Chapter 033 The Deserted Island is Full of Enemies! / The Strike of the Gal, Chiaki!
Only after the unrelated students from other classes dispersed did the scene quiet down slightly. Ten minutes later, medical personnel prepared stretchers and carried out Ike Kanji and Kinoshita Minori, both of whom had completely lost the ability to move.
Hirata Yousuke, Sudo Ken, and Yukimura Teruhiko immediately crowded around.
"Are you okay, Ike-kun!"
"What exactly happened!"
"Did Kinoshita push you?"
Seeing his companions, Ike Kanji grimaced in pain and shouted, "It wasn't Kinoshita! She's a victim just like me. Some bastard pushed me down the slope when we weren't looking."
"Me too... I only remember something hitting the back of my calf, and then I rolled down," Kinoshita Minori added in explanation.
"Hmph! You hear that? Idiots!" Ryuen Kakeru stepped forward with Ishizaki and Albert to check the situation, letting out a sneer. "I told you it wasn't my doing!"
"Then who was it?" Sudo Ken was even more confused. "Which bastard laid a hand on my classmate?"
"I don't know either..." Ike Kanji lifted his head with difficulty, asking anxiously: "I remember Satsuki wasn't with me before I blacked out. Is she okay?"
He cared more about his girlfriend's condition. Just then, Chabashira-sensei walked over leading Shinohara Satsuki.
"Kanji... I'm fine!" Seeing her boyfriend, Shinohara Satsuki finally found an emotional outlet and lunged at his chest, sobbing. "Actually, I was hiding in the bushes the whole time, watching that person push you both down. I'm sorry, I should have stepped out, but my body just froze. I couldn't move at all."
"I don't care about that, as long as you're okay." Ike Kanji comforted her while pressing for details. "The guy who pushed me—did you see who it was?"
"It was too dark... I didn't dare use the flashlight to shine over there..." Shinohara wiped her tears, trying hard to remember. "But yesterday after dark, around 8:30 PM, we only ran into a first-year group camping..."
"A first-year?" An candidate immediately jumped into Sudo Ken's mind. He gritted his teeth. "Could it be that guy Housen Kazuomi? A few months ago he brought trouble on himself and had to pay our class five million points. Maybe this is revenge!"
With Ike's thin limbs and his team consisting of two girls, they were obviously "soft persimmons" to pick on.
"Hey." Ryuen snorted. "I've heard of that Housen guy. He's a moron just like you; if he wanted to sabotage you, he'd charge straight in for a fight. Besides, this person pushed Kinoshita too. It's clearly not aimed specifically at your class."
Yukimura Teruhiko calmly spoke to Chabashira Sae: "Sensei, was there anything found on the GPS? An alarm sounds when a watch is damaged. When the alarm went off, who was closest to Ike-kun and the others?"
Chabashira Sae looked at her tablet and answered, "Kinoshita's alarm went off at 4:56:24 AM. Ike's alarm followed seven seconds later. At that time, the GPS showed only Shinohara as an overlapping reaction."
"How can that be?" Shinohara Satsuki looked shocked. "But I clearly saw..."
"This person must have intentionally damaged their own watch." Shimizu Akira recalled the various rules regarding watches he'd heard from staff yesterday. "Once the watch is gone, they can't be tracked by the GPS system."
"Intentionally damaging the watch?" Hirata Yousuke frowned. "Meaning the culprit is very familiar with the GPS tracking mechanism?"
"More than that," Shimizu Akira added. "They also knew that 4:00 AM is when people are most lax, they knew Ike Kanji's group's route, they knew where was suitable for an attack, and they knew how to leave no trace. Since they destroyed the watch beforehand, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment act; it was premeditated."
The faces of everyone present turned solemn. Ryuen Kakeru crossed his arms. For once, he didn't argue but stared thoughtfully at Shinohara Satsuki for a while before speaking: "Hey, you said you hid in the bushes and saw them get pushed with your own eyes. Did you see what the culprit looked like? Even just a silhouette?"
Shinohara was stunned by the question, then lowered her head, her voice getting smaller: "It was too dark... I really didn't see clearly..."
"What about height? Build? Male or female?" Ryuen continued to press. "You must have noticed something."
"I... I..." Shinohara's eyes reddened again.
"Ryuen-kun," Hirata Yousuke interrupted. "Shinohara is emotionally unstable right now. Please don't push her."
Ryuen clicked his tongue and stepped back. Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses, his gaze falling on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. "Ayanokouji, you were the first responder. Can you briefly describe what happened when you arrived? What did you do, and what did you see?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke calmly: "By the time I heard the alarm, it was past 5:00 AM. It was still very dark. I rushed there with a flashlight and arrived around 5:30 AM. When I arrived, I only saw Ike and Kinoshita collapsed on the ground. I heard crying nearby and found
Shinohara hiding in the bushes. I had her watch over the unconscious two while I checked the perimeter twice, but I didn't find anyone suspicious. After that, the school detected the alarm and the Senseis arrived."
After hearing Ayanokouji's statement, Sakagami nodded and made some notes on his tablet.
"Since the watch was intentionally destroyed by the culprit, can the Senseis follow this lead?" Yukimura Teruhiko said, following Shimizu's logic. "If we find everyone without a watch and question them one by one, we should be able to narrow down the suspects, right?"
"You're right," Sakagami said professionally. "But the Deserted Island Special Exam is currently underway. Between the three years, there are over four hundred people. While the percentage of people with damaged watches isn't large, there are at least ten to twenty. Furthermore, with their watches destroyed, it's difficult for the school to track their locations. Investigating this would require a lot of manpower and would affect other students' exams. We will investigate this once the special exam is over and everyone is resting on the ship."
"Sensei!" Hirata Yousuke frowned. "You're just going to let the culprit go? What if another accident occurs?"
Sakagami responded with a serious expression: "I'm not targeting you. Kinoshita is also my student. I consulted Acting Chairman Tsukishiro's opinion before coming. His view is that this might just be an accident—after all, it was dark and the road was slippery. Perhaps you mistakenly thought someone pushed them."
The faces of the group were filled with disbelief. Shimizu Akira had nothing to say. It seemed Tsukishiro knew he was leaving soon and didn't care anymore, spouting such irresponsible words.
Chabashira-sensei rubbed her temples, thinking similarly to Shimizu. That Chairman was likely already mentally checked out and wouldn't listen to advice. "How about this: I will propose that the other Senseis arrange regular patrols. However, I don't understand—why was your group traveling in the middle of the night?"
Ike Kanji answered sullenly, "Because our group's score is too low. We haven't taken first place once and missed a lot of basic check-ins. We only have 28 points so far... we just wanted to get more points."
As expected, points were the root of the trouble. Afterward, Ike Kanji and Kinoshita Minori were carried away on stretchers by school personnel to be sent back to the luxury liner. The original three-person group was instantly reduced to Shinohara Satsuki alone.
"Shinohara-san," Hirata Yousuke tried to suggest, "Would you like to find Kushida-san for the time being? She should take good care of you and help you find a suitable group to join. I've already checked her location; why don't you come with us?"
"Join a group..." Shinohara shook her head bitterly. "I'm the only one left. Who would be willing to take me in?"
Hirata's group said a brief goodbye to Shimizu and Ayanokouji and left the scene with Shinohara.
Ryuen Kakeru retracted his gaze and turned to Shimizu: "Hey, do you have a guess on who did it?"
"I have a rough candidate in mind, but no direct evidence." Shimizu glanced at him. "Ryuen, since when did you care so much about your classmates?"
"Hmph." Ryuen turned his head away. "No matter how useless the people in my class are, they are my subordinates. Kinoshita Minori's athletic ability is B+; she's a rare, useful pawn. To have her get a fracture from some mysterious guy... if our group ends up in the bottom, won't we have to split 150 class points with your class?"
With that, he turned and left with Ishizaki and Albert.
Shimizu knew who the culprit was, but Ryuen wouldn't be foolish enough to ask. First, it would be a loss of face, and second, Shimizu might not tell him the truth anyway. But it didn't matter—his own class wasn't lacking in people skilled at deduction. He'd just let Shiina Hiyori handle it.
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Once everyone had left, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka finally spoke: "Is the person you're guessing Yagami Takuya or Amasawa Ichika?"
"Well, you said you walked around several times and found no trace. Only someone from the White Room could leave no trace for you to detect." Shimizu rubbed his chin. "Besides you, there are only those two White Room assassins in this school. Shinohara narrowed the scope to first-years. The former is most likely; the latter is very unlikely, but not impossible. I'm just wondering, what is their motive? The targets should be the two of us, right?"
"To show off, declare war, make us feel afraid in advance; or to test the school's tolerance; or more simply, just to verify if the watch functions as the school claimed." Ayanokouji thought for a moment and answered point by point. "After all, today is the fourth day. With GPS open, it's easier for people from different classes to cross paths than before."
Hearing this, Shimizu knew Ayanokouji suspected Yagami Takuya. Given the confrontational energy Yagami showed against Nagumo Miyabi a few days ago, it was 90% likely it was him. Pushing someone down a slope—if there were sharp rocks below, someone could actually die. The White Room assassins weren't just joking about being killers.
Shimizu frowned, feeling that Yagami's move today was quite disgusting. He wasn't afraid of the guy himself, but if Yagami suddenly attacked his girlfriends, he might not be able to react in time. He had to be on guard against this guy popping up from anywhere. Like a fly—annoying.
Ayanokouji picked up his tablet and used the search function for Yagami Takuya's location. "Can't find him. He definitely destroyed his watch. He himself won't be able to check in anymore."
Shimizu thought for a moment: "A group only needs one person to check in to avoid losing points. Moreover, the first-years started as four-person groups. Even if he doesn't check in or participate in any tasks, he's most likely safe."
He remembered something. "By the way, Hirata said you were looking for me the last two days? What for specifically?"
"On the first day, I ran into Utomiya Riku and Tsubaki Sakurako," Ayanokouji replied. "Those two gave me a bad feeling as well. You should be extra careful."
Shimizu felt a headache coming on. "So for this special exam, I not only have to face Tsukishiro and the White Room assassins, but also those first-years, and Nagumo interfering on the side..." He sighed. "It looks like I won't get a high rank this time."
To be wary of so many people, he had to check GPS locations regularly. Each check cost points—how could he get first place?
He checked the time; it was almost 9:00 AM. "My route is H4. You?"
"I2."
"Alright then, let's part ways here." Shimizu raised his walkie-talkie. "I see you have one too. If there's an emergency, tune to channel XX. I'll listen in at 7:00 AM sharp. You're alone right now; even if you're a great fighter, getting ambushed out of the blue is a hassle. Stay in your tent after 9:00 PM and be careful."
Ayanokouji nodded slightly and turned toward H2 without saying anything more. Shimizu watched his back disappear into the woods before confirming his route on the tablet. H4 was quite far; it would take about an hour to walk. After all, he had taken a detour to the I4 area.
Then again, that guy Ayanokouji was truly calm. Even though he was the primary target, he always acted like it was none of his business. Acting alone, he seemingly really had nothing to worry about.
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When Matsushita Chiaki ran into Hirata Yousuke that day, she learned that Ayanokouji was also looking to talk to Shimizu. She didn't know what Ayanokouji wanted, but she had a major matter for him.
She was going to confess directly and become Shimizu's... well, okay, she didn't know how many girlfriends Shimizu had now. Kei hadn't exactly told her the details!
Speaking of Kei, although she'd secretly bad-mouthed Chiaki recently, Chiaki was after her boyfriend, after all. She understood the logic of "one's mouth is shortened by eating another's food"—taking favors makes you soft. That's why she'd spent a thousand points on all those snacks specifically to give to Kei.
That naive girl really thought there was such a thing as "unconditional kindness" falling into her lap!
Anyway, although Matsushita Chiaki had this plan, she and Shimizu's group weren't on the same route. During these days of the exam, she'd only run into Karuizawa Kei once while checking in and doing tasks, but she did learn one piece of news: their group wasn't moving collectively, but individually.
Individual action was good! If they were separate, wouldn't she be able to talk to Shimizu successfully?
Today was the fourth day. Since she couldn't run into him by chance, she decided to just use the GPS system to check his location. She thought it, and she did it once she picked up the tablet. Not bad—Shimizu wasn't far from her group's position. Since she'd just run into Kei yesterday, he shouldn't be too far. By foot, she could see him in about half an hour.
However, Shimizu himself wasn't just standing in one place waiting. His position was currently moving East, where a new Mental Arithmetic task had just appeared on the map.
Matsushita Chiaki immediately raised her hand and spoke to Sato Maya and Mori Nene, who were resting on the ground: "Should we go straight to the nearby Mental Arithmetic task?"
Sato Maya was startled and checked her tablet. "Huh? It's a thirty-minute walk? Not too far, I guess. But Chiaki, a few days ago you complained about tasks even twenty minutes away being a hassle. Since when did you become so proactive?"
Matsushita Chiaki felt inexplicably awkward. Given her somewhat "energy-saving" personality, she indeed hadn't been very active in tasks over the last few days. Her group currently had 38 points—a fairly average level. There was no chance of a high rank, but no danger of falling into the bottom ten. It was perfect.
"Because I want to contribute to the class too," she coughed. "And Mental Arithmetic is one of my strengths!"
"Eh? Really?" Mori Nene said lightly. "But in the last Mental Arithmetic task, Kouenji seemed more outstanding. What if we run into him again?"
Chiaki's face stiffened again. She remembered the scene where her best chance to debut her true strength was casually ruined by Kouenji Rokusuke. The boast she'd made to her friends had been thoroughly slapped down. They'd laughed at her that day—why were they still laughing now!
Sato Maya couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, stop teasing her! Even though you usually act like a big sister, your embarrassed expression now is cuter. Since you want to go, let's go."
The three packed up and headed East. Matsushita Chiaki walked at the front, her pace much faster than usual. Sato Maya and Mori Nene followed, exchanging a knowing glance.
"Chiaki is really proactive today," Mori Nene whispered. "Tell me about it." Sato Maya stifled a laugh. "I'll bet a thousand points she's definitely not doing it for the class." "Shh... she can hear you!" "I know! I wanted her to hear it."
Matsushita Chiaki chose to pretend she hadn't heard; a big sister was magnanimous like that! After walking for about twenty minutes, the trees ahead thinned out, revealing an open beach. Several sunshades were set up on the sand with tables and chairs beneath, and several staff members were preparing the exam equipment.
"You're here for the task?" a staff member asked the three. "There are still slots available, but only one person per group can participate. Who's up?"
"Me!" Matsushita Chiaki raised her hand immediately.
"Then we'll wait for you at the charging area over there." Seeing Chiaki sign up, Sato and Mori followed their usual habit of taking her tablet and heading to the charging area. They didn't have early-entry cards or many points to buy spare batteries, so they had to charge their tablets during task intervals.
Chiaki scanned the venue. Today was the fourth day, and the school had begun opening tasks that increased group member capacity, so this simple Mental Arithmetic task for points didn't have many participants. Only three or four students were present, and Shimizu hadn't arrived yet.
While standing there pretending to be calm, she couldn't help but peek toward the forest. Even though it had only been a few days, the thought of seeing him made her quite happy.
Ten minutes later, Shimizu Akira finally appeared. He was the same as ever, his expression somewhat leisurely, carrying a steady aura that didn't quite match his age. Chiaki appreciated exactly this kind of composed boy, and since she wasn't particularly extroverted herself, she found herself smiling unconsciously as she watched him.
On the other side, Shimizu walked to the participation area to register. He scanned the area and happened to lock eyes with her. Chiaki's face reddened; it was the embarrassment of getting caught peeking. However, he didn't seem to notice anything and instead walked over to greet her.
"Matsushita, good morning."
"Shimizu-kun, good morning." She nodded, lying with a straight face. "Are you here for the Mental Arithmetic task too? What a coincidence."
"It is a coincidence." Shimizu smiled. "By the way, Kei said she ran into you yesterday and that you gave her a lot of snacks. I remember she mentioned bad-mouthing you before; that was wrong of her. I apologize on her behalf."
"Ah? It's nothing, really!" Chiaki shook her head. "I never blamed Kei."
Shimizu looked at her with some surprise. "Matsushita, I can tell you're being sincere. To not hold a grudge even after that... and even give her snacks? You have a really good personality. It seems like since school started, you've been looking out for and yielding to Kei, Sato, and the others. Even though you have a 'big sister' personality, you should look out for yourself once in a while too."
"It's really nothing..." Chiaki's face felt hot from the praise. Again, she only let it go because she wanted to pursue him! How did she end up as a "good woman" in his eyes?
Man, this guy is really nice—apologizing for his girlfriend and giving such nice compliments. No wonder Kei was walking on air every day lately; anyone would be floating if they were with him!
Chiaki was immersed in the subtle joy of being praised when the staff member's voice rang out: "Mental Arithmetic participants, please take your seats. The task is about to begin."
She snapped back to reality and quickly straightened her expression. "I'll head over then." she pointed to her seat.
Shimizu nodded. "Good luck."
Just those two words made Chiaki, who was a bit "cold on the outside, warm on the inside," feel a bit lightheaded.
He told me good luck! No, no, he was just being polite! But what if he wasn't?
She sat down and took a deep breath, trying to calm her boiling thoughts. No, I have to do questions in a moment; if I stay like this, I'll fail again. Out of the corner of her eye, she peeked at Shimizu. He was already in his seat, focused on checking his answer board.
I want to take a screenshot.
Chiaki quickly looked away and patted her face. Calm down, calm down.
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The task began shortly. Questions flashed rapidly across the screen, and Chiaki focused all her attention on the numbers. The first round went smoothly; she answered quickly with good accuracy. Occasionally peeking at Shimizu, she saw him writing furiously, seemingly even faster than her.
As expected, he's amazing. Last time during Mental Arithmetic, he was the one who handed her the correct answer.
In the second round, the difficulty increased significantly. Chiaki frowned, her pen hesitating slightly on the board before she wrote down an answer. She didn't know if it was right... but there was no time to think; the next question had already jumped out.
An hour later, the task ended. Chiaki put down her pen and let out a long breath. Her palms were sweaty and her back felt damp. Part of it was nerves, part of it was the heat, and the mental exertion of focusing on the questions was significant.
The staff began collecting the boards, announcing that results would take ten minutes. Chiaki stood up and saw Shimizu walking toward her.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"It was... alright, I guess." Chiaki sounded uncertain. "There were a few questions I wasn't sure about."
"That's normal; the last few were indeed difficult." Shimizu nodded. "I got stuck on two of them myself."
"You got stuck too?" Chiaki was surprised. "I thought you'd be able to answer all of them."
Shimizu laughed. "I'm not a god."
As they spoke, the staff's voice rang out: "The results are in. 1st Place: Shimizu Akira... 3rd Place: Matsushita Chiaki..."
Chiaki: "..."
Well, of course. Losing to Shimizu was one thing, but how could she not even take second place!
"Third place is already very good. After all, second place was a third-year senior." Shimizu checked the time. "It's almost noon, so I'll head off now—"
Chiaki hesitated for a split second. If she let him go now, she really didn't know when they'd meet again. A "Gal" should act like one, shouldn't she? Being overly modest wouldn't do.
She suddenly reached out and grabbed Shimizu's lapel.
Shimizu turned back, looking surprised. "Matsushita?"
"Um..." She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady. "Can we go to the nearby beach? Just the two of us... to walk and talk for a bit."
She looked up with serious eyes. Shimizu looked at her for two seconds.
"...Sure."
Only then did Matsushita Chiaki let go of his hand.
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