72.2 Ryuuen Sighs!

…

Fifteen minutes later, all the students disembarked from the ship and arrived on the island.

Class A and Class D had formed an alliance, putting pressure not only on Class B but also on Ryuuen, whose ultimate goal was Class A.

As Class A's evaluation scores rose, Ryuuen felt the weight of the challenge ahead. He couldn't help but think of Oreki.

Was Oreki's strategy to maintain his class's basic points by relying on other classes for supplies?

Ryuuen clenched his fist, determined to make Oreki pay for past grievances. He decided to deploy Ibuki, knowing Oreki's weakness for cute girls from Class D.(😂)

Meanwhile, Class B and Class C found out that the exam had truly begun. However, upon disembarking, they couldn't locate their base and were forced to keep moving to avoid losing points, leading to a challenging day ahead.

…

Let's revisit the moment when we disembarked from the ship.

"Please hand your cell phones to your class teacher," instructed Mashima-sensei.

Simultaneously, he distributed black bracelets to each student.

"Stow your cell phones and put on these bracelets," Mashima-sensei continued. "These bracelets not only tell time but also monitor vital signs."

"Though it's a class activity," he added, "considering this is a small island, it's essential for everyone's safety. The GPS signal allows faculty and medical staff to quickly locate you in case of emergencies."

With assistance from Katsuragi-san, each student received their bracelet, including Oreki.

The texture of the bracelet was pleasing, and its automatic buckle ensured comfort when worn. However, Oreki found the GPS feature a bit bothersome.

According to what he understood from the teachers, the GPS was for emergencies. Yet, he suspected it was also a means of monitoring everyone's movements from the start.

So, after donning the bracelet, Oreki realized that even if he teleported off the island, the bracelet would still track his movements. Not wearing the bracelet wasn't an option.

"Anyway——" With the bracelets distributed, Mr. Mashima didn't provide any further instructions.

Immediately, Katsuragi-san looked at Oreki, signaling their plan to head to the base first and strategize.

Understanding the situation, Oreki knew they needed to plan carefully, considering they would be on the island for a week.

Katsuragi-san selected Kamuro-san and Hashimoto-san, along with Totsuka Yahiko and a member of the Katsuragi faction, making a group of six.

Their objective: to conduct a trade with Class D. This trade involved purchasing supplies to maintain their class's basic points.

In exchange, they received information on five out of the forty strongholds acquired by Kouenji.

However, not all strongholds were under Kouenji's control. If they arrived late and another class discovered and occupied the stronghold first, it would result in significant losses.

So, the plan now is to strike first and occupy those five strongholds before anyone else does.

Meanwhile, in Class D...

"I want to be the first one to get the bracelet," Kouenji declared to Chabashira after disembarking from the ship, eliciting smiles from everyone.

Little did they know the true combat prowess of Kiuenji.

"Kouenji——"

"You're so quick—"

With the guardian and leader cards in hand, Kouenji dashed straight into the forest. Class D students understood his intentions perfectly well.

With information on forty bases at their disposal (even though they traded five of them with Class A), Class D was ready to seize control of the strongholds.

However, there was concern for Kouenji's safety, and the team leader needed protection.

Hirata-kun took charge, arranging for Ayanokouji-san and Sudo to accompany Kouenji.

As for Hirata himself, he stayed back, tasked with preventing any potential disputes or unrest among the remaining students in Class D.

From a distance, Kouenji's pace was relentless, leaving Sudo and Ayanokouji struggling to keep up.

"Why are you running so fast, Kouenji?" Sudo queried, panting to catch his breath. Despite his considerable athleticism, he couldn't match Kouenji's speed.

Is Kouenji some sort of jungle expert? While Sudo and Ayanokouji ran along the ground, Kouenji moved like Tarzan, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree.

"It's all about business," Kouenji explained. "Plus, I scouted this forest last night. I know it like the back of my hand."

"You two can do as you please," he continued. "Following me might just slow me down."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sudo retorted, feeling a twinge of irritation. "And besides, you initiated this, so you must have some plan in mind."

In that moment, Sudo recalled their previous collaboration to outsmart Ryuuen and snatch his points. Was he also being excluded now?

"Too bad, red-haired boy," Kouenji remarked.

"I can't split the points with you. I have my own agenda. I need to gather 20 million points."

"Wait, what?" Sudo was perplexed. "You expect me to gather 20 million points on my own?"

"Exactly," Kouenji affirmed. "There's no future for Class D. This time, Oreki-san suggested my course of action."

"Oreki-san? The guy from Class A?" Sudo was incredulous.

"Indeed," Kouenji confirmed. "He effortlessly helped Class D earn 600 points. But boosting Class D's score won't change anything. The school will intervene. That's why he's not worried."

Ayanokouji, trailing behind Sudo, remained silent, absorbing the conversation. Horikita had already deduced that Class D had no chance of advancement, according to information from Chabashira.

In that moment, Ayanokouji reaffirmed Kouenji Rokusuke's brilliance.

He's a natural-born genius, excelling in observation, reasoning, judgment, athleticism, and intelligence. But there's Oreki-san. What's so special about Oreki-san?

Ayanokouji found himself intrigued. According to Chabashira-sensei, Oreki-san had prior knowledge of the school. But why was he so fixated on him?

Because Ayanokouji was that man's most successful experiment. Hence, Ayanokouji harbored a desire to challenge both Kouenji and Oreki-san.

If he lost, it would signify the man's failure, but if he won, it would affirm his own success.

However, deep down, Ayanokouji was conflicted. Winning was ingrained in him, but losing felt unacceptable. It went against his very nature.

Meanwhile, Kouenji remained unaware of the turmoil within his classmate.

"I have my own plan," he stated confidently. "So don't worry about my identity being discovered." With that, Kouenji vanished into thin air.

Sudo, despite his impressive athleticism, couldn't keep up any longer. He leaned against a tree branch, catching his breath.

Sudo panted as he spoke. "That guy's spouting nonsense. Can't make heads or tails of him," he said.

But Ayanokouji knew better. Kouenji must have devised a plan to secure the bonus points. He had mentioned that the tour leader couldn't be replaced without a valid reason, indicating his ruthless nature.

"Hey, Ayanokouji, I'm beat. And you're not even breaking a sweat?" Sudo turned to Ayanokouji, who appeared unfazed.

Ayanokouji responded quickly, "Yeah, I'm feeling the fatigue too, but I'm not much of a sweater. It's harder for me to sweat with fewer hair and clogged pores."

"Oh, got it," Sudo acknowledged, understanding Ayanokouji's explanation.

…

And over in Class A, Oreki's and Katsuragi's teams have already secured five locations, including a white tower situated at the center of the island.

This tower offers a panoramic view of the surroundings, including the other four strongholds. Having occupied these strongholds, they now have a comfortable vantage point.

"Should we consider Kouenji to be a decent person after all?" remarked Kamuro-san, who was with Oreki-san.

Meanwhile, Katsuragi and Yahiko went to inform their classmates about the occupied bases. With five strongholds at their disposal, four of which are suitable for habitation, they have multiple options.

They plan to inspect each location with their classmates and then decide where to establish their camp or designate guards accordingly.

Otherwise, when the 8-hour window expires, it may be taken over by students from other classes. The last stronghold is this tall tower, which is only suitable for patrol and observation, not for living.

Currently, only Kamuro-san, Oreki-san, and Hashimoto Masayoshi are present.

Hashimoto tactfully stationed himself at the entrance on the first floor, while Oreki-san remained relaxed. Kamuro-san, however, seemed too carefree.

Oreki-san pondered the situation. Kouenji had provided them with such a strategic stronghold for observation and surveillance. Was Kouenji truly this benevolent?

Obtaining this tower allowed them to gather valuable information about other strongholds by surveying the surroundings. These strongholds were crucial for survival, offering suitable areas for camping, access to water, and food sources.

For instance, one of the strongholds recently secured by Katsuragi-kun was a cornfield. However, Oreki-san suspected there was a specific reason why Kouenji had allocated this base to Class A.

He didn't need the tower anymore; he had already explored the entire island and gathered information.

Now, he could act freely. An evaluation score of 200 points could bring Kouenji 800,000 points a month, totaling 9.6 million a year.

In two years, that would be close to 20 million. In other words, the solution Kouenji had been seeking, the 20 million points, had finally appeared.

Buying points from senior graduates with money was one option, but now they could earn them through action.

Kouenji must have been eager to seize this opportunity. Under such a tempting offer, Kouenji must have been fully committed and prepared to make sacrifices.

Oreki-san watched as the teacher announced the rules, while Kamuro-san diligently recorded the exam content in a small notebook.

She likely followed Sakayanagi's orders to record the details. As Oreki-san observed Kamuro-san's notes, he noticed the following instructions:

"Find the leader, and then make a leader card. You must use the leader card to occupy the stronghold.

Points will be deducted for staying for a long time without reason or using occupied territory. Additionally, points will be deducted if someone other than the team leader swipes the key card.

Deductions will occur for being unwell or seriously injured, obviously polluting the environment, being absent from class early or late, and engaging in violence towards other classes or destroying public property."

The rules continued with additional instructions:

"At 8 am and 8 pm every day, we will return to the gathering point on the island for roll call. If anyone is absent, 3 points will be deducted.

If the leader is guessed correctly on the morning of the seventh day, the points gained by occupying the stronghold with the key card will be reset to zero.

The team leader shall not be replaced without proper reasons. Therefore, we must be careful and serious in choosing who to lead the team."

The last point that needs attention is that the team leader must not be replaced without a legitimate reason.

In other words, if there are legitimate reasons, such as illness or forced departure, then there is a way to give up. So this situation happened.

…

After disembarking from the ship, students from Class B and Class C handed their mobile phones to their respective class teachers in compliance with the rules.

Subsequently, everyone who followed the regulations wore wristbands capable of locating, monitoring health, and displaying the time.

"Let's find a base first," Ryuuen suggested. "I want to exchange the 300 basic points from Class B for money. But we must ensure that these 300 basic points can be utilized first.

If some students in the class give up now, most of the basic points will be deducted directly. So, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

Everyone must reach the island first. It depends on whether Ichinose and the others can send a signal to ask them to deliver the supplies. It will be up to me to decide when to let these students give up."

He logged into the leader card using his information, although there is a possibility that other classes may guess his information.

However, he trusts no one, so he can only be the team leader. At the same time, he must have been using some tricks, like making people think he gave up the exam or something like that.

But just as he was contemplating this, they encountered an unexpected obstacle.

"Ryuuen-san, we found a cornfield ahead!" one of the students exclaimed.

"We're lucky. The corn here is in harvest season!" added Daichi Ishizaki.

"Hehe..." Ryuuen chuckled. "The school likes to do this. They say they want us trying to survive on the island, but they're just giving away a lot of resources for free, right?"

Actually, Ryuuen was in a bad mood because Ichinose and his friends from Class B were being stingy and wanted to see what the base looked like before deciding how much supplies they could exchange.

In other words, if they found these edible items, then Ichinose and the others... would probably just allow them to exchange some of them.

And then consume these items. Therefore, if you cooperate with Ichinose, you may not be able to spend all the 200 basic points, and naturally, you will not be able to get 800,000 personal points every month.

"This corn is edible," Ishizaki said, breaking off a corn and handing it over.

"The corn is well taken care of and is in harvest season, and it is still quite tender. The taste should be very good."

Albert glanced towards Ryuuen, who nodded in agreement, preparing to let the classmates in the class pick the corn first.

"Wait a minute, Ryuuen," a girl with beautiful long silver hair spoke up in the team.

Hiyori Shiina, who is also the class beauty of their Class C, suddenly spoke. "We need to confirm whether this base has been occupied," Hiyori said.

"Who the hell would come and occupy the stronghold so early?" Ryuuen questioned. "And this base is closest to the entrance on the beach side of the island."

"Ryuuen!" a student from Class C interrupted. "I saw the card machine. But there are hints on it."

"Let me see."

"The remaining time for class D is 07:54:50."

Silence filled the air. It was a deafening silence because... wasn't this a hint that it has been occupied by Class D?

It can be occupied once every 8 hours, which means... it has been occupied for 6 minutes.

"Shit!" In other words, the game has already been cleared before it even starts?

Then, Ishizaki Daichi was asked to run back to the beach to confirm with the Class C homeroom teacher, how many points they had been deducted.

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