Vol. 3: Chapter 24 - Vital Information

4th Day, 3:43 PM.

"Oh, Ayanokouji-kun, you're back," said Satou.

"How's everything going here?" I asked.

"Hmm, the usual, I guess? Everyone's been doing their tasks without any problems, so I think it's a good thing," she replied with a shrug.

I decided to check on my classmates and found out some nice things. According to Ike's report, their group found some weird places but there were no devices around them. It's a pity, but at least they lit up some more parts of the map and brought in some food.

After surveying the campsite, I finally found Ibuki, who was sitting on top of a tree.

"Hey, Ibuki," I called.

Ibuki jumped down skillfully. I noticed that she was fit, but the more I observed her, it became more apparent that she wasn't your average high school girl.

"You need me for something?" she asked.

"Well, your entire class just retired, so I thought it would be a good idea for you to retire as well."

"Damn... So they really did it..." Ibuki clicked his tongue. "I don't really want to see their faces, but it's better than being a burden here, I guess. You'll have one less mouth to feed when I'm gone."

Ibuki shrugged her shoulders with a smirk.

"We didn't really mind your presence here, but I personally think it's better for you to ease up. The retirement penalty wouldn't affect you or Kaneda, anyway."

"Kaneda?" Ibuki looked at me as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Class C picked him up, apparently. He was driven out just like you, right?"

"Yeah, he was. We were smacked by Ryuuen at the same time, so of course, I know he's like me. I didn't expect him to wound up in Class C's camp, though."

"Well, Ichinose has probably informed him about Class D's retirement by now. I'd like to think that he'd want to retire, too."

"Yeah... I would rather sleep on a proper bed. My back's starting to ache a whole lot since we've been here," she complained.

"A lot of my classmates doubted you at first, but in the end, it seems like you really weren't a spy," I said.

"Yeah, I'm not," Ibuki replied as she looked me straight in the eye.

Following my talk with Ibuki was a small announcement. It was finally time for everyone in Class B to know what was up with Class D. After relaying the details to Hirata and Kikyou, they helped me explain everything to our classmates.

"That's really crazy..."

"Ryuuen is nuts."

"I'm sure they had fun, though."

"Well, their fun won't last long if they stay behind in class points."

The only ones who managed to see Ibuki off were Kikyou, Hirata, and me. We informed everyone about her retirement after. Unsurprisingly, everyone thought that her decision to retire was the obvious choice.

I only stayed at the camp for a short time, however. I needed to run out and reinvoke our rights again. When I took a bath after returning, the sky was already dyed in orange. This time, I decided to just take it easy with everyone. I helped around with the chores and did some fishing in the process. I also hung out with Hirata and the others, as well as Karuizawa and her group. It almost felt like a normal school day but in a different setting.

————————————————————————

"Can you drop it, Yamauchi?"

I was walking around the campsite when I suddenly heard Akito's voice.

"Huh? Drop what?"

Ike, Yamauchi, and Akito were having a conversation in a secluded part of the woods, a little bit away from our base camp.

"Haruka and Airi have been complaining since the other day. They're uncomfortable with your incessant staring."

"The hell? I wasn't even doing that!"

"C'mon, man. I've seen you do it. Even Ken did at some point. Let's not make this into a big deal, so just stop it."

"Aren't you getting full of yourself, Miyake? You're close to the two of them, right? Maybe you're the one who's doing the staring?" Yamauchi asked scornfully.

"Haruki, let's just go. Whether you're doing it or not doesn't matter now. You've been warned, so let's get back to camp," said Ike.

"Huh? Wouldn't you usually side with me on this one, Kanji?" Yamauchi faced him with a displeased tone. "Ah, I see. You were hanging out with Shinohara earlier, right? Do you like her or something? Is that why you don't want in on this?"

"Sh-Shinohara?! There's no way I'd like that uggo!" Ike denied it in a panic. "Anyway, let's just drop this topic, alright? Sorry about this, Miyake. We'll be heading back now."

"It's fine. Just tone down the perverted attitude for once, please..."

"Tch, the hell? Acting all arrogant just because you're close with some girls..." Yamauchi muttered spitefully while looking at Akito.

Despite hearing it, he didn't seem to care.

"Yo, Akito." I approached him after the other two disappeared.

"Kiyotaka? Oh... Did you hear everything?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did. I'm assuming that Airi and Haruka asked you to do that?"

"They didn't tell me directly, but those two were pretty vocal with their discomfort. I thought I'd confront Yamauchi as soon as possible before Ken's the one who gets pissed off," he shrugged.

Ohh... You could even say that he did Yamauchi a favor.

"Although it's pretty much inevitable for any guy in our class to give Airi and Haruka that kind of extra attention, Yamauchi's game is just on another level," I said.

"The guy lacks self-awareness, and he's childish and immature. Dealing with him is like dealing with a kid, so it's better to just tell him straight out." Akito sighed while looking in the direction where Ike and Yamauchi retreated. "At least Ike's attitude improved a bit."

"The incident back in July must've stuck with him if that's the case. They'd probably get shunned by the whole class if our points dipped due to their carelessness."

"Ike learned from his mistakes... but Yamauchi..."

"Well, it's only the fourth month of our first year. He'll have more time to reflect on his actions."

Objectively speaking, I think it's better to just get rid of him.

————————————————————————

4th Day, 8:04 PM.

I took advantage of the roll call to ask some questions while everyone was present. I want them to hear some clarifications from Chabashira-sensei herself.

"Chabashira-sensei, is it alright if I ask you a few questions?"

Everyone's attention was instantly caught.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"I was just curious about the matters of retirement."

"Oh, what about it?"

"A leader can only be changed with a justifiable reason, correct?"

"Yes, you're right."

"Is retirement a justifiable reason?"

"Unfortunately, no. What the school meant by a 'justifiable reason' is the leader's "immediate capability" to do his or her task." Chabashira-sensei shook her head in response. "On the contrary, a student can retire even with just a "potential risk" as his or her reason. That's why Kouenji was able to retire even if his unwell condition wasn't apparent at first glance."

"So you're saying that even if the leader is on the ship due to retirement, the rules won't permit the class to replace him or her. After all, they're not incapacitated in any way."

"That's correct," she replied.

I see... For example, I can certainly choose to retire right now, by using the potential risk on my physical and mental health as a reason, much like Class D and Kouenji... However, since I was fine at the moment, I still had the immediate capability to do my part as the leader, albeit stranded on the ship.

In other words, it doesn't matter if the leader is not allowed to go back to the island. If he or she wasn't diagnosed with anything after a quick medical check-up, they cannot be replaced.

"However, you'll miss out on a lot of provisional points if you do that. After all, even if another person possesses the leader's key card, he or she will not be able to take a spot. Each mechanism has a small camera placed on the device. If any of you can remember, the rest area way back on the southern beach has a special facility to confirm every spot registration."

Chabashira-sensei must be talking about the tent with many computers and school staff.

"Coincidentally, the opposite is also true. Even if you're sick or injured badly, retirement is still just an option. Unless your condition is deemed critical by our medical personnel, you can opt to not retire at all."

With that explanation, Chabashira-sensei remained still, ready for more questions.

"Thank you very much, Chabashira-sensei."

Most of my classmates circled around us and listened intently. This conversation didn't really need to be heard, but it was a good introduction. Now, I will be asking the real questions that my classmates must know the answer to.

"Chabashira-sensei, I'm sorry, but I have other questions. Can I take some more of your time? They might not be too related to the exam, though."

"No problem. Even if they're not related to the exam, as long as the questions aren't strictly unnecessary, I am still able to answer them."

Horikita and Hirata had very serious expressions. The entire Class B camp was silent and the only sounds we could hear were the crackling noises of burnt wood and the loud cries of male cicadas trying to attract their mate.

"I was able to buy intangible things using our class points way back in April, so I'm pretty sure I could do the same with private points. Please correct me if I'm wrong."

"No, you're right. In fact, buying things using class points is exceedingly rare. As I stated back then, you can buy anything inside the school. Since private points can be considered as your pocket money, they are the orthodox currency that everyone should use."

Because of what I did back then, I'm sure most of my classmates are wondering about the boundaries of point usage.

"Is it possible to buy your own placement in a different class using private points?"

My classmates gasped audibly, just like that time during our first day in school. It gave a me feeling of deja vu.

"It is possible." Chabashira-sensei nodded in confirmation.

"Holy crap! That's a shortcut to Class A!" yelled Ike.

"You're right!"

"I'm sure it'll be expensive, though..."

"How much does it cost, Sensei?" asked Horikita.

"20 million private points." Chabashira-sensei's voice echoed throughout the base camp. After a split second of complete silence, my classmates strongly voiced their reactions.

"T-That's insane!"

"Twenty... mil-"

"Is that even possible?"

"What's with the sour faces? If the cost was affordable, then there would be a hundred and sixty students in Class A every graduation." Chabashira-sensei extinguished their noises with her words.

"Who cares about buying a seat to Class A, anyway?" At that moment, Karuizawa joined in on the conversation with a flashy entry statement. "We have Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san. And of course, we also have Hirata-kun~!"

She clung to his arm with a huge smile.

"W-We have Kikyou-chan, too!" followed Ike.

Kikyou-chan?

"Yeah!" The boys agreed with him, of course.

"I'm sure we'll reach Class A soon enough. We've got the best leaders on our side," said Mori.

"Heck yeah!"

"I agree!"

Chabashira-sensei smirked before asking me a question in return.

"Why did you ask about buying a seat in a different class now, of all times?"

Her smile implied that I wanted to transfer classes which earned some anxious reactions from my classmates.

"It's been on my mind since April but I never got around to asking anyone. I thought this was a good time to do so."

"I see."

The atmosphere was starting to get fun. With a slight bow of gratitude from me and Hirata, Chabashira-sensei turned around and walked away.

Well, that was some insanely helpful information. I finally got some clarifications about the vaguer parts of the rules. It shouldn't take too long before things start to get in motion.