Ryuen abruptly stopped laughing, his eyes becoming as sharp as knives.
"Has that guy, Subaru, gone crazy?"
Ibuki looked with concern at the classmate Ryuen had just dispatched. There was no doubt the other party's arm was directly dislocated, and possibly even fractured. Had Subaru really gone to such lengths directly?
Although Ryuen fought often, he actually knew where to draw the line; at most, it would be superficial injuries. Compared to physically hurting people, Ryuen cared more about destroying their minds. Yet Subaru had directly snapped someone's hand?
Does this guy... simply not care about any consequences?
"Hey, I say, Ryuen, doesn't this count as our advantage now?" Ibuki immediately said to Ryuen. "We can use this opportunity to threaten Subaru. After all, fighting is prohibited in the school, right? As long as we report it—"
"You really are naive, Ibuki."
Ryuen shook his head with a smile.
"Hah?" Ibuki frowned, unable to understand Ryuen at all.
"Haven't you understood yet? The rules of this exam are actually unrestricted. As long as there is no evidence, who can prove these things happened?"
Ryuen looked at the student he had sent out earlier. "His shoulder is dislocated, hey!"
"But without evidence, it won't have any effect." Ryuen shrugged. "Moreover, although the school says they will use the watches to monitor student physical conditions to prevent accidents, it's obvious that the values they can detect are likely only basic pulse and heart rate. Otherwise, the school couldn't possibly intervene. Furthermore, if the school checks the GPS positioning and conversely questions us why a Class C student appeared at Class D's base, how would you explain that?"
Hearing Ryuen's words, Ibuki also didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"First, have him withdraw from the exam," Ryuen said.
However, that student's face instantly became twisted, as if he had heard of some terrifying existence. "No, no, Ryuen-kun, I... I... I can still persist!"
Although he said this, the severe pain in his shoulder and arm made his body tremble uncontrollably, and his face became incredibly pale.
"What can you do now? In this state, you will only add to our burden."
"But..." His eyes were filled with fear. He knew very well that once he withdrew from the exam, the class would be deducted 30 points.
"Did you not hear clearly what I said?" Ryuen's voice suddenly turned cold, and a terrifying killing intent swept out.
"I... I understand."
"You should know what to say to the teacher, right?"
"Mn..."
Ryuen tilted his head slightly to signal, and Ishizaki, standing to the side, immediately hurried over to escort that student to the teacher.
"You actually didn't punish him." Ibuki looked at Ryuen in surprise.
"The general development of matters is within my expectations. He was my pawn to begin with, and in a sense, he has already achieved my objective. Besides, if we keep him on the island, his physical condition will only bring greater losses to the class," Ryuen replied.
He was a man skilled in using violent means, but he did not use violence mindlessly.
Watching the injured student being supported away by Ishizaki, the smile on Ryuen's face did not completely disappear. Instead, it transformed into a deeper, more focused expression, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey.
"However, unexpectedly, Subaru struck even harder than anticipated. To directly snap an arm, huh?" He muttered to himself in a low voice, his fingers tapping lightly against the tree trunk beside him. "This might indicate that in Subaru's eyes, the existence of Sakura seemingly really is a bit more important than Horikita."
Ibuki frowned deeply. "Even if you hit the mark, so what? They have already become vigilant over there."
"Vigilant?" Ryuen sneered.
"Ibuki, you've misunderstood one thing. Subaru's vigilance is directed against external, direct violent threats. By breaking my subordinate's arm, he is displaying power, drawing a red line. He doesn't fear a direct confrontation in the open; he might even welcome it. But fear... especially the fear that spreads invisibly from the inside—can he guard against that?"
He turned around, his gaze sharply sweeping over the core members of Class C present.
"As long as Kushida is there, she should be able to destroy their atmosphere bit by bit from the inside. That woman should be able to do this."
"Then what do we do next?"
"Just continue to amplify the fear," Ryuen answered. "After Ishizaki comes back, let him initiate the next step of the operation."
*
Meanwhile, the Class C homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, looked with surprise at Ishizaki and the other student before him. The latter had a painful expression and looked very seriously injured.
"What happened?"
"He accidentally took a fall," Ishizaki answered immediately.
"A fall?" Sakagami looked at the other party in disbelief, but that student could only nod.
"That's right... I was careless..."
"Never mind, rest well."
Sakagami immediately contacted the exam staff to send the student back to the ship for rest and have medical personnel check his condition.
"Then, Sensei, I'll go first!" Ishizaki immediately went to regroup with Ryuen.
Sakagami narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew Ryuen's style; he often used violent means. However, as long as school regulations weren't violated on the surface, Sakagami would not intervene, even tacitly allowing the other's behavior.
But, Sakagami felt somewhat doubtful in his heart at this moment. Undoubtedly, this was not Ryuen's handiwork. What exactly was going on?
*
At this very moment, in the Class D base, many students had not yet recovered from the previous raid.
Traces of lingering shock still remained on Sakura's face. Some students in the class feared Subaru even more in their hearts; the means and strength he displayed were truly beyond the scope of a student.
Sakura, however, was different. She walked cautiously to the front of Subaru.
"What is it? Sakura." Subaru turned his head, his gaze locking onto Sakura's face.
"Thank... thank you very much, Natsuki-kun, for helping me just now..." Sakura lowered her head, her voice very small and seeming to tremble slightly.
However, this was not Sakura's fear of Subaru. It was Sakura's fear of social interaction itself.
"No need to thank me. After all, I promised the class. We have to win this exam, at least." Subaru spoke slowly, his gaze resting on Sakura's face.
Class C's initial action—stealing supplies on the surface—was actually intended to spread fear. While speaking, Subaru looked into the distance again. Kushida seemed to be saying something to other classmates. Fear was revealed in those people's eyes.
Spreading fear?
It didn't matter.
In his heart, Subaru didn't care about Kushida's actions; he was even somewhat disappointed, just as he was with Ryuen. However, Subaru also confirmed one thing through this. Ryuen was coming for Sakura. It wasn't just for the food.
In the end, is it still just the people around me?
Boring.
I originally thought you, Ryuen, could be a bit bolder and dare to come directly at me. In the result, it's still the people around me.
However, this can also be considered Ryuen's style of acting. Compared to Horikita, an existence like Sakura might be slightly more important, right? At least, she is someone who has left a mark of her own in front of her.
If I let my subordinates be targeted so arrogantly, it will have a serious impact on my own influence. When Ryuen makes a move again, I'll show him a little color.
Ryuen... Don't disappoint me.
*
After Ishizaki returned, Ryuen immediately made new deployments. He selected five or six Class C students; these people weren't necessarily the best fighters, but they were all alert enough and good at hiding.
"Your mission is simple," Ryuen said to them. "In groups of two, disperse to several key directions around the Class D base—the high ground to the east, the small path leading to the stream in the south, the edge of the dense forest in the west, and the rocky beach to the north. Keep a safe distance; absolutely do not enter Class D's clear alert range, and even more so, do not get caught by them."
Although the time had been short, Ryuen had already thoroughly explored the surrounding environment.
"Then what exactly do we do?" one student asked.
"Watch."
The corners of Ryuen's mouth hooked up into a cruel arc.
"Just watch. Find good hiding spots and show your heads every now and then, let them know you are there. You can occasionally use leaves or reflective objects to flash them, or make some slight, unnatural noises. If any of them come out to investigate, retreat and disappear immediately, then appear in another position after a while."
"Remember," he emphasized, "Do not engage in any aggressive behavior, do not leave any obvious items, and do not have conversations with them. You are shadows, you are ghosts, you are the fear stuck to Class D's skin that cannot be torn off. I want everyone in Class D, especially that timid red-haired girl, to feel like eyes are staring at their backs at all times. The moment they look up, they see a blurry human figure in the gaps of the bushes; the moment they quiet down, they hear subtle movements that don't belong to their camp."
He looked at Ishizaki and Ibuki. "You two take turns leading the teams. Ensure the surveillance net is unbroken, and also prevent these guys from getting bored or acting on their own initiative. If Class D has large troop movements, report immediately. As for the rest, just let them scare themselves."
"Is this... really useful? Just watching?" Ibuki was still somewhat skeptical. "Right now, Class D's main force isn't here..."
"Watching is the greatest pressure," Ryuen said with certainty.
"Subaru can shatter physical attacks, but can he shatter the atmosphere in the class? Can he plug every student's ears and eyes, control every one of their imaginations? When suspicion becomes the norm, tight nerves will snap sooner or later. Those people will become burdens, especially that Sakura Airi... I want to see how long she can last without collapsing under the 'omnipresent gaze'. And how her collapse will infect the others, especially those who have already begun to doubt Subaru's method of protection."
A smile soon appeared on Ryuen's face again. "And when the time is right, we will strike again and completely destroy that woman named Sakura Airi, right in front of Subaru."
He waved his hand, and Class C's "ghosts" moved quickly, seeping toward the surroundings of the Class D camp silently like mercury dropped into the jungle.
*
Class D Base.
After receiving confirmation from Horikita and the others, Subaru immediately headed there to regroup with them. However, Subaru did not choose to occupy the Spot to obtain points immediately; instead, he simply had the classmates set up camp and rest nearby.
And the emotion of unease was also playing out in the class.
The initial unease stemmed from a report by a student fetching water: "In the woods on the eastern slope... just now there seemed to be a reflection, like something was watching me."
Next was another girl: "The west side... I felt like there was something behind the trees, but when I looked up, it was gone."
Then, the students on night watch swore they heard rustling sounds that didn't belong to animal footsteps coming from the direction of the rocky beach to the north.
Once or twice might be an illusion, but when different people, at different times, and from different directions reported similar feelings, an invisible, viscous fear began to truly shroud the camp.
There were no direct attacks, no lost items, and not even clear sightings. Only "seemed to," "felt like," and "appeared to be."
But this uncertainty was precisely what was most tormenting. The students began to become paranoid, daring not to leave the core of the camp alone. Even when going out in groups, they frequently looked back. They were restless when doing things, and their sleep at night was shallower; any rustle of wind or grass could trigger a bout of nervous whispers.
Sakura was the most deeply affected. She was already extremely sensitive and particularly terrified of gazes. Now, this feeling of being peeped at gradually became "real" from a vague imagination. She always felt those invisible sights sticking to her body with exceptional tenacity, making her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. She almost dared not leave the crowd, and even when sleeping, she curled up in the innermost area, covering her head with her sleeping bag.
Kushida, meanwhile, "just appropriately" played the role of the empathetic worrier.
"Is everyone too nervous... maybe we are just overthinking it?" She said this, yet her brows were knitted in worry, invisibly affirming the reality of this fear.
"However, being mentally tense like this all the time isn't a solution either... Does Natsuki-kun have any good ideas?" She gently guided the question toward Subaru, her words carrying reliance but also hiding a subtle questioning of his "inaction."
"Keep it like this, that's fine. If there is anyone who is afraid, they can withdraw from the exam directly."
Yet Subaru, who had been silent for a long time, revealed a smile on his face.
He was ready to act.
____
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