Chapter 2.2

We walked from the beach toward a gigantic forest. One of the boys looked visibly shaken.

“Is it really okay for us to go in there? We might get really lost. I can’t see into it at all.”

That was precisely why we had the roll call rule and the emergency button installed on our wristwatches. We had to cooperate. If we didn’t work together, then we’d probably end up panicking and spending our points like they grew on trees.

“Wow, Karuizawa-san. Hirata-kun is really amazing, isn’t he? He takes on everything that comes his way, even if he dislikes it.”

“Oh yeah. The other guys are pathetic, so it’s good to just leave everything to Hirata-kun, right?”

Hirata, still carrying the tent, walked ahead of Karuizawa’s group, who looked at him with admiration. Incidentally, I was helping carry the luggage, too. I also carried the simple toilet made out of folded cardboard. I’d determined that if I didn’t help now, extra work might come my way later. For the time being, I wanted to preemptively give the impression that I was helping.

Horikita, who was isolated from the other girls, calmly followed the group from the back. She would occasionally act as though she were going to stop, but then immediately started walking again. I slowed down a little bit until I was walking side by side with her.

“Not in a good mood?” I asked.

“To be honest, I’m depressed. These kinds of things just aren’t for me. Life on an island seems primitive, and worst of all, I can’t be alone.”

Enthusiastically joining in a group effort was far beyond Horikita’s capabilities. I thought it would’ve been good to make an effort to fit in, but it would’ve been pointless to say that to her. I relented.

“You know, what you said to me before might end up being true.”

Horikita wore a look of slight amusement.

“This test will likely fall outside of my academic abilities. I’d determined that Ike-kun and Sudou-kun would be hindrances, but they took the initiative to go out searching. I wasn’t able to do anything, because I kept debating what action to take. If they’d started moving quicker, they probably would’ve been able to find something useful.”

“Maybe. More importantly though, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

She glared. I quickly said “Nothing,” and averted my gaze. While talking with Horikita, I felt someone watching my back. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Sakura, who was walking way in the back. When she noticed that I’d turned around, she got flustered and looked away.

“What’s the matter?” Horikita asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Maybe I was being too nosy. I turned back around.

“I wonder what the other classes will do. I’ve been curious about their movements. If Classes A and B intend to obtain as many points as possible, then we’ll need to prepare as well. We can’t let the difference between us widen.” Horikita wore a serious expression on her face. In that respect, she had extraordinary resolve. Currently, we were separated from the other classes by a wide margin based solely on our academic abilities. For Horikita, who aimed to reach Class A, this was a fight she absolutely could not afford to lose.

“Aiming for the top is tough,” I said.

“I thought what Chabashira-sensei said back then was a joke, but are you really not at all interested in moving up?” Horikita asked.

Chabashira-sensei had probably said something about that back when she encountered Horikita and me in the guidance room.

“It’s not particularly weird or anything, is it? It’s not like Ike and the others are gunning for Class A or anything. If we got an increase in our allowance each month, that’d make me happy. If I’m lucky, maybe we can even reach Class A.”

I couldn’t speak to others’ true intentions, like Hirata and Karuizawa.

“People who come to this school do so to make use of the privileges it offers.” Rather than dissatisfied, Horikita appeared puzzled. At the time of our enrollment, access to elite universities and job opportunities were supposed to be guaranteed. Many students expected it.

“Why did you choose this school?” she asked me.

“Well, can’t I just say the same thing? To shamelessly make use of the privileges the school offered me.”

“I see.” This time she sounded blatantly dissatisfied, and regarded me with a sharp side-eye. I thought that Horikita had enrolled here to be at the same school as her older brother. She wasn’t aiming for Class A for her own sake, but rather, sought her older brother’s approval. Her ambition differed from most others.

“It doesn’t feel good to have someone pry into your past,” she said, forestalling me. I’d intended to dig deeper, but it looked like she’d immediately understood my true intentions. I’m trying to understand my past, or should I say this person’s past, by thoroughly analyzing and breaking down people.

“I’ll tell you this: Chabashira-sensei leaked the information. Don’t misunderstand me. All right? Besides, we’re still not friends. Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not really thinking about friendship, anyway.”

Shortly after, Hirata and the others stopped.

“If we stop here, there’s foliage blocking the sunlight, and it doesn’t seem like we’ll have to worry about anyone hearing us.”

Some of the boys began teaming up, and it wasn’t long before they had their own opinions that clashed with Hirata’s.

“We ought to be moving, too, not leaving everything to Ike and the others. Don’t you think? If another class captures one of the main spots, the point difference will widen.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We do need to get moving right away, but it’s not a good idea to neglect our problems and scatter. First of all, we need to resolve the toilet question.”

“That’s why I’m saying we should just use the toilet that they gave us.” Yukimura glared at the girls’ group.

“I’ve thought it over, and I believe we should install one toilet first,” Hirata said forcefully. Apparently, he was done being pushed around.

“You don’t just get to decide. Ike also had an opinion.”

“Installing a toilet might be a necessary expense. To begin with, we have one simple toilet that our class, which has thirty or more students, isn’t used to. I have to wonder if we can really take turns effectively without any trouble?”

“That’s… If we use it well…”

“It’s unrealistic. We have to consider the worst-case scenario. If everyone took three minutes to use the restroom, then it would take an hour and a half or more for everyone to go. Can that possibly work?”

“That’s pointless. Not everyone would need to use the toilet at the same time. The school provided us with just one toilet because it was realistic. We should be able to effectively take turns, right?”

“I don’t think so. From the beginning, I thought using only one toilet would be impossible. If you reason it out, I think it’s less about refraining from spending any points, and more that we need to spend our points effectively. You should know that, Yukimura-kun. The other classes have most likely come to the same conclusion.”

No matter how we used our points, this was a critical junction for determining whether we’d win or lose. All of the supplies we’d been given seemed insufficient. By giving us a tent that only about half our class could use and a small flashlight, the teachers seemed to be suggesting that we would need to use points.

“That’s all just speculation on your part. Besides, if the other classes did install the toilets, we’d be twenty points ahead just by doing without them. So that’s precisely why we shouldn’t install one.”

“You’re right about that, but it’s unlikely that putting up with a faulty toilet will work out in our favor. It’ll add unnecessary stress and anxiety. I’m also worried about sanitation. Objectively, we should install at least one toilet.”

It looked like after taking time to calm down, Hirata had come to a solid conclusion. It wasn’t just to provoke arguments; he was convinced that he’d get their approval eventually.

“I think this’ll grant the girls peace of mind.”

Not even Yukimura could deny Hirata’s impeccable reasoning. Hirata understood wanting to preserve our points, but he’d also deduced the downsides of a single toilet. Truth be told, our classmates had been given so much information in one go that they’d overlooked obvious things. Yukimura, who couldn’t bear being stared at in silence, broke.

“Fine. In that case, let’s install one toilet.”

In the end, Yukimura had been beaten. Shinohara, Karuizawa’s group, and even Horikita all looked relieved.

“Teacher. If we wish to install a temporary toilet, can we decide where to have it installed?”

“As long as it’s not on impossible terrain, it can be put anywhere. It’s also possible to have it moved after installation, but it would take some time. It weighs about 100 or more kilos, thus requiring quite a bit of labor.”

With one problem resolved, Hirata sighed in relief.

“Next. We’ve already heard some opinions, but I think we need to search around and decide where our base camp will be. Where we settle will impact how we consume our points,” said Hirata, obviously trying to head another argument off at the pass.

We recruited volunteers, but barely got anyone to help. We ended up with only two guys. Most people weren’t willing to enter such a sprawling forest. That was only natural.

“I wonder if anyone among us has expert survival skills?” said Hirata, holding onto a sliver of hope. According to manga clichés, there was always that one person you could depend upon in times like these. Hirata checked our classmates, but everyone seemed reluctant to step forward. Just then, the Professor, who thus far had silently watched, raised his hand.

“Since childhood, my father trained me in a particular set of skills. He taught me to survive, even alone in the jungle…is precisely how I would describe the type of character needed for this situation.”

Everybody booed. The Professor got flustered and apologized, but it was too late. We all hated him.

“Um, if you don’t mind, I’ll go.”

Kushida volunteered herself. Suddenly the boys’ eyes lit up, even though they’d refused to participate before. The formerly reluctant fellows stepped forward and volunteered, saying, “Me too, me too!” Some were probably motivated by goodwill for Kushida, while others might’ve been embarrassed that a girl had taken the initiative before them.

I raised my hand as Hirata started counting people.

“Okay, so eleven people, huh? If we had one more participant, we could make four teams,” Horikita said.

“Are you going, too?” I asked.

“I have to hang back. But it’s unusual to see you be so proactive.”

“Well, without a role to fill in the class, you’ll get cut off.”

Just then, someone raised a rather shy hand. When Hirata saw her, he smiled in relief.

“Thank you, Sakura-san. That makes twelve. Let’s go in four teams of three people. It’s 1:30 right now, regardless of results, I want everyone to meet back here by 3:00.”

With that, the twelve volunteers began to form up into teams according to their preferences. In the blink of an eye, I became one of the leftovers.

“N-nice to see you again, Ayanokouji-kun,” said Sakura, who’d also been overlooked. And then…

“The sun certainly is refreshing. My body needs energy.”

Kouenji Rokusuke. That guy was actually going to join our search party. Fortunately, I’d been paired with a free spirit and a quiet girl. With these two, I’d be able to move without any difficulty.

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