Day Three of the deserted island survival special exam.
By now, our Class B had completely adapted to life on the island, and we greeted the morning in an atmosphere so peaceful and stable it was almost unbelievable.
Out of the 300 points the school had given us, we had only spent the bare minimum on the first day: tents, portable toilets, and a little food. After that, we committed ourselves to a remarkably frugal lifestyle.
The boys like Shibata caught fish in the river with spears, while the girls like Shiranami and Amikura gathered edible berries and wild plants from the forest.
As for water, we had secured the "well" spot on the first day, aning we could boil as much safe drinking water as we wanted.
(…Wonderful. This is basically the ideal camping life.)
(For soone like —soone who spent years as a hardcore loner who couldn't even make a single friend besides Hiyori—I thought "bonding outdoors with classmates" was sothing I'd never experience in my life…)
(And yet sohow, it's happening on a deserted island.)
Breathing in the crisp morning air, I felt genuinely moved inside.
That morning, as usual, I was walking through the forest with Hiyori.
We had two objectives.
The first was to continue searching for traces of Ryūen.
And the second—
Simply enjoying a peaceful morning stroll with my one and only best friend.
"Sōsuke-kun, look. There's a beautiful blue bird over there."
Hiyori pointed at a small bird perched on a nearby branch and smiled softly.
Sunlight filtering through the trees made her silver hair sparkle, and the sight of her profile looked like a fairy that had descended into the forest itself.
(S-So cute…!)
(Even without bias, the combination of Hiyori and nature is literally a masterpiece painting! My healing levels are maxed out!!)
Suppressing the emotional storm raging inside , I elegantly glanced at the bird.
"—Ah yes… Ignorant wings that know neither the height of the sky nor the smallness of themselves, yet still rejoice in fleeting beauty alone… If it can be reflected within your eyes, then perhaps that bird's life held aning after all."
(Translation: "You're right, it's a beautiful bird! I bet it's happy Hiyori noticed it!")
"Hehe, Sōsuke-kun is kind even to little birds."
Completely unfazed by my dramatic poetry, Hiyori continued walking beside with a perfectly natural smile.
To her, I was soone she could truly relax around—her closest friend.
That was why we could share monts like this without any tension between us.
As we listened to the crunch of fallen leaves beneath our feet, we spent our ti together in peaceful contentnt.
While the other classes were sinking into paranoia over dwindling points and leadership guesses, our tranquility was almost abnormal.
That night, the third day.
Dinner had begun around the campfire at our base near the well.
However, after three full days of survival life, even in our favorable conditions, signs of fatigue had finally begun appearing on everyone's faces.
"Phew… I walked a lot today…"
Even the energetic Shibata dropped down beside the fire with tired shoulders.
Amikura and Shiranami were rubbing their sore legs while laughing awkwardly.
anwhile, Class B's absolute leader, Honami Ichinose, moved briskly between everyone carrying a canteen and chilled towels.
"Shibata-kun, thanks for exploring all day today. Make sure to drink plenty of water, okay? Tomorrow morning you can stay in the tent and rest."
"N-No, I'm still fine! I gotta help find food for everyone—"
"Nope. If you push yourself too hard and end up retiring because you got sick, we lose 30 points. Resting properly is part of the strategy too, okay?"
Ichinose smiled warmly, but there was no room for argunt in her tone.
"Asako-chan, Chihiro-chan, your legs hurt too, right? I'll massage them later, so you should rest for now. …Kanzaki-kun, do you mind if we change tomorrow's exploration rotation a little?"
"Yeah, that's probably best. We should clearly divide the people resting from the people handling physical labor."
(…Perfect. Ichinose is seriously an incredible leader.)
Sitting on a fallen log nearby, I watched her with admiration.
She perfectly understood everyone's exhaustion, mood, and physical condition, making sure nobody pushed themselves too hard.
It was precisely because of her selfless kindness that Class B had made it this far without losing a single person.
"Honami-chan really is amazing. …She's like everyone's mother."
Hiyori smiled happily while holding a paper cup with both hands.
"—Indeed… A light that burns away at itself to illuminate the path beneath others' feet… That radiance may one day consu her entirely… but for now, there is no sha in basking within its warmth."
(Translation: "She really is amazing. I'm worried she might overwork herself, but for now we should just appreciate her kindness.")
"'Honami-chan's kindness is truly wonderful. Though Sōsuke-kun is worried she may be pushing herself too hard, he believes we should all be grateful for her care,' is what he said."
"Ahaha, thanks, Aizen-kun, Hiyori-chan! But I'm really not tired at all, so don't worry!"
Ichinose turned toward us and flashed a peace sign.
The third night passed.
Then the fourth day.
Thanks to Ichinose's flawless managent and Hiyori's soothing presence, Class B continued progressing smoothly without a single dropout.
Then ca the fateful fifth day.
That day, I ventured alone into the center of the island—deep into untouched wilderness far removed from every other area.
Until yesterday, I had instructed Shibata and the others to search for traces of anyone hiding alone on the island, but no aningful reports had co back.
Which made sense.
If the opponent was Ryūen Kakeru, there was no way ordinary students would find him through amateur searches.
(…If I were Ryūen, and I wanted to hide from everyone, I'd choose a place no normal high school student would ever enter.)
Activating the full extent of my "Aizen Specs"—my absurd physical abilities and spatial awareness—I silently moved through the dense jungle, parting thick ferns without making a sound.
Eventually, I reached a slightly open clearing beneath fallen giant trees that ford a natural roof overhead.
"......"
My eyes imdiately noticed a faint irregularity on the ground.
Quietly crouching down, I examined the soil.
(…Found it.)
(A cleverly concealed campfire pit hidden beneath disturbed dirt. And these footprints—the depth, the stride length…)
(Soone camped here alone.)
The ashes were already cold.
To avoid revealing his location through smoke, he likely only lit the smallest possible fire during the dead of night, extinguishing it completely before dawn and moving elsewhere.
(…So he really is still here.)
A confident smile ford on my face.
(This level of concealnt. These footprints suggesting a lone adult-sized male…)
(It's definitely him. The dictator of Class C—Ryūen Kakeru.)
By now, every visible Class C student had disappeared from the island entirely.
They had spent all their points and already retired back to the luxury ship.
But Ryūen alone remained behind, surviving in the depths of the forest while waiting for information from his spies.
(A strategy worthy of the devil himself… exploiting a loophole in the rules.)
(But even you can't escape my eyes, Ryūen.)
Having obtained the confirmation I wanted most, I quietly left the area and returned to Class B's base.
As soon as I got back, I gathered Ichinose, Kanzaki, and Hiyori beneath the shade of a tree for an ergency strategy eting.
"What's wrong, Aizen-kun? Did you find sothing?"
Sensing my unusually intense aura—as usual—Ichinose's expression turned serious.
Crossing my arms slowly, I looked at the three of them in turn before speaking gravely.
"—I found the filthy shed skin of the foolish serpent hiding within the darkness."
(Translation: "I found traces of Ryūen camping alone deep in the forest.")
"—In the deepest reaches of the forest, where even light cannot reach, there remained traces of a solitary fire. …Only one set of claw marks. A beast that abandoned its pack still crawls upon the hidden side of this ga board."
(Translation: "There were campfire remains and footprints. Judging from the traces, he's definitely operating alone.")
"—That 'dragon' still remains upon this island, waiting for a chance to bite into our throats."
(Translation: "I can't say it's 100% certain… but there's a 99% chance Class C's leader is Ryūen.")
As soon as my ominous report ended, Hiyori quietly nodded and translated.
"'Deep in the forest, he discovered traces of a lone campsite including footprints and fire remains. While he cannot claim absolute certainty… there is a 99% chance that the Class C leader remaining on the island is Ryūen-kun,' is what he said."
"!!"
Ichinose and Kanzaki both gasped simultaneously.
The "Ryūen Solo Leader Theory" we'd proposed on the second day had now transford into certainty.
"So it really was true…! That extravagant beach party was just a bluff, and Ryūen stayed behind alone…!"
Ichinose shivered as if cold.
"If Aizen-kun hadn't realized it… we would've completely lowered our guard thinking Class C had already dropped out…"
"Yeah. His persistence is terrifying. …But thanks to Aizen finding those traces, his entire plan has collapsed."
Kanzaki clenched his fist in excitent.
"Now we know both Class A's leader—Totsuka—and Class C's leader—Ryūen. …If we submit those two nas on the final day, Class B will gain an enormous amount of points!"
"Yeah! Aizen-kun, thank you so much! If you hadn't been here, I don't even know what would've happened to us…!"
Ichinose suddenly grabbed both my hands tightly, overwheld with emotion.
(Ooh, Ichinose is passionate…)
(To think there'd co a day when classmates would sincerely thank like this… for soone who spent most of his life friendless, this is honestly moving.)
(Hiyori will always be my best friend, but gaining trustworthy companions like this really makes happy!)
Deeply moved by these bonds of friendship, I nevertheless maintained my composed exterior and calmly withdrew my hands.
"—A natural conclusion. The fate of a serpent foolish enough to crawl before a king requires no explanation."
"Hehe, Sōsuke-kun really is reliable."
Hiyori smiled beside with complete trust in her eyes.
(Yeah… getting praised by Hiyori really is the most comforting thing. Praise from your best friend is unbeatable.)
Having identified the leaders of both Class A and Class C, our victory was now virtually guaranteed.
Then ca the sixth day, as the survival exam neared its climax.
At this point, there were no more unexplored locations left to discover, nor any need to investigate the movents of the other classes.
There was only one thing left for us to do:
Preserve our strength and reach the final day without a single retirent.
"Alright! I'll handle all the firewood chopping today, so everyone else relax!"
"Haha, you're energetic as always, Shibata-kun. Then I'll go fetch so water!"
On the morning of the sixth day, everyone at the base looked peaceful while enjoying the final stretch of island life.
I also helped with chores, using my Aizen Specs to carry heavy water buckets and manage the campfire fuel.
That afternoon—
The four of us—I, Hiyori, Ichinose, and Kanzaki—relaxed together on a blue tarp beneath the trees while drinking cold well water.
"So tomorrow's finally the last day. It feels like it went by so fast."
Ichinose hugged her knees while smiling up at the blue sky.
"Yeah. At first, after hearing Mashima-sensei's terrifying explanation of the rules, I thought we were dood… but in the end, this beca the best possible experience for strengthening Class B's bonds."
Even Kanzaki wore an unusually relaxed expression.
"That's all thanks to Honami-chan taking care of everyone. …And of course, thanks to Sōsuke-kun creating perfect strategies behind the scenes."
Hiyori smiled warmly at both of them.
(No, no—I'm basically cheating thanks to these overpowered specs!)
(The truly amazing ones are Ichinose, who kept the entire class united without abandoning anyone… and Hiyori, who translated my poetry every single day.)
Filled with overwhelming gratitude and admiration toward them both, I quietly spoke.
"—Just as the sky is darkest before dawn, this tedious ga board shall reveal its most beautiful brilliance at the very end."
(Translation: "Tomorrow's finally the last day. I'm really excited for the results!")
"—The clowns who danced about without realizing their own foolishness will despair before they even understand their heads have already fallen. …There is no dawn I await more eagerly than this."
(Translation: "Neither Class A nor Class C has any idea we already know their leaders. Tomorrow, let's celebrate our big victory together!")
My overwhelmingly final-boss-like speech sounded downright villainous, as if I were eagerly anticipating the despair of the other classes.
But by now, Ichinose and Kanzaki had completely adapted to my way of speaking and simply waited for Hiyori's translation.
"'Tomorrow is finally the end of the exam. Neither Class A nor Class C could possibly imagine that we've already identified their leaders. He says he's very excited for tomorrow's results,' is what he said."
"Ahaha! Yeah, I'm really excited too! Thanks to Aizen-kun, Class B's going to enter sumr vacation with an amazing score!"
Ichinose laughed brightly.
"Aizen… Shiina… I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that Class B was fortunate to have both of you."
Kanzaki lowered his head sincerely toward us.
"Hehe, thank you very much, Kanzaki-kun. …Right, Sōsuke-kun?"
"—Heh… I rely watered a few wildly blooming flowers."
(Translation: "I'm really glad I ended up in the sa class as everyone too!")
Above the deserted island, the sky stretched endlessly blue and clear.
Tomorrow would finally be the seventh day—the day when every result would be revealed.
A day where the sches of every class would collide, filled with betrayal and despair.
And yet only our Class B awaited it with absolute peace and excitent… like children happily anticipating the end of a school trip.
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