Chapter 24 - Tedious

Day 1, 11:53 AM.

We somehow managed to match up to Kouenji's absurd walking speed. Currently, we were headed toward the southern part of the island. Kouenji was in the lead, and Ayanokouji and I were simply followers in his footsteps. This was probably the first time I had set foot in such a wild forest. Unlike Kouenji who's been to different parts of the world, I had no experience with the wilderness whatsoever.

"Ah, I am so beautiful, and melding with the exquisite environment around me enhances my stellar looks." he talked to himself while walking. "I am the pinnacle of beauty."

"Hah~" I sighed at the sight of that narcissistic oddball.

I thought we'd be fine so long as we walked in one direction, but I was wrong. Firstly, walking in a straight line was impossible. There were natural obstacles we couldn't cross, which forcefully changed our path and veered us right or left. Yet Kouenji was progressing without any hint of difficulty.

"Excellent athletic ability and no sign of reticence about the outdoors either. What's his story?" Ayanokouji commented.

"He may act like an anomaly. But he's probably the most capable out of all our classmates." I added.

Though I, personally, think that all his talents were wasted on him.

"By the way, I'd like to ask you ordinary people something. Don't you think this is truly beautiful?"

"What on earth is he on about?" Ayanokouji turned to me.

"I think he's probably talking about himself," I replied.

"Levent-boy is correct!" somehow he overheard my remark. "Do you not understand how I, with my perfect physical beauty, shine in such a place?"

"So he wanted me to compliment him on his 'perfect physical beauty', huh? I see." Ayanokouji mused.

"U-wah… You look great, Kouenji..." I complimented him in the most monotone voice ever. Though even my half-hearted response seemed to have satisfied his urges. Kouenji continued walking.

"There's no need to worry. Even if something happened in a forest like this, there won't be a problem." Kouenji remarked out of nowhere.

"What do you mean by that, Kouenji?" Ayanokouji asked.

"I wouldn't call this a natural forest. The probability of getting lost during the day is extremely low. It's precisely for that reason that I'm a little curious."

"Now that you mention it, I did notice some charcoal marks on the cave wall. Apparently, we're not the only ones." I added.

"Yeah, I think I have something along the lines of this island being owned by a survival training company," replied Ayanokouji.

"Either way, we can't really change the fact that we have to keep dragging this for the next seven days." I sighed.

After walking for another few minutes, I began to notice some minor changes in the area. With every step we took, the forest was getting less and less dense. Which indicated that we were getting close to our intended goal. That was when Kouenji stopped in his tracks. Turning, he flashed another audacious smile while stroking his hair.

"May I ask you common folk another question?" Before we could reply, Kouenji continued. "What do you think of this place? What do you see when you look around?"

"It seems like the density of the trees keeps getting less and less. So, there's a massive chance of there being an open plot of land somewhere nearby." I replied.

"Oya, it seems you do have a decent pair of eyes." he complimented.

"So, you intentionally brought us here, huh?" Ayanokouji inquired.

"Hmph, who said I was helping?" Kouenji side glanced at us. "Don't misunderstand, Ayanokouji-boy. A perfect being like me does not help common folks like you. I simply do whatever I want. If you gain benefits from my actions, then that's that."

"I see."

Of course, the opposite case was also valid. Kouenji was the kind of person who wouldn't stop even if his actions caused great difficulty for others. Just like what he was about to do next.

"And just so you know, I find this exam extremely boring. There's nothing beautiful about this." Kouenji added.

"So, you're going to retire after all."

"Is any problem with that?"

Plenty. We would end up losing thirty exam points because of this. The number of things we could've bought with those points. I could've made this exam a lot easier for the others. Because of his retirement, my options narrowed down. However…

"Even if there was a problem, I'm sure it'd end up being 'none of your problems'. So, what's the point?" I sighed.

"It seems you do understand. Ha, I guess you're not so common after all, Leader-boy." Kouenji commented aloud. It was a good thing that we were in the middle of the forest. Otherwise, my plan would've died in the mud.

"Is there any room for negotiation?" I asked.

"Hmph, There isn't. You see, I'm feeling really unwell. I have no choice but to retire." he smiled before turning his back on us.

"I see." I finally gave up trying to reason with this person. Letting Kouenji drop out would be the best move. "I guess it can't be helped. Thank you for showing us the way. We'll be seeing you back in seven days."

"See you later, Levent-boy, Ayanokouji-boy." Kouenji waved before his figure disappeared into the forest.

"What a troublesome guy…" Ayanokouji commented.

"Let's go. There's no point in talking about it now."

••••••

Day 1, 12:08 PM.

"Hey, look. I think we're here." Ayanokouji, who'd been searching in a direction away from me, shouted. I curiously walked in the direction of his voice. The bushes were so thick that I could only see parts of his body. But as soon as I went there, the scenery changed completely.

"Wow! That's a lot."

"Yeah. I guess you could say, our luck is pretty corny today, huh?"

"You bet."

The soil here was a different color from the surrounding forest soil, proof that the corn had been cultivated artificially. It was also strange because bushes surrounded the corn on all sides, making it difficult to find due to the weeds. I was absolutely certain that the school officials had been coming and going on this deserted island. This cultivated spot made that clear. I inspected the corn, which was ripe and beautiful, thanks to careful management and cultivation.

"So, this is what Kouenji saw…" Ayanokouji mused.

"This should solve our food problem for a couple of days."

Originally, Ayanokouji and Sakura, alongside class A's Katsuragi and Yahiko, found this landmark on the third day of the exam. They would've found it on day 1 if it weren't for Sakura holding him back. However, this time I was there to guide him instead of being a drag. That's probably why it didn't take us that long to locate the field.

'We are safe for now.' at least that's what I wanted to say. The other classes were most likely occupied with their camps. It should take them one or two days to find this place. However, now that I have forced class A to relocate their camp, I couldn't say anything for sure. If they changed their location to the eastern side of the island, then I could probably sigh in relief. However, if they persisted on the western side, then we had some competition waiting ahead of us. I prayed for it to be the former.

"It would've been nice if we brought bags… We probably can't, but I wonder if we should try taking it all back with us."

"Good for us. I did bring some bags with me. I pulled a few folded polythene bags from my pocket. "But it'd be impossible for us to carry all of this. So for now, let's try to harvest as much as we can."

"Levent, by any chance did happen to spot this location before coming?"

"I did."

There were about fifty ears of corn. I immediately wanted to capitalize on this opportunity. At best, the two of us were able to carry four to six bags per person. But that was even less than one-eighth of the total crop. Multiple trips would've been necessary if we wanted to do this unaided. Which is why I had a plan.

"Ayanokouji, I need you to do me a favor. Can you take these back to the camp and bring some reinforcement? I'll guard this place in case some other class happens to find it."

"So, you're saying that I have to carry all six bags, by myself, all the way to the camp."

"Precisely. I'm sorry for doing this to you. But somehow make do with it. Also, bring some more bags, preferably large ones while you're at it."

"Hah... I'll do what I can."

After releasing a sigh, Ayanokouji proceeded to carry all the bags into the forest. Within seconds, his figure smudged with the texture of the scenery. Meanwhile, all I could do was to keep harvesting the corn by myself while waiting for my classmates to arrive.

••••••

Day 1, 1:00 PM.

"Hey guys, it's here!" a rough voice called out from behind. I looked back to find a familiar figure standing. Following his howl, a few more faces joined him afterward.

"W-whoa! That's a lot! We can easily go through this exam with these!"

"I guess we won't be needing to spend points on meals after all."

Seemingly they hadn't noticed my existence yet. It was probably because I was right in the middle of the field harvesting the crop. I stood up and walked towards them.

"Crap! Someone's here!"

"Relax. It's me, Levent." I replied.

"Oh, It's you! Thank God! I thought you were from another class." Onizuka sighed in relief.

"You're such an idiot. Didn't Ayanokouji already tell us about Levent?" Yukimura sighed.

"Did he? Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention."

Ayanokouji came back with six more people with him. Hirata, Hondou, Sudou, Okitani, Onizuka, and Yukimura. Judging by the fact that all of them were male, they must've finished setting up the camp.

"You guys sure took your sweet time to get here, huh?" I asked. Everyone gave me awkward smiles, as if they were feeling guilty. It would've been nice if more people came, but it was still better than nothing.

"We encountered some problems earlier on the way. That's all." Ayanokouji replied indifferently. I was not sure what he meant by that. Did they face some actual difficulties or did the group itself turn out to be the problem?

"Hey, where's Kouenji? I thought he came here with you," asked Miyamoto.

"He ran off somewhere. I don't know where he went though." I replied.

"Wha- Why didn't you stop him?"

"I couldn't. You know how he is. It's almost impossible to control that guy." I sighed.

"In any case everyone, I think it would be better if we get down to work immediately," said Hirata. "Levent-kun, you've been working hard by yourself all this time. I think you should rest now." he must've noticed all the bags I'd been filling out. What a nice fellow.

"Thank you for your concern. But it's fine, really." I replied.

"You sure, Levent? You look kinda exhausted." this time, Sudou was the one to show his concern, which honestly surprised me a bit.

"No need to push yourself, Levent. We got this!"

"Don't worry. The work can get surprisingly demanding. But I can still fill up a bag or two. I'll take you up on the offer when I need it." I replied.

With that, the crew began collecting every single corn within the parameter. Adding some extra hands proved to be a hundred times more efficient than going solo. It took us less than thirty minutes to secure every single crop from that spot.

••••••

Day 1, 1:50 PM

"Ah! They're back!"

"Whoa! That's so much corn!"

We returned to the base earlier than expected. Everyone was astonished by the number of corn we brought with us. We placed the bags

Upon return, I noticed significant changes with the campsite. The camp looked more organized than ever. The tents were placed in a semi-rectangular formation to place the bonfire in the middle. That way the head could spread evenly among the tents. We had also decided to place the toilet a little far outside the cave entrance.

Ike and his team had caught a compliment-worthy amount of fish within a short period of time. Karuizawa and her group were also working diligently to produce different items with the vinyl bags.

"Hey, we're back!"

Kikyou and her group returned a few minutes later. From a distance, I saw little red fruits, like strawberries, and maybe tomatoes. They also seemed to have grapes and kiwis.

"Welcome back." I greeted. Kikyou picked up a vine of berries.

"Is this… Can we eat these, I wonder?"

"I think you should ask Ike. Right now, he's more reliable than any of us." I replied.

"Huh? Did you call me? Oh hey, this is bog bilberry! Did you find these, Kikyou-chan? That's amazing, y'know!" he must've heard me calling his name, because he came over, checking out the fruit and telling us what was what.

"Kanji-kun, do you know what this is?" Inogashira asked.

"Yeah. It's a fruit named bog bilberry. I've eaten 'em before when I went camping in the mountains. As you can tell, they look and taste like blueberries. It's the Akebia Quinata. It's sweet and tasty. Oh wow, this really takes me back, man."

He was being genuine, not trying to appear cool. Everyone watched Ike with interest as he smiled, enjoying the nostalgic fruit. Shinohara bombarded Ike with questions, and he answered her directly.

"We're back!"

Moments later, Matsushita and the others returned from their expedition. Judging by the expression they had, it must've been quite a demanding of a task for them. Maybe I should've sent someone with more athletic prowess.

"Welcome back. You guys must've worked hard. Please take some rest." Hirata greeted them with his usual fluffy mannerism.

"Yeah, we really went all out today." Makida crowed. "Apparently the spring went all the way up to the mountain, so we had to climb that. Though it was really easy to get up, it was extremely hard to get down."

"I can imagine that," I replied.

"We didn't really find anything suspicious in these waters. So, there's no need to worry. We should be able to drink the water without fear." Matsushita added.

"I see. Did you happen to find any spots that we could register?"

"Yes. We did find one on top of the mountain."

"I see. Good job everyone."

My eyes unintentionally landed on Sakura who seemed timider than ever. Impossible! Why didn't it work? I thought doing activities like that brings people closer but, apparently not.

"Ah, Sakura-chan. There you are!" Nevermind. Hasabe herself called out to her.

I sat down below a tree to rest. It was a cheerful yet calm environment. My classmates sat together, having fun like normal teenagers. Just watching them from afar made me feel worth it. Unlike in the original story, I somehow managed to make this situation slightly more favorable for them.

I'm really glad to be here for them.

••••••

Day 1, 2:50 PM

"Hey, Ike. Isn't it about time we make a bonfire?"

"Bonfire? You mean right now? It's too early for that though. We should start making one a little late in the afternoon." Ike who'd been fishing restlessly turned towards me.

"Yeah, I know. But we need a fire source to start the boiling process. Everyone's starting to feel thirsty, you know? I think it's better to make one now."

"Now that you mention it... okay. I'll make one. But we need some firewood for that. Can you gather some branches and sticks from the forest?"

So, I'm the one collecting sticks this time, huh?

"Alright. I'll get to that right now." I sighed internally.

"Also, try to make sure they're not too big or too damp. It will be hard to use them. Oh, and find someone to go with you. You might wanna grab as many as you can. Besides, it's dangerous to go out there alone."

"Fair point. I'll see who I can find."

"Great! I'll be going back." Ike ran back to his fishing spot.

Fortunately, I already had a particular face in mind.

"Ayanokouji. I'm going to collect branches for a bonfire. You're coming with me."

He looked at me with bored eyes.

"Why me?"

"Because we're friends. It's my full-time job to annoy you out of boredom."

"Hah~, Fine. I'll go."

Two of us were more than enough to gather the necessary amount of firewood. However, knowing how the story works, a certain pink-haired girl should approach me any second now.

"Um… I-Is it okay if I…go with you?" as expected.

Apparently, she'd been listening to our conversation.

"But you just returned from scouting. You look tired. Maybe it would be better for you to rest."

"I'm okay. Besides, if I stay here, well…it'll be…a little uncomfortable."

She glanced at the other girls. Maybe she hadn't really gotten out of that awkwardness, even after getting to know Hasabe. As a man of few words myself, I could completely understand how tiring it was just to keep up with the extroverts.

"Okay, let's go."

•••••

Day 1, 3:23 PM.

We decided to collect branches from nearby, so we didn't stray too far from base camp. After a short walk, the three of us spread out to pick up branches.

'It's a good thing that we didn't bring Yamauchi along. He probably would've goofed around while drooling over Sakura.'

"You seem to be pensive about something. What is it?" Ayanokouji suddenly appeared beside me.

"Just some trivial thoughts. It's nothing worth mentioning."

Ayanokouji looked in the direction where I was looking at. Of course, he would notice me staring at Sakura.

"Hmm???" His tone screamed of smugness.

"What now?" I sighed, naturally concerned about his unparalleled deduction skills.

"Nothing. I'm just kind of curious," he asked.

"Curious? About what?"

"It's about Sakura. Don't you think you've been babying her around too much?" he bluntly asked.

"Yeah. That's what concerns me the most."

"At this rate, she's going to be completely dependent on you."

The incident in the alleyway must have formed some sort of dependency on me. She sees me as someone she could blindly rely on. While I was more than glad that she began opening up to me, it was kind of toxic for her personal growth.

Just as I thought about it, my eyes went straight toward Sakura. At first glance, she seemed plain, so she didn't catch anyone's eye at first. But if you looked at her carefully, she was adorable. Unlike Kikyou, she was a person with a genuine personality. Her face, her eyes, her smile, everything screamed of her innocence. If only she could muster the courage to go ahead and interact with others, I'm sure she would radiate brighter than the moon.

Now that she knows Hasabe and Akito, should I be able to establish the study group earlier than intended?

"Well, knowing you, I'm sure whatever you plan to do now, will only bring in the most satisfactory results."

"Glad that you have that much confidence in me," I replied.

We parted ways to gather firewood from different directions. I was diligently picking up all the firewood that came into my path. Slowly my load began to grow heavy as the amount started to reach its limit.

That's when something expected happened.

Ah, so it's that time of the arc, huh?

A lone girl sat with her back up against a large tree. She was Ibuki, from Class D. When she noticed us, she looked up and then quickly averted her eyes. The state she was in suggested that this was undoubtedly a trap. There was a red, swollen mark on her cheek. Ryuen had hit her pretty hard.

But this girl, Ibuki– huh? What's her full name again?

"Mio…" I blurted.



"What?" Ibuki glared at me. Is she feeling perturbed because I called her by her given name?

"You're Ibuki Mio from Class D, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yeah. So, what?"

"Well, you seem badly injured. Are you alright?"

"Just leave me alone. It's nothing."

I walked towards her and sat down, putting all the firewood beside me. Then I held her right wrist, which was bruised pretty badly. Considering the swelling, it was easy to see that she was in a fair amount of pain.

"Hey, what are you doing? Leave it!" Ibuki freed herself from my grip, hurting herself in the process.

I know it was all scripted for Ryuen's strategy. But to go as far as to physically injure someone and leave them up to fate? How reckless could he be? Did he seriously not consider the possibility of us rejecting the bait? It would've been all for nothing if that happened. Ibuki would've been the only victim if that were to happen.

"You've been beaten up pretty badly. Should I call a teacher?"

"It was just a class dispute. Don't worry about it." answered the girl, laughing in self-deprecation. Her voice was low and even. I couldn't tell if it was an act or if she was genuinely shaken.

As I said before, we had the option to walk away. We were not obligated to give refuge to potential spies, and no one would have the right to hold it against me. In a couple of hours, the sun would begin to set. We were surrounded by jungle on all sides. If she were out here alone in the dark, it could be disastrous. She's aware of that. Which is why I'm sure she would simply return to their camp and report it to Ryuen. Cut me some slack, she wasn't in any actual danger.

However…

"We're Class C students. Why not come to our base camp?"

I turned to Sakura and Ayanokouji for approval. They nodded in agreement.

"Huh? What are you saying? There's no way I could do something like that."

"I'm just trying to help you out of trouble."

She seemed not to want to listen to us. She turned away and fell silent.

"I'm from Class D. In other words, I'm your enemy. You understand that, right?"

"It'd be much easier for the both of us if you simply cooperated," I replied, secretly indicating both of our true intentions. Ibuki's eyes twitched in response.

"We can't leave you, so we're going to stay here until you move," Ayanokouji added. In that case, we just had to wait until she decided to change her act.

"You guys are really stupid. You're not acting logically. You aren't thinking about your class."

You're mistaken, Ibuki. My class is all I can think of.

"You don't have to worry about it," I assured her.

"But is that really okay? To tell me where your base camp is, and moreover, to guide me there?"

If you knew the location of someone's campsite, you could start to get a read on how they planned to conduct themselves throughout the test. You could get into their heads and anticipate their strategies. In Class C's case, announcing our spot was a reason to be concerned. But…

"Don't worry. I don't think it'll be a problem." I replied. "My name's Aozaki Levent. I prefer not to be called by my last name. Nice to meet you." I offered my hand.

"Well, you seem like you're a good guy. But you're an idiot."

I'd much rather you not deprecate your benefactor, Ibuki.

"You already know my name. I'm Ibuki Mio. N-nice to meet you too." she took my hands as I helped her get up. She lightly caressed her red, swollen cheek. It must've been painful.

She didn't look me in the eyes as she spoke. Maybe she felt genuinely guilty for exploiting us. I noticed a small amount of dirt under Ibuki's nails. When I looked at where she's been sitting, I could see disturbances in the soil. A camera was being buried there for all I know. I'll take care of it later.

"So do girls, like, really slap each other across the cheek when they fight or something?" I joked.

"That's not your concern. Leave me alone." she snarled.

"Understood. Please follow us."

I picked up my branches and sticks from the ground. Ibuki slung a bag over her shoulder, wincing at her burden. It seemed painful, but it's not like she would let us carry it anyway. Besides, I was almost at my limit too.

In the end, we ended up picking something more than just branches and sticks. We started walking towards the camp. The branches poked me thoroughly all the way.

[E: Eid Mubarak, everyone! I hope that all of you have a wonderful day :)  ]

Initial allotted special exam points: 300S¶

Kouenji's retirement = 30S¶

Remaining points: 200 S¶

Current balance: 1,644,970 ¶¶