After lunch, the students assigned to collect information and obtain supplies set off again. Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami walked out of the camp together as planned. They had already asked Mijitsu Haruto about the general direction of Class D's camp, so they knew how to get there.
In such an important exam process, caution is definitely not a bad thing.
The two walked along the path in the forest that Mijitsu had pointed out. After spending a night on this uninhabited island, Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami had both begun to get used to the feeling of their bodies passing through the forest, and their pace became more steady.
"I didn't expect you to agree with my idea, Hikaru. I thought you would think it was a waste of time."
Ichinose Honami leaned against Hashima Hikaru's shoulder and said with a chuckle.
"Caution is a very good quality, especially in this kind of exam situation where you need to gather information about the other party. I think it's a very good thing to have this kind of thinking. As expected of Ichinose-san."
However, after he said this, Ichinose Honami didn't respond, but stared at his face, silently.
"..."
Hashima Hikaru instantly reacted and smiled before saying again, "As expected of Honami, you consider problems very comprehensively."
"I think as long as everyone works together, we will definitely be able to win this exam."
After the boy called her by her name, a brighter smile bloomed on Ichinose Honami's pretty face, indicating that she would definitely lead everyone to win this exam.
"Yes, I think so too."
After walking for more than ten minutes, the two finally arrived at the place that Mijitsu Haruto had said, which was where Class D had originally camped.
After passing through the towering bushes, what came into view was a fairly wide open space that had been artificially cleared. Although no stream flowed through it, it still looked quite good.
There were many trees and vegetation surrounding it, providing both shade and preventing students from other classes from spying.
"This should be the traces of the bonfire, right?"
Hashima Hikaru squatted down and carefully touched the black material left on the ground. To light a bonfire, it was necessary to pile up wood underneath and have ignition items.
Although the air in the forest was relatively flowing, and there was not much residual breath here, it could still be judged from the various traces of activity on the ground that people had indeed lived here.
"It seems to be true."
Ichinose Honami walked over from the shade of a tree next to her. She was holding a transparent plastic bag with a product introduction for meat products written on it.
"This should be the supplies they exchanged. It seems they forgot to clean it up."
"Well, did they really give up on the exam?"
The image of Ibuki Mio's face couldn't help but appear in Hashima Hikaru's mind. Would this short-haired girl, who seemed to be more unwilling to admit defeat than any boy, really agree with such a class strategy?
Or did they think that they would not be able to win this exam in the end, and it was better to give up sooner rather than suffer?
Apart from going to Class D to sell the rules at the beginning of the school year, the boy had been contacting Shiina Hiyori in the months that followed, and he had been doing so in the library, so he didn't really know what the situation was like in Class D now.
"In any case, we've already checked here. Next, let's go back to the beach to take a look."
Hashima Hikaru stood up and patted the dust off his pants. Since he had decided to go to confirm this information, he had to do it to the end.
When they returned to the beach where they had landed, there was basically no change here. Large tents were placed in the shade, and people in work clothes were walking around, some were staring at the computer screens in front of them.
Since the school dared to hold a seven-day survival exam here, the relevant guarantees naturally needed to be turned on around the clock. Whether it was the watch or the various base equipment placed in the forest, these all needed to be constantly monitored.
"Look over there."
Ichinose Honami and Hashima Hikaru stood under the shady tree, overlooking the deck of the cruise ship in front.
Sure enough, there were actually many students on the deck playing and making noise. Everyone's expressions were very relaxed, and some were even holding a drink and leaning on the railing, enjoying the sea breeze, presenting an extremely leisurely vacation posture.
"..."
Ichinose Honami naturally saw the scene on the deck and murmured to herself, "It seems we can go back. They really did give up."
"Yeah, let's go."
After confirming all the two links, Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami returned the way they had come. It was still early before dinner time, so they could continue to stroll around.
However, very coincidentally, the two who were moving in the forest actually found Shibata and two other girls from their class next to a relatively wide road.
"Hashima-kun! Ichinose-san!"
When those two very familiar figures appeared in his field of vision, Shibata rushed towards the boy as if he had seen a life-saving straw.
"What's wrong? Why are you so excited?" Hashima Hikaru ignored the enthusiastic Shibata and instead moved his gaze to the other two girls, their faces showing an expression of wanting to say something, but not knowing how to say it.
"What's going on?" Ichinose Honami was also puzzled, but soon her gaze saw a strange figure under the trees in front.
It was a girl holding her backpack, and she had brown twin tails, sitting on the ground without saying a word.
"Who is this?"
"We found her while collecting supplies. She is Yamashita Saki from Class D."
Shibata brought the two to the open space next to them and explained in a low voice.
"A student from Class D? Didn't Class D already withdraw from the exam?" Ichinose Honami's expression changed slightly, and she immediately asked, "Could it be that this student hasn't given up on the exam yet?"
"Heh, that's quite an interesting discovery."
Hashima Hikaru touched his chin. He carefully looked at the girl sitting under the tree, and there seemed to be a red mark on her face, as if she had been beaten.
"That's not it."
Shibata secretly glanced at that Yamashita-san and then said, "We already asked. The reason why Yamashita-san is staying here is because she had a conflict with Ryuuen-san, so she is unwilling to return to the cruise ship with him. You look closely at her face... that red mark was made by Ryuuen."
"Ryuuen?"
After hearing this familiar name, the boy raised his eyebrows and asked, "I remember that Class D's class leader should be Ibuki, right?"
"No."
Shibata shook his head and slowly uttered a sentence: "Yamashita-san just said that it hasn't been Ibuki-san since last month. Now Class D's class leader is Ryuuen Shou, and he made the decision to give up on the exam."
"?"
"So what you mean, Shibata-kun, is..." After hearing these words, Ichinose Honami glanced at the lonely girl sitting under the tree, and she understood the reason for the other party's hesitation, "are we going to take her in?"
"I don't know, but isn't it perfect that you came? Let you decide."
Shibata shrugged. He felt that he couldn't just leave a girl in the forest. However, such an important matter still needed to be decided by someone in the class who had the final say.
"What's your idea, Hashima-kun?"
"I need to think about it."
A thoughtful light flickered in Hashima Hikaru's eyes. This was indeed an unexpected discovery. Whether Class D's class leader had really changed, there was no good way to investigate it after their main force had returned to the cruise ship. More importantly, since they had clearly expressed their desire to give up on the exam, they still agreed to leave people on the island.
Pique?
Staying alone on the island was not a game, but was to face extremely difficult situations.
This was definitely not a coincidence, there must be a deeper story.