Chapter 099 Horikita Goes to the River to Bathe
Manabe Shiho's deliberate leaking of information to the boys caused strong dissatisfaction among the Class D girls, who even proposed expelling her from the camp. The boys also harbored suspicions, doubting her motives and suspecting she was there to cause sabotage.
"Isn't throwing a girl out into the wild to fend for herself a bit heartless?"
For some unknown reason, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka actually spoke up for Manabe Shiho.
"Tch, Ayanokouji, what's with the 'Mr. Nice Guy' act?"
"Exactly. Don't tell me you've got a lecherous heart and want to suck up to Manabe?"
"Ever since she came to our camp, bad things have happened one after another. She's probably a spy sent by Class C!"
Yamauchi and the others had originally tried to flatter Manabe Shiho, but she had never given them the time of day, focusing only on Ayanokouji. This had turned their infatuation into hatred!
"It's better not to make malicious speculations about others without evidence.
I think Manabe is a good girl."
'How can this guy say such utter nonsense with a straight face?'
"Ayanokouji..." Manabe Shiho was stunned, and an involuntary, suspicious blush crept onto her cheeks.
'Hey, hey! You're a genuine Gyaru, don't start making that pure-hearted face!' Hikigaya complained wildly in his head.
Facing the collective condemnation of Class D, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed determined to protect Manabe Shiho at all costs.
"If you're going to forcibly drive Manabe away, then I'll leave with her."
"Who cares about you! Leave if you want!"
"To ensure the needs of daily life, I will apply to Chabashira-sensei to exchange for supplies before we go."
"Ayanokouji! You bastard!!" The Class D group cursed in anger, but Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained indifferent, his skin as thick as a city wall.
"Are you an idiot, Ayanokouji? Going against the whole class just for me?" Manabe Shiho looked moved, her heart fluttering.
'Oh no! Could this be... the legendary thing called love?'
"What exactly is going on with that Ayanokouji guy?" Horikita Suzune frowned, unable to fathom his purpose.
"Who knows? Maybe Ayanokouji is just a classic 'romance-brain'?" Hikigaya gave a cold laugh.
"Don't tell such chilling jokes. That dead-faced man, even if he were in a relationship, would only treat the other person as a tool." Horikita Suzune speculated maliciously.
This actually surprised Hikigaya: "Oh? How did you figure that out?"
"It's a woman's sixth sense."
'That's not scientific at all!' But Hikigaya had to admit he had the same intuition.
It was hard to imagine such a "fake person" being a romance-brain. He guessed Ayanokouji was likely fishing—gaining Manabe's trust first, then using her as bait to catch the final boss!
But what did that have to do with him? Hikigaya wasn't interested.
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The Third Night
With the two electric fans shared by the girls, the boys' tent was slightly cooler. Although it was still muggy, they had some psychological comfort and finally fell into a deep sleep.
Perhaps because he drank too much water, Hikigaya was woken up by a full bladder around four or five in the morning. Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly noticed Ayanokouji Kiyotaka opposite him rising quietly.
'Was he also woken up by the urge? No way it's that coincidental!'
Hikigaya remained still, squinting his dead-fish eyes to continue faking sleep. He watched as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka scanned the tent with a vigilant gaze. After confirming everyone was sound asleep, he stepped out.
'Is this guy finally unable to hold back from making a move?'
Out of curiosity, Hikigaya followed him cautiously. He only dared to tail him from a distance, not wanting to get too close. After all, the other guy was a mysterious expert suspected of coming from some secret agent organization.
He saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sneakily approach the girls' tent. Hikigaya was startled—was it a night raid? That's too bold!
Fortunately, the guy only went to the luggage area next to the tent and started rummaging through the girls' backpacks. Of course, that wasn't exactly proper behavior either!
From a distance, Hikigaya saw Ayanokouji pull a digital camera out of a backpack. These things weren't cheap—20 points to exchange—and were limited to use on the island. There was no record of such an exchange in Class D's manual.
'In other words, is this Manabe Shiho's backpack? What is she doing with a camera?'
If she were just spying on Class D's leader, seeing the keycard would be enough; there was no need to take photos. Unless the photos were for someone else...
"I see, that makes sense." A flash of realization crossed Hikigaya's eyes. He had already guessed there was a secret cooperation between Class A and Class C in this special exam.
"Sending the leader's information to Class A... it seems Ryuen asked for quite a few benefits from Class A!" Hikigaya further deduced. "Stealing the underwear to frame me was likely Class C's 'entry gift' to Class A. That bastard Ryuen—is he using me as a bargaining chip?"
Hikigaya was suddenly moved to angry laughter. He clearly had no interest in class competition, yet these bastards insisted on dragging him in.
'Fine! Since you want to play, don't blame me for joining in!'
After finding the digital camera, Ayanokouji's actions became somewhat incomprehensible. He grabbed a handful of sand and rubbed it against the camera lens. Then he turned on the recording and checked it repeatedly.
What on earth is he doing?
Hikigaya couldn't understand the man's mysterious operation. After finishing the "sabotage," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka put the camera back in Manabe's bag. Hikigaya quickly returned to the tent before him.
Day 4 & 5
The fourth day of camping passed without incident. On the fifth day, Class D started fighting again over cooking.
This time it had nothing to do with Manabe; it was purely Yamauchi and Shinohara clashing. It started when Yamauchi accidentally dropped several lunch boxes, and Shinohara scolded him mercilessly!
At the critical moment, the "good bro" Ike Kanji betrayed him, choosing to stand with Shinohara and criticize Yamauchi.
Yamauchi got desperate and started throwing hands with Ike!
Seeing this, instead of mediating, most of Class D started cheering them on. This left Yamauchi and Ike in a bind; for the sake of their pride, they actually had to fight for real.
Their martial prowess was at a level of "battle power: 5," strictly a "clash of the weak." After ten minutes, their clothes were just slightly dirty, and neither was injured.
"Yamauchi, Ike! Stop fighting!" Hirata Yousuke rushed forward anxiously to mediate, but as expected, he was ignored.
"Get out of the way, Hirata! I'm going to kill this simp Ike!"
"This is none of your business! I've put up with Yamauchi for so long! Kill him!"
Yamauchi and Ike continued to grapple, neither giving in. Hikigaya, watching from the sidelines, was getting bored.
"You won't settle anything fighting like this. Why don't you compare weapons?"
Looking at the two arm-thick wooden sticks Hikigaya "kindly" handed them, Yamauchi and Ike's faces turned green.
'Dammit! Is he asking us to settle both the rank and our lives?'
Yamauchi and Ike looked at each other and decisively chose to shake hands and make up.
"I'm sorry, Ike!"
"It's okay, Yamauchi!"
"We're brothers after all!!!"
Watching the two who were brawling a second ago suddenly become loving brothers, everyone was stunned.
"Hikigaya's mediation skills are truly impressive," Hirata Yousuke couldn't help but praise. Hikigaya, however, looked disappointed.
He had been hoping these two "god-tier" individuals would take each other out.
Manabe Shiho, the only outsider on the scene, was also dumbfounded. She thought to herself that even without her as a spy, Class D would likely collapse into infighting anyway.
With only two days left until the end of the special exam and Class D's leader still not found, Manabe was secretly getting anxious.
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Day 6
On the sixth day, there was a sudden downpour. Hikigaya, who was on duty cleaning the tents, luckily avoided the rain. He heard that Horikita Suzune had been moving supplies in
the rain when she was tripped by a "pig teammate" and got covered in mud. Her clothes and hair were caked in mud—something any girl who valued cleanliness couldn't accept.
A long queue formed in front of the shower rooms converted from portable toilets. Horikita Suzune stood honestly at the very end of the line. She didn't use her status as leader to cut the queue. However, as everyone knows, girls usually take a long time to bathe, and with the electric heaters taking time to boil water, it was taking forever.
"Hachoo!" Horikita couldn't help but sneeze, her head feeling heavy. She thought to herself that she had made it to the sixth day and absolutely couldn't withdraw due to health issues!
So, she sought out Hikigaya.
"What? You're going to bathe in the river? And you want me to keep watch?" Hikigaya looked astonished.
'Wait, shouldn't this kind of thing be done by a girl?'
"I'm not close with the girls in the class."
'Wow! How can this person say such an awkward thing with a straight face?'
"Wouldn't it be better to ask Kushida-san? She's always wanted to be friends with you," Hikigaya suggested.
"Hmph! Don't say such foolish things!" Horikita Suzune snorted coldly. Although she didn't know the specific reason, she could faintly sense that Kushida Kikyou held hostility toward her.
"Fine. If you're not afraid of me 'monitoring and stealing' for myself, then I don't care." Hikigaya shrugged, putting the harsh words out first.
"..." Horikita Suzune didn't reply.
'What's with this mysterious sense of trust?'
To be fair, Hikigaya was a healthy high school boy after all; he certainly had thoughts.
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By the River
"Let's do it here...
You're responsible for keeping watch. If someone approaches, drive them away for me..."
Horikita's instructions seemed lucid, but her brain was clearly becoming muddled. She actually began taking off her soaking wet tracksuit right in front of Hikigaya, revealing her pure white bra and underwear.
"???"
Faced with this sudden "fan service" from Horikita Suzune, Hikigaya chose to gaze generously, imprinting the beautiful image into his mind before reluctantly turning around. Hikigaya felt he was being enough of a gentleman. If it were any other boy, they probably wouldn't have been able to resist pouncing on this frail, beautiful girl!
"Whew~" Hikigaya took a deep breath, using his powerful willpower to suppress the stray thoughts in his heart.
Rustle, rustle~
There was a clear movement in the bushes in the distance. Hikigaya silently picked up a large rock and hurled it toward the bushes.
THUD!
The rock smashed through a large patch of shrubs, and a sneaky figure scrambled backward to avoid it.
"Hey, are you trying to kill me?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka crawled out from the bushes, a rare look of cold sweat appearing on his poker face. If he had been hit by such a large rock, even with a physique far exceeding ordinary people, he would have ended up with broken bones.
"Oh, it's you, Ayanokouji-kun. I thought it was a lost wild boar!" Hikigaya stared at him with an unfriendly tone.
"There are no wild boars on an artificial island," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka deadpanned.
"So, what are you doing here?" Hikigaya looked impatient; he wasn't in the mood to bicker.
"Peeping, of course."
"AS IF!"
"I'm not joking. Horikita-san is one of the top beauties in the class; any boy would have thoughts, wouldn't they?" Ayanokouji spoke with logical justification.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hikigaya narrowed his eyes.
"I want to go over there." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka continued to provoke.
"You want to steal the keycard." Hikigaya exposed the lie in one sentence.
Ayanokouji was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting Hikigaya to see through his intent so quickly. But he still tried to play dumb: "Huh? I'm also in Class D, why would I steal the keycard?"
"I couldn't figure out why at first, but seeing you trying so hard to attract my attention now, I finally understand." Hikigaya's peripheral vision swept around, speaking with hidden meaning: "You're planning to let..."
WHOOSH!
A fist flew toward him. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka clearly didn't want him to continue. Hikigaya raised his hands to block, but he was still pushed back several steps by the other's incredible power.
"Tsk tsk~ Heavy fists. It looks like you're planning to stop pretending? 'Boxing King' Ayanokouji?" Hikigaya rubbed his numbing wrists.
"Sorry, that punch just now was just a stress reaction. Right now, I just want to be an ordinary high school student." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka unclenched his fists, returning to his harmless appearance.
"You punch me and then tell me this?" Hikigaya was angry.
"I can apologize. If it makes you feel better, I'll stand still and let you punch me back." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka took the initiative to back down, signaling he didn't want to make an enemy of him.
"Then stand still." Hikigaya clenched his fist and blew on it.
Ayanokouji's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This guy is serious. A full-power punch from him would likely have the power of a lightweight boxer. Using the 'Hard Qigong' I learned in the White Room, taking this hit shouldn't be a problem.'
SWISH!
Suddenly, the hair on Ayanokouji's body stood on end, and he dodged backward as a matter of physical reflex.
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