Day 2
Camp Class A.
Katsuragi sat in silence, Yahiko taking a seat opposite him. In fact, his faction was on their own side of the camp. The birds chirped as rays of sunlight peeked through everything.
The sound of chirping birds was interrupted by a rumble... A stomach rumble.
Hashimoto squinted his eyes in disdain towards Katsuragi. "What's up, baldy? Are we getting fed or what?"
Katsuragi looked at him calmly as he replied.
"I'm working on it. For now, we'll have to gather supplies."
"Gather supplies? Are you serious? We were given points for upkeep, not for fancy stuff."
With a sigh, Katsuragi replied, "It's not that I don't care. I'm also aware of the use of points, so you don't need to keep pointing that out. I told you, I'm working on it. This is for the good of our class. We need to accumulate more class points."
"For the good of our class? We are the class! And I can tell you firmly that this method isn't doing us any good."
"Look, as long as we hold up, our clas--"
"I don't care about class points right now, baldy. How are we going to benefit from class points when we're going to die of hunger? It's not going to bring us back from the dead, is it?" Hashimoto bit back.
"Suck it up, Hashimoto."
Hashimoto snapped his neck, eyes red with annoyance, facing Koji Machida. "Shut the fuck up, I wasn't talking to you."
"Alright, bro."
Koji's dismissal of Hashimoto only made him angrier.
"That's enough!" Katsuragi commanded, grabbing everyone's attention. "By the end of today, we'll be restocking supplies. For now, you should go hunt. It's a survival-based exam."
"For real...?" Shigeru Takemoto groaned in frustration. "I'm not becoming Indiana Jones just because of some test."
"Indiana Jones is an adventurer, y-y-you dumbass," Miki Yamamura squeaked.
Ai stood close to me, her body language relaxed. Right now, I wanted to scout the other class's camp, but Katsuragi's watchful and over-cautious side wouldn't allow such a thing.
"Hey, Ai, it seems Katsuragi won't be taking any action for now. I'm starving, what about you?"
Ai raised her brows. "I suppose I could use a bite or two. I believe there are some fruits or trees nearby. Since this island belongs to some cooperative and they provide the mechanics for occupying spots, they'll supposedly make sure the island provides some natural resources."
"Yeah, we should move them."
"Yep." Ai turned to Katsuragi as she spoke. "I believe you're not going to resolve this issue for now, so I propose we go out to scout for some food and supplies. That shouldn't be hard, right?"
Katsuragi narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I said anything against the idea of scouting. If you must, then do so and bear with me."
Ai nodded and looked at me. Hashimoto scratched his head.
"Good lord, I'm lazy as a sloth when it comes to scouting for resources, but I can't have myself dying of hunger."
"Yeah."
Others agreed to Ai's proposal, some showing disdain for Katsuragi's approach to this exam.
---
Katsuragi's behavior is somewhat odd. I take it as a person who doesn't want to put his classmates in such a stressful position. Perhaps he has something planned...? Whatever it is, he's confident that it will ease us, seeing that he's risking his leadership by acting this way.
We walked in groups. I looked over to Ai, who was walking aimlessly, and Hashimoto's eyes twitched in anger. I stopped, prompting stares at me.
"Wait. Why don't we split into groups, each with a task such as scouting for food, water, and materials? It'll be faster that way."
Miki Yamamura squeaked. "T-that's not a bad idea, that way we can achieve d-different goals in our expedition."
Hashimoto scoffed. "Fine, we'll split into groups, just like Sienna suggested—food, water, and materials."
In just a few minutes, Hashimoto gave everyone their roles, and everyone was proactive in achieving them, as it would benefit the class and themselves.
I was teamed up with Ryoko Nishikawa and Yasumi Sawada. Our task: finding something edible. I wanted to do something on my own, and their presence would prevent me from doing that. Thanks to my observations of the island while on the deck, we were close to a cornfield. Although it was relatively small, it still had some maize. Whether it's ripe or not is another matter.
"Hey, Ryoko, I believe there's a cornfield nearby. Why don't you guys check it out?"
"A cornfield? How did you know that?"
"Nothing much, just from my observation on the deck when we were still on the ship. My eyes just happened to fall on it."
Ryoko tilted her head and looked at Yasumi. "That's good news. At least our task is more assured."
Yasumi nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah, that's cool and all, but you mentioned 'you guys.' You aren't coming with?"
"That's thoughtful, but the maize would need a lot of lifting. Two individuals seem enough for that. As for me, I'll be scouting for more resources—the more the merrier."
Ryoko nodded in understanding, and looked at Yasumi, who was skeptical at first, but upon hearing my explanation, she rested at ease.
"Fine, be careful though."
"You too."
---
Just like that, I successfully branched off from my own group. Now, to my objective.
I carved a board out of wood and wrote something on it.
I took out my survival knife, broke a thick tree branch, and started carving. With precision and effort, it came out slender. I noticed that the trees around this area were very dry, so cutting and carving them was efficient.
But I needed fire. Not just for warmth, but for a signal—maybe even for proof.
I didn't have rope. Due to the school's choice of Vans slip-on shoes, not even a shoelace was an option.
So, I looked down at my jersey. It was already frayed at the edges. I tugged gently at the seam near my waist. The thread came loose—long, stubborn, tangled. I kept pulling. It caught on my nail and sliced the skin slightly, but I didn't stop. Inch by inch, I gathered enough.
I tied it to the bow I'd shaped, careful not to stretch it too far. It wasn't meant for tension, but I was.
I wrapped the spindle in the makeshift thread, fitting it into the hole I carved on the fireboard. My other hand gripped a smooth stone I'd picked up earlier—it would serve as the socket.
And then I began.
Back and forth. Slow at first. The sound of dry wood scraping echoed through the silence. I pressed down harder, faster. My arms began to burn. The thread creaked, frayed, but held.
Smoke curled up.
I didn't smile. Not yet.
I stopped only when I saw it—the tiniest ember, glowing red in the groove. I dropped to my knees, cupped it gently with dry grass and pine needles I had scavenged earlier, and blew.
The fire caught.
A small, stubborn flame.
---
Class B camp.
"We're lucky we got to this place first. Resources are basically free around here," Kanzaki voiced his admiration of the spot they claimed.
"By resources, you mean fish and saltwater."
Kanzaki raised his brows at Himeno. "It's a start. We could always boil the water, and the fish is a good source of food too. The salt we get from the water could be used for flavoring as well."
Himeno tilted her head. "It seems it's not so bad after all, huh?"
Ichinose came back from her scouting with the others, bringing a few spices. Possibly for further enhancement of the fish's flavor.
"What's up, guys? We brought in the pot for boiling water, and some spices like nutmeg, bell pepper, and the rest. Now we won't be eating the fish without some flavor."
Ichinose said in a cheerful and enthusiastic manner. Kozue came to inspect, her face playful.
"I don't like spices that much, but I definitely agree that the fish needs flavor."
Lloyd observed in a quiet manner, his eyes gazing far away. In a moment, everything froze.
"Guys—a fire! It's eating up a tree fast, and it's close to the camp!!"
Shibata burst through the treeline, breath ragged, face flushed with heat and urgency. That explained his absence.
"It's not that big of a firebreak. We can contain it if we act fast."
The words hit like a whip. Class B froze. Panic bled into their expressions like ink in water.
Chihiro Shiranami clutched Yume Kobashi's hand, eyes wide and glassy. "T-this can't be good."
"Fire in the woods is never a good thing," someone muttered behind them.
Kanzaki stepped forward, voice low but firm. "Everyone, calm down. Panic helps nothing right now."
But the students didn't move—they stood transfixed, staring at the rising column of black smoke snaking into the sky. It wasn't a warning anymore. It was a promise.
Kanzaki turned to Ichinose, who stood frozen in place, eyes vacant.
"Ichinose!!"
"—Squeak!" She jolted.
Kanzaki didn't waste a beat. "We need water. Buckets, canteens, anything. Start forming a line to the stream!"
"But what if it's too big?!" someone cried.
"Then we control the edges—keep it from reaching the camp. Go!"
---
Upon reaching the scene, ember light danced across their faces. The fire licked hungrily at the bark of a single tree—thankfully isolated, far from other trunks or thick brush. But the wind was cruel, and already it pushed flames toward scattered twigs and dried leaves nearby.
Kanzaki didn't hesitate. He dropped to one knee, coat wrapped tight around his hand.
"Throw dirt at the roots—bury it! Stop it from crawling!"
"Water coming through!" Ichinose shouted from the stream.
They began tossing water from canteens and makeshift buckets. The fire hissed, spat steam. Someone flung a damp shirt over a glowing patch of bark—it sizzled, smoke puffing out.
One by one, the embers died. The bark blackened. The steam rose.
Breathless, scorched, and quiet, they stepped back. For now, the fire was out.
Lloyd put out the last flame that was eating up the bushes, his gaze turned back to the black matter formerly known as a tree.
Just as Kanzaki was about to analyze the situation, he noticed a board hanging ominously from a tree bark nearby. The message on it read: "I know the leader of Class B." Nothing more, nothing less—just that. Kanzaki narrowed his eyes, while Ichinose brought her hand to her mouth in shock.
Himeno approached, asking, "What's up? What's written there that has you all frozen like deer caught in headlights?"
Kanzaki handed the board to Himeno. She fell silent as she read, grasping the implications of the message.
"What do you think, Ichinose?" Kanzaki asked.
"I… I don't know," Ichinose replied, her voice uncertain.
The Class B students began whispering among themselves, the message leaving them uneasy.
"This is obviously a bluff," Sayo Ando snapped, breaking the silence. "How could they know? They haven't even scouted our camp like the others."
Kanzaki shook his head. "I think that's possible, but it could also be a slip-up from our side when we were claiming our spot." Chihiro Shiranami looked down, her expression one of self-deprecation.
"It's not your fault, Chihiro," Kanzaki said, offering reassurance. "They must have spied on us when we were setting up."
Ichinose tried to console Chihiro, while Kozue stepped forward, her posture determined. "I think there's a way we can prevent this, whether it's a bluff or not."
Shibata's voice cut through the tension. "How are we supposed to do that? The situation is clear: someone, an unknown figure, told us they know who our leaders are. Whether they're lying or not, we're left guessing."
"And we can't change leaders now," Shibata continued, summarizing the situation clearly.
Kanzaki nodded. "I agree, Shibata. We need to figure out what's really going on here."
"I don't know, but I think I have a plan…" Kozue started, though her confidence didn't seem entirely solid.
"Why don't we discuss this back at camp? It's getting dark," Kanzaki suggested, looking at the sky.
Lloyd, who had been quietly observing, stared at the board on the ground. His eyes were half-lidded, his usual calm demeanor unchanged. He reached for the board, scanning the message before flipping it over. On the back, another message was written: "Es ist sein Anhänger."
German? Strange. Lloyd nodded to himself, piecing the information together in his mind. The conclusion was already forming.
What is it you're planning?