Chapter 61 – Spy at night

The uninhabited island displayed its contradictions at night. Under the gentle glow of the silver moon and myriad stars, it should have been bathed in moonlight and glittering with starlight. However, under the canopy of numerous leaves, it was so dark that one couldn't see their own hand in front of them.

Before going to sleep, one might think that the island was utterly silent, a place of utter stillness without a sound. Yet, if one closed their eyes, thinking they'd sleep soundly, they'd be greatly mistaken.

Once you listened carefully, in the extreme quiet, you could hear the sparse but real chirping of insects. Those with better hearing could even detect the extremely faint sounds of tiny insects digging or moving, and the rustling of wind-blown leaves. 

In such an environment, Yukio moved with ease, as if the night was his home. Every step he took carefully avoided dry leaves and small fallen twigs, making no sound at all, almost completely blending into the darkness.

Following the route in his memory, he approached Class B's base, not intending any harm, just wanting to meet the undercover agent.

Ibuki hadn't fallen asleep either, staying vigilantly awake. When she was sure that the other girls in the tent from Class B had fallen into deep sleep sometime in the early hours, she quietly stepped out.

After carefully avoiding any spots where she might be discovered, she made her way to a small grove and saw Yukio under the moonlight.

Yukio had chosen a good spot. The leaves didn't cover the moonlight, which fell like water, giving him an almost ethereal silver glow, making him look almost saintly.

Unlike Ibuki, who forced herself to stay awake at night and looked a bit frazzled, Yukio seemed energetic. His eyes sparkled, as if they had captured the moonlight, bright and clear.

Ibuki couldn't help but stare for a few seconds before snapping back to reality, inwardly blushing and scolding herself: "Why does this bastard have to be so handsome!"

"How are you doing in Class B?" Seeing Ibuki distracted, Yukio took the initiative to move closer, his movement causing the leaves to shield the moonlight again.

With her view no longer as clear, Ibuki felt relieved and became more natural: "It's okay, a bunch of people acting friendly on the surface, who knows what they're really like behind our backs."

"Heh." Ibuki always held the belief that there was no such thing as pure goodwill in the world, and Yukio couldn't force her to change that: "At least those who are superficially friendly won't cause you trouble."

"It looks like you can stay in Class B until the end of this uninhabited island special exam."

Hearing this, Ibuki felt a little upset. She gave Yukio a sullen look, her voice unusually whiny like a young girl: "So, you guys are going back to the cruise ship tomorrow night?"

"And I have to stay here alone until the end of the exam."

Yukio had originally come just to inform Ibuki about the leaders of the other classes. But noticing that her mood seemed a bit off, he became more serious.

In his view, Ibuki was a very useful tool. First, being a girl, she wouldn't raise too much suspicion. 

Second, as the daughter of a martial family, she had excellent execution and action skills, making her reliable and efficient in tasks, which reassured Yukio.

Lastly, Ibuki was straightforward, saying whatever was on her mind, making it easier for Yukio to control the situation.

But now, noticing that something was amiss with Ibuki's mood, Yukio wouldn't ignore it. A useful chess piece couldn't be lost: "Indeed, the uninhabited island is too inconvenient for girls."

"How about this: if you can find out who Class B's leader is before tomorrow night, then you can return to the cruise ship. If not, I'll stay behind or have Ryuen stay to guess the leader after the exam."

This was Yukio's earlier speculation shared with Class C students. After seven days, it wasn't clear whether the added mechanism of guessing the leader was only for the students remaining on the island or also for those who returned early to the cruise ship.

If it was the latter, then there was no problem. Ibuki wouldn't need to spend a hard seven days on the uninhabited island.

But if it was the former, then someone from Class C would have to stay behind for the final guess.

Due to insufficient information and Sakayanagi's insistence on secrecy, they had to leave someone behind as a precaution against this possibility.

Ibuki understood this and couldn't help but give Yukio a sideways glance. See! She knew Yukio cared about her! How could he not care about her feelings at all!

Those biased words Yukio said during the barbecue must have been deliberate, meant to provoke her, in order to deceive Ichinose and Class B. Thinking this, Ibuki felt a sweetness in her heart...

Unfortunately, the dense leaves blocked the moonlight, and Yukio almost blended into the darkness of the night, making it difficult for Ibuki to see him clearly.

This led Ibuki to silently curse the damn trees of the uninhabited island. Why grow so many leaves for nothing?! She thought fiercely, vowing to cut them all down in the morning!

Her emotions were like a roller coaster, fluctuating up and down, making her feel like a confused girl, full of hopes and fears. Ibuki felt she was becoming someone uncharacteristic of herself.

So, she shook her head, trying to clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts, focusing on one thing.

Since Yukio did care about her, she couldn't just let him down, right? 

Even though Yukio was willing to stay behind in her place, she wasn't someone who hadn't faced hardships. What's the big deal about surviving seven days on an uninhabited island?

Somehow, her mood inexplicably brightened. Ibuki, feeling suddenly confident, declared: "No need! You just lead the team back to the cruise ship. I can handle the uninhabited island for seven days. I've just arrived today, and Class B is still wary of me, not letting me see who their leader is."

"But once you all leave, they'll surely let their guard down. I'm confident I can find out who the leader of Class B is in the remaining six days!"

Yukio breathed a sigh of relief. He had been employing a strategy of retreat, but now it seemed Ibuki was still fantastic! Taking on the hardest task voluntarily, he thought to himself, she deserved a good reward when they returned.

"Alright, since you say so, go for it. After the seven days, when we're back on the cruise ship, we'll have a celebration party, and you'll be our greatest hero!"

Ibuki smiled slightly, looking forward to it. Proud as she was, the thought of being hailed as the biggest hero by her classmates, especially Yukio, who might have to courteously thank her, inexplicably thrilled her!

"Fine! You've shown a bit of conscience, at least. Get ready to splurge then, my expectations for the celebration party are high." Suddenly, Ibuki felt that infiltrating Class B for seven days might not be so bad after all.

***

Enjoyed the chapters? Read 20 chapters ahead on Patreon!

PATREON.COM/METARLN

600 power stones = 1 extra chapter