Chapter 9: Trouble and result

When I fell into a deep sleep, I heard the voice of a displeased girl from outside the tent.

Shinohara: "Can the boys gather for a moment?"

The first call, probably Shinohara's voice, prompted about 10% of the boys to react. The others seemed to be in a deep sleep. However, the girls continued to speak, urging the boys to come out quickly in an impatient tone.

Despite my irritation at being awakened, I opened the zipper of the tent entrance and saw Hirata also getting up and stepping outside at the same time.

Hirata : "What's wrong?"

Shinohara: "Oh, Hirata-kun... sorry to bother you, but could you wake up all the boys?"

Shinohara said apologetically to Hirata. The girls were glaring strongly at us. Clearly, there was anger in their gaze. In response to Hirata's call, the boys rubbed their eyes and slowly came out.

Hirata : "What's going on so early in the morning?"

Shinohara: "Sorry, it's nothing to do with Hirata-kun... But this morning, Karuizawa-san's underwear was missing. Do you know what's going on?"

No, I don't know what's going on.

Was it because we weren't keeping an eye on things, or did Ibuki do something?

Hirata: "Huh, underwear...?"

Shinohara: "Right now, Kushida-san is comforting Kawakami-san, who's crying in the tent..."

Shinohara briefly glanced at the tent, then quickly returned her gaze to the boys and stared at us intently.

??: "What, are you suspecting us!?"

Shinohara: "Of course. Surely, someone rummaged through the belongings and stole them in the middle of the night, right? Since the belongings were gathered outside the tent, anyone could have done it!"

??: "No way, huh!?"

I was in a panic. Well, it's understandable. If you're accused of something you didn't do, you'd react like that. Besides, I've never even talked to Karuizawa, so I'm practically a stranger to her.

Shinohara: "By the way, you went to the toilet late at night, right? It took quite a while..."

??: "No, no, it was just because it was dark, so I had a hard time!"

Shinohara: "Really?"

??: "Yeah, seriously!"

The boys began to argue among themselves.

In the end, if there was no culprit among the boys, everything would be forgotten as if nothing had happened, and the girls wouldn't even apologize... Well, that's how women are.

Shinohara: "Anyway, I think this is a big problem. It's impossible to live together with a thief stealing underwear. So, Hirata-kun... can you find the culprit?"

Hirata: "But... isn't there no evidence that the boys are the culprits? I think there's also a possibility that it was just lost."

??: "That's right! We're not the culprits!"

All the boys desperately insisted on their innocence.

Shinohara: "I understand that Hirata-kun is not the culprit, but... let's at least inspect the luggage of all the boys."

The girls consistently suspected the boys. Of course, that's natural.

??: "Huh? I don't get it. Just refuse, Hirata."

Shinohara : "For now, let's gather the boys and talk."

Jin: "Well, wait a minute."

I expressed my opinion. It's not something I'm good at, but I judged it was better to do so in this situation.

Shinohara: "What?"

Jin: "Don't you see the problem? If something is found in Hirata's bag during the inspection, then what?"

Shinohara: "Huh? Are you stupid? There's no way that would happen."

Jin: "...I'm saying, even if it's a hypothetical situation, I don't suspect Hirata. Just think for a moment."

Shinohara: "That's just someone trying to frame Hirata themselves to cover up what they did by putting it in their own bag, right?"

They just won't listen, will they...

Jin: "That's not what I'm saying. Just listen to me. Including those possibilities, isn't it impossible to identify the culprit even if something is found in someone's bag during the luggage inspection?"

Shinohara: "What's that? Are you saying that you stole it yourself and put it in your own bag to cover it up?"

They still won't listen...

Jin: "That's not it, I'm telling you. Just listen to the whole story. Including those possibilities, everyone has an equal chance of being the culprit."

Shinohara: "Anyway, we're going to conduct the luggage inspection."

Jin: "Alright, alright."

If something is found, then so be it. But even if something is found in someone else's bag, Hirata probably won't say anything about it.

Hirata: "Thank you earlier, Horagasaki-kun. I think the girls calmed down a bit because of that."

Jin: "Yeah... but it doesn't seem like things have changed much."

Hirata: "No, even so, it was helpful. Actually, Ayanokouji-kun had Karuizawa-san's underwear."

Jin: "...Huh?"

What's Ayanokouji doing? Was he holding onto them for some reason?

Hirata: "But according to Ayanokouji-kun, he found the underwear in Ike-kun's bag and accidentally pushed it onto himself."

Jin: "I see..."

Hirata: "I asked Ayanokouji-kun to search for the culprit. I think he'll do his best."

I see. I also suggested that, but if someone had it, then naturally, that person is highly likely to be the culprit. If Ayanokouji turns out to be the culprit, it can deter further offenses by having him searched. If he's not the culprit, then it's simply a matter of trusting him and asking him to act as a detective. It covers both possibilities.

Due to the insistence of the girls, Hirata, Ayanokouji, and I were separated from the boys' tent.

Originally, only Hirata was supposed to cooperate, but due to Horikita's mysterious recommendation, Ayanokouji and I were also roped in to help. The girls complained, but Matsushita managed to smooth things over, which was a relief. After finishing the work and taking a break, I approached Horikita who was standing in the shade.

Jin: "What are you doing? Standing there like that?"

Horikita: "As you can see, nothing. I'm not doing anything."

I can't tell just by looking, so I'm asking....

Jin: "Oh, then why don't you come with me to look for food? You're in an easy-to-talk-to state right now, and you're the only one."

Normally, I'd invite Ayakoji, but he went back to the tent a few minutes after finishing the work.

Horikita: "...I don't mind."

Jin: "Thanks. Hey, Horikita, what's your take on Karuizawa's underwear? It hasn't been washed for days, so it's surprising someone would want to steal it, right?"

Horikita: "You should phrase it more subtly... I think there's a possibility that the boys are the culprits, but since Karuizawa-san is a leader-like figure among the girls, she's easily resented. So there's also a possibility that the girls did it out of spite. But with things happening one after another like this, it's not entirely possible to rule out Ibuki-san's intention to disrupt the class."

Jin: "Well, that seems to be the case."

The girls seem to estimate the likelihood of the boys being the culprits quite high, but it's overwhelmingly Ibuki who is almost black. But I didn't expect Horikita to use such a subtle word as "phrasing"....

Horikita: "...I'll keep you informed of that."

Jin: "Huh? About what?"

The topic changes here.

"Horikita: Before we moved the tents, did you notice that the girls closed the entrance to the tent?"

Jin: "Yeah, it seemed hectic... Hey, Horikita, something really crossed my mind... "

They told us not to come close, not to peek inside, and so on. I think there might be something they didn't want the boys to see. But other than that...

Horikita: "Yes, inside there were things the girls had purchased themselves. Of course, it was in both girls' tents."

Jin: "...Seriously? So that's why the manual wasn't here."

Horikita: "Yes, when I saw it, everything was already assembled. I told Ayanokouji-kun about it, but judging from your reactions, Hirata-kun probably hasn't shared the information with the boys. So he's not trustworthy."

The information about the underwear hasn't been communicated to the girls yet either. It's a deliberate silence to avoid confusion. Horikita seems to dislike Hirata's indecisiveness.

Jin: "So, do you want me to help?"

Horikita: "Yes, but I trust you to some extent. That's why I appointed you to help with moving the tents."

Jin: "I see... but it's a hassle, so I'll pass."

It's nice to know that Horikita trusts me to some extent, but she's still bossy.

Horikita: "Will you help me? No, you have to help me in the first place. Can I tell them that you were just chilling on vacation in Class C?"

Ugh, this damn...

Jin: "...Got it."

I scratch my head and reluctantly agree.

After that, I found some food and returned to the base camp.

Jin:"You must be tired after sweating so much, right?"

Horikita:: "I was going to do it even without you saying it... *sigh*..."

Is Horikita not feeling well? Well, she should rest properly for now.

…..

"Uwaaaaaa!!!"

I jolted awake at someone's scream. Looking around, it seemed the voice belonged to Ayanokouji.

Huh... this guy can make such a loud noise?

Checking my watch, it didn't seem like there was time for a second sleep, so I opened the tent and stepped outside.

Jin: "This..."

Ayanokouji: "It seems like it rained a little last night."

Ayakoji murmured next to me. There were small puddles near the tent, and it was still cloudy. Quite thick clouds.

On the sixth day, the weather was finally getting worse. While the heat would be somewhat relieved, the discomfort would increase due to the higher humidity.

Shortly after roll call was finished, everyone started on their tasks. The top priority was securing food. Each group split up to take action.

The team I was assigned to consisted of Ayanokouji, Horikita, Yamauchi, Sakura, and Kushida. Isn't this a bit too mysterious? I wanted to be in a group with Miyake.

Jin: "Oiiii, Kushida-san, is it okay to be in this group?"

Kushida: "Um, yeah. Just a little."

In response to my question, Kushida showed a somewhat guilty reaction. It doesn't seem like a falling out, and it's probably something she can't tell the boys, but it's still puzzling. Despite there being groups with other classmates that Kushida gets along with besides this leftover group, she chose not to be with them.

Kushida: "I haven't had much chance to talk to Horikita-san during the trip, so I wanted to chat."

It seems that's the reason. Well, it's obvious you two don't like each other.

Ayanokouji:"Hey, Ibuki, why don't you come with us?"

Just before departure, Ayanokouji called out to Ibuki.

Ibuki: "Me...?"

Ayanokouji:"I can't force you if you don't want to..."

Ibuki: "I... owe a debt to Class D, so I understand. I'll help."

And so Ibuki joined us. With the addition of another girl, Yamauchi seemed to be getting excited. What's with this guy? Nice going, Ayanokouji, thinking the same as me, huh? Let's leave it to Horikita for now.

Horikita: "We should hurry a bit. The rain clouds are getting closer. It might rain earlier than expected."

My watch also had a compass function, and based on that, the rain clouds were coming from the southwest. As Horikita said, we won't have much time.

Kushida: "Hey, hey, Horagasaki-kun."

When my name was called, I turned around to see Kushida standing behind me.

Jin:"What's up?"

Kushida: "Horagasaki-kun and Ayanokouji-kun seem to be close. How did you two become friends?"

Jin: "Well, I'm not particularly close to him. Isn't Ayanokouji closer to you?"

Kushida: "True. Hmm..."

She answered and then showed a thoughtful expression again. Well, it's probably about Kushida, who is trying to become friends with everyone, if not the whole school, but it's impossible for both Horikita and Kushida to like each other.

Horikita: "Let's search around here. Make sure to stick together with at least two people. Alright?"

With Horikita's words, each group started forming. Kushida with Ibuki. Yamauchi with Sakura. Horikita with Ayanokouji. And then me... ready, set, go! Alone. In other words, a real leftover. Haha, what a sad situation...

Kushida: "Horagasaki-kun, come with us too. We need boys' help."

Before shedding tears from the sky, there was a grateful offer from Kushida.

Jin:"Got it."

With a word of refusal, I joined Kushida and Ibuki.

Here too, Kushida kept initiating conversation without end. What's with this non-stop talk. It's tough for me since I haven't talked to people lately.

While collecting edible nuts from the trees and such, I heard Ayanokouji's voice.

Ayanokouji: "Ah!"

Upon hearing Ayanokouji's voice, I turned around and saw Horikita putting something into her jacket pocket.

Jin: "What's going on?"

Ayanokouji: "I don't know, maybe she dropped something?"

For some reason, Horikita seemed furious and was glaring at Ayanokouji with an intense expression. Perhaps feeling intimidated, Ayanokouji stepped back, then approached Yamauchi, who was working with Sakura. I couldn't hear their conversation, but Yamauchi seemed solemn about something.

Kushida: "Horagasaki-kun?"

Jin: "Ah, no. It's nothing."

Returning to my senses at Kushida's call, I continued my work.

Yamauchi: "Hahaha! Covered in mud, Horikita! No, Mud-kita. Ahahaha!!"

Turning towards the stupid laughter, I saw Horikita, covered in mud, standing silently. The culprit is Yamauchi. Horikita gave him a clean tackle.

The moment Yamauchi's body flew through the air, I thought.

Ayanokouji, you're amazing.

??: "Hey, hey, there's a fire! Something's burning behind the toilet!"

Returning to the class's base camp, an incident suddenly occurred. Sensing an unusual situation, I headed to the scene as well.

The flames were already quite large. We needed to put it out immediately.

Ibuki looked at the scene of the rising flames, her expression a mix of astonishment and confusion.

Hirata also rushed to the scene and understood the situation, expressing admiration.

??: "W-who could have done this..."

Underwear theft, and now this fire. Since reaching the midway point of this special exam, Class D has been plagued by misfortune.

Jin: "Hirata, let's focus on putting out the fire for now. We need water from the river or the ordered bottles."

Hirata: "R-right. Can I ask everyone for help?"

Hirata also seemed to be in a hurry, speaking a bit faster. Sensing the urgency, classmates immediately began pouring water to extinguish the fire.

Ayanokouji: "At least we don't have to worry about it spreading now..."

One of the classmates who brought water, Ayanokouji, murmured. With the fire contained, we could finally get a clearer picture of the situation.

Shinohara: "It's too much. I can't take it anymore with the perverted underwear thief and arsonist among us!"

Ike: "It's not us! How long are you going to suspect us!"

Hirata: "E-everyone, wait..."

Shinohara: "We don't know. Maybe someone did it to cover up something?"

Ike: "We didn't do anything like that!"

Hirata: "Everyone, please. Let's calm down and talk it out..."

Once again, like the other day, the finger-pointing among suspects began. However, this matter will probably be resolved soon. Even though the truth might not come to light, everyone was concerned about Hirata, who was emitting an unusual atmosphere. Well, I guess Ayanokouji will figure something out, so I'll just sit in the shade of the trees.

....

The following day. After the leader was chosen, it was past noon and the entire exam schedule came to an end.

The leader chosen was Hirata.

On the beach where they gathered on the first day, there were groups of students scattered about. It seemed like not everyone had arrived yet.

Announcer: "We are currently tallying the exam results. Since the exam has already concluded, students who wish to have drinks or use the restroom, please use the rest area."

At the announcement, the students gathered at the rest area. Since I didn't have the courage to push through that crowd, I decided to rest at the table in the makeshift tent instead.

Hirata: "Good job, Horagasaki-kun. Thanks for everything."

There, Hirata handed me a paper cup filled with cold water.

Jin: "I didn't really do anything..."

Hirata: "That's not true. You really helped."

With those words, Hirata went to refill the water. He's probably going to share it with the others too.

Horikita retired due to poor health last night. Additionally, Ayanokouji received a penalty for being late for roll call. Combining with the points from Hoya ward, Class D lost a total of 65 points.

Now, what will the outcome be...?

Mashima: "You can relax for now. The exam has already ended. It's just a moment, but please enjoy your freedom."

This was conveyed to all the students by Mr. Mashima using a megaphone. But in this school, relaxation was out of the question. After the broadcast, the beach fell silent. The sound of the waves was soothing.

Mashima: "Over the past week, we've seen you all from various perspectives. The approaches to the exam were diverse, but overall, it was a splendid result. Well done."

In this exam, the class's policies and ways of thinking were revealed.

Class A was confrontational. Class B followed the orthodox path. Class C took a devious route. Class D was perplexed. That's roughly how it went.

How these class characteristics will change in the coming years, nobody knows.

Mashima: "Now, I'll announce the results briefly. We won't entertain any questions about the results. Take them in, analyze them, and move forward."

At the announcement of the results, the tension among the students heightened even more.

Mashima: "First, the last place is... Class C with 0 points."

Sudo: "Hahaha!!! It's still 0 after all! Don't make me laugh!"

Turning towards the source of the voice, there was Sudo laughing uncontrollably. Next to him was Ryuen, looking like he couldn't grasp the situation.

Mashima: "Next, in third place, Class A with 120 points. Followed by Class B with 140 points."

Mashima: "And finally, the first place is... Class D with 225 points. That concludes the announcement of the results."

The beach was engulfed in astonishment. In Class A, there was a barrage of questions surrounding Katsuragi. They couldn't hide their surprise at the numbers that were far from their calculations. But what surprised them even more was Class D.

Sudo: "Yahooo! I don't really get it, but alright!"

Ike: "W-What does this mean!?"

Sudo was openly expressing his joy, while Ike was bewildered by the situation. Grow up, you guys.

After the dissolution declared by Mr. Mashima, amidst the still-excited atmosphere, there were two hours of free time until departure.

=================================

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