Chapter 72: Post-Disaster Reconstruction
Ryuen, disguised under a camouflage cloth, had been lurking around the Class B campsite all morning, and he finally saw the Class B students leave the camp and head towards the cornfield.
As early as the first afternoon of the deserted island exam, Ryuen, who had ventured deep into the forest alone, had already discovered the cornfield. However, he didn't take the corn, intending instead to use that resource to create a "lure the tiger out of the mountains" maneuver against Class B.
After learning the location of the Class B students from Shiina and Ibuki, Ryuen had Ishizaki prepare the necessary arrangements on the path the Class B students were sure to take, leaving some suggestive markings so the Class B students would find the cornfield themselves.
And now, those guys from Class B should have gone far, leaving only one girl there to start a fire.
Ryuen quietly crept up behind Shiranami Chihiro.
As if hearing a noise behind her, Shiranami was about to turn her head to check, but at that moment, Ryuen swiftly struck the back of her neck. He carefully and accurately controlled the force and position, knocking Shiranami unconscious while trying to avoid causing injury.
Shiranami lost consciousness and fell backward onto the ground, and the key card she was carrying dropped out.
"Ha, so this is Class B's leader? Shiranami Chihiro," Ryuen picked up the green key card, glanced at the name "Shiranami Chihiro" written on it. He chuckled and put the key card back into Shiranami's pocket.
Ryuen glanced around the Class B campsite.
The tents and hammocks were set up somewhat densely. If one of them caught fire, it was entirely possible for it to ignite the other items. The timing and location for an incendiary attack were perfect.
He dragged Shiranami to a safe area where she wouldn't be burned, then reached into the fire, picked up a burning branch, and set fire to all the flammable items in the Class B campsite.
Accompanied by the black smoke billowing up and the crackling sounds, the fierce fire relentlessly raged, consuming everything around it.
It would only take a few minutes for this place to become a sea of flames.
Although the firefighters would likely arrive quickly, even so, by that time, everything here would have been mostly burned. While this would force Class B to spend a large amount of
their saved Material Points, this huge fire might also cause Class B to change its leader. I still need to confirm that.
Thinking this, Ryuen picked up Class B's guidebook, flipped to the last few pages, and saw the map that the Class B students had painstakingly explored and recorded. He stared with sharp eyes at the Class B base that was specifically marked, tore the map out, and put it into his pocket.
Casually tossing the guidebook into the fiercely burning tent, Ryuen took one last look at the rapidly spreading fire, then turned and walked away.
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Because he was injured yesterday, Hikigaya sat alone at the long table after breakfast, quietly flipping through the guidebook to pass the time.
'I didn't expect the guidebook to have so many interesting items. It's practically like Doraemon's pocket. Wow, what's with this cooking pot? The handle can actually be opened to pour in seasonings. That's so appealing.'
Staring at the iron pot, which was similar in color to a baseball bat, Hikigaya imagined himself hitting a home run with the pot, then using the seasoning from the handle to flavor the baseball, hitting the opponent with a uniquely flavored—mainly pepper-flavored—"magic ball."
Just then, Hikigaya, deep in his own world, suddenly heard a whirring mechanical sound. He snapped out of it, turned to Yukinoshita, who was checking the material usage in the corner of the cave, and asked: "Yukinoshita, do you hear something?"
"A sound?" Yukinoshita looked up in confusion, cocked her head to listen carefully, but heard nothing. She walked out of the cave and saw a helicopter circling in the distance, flying towards an area shrouded in black smoke.
"That direction... I think that's where the Class B campsite is," Hikigaya slowly walked out behind her, frowning as he looked at the black smoke column rising into the sky.
Yukinoshita was about to say something when the walkie-talkie she always carried rang.
"This is Satoshi Rionaka. Yukinoshita-san, the Class B campsite is somehow on fire, and the fire is quite fierce."
"I understand. Thank you very much for the information, Rionaka-kun." Yukinoshita thanked him briefly, then used the walkie-talkie to notify the other classmates: "Important announcement: A sudden fire has broken out at the Class B campsite. Please stay away from the southwest forest. Students exploring that area should also evacuate immediately and be
safe. If you encounter classmates from other classes, please relay this information to them, explain the situation, and point them toward a path away from the fire. Repeating..."
"This is Katsuragi Kouhei. Yukinoshita-san, we just met the Class B students at a cornfield. They seem to have left very few people to guard the campsite... However, for safety reasons, I suggest we suspend the base occupation schedule for this morning."
"Mmm, I agree."
After finishing her conversation with Katsuragi, Yukinoshita slowly put down the walkie-talkie, looking gravely at the direction of Class B and muttering to herself: "A sudden fire at the Class B campsite... What exactly happened?"
"...The school should make an announcement, right? After all, it's such a big deal," Hikigaya said after a few seconds of silence.
"That's true..."
About ten minutes later, the watches on Yukinoshita's and Hikigaya's wrists suddenly vibrated, receiving a notification from the school: "A Class B student fainted from heatstroke while starting a fire, accidentally causing a fire.
Thanks to the efforts of the firefighters, the flame has been completely extinguished, and there were no casualties. Due to the damage and pollution caused to the environment, Class B will be deducted forty Material Points.
The summer weather is hot; all students should take precautions against heatstroke and be careful with fire safety."
"I didn't expect the fire to be caused by someone fainting from heatstroke... Fortunately, there were no casualties," Yukinoshita sighed softly: "However, in that case, Class B will have no Material Points left."
Hikigaya recalled the clustered tents and hammocks of Class B and also gave a slight bitter smile.
After a moment of thought, Yukinoshita picked up the walkie-talkie again to consult with Katsuragi and the classmates. Not long after, a few Class A boys appeared in the sight of Yukinoshita and Hikigaya.
"Yukinoshita-san." The boys respectfully greeted Yukinoshita.
"Here you go. Thank you for your trouble..." Yukinoshita and Hikigaya walked into the cave and handed over some food and a few boxes of mineral water to these boys.
After consulting with Katsuragi, both he and Yukinoshita agreed to provide Class B students with some basic supplies.
On one hand, it was out of sympathy to help classmates they knew. On the other hand, it was an opportunity to scout Class B and understand the usage of the opposing class's Material Points.
"Please rest assured, we will deliver these supplies to Ichinose-san completely intact!" The boys patted their chests to assure them, looking very reliable.
"Hehe, delivering these supplies to Ichinose-san will definitely boost my favorability with her!" One boy picked up a box of mineral water and then showed a disgusting, silly grin on his face.
'No, this isn't some sort of "Summer Romance" game, and going to Class B with that kind of smile will only raise their guard.'
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Guided by the advice of her classmates and looking at the trust in their eyes, Ichinose patted her cheeks to pull herself together.
"Ichinose-san, Shiranami-san has withdrawn from this exam; we must select a new leader," Kanzaki said earnestly, watching the helicopter carrying Shiranami Chihiro depart.
"Then..." Ichinose scanned the Class B students, hesitated for two seconds, and then softly asked: "Is there anyone willing to take on the role of leader?"
"I'll be the leader. My physical stamina is decent, and I can occupy the base more often," a short-haired boy named Shibata Souta raised his hand and said. He joined the soccer club shortly after the start of the school year and has some of the best physical abilities in Class B.
Kanzaki looked around and nodded after confirming there were no other candidates: "Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Shibata-kun. Also, Watanabe-san, I'll trouble you to act with Shibata-kun."
Learning from the lesson of Shiranami Chihiro, Kanzaki decided to have the students explore in teams so they could help each other in case of an accident.
"I understand."
"Then, Watanabe, let's go get the key card from Hoshimiya-sensei now."
While the Class B students were selecting a new leader, the fire was finally completely extinguished. The school staff reinstalled the occupation device at the well base. After reiterating the importance of safety management to Hoshimiya and the Class B students, they left the Class B campsite.
Ichinose and Kanzaki looked around. The burned wreckage had been cleared by the school staff. The well base was now much emptier than before, and the ground was covered with dark gray ashes.
Almost all the supplies had been destroyed by the fire. Fortunately, these destroyed supplies were purchased with Class C's Material Points, and Class B's own Material Points were saved, untouched. However, due to the forty-point deduction for environmental damage caused by the fire and the thirty-point deduction for Shiranami Chihiro's withdrawal, Class B now only had two hundred thirty Material Points remaining.
Just as the two were about to find Hoshimiya to purchase supplies, they suddenly realized that Class B's guidebook had been burned.
"...Honami-chan, if the guidebook is burned, you'll have to spend ten Material Points to buy a new one," Hoshimiya sighed softly, seeing the two looking at a loss.
"...I understand, Hoshimiya-sensei." Ichinose and Kanzaki exchanged a glance and had no choice but to purchase a new guidebook.
Since the surrounding trees had been burned, they couldn't use the inexpensive hammocks anymore. However, since they had decided to use their saved Material Points, the two discussed it with their classmates and purchased a few eight-person tents.
Just as Ichinose and Kanzaki were carefully calculating, planning to buy some more necessary supplies, a few Class A boys arrived at the Class B campsite.
"Ichinose-san, hello. Sorry to interrupt you."
"Oh, it's a few classmates from Class A. Is there anything I can help you with?" Ichinose suppressed her distress and worry, offering the Class A boys a faint smile.
"Well, actually, we received a notification from the school and learned that Class B lost a lot of supplies due to the fire. So, Yukinoshita-san and Katsuragi-kun asked us to bring some supplies to help the Class B students get through this difficulty," a boy replied to Ichinose's question with a slight blush, putting down the food and mineral water he was holding.
"This... I don't know what to say."
"Thank you so much."
Ichinose still felt a little embarrassed, but Kanzaki walked over with a few students.
"Please don't be so modest; we've received help from Ichinose-san before..."
Saying this, the Class A boys put down the supplies they were holding while intentionally and casually glancing at the situation in the Class B campsite.
Fortunately, Ichinose and Kanzaki had already anticipated that classmates from other classes might come to scout, so they had prepared in advance.
At a subtle signal from Kanzaki, the Class B students quickly stepped forward to express their gratitude, also blocking the Class A boys' attempts to observe and gather intelligence.
After receiving Ichinose's thanks, the boys left the Class B campsite with happy smiles.
"The Class A students are truly kind people. They are willing to help us even though the two classes are competitors. With these supplies, we can easily get through today, even without that corn," Ichinose softly remarked.
"Yes... I was completely surprised that the Class A students would offer us material aid," Kanzaki also nodded slightly in agreement.
Thanks to the supplies sent by Class A, Class B saved at least twenty or more Material Points. After some purchasing, Class B's Material Points were eventually left with about one hundred sixty points.
However, buying supplies didn't mean they had nothing to do. On the contrary, hammering in tent stakes, installing the outdoor shower, digging fire breaks around the fire... there was even more work to do than in the previous days.
In fact, except for being more physically exhausted and slightly lower in morale, Class B's situation was exactly the same as when they first landed on the deserted island.
Fortunately, after two days of camping life, the Class B students now had some experience, so they weren't as clueless and helpless as they were on the first day of the deserted island exam.
While the Class B students were working energetically, Shibata and Watanabe, who had received the key card from Hoshimiya-sensei, re-occupied the well base. They then compared the map they had collectively recalled and redrawn, preparing to head out and look for other bases.
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