Chapter 133: What is the Next Move?
"I didn't even say anything, why are you so nervous?"
"..."
Ibuki Mio didn't want to talk anymore. She lowered her head, pretending to eat the grilled fish that had already gone cold. Elsie wasn't in a hurry either; she just sat beside her, swinging her legs and humming an unknown little tune. The sunlight filtered through the leaves and spilled over her, making her look like a lazy cat.
Ibuki pondered the current situation. Since Class C had ostensibly withdrawn from the exam in everyone's eyes, her identity as a mole should, in theory, be dismissed. While Ibuki was curious about the internal atmosphere of Class D, she would not forget her mission. No matter what, she had to put her own class first.
Presumably, the people of Class D would temporarily stop viewing her as an internal spy, which meant she could transmit information more effectively. First, Ibuki needed to get her hands on Elsie's keycard and take a photo as evidence. But the most critical part was finding a way to contact Ryuen Kakeru. After all, the transceiver had fallen into Katsuragi Keima's hands, and Ryuen likely didn't know she had lost her means of communication.
How was she supposed to make contact with him? Moreover... she still had to find a way to confirm who Class D's true leader was. The keycard at Elsie's waist might be the key.
"Why are you always wearing such a gloomy face?"
After a few seconds of silence, Ibuki finally spoke. "Elsie."
"Mhm?"
"About our class... Class C withdrawing from the exam. Do you know about it?"
"I know," Elsie nodded. "I heard about it this morning."
"After this, you guys probably won't suspect me anymore, right?" Ibuki said with a serious expression.
Elsie tilted her head. "Suspect you of what?"
"Suspect that I'm a mole."
"Mio-chan, you're actually a mole?!" Elsie let out a gasp of surprise, as if hearing these words for the first time.
"What are you saying?"
"No, didn't you just say it yourself?"
Looking at the expression on Elsie's face—one that showed no flaws or signs of deception—Ibuki almost began to doubt herself. However, she remained certain in her heart that Elsie was merely putting on an act.
"You guys have been suspecting me all along, haven't you? Now that our Class C has withdrawn, surely those suspicions can be dispelled."
"Huh? Suspecting what?"
The two stared at each other like two childish elementary school students. Finally, Ibuki was the one to back down.
"Fine, say whatever you want." She stood up. "I'm going for a walk."
"I'll come with you!"
"No need."
"I'm coming!" Elsie skipped along after her, giving her no chance to refuse.
Ibuki sighed and said nothing more. The two walked out of the camp, one in front of the other. The paths in the jungle were difficult to traverse, with vines and shrubs almost blocking the way entirely. But Elsie walked ahead, skipping and looking very excited.
"Mio-chan, where are you going?"
"Just walking around."
"Then I'll take you to a great place!"
"What great place?"
"You'll know if you follow me!"
Elsie quickened her pace, and Ibuki could only follow. They pushed through a dense thicket of shrubs, and suddenly, the view opened up. A stream flowed down from the mountain, merging into a small pool. The area around the pool was open flat ground, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves spilled onto the water's surface, breaking into ten thousand fragments of golden light.
"..."
"I discovered earlier that this place is very wide; you can run around however you want."
"?? Why would I run around?"
Elsie squatted by the stream, cupping water to wash her face. "The water is very cool! Do you want to try?"
Ibuki walked over and squatted beside her. The stream water was indeed very cold; as it flowed over her fingertips, it carried away all the stifling heat. Her gaze involuntarily landed on
Elsie's waist, where the keycard was swaying. A leader's name and photo would be printed on that card. If she had the chance, Ibuki needed to look closely at the name on that keycard.
"Sigh, Mio-chan, are you always staring at this keycard?"
Ibuki's heart skipped a beat. "I—I'm not."
For a moment, she stared at the keycard, somewhat dazed. However, Elsie generously handed the keycard over to her. In any case, Katsuragi Keima had told her there was no need to hide anything from the others.
Ibuki froze for a moment, then tremblingly accepted the keycard. On it, Elsie's name was clearly displayed.
'Then the true leader... is it really Elsie?'
In that instant, Ibuki couldn't help but feel bewildered. Elsie had handed over such an important item just like that—No, impossible. Katsuragi Keima would never place something so important on a girl who seemed so ditzy. This must be a distraction; it must be a trap. The real leader card must be hidden somewhere else. This keycard might even be a fake!
Thinking this, Ibuki immediately returned the keycard to Elsie. "Don't just give this kind of thing to other people!"
"But Mio-chan isn't 'other people,' you're my friend!"
"..."
"Mio-chan, what's wrong?" Elsie tilted her head at her.
"Nothing." Ibuki stood up. "Let's go, time to head back."
"Oh."
The two headed back. Ibuki walked in front with Elsie following behind. Her mind was occupied by the dialogue from just now. There was only one keycard. It was on Elsie. It had to be a fake. It had to be.
But... what if it wasn't?
She shook her head, tossing the thought aside. Regardless, she needed to confirm it. She needed to find the real leader card. At the same time, she had to find an opportunity to meet with Ryuen Kakeru.
Night fell. The campfire in the Class D camp roared to life, illuminating a small surrounding area. The girls returned to their tents one after another to rest. Karuizawa Kei yawned; Sakura Airi held a small bundle wrapped in leaves; Sato Maya was still chattering away about something; and Kushida Kikyo listened with a smile.
"I'm going to sleep first." Karuizawa Kei crawled into her tent. The other girls followed suit.
Ibuki Mio sat by the campfire, watching the flames dance. She was waiting. Waiting for everyone to fall asleep. Waiting for the camp to go quiet. Waiting for the right moment. Only by creating chaos would Ibuki have the opportunity for a further systematic search.
Elsie sat down next to her at some point. "Mio-chan, aren't you going to sleep?"
"Can't sleep."
"Then I'll stay with you!"
"No need. You go to sleep first."
"..."
Elsie let out a yawn. "Then I'll sleep first. Goodnight!" She skipped toward the tent.
Ibuki watched her retreating figure, a complex surge of emotion in her heart. She didn't dislike spending time with Elsie. It was just that Ibuki simply couldn't understand whether Elsie's various behaviors were a disguise or not.
The camp went completely silent. The campfire had died out, leaving only a few sparks glowing dimly in the ashes. Moonlight bathed the clearing, coating everything in a layer of silver-white. Ibuki stood up and quietly walked toward the tent on the left. That was the girls' tent. She took a deep breath, lifted the curtain, and slipped inside.
It was very dark in the tent; only thin slivers of moonlight filtered through the gaps, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Several girls lay side-by-side, their breathing steady. Karuizawa Kei was sleeping on the outside, her blanket kicked to the side, exposing an arm. Sakura Airi was huddled at the very back, sleeping deeply, her mouth seemingly mumbling in her sleep: "Keima-kun, Keima-kun..." Sato Maya had the worst sleeping posture, lying horizontally with her foot almost resting on Kushida Kikyo. Kushida Kikyo, on the other hand, slept very neatly, hands placed on her chest and breathing rhythmically.
Ibuki squatted in the tent, her gaze scanning beside everyone. Where would the real keycard be? She first checked the bag next to Karuizawa Kei. Her movements were light and slow, trying her best not to make a sound. Inside were some changes of clothes and toiletries; no keycard. She checked Sato Maya's side; nothing there either.
Finally, she looked at Sakura Airi. That girl was curled up at the very back, and there was a small box beside her. Ibuki hesitated. She didn't want to wake Sakura Airi. That girl seemed to be the quietest and most harmless in Class D. The way she looked at Katsuragi Keima was different from the others—it wasn't worship or dependency, but simple, pure liking.
But she needed to confirm the leader's information and absolutely could not expose her objective. She gently reached out, attempting to move past Sakura Airi, but because the girl's position was in the furthest corner, it was difficult for Ibuki to step over. Just as Ibuki was thinking about how to get closer, Sakura Airi made a faint sound.
Sakura Airi suddenly rolled over. Ibuki froze. Through the faint light falling through the gaps in the tent fabric, Sakura Airi's face was inches away. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as if she were dreaming. Her lips moved, letting out a muffled murmur.
"Keima-kun..."
Ibuki's heart skipped a beat. She thought Sakura Airi had woken up. Fortunately, she hadn't; she just rolled over and continued sleeping. Ibuki pursed her lips and eventually gave up. She slowly retreated to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and slipped out.
Moonlight fell upon her, her face full of helplessness. She stood outside the tent and took a deep breath. She had found nothing. No keycard, no clues whatsoever. She should keep looking. She should go to the other tent and look through the boys' things.
"Are you looking for something?"
At that exact moment, a familiar voice rang out from behind Ibuki. She was startled and turned around to look. Katsuragi Keima was actually sitting outside, playing a game.
'This guy, hasn't he gone to sleep?'
"Yo—you, why are you still here?"
"I have to play games." Katsuragi Keima's gaze remained focused on the handheld screen, without looking up even once. "Besides, the button sounds are too loud; playing in the tent would disturb everyone's rest. What about you?"
Ibuki's heart skipped a beat. "..."
"It looks like you were looking for something?"
"No, I just couldn't sleep." Ibuki immediately came up with an excuse.
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer. He just continued playing. Ibuki stood there staring at him; under the moonlight, that face still showed no expression. She didn't know if he believed her or not. But regardless, she couldn't admit it.
"Do you sit here every night playing games?" Ibuki tried to change the subject.
"Mhm."
"Not sleepy?"
"Not sleepy."
"You guys have to move tomorrow."
"Doesn't affect it."
Ibuki didn't know what else to say, so she decided to be direct. "Now that Class C has withdrawn from the exam, there's probably no need for you to suspect me of being a mole anymore, right?"
"Did they really withdraw from the exam?" Katsuragi Keima said suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"We only saw Class C leave the shore, but did everyone withdraw from the exam?" Katsuragi Keima looked up, his gaze landing on Ibuki's face.
However, Ibuki didn't dare meet his eyes.
'Could it be that Katsuragi Keima guessed Ryuen Kakeru's plan? No, that's impossible, right?'
"How should I know? Who would stay on the island alone in this environment?!"
"Is that so?"
"Believe it or not, I'm going to sleep." After saying that, she prepared to walk quickly back to her tent.
"Ibuki."
"What now?"
"Are you acting according to your own will, or Ryuen's?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ibuki ignored him, returned to the tent, crawled into her sleeping bag, and closed her eyes. Her heart was still racing. She didn't know exactly what Katsuragi Keima meant; she only knew that tonight, she would be suffering from insomnia again.
The next morning.
Ibuki Mio crawled out of the tent with two dark circles under her eyes. Elsie was already busy by the campfire; seeing her, she waved excitedly. "Mio-chan! Come have breakfast!"
Ibuki walked over; today's breakfast consisted of some wild fruits.
"Mio-chan, you didn't sleep well last night?" Elsie leaned in, tilting her head to look at her.
"Mhm."
"Was it insomnia again?"
"Mhm."
"Then next time you can't sleep, you can come find me!" Elsie said. "I'll chat with you!"
Ibuki glanced at her and just nodded. "Okay."
Elsie smiled even more happily and skipped away. Ibuki watched her back, that complex emotion rising in her heart again. Is this girl really stupid, or is she faking? She didn't know. But she knew that the way Elsie looked at her was different from others. No suspicion, no testing, only simple concern.
If it was a disguise, then it was too terrifying.
"Ibuki-san." Horikita Suzune's voice suddenly rang out.
Ibuki looked up. Horikita Suzune stood before her, holding a map. "Today we are going to the eastern spot. You will follow Katsuragi." She paused. "Is there a problem?"
"No." Ibuki replied immediately, acting as if nothing concerned her, while turning her head to see Katsuragi Keima on the other side, still playing games as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Horikita nodded and turned to leave.
"Mio-chan!" Elsie ran back, holding a water bottle. "Drink water!"
Ibuki took the bottle and took a sip. The water was cool, carrying the unique sweetness of the stream.
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