"How am I supposed to learn his name now…"
I rubbed my chin as I lazily dragged my feet back toward the camp.
Now that Class A knew I was the leader, I should at least return the favor by learning the name of theirs...
Should I ask someone? It would look suspicious if I went back just to question his classmates.
Or ask him directly... No, that's stupid.
Maybe Chabashira-sensei...
No. That would affect the outcome of the exam. She wouldn't answer.
I'll think of another way later.
When I returned to Class D's camp, silence had taken over after everyone left for the beach.
Only Yukinoshita remained.
She sat beneath a tree with her back resting against the trunk, her eyes closed. For a moment, she looked like part of the scenery itself...
Part of the island.
"Yukinoshita, are you alright?" I asked quietly as I approached.
"Ah... Hikigaya-kun... I'm just taking a short break..." Yukinoshita replied, opening her eyes only slightly.
She had carried the class throughout the entire week.
She deserved a chance to rest.
"There isn't much time left..."
"That's true. So, what happened?"
"Class A and Class C figured out that I'm the leader," I said, leaning against the tree.
"Really... What a disaster," Yukinoshita replied calmly.
What kind of reaction was that...?
Didn't she realize that if the other classes knew who our leader was, defeat was practically guaranteed?
"So Class A and Class C formed an alliance as well..." Yukinoshita stood up.
Whoa...
What a deduction.
I hadn't even told her that yet.
"Yeah. They seem to have some kind of agreement," I answered with a shrug.
Ryuen was probably selling information to Katsuragi. Katsuragi was the one who needed it, and Ryuen wouldn't give it away for free.
"What about Horikita?"
She had looked especially upset this morning, mainly because we hadn't explained anything to her.
"She refused to cooperate until I explained everything. She kept insisting that what I was doing was legal until she read the entire rulebook..."
Horikita was the type who was difficult to convince, especially when something looked suspicious.
That's why I avoided telling her from the start.
I glanced around the empty camp.
Everyone had already left.
"When are they coming back?" I asked, thinking about taking a nap while they were gone.
"They said they'd eat lunch there and return in the evening."
So they'd be gone for quite a while...
Good.
Wait.
Lunch?
"What about us? When are we supposed to eat?"
I could tolerate other people's behavior because I simply didn't care.
But being short on food?
That was unacceptable.
"Isn't it obvious? We'll cook for ourselves."
"Huh..."
---
Yukinoshita placed a bucket containing several fish in front of me.
"This is our lunch," she said, pointing at it.
"Oh... It looks different from yesterday's lunch."
Yesterday our fish had already been cooked.
Today's was raw.
I appreciated the island's variety of cuisine.
"I'm going to gather some fruit. Start the fire first," Yukinoshita said before heading toward the area where we collected supplies.
Hmm...
I had no idea how to start a fire.
At least I could arrange the firewood.
I carefully stacked the branches one on top of another into a small dome.
Now what?
We were supposed to use matches...
I couldn't remember.
I glanced at the bucket before reaching in and picking up a small fish.
"Sorry we caught you, but honestly, this is your own fault. Were you stupid enough to swim into a net? Think about that while you're inside my stomach."
I moved to put it back into the bucket, but it slipped from my hand and landed on the ground.
Damn it...
Right in the dirt.
I picked it up.
One entire side was covered in soil.
I quickly tossed it back into the bucket before Yukinoshita noticed, then pretended to play with the firewood in front of me.
Tch...
Because I panicked, I ruined the little structure I'd built.
"Hikigaya-kun..."
My back stiffened the moment I heard Yukinoshita's voice behind me.
"Haha... Welcome back."
I slowly turned toward her.
She was carrying several fruits the girls had gathered.
"Don't think I didn't see what you just did. Stop talking to the fish and go fetch some water from the river so we can wash them," Yukinoshita said, pushing another bucket toward me.
"Ah... Okay."
I quickly stood up, grabbed the bucket, and headed toward the river.
Did they really go through all this every day...?
It was exhausting.
Still...
Gathering firewood was harder.
Yeah, definitely.
When I reached the riverbank, I knelt down and lowered the bucket into the cold water.
I looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds were rolling in.
Was it going to rain?
The weather wouldn't exactly be ideal for a beach trip.
I returned with the bucket and set it down in front of Yukinoshita.
She looked at me, then at the water, as though making sure it was clean.
"Start the fire," she said, tossing a box of matches toward me.
I instinctively caught it after realizing it was flying straight at my face.
I glanced at it before handing it back.
"I don't actually know how to light a fire."
"I wonder if there's anything you're good at besides wasting time," Yukinoshita muttered while picking the matchbox up off the ground.
"Wash your hands thoroughly, then start cleaning the fish."
"Ah, okay... Wait. Are you this strict with everyone, or just me?" I asked suspiciously.
She always treated me like I was a walking germ.
I doubted today would be any different.
"Of course everyone. It would be terrible if someone got food poisoning in the middle of the forest."
She had a point.
I washed my hands thoroughly before placing the fish into the bucket of water and cleaning them one by one.
What would happen if one suddenly came back to life?
Maybe it'd bite my finger...
No.
Stop thinking about that.
My attention shifted toward Yukinoshita.
She carefully arranged the firewood piece by piece, struck a match, shielded the flame with her hands, then slipped it beneath the pile.
The fire immediately caught and began consuming the wood.
"Amazing... You know how to do this too?" I asked while watching the bright flames.
"It's nothing special... Just basic survival skills," Yukinoshita replied as she adjusted her hair.
"Basic?"
Who exactly learned things like that?
It wasn't exactly normal to spend your life getting stranded in forests.
Yukinoshita washed her hands before placing the fish over the fire to cook.
"What about Kouenji?" I asked while looking around.
He didn't seem like the type to spend the day at the beach.
And according to our agreement, we were supposed to prepare his share.
"We'll cook his portion and leave it for him until he comes back," Yukinoshita answered while carefully laying another fish over the fire.
That worked too...
Once all the fish were cooked, Yukinoshita divided the portions equally between us.
I made sure Kouenji received the fish that had fallen into the dirt.
Well...
That was his punishment.
I stared at my plate in disbelief.
This was the same fish we'd been eating all week...
Yet somehow it looked completely different.
It looked as though it had been grilled at an expensive restaurant by a professional chef who had carefully made sure not to burn a single part of it.
Yukinoshita quietly sat beneath the tree, eating her meal.
Meanwhile, I remained beside the fire, simply staring at my plate.
Then I felt a single drop fall directly onto my nose.
"Rain..."
I looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds had gathered overhead, as if a heavy downpour was on its way.
Those idiots...
It seemed the heavens themselves had decided to punish them for going to the beach.