"Mmm..."
Hikigaya most reluctantly opened his "dead fish eyes" and looked at Shibata in front of him and Kanzaki behind him.
Kanzaki seemed to be sleeping in the other tent and even specially came over to remind them to work; is this guy's heart made of stone?
That's right.
There was also the job of covering for the leader.
After a bit of tidying up, the three left the tent.
The spot was beside the log cabin below the cliff.
The three climbed down the ladder on the cliff. Ichinose and Koba seemed to have been waiting nearby for a while.
The spot machine was perfectly covered under the sunshade.
Nearby, a ring of U-shaped wooden tables and chairs had been set up—they should be the workbenches used by the girls for food preparation and resting.
"Everyone, good morning. How did you sleep last night?"
Ichinose greeted them with full energy.
"Good morning."
Shibata responded brightly: "Great, it's my first time camping, and it feels quite fresh."
"The boys' side is fine."
Kanzaki's face was solemn: "Although it doesn't compare to the dorms, it's still bearable. How about the girls' side?"
"There are no problems on the girls' side either," Ichinose explained frankly. "There were some minor conflicts, but everyone decided to endure them for now."
Enduring together. What an admirable display of youth.
Hikigaya yawned as several people gathered around the base. Originally, the base was supposed to be refreshed at four o'clock, but considering factors like daily routines and physical exertion, Ichinose decided to gradually delay it. It would be best to delay it to the 8-4-12 cycle.
He specifically glanced toward the cliff. The view was blocked by the sunshade canopy; accordingly, others shouldn't be able to observe the situation here either.
"Beep." Shiranami swiped the card again to occupy the base.
"Regarding Kaneda, do you guys have any thoughts?" Since there was still some time before everyone woke up, Kanzaki found a chair nearby and sat down. "I watched Kaneda for half the night; he slept very soundly."
Hikigaya was somewhat surprised; it seemed he had overthought things. With Ichinose and Kanzaki being so excellent, how could they be completely defenseless?
Looking at it this way, the tent distribution yesterday—placing him and Shibata in one tent while keeping them separate from Kaneda—was likely intentional, with Kanzaki taking the responsibility of monitoring him. Truly impressive.
"In that case, the possibility of him being here to cause trouble isn't high, then." Shibata pondered for a moment and nodded. That's right. He might not be a spy, but he could have been sent specifically to stir up trouble.
Hikigaya also found a corner to sit in. One person's thoughts were bound to have omissions, but he still leaned toward the idea that Kaneda was a spy. However, since Ichinose and the others were already on guard, it likely had nothing to do with him anymore.
"But," Kanzaki said with some confusion, "what exactly is Ryuen trying to do? According to Kaneda, Class C has used up all their points."
"We'll find out as long as we go investigate today. He shouldn't be so stupid as to tell such an obvious lie, right?" Hikigaya couldn't figure this point out either. It wasn't impossible that it was purely for enjoyment. Mainly, he knew nothing about Ryuen, having only heard from Ichinose and others that he was a delinquent thug.
"A zero-point strategy," Ichinose suddenly spoke, her brow furrowed.
"Zero-point strategy?" Kanzaki looked back in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Even if what Kaneda said is true," Ichinose explained with a hint of doubt, "even if Class C spends all their private points, as long as they hide the last person, they can gain fifty class points for every leader they correctly guess on the final day."
"And the reasoning?" Hikigaya asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Yeah," Shibata also said, confused. "What's your reason for thinking that?"
"No particular reason," Ichinose shook her head. "It's just that in my eyes, Ryuen isn't someone who gives up easily. On the contrary, he is extremely persistent in pursuing victory."
"I really can't imagine the possibility of him just forfeiting the exam," Ichinose explained with some difficulty. "So the only possibility I can imagine is this one."
"But..." Shibata hesitated to speak.
"I understand your concerns," Ichinose also said with some difficulty. "After all, even if Ryuen manages to guess the leaders of three classes, he can only get 150 points at most, which is far less than the benefits of participating normally. And if he guesses even one wrong, all his efforts will be in vain."
The risk and reward were disproportionate. One could even say the risk far outweighed the reward. Would someone really choose such an unreliable strategy? Hikigaya was also skeptical. But since he knew nothing about Ryuen, it was better to trust Ichinose's judgment.
"That's true," Kanzaki nodded after thinking for a bit. "Moreover, surviving alone on this deserted island for seven days without being discovered by anyone is no easy feat. Can Ryuen really do it?"
Surviving alone for seven days. It wasn't exactly hard, but it wasn't simple either. After all, food on the island wasn't scarce; if one didn't mind the living environment, it wasn't a big problem. The issue was if one caught a cold or got injured—then it would be over. Again, the risk was too high and the reward too low; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it gambling.
"So what do we do next?" Shibata asked, puzzled. "We can't just kick Kaneda out, can we? What if everything he said is true?"
Hikigaya didn't mind either way. He had nothing to do with Kaneda and didn't plan to. But Ichinose and the others would likely find it hard to accept. If Kaneda was telling the truth and got kicked out, having to survive seven days on the island just to stay in the exam would be too pitiful. Ichinose and Shibata were the type of people who would lend a hand without hesitation, even to someone they had no connection with.
"It's fine." Ichinose stood up with a brilliant smile. "Whether Ryuen is considering an impractical plan like the zero-point strategy or not, as long as we keep a good watch on Kaneda, Ryuen's strategy will fall apart on its own. At worst, it won't affect us!"
"We just need to be a bit careful. Kanzaki-kun, I'm sorry to Kaneda-kun, but since this is an exam, I'll have to trouble you to keep a close eye on him at night."
"When occupying the base, I'll tell Kaneda not to come near. That should be fine."
"Understood." Kanzaki looked serious and nodded without hesitation. Hero Kanzaki was truly reassuring. With his personality, he would probably keep a total watch on Kaneda even if he didn't sleep for seven days.
To the side, Hikigaya had a bit of a headache. Ichinose, Shibata, and Kanzaki were all more excellent than him; though they were kind, they weren't idiots and naturally knew to watch Kaneda. However, there is a saying: you can guard against a thief for a day, but not for a thousand days. Still, since Class B had made their decision, there wasn't much he could do.