Class B Camp
"Ichinose."
Kanzaki's eyes were sharp as he lowered his voice. "What's going on? Do you know anything?"
"Yes," Ichinose replied with a sweet smile.
Menlai looked confused. "Why did someone from Class D bring coffee to Hikigaya?"
"This should consume Class D's special exam points, right?"
Huko also frowned, puzzled.
Other students exchanged glances, confusion written all over their faces. Why would someone from another class go out of their way to bring coffee to a Class B student?
It was strange.
It wasn't just suspicious—it was outright abnormal to be so blatant about it.
"That's right, I know," Ichinose continued. "Hikigaya used his personal points to buy some MAX coffee from Class D. He seems to like drinking it a lot."
Since Kaneda from Class C was present, Ichinose wisely chose to keep certain details hidden.
"I see." Kanzaki nodded, clenching his fists.
Menlai still looked puzzled. "But why trade with Class D? He could've just used our class points."
"Yeah." Someone else agreed.
No one doubted Ichinose's words—she was too trusted for that.
Still, just mentioning coffee…
If Hikigaya had asked, Ichinose would have gladly bought it for him.
They could have picked up some along with drinking water on the first day.
"He..."
Juke pursed her lips reluctantly. "Does he not see himself as part of Class B? Or does he not trust us? It's kind of sad."
The mood in the camp grew heavy.
Many students fell silent, and Juke subtly glanced toward the boiler.
There was only one reasonable explanation.
Hikigaya simply didn't want to burden the class.
To others, though, it made no sense. Why wouldn't he make use of his class's resources?
"That's not it!" Ichinose waved her hands in a panic. "He just doesn't want to waste any class points on personal matters. Hikigaya is actually a very responsible person. He does an excellent job with the tasks he's assigned."
"I see."
Chihiro Shiranami's expression softened. Ichinose sighed in relief—she would explain everything properly once the exam ended.
Kaneda, however, remained silent, his gaze flickering.
He hadn't expected to find a potential weak spot in Class B's unity.
Late at Night
Most of Class B was getting ready to sleep, but Hikigaya remained at the boiler, ensuring there was enough hot water for everyone.
"Yo, Hikigaya."
Shibata approached with a cheerful grin. "I came to see if you need help. Anything I should know?"
"You're joking, right?" Hikigaya looked at him blankly.
It was just boiling water—what was there to learn?
This had to be Ichinose's doing.
But he hadn't expected her to send Shibata.
Shibata was athletic, well-liked, and always took on the toughest jobs.
But he had never come near the boiler until now.
"Well, it's rare to have summer vacation like this. Might as well joke around, right?"
Shibata tossed some dry wood into the fire and carried a pot of hot water over.
The two worked in silence.
An hour passed.
"Man, this is brutal."
Shibata pulled at his shirt, trying to cool off, and wiped the sweat from his face. His expression was complicated.
"I didn't think boiling water could be this exhausting. Respect for sticking with it."
"It's fine." Hikigaya responded flatly as he washed his face.
Even if Shibata hadn't come, he could have handled it alone.
Still, he accepted the help for what it was.
"Actually…"
Shibata's tone suddenly grew serious.
"Hikigaya, you don't need to be so modest. Since school started, and even now with the way the student council president favors you, it's obvious—you're capable."
"You're undoubtedly an impressive person."
"You're acting weird."
Hikigaya turned to look at him and found Shibata watching him with rare intensity.
"But—"
Shibata pounded his chest with a grin. "I won't lose to you!"
"...I'm not competing with you, though."
"Huh?"
Shibata blinked. "You seriously haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?"
Hikigaya gave him a blank stare.
Shibata hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind. Saying it outright would be unfair to her."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Hikigaya looked at him, even more confused.
Shibata just smiled and poured fresh river water into the boiler.
"You go wash up first. I'll handle the rest."
"Okay…"
Hikigaya didn't ask further.
Their relationship wasn't particularly close.
And honestly, he didn't care for whatever weird competition Shibata had in mind.
If the guy didn't want to explain, that was fine with him.
The Next Morning – Day 3 of the Exam
At dawn, Hikigaya was once again tending to the boiler.
Shibata only seemed to show up during the busiest times.
He came early in the morning and late at night, but the rest of the time, it was still up to Hikigaya to keep the water supply running.
"Everyone!"
A scout ran back to the camp, panting.
"Class C has returned to the cruise ship!"
"What?"
Ichinose stepped forward, her expression turning serious. "Hamaguchi, are you sure?"
"Yeah." Hamaguchi nodded. "I saw it myself. Every single one of them left. All that's left is a pile of trash."
"They actually gave up on the exam?"
"What's Ryuuen thinking?"
"Won't Class C get zero points?"
Class B erupted into discussion.
Meanwhile, Kaneda's expression twisted in frustration.
"Kaneda-kun, are you okay?"
"It's insane that anyone would do this."
"This is all Ryuuen's fault, not yours."
Several Class B girls gathered around Kaneda, their voices full of sympathy.
His own class had abandoned the exam.
He must have felt awful.
"I'm fine," Kaneda muttered, his fists clenched.
His eyes darkened with barely suppressed anger.
"I knew Ryuuen was like this, but I still hate how powerless I am against his tyranny."
"It's not your fault, Kaneda."
"Yeah, sorry, man. I even suspected you of being a spy."
"It's fine." Kaneda gave a bitter smile. "That's understandable."
Watching from the side, Hikigaya frowned.
This wasn't good.
Most of Class B wasn't aware of the situation. They didn't know what Ichinose suspected.
Their guard was dropping.
It was natural to feel sympathy.
But Ichinose had deliberately kept things quiet.
If too many people knew, someone might slip up.
She was trying to protect Kaneda's feelings.
It was a risky choice.
Would this really be enough to prevent problems?
Something felt off.
Was it really that simple?
Hikigaya narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
End of Chapter 051