiji murmured. "This is a trading hub."
He reached the border of Class A's camp. The sight was staggering. Ichinose Honami had created a social hub in the middle of the jungle.
"Ah! Koroizumi-kun!"
Ichinose was tending to a "customer" when she spotted Seiji. She quickly handed her task off to a classmate and jogged over to him.
"Good afternoon! Did you come to shop?" Ichinose asked cheerfully.
"Just browsing," Seiji replied, his eyes sweeping the surroundings. "Business is booming, Ichinose-san. You really applied the principle of 'Creating Value'."
"Hehe, thanks to my teacher," Ichinose smiled proudly. "Everyone needs help. I'm simply providing the solution. This way, Class A conserves energy, and the other classes get to survive. A win-win solution."
"Is it really a win-win?" Seiji asked sharply.
He pointed toward a Class D student who was devouring a piece of bread while engaged in an animated conversation with Kanzaki Ryuji. Kanzaki was jotting something down in a small notebook.
"You give them bread worth 100 yen, and in exchange, you take information worth millions of yen," Seiji said quietly. "That isn't a win-win, Ichinose. That's exploitation wrapped in a smile."
Ichinose's smile faded slightly, though it didn't disappear entirely. She looked at Seiji with a much more mature gaze.
"In the business world, information is a commodity, Koroizumi-kun. They are giving it voluntarily. I am not forcing anyone."
"Be careful," Seiji warned. "A market that is too free invites robbers. Ryuen will not like seeing his subordinates being fed by you. And Sakayanagi..."
Seiji's eyes caught sight of another figure in the corner of Class A's camp.
Totsuka Yahiko from Class B.
Yahiko was sitting casually, enjoying a juice box, while Katsuragi was nowhere to be seen.
An anomaly, Seiji thought. Yahiko is Katsuragi's shadow. Why is the shadow separated from its master? Unless...
A hypothesis formed in Seiji's mind.
Is Katsuragi using Yahiko as a courier? Or... is Katsuragi not the leader?
"Thank you for the warning," Ichinose said, snapping Seiji out of his thoughts. "But I believe in the bonds I've built. Oh right, do you want some cold water? It's on the house for you."
"No, thank you," Seiji declined politely. "On this island, nothing is free. I don't want to owe you a debt."
Seiji turned to leave. But before he got far, he whispered softly, just loud enough for Ichinose to hear.
"Guard your Leader well, Ichinose. Don't let them get too comfortable sitting on that throne you bought with those points."
Ichinose's eyes widened slightly. She stared at Seiji's retreating back.
He knows? Ichinose thought in a panic. He knows I'm not the leader?
Late Afternoon - Coastal Cliff.
Ryuen Kakeru stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out toward the forest where the smoke from Class A's kitchen billowed high into the sky.
Behind him, Kaneda, who had just returned, was giving his report.
"Horikita Suzune is the leader of Class C," Kaneda reported confidently. "I saw it with my own eyes. She was the one holding the card when the Spot scanner beeped (a lie Hirata had deliberately slipped into conversation). She's the one managing the food rations. That Matsushita girl and the other chicks were just busy doing their makeup."
"Kukuku..." Ryuen chuckled. "Horikita, huh? Too easy. Too obvious."
Ryuen turned around, fixing Kaneda with a predatory glare.
"And Class A? What did you get out of that merchant?"
"Class A..." Kaneda hesitated for a moment. "They're very open. Too many people coming and going. It's hard to pinpoint who the leader is because Ichinose manages everything."
"Ichinose is just a figurehead," Ryuen scoffed. "She's too busy playing angel. The real leader has to be someone who isn't doing anything. Someone enjoying the facilities without lifting a finger."
Ryuen smirked. He had already sent Ibuki to infiltrate Class B, and Kaneda to Class C.
"This survival strategy is boring," Ryuen kicked a pebble into the sea. "It's about time we threw a fireworks party."
"Ishizaki!" Ryuen yelled.
"Yes, Boss!"
"Get that 'package' ready. Tonight, we're going to send a gift to Class C and Class A's camps."
"B-but Ryuen-san, if we get caught, we'll be disqualified..."
"Who says we're the ones doing it?" Ryuen let out a wicked laugh. "In this jungle, a shadow can be anyone."
Nighttime - Class C's Camp.
Seiji was sitting in front of the campfire, roasting a river fish that Hirata had managed to catch.
His mind was still fixated on Yahiko at Class A's camp and Kaneda, who had been far too trusting.
"Something bothering you?" Suzune asked, taking a seat beside him.
"It's too quiet," Seiji replied. "Ryuen has been silent for three days. That isn't his style. He's the type who loves escalation."
"Kaneda has already reported back to him that I am the leader," Suzune stated confidently. "The bait has been taken."
"Yes. But Ryuen isn't a dog that settles for just one piece of bait. He's a wolf that will burn down the barn if he can't steal what's inside it."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the direction of the girls' tent.
"KYAAAAA!"
Kei's scream shattered the silence of the night.
Seiji and Suzune instantly leaped to their feet and sprinted toward the source of the sound.
In front of the girls' tent, Kei stood trembling, pointing at the ground.
There, scattered in front of the tent flap, were the contents of Matsushita's bag. Spare clothes, toiletries, and... her personal wallet.
Everything had been rummaged through.
"There's an intruder!" Kei yelled. "Someone came in and dug through Matsushita-san's things!"
Matsushita, who had just returned from the restroom, went pale at the sight of her belongings. She immediately checked the hidden pocket in her bag (was she acting, or genuinely panicking?).
"The card..." Matsushita whispered to Suzune. "The card is still on me. But..."
"They were looking for the card," Suzune hissed. "Did they know Matsushita was suspicious?"
"No," Seiji cut in, his eyes scanning the footprints in the mud.
There was a set of shoe prints. Large size. Standard-issue school sneakers.
"This wasn't a targeted theft," Seiji analyzed rapidly. "Look. Kei's bag is also slightly unzipped. Kushida's bag too. The intruder rummaged through them randomly."
"But why?" Hirata asked, confused.
"To create paranoia," Seiji answered coldly.
"Ryuen doesn't know who the leader is. So he's spreading terror to make the real leader panic and make a mistake. He wants us to suspect each other. He wants our Invisible Hydra to make a move out of fear."
Seiji stared into the dark jungle surrounding their camp.
"He's making his move. The psychological war has begun."
Seiji turned to face the class, which was beginning to panic.
"Everyone, calm down! No valuables were lost other than our pride for being infiltrated!" Seiji's voice rang out loud and clear, calming the masses.
"From now on, guard duty is doubled. Sudou, Ike, you two are on watch tonight. I'll stay up with you."
In his heart, however, Seiji knew this was only the beginning. Ryuen was testing the waters. And if he didn't find his shark, he was going to pour blood into the pool.
Seiji looked toward Class A's camp in the distance, where the lights were still shining brightly.
Ichinose... that open market of yours... might just become the entry point for whatever disease Ryuen is sending.
The island exam had entered its critical phase. Physical defenses were no longer enough. Now, they had to defend their sanity.
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