In the forest, sunlight struck the shaded path, filtering through the dense leaves and branches to cast dappled shadows. The students escaped the direct sun, but not the humid, sweltering air.
Within the Class C group, the students were clearly uncomfortable with this. Even though they had prepared for it, that didn't stop them from complaining about the school's cruelty.
Of course, such minor incidents didn't affect the group's progress.
About twenty minutes later, the members of Class C reached the end of the path, passed through the dense forest, went around a large rock blocking their way, and successfully arrived at their destination.
Before them was a clear pond nestled against the rock face. It was oval-shaped, about 50 square meters in size. Aquatic plants like cattails grew along its banks. The pond's source was a spring under a tree by the rock, carefully protected by pebbles and gravel. Next to it was a card reader with a sign in deliberately reddened font that read—'Please protect the environment.'
"No way! This is amazing!" some girls exclaimed in surprise.
Komiya squatted down, setting down the simple portable toilet he was carrying, and remarked, "This uninhabited island has some pretty obvious man-made traces."
"Who cares? I just want to know if there are any fish in this pond," Ishizaki said, tossing the tarp he was holding to the ground. He casually asked a girl for his bag back, found his cup inside, and rushed over to the spring to get some water.
"Whoa! You're so sly, Ishizaki!"
"No fair, I need a drink too!"
With Ishizaki leading the way, the rest of the group, who were already parched, couldn't be bothered with decorum. They each found their own bags and ran to the spring to guzzle down water.
Meanwhile, 'Hiyori Shiina' was sitting against the rock face, gently massaging her sore legs. She spoke with a hint of grievance in her mind, "Hiyori, do you think our morning runs these past few months have actually been useful?"
"You're already doing great, Mr. Ghost…"
Recalling the rough and uneven path, Hiyori gently comforted him in her mind, "If this were the old us, we probably wouldn't have been able to keep up with the group, you know."
"I guess it's alright…"
Muttering this inwardly, Symon took the water Ibuki had scooped for him. After taking a couple of small sips, he looked up and smiled, "Thanks a bunch. Let's rest for a bit."
"Yeah," Ibuki nodded, squatting down to sit beside the girl. She turned to look at the others who were also resting and asked nonchalantly, "What's that guy Ryūen up to, being all secretive?"
"Sorry, I'm not too sure either," Symon said. After a moment of thought, he added, "But his actions are actually quite predictable. The only things on this island worth him acting alone for are the spots. He's probably gone to install surveillance cameras or capture a spot."
Based on his understanding of Ryūen, that guy was not one to sit still. Having gained an intelligence advantage, he would never rest until he had squeezed every last drop of value from it. As for quietly surviving for seven days—don't even think about it!
...
Elsewhere, in a watchtower on the island's edge, Ryūen took out the remaining four pinhole cameras from his pocket. He picked one and brazenly stuck it right above the card reader, disguising it as part of the machine itself.
Having done this, Ryūen took out a map from his coat and unfolded it. His finger moved across it, tracing a path from the cave, to the safe house, to the tower. He skipped over the nearby stream and beach, focusing his attention on a more distant well spot. Once he had confirmed the direction, he walked straight out of the watchtower.
The stream spot was that woman Ichinose's territory. It was too late to go there now; he'd have to find another way later.
As for that damn beach, at a time when everyone was busy looking for a base camp, whoever went to occupy it was an idiot!—And he, Ryūen, was definitely no idiot!
...
The scene returns to the pond.
After a short break, 'Hiyori Shiina' stood up before the members of Class C. She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, then brought her hands together and said gently, "Everyone, please gather and form a line. We have something very important to do next."
"Hiyori, do we really need to line up?" Ishizaki raised his hand high and said casually, "If it's you, no one's going to cause trouble."
"No, we must," Symon said with a smile, shaking his head. He explained gently, "There's a lot to do this afternoon, and we'll need to make full use of everyone's strength. It's also necessary to mix the boys and girls into groups. Ishizaki, you're quite strong, so if you have the energy, you can look after everyone a little more."
"If that's the case, then I guess there's no helping it." Hearing this, Ishizaki scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed as he stood up and was the first to get in line.
With him taking the lead, and Albert silently following suit, members of Ryūen's faction like Komiya, Suzuki, and Kondō naturally got up and lined up as well.
Among the remaining boys, Kaneda had already stood at the front. The leader of the opposing clique, Tokitō, didn't say much and obediently stepped forward.
The situation with the girls was less complicated. Ibuki was the first to move, and the vast majority quickly began to line up. From the thorny gyaru group, Nanami Yabu and Saki Yamashita were the first to respond, with Rika Morofuji following silently. Manabe, though somewhat reluctant, also came forward with them.
Before long, Symon looked at the assembled Class C and asked with a smile, "First, does anyone have any camping or bivouacking experience? Please raise your hand so I can see."
As he finished speaking, no one in the Class C line raised their hand.
Symon's expression didn't change as he asked calmly, "Second, has anyone visited the countryside for fun, or participated in outdoor activities like picking fruit in an orchard or on a farm? Please raise your hand."
Thanks to the extremely prevalent school bullying culture in Japan, few would be willing to mention coming from the countryside. This euphemistic way of asking was a necessity.
In the line, two girls, Rika Morofuji and Mariko Yajima, hesitantly raised their hands, likely having experience with farm work at home.
"I see."
Symon clapped his hands together, nodded with a smile, and said, "Alright, Albert, you'll be in a group with Morofuji. Each of you take four boys and four girls from the front or back of the line and head southeast to find the sweet potato field and harvest them. Yamada, remember to protect her, okay?"
Albert raised his head. "No problem."
Rika Morofuji hesitated for a moment before giving a barely audible "Mm."
She actually wanted to say that unless the soil was soft and sandy, it would be very difficult to harvest sweet potatoes without tools like a shovel—but she didn't dare mention it.
As the two of them led 10 people away from the line, Symon turned to Ishizaki and said with a smile, "Ishizaki, your task might be a bit heavy."
Ishizaki grinned. "No problem, just tell me what to do."
Symon said, "On the way here, I saw some fruit trees in the forest, as well as some scattered dead branches, dry grass, and other things we can use to start a fire. I want you and Yajima to lead a team. Take eight more girls with you as a gathering party to bring those things back. Your priority is to ensure their safety. Can you do that?"
"Leave it to me!" Ishizaki pounded his chest, his grin stretching nearly ear to ear.
Suzuki, Komiya, and Kondō: "Damn it! You lucky bastard, Ishizaki! Why do you get such a good assignment?!"
Ishizaki flashed a toothy smile, flexed his arm, and the muscles on his shoulder bulged. "Hmph, you feeble weaklings! This is the power of muscle!"
Joking like this, Ishizaki turned, found Yajima in the line, and led a row of girls back into the forest.
Watching the now half-empty line, Symon looked hesitantly at Kaneda. After a moment's thought, he said, "Kaneda, I remember you mentioned in the chatroom that you've read books about camping. So, I'll leave the camp construction, setting up tents, and clearing weeds to your command. Can you handle it?"
Hearing this, Kaneda turned his head and glanced at Ibuki and the gyaru trio who were still at the camp, as well as Tokitō's opposition faction and the rest of Ryūen's followers...
After a moment of silence, Kaneda pushed up his glasses, his face unreadable. He asked, "No problem. Can I require them to follow my orders?"
Symon brought his hands together and said with a smile, "Of course. I can help too, if needed."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, following along through her body's senses and watching Symon assign tasks to everyone in the class, Hiyori pondered for a moment before suddenly saying softly, "Mr. Ghost, just making everyone follow orders isn't going to work, you know~"
"You noticed, huh."
"It's very obvious that you're the one giving the orders, Mr. Ghost."
"Hmm... how should I put this..."
Symon thought for a moment and replied warmly in their mind, "You can't blame me for this. I'm not sure how many points you guys have left, so for now, I have to operate as if you have zero."
"The situation is this—you've just arrived in an unfamiliar environment where nothing is certain. This is when people feel the most insecure and emotional. If I can't get things on track before your teacher brings the bad news, things will get difficult."
"So, right now, I need them to get used to obeying, to get used to following instructions. Even if it lowers efficiency, even if it means sacrificing individual strengths, it can't be helped."
"Once night falls, once everyone has eaten their fill, has a bonfire, a place to sleep, and a hot drink, and they've settled down—that's when everyone can speak their minds, use their talents, and work together to get out of this predicament. Understand?"
Hiyori Shiina fell silent for a moment. After some thought, she whispered in the gentlest tone, "Mr. Ghost, have you ever considered... that everyone is just a simple kid? Maybe you don't need to think about it so much..."
"..., sorry."
"I'm not blaming you, you know. On the contrary, arigatō~"
"..."
______
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