In the woods, even after Kōenji was long gone, Ayanokōji and Kushida, their line of sight obstructed, still hadn't found any trace of him.
"Geez... Kōenji-kun really is too much of a free spirit." Kushida said with a hint of grievance, scratching her cheek and forcing a smile.
Is she in her normal state today?
Ayanokōji glanced at her, recalling the true face beneath that delicate facade, and spoke in a calm tone: "Since it's come to this, we'll just have to explore the island ourselves. We can't rely solely on Ike and Sudō to find a spot."
That's what he said, but in reality, he had already spotted a very conspicuous cave while the cruise ship was circling the island, with some other facilities nearby.
It would have been a perfect spot, but unfortunately, judging from Ryūen's earlier actions, the cave spot had most likely already been occupied by Class C. It was too late to go there now, so he didn't bother.
"I get it," Kushida said, pausing for a moment before tilting her head with a smile. "But, you know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile, Ayanokōji-kun."
"Hm, I was probably born this way. It's actually a problem for me, too."
Ayanokōji lied casually, ignoring Kushida's somewhat suspicious gaze, and continued walking along the forest path.
After walking a short distance, the view suddenly opened up before them. Class B's chosen streamside campsite appeared, and they could also see the core group of Class B gathered in a circle within the spot, seemingly discussing something in secret.
Kushida's eyes lit up: "So this is a spot…"
Ayanokōji glanced at her, then ducked behind a large nearby tree, pulling Kushida down with him and making a hushing gesture.
Meanwhile, Ichinose looked at the gathered Class B members and said in a low voice, "Everyone… about the choice for the leader, does anyone have any thoughts?"
Shibata, with a sunny smile on his face, scratched his head and said, "If we're nominating someone, how about me? My stamina shouldn't be an issue, so I don't think I'd have much trouble fighting for spots."
"No way," Hamaguchi Tetsuya interjected. "Shibata, you're too conspicuous in class. In fact—everyone here, including you, Ichinose, Kanzaki, Kobashi, and Shiranami, isn't suitable. It's best to find someone trustworthy who's more... on the fringe... someone who doesn't stand out."
He actually wanted to say "an outcast," but he corrected himself.
Ichinose seemed puzzled: "Do we have someone like that in our class?"
The archangel cared for everyone in her class equally, never alienating any classmate, so the concept of an "outcast" didn't exist for her.
"Um… I think I have someone in mind," Kobashi Yume hesitated for a moment, quietly raising her hand. "What do you guys think of Himeno-san?"
"Himeno…" Ichinose immediately pictured a girl with black twintails. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "Yuki-chan just isn't very good at talking to people, but she always comes to class gatherings. Still… she is indeed a very good choice."
In her impression, that girl was just a bit of a maverick, not really an "outcast." And with her looks, she was definitely not someone who wouldn't stand out.
Seeing that she had said as much, Kobashi Yume hesitated, thought for a moment, but decided not to say anything more.
Chihiro Shiranami clapped her fist into her palm: "If that's what you think, Ichinose-san, then let's just decide on it."
Ichinose nodded, looked around at everyone, and seeing that they were all looking at each other without any objections, she took Kobashi Yume with her. They found Himeno pulling weeds in the campsite, explained the situation, and then Ichinose put her hands together in a plea, "We're counting on you, Himeno-san!"
Yuki Himeno was silent for a moment before nodding. "I have no objection."
Once she agreed, the girls went to the edge of the campsite, found a very drunk Hoshinomiya-sensei clutching a bottle of sake, and got the key card from her. Surrounded by their classmates, they officially occupied the spot.
Meanwhile, behind the large tree outside the camp, Ayanokōji and Kushida, who had watched the entire scene unfold, exchanged a glance and silently chose to leave. Although they hadn't heard any of the conversation, just by observing their movements, the identity of Class B's leader was pretty much a given.
...
———————————
Meanwhile, at the Class C campsite.
Contrary to what Symon had imagined—shortly after the shopping order was submitted, a helicopter had already flown over the campsite, airlifting the packaged goods, accompanied by three staff members.
In less than fifteen minutes, the staff had assembled a portable toilet at the edge of the camp. After handing over the remaining miscellaneous items to "Hiyori Shiina" for inventory, they quickly departed.
A while later, when Ryūen emerged from the forest with messy hair and covered in sweat, this was the scene that greeted him:
In the camp, things like tents and the toilet were already set up. Stones and weeds had been cleared away, and in the center was a pile of collected fruits, sweet potatoes, and firewood.
At the edge of the camp, Kaneda was holding a shovel, drawing lines on the ground, and seriously explaining the principles of a smokeless stove to a bewildered Tokitō and others.
By the pond, Ibuki and the gyaru group were washing sweet potatoes together. Hiyori Shiina was sitting on the bank with two iron buckets in front of her, a kitchen knife in hand, cutting and preparing the sweet potatoes.
In the pond, Suzuki and Kondō, wearing swim trunks, were pulling a seine net to catch all the fish. Nearby, Komiya was sticking several long poles into the water, apparently preparing to use the netting to fashion a large fish basket.
After a quick look around, confirming that everything had been arranged in perfect order, Ryūen scoffed. He walked to the spring, scooped up some clear water to drink, and leaned back against a rock to rest leisurely. It just went to show that Kazuma Sakagami was nothing more than a damn teacher. Worrying so much had been completely unnecessary. Looking at the situation now, wasn't that Shiina woman handling things just fine?
...
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