Chapter 135: Ryuen Kakeru's Wilderness Survival Journey
Ibuki Mio looked up, peering through the gaps in the thicket toward the camp. Katsuragi Keima had already sat back down under the large tree, handheld in hand, the faint glow of the screen reflecting on his face. His expression was the same as always; one could read nothing from it.
From start to finish, Katsuragi Keima had never left that spot. From the moment Karuizawa Kei screamed, to him standing up, walking over, and returning to the tree—he had been in everyone's sight the entire time. He hadn't walked over here.
Then how did the underwear get back? Moreover, if someone had put the underwear back... it meant they knew what she had done. Then why had no one come forward just now to identify her? A string of questions arose in her heart.
In reality, all of this was Katsuragi Keima's arrangement. Although Keima hadn't seen Ibuki's late-night movements yesterday, after seeing her tracks this morning and combining them with Karuizawa's reaction, he had guessed the gist of it. Moments ago, Keima had quietly instructed Elsie to activate her invisibility ability to stealthily retrieve the underwear, put it back, and then return to the crowd without a sound.
"Kami-nii-sama, how did you know the underwear was in that place?" Elsie looked at Katsuragi Keima with a face full of confusion.
Katsuragi Keima naturally knew this was Ibuki Mio's doing, but he didn't say it aloud. "A guess."
"A guess?" Elsie was somewhat surprised, but in her eyes, Katsuragi Keima was omnipotent to begin with, so she didn't think much of it. "As expected of Kami-nii-sama!"
"However, since this involves your identity as a demon, don't tell anyone else about it."
"Mhm! I definitely know that, Kami-nii-sama!"
On the other side, Ibuki Mio stood up, her legs already numb. She leaned against a tree trunk, staring at that patch of bushes. The doubt in her heart hadn't dissipated; instead, it grew even more intense. But she couldn't waste too much time here; she had to hurry back to the main group. Ibuki stomped her feet on the ground to restore sensation to her legs, then walked quickly back into the camp.
"Mio-chan!" Elsie's voice came from a distance. "Where did you go? We're about to set off!"
"Coming." Ibuki walked over quickly and saw Elsie standing at the edge of the camp, water bottle in hand, wearing that perpetual, unchanging smile.
"What were you doing running off over there?" Elsie inquired.
"Nothing," Ibuki said. "Just walking around."
While speaking, Ibuki also wondered if Elsie had done something. But looking at Elsie's appearance, there was no suspicion or vigilance. If she knew Ibuki had stolen the underwear, it would be impossible to have this expression. Or was it... that her disguise was flawless?
"Oh! Then let's hurry! Kami-nii-sama and the others have already left!" Elsie's voice pulled Ibuki's thoughts back, and only then did she realize that Katsuragi Keima was gone. The main force had already departed. She glanced at those bushes, then at the spot where Katsuragi Keima had just been sitting.
"Let's go." The two walked one after the other, following the main group into the jungle. Ibuki walked behind, her mind still a mess. The underwear incident, Keima's words, and that empty bush. She had to confirm it; maybe she could learn something from Elsie.
"Elsie."
"Mhm?"
"Just now... did you ever leave the camp?"
Elsie blinked. "Leave? No. I was here the whole time."
"Then did anyone else leave?"
Elsie thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Everyone was here."
Ibuki fell silent. No one had left the camp, and she hadn't seen anyone walk toward the bushes—so how did the underwear get back?
"What's wrong, Mio-chan?" Elsie tilted her head at her.
"Nothing." Ibuki quickened her pace. "Let's go."
The two caught up with the team ahead. Katsuragi Keima walked at the very front, handheld in his grip, playing games while he walked. Ibuki followed behind him, staring at his back. Did all of this really have something to do with Katsuragi Keima?
After several dozen minutes of long-distance trekking, Katsuragi Keima, walking in front, suddenly stopped. "We're here."
Ibuki looked up. Ahead was a small hill with a machine at the top—a spot. Katsuragi Keima called Elsie over and went forward to swipe the card. Ibuki stood below the spot, watching Elsie skip up. Her mind went blank.
The keycard could only be used by the leader. This was clearly stated in the exam rules: each class had only one keycard, and only the designated leader could hold it to occupy a spot. If anyone else tried to swipe it, the machine wouldn't recognize it at all.
So—Elsie really was the leader? This person who looked so stupid was actually the leader of Class D? Ibuki felt her perception being completely overturned. Had she really not been lying before? She had always thought Elsie was a smoke screen, a front pushed forward by Katsuragi Keima to confuse everyone. She had believed from beginning to end that the keycard hanging at her waist was a fake.
She even felt that, given Katsuragi Keima's caution, the real keycard must be hidden in a place no one would expect—like on himself, or Horikita Suzune, or that perpetually silent Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. But Elsie swiped it, the machine lit up, and the spot was occupied.
Is this for real? Ibuki felt her values being reshaped.
Beside them, Horikita Suzune was discreetly observing Ibuki Mio. Earlier, Katsuragi Keima had told her that Ryuen Kakeru was likely still on the deserted island and hadn't chosen to leave. This meant Ibuki Mio was very likely still a mole. But even so, Katsuragi Keima didn't avoid her and still chose to let Ibuki witness this scene. Exactly why?
And this question also arose in Ibuki Mio's heart. Previously, Katsuragi Keima had almost directly stated Class C's plan, but now he was making no effort to hide Elsie swiping the card. Was this intentionally acted out for her? But that made no sense. After all, only the leader themselves could use the keycard, and the machine did indeed react. Or was it... that Katsuragi Keima and the others truly trusted her completely?
No, no, no. Ibuki only felt her head hurting more and more; what she hated most was thinking about such problems.
"All done!" Elsie ran down from the hill, the keycard swaying at her waist. "Kami-nii-sama! It's settled!"
Katsuragi Keima nodded and put away his handheld. "Let's head back."
Ibuki stood in place, watching Elsie run past her. The girl had a brilliant smile on her face, completely oblivious to Ibuki's expression. "Mio-chan! Let's go!" she shouted back.
Ibuki snapped out of it. "..." She followed the team back, her mind still like mush. If Elsie was the true leader, then the thing she had been looking for was on Elsie—it had been there from the start.
She had once been so close to that card—Elsie had personally handed it to her. She had held it in her hand, saw the name on it, and then gave it back because she thought it was a fake. She took a deep breath. What if she hadn't given it back then? What if she had taken a photo and sent it to Ryuen Kakeru? Then the exam might already be over by now.
Was it really that simple?
Ibuki felt a headache all day. She bit her lip and quickened her pace to walk beside Katsuragi Keima. "Katsuragi."
"Mhm?"
"Letting Elsie show me the card—was that on purpose?"
Katsuragi Keima's fingers paused for a moment. "What card?"
"The keycard! Elsie showed me the keycard, surely it was on your instruction!"
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer and continued walking forward. "You knew I wouldn't believe it," Ibuki said.
Katsuragi Keima stopped and turned to look at her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows on his face. "I was not aware that Elsie showed the card to you," Katsuragi Keima said slowly.
"What?"
"I simply believe that you are someone close to us, so I told Elsie she doesn't need to be on guard against you."
"Wha—what?" Hearing Katsuragi Keima's incredibly serious words, Ibuki froze.
'Close... someone close? Since when did I become 'close' to you!'
"To me, you are a special existence."
"What are you suddenly saying out of nowhere?!" Ibuki's face instantly turned flush, and she hurriedly looked away.
"Let's go." Katsuragi Keima turned and continued walking.
Ibuki watched his back, the complex emotions in her heart growing stronger.
'What is wrong with this guy!'
In front, Katsuragi Keima took a card from his pocket. This was an existence only he and Elsie could see, so it could be easily brought onto the island without the teachers finding it.
[Name: Ibuki Mio] [Current Affection: 12%]
Though not high, it had grown. Change is a good start.
The team continued back. Ibuki walked at the very end, thinking about this the whole time, her gaze fixed on Katsuragi Keima's back.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, deep in the jungle three kilometers from the Class D camp, Ryuen Kakeru leaned against a large tree, chewing expressionlessly on some portable dry rations. His tracksuit was covered in dirt, and his face was smeared with mud, making him almost blend in with the surrounding jungle.
It had been two days since Class C "withdrew" from the exam. Other classes thought the entirety of Class C had returned to the cruise ship; no one would guard against them anymore. No one would imagine that the leader of Class C had remained on the island alone.
He swallowed the last bit of rations and looked up at the sky. To hide his existence as much as possible, Ryuen had carried almost no food. For the next few days, he would have to rely on his own ability to survive on the deserted island. True wilderness survival.
The sky was gloomy, and the clouds were thick; it looked like rain.
He stuffed the last ration wrapper into his pocket, stood up, and brushed the mud off his clothes. It had been two days. Ibuki Mio should have made progress by now. According to the plan, she would create chaos in Class D and find the real keycard in the confusion to take a photo. Then they would contact each other via walkie-talkie—she had one, and he had one.
But Ryuen had received no news. He touched the walkie-talkie in his pocket; the light was dark, with no signal. He frowned. Maybe she hadn't found an opportunity. Maybe the Class D people were watching closely. Maybe— He shook his head, tossing these thoughts aside. Ibuki Mio wasn't the type to mess up. She had followed him for so long and had never disappointed him. Ryuen believed in her ability.
He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. He had to win this exam, he absolutely had to. Not for Class C, not for those points, but to prove one thing—he was stronger than Katsuragi Keima.
He remembered what happened last time.
When he went to find Katsuragi Keima with Ishizaki and the others, they were taken down before they even had time to react. He woke up lying on the ground, aching all over, remembering nothing. He had never had that feeling before. A sense of humiliation lingered in his heart. He was Ryuen Kakeru, the King of Class C, the man who ruled an entire class with violence and fear! He couldn't lose. Especially not to a guy who played games all day.
Ryuen's mind spun rapidly.
Katsuragi Keima was definitely hiding something. His strength, his background, his purpose—all of it hidden. He deliberately acted as an otaku interested in nothing, playing games all day to make everyone think he was harmless. But in places he couldn't see, he must be planning something. Sakayanagi Arisu's eye for things wouldn't be wrong.
Ryuen remembered the way Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Katsuragi Keima. That look was one of appreciation, even expectation. Like looking at an opponent who needed to be taken seriously. Sakayanagi Arisu had never looked at anyone else like that. Not even Ryuen.
He then thought of Shiina Hiyori in his class; she seemed to keep her distance from everyone but was very close to Katsuragi Keima. And those girls in Class D—Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, Sato Maya, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune. They all revolved around him like planets around a sun.
For someone who played games all day, on what basis? What magic did this guy have?
Ryuen opened his eyes; he felt a few drops of rain falling. But even so, he continued to think about Katsuragi Keima. That person definitely had some kind of ability. Not violence, not threats, but something more terrifying. He could make people trust him, follow him, and willingly revolve around him. In Class C, he ruled by violence and fear. In Class D, that person didn't have to do anything, and people risked their lives for him.
Which one was more terrifying?
He had to defeat him!
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