Around the well that had beco their base camp, Shibata, Shiranami, and the others were sweating as they set up tents and explored the surrounding area.
After successfully regrouping at the base, Honami Ichinose ca jogging over to us.
"We should hold a quick strategy eting before the tents are ready… I already called Kanzaki too, so let's talk with the four of us."
Ichinose, , Hiyori, and Ryuji Kanzaki gathered beneath the shade of a tree a short distance away from the others.
It was a top-secret strategy eting between what could be called the brains of Class B.
"First, about how we'll use the 300 points the school gave us…"
Ichinose began with a serious expression.
"Any points left over after the exam will be converted directly into class points, so I want to save as much as possible. But I think we should at least install a temporary toilet and a simple shower… What do you all think?"
(Yeah, that's absolutely necessary. No matter how much we want to conserve points, there's no way people could survive a full week on a deserted island in midsumr without proper hygiene. Especially with so many girls here. If we cheap out and people start getting sick, it defeats the whole purpose.)
I nodded internally and opened my mouth to agree with Ichinose's proposal.
"—A vessel stained with mud cannot hold the fine wine known as victory. …To cleanse away impurity and preserve oneself in purity is the very first move required to dominate this cruel board."
(Translation: I completely agree. Proper hygiene is essential, so we should buy the toilets and showers.)
"'Maintaining sanitary conditions is essential. He agrees with installing the toilets and showers,'" Hiyori translated with her usual flawless smile.
"Thanks, Aizen-kun! Alright, then the equipnt issue is settled!"
Ichinose's face imdiately brightened with a cheerful smile.
"Indeed. Maintaining maximum performance with minimal expenditure is a logical decision."
Kanzaki nodded deeply, then lowered his voice another level as if wary of anyone overhearing.
"Then next cos the most important matter of this exam: choosing the leader."
Crossing his arms, Kanzaki looked between Ichinose and .
"Ordinarily, it would be either Ichinose or Aizen. But the other classes would naturally focus all their attention on you two. If our mask is stripped away, we lose fifty points. …We need soone no one would ever suspect."
"Yeah. So I think it should be soone who doesn't stand out, but can still reliably handle the role…"
Ichinose placed a hand on her chin and thought carefully.
(...True. If either Ichinose or I beco leader, there's a real risk of being identified. We need soone with little presence, yet capable of quietly observing the class from a detached perspective.)
The faces and personalities of Class B's students rapidly ran through my mind.
Then, one girl stood out.
"—A solitary observer who gazes silently upon the board from the abyss untouched by light. …She alone could protect the crown of this miniature world without ever drawing attention."
(Translation: I think Yuki Hino would be the best choice. She doesn't stand out, and she's good at observing everyone.)
"'He recomnds Yuki Hino as the leader. She doesn't attract attention and always keeps an objective eye on the surroundings, making her ideal for the role,'" Hiyori translated.
"Hino-san…!"
Ichinose clapped her hands in realization.
"You're right! Other classes wouldn't pay attention to her, and she'd definitely handle the key-card updates calmly too! As expected of you, Aizen-kun!"
"I have no objections," Kanzaki agreed with a nod.
We imdiately called Yuki Hino over and asked if she would take on the role of leader.
"...Huh? ? I hate troubleso stuff…"
Hino made her displeasure obvious, but after Ichinose's desperate pleading and my mysterious pressure-filled statent of—
"—I entrust the fate of this world to those lonely eyes of yours."
—she reluctantly accepted in the end.
And so, the leader selection was complete.
Next, I decided to share the enormous piece of information I had obtained at the cave earlier.
"—Now then. The defense of our throne is secured. …Shall we move on to discussing the heads of the unfortunate fools?"
(Translation: I figured out who Class A's leader is earlier.)
"Wha—!?"
Before Hiyori could even translate, Kanzaki widened his eyes in shock just from the tone of my poem alone.
"'He says he has already identified Class A's leader.'"
"Ehh!? Aizen-kun, you already know who Class A's leader is!?"
Even Ichinose stared at in disbelief.
I nodded quietly and explained the exchange between Katsuragi and Totsuka at the cave, as well as my deduction that:
"A cautious man like Katsuragi would never personally expose himself at the front lines. Therefore, the true leader must be Totsuka."
Naturally, my explanation was delivered in stylish dramatic phrasing, with Hiyori translating perfectly beside .
"...! Using Katsuragi's personality itself as camouflage. As expected of you, Aizen. Perfect insight."
Kanzaki let out an impressed murmur.
"Alright then, we'll just write down Totsuka's na on the final day and collect our fifty points."
"—Wait."
I stopped Kanzaki with one raised hand.
"—No one knows from which direction the wind may blow. This sweetness should remain upon the tongues of only the four of us. …Should this information leak and reach their ears, the king's head could easily be replaced."
(Translation: Let's keep this information secret between the four of us. If Class A sohow learns we figured it out, they might change leaders.)
After Hiyori translated, Kanzaki frowned suspiciously.
"Change leaders? But Mashima-sensei said leaders couldn't be changed without a legitimate reason. They can't just replace the leader because information leaked, can they?"
(...Heh. Kanzaki, you're too serious. Let teach you about loopholes.)
"—Then let ask you this. …If the king upon the throne were to collapse from illness, or suffer grievous wounds that forced him from the battlefield… would the kingdom simply wait for destruction with no king remaining?"
(Translation: What do you think happens if the leader becos sick or injured and has to retire?)
"'What if the current leader is forced to retire due to illness or injury?' is what he's asking."
"Ah…!"
Ichinose gasped, and Kanzaki's expression changed.
"I see…! If soone retires because of sickness or injury, that would likely count as a 'legitimate reason' to replace the leader! In other words, if Class A learns we identified Totsuka, they could intentionally make him sick right before the final day and switch leaders…!"
(Exactly. That's why we need to keep this hidden.)
"—Correct. Therefore, we pull the trigger only at the final mont. …There is no need to act until the morning of the seventh day, after confirming that pitiful servant still stands upon the board with his own feet."
(Translation: So let's keep Totsuka's identity secret until the final day. Once we confirm he's still on the island and hasn't retired, we'll na him then.)
"'We should keep Totsuka-kun's identity hidden until the final day, then confirm he's still present before naming him,'" Hiyori translated.
"Amazing… You really thought that far ahead. Thank you so much, Aizen-kun!"
Ichinose looked at with eyes full of admiration.
Thus, Class B's initial offensive and defensive strategy was established in perfect form.
After finishing the strategy eting, we rejoined the others and helped with setting up tents and gathering firewood.
Then, from deep within the quiet forest, accompanied by vulgar laughter, unwelco guests arrived.
"Gyahaha! You guys sure are working hard in this damn heat!"
The ones who appeared were Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondo—the delinquent trio from Class C.
These were the sa guys who had recently received a one-week suspension due to my judgnt.
For so reason, each of them was holding a chilled bottle of cola.
"Trying to save points and survive on this island? That's dumb as hell, right?"
"Seriously. We're out here enjoying the ultimate vacation!"
Laughing loudly, Ishizaki thrust a piece of paper toward Ichinose.
"Here. An invitation from Ryuen-san. …He says to co to the beach. He'll show you what a real vacation looks like."
Leaving only those words behind, the three walked off while drinking their cola.
The rest of us exchanged glances.
"An invitation from Ryuen-kun…? The beach where we first landed, right?"
"It could be a trap. Ignoring it would be wiser," Kanzaki warned cautiously.
(...No. If it were a trap, it's far too blatant. More importantly, that cold cola they were drinking. The only way to get sothing like that on this island would be by purchasing it from the school with points.)
"—Kanzaki, stay here and protect the flock. …Ichinose, Hiyori, and I shall go witness the fools' carnival ourselves."
(Translation: Kanzaki, stay and manage the base. The three of us will go check things out.)
Leaving the well-side base in Kanzaki's hands, Hiyori, Ichinose, and I headed once more toward the scorching beach.
As we erged from the forest onto the white sand—
An absurd sight unfolded before our eyes.
"W-What is this…!?"
Ichinose stood speechless.
Colorful giant parasols lined the beach.
Rows of soft deck chairs were neatly arranged.
At the center stood a massive barbecue grill loaded with premium at sizzling loudly.
Coolers packed with ice water contained huge amounts of juice and soda.
Students from Class C, dressed in swimsuits, were swimming in the ocean, eating at, and blasting music.
It truly was a "real vacation."
And at the very center—
Lounging arrogantly in the most luxurious deck chair while grinning at us through sunglasses—
was Kakeru Ryuen himself.
"Kukuku… So you ca after all, you honor-student idiots from Class B."
After finishing a bottle of cold mineral water, Ryuen sneered at us.
"So? Compared to your muddy little survival camp, our setup's way better, right? While cheap bastards like you struggle to save every point, we're using all 300 points we were given to enjoy the greatest vacation possible."
Ichinose widened her eyes.
"You used all 300 points!? But then you'll get zero class points when the exam ends!"
"Kukuku. Hahahahaha!"
Ryuen burst into laughter.
"Goody-two-shoes honor students like you are probably gonna spend this whole test trembling while collecting tiny little scraps of points. Too bad for you—I've got no interest in slowly grinding out pathetic points in a trash exam like this."
Removing his sunglasses, Ryuen glared at us with snake-like eyes.
"You losers can keep playing your poor-man survival ga. We're gonna enjoy this paradise to the absolute fullest until the very end."
The instant I heard those words—
A powerful realization struck my mind.
(...No interest in earning small points? He spent all 300…? Wait a second. If your points are already at zero, penalties can't reduce them any further.)
My Aizen-spec thought process instantly connected Ryuen's words with the rules of the exam.
(...I see! So that's his plan!)
I ntally slamd my fist into my palm.
(He never intended to conserve points in the first place. He'll spend everything on luxury, deliberately retire students who won't matter, and send them back to the ship. Then he'll leave only a handful of spies on the island and focus entirely on information warfare to identify the leaders of the other classes!)
(A demonic strategy: eliminate the risk of penalties by reducing yourself to zero from the start, then steal all 150 bonus points from correctly identifying the other leaders. No one's dumb enough to openly reveal their strategy. He's using this extravagant party to distract everyone while secretly hunting the heads of the other classes behind the scenes… Damn, that's actually brilliant.)
It was an extre strategy exploiting a loophole in the rules—sothing no ordinary person would ever think of.
Even as an enemy, I was impressed by Ryuen's bold thinking.
…But naturally, what ca out of my mouth was still the most stylishly arrogant poem imaginable.
"—Fuh. …A banquet of madness, hm? Watching you intoxicate yourselves with a luxurious feast atop a sinking mud ship is laughable enough to bring tears to one's eyes."
(Translation: So you're spending all your points and planning to focus entirely on leader-guessing after retiring people. Pretty bold strategy!)
"...Blindly savoring cheap liquor without realizing your own throat already rests beneath my blade. …Your paper-thin sche is no more than dust within my vision."
(Translation: But I already figured out your strategy. It won't work on us.)
At my condescending poem—spoken as if I had already seen through everything—a vein bulged on Ryuen's forehead.
He ground his teeth together.
"...Hah? The hell do you think you figured out about ?"
"—I have no obligation to entertain the ramblings of the dead any longer. Enjoy your final banquet while you still can."
With only that, I turned elegantly and began walking back toward the forest.
"Co, Hiyori. Ichinose."
"Ah, right!"
"W-Wait, Aizen-kun!"
Behind , Ryuen's furious shout echoed—
"Bastard…! Don't get so full of yourself!"
—but I never once broke my graceful stride as I returned toward Class B's base.
"Aizen-kun… What exactly did Ryuen-kun's strategy an?"
As we walked through the forest, Ichinose asked uneasily.
I stopped walking and explained the "Zero Point Strategy" I had deciphered from Ryuen:
Use up all points imdiately, intentionally retire most students to neutralize penalties, and aim solely for the leader-identification bonus points.
After hearing Hiyori's perfect translation, Ichinose gasped.
"That's awful…! If your points are already zero, then even the minus thirty retirent penalty doesn't matter… It's exploiting a loophole in the rules."
"—Indeed. And fools lurking in the shadows will inevitably slither their pawns toward the thrones of others. …Soon enough, venomous serpents drenched in false blood shall be released into our sanctuary."
(Translation: To figure out other classes' leaders, Ryuen will definitely send spies into each camp. They'll probably fake injuries or illness and try to infiltrate our base.)
"'To investigate the leaders of other classes, they will likely send spies pretending to be injured or sick into our camp,'" Hiyori translated.
My accurate prediction—combined with Hiyori's absurdly clear translation—made Ichinose swallow nervously.
And then—
That prediction proved perfectly correct by sunset.
"Hey! Soone get over here! We've got an injured guy!"
Shibata ca running back from scouting the forest while supporting a male student on his shoulder.
Covered in mud and limping badly—
the student was none other than Kaneda from Class C.
"He slipped in the forest and almost fell off a cliff! I couldn't just leave him there, so I brought him back…"
Shibata explained apologetically.
The kind-hearted students of Class B imdiately gathered around him.
"Are you okay!?"
"Want so water?"
They began helping him toward one of the tents to let him rest.
(...There he is. The spy. Ryuen actually injured him before sending him here.)
I slowly walked over to Kaneda and looked down at him coldly.
"—Enough of your pathetic performance. …Crawling serpent, remove yourself from this sacred sanctuary at once."
(Translation: You're one of Ryuen's spies, aren't you? Leave our base imdiately.)
The students of Class B recoiled in shock.
After hearing Hiyori's translation, Kaneda's shoulders trembled violently.
"I-I'm not a spy…! I really did slip! Please, just let rest for a little while…! If I retire now and return to the ship, I don't know what Ryuen-kun will do to later… He'll beat to a pulp…!"
Kaneda's desperate tearful act.
Feeling sympathy for him, Ichinose and Shibata tried defending him.
"Aizen-kun, he really does look hurt… Maybe we can let him stay for just a little…"
(...Nope. Lies. Classic spy tactic—use fear of Ryuen's violence to gain sympathy. Ti to use my authority as vice student council president to drive him out.)
I snorted lightly and brushed back my bangs.
"—So that insignificant illusion is what frightens you? …Very well. I shall bring an end to that pathetic nightmare myself."
(Translation: Oh, so that's what you're worried about? Then I'll solve it for you.)
"...If your master dares bare his fangs against your flesh… then in the na of Sosuke Aizen, I shall imdiately cast his head from this miniature world. …A filthy beast who raises violence against his classmates has no right to walk these halls."
(Translation: If Ryuen uses violence against you, I'll expel him using my authority as vice student council president. So stop spying and go retire without worrying.)
"'If Ryuen-kun attempts to use violence against you, then as vice student council president, I will imdiately have him expelled. Therefore, there is no need to fear violence. You may safely retire,' is what he says."
"""...!!"""
My overwhelming pressure, combined with the absolute authority of the title "Vice Student Council President," completely blocked every avenue of escape.
Kaneda's face turned deathly pale.
If he stayed any longer, not only would his role as a spy be exposed, but it could escalate into an expulsion issue for Ryuen himself.
"Ah… ah… aaaah…!"
Despite supposedly being injured, Kaneda suddenly sprang to his feet and fled into the forest like a rabbit escaping a predator.
Watching him run so perfectly, even Shibata and Ichinose stared blankly.
"...So he really was a spy."
"As expected of you, Sosuke-kun. You drove him away flawlessly."
Hiyori smiled and applauded softly.
(Hehehe… The combo of my bluff-poems and the vice president title is way too overpowered. That's another one of Ryuen's strategies crushed.)
The setting sun dyed the deserted island forest red.
Thus ended the first day of the survival exam—
with the Demon King's absolute domination of the board granting Class B a perfect opening.
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