Ibuki's return to Class D's camp was welcomed warmly by the students, to the point that for a moment it felt like she had returned home.
I suppose her return had been inevitable. If she couldn't enter the camp anymore, then there was no point in her staying on the island. She would've been better off joining her classmates back on the ship.
I didn't mind her return as long as she didn't try anything stupid again…
Eating our food for free while causing problems—what an ungrateful person.
"Hikigaya-kun… it's time to occupy the area," Yukinoshita said as she stood in front of me.
We hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, and attendance hadn't been taken either, but eight hours had already passed since the last time we scanned the card at the terminal.
It was time again.
I headed toward the edge of the camp where Horikita was standing alone, waiting to hand me the card.
Did we seriously have to do this every single day?
I had already started hating this plan from the second day. Who even came up with such a stupid idea?
I kicked a pebble forward before stopping beside Horikita, who kept turning her head around cautiously, searching for anyone who might be watching us.
Well, the only one who might come spying was Ibuki… and she was probably sleeping right now… maybe.
"Why do we have to do this at the edge of the camp? Doesn't it attract attention?" Horikita said while staring at the group of students in the center preparing to start a new day.
She might've been right. Standing here did look suspicious.
"Yeah… but anyone spying on us would focus on the center of the camp. They wouldn't pay attention to two loners like us," I said while holding out my fingers for her to hand me the card.
"Whatever."
Horikita carefully pulled the card from her pocket and passed it precisely between my fingers.
Then we headed toward the terminal, where Yukinoshita was already waiting.
"Kōenji, please."
Kōenji stepped forward with his arms folded and stood in front of us, blocking anyone from seeing the occupation process.
Once the countdown started again, I slipped the card into my pocket and walked alone toward the designated spot.
Walking together with Horikita would attract attention, right?
Horikita quickly approached me, as if she wanted to finish the process as fast as possible. She placed the card back into my hand before immediately heading toward the tent to complete the procedure and hide it again.
That should be enough for now…
I let out a slow sigh and walked away toward the attendance area since Chabashira-sensei had already arrived.
---
After breakfast, I somehow managed to convince Yukinoshita that today was my day off.
Since she had decided that everyone working deserved one rest day, it was only fair that I got one too.
I chose today specifically because Class D had decided to take a collective break on Day 6.
That would only leave Day 7, and we'd be leaving the island anyway.
So today was the perfect choice.
I still hadn't decided what to do today, but at least I knew one thing:
I wasn't staying in camp.
I stood beside the river washing my face and hands after breakfast alongside Yukinoshita, who had just finished eating.
As I looked around, I felt an irritating gaze fixed on me…
Ibuki.
She was standing behind us, openly staring without even trying to hide it.
…No.
She wasn't watching me.
I glanced at Yukinoshita, who had her hand submerged in the river water.
She was watching Yukinoshita…
Hmm. That was strange.
I took a step toward Yukinoshita while watching Ibuki from the corner of my eye.
"Yukinoshita, wanna play a game?"
---
Yukinoshita turned and began walking back toward camp while I stayed behind staring at her… then at the river water.
It had to be cold.
I dropped to my knees and dipped my hands into the water.
Without hesitation, I started splashing water onto Yukinoshita's back until her blazer was soaked.
"Ah…"
Yukinoshita froze in place.
Then she touched her back as if confirming the wetness on her clothes.
Slowly, she turned toward me and removed her blazer, leaving only a short-sleeved white shirt that revealed her slender arms.
Her face visibly darkened with anger after my surprise attack.
"Hikigaya-kun… you're dead."
She tossed her blazer aside and marched toward the river at high speed.
The hostility in her voice and movements was obvious.
Was she seriously going to kill me?
I immediately raised both hands and bowed my head.
"I surrender, I surrender!" I shouted loudly.
But Yukinoshita gave me no chance whatsoever and started splashing water at me nonstop until everything from my hair to my socks was drenched.
"I said I surrender! You're supposed to stop! Respect the rules—the rules!" I yelled while wiping water from my face.
"I see… sorry, Hikigaya-kun. I may have gone a little overboard," Yukinoshita said with a small smile while closing her eyes.
A little?
There wasn't a single dry part left on me.
"Besides, you were the one who soaked my blazer," Yukinoshita added while looking around for it.
"I was just joking…" I muttered while struggling to move in my soaked socks.
"Where did it go…?"
Yukinoshita started searching around for the blazer.
After throwing it aside in anger, it had somehow disappeared.
Did it get mad at us and run away?
"Ah… Ibuki-san."
Suddenly, Ibuki emerged from the bushes holding the red blazer in her hands.
"Is this my blazer?" Yukinoshita asked as she approached her.
"Y-Yeah… I found it on the ground."
Ibuki hurriedly handed it over before backing away like she was escaping.
"…Thank you," Yukinoshita muttered while dusting it off.
"So this was your game…" Yukinoshita said after deciding the blazer was too dirty to wear again.
"…More or less."
I figured Ibuki had been watching Yukinoshita because she suspected she was the leader and hiding the card.
She was probably waiting for any opportunity to search through her belongings, especially if the card was hidden somewhere close like inside her blazer.
So why not hand her that opportunity as a little welcome-back gift?
"So now they're convinced I'm not carrying the card…" Yukinoshita said.
"Probably."
It didn't matter what they knew anymore.
The card wasn't with Yukinoshita.
Nor with me.
Nor with Horikita.
My eyes wandered around the camp.
It looked like the narcissistic guy had already left.
So at the very least, the card wasn't in the camp anymore…
"Achoo!"
I sneezed loudly into my hands.
"I see, Hikigaya-kun… have you caught a cold? Don't forget we have medicine for that. You're free to use it whenever you want," Yukinoshita said mockingly.
"And whose fault is all this? Didn't I say it was just a game?" I complained while removing my soaked shirt.
"…Well, today is your day off. Go to the beach," Yukinoshita said while walking back toward camp ahead of me.
Not a bad idea…
I hadn't exercised in a while. Swimming might actually be good.
---
After packing everything I needed into my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and headed straight toward the beach.
The weather was sunny—perfect for spending the entire day there.
No time to waste.
I dropped my bag onto the sand and changed clothes, wearing only my swim trunks.
After some warm-up stretches, I headed toward the cold ocean water and jumped into the waves, swimming back and forth along the shoreline.
Probably good exercise for the whole body.
Once I'd had enough physical activity, I climbed back onto the sand and changed clothes again.
I put on my track pants, stuffed my swim trunks and wet shirt into the bag, and draped my T-shirt over my head to shield myself from the sun.
The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful.
As if there wasn't an exam involving over a hundred students fighting each other.
Appearances really were deceptive.
I heard rustling behind me in the trees and quickly turned around.
A girl wearing a short-sleeved white shirt stepped out from the forest, her long hair flowing behind her.
Yukinoshita stopped for a moment before approaching me.
"So you were here," she said while looking toward the waves.
"Is something wrong?"
Today was my day off.
No work was ruining it.
"No."
Yukinoshita sat down beside me on the sand.
"How are things going?" she asked.
"I don't know… we'll find out at the end."
No matter what measures you took, you'd never know how effective they really were until the story ended.
"You're right," Yukinoshita said with a nod.
"We still have very little information on Class A. We won't learn anything about them unless we act," she said.
She was right.
Even after sending scouts, the results had been disappointing.
Class A could be dangerous.
Even without Sakayanagi participating in the exam, we still needed to be extremely cautious around them.
"Do you want me to scout them?"
"Do you want to?" Yukinoshita asked while glancing at me sideways.
"If there's no other volunteer, I'll do it."
I couldn't promise much.
At best, I could only take a look at their camp.
My results might not differ from the others who tried before me.
"Then I'll go," I said while standing up and putting my shirt back on.
"Thank you," Yukinoshita murmured while standing up too, though she paused briefly to glance at me.
"What?" I asked suspiciously.
I didn't like people staring at me while I changed clothes.
"Hikigaya-kun… have you started exercising recently?" Yukinoshita asked while placing a hand under her chin thoughtfully.
"Only recently," I answered while pulling my shirt down over my stomach.
"You seem to be gaining some muscle," Yukinoshita commented as she started walking back toward the forest.
"Really?"
I glanced at my arms and shoulders.
They hadn't changed that much.
Maybe I just couldn't notice since I saw them every day.
I picked up my bag and followed behind Yukinoshita.
"They're staying in a cave on that hill," Yukinoshita said while pointing toward the highest point on the island.
If they were there, reaching them should be easy.
"Got it."
I adjusted my bag, preparing to leave, but Yukinoshita suddenly held out her hand toward me.
"What?"
"Your bag. I'll take it back to camp."
…She had a point.
Moving around with it on my back would be annoying.
"Thanks."
Yukinoshita took the bag from me, slung it over her shoulder, and started walking back the way she came.
"Be careful not to get lost in the forest," she said before leaving.
What was that?
Was she my mother now?
Besides, who would even get lost on such a tiny island?