There were quite a few saints in Hachiman's Class. Although Karuizawa and Sato raised concerns about Ibuki staying, when Ibuki actually chose to leave, they felt they had been too harsh.
So, just as it was now, Ibuki Mio stayed.
And with the good-natured Hirata having spoken, no one else could object.
"VILLAGE, bring the salt over."
"OK."
Sudo put down the fish, then took a few boys and headed back to the river.
They were going to fetch water.
The fire had already been lit, and a simple stove was made from some large stones.
A large pot for steaming and boiling was set on top.
And Kushida was the first to step forward, volunteering to make dinner for everyone else.
The Class C students gathered together, bustling with activity.
Rather, it was quite joyful.
The supplies provided by the school for exchange were all bread, along with some barbecue ingredients, so they wouldn't go hungry. But for them, wasn't picking fresh food more in the spirit of camping?
So, a camping atmosphere emanated from Class C.
Only Ibuki Mio sat on a large stone on the periphery, quietly watching everything with her knees hugged.
Although she was allowed to stay, it was natural for her to be isolated by the others.
After all, she was a Class D student.
"Your name is Ibuki, right?"
A dark shadow blocked the evening glow, making Ibuki Mio involuntarily look up.
Just that one glance made her alert.
Just as Horikita recognized her at first sight, she also recognized Horikita.
Ryuen had specifically instructed them to pay attention to Hikigaya Hachiman and Horikita Suzune from Class C. And Horikita Suzune was also well-known in their Class, because in the Sudo assault incident, according to the news from the court, Horikita Suzune had recorded the scene of Ishizaki Daichi and others beating Sudo, and then deliberately waited until the court trial to reveal all the evidence.
This caused Ryuen Class to suffer a huge loss. They even directly dropped from Class C to Class D in that incident.
Therefore, Horikita Suzune was someone who needed attention.
And Horikita was also a girl, so the probability of her coming into contact with this spy was also higher.
According to Ryuen, Horikita and Hikigaya were threats in this plan.
"Is something wrong?"
Ibuki Mio glanced at Horikita, then quickly lowered her head, her voice cold.
"Are your injuries from Ryuen?"
Horikita stepped back, and with the help of the evening light, she clearly saw the red and swollen marks on Ibuki's face.
It was clear that the person who hit her had struck hard.
It was probably to leave marks that couldn't recover quickly, only then could they gain trust.
"It was Albert."
Upon hearing Horikita's question, a flicker of excitement appeared in Ibuki Mio's eyes, and her body couldn't help but tremble.
"Albert, that mixed-race guy?"
On the deck, Horikita had witnessed Ryuen's follower grabbing Ibuki.
Horikita frowned slightly and asked, "Did you know each other before?"
"We were classmates in middle school. But he's already become Ryuen's dog."
Ibuki pressed her knees together, hugging her calves tightly, as if she was a little cold.
"I see."
Horikita nodded, somewhat understanding.
No wonder.
Because they knew each other in middle school, she found it unbelievable that Albert would be a dog for someone like Ryuen.
And was she upset because he attacked her without regard for their middle school friendship?
But as for such words... Horikita Suzune didn't believe a single word of it.
She had already confirmed that Ibuki was a spy.
What Albert hit her with was also unreliable.
Because Albert was Ryuen's follower, carrying out Ryuen's orders.
So, it was more likely that Ryuen hit her.
Therefore, Ibuki was talking nonsense.
However, Hikigaya Hachiman had just told her to learn to control her emotions and not to show her thoughts directly on her face.
"Wash your hands."
Sighing, Horikita took out a water bottle and handed it to Ibuki Mio.
"Hm?"
Ibuki Mio seemed somewhat surprised, looking up at Horikita, her slightly dry lips parted.
"Your hands are covered in a lot of dirt, they're very dirty."
Horikita, however, said calmly, "Dinner will be ready soon, you don't want to be forced to withdraw because of a stomach ache from eating something unclean, do you?"
"..."
Ibuki Mio was somewhat incredulous, saying with a complex tone, "Why are you so good to me?"
"You ask why,"
Horikita paused slightly and said softly, "Just consider it an act of kindness on my part."
"But, I'm your enemy, aren't I?"
Ibuki Mio's voice slightly amplified, sounding unusually agitated.
"Even if you're an enemy, you're a respectable one. The reason you've been so reluctant to withdraw from the exam and return to the ship is because you don't want Class D to lose points because of you, right?"
Horikita turned her head away, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
She didn't know if it was because she felt ashamed of praising someone, or because of the thrill of lying.
Just as Ibuki Mio was acting with her to gain trust.
She was doing the same.
"Are you all idiots?"
Ibuki Mio lowered her head again, her tone somewhat dejected, "Every single one of you is too kind, this is simply impossible in Class D."
"That's why we're Class C, aren't we?"
Horikita said, twisting open the bottle cap.
And Ibuki Mio didn't resist, perhaps not liking dirt, so she cooperatively extended her mud-stained hands.
Clear water flowed from the bottle's mouth, and Ibuki reached out to catch it, rubbing her hands together to wash off the dirt.
"Um, Ibuki."
And the cute girl with golden choppy hair, who had been waiting by the side, walked over, a angelic smile on her face, "Dinner isn't ready yet, have some fruit first."
As she spoke, the girl offered the variety of fruits she was carrying in her arms, cupped in leaves, and said somewhat shyly, "Because I didn't know what you like to eat, I picked one of each."
This was Kushida Kikyo; in the group that brought Ibuki back, she and the others had gone to pick fruit.
"I..."
And Ibuki Mio opened her mouth, seemingly looking at Horikita and Kushida in astonishment.
She never expected these two to be so kind to someone from another Class.
But she still didn't say anything, only silently took the fruit Kushida offered.
...
"They're back."
At the cave entrance, Hikigaya, who had been silently observing the situation, said.
Horikita Suzune had already come over from Ibuki's position.
"Mm."
Horikita nodded lightly, sat down next to Hachiman, and whispered, "Her hands were covered in mud, probably from when Ryuen knocked her to the ground. But, when I got closer just now, there was also a small amount of mud under the fingernails of all ten of her fingers.
So, we can rule out that she fell during a fight and got dirt on her hands; it looks more like she was digging in the dirt for quite a while."
Horikita Suzune explained that the reason she approached Ibuki was to check Ibuki's condition.
From this point, Horikita-san was making progress.
And Hachiman continued, "If she was really digging, then it's very likely she hid something. If I'm not mistaken, that might be how she contacts Ryuen."
"She doesn't carry a communication device with her?" Horikita asked.
"Since our Class got so many bases this time, Ryuen probably knows that our Class will be on guard against spies."
"After all, if over 300 points were lost, it would be difficult for any Class, so Karuizawa and Sato would spontaneously refuse Ibuki's joining."
"So Ryuen wouldn't let Ibuki carry it directly," Hachiman said. "If she were searched, the plan would fail."
"Mm."
Horikita Suzune then nodded.
Then, after a moment of thought, she said, "This island's forest is vast, and I don't think she could easily find a place to hide something. So, to be safe, she would definitely mark the hiding spot. And the hiding spot is probably not far from where Yamauchi found her."
Horikita quietly stated her analysis, but she still seemed somewhat uncertain, her heart uneasy.
She wanted Hachiman's affirmation.
"Since you've thought of it, then go do it."
Hachiman clapped his hands and stood up, "Just like I said, you'll have to stand on your own two feet sooner or later."
"However," Horikita Suzune suddenly said, "When I was interacting with Ibuki just now, I saw Kushida give Ibuki a portion of every type of fruit."
"Kouenji occupied quite a few bases, and there aren't that many fruit groves, so the fruits Kushida and the others brought back could only be tasted by everyone. But she gave a lot to Ibuki."
Is that so.
She saw Kushida and the others start distributing the fruit after picking it.
It seemed to be for after-dinner fruit. And it hadn't been distributed yet.
It was divided into 40 portions, and because the quantity was limited, everyone could only get one portion of each type of fruit, and some types couldn't even be given to everyone.
But Kushida had just given Ibuki a portion that included all types.
Ibuki received preferential treatment.
"Kushida always seems to be gentle and amiable," Horikita Suzune said, "But her actions are even worse than Karuizawa's."
"Karuizawa and the others would still worry that Ibuki was a spy sent by Ryuen Class to get information about their Class Leader."
"But Kushida even gave Ibuki preferential treatment, which is truly terrible," Horikita Suzune said.
"Oh."
"About that," Hachiman said, "Kushida is indeed a saint. Do you remember what she said when she enrolled? She hoped to be friends with everyone."
"Her social skills are very strong, and because of that, she can also interact with Third Year seniors," Hachiman said.
"But," Horikita Suzune felt that Kushida was too much of a saint. "Some students in our Class haven't even considered the risks of Ibuki infiltrating the Class, and some even believed Ibuki's claim that she was abused because she had a falling out with Ryuen."
"They completely don't understand how determined other classes are to gain points, and how they resort to unscrupulous means."
In other words, Ryuen Class, in order to gain the trust of the Class they wanted to infiltrate, even went so far as to have their own people injure each other.
This was to win the special exam.
This was Ryuen Class's strategy and their determination to seriously approach the exam.
Although using harm was despicable, one could feel that the other party was taking unscrupulous measures in the exam.
But looking at the performance of some students in her own Class.
Even dogs would shake their heads.
Many people had not fully entered the atmosphere of seriously treating the special exam.
"Some of the students in the Class are beyond saving," Hachiman said. "But you're wrong about Kushida."
"While she wants to be friends with everyone, she's not an absolute saint."
"?"
Horikita looked over.
Hachiman paused, then added, "Pay close attention to what fruits Ibuki eats. If she's fine, then anything she ate is safe to eat."
The girls successfully gathered a large quantity of fruit, though many were unfamiliar, and they weren't even sure if they were edible.
However, there was certainly enough.
Horikita Suzune seemed to be stuck for a few seconds, then finally reacted.
"?"
"Hikigaya, I underestimated you. You're truly heartless."
Horikita stared at him, a look of shock in her eyes.
Because.
What did he mean by "any fruit Ibuki ate is safe to eat"?
Wasn't that using Ibuki as a test subject for poison?
Even though she already knew Ibuki was a spy, she would never do such a thing!
"That's a bit much to say."
Hachiman glanced at Horikita and said, "This is just basic procedure, okay? Haven't you heard? Leniency towards the enemy is cruelty to oneself. Whose fault is it that she delivered herself to us? Besides, if we don't use her to test for poison, should we use our classmates? Even though our initial points are 0, there's no need to make our classmates suffer this hardship."
"So, isn't it perfectly reasonable to use Ibuki to test for poison?" Hachiman said. "And, if Ibuki gets poisoned, she'll cause her Class to lose points, and since we're opposing classes, isn't it perfectly reasonable for them to lose points?"
"Uh… I guess you have a point."
Horikita was speechless, somewhat helplessly saying, "However, I don't think the fruit will be a problem. After all, hasn't it already been confirmed?"
"There's an orchard, and we saw a vegetable patch. This island is an artificial island made by the school, with many traces of artificial remnants. How could there be fruits that would poison people?"
"That's not necessarily true."
Hachiman shook his head, "There might not be poisonous fruits, since the school doesn't want us to actually get hurt. But the school wouldn't hesitate to intentionally plant some wild fruits that cause diarrhea if eaten. After all, the main theme of this exam is wilderness survival, and distinguishing food is part of the plan."
"Moreover,"
Hachiman paused, then pulled out a string of green fruits.
"What is this?"
Horikita was slightly taken aback.
"I don't know."
Hachiman shook his head, "Karuizawa and the others just picked these. I haven't seen them before, but while I'm not entirely sure, I've been reading relevant books recently, and I'm pretty sure this is croton. Hmm, you probably haven't heard of it, but it's the kind of thing that causes diarrhea if you eat it."
"Regarding the Team Leader's information, Kouenji guaranteed there wouldn't be any problems."
"However, Ibuki staying at our camp also needs to be dealt with at the right time," Hachiman said.
"…"
Horikita opened her mouth, falling silent.
It was confirmed.
Given the school's morbid nature, they really did something like this!
After all, merely having diarrhea wouldn't cause serious harm, but it would definitely lead to point deductions. It's like encountering a snake; even if it's non-venomous, being bitten by a snake might still result in withdrawal.
And compared to releasing snakes, this might be a more suitable way to get rid of Ibuki.