Meanwhile—
Outside the Class D campsite, Yōsuke Hirata found his way to Sae Chabashira's tent.
"I've been informed about Horikita. According to the exam rules, Class D will be deducted 30 temporary points. Your current point balance is 122."
Chabashira crossed her arms, speaking in a calm tone, "Furthermore, since your leader has withdrawn from the exam, you can designate a new one. If you can't decide, I can also assign one at random."
"Teacher, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"At the end of the exam, who is responsible for guessing the leaders of the other classes?" Hirata scratched his head in slight embarrassment.
A strange arc formed on Chabashira's lips. "The key card holder, of course."
Hirata paused at her words, sighed lightly, and then spoke a name that took Chabashira by surprise.
Half a minute later, Hirata found Ayanokōji and handed the pale green key card to the boy, speaking in a gentle tone, "Just as you said, I chose Kei Karuizawa as the leader."
"You could have just made the decision yourself."
Ayanokōji took the key card and calmly changed the subject. "I recall she's your girlfriend, right?"
Hirata thought for a moment before explaining, "You could say that, but my relationship with her is rather special."
"Is it a secret?" Ayanokōji feigned confusion.
"I suppose it is."
Hirata had no intention of continuing the topic. His "girlfriend's" situation was unique, and he wasn't about to reveal too much to others, not even to friends.
Seeing that he didn't intend to elaborate, Ayanokōji turned his gaze toward the girls' tent at the edge of the camp.
There, Kei Karuizawa was holding a rubber band, showing Matsushita and Satō various ways to tie a knot in a short-sleeved shirt, a brilliant smile on her face.
So, it's this standard gyaru, the counterfeit human thought.
...
At the same time, in the Class B camp.
Upon hearing that Hiyori Shiina had arrived, Ichinose emerged from her tent, curious, only to be greeted by a peculiar sight:
Sitting on a tree stump at the edge of the camp, Hiyori wore a slightly awkward smile. On one side, Chihiro was carefully massaging her shoulders, and on the other, Yume was holding a plate, diligently trying to feed her.
Chihiro: "Hiyori-chan, is this pressure okay?"
Yume: "Hiyori-chan, open up, ahh~"
Ichinose's eyes turned into dots. "Are they playing some kind of game I don't know about?"
Mako Amikura put a hand to her forehead, leaned close to the girl's ear, and whispered about Hiyori's earlier "threat." "This is how it ended up," she murmured.
"Th-this must be really tough on them."
Ichinose wiped away non-existent sweat, took a few steps forward to find Kanzaki nearby, and asked in a low voice, "Kanzaki-kun, do you have any good ideas?"
Kanzaki crossed his arms and shook his head, his tone calm. "Since it's Shiina-san who came, there's already a positive turn in this matter. I shouldn't get involved in girls' affairs. Just keep a level head yourself."
His words implied he wasn't the least bit worried about how things would unfold.
Whether Ryūen and Shiina realized it or not—from the moment the girl arrived, Class C's attitude was confirmed to be that of a friend, not a foe.
Kobashi and Shiranami were willing to play along with her. If he were to forcefully try to discuss serious matters, it would do nothing but ruin the atmosphere and wouldn't fundamentally change the outcome. It was better to wait and see.
"I see, I understand!"
Three minutes later—
Hiyori Shiina's cheeks were puffed out as she pressed herself against the tent wall, leaning back desperately to avoid the piece of grilled meat Yume was trying to feed her.
"No, this girl is totally getting revenge! This is demonic! Is she really not going to let me eat a single vegetable?!" Symon complained frantically in her mind.
Fortunately, at that moment, Ichinose enthusiastically came to the rescue, handing over a glass of cool sparkling water and saving the girl from protein hell.
Once Hiyori had caught her breath, Ichinose had already led the girls into the tent. After some small talk, they finally got down to business, and she asked about the purpose of her visit.
"Oh my, I really just came over to visit~" A smile danced in Hiyori's eyes as she explained in a gentle voice, "We made a promise on the cruise ship deck—that I'd come over to see you when I had the chance."
Hearing this, Ichinose thought back and realized they had indeed said that. She smiled sheepishly, "Oh, so that's what it was. I'd forgotten all about it."
This was the girl's pretense; she remembered her promise to everyone, regardless of whether the other party would actually fulfill it.
"I'm sorry~" Hiyori saw through her act and said apologetically, "Things have been a bit busy in Class C. If it weren't for that heavy rain yesterday, I probably would have broken my promise. However, I do have something rather important to discuss on this visit."
As she spoke, the girl turned slightly, took a key card out of her pocket, showed it to Ichinose for a moment, then gave a playful wink and said with a smile, "Because Albert-kun has withdrawn from the special exam, our class has now changed its leader, as you can see~"
Ichinose nodded, slightly surprised. After it registered, her pupils suddenly dilated. "!!!"
Beside her, Yume Kobashi reacted at the same time, exclaiming, "No way, you can do that?!"
Chihiro Shiranami threw herself into Ichinose's arms, overjoyed. "That's great, we're saved!"
Ichinose patted Chihiro in her arms, then looked at Hiyori with some hesitation and tentatively asked, "Um... I know this might be inappropriate... but if Ryūen-kun doesn't plan on guessing our leader, is it okay if we don't switch?"
Symon chuckled mockingly, "You know, if it weren't for that Ayanokōji, saving a few points wouldn't be out of the question."
...
"Mr. Ghost has probably forgotten—if it weren't for him, Ryūen-kun would have likely betrayed Class B without a second thought..."
Hiyori said this in her heart. After meeting Ichinose's gaze, she smiled and gestured for the girls to lean in, whispering, "You can't do that. And you have to be very careful when you switch, because..."
After a lengthy explanation, Hiyori told the three about the surveillance cameras. After a moment's thought, she added, "Because of this, Ryūen-kun is planning to retaliate, so I hope you don't touch that camera, and I hope you don't mention this to anyone else. Is that okay?"
Only making a demand, not giving a choice—the girl used a countermeasure card on Ichinose.
The effect was outstanding!
Ichinose nodded obediently. "I understand. I won't tell anyone."
She now carried the trust of two classes, Class B and Class C, and had no right to be willful.
"Um, is this really okay?" Yume Kobashi was a bit confused. "You could have just done nothing... Why did you warn us?"
Her little brain couldn't comprehend it. Class B was supposed to be the class ranked above Class C, so why did it feel like Class C had a grudge against Class D, determined to crush them completely?
"About that..." Hiyori lifted her eyes, pondered for a moment, then teased with a smile, "Just think of it as us getting carried away by our emotions."
Chihiro muttered under her breath, "That's pretty willful..."
Yume Kobashi deadpanned, "How very willful indeed~"
The innocent girls would probably never imagine that—before all this, a certain unscrupulous fellow had actually intended to backstab them.
...
_____
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