Chapter 4.8 - Hint

Day 2, 2:36 PM.

We didn't lose our way when returning to the camp. Horikita was understandably dissatisfied with what had happened during the trip.

I, on the other hand, was relatively content with our achievement. Not only did we gain class B's (irrational) cooperation, I also managed to directly throw sand at Ryuen's eyes.

I was curious to know where class A had relocated. As much as I wanted to search for their base by myself, I couldn't. Unfortunately, I didn't have our protagonist's fortnite.

Wait!?

Ayanokouji is with Sakura on the scout team. Perhaps they would stumble across the camp like they did originally. If that happens, then maybe I can get some more information out of them.

But I'd better not count on their luck.

Apart from that, I had something of high priority to take care of, and fast! Ibuki, who was trying her best to squeeze the leader's name, would inevitably be forced out of our camp the day after tomorrow. Meaning that I had a time limit of one and a half day to accomplish my plan.

I stopped on my track. Horikita confusedly looked at me.

"Why did you stop?"

"A request." I reached out for something in my pocket and then gave it to her. "Do not open under any circumstances."

"Why are you giving this to me?" she interrogated.

"It's necessary. You'll understand when it's time." I replied.

As expected, she was dissatisfied with my vague reply, but didn't question anything any further.

•••••

Day 2, 2:46 PM.

"Hey, they're back!" Karuizawa pointed out to us as soon as we stepped inside the cave.

The food gatherer's group had already returned. We already noticed some students poking around with the cookware set, perhaps they were trying to cook something.

"Guess what? We're stacked today!" Okitani shouted enthusiastically.

"Sure seems like it." I mused.

"Right! I mean look at all these stuff!"

Apparently, everyone was on cloud nine ever since they got back from the forest. They managed to get a decent amount of food. My eyes landed on a few dozens of banana vines lying on the floor. Perhaps they found those trees sooner than expected.

But banana's can only fill so much of our stomach. So I'm guessing they found something more than that.

After receiving all the information from my classmates, I removed myself from the crowd and sat next to the water container. I was so thirsty that my throat was as dry as the Sahara. But to my surprise, there was not a single drop of water.

"You've got to kidding me."

I looked around for a bottle that had some water in it, but I was disappointed. I released a sigh. I was going to leave and refill the container, until a familiar blue haired girl approached me.

"Here." she pushed a half-filled bottle at me, which I gladly accepted.

"Thanks."

"Just drink it."

In an attempt of not to annoy her with the 'indirect kiss' phenomenon, I drank the water without touching the opening of the bottle.

As soon as I gulped, it felt like my soul had returned to my body.

"Again, thank you."

"You looked like a dog dying out of thirst on a hot summer day. So I took pity on you."

Yep... No wonder why they'd get along so well.

"Words cut deep, you know?"

I pretended as though a thorn had penetrated my abdomen. This seemed to annoy her even more.

"So? What did you see?" she asked nonetheless.

"Hm?"

"You went near the beach, didn't you? How much damage did he do?" Ibuki was trying to get some info about her class.

"Unfortunately, it's just as you feared. They had completely exhausted their points." I replied.

"That guy! He really is the worst!" Ibuki silently shouted while glaring at the floor.

Stop! The poor thing's gonna cry because of all the glares it's been receiving.

"I wonder how long it would take for them to completely exhaust all their resources?"

"Tch."

Ibuki stayed silent while clutching her fist. I could see veins popping on her forehead because of this. I almost wanted to believe that she was genuinely angry.

Ibuki was not the outgoing type. She was socially awkward. On missions like this, it would've been the best choice to send a socially adept individual. For example, if I were to use the same tactic as Ryuen, I would immediately send Matsushita and Kikyo. Karuizawa would be available as an option after I'm done with her arc.

"We'd better talk about something else." I tried changing the topic.

"Whatever..." Ibuki sighed.

"Are you part of any clubs now, Ibuki-san?" I asked.

"Not really. I used to go to the Karate club in middle school. But then it kind of got boring, so I quit."

"Wow, you have experience in martial arts, huh? That's actually cool."

"It gets lame at some point." she replied.

"Having the experience itself doesn't hurt now, does it? I think it'll be useful to you someday."

"The experience itself is a pain. As if you'd know about it..."

"....."

Yeah, about that...

I can somehow relate to her on this subject. Except for the fact that unlike Ibuki, I had no choice in this regard. I was pretty much forced into learning Krav Maga by that red-headed fiend.

"I guess that's true."

I even broke my neck while she was simply showing me the moves. Every time I was thrown to the ground, I broke a bone. And every time I was injured, she would manually relocate and reinforce them back. This all happened because of her miscalculation.

I still can't forget about the times when she tried to extract something called a 'Crest' out of me, only to fail hundreds of times. All the cuts and burns that were hiding under my 'healed' skin. Some of them weren't completely healable, so they were halfway done. All the things I had to go through, for the sake of her 'research'.

My own insanity kept me from going truly insane.

Who do I blame more?

Her?

Or, my existence?

"What about you? Do you go to any club?" Ibuki asked, snapping me out of my train of thoughts.

"Oh yeah, I'm part of the 'go home' club, just like you."

"Figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I deadpaned.

"It's to be expected from someone who looks dead inside." she said that without eye contact, which indicated that she was not lying.

Eh?

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm quite confident in my athletic skills. I'm sure the senpais would line up to recruit me if they knew how good at sport I am."

"Sure. If you say so."

"Why do I sense sarcasm?"

"For someone who's dead, you sure know how to talk."

I'd appreciate if you didn't kill me ever two sentences. Though you're correct, but still!

"Lack of sleep, blame it on that." I replied.

"Go to sleep then." she shot back.

"What are you? My mom?" I joked back.

"You're a moron." she replied as she stood up and walked away.

I stared at her as she walked outside the cave.

"Tell me something I don't already know."

•••••

Day 3, 4:14 AM.

On the third day, I noticed Ayanokouji leaving the tent and walking toward the pile of baggages in girl's side. When he reached there, he began rummaging through the bags. Without delay, I silently crawled of the tent and sneaked toward him.

"You horny or what?" I whispered, slightly startling Ayanokouji to my surprise.

"Ah, this... is not what it looks like. I was simply curious about something." He said.

"Female lingerie?"

"You couldn't be any further from the truth."

"Relax. I'm aware of your intentions."

As much as I wanted to think that Ayanokouji was simply trying to research how a girl's undergarment looks or smells like, that clearly wasn't the case.

I wanted to stop his search as I already knew what was inside. But then again, it would be suspicious if I began uttering everything without anything backing my claims. I also couldn't progress without him being aware of the camera.

"Levent... Look at this."

Soon enough, he pulled out the camera from Ibuki's bag. It was different from a personal camera, like the one Sakura had. It was provided by the school. And by provided, I mean 'bought' from the school.

The school didn't allow anyone to carry any personal belongings. Instead, we had to buy necessary utensils using our special exam points. If somebody wanted to take pictures to capture memorable moments, they had the the option to do so. But with the cost of six special exam points. I'm sure none of the classes thought about buying cameras using their invaluable special points. Up until now that is.

"What are your thoughts about this?" I asked.

"Maybe she bought this to take pictures with us?" he replied.

"You're annoying."

"Or, maybe it's to snap something that we have?"

"If her goal is to find the name of the leader, then a simple name should suffice. But the camera adds another layer of complexity. That could mean one or two things. Either Ryuen doesn't trust Ibukis' words, which doesn't make sense considering he trusted her enough to send her on this mission. Then, the only possibility would be, to show it someone who doesn't trust either of them. Whoever it is, they are cautious. And I have a few faces in my mind."

"Katsuragi Kouhei, one of the leaders in class A, isn't he?" He muttered.

"Why do you think that Ryuen is so keen on sharing the leader list to class A? Why do you think he's trying to help them win the exam?" I asked.

"They must have some sort of mutual benefits from this. Ryuen losing his mind after the loss may be a factor too, I guess? Either way, it's safe to assume that class A and class D have banded together."

"Now, addressing back to the problem at hand, why are you holding a water bottle?"

"I'm sabotaging her camera."

Ayanokouji opened the memory compartment of the camera and was ready to pour the water inside. I sighed and took the camera from him.

"There's no need. I have better ways to tackle this situation. All of them excludes damaging her camera." I announced.

"Why not? It would be easier if I damage it."

"Be more realistic, Ayanokouji. The bag that was provided to every single one of us is waterproof, her's too. The marks of sabotage would be obvious if you plan on drowning it. What are you planning to do when she gets conscious of the fact that someone from the class knows her intention?"

"She wouldn't have any choice. Class D had exhausted all of their points by now. Buying another camera would be out of option. She would have no choice but to gather physical evidence. That's when the real strategy begins."

His 'strategy' involves the leader dropping out of the exam. That, in my opinion, was a waste of time, points and energy. But for me... it would be a waste of blood cells.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on getting hurt or seriously injured for the sake of this insignificant exam."

"Are you perhaps a psychic?"

A psychopath would be a much suitable term, but that's a different story.

"Listen, we're going to avoid all of that. You see this?"

I finally showed him my trump card. Ayanokouji's eyes slightly raised after noticing the thing.

"So you're planning on doing that, huh?"

"Do you now understand what I'm trying to do?"

Ayanokouji was momentarily staring at me. I couldn't imagine what he thought at that time, but if I were to guess, I'd say he was analyzing me. Confidence, resolve or capability. His freedom was at stake. Even if it was fake, I didn't have anything solid to prove that it wasn't. So if he noticed anything of negative value in my plan, then there was a small chance that he would deduce it as worthless and take matters to his own hands.

But, I knew exactly what he'd pick.

"I'm counting on you, Levent." he said before turning back to the tent.

I'm sure he had other backup plans ready in case things go south. But that won't be necessary. My plan is flawless.

"Before you go, I just want to ask. Do you know where class A's base is?"

He turned around and nodded.

Good...

I shoved it back in my pocket and went near the river to enjoy some fresh air.

•••••

Day 3, 6:13 PM

"Good morning, Levent-kun. It seems you're awake before any of us."

Seeing a cute face like Kikyou's the first thing in the morning was definitely something.

"Ahnyongaseyo~"

"Oh, Ahnyongaseyo! Levent-kun, do you perhaps know how to speak Korean?"

"Not really. I just kind of felt like saying it."

"Oh, I see. And here I thought you were a foreigner." Kikyou muttered.

What the–?

"Why do you think I'm a foreigner?" I asked, curious about her answer.

"Huh? Oh, uh... Well, your given name isn't exactly Japanese, and your features are not quite similar to the boys in our class."

This is getting quite troublesome, huh?

"How is that?" I asked.

"For instance, your eyes are bigger and more vibrant than any of us. You also have aquamarine blue eyes, which is quite rare in this country to be honest. But the biggest difference of all, your facial hairs are developing way earlier than any of the boys in our class."

"Is it that bad?"

"No, quite the opposite actually. Some of the girls think you look more handsome with those hair. You were ranked to be the nineth most handsome boy in the first year ikemen list. But I'm sure your rankings would be even higher the next time."

Guess I'll keep them...

"Another question..." I asked.

"Yes?"

"Why are you caressing my face?"

"Huh? Oh, I was! I didn't realize I was doing that! How strange!"

For some reason, she was unintentionally caressing my cheeks while giving me her explanation. If I was like any other boy from our class (except for two certain individuals), I would have a heart attack due to cuteness overload. More importantly...

Was she not thinking of her social status? What would they say if they saw us like that?

"Can you stop?"

"Sorry! I couldn't stop myself from petting them. It feels good to touch them, you know?"

I wonder what would've happened if our gender roles were reversed.

Setting aside the bold move from Kikyou, I was actually paying more attention to the feeling in my cheeks.

"...."

It's not like that!

She was right about my facial hair seeping out of my skin. I had almost forgot that I was aging this world as well. I was going through puberty all over again. Maybe one day, I would end up looking like the same me as I was in my original world. Sometimes, I wonder what had 'really' happened to me. Was I transmigrated, or did I perform a time-shift in a parallel universe where YouZitsu was real?

In any case, Kikyou backed away from me.

"So... are you really a foreigner?" she persisted. Well, it's not like any harm will come if anyone knew about my background.

"Isn't that obvious?" I replied.

"Huh? Wait, for real? I mean, yeah. I guess it should've been obvious by now, haha." Kikyou giggled. "So, where did you come from? If you don't mind me asking."

"Europe."

"You're a European, huh? Umu umu... I see. But you didn't tell me which country though?"

Why is she showing so much interest in my background all of a sudden?

"Does it matter?"

"Well, if you don't want to say it, then I won't ask." she pouted.

"I was born in Antalya, Turkey. My guardian brought me to Japan when I was eleven." I sighed.

"I see. You're from Turkey, huh? Feels kinda exciting to know that we have a foreign student here!"

"Kikyou, I must say, you're being surprisingly observant lately. Is this because of what happened 'that night'?" I added.

"Oh, you! You really had to go ahead and remind me of some unpleasant memories huh, Levent-kun?" Her voice was cutesy, but I could sense a little bit of hostility in her tone.

"Of course, it wasn't my intention. But feel free to interpret it however you want." I then leaned my lips toward her ears and whispered...

"Relax. I'm a man of my word. As long as you don't try anything stupid, I would hold onto my end of the deal. Your secret is safe with me."

Her face was understandably red. It was kind of like a payback. She tried to fluster me by caressing my face. So I simply showed a tiny fragment of my caliber.

"Say, care to go for a walk, Kikyou?" I asked.

"S-sure." Kikyou nodded obediently. "You're surprisingly bold, Levent-kun. I'll give you that." she muttered.

"Back at you." Thus, we began walking toward the forest entrance. "That aside, why did you come to me for?"

"Hey... Can I not talk to you unless it's class related?"

"No." I replied.

"Eh?" she looked at me with genuine surprise in her face.

.....

"I was joking by the way."

"You were joking? Sigh~ Look, it's really hard to tell with that monotone and that expressionless face of your's doesn't make it any easier."

"I get that alot."

"Of course you do..." she sighed in exasperation.

"What about you? Why don't you try and be more genuine and more frank with the others?"

"Don't get me wrong. I do want some friends who I can genuinely interact with. Not everyone from our class are bad. Mii-chan is a shy girl, but she's really pure-hearted. And Kayano-chan who seems like a tough athlete-type is actually super caring when it comes to her friends. There's also Kokoro-chan who's also a bit reserved. But she loves talking about her hobbies all the time."

It seems Kikyou knows how to be genuine too.

"If it's someone like you who's praising them this much, then they really must be good people."

"They are! They're all kind and genuine people. They're... in a completely different world from a rotten person like me. I can't even get myself to imagine what they'll think of me if they get to know who I truly am."

I was always kind of dissatisfied with how Kikyou was always branded as a bogus-faced attention seeking freak. After interacting with her for quite some time, I got to see some genuine emotions seeping out of her. She was conscious of what she was doing, and sometimes even felt guilty about it. But her addiction to attention was too strong. Everything she did up until now, was a result of her defense mechanism and the insecurities caused by her actions.

"Don't worry. I'm sure there are some people who'd still accept you just the way you are." I commented.

"Yeah, that's a cliché line from a stupid light novel or something. It's easier to say, but reality is completely different from those words. I'm sure everyone detests people like me." Kikyou bit her lips in frustration.

"In that case, everyone would end up hating everyone. We're all bogus. The human society is bogus. Everyone puts a fake smile in front of everyone but secretly kills them in their head. You think you're special just because you are scrappy? You'll almost make me smirk."

I noticed some veins popping on her forehead.

"Ara... Then, would you still accept me for who I am? Even after all that had happened?"

"Why not? I really don't get it. What is there to not accept about you? You're a human too, aren't you? All humans harbor some sort of darkness that they desperately want to hide. Even I have things that I don't tell anyone. Your's was truly an unfortunate case, as I happened to be the person to overhear your secrets. You merely attempted to protect your secrets. But even so, I still see you like I see everyone in the class. It'd be hypocritical for me to think otherwise."

Kikyou suddenly hung her head down and stopped walking. I went a few steps ahead of her when I realized and then halted. Her bangs were covering her eyes, so I couldn't get a read on her. We both remained silent. This time I didn't initiate the conversation this time, patiently waiting for her response instead.

"Do you... really mean that?" she slowly pulled her head up and asked.

This could only mean two things. Either it was all an act in an attempt to get close to me, in which case she would fail spectacularly.

Or, she was truly being genuine with me for once.

Either way... I looked her in the eyes and said this.

"Of course, it'd be an entirely different matter if you were an alien. In that case I'll have to report you to the government for the sake of scientific development and humanity."

"....."

"....."

"....."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad, you know?"

"Pfft. Of course not, it was the worst. For someone smart, you really lack some sense of tact, huh? As expected, you're the biggest idiot on our class." Kikyou giggled. But this time, it was different. Her smile significantly wrinkled her eyes and she was even talking faster than usual.

Yep, no doubt about it. She was genuine.

"Sure. Whatever you say, ma'am. Can we continue? We're almost there." I grumbled.

"Now that you mention it, where are you taking me anyway?" she asked.

"Here."

We were standing in front of a waterfall which was relatively close to class B's base, but it was still about fifteen minutes from here. It didn't take too much energy to reach here though. We simply had to follow the river uphill on a different route.

The sun was already up but it was still early morning. Morning sunrays, the falling waterbody on top of an addictive ambiance. I was perfectly mesmerized by the beauty of it.

Now...

"You came to me because we didn't have enough chance to see each other lately, wasn't it? Don't worry, no one will hear you at this hour."

"So, you brought me here because you were thinking about me?"

"Not really. It was an excuse. I just wanted to see the waterfall."

"I see." Kikyou suddenly karate chopped me on the left. I let her hit me. "You really need some sense of tact, Levent-kun."

"Why?"

"If you're that smart, go figure it out. Blegh!" she poked her tongue out and mocked me before tuning her back on me and running.

"What about the–?"

"Don't need it! And besides, because of you, now I know what I really want. So, tha–" I couldn't hear what she said at the end. She went further away from me, eventually dissolving into the sea of trees. Leaving me alone in this blissful environment to enjoy all by myself.

Sigh~

••••••

Day 3, 11:22 PM.

Before noon, I noticed Ayanokouji leaving the base camp toward the entrance of the forest. Before leaving, he stopped right in the front, as if he was waiting for someone. I got up and began walking toward his direction.

"Let's see what you've got." I mused.

"Follow me."

We were talking a different route this time. We were camping on the north-west side of the island. Class B was on the central part of the island which was on the north-west from our camp. Class D was on the southern beach. The only part that would make sense for class A to occupy would be the easter side.

Rather than staying near the vicinity of the enemy class's parameter, it would be the best choice for them to find somewhere isolated. And  even if the eastern island didn't consist of as many spots as the west, it was still a considerably high number. Knowing Katsuragi's character, it would only make sense if they occupied that side. And soon enough, I found myself walking toward that direction.

So, this is where class C would've camped if it wasn't for my intervention...

"We're here."

"Yeah, I can see that."

I noticed six tents put side-by-side alongside a shower and a water purifier. There was also a set of cookware alongside the gas cylinder sticking outside the sleeping area. Albeit everything looked normal on the outside, I was pretty sure that they didn't buy a single thing with their own points.

"Interesting."

Originally, they had occupied the cave to hide their belongings. They would take everything from from class D and use it as their own. However, this time class C had occupied the cave zone. Meaning that they had lost their means of secrecy.

But if course, they could always set another tent to hide all the products. I'm sure they would do that when class D is done with their self-destruction.

"Did you notice any spot nearby?" I asked.

"I did. There's a big pile of granite nearby. I saw one of the spot recognition devices there. Are you planning on capturing it?"

"No, just take me there. I want to confirm something."

"Well, you do sound like you know what you're doing."

Ayanokouji and I sneaked past the camp and walked near the stone. I don't know how or WHY? But by sheet luck, did we manage to find Katsuragi alongside Yahiko.

"Stop! Stop!" I pulled Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji also noticed their presence and hid himself.

They were standing in front of the machine. Katsuragi reached inside his pocket and pulled the card out. Then he gave it to Yahiko who later swiped the card and returned it back.

The leader names remained the same, it didn't change. I couldn't be too sure about it considering how much the story had changed. But after seeing this, I had confirmed my doubts.

"That's enough. Let's retreat."

[E: Heya! Been going through hell lately. But other than that, life is daijobu (quite the opposite actually lol). I wrote this in a hurry and couldn't really give it much time considering I have to study 12 hours a day for the exams.

No, I'm being bloody serious right now. I sat to prepare for my Physics exam 2 days ago. Other that eating, praying, shower or taking a shit, I always had a book glued to my lap.

Ah, my back hurts!

Anyways, I have also made a side story this time (yay!) Please tell me how you feel about this story and point me all the inconsistencies. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Ciao]

Initial allotted special exam points: 300S¶

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