Chapter 25 - Brilliant or Blunder?

Day 1, 4:00 PM.

When we came back, the first thing I did was to dump all the sticks and branches that I was carrying. My accomplices, Ayanokouji and Sakura also exhaled in relief. We made our arrival known after we entered the cave. Hirata greeted us with his trademark smile.

"Did you face any difficulties while you were out there?" he asked, concerned.

"Well, about that... There's something I have to report." I pointed outside the cave. A little far back in front of the main entrance, class D's Ibuki was standing. Some of my classmates had already noticed the unfamiliar face and began to discuss it among themselves.

"When our group was out there collecting the firewood, we stumbled upon Ibuki-san from class D. Her face was swollen. She was probably abandoned by her class. Ryuen went as far as to assault her. So, we couldn't leave her there."

"That's okay, Levent-kun. You made the right decision. I still can't believe they would do such a thing to her."

"I wanted to involve the teacher. But she told me to drop it. I think she doesn't want to be an inconvenience to her class." I remarked.

"I understand. I think we'll be alright with having her stay here."

"You're really kind, Hirata-kun." I complimented him.

"Haha, It's nothing worth complimenting, really," Hirata replied with an awkward smile. "I mean, aren't we all from the same school? If we don't help others in trouble, then who will?"

Typical Hirata-like reply, as expected. The boy named Hirata Yousuke was a genuinely kind person. It was one of the main reasons why I held him in high regard. However, he was kind to a fault. His unbiased kindness was the biggest reason why I deemed him unworthy of being a good leader.

I'm not telling anyone to be unkind. No, it's actually the opposite. Kindness is a great virtue that I think all humans should strive for. However, being kind and being someone else's tool are two different things.

One should be careful about how their kindness is being received. If they let their guard down, the others may see it as a weakness. Hence, the kind people end up being easily exploited. Apparently, class D was doing the same thing with the other classes.

"Do you have a moment, Ibuki-san? I wanted to talk to you," we approached Ibuki.

"I'm probably just getting in the way. You've already taken good care of me." She quickly stood, as if she wanted to run.

"Wait a minute. I want to help you." After seeing her swollen face, Hirata had likely confirmed my words.

"Nothing will change if I stay. I don't want to waste time just sitting around."

"This is a test, so of course some students will doubt you. However, you're hurt. I don't want to chase you away if you can't go back to your own class. I think that's why Levent-kun brought you here. So, tell me about your situation."

"This isn't something I can just talk about. Besides, I've heard all your plans. You'd hate it if more of your strategies were leaked, right?"

Ibuki started walking away. I wonder if she would curse herself if we agreed to let her go for real. She's overreacting after all. Painfully obvious, if you understood her reverse psychology tactic.

"If you really were a spy, you wouldn't want to be chased out, would you?"

"What the hell... I'll just look for a place to sleep. That's all."

"It's crazy for a girl to sleep alone in the woods."

"Even if it's crazy, I don't have a choice. Helping me won't gain you anything."

"This has nothing to do with losses or gains. We can't just leave someone in trouble. Please give me a little time. If you can do that, I'll tell the other students about your situation and see if we can find a place for you. Levent-kun, can you watch Ibuki-san? I'm going to go talk to everyone."

Her expression cleared, and she turned toward us without hesitation. Something like that was designed to melt even the toughest exterior. Ibuki seemed to believe Hirata.

"Hirata. He's something else, isn't he?" I asked.

"He's a really good-natured guy. But all of you are hopelessly stupid."

"I don't really know how to respond to that. But, don't worry. You're welcome here. Feel free to call us if you ever need something."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Thanks to Hirata's persuasiveness, class C agreed to look after Ibuki. Though some students were strongly opposed, every time Class D held roll call, they'd hemorrhage points, or at least some of their thought processes were similar to that. Once everyone saw it as an opportunity, they were finally convinced.

With that, Ibuki had permission to stay. Being from a different class, Ibuki didn't want to cause any trouble, so she sat further away from us. We also asked Ibuki not to wander near the device and she promised to abide by it. But it was not good enough.

I circled my head around to look for a certain individual. My eyes landed on her almost instantly. She was sitting a little far back in the camp, chattering with her friends. Maybe she felt my gaze, because our eyes met, and she was coming toward me.

"Do you need me for something, Levent-kun?" she asked with her usual bubbly appearance. At that time we were in public, so she had no choice but to act like that.

"I want you and your friends to circle around Ibuki. Keep an eye out and try to distract her as much as you can."

"Do you suspect Ibuki-san to be a spy then?" asked Kikyou.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"But the way she was injured... Do you really think this is all an act?"

"It's perfectly natural for you to be cautious. Whether she's acting or not, it doesn't matter."

"I see. Alright, we'll keep her company," she replied.

"Also, be careful not to probe her too much. It won't be necessary."

After heeding to my warning, the conversation ended, and I was going to do some other chores. Kikyou ran back to her group and persuaded them to follow. Eventually, the entire group went toward Ibuki, who was sitting in isolation up until now. I don't know the specifics, but they seemed to be successful at diverting Ibuki's watchful gaze.

Well, it wouldn't have been a problem anyway...

I went toward the river, where Ike and his group were fishing.

"Ike, the firewoods are here," I called out to him.

"Oh, you're back? Let's see what you've got." Ike ran at me and began inspecting our collection. "Nice! You've brought some great fuel. Hold on. I'll go collect some necessary things from around here."

Ike went into the forest. He returned soon after. He'd picked up a bunch of thin branches and a bundle of dead leaves. Some girls gathered after seeing Ike running around.

"We'll have to start the fire with these."

With that, he picked up the matchbox, and quickly set fire to the dead leaves. As the leaves kindled, he started adding some small twigs. Then, watching the fire carefully, he skillfully added in thicker branches. In the blink of an eye, the flame turned into a typical bonfire.

"And that should do it. Now that the smokes are going up, it will lead us back to our camp if we ever get lost in the forest."

The same could be said for the other classes too, you know?

"That's amazing. I'm really impressed. Someone with real camping experience is on another level." Satou remarked.

"It's just the basics. Starting a bonfire, once you know, anyone can do it."

"That's true. But you're not giving yourself enough credit, Ike. I think you're doing a great job." I replied.

"Thanks, Levent."

•••••••

Day 1, 6:34 PM.

Time went by in the blink of an eye, and it was already sunset. Everyone was waiting outside for the evening attendance call. We tried to enjoy the sunset but, there were trees everywhere. The sky was beautifully illuminated with an orange hue before the light slowly faded into darkness.

I looked at Ibuki, who was apparently busy stargazing and chattering with Kikyou and her group. They were doing a good job keeping Ibuki distracted. Seeing that as a chance, I hastily snuck inside the cave and registered my key card in the mechanism. Before anyone could notice my absence, I audaciously snuck out and mixed into the group.

Safe, for now.

"Is everyone here?" suddenly Chabashira appeared before us, clad in her gym uniform. All of us stood up and bowed in a disciplined manner. "Pay attention, class C. I'll be taking all of your evening attendance calls. If any of you misses this, the entire class will be penalized."

Chabashira began calling out by each student's name. One by one every single one of us responded, except for one absent student, Kouenji. My other classmates didn't seem to notice that yet. However, soon the attendance call was over, and Chabashira closed the attendance book.

"It seems all of you are present. Then that concludes it."

"Huh? Wait- What the hell? Where's Kouenji?" it was Sudou who popped the balloon.

"That's right. I don't see him anywhere."

Everyone was looking at each other, hoping to find that blond man standing among them, I looked at Hirata and Ayanokouji, who seemingly understood what had happened. They could only close their eyes and sigh in disappointment.

"Oh, Kouenji complained about being in poor physical condition and returned to the ship." Chabashira dropped the bomb... "Of course, that means that you've had thirty points deducted. Those are the rules, so there's nothing to be done. Kouenji has retired, and he's obligated to stay onboard the ship for one week for medical treatment,"

"Whaaaaat?!" almost everyone screamed in unison.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! Kouenji, you jerk! What the hell were you thinking?!"

The normally silent Yukimura shouted and kicked the ground. He then glared at me, remembering what I said back in the field. However, he realized that there was nothing I could've done to stop an abomination like him, so he averted his gaze in apology.

"Goddamn it! We lost thirty points! This sucks!"

Both the boys and girls were furious over Kouenji's actions but could do nothing about it. All of them were frustrated by their helplessness. Their morale had dropped significantly.

Should I let the sleeping dogs lie?

I don't think it would be a good idea to leave this situation unattended. It may not be visible now, but the seeds of conflict usually come from the most ridiculous of reasons.

"There's nothing we can do about it now, can we?" I sighed. "What's gone, is already gone. There's no point in thinking about it now."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, everyone's curious gaze was fixated upon me. Even Ibuki was staring at me. It was a relief that Ibuki didn't know what kind of person I was. If she was any better at cold reading, then it would've been troublesome. I gulped and swallowed the lump of discomfort that was growing inside my throat.

"Guys, Levent-kun is right. It's a shame that Kouenji-kun decided to drop out. But please don't let that discourage you. We still have enough points to make do with this exam. We just have to work harder."

Probably after noticing my struggle, Hirata came to my rescue. Thanks to that I managed to organize my thoughts. I thanked him dearly for giving me a hand.

"But it's so frustrating. How can someone be so selfish? Because of him, we're now going to lose this exam." Onodera wailed.

"Well, it's too early to reach that conclusion, Onodera-san. And besides, it doesn't matter." I replied.

"What? What do you mean by that, Levent-kun?"

"First, allow me to make something clear to all of you. The entire point of this special exam isn't necessarily about winning or losing. It's about saving as many points as we can. Even if we placed second or third position, or dead last even; it wouldn't matter. As long we save a satisfying amount of points, we'll be fine."

"But still, we could've used those thirty points for so many things!" Makida complained.

"That's right. Do you have any idea how we're supposed to maintain the 150 points goal now?" Matsushita inquired.

I glanced at Horikita, who was also listening to the entire conversation. I didn't want to take the entire spotlight as the leader, so I pushed the explanation to Horikita.

"Don't worry. Strictly speaking, even though it was just a possibility back then, Kouenji-kun dropping out was part of our initial goal. His unpredictability was within our measures. We can still maintain that limit. No, we can even secure more points by the end of this." After picking up my signal, Horikita stepped up.

"Huh? So, you're saying that..."

She nodded in affirmative.

"There are plenty more opportunities out there. Do you all remember the bonus points rule? If we claim some spots every day, we'll regain all the lost points. Also, if we can figure out who the other leaders are, we'll be able to utilize this exam by a huge margin."

"Wow, that's kind of reassuring..."

"She's right. There's no point in glooming over it now."

Horikita somehow managed to articulate our plan. Everyone seemed to have calmed down after seeing her confidence and reassurance.

"I'm still mad at Kouenji though."

"Yeah. That self-load of freak never fails to annoy me!"

Of course, it's only natural for the others to be still unsatisfied. However...

"Look, ai yammu Kou-en-ji-desu. Watashiwa purfecto beeingu desu~! Rejoice, yuu normaru piiporu!" said Ike boldly while combing his hair, probably trying to make a Kouenji impression. He looked incredibly corny and pathetic, but...

"Buhahahahaahaha!"

...everyone broke out in laughter.

"Yeah, dude. You totally sound like him, hyhahaha!"

"No, no, he's doing it wrong! It's supposed to be like, 'Praiisu mii more, pretty-boi', fuhwahaha!"

Thanks to our speech and Ike's comedic antics, the gloomy and tense environment slowly faded, and the air turned into a cheerful and carefree one. Under chaotic situations like this, a small grain of reassurance and a tiny sprinkle of laughter is all that's needed for preserving harmony.

The attendance call was dismissed and everyone returned inside the cave. As Chabashira's duty ended for the day, she was about to return to the shore. But before going back into the forest, she kept staring in my direction for a good few seconds.

"Hey, if anyone asks, tell them I'm in the toilet," I told Ayanokouji before rushing toward her.

Only a few steps in, and I found her waiting for me beneath a tree.

"You actually came, huh? I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me." It was incredibly dark, so I couldn't quite make out of her facial features. But judging by her character, I imagined her to be stoic.

"I'd much rather we not beat about the bush, sensei. Did you bring all the items as I requested?"

"Oh? Quite the impatient one, aren't you? Don't worry, I brought them all with me." Chabashira handed me a cardboard box, which felt slightly heavier than I imagined.

"Thank you, sensei. I appreciate your cooperation."

After receiving my products, I was about to return to the camp.

"One last thing, Levent," Chabashira called out to me. I looked back, curious to know what she had to say to me.

"What is it?"

"Don't underestimate what the others are capable of. If you're not careful with your ambition, then you'll only wallow in regret."

Ambition... What even is that?

"You don't have to worry about it, sensei. I know exactly what you mean."

"I see. Stay safe out there, Levent."

"I will."

With that, we parted ways.

••••••••

Day 1, 8:12 PM.

After we had our dinner, a majority of my classes huddled near the bonfire and talked about trivial stuff. Well, it was mostly them complaining and whining about how hard this special exam is. But then suddenly Ike said something remarkable.

"Hey, Shinohara. I spent some time thinking about how I acted today, about the toilet and stuff. I was pushy because I wanted to save points. I'm sorry."

"Wh-why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden?"

"I just remembered the first time I went camping. The toilet was awful, and of course, bugs were crawling around everywhere. Just about everything was dirty. I remember going to my parents, complaining about how much I hated going to the bathroom, and telling them I wanted to go home. I'm sure it's even worse for a girl..."

Ike was amazing. Not only did he acknowledge his mistake, he even apologized. It definitely took courage to say what he'd said. The courage and the apology came slowly, but he handled it like a champ. He had also proven his value to the class time and time again. He was truly living up to his character development. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for his friend, Yamauchi.

"I'm...sorry for earlier, too. For saying that I couldn't drink from the river. I think I got way too emotional. We won't be able to keep any of our points if we don't learn to adjust."

Even though neither of them looked the other straight in the eyes, it seemed they'd made up. Everyone took this as a good sign.

While I was happy for them, my eyes fell on a lone student who was sitting in a corner of the cave, away from the crowd. I slowly approached her.

"Everyone seems to be in a good mood today," said the girl behind me.

"It seems so," I replied before sitting beside her. "What about you? How are you feeling right now?"

"I'm... feeling better than before," she replied while averting her eyes.

"Is that so?" I took the box out of my pocket and handed it to her. Confused, she took the box and started to examine it.

"Levent-kun. This is...?"

"Paracetamol. It's for your fever. You should feel a little sleepy after having one, but that should be normal."

"Wha-? But I just said I'm fine."

"Can you not compromise on your medication? It's kind of painful to watch you fight a fruitless battle."

"You... don't have to worry about me."

"Are you sure about that? Let's take your temperature then?" I pushed my hand toward her forehead

"No, you don't."

"She's incredibly stubborn too, it seems," I muttered to myself.

"Did you just say something?" said Horikita with darkness spreading on her face.

"Just take a pill after each meal. You shouldn't have any problem doing that." I sighed. "Or perhaps do you need a supposi-"

Thud!

Horikita threw a side chop at my right abdomen. I caught her hand before it could land on me. She had put a considerably high amount of force behind her attack. Perhaps my jokes were truly annoying.

"Sorry about the joke. But now I know for sure, that your body is heating up."

"Huh?" Horikita looked at her hand. Just from a grip, I could sense the abnormal amount of heat piling up on her body. Realizing what had happened, she frantically took her hands away from me.

"You... Hmph! Fine, I'll take the medicine."

Sigh.

"In any case, where did you get this medicine from anyway?"

I pulled my hand back.

"I asked sensei to bring me some. Oh, by the way, you don't have to worry about the points. The school takes its student's health as a high priority. So, it cost me nothing."

"Did you really have to go that far?" she asked.

"You're my valuable comrade. Isn't it normal for me to be concerned about your health?" I replied nonchalantly.

Horikita was silent for a few seconds. She obviously didn't expect me to say something cliché like that. So, I guess it is true that a maiden's heartstrings flutter no matter how corny the words are.

"Thank you," she replied.

"It's fine. Take it as my way of thanking you for taking the lead earlier."

"Oh, that? I was simply stating all the facts. It was nothing worth thanking me for."

"Learn to take compliments, Horikita. Because of your speech, everyone's morale grew back to normal. It would be troublesome if an in-fight suddenly breaks out tomorrow." I lectured.

"I suppose you're correct. In that case, you're welcome, Levent-kun."

••••••

Day 2, 3:21 AM.

I checked the time on my wristwatch. It was three o'clock in the morning. Normally, the witching hour was supposed to be somewhat cold and chilly. However, as we were currently on a tropical island, the heat, the humidity, and the stench of sweat inside the tent made me question, 'Just what exactly is sleep?'. I ended up getting out way earlier than I anticipated. Then, I was about to carefully slip out of the tent, to not wake anyone else.

"Oh, you're up too?" suddenly asked the boy who was lying on my opposite side.

"Yeah, I'm hopping out. I need to take a breather." I whispered.

"Is that so? I'll get out too if you're okay with it."

"No worries."

Ayanokouji followed me outside the tent. After getting adjusted to my dizziness, I stood up looking towards the spot recognition device. The occupancy must've expired when the clock hit two am. If I claimed it now, then the next time I'll have to do it again would be at eleven in the morning.

"I'd ask you to keep an eye out, but... it wouldn't make any difference now, would it?" Ayanokouji remarked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah. It'll be a pain." I whispered back.

Only two of us were awake. If Ibuki was awake, and saw us standing next to the apparatus, we will end up under her list of suspicion. It wouldn't matter if Ayanokouji warned me or not.

Of course, we could use the, "We couldn't sleep. So we're standing outside," excuse. But you know how suspicious it would sound. If I flipped the chessboard and started thinking from Ibuki's point of view, I would obviously rush toward any lead that I find about the leader. In short, It'll be a check for me.

"Let's do it."

"Okay."

On our way, we came across the mountain pile of luggage. My eyes fell upon a singularly colored piece of luggage. It was Ibuki's bag. Since her bag was different, it was easy to spot. Perhaps Ayanokouji wanted to examine it, as he was staring at it intently. However, there was no need for us to do that, as I was already aware of all the schemes.

Instead of rummaging through someone else's belonging, I walked toward the spot recognition device. Since I decided not to infringe on Ibuki's privacy, Ayanokouji gave up and followed in my footsteps. We stopped in front of the apparatus.

I whipped my card out and was about to register my keycard when suddenly...

*Hzzz~

The sound of a tent opening reverberated throughout the cave!

E: Ugh! It's getting harder and harder to write nowadays :/

Initial allotted special exam points: 300S¶

Remaining points: 200 S¶

Current balance: 1,294,970 ¶¶