Chapter 27 - Hiyorible Plotter

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I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Powerstones are greatly appreciated, and so are reviews and opinions on the story thus far.

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"He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

***Shiina Hiyori POV***

Today felt different from any other day on the island, but not in a bad way. It was our last day here, and everyone knew it. But that wasn't what changed the atmosphere in our camp.

Anyone in Class C could see that this was the most active we've been since we arrived.

Not everyone was hard at work, though. If someone walked into Class C right now, they'd probably think it was a paradise. But there were actually things being put together, with lots of preparation and planning.

Even I had some plans for the day. I felt a spark of excitement since hearing about the class celebration yesterday. I know we don't have much to celebrate, but for someone who's spent most of her life alone, it was a nice change of pace. I felt at home.

I never minded being alone, but I have to admit… I've always wanted friends.

But as a bookworm, I don't have much to talk about except books. And while the people in Class C aren't as bad as others make them out to be, I've had trouble fitting in.

That was until I met Yagami. I was suspicious of him at first. He seemed perfect—athletic, smart, and decisive. Everything I lack and everything I admire. I didn't think he fit in with the rest of Class C. I even thought he might have been assigned to our class by mistake. But I would never say that out loud because, honestly, it has been a pleasant mistake. He was the first real friend I made in Class C. No, he might be the first real friend I've ever made.

And thanks to him and the atmosphere he created in Class C, even with imposing figures like Ryuen, I've been able to make more friends.

"Hey Shiina, you look happy," Yamashita says from nearby.

"I am!" I reply cheerfully. "This is our first real bonding time as a class since school started. How could I not be happy?"

"Have you always been this energetic, Shiina?" Morofuji teases from behind, making me smile shyly.

"Anyway, what are you doing just holding that book, Shiina?" Yamashita asks.

"Well…" I trail off, glancing at one of the tents in our camp. He usually wakes up early, but he must be tired.

"Oh, you're waiting for Yagami?" Yamashita asks playfully.

I nod. "It's not like that. I just want to ask him something."

"Looks like you're right on cue," Morofuji says as Yagami's tent opens.

Yagami looks around the camp, clearly tired. Well, he just woke up, so of course he'd be a bit groggy.

Because of him, we've been able to push aside all the class competition and hostility. Everyone has been able to enjoy themselves. He really is a good person who cares deeply for his classmates.

"Good morning, Yagami," I say as I walk towards him, clutching my book to my chest. "You seem tired."

"Ah, yes, sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night," he says, rubbing the back of his head with his signature smile, though his face shows how tired he really is.

"You should take it easy, Yagami. You're probably stressed out from dealing with Ryuen," I joke with a slight chuckle, and Yagami laughs, too.

"Well, we'll be back on the cruise ship soon, so I'll get some rest then," he says happily.

"Yes, I've enjoyed it here, but I'm also excited to get back to my books and join in the ship's events with everyone."

After a few moments, Yagami finally noticed the book I was holding. "You probably heard about the party today. We had a few points left over, so I talked to Ryuen, and he let me get a cookbook. I usually read mysteries, but I've been bored, and this is a tropical desert edition," I said excitedly, pushing the book cover in front of Yagami's face. I noticed him slowly scanning the cover. "Sakegami-sensei told me everything in this cookbook can be made with the materials on this island."

"That's good. You plan on using it for the celebration today?" he asked.

I nodded, pulling the book back. "Yeah, I'm missing a bit more than I want, but I'm sure we can do without," I explained.

"What are you missing?" Yagami asked.

I pulled the book closer, covering my mouth with it before continuing. "Well, as you know, we bought most of our rations with points, so they don't exactly fit the tropical theme. I'm mostly just missing some fruits. We have some here, of course, but we could use more and a greater variety of flavors…"

"I see… What are you thinking of making?"

Hearing his curiosity, I quickly opened up my cookbook to the dessert I was considering and showed it to him.

He scanned the book, but slowly—a lot slower than he usually reads. It was strange, considering Yagami is a much faster reader than me. But I realized I was being a bit inconsiderate, considering he had just woken up and hadn't slept well, so I pulled the book back and explained the recipe to him.

"Sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself, Yagami. I want to make something simple. We have ice in our freezer because of the points we spent, so I thought a fruit sorbet would be nice and simple. All we need is a variety of fruits, ice, and sugar. As I said, we have some fruits here, but I wanted to make a variety of flavors for everyone. We just have to cut the fruit up, mash it, and with some of the ice we use for our drinks and salt, and ziplock bags we use for our meat, we can quickly make the sorbet. With everyone helping, it won't take more than an hour to be ready to enjoy."

"Do you want me to go scavenge for you?" Yagami asked, quickly offering his help.

But I shook my head, declining his offer. "It's alright. I can tell you're tired. You should try to get some more sleep," I responded.

"No, really, it's fine. I quite enjoy nature, plus I had no plans to rest any longer."

"I see… Then I can't let you go alone. I'll come with," I responded with a smile.

"I guess we should get going right away if we want to make it back early then," Yagami said as we grabbed some necessities and he led me out of the camp.

"Don't you need the manual we were given to identify what's safe to eat?" I asked as I followed Yagami out of camp.

"No, I've already studied it in depth. I have it memorized. The information could come in handy for the class after all," Yagami responded confidently as he walked through the forest.

I giggled at his words, and he looked at me, puzzled. "I did the same, but… I just find it cute how you always think about the class."

Yagami simply nodded and continued forward. Not even ten seconds later, we walked into an area filled with different fruits. It seemed he was very skilled at foraging, even though he never mentioned anything about camping.

"Talking about the class, Shiina, how have you been doing?" he asked.

"I've been good. As long as the class is happy, I am happy. I honestly can't ask for much more. Plus, I've made some friends now, too, which is good." I say, giving him a quick glance.

"Is that so?" Yagami asked.

I nodded as we both picked fruits and placed them into the bags we had taken from camp. "I know it's strange, considering how different the goals and wishes of my classmates and I are. They easily accept the idea of competing, regardless of what that competition brings. But I'm glad to see how much they also desire to simply get along and make memories, like me. And I'm glad we've managed to do that so far, avoiding any serious competition."

"That's good, although I'd say in terms of connection between classmates, Class B has us beat," Yagami responded.

"I still enjoy Class C. I'm happy to be here with all of you."

That said, Yagami and I continued to search for fruits. Although short, our time together was peaceful.

***Light Yagami***

"Thank you, Yagami," Shiina said as we arrived back at camp with a variety of fruits.

"You shouldn't be thanking me," I replied, noticing the curious look on Shiina's face. "It's just… forget it, it's nothing really," I said with a smile.

Shiina walked up to me, placing her hand against my neck. "Yagami, you're acting really strange. Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, "Your temperature is fine, but I'm worried."

Pushing her hand away gently, I responded, "I'm okay, really. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Just relax," Shiina said with a bright smile. "Soon, we'll be done with our part in this exam and back on the cruise ship. You just have to last a couple more hours; then we'll all be on the ship, having fun together."

"Yeah, of course…" I said, smiling back. "I'm sorry, Shiina."

"Don't be. We're friends after all, aren't we?" she asked. With a nod, we both set off in opposite directions after storing the fruits for later.

"Tell me, Light, what's up with this act of yours?" Ryuk asked as I moved to a more secluded part of the camp.

"Well, it's complicated. I've been plotting for a while, thinking about how I could possibly gain control over Shiina, knowing her value, but I haven't had an opportunity until now," I responded.

"But this morning, when you woke up, you were already acting? You were preparing for specifically this day to try to get into the poor girl's head?" Ryuk questioned.

"You could say that. It was a complete coincidence that she also wanted to speak to me this morning. If she didn't, I would have gone up to her myself. Knowing she doesn't have much to do on this island and seeing me in a lethargic state, if I told her I was going out to do something in the forest, she would have insisted on coming along. Luckily, I didn't even have to bother with any of that, and it just so happened her plans coincided with mine," I explained.

"Why wait till now to do something about her?"

"Shiina is smart, smart enough to lead Class C on her own under the right conditions. But she's also a thinker, sympathetic, and introverted, even if not always by choice."

"So?"

"I've told you before, Ryuk, if you want to control someone, you have to understand them. Why I waited till now is simple: I'm taking advantage of Shiina's personality," I explained. While Ryuk still seemed slightly confused, he continued.

"Are you planning to do her like you did that Class D girl?"

"Wow, Ryuk, you should know I'm against unnecessary cruelty. Something that cruel won't be necessary for Shiina. My plans for her are much simpler than those I had for Karuizawa, but they will be just as effective."

Ryuk thought about my words briefly before questioning, "If they are just as effective, wouldn't they be just as cruel? I feel like that Class D girl should technically be an easier target than that Shiina girl."

"Well, I guess, in a way, you're right. Every person has their own breaking point, their own unique weakness. For some, it's overt pressure; for others, it's a subtle nudge. Karuizawa needed a sledgehammer; Shiina will fall to a scalpel. Everyone has their own poison." I said, turning around to see new arrivals from Class D, Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

"It seems our Class D guests have finally arrived."

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A calm little start to a side story. I thought it was an interesting write-up, so hopefully, it'll be an interesting read for you guys. Let me know your opinions.

Also I just realized I really scammed you guys, telling you I'd upload every other day before I disappeared; my bad, lmao. 

Lastly, give me your thoughts on everything. I love reading everyone's comments; I feel like this arc is going a lot better than I expected.

Anyway, I plan on trying to improve my writing a bit. I was looking at previous comments and think I may focus on atmosphere building, but I would love to hear any opinions on what you guys feel I should improve or focus on.