Something wasn't right about this development.
On the deck, Houtarou had observed Mio and Kakeru deliberately staging a show of discord in front of everyone. At the time, he suspected they were planning something significant.
The current situation was clear: Class C students had forfeited, and their homeroom teacher Kazuma remained tight-lipped on the teacher's board. This meant any Class C student still on the island had to be either a leader or a spy gathering intelligence about other classes' leaders.
When Houtarou spotted Mio, he knew immediately — she was Class C's planted spy.
Yet he was stunned that Class A students would willingly take in a spy.
Masumi's plan was to flip Mio and use her as their own spy within Class C. While clever in theory, the timing made it far too risky.
If Class A's leader information leaked, it would devastate them. No one in Class A could afford to take that chance. Their top priority had to be minimizing risk.
So Houtarou led Masumi, Hayato, and Mio to Class B's camp.
Class B had wandered for half a day before claiming their campsite. They had likely waited until Class D's eight-hour point occupation expired before swooping in to claim it.
Despite Rokusuke's speed, he couldn't possibly secure all 40 spots around the island at once. This gave Class B their first win.
Class B had chosen their spot wisely. They'd occupied a vegetable garden with an irrigation well, ensuring a steady water supply.
They'd even set up bathing facilities using the well water and a gas water heater.
Earlier at camp, Houtarou had killed time by reading through the school's Base Points Exchange Manual for supplies.
The manual listed three water heater options: gas, solar, and electric.
The gas heater was most economical at just 10 Base Points, though it came without a shower room.
To work around this, Honami's group had cleverly constructed their own frame and covered it with the school's free garbage bags as curtains, saving the Base Points they would have spent on a proper shower room.
These Class B students really knew how to live economically.
Their frugal approach suggested their agreement with Kakeru from Class C wouldn't reach 200 Base Points — they were saving at every opportunity. Yet mere saving wasn't the path to passing the exam.
Houtarou thought to himself.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
"Class A students—and Class C—"
Class B students quickly spotted Houtarou's group, all eyes turning toward them.
"Class B everyone." Houtarou said, "We mean no harm."
Masumi and Hayate stepped forward, producing the sugarcane and corn they had brought and setting them aside.
"This is—"
Though Honami was apparently occupied elsewhere, Ryūji and Sō — the athletic boy who had checked Kakeru's point earlier — approached them.
"These are resources from our spot." Houtarou said, "We're offering them as humanitarian aid. Also, we have a favor to ask."
"Ask us?" Ryūji frowned.
A commotion stirred at the back of the Class B crowd. The students parted, making way for an incredibly beautiful girl with pink waist-length hair.
This was Honami.
Among the first-years, her looks rivaled Suzune's. She was Class B's beauty, but more than that — she was their trusted de facto representative, admired for her personal charm.
Her hair was still slightly damp from bathing. Even in the standard red tracksuit, she looked lovely — the kind of person who could wear anything and look naturally beautiful.
"This is Ibuki—" Honami recognized the Class C girl immediately, "She's this badly injured too—"
Her choice of words was telling.
That "too" indicated they had encountered other injured Class C students.
"Our class's students found Ibuki-san sitting alone under a tree on their way back from roll call." Houtarou said, "According to her, Ryūen violently took over the results of their agreement with your class. Then he and the others forfeited and returned to the ship. She doesn't want to stay with them — after being beaten for two consecutive days, she's worried about what might happen if she makes contact again."
As he spoke, he glanced at Mio, who caught his look.
She was confused. Why was he looking at her now? What did he expect her to do?
The situation was bewildering. She had originally infiltrated Class A to spy on their leader information, but now she was being brought to Class B.
Moreover, now that Houtarou had brought her out, she had no choice but to play along. After all, refusing to leave Class A would only raise suspicions. So she cooperated.
But now... was he planning to leave her here in Class B?
Despite her confusion, Mio delivered her lines according to Kakeru's script.
"I hate Ryūen. I don't want to stay on the ship with that guy." As she spoke, she pressed her left hand against her right arm.
A fresh bruise marked her skin — one that hadn't been there yesterday.
Evidence of today's beating.
"Ryūen went too far!"
Several of Class B's students had witnessed Mio being struck on the ship's deck yesterday. And today, it seemed, the beating had been even worse.
"In this situation, it really isn't safe for her to have contact with Ryūen again." Even Ryūji, who had been quite harsh earlier, had softened his tone.
"Our class feels the same way." Houtarou said, "Kamuro-san found Ibuki-san, but after bringing her back, we discovered our tents are full. We only have four tents, and having ten students sleep in one tent is already very cramped."
He knew this wasn't true — they actually had six tents, meaning each tent only needed to sleep seven people.
Masumi remained silent, likely expecting an explanation later. She simply nodded.
"I see." Honami nodded when the tent issue came up.
Even Ryūji and Sō, who had visited Kakeru's point earlier, looked somewhat embarrassed.
After investigating Class C's spot together, Honami and the others had returned to camp and arranged for students to retrieve the two unused tents from Kakeru's group.
Several students were still setting up the tents they'd taken from Class C. This effectively left the Class C students without shelter.
The situation was rather awkward when viewed in this light.
"Moreover…" Houtarou shared information with Class B — something he preferred not to act on directly but could prompt them to address, "The exam rules strictly prohibit fighting and forceful resource seizure, with violations resulting in point deductions. However, since Class C already has 0 Base Points, these penalties have no effect."
"But Ibuki-san's mistreatment by Ryūen is undeniable. Once we return to school, we can report his violent behavior to the Student Council. Remember, he already received a warning for his previous conflict with Class D students."
"I'm sure you understand the implications, Ichinose-san. Given Ryūen's record, a report to the Student Council would likely result in Class C receiving a 50-point deduction in Class Points."
Mio: "..."
??
⍟⍟⍟
T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing