Chapter 80: Downpour
"K-Katsuragi-kun, why are those guys from Class C acting so smug? Could it be that our class's leader has already been exposed?"
Watching the Class C students swagger off, Totsuka Yahiko anxiously asked Katsuragi Kohei.
Before Katsuragi could answer, Totsuka Yahiko looked at Kamuro Masato and Kito Hayato with a face full of fury: "Damn it, if you two hadn't suddenly jumped away, those guys wouldn't have..."
"Yahiko!" Katsuragi cut off Totsuka Yahiko's accusation in a low voice: "It was the students from Class C who attacked Kamuro-san and Kito-kun with stones. We can't vent our anger on those two students. Besides, I bear some responsibility for not having discovered their ambush here sooner."
"No, Katsuragi-kun, I didn't mean that..." Totsuka Yahiko stammered a frantic explanation.
Katsuragi gently shook his head, gestured to the people beside him to wait a moment, and then took out a transceiver from his pocket to contact Yukinoshita Yukino: "This is Katsuragi Kohei. Yukinoshita-san, if you hear me, please respond."
"This is Yukinoshita Yukino. Katsuragi-kun, has something happened?"
Hearing Yukinoshita's voice, Katsuragi recounted the entire incident that had just occurred: "...That's what happened. For some reason, the students from Class C have decided that Yahiko is Class A's leader. I suspect someone in the class has leaked Class A's information to the other classes."
"I see, I'm clear on the situation now. But please don't worry, Katsuragi-kun. As of now, the situation is still under our control. Class A's leader won't be exposed so easily," Yukinoshita merely gave a faint smile in response to Katsuragi's worries, then replied with a significant tone, her voice filled with strong confidence.
"Do you mean to say that Yahiko isn't actually..." Katsuragi mused aloud.
"As for the specific details, let's discuss them thoroughly after you all return," Yukinoshita spoke up, cutting off Katsuragi before he could finish.
"...You're right. Then we'll go and secure the bases first." Knowing that Yukinoshita had other arrangements, the tension in Katsuragi's heart finally eased.
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Life on the deserted island finally welcomed its sixth day.
Hikigaya Hachiman slowly walked out of the cave after eating breakfast, only to find the scenery outside was completely different from yesterday. The weather today was somewhat gloomy, with a heavy, grey overcast sky above the deserted island, and the surroundings were shrouded in an atmosphere that suggested rain was imminent.
The exam was about to end, but the weather seemed to be changing.
Since it had rained once last night, there was standing water and mud everywhere on the ground. Due to the dense cloud cover, the forest had also become somewhat dim, and visibility was quite poor. Despite this, after consulting with Yukinoshita, Katsuragi and his group still decided to seize a few more bases before the rain started.
While Katsuragi and the others were out seizing bases, the other students were not idle. Under Yukinoshita's direction, some students went to the bases occupied by Class A to look for food, while others were responsible for moving the supplies that had been left on the grassy area outside into the cave.
Incidentally, Hikigaya was responsible for organizing and classifying the boxes of supplies that the students moved into the cave, stacking them all together to avoid taking up too much space inside the cave.
Hikigaya didn't mind being a simple laborer. Although the repetitive work, like a machine, was mentally taxing, Hikigaya thought his spirit had long been worn out; he was already a veteran.
It would be much simpler if he didn't have to put effort or thought into the classification. All he had to do was turn off the switch in his mind and enter "I am a machine" mode. At this rate, he might even start pursuing mechanical ascension.
"Dark clouds are approaching from the southwest. Perhaps this rain will arrive sooner than expected." Yukinoshita, having checked the situation outside the cave, stepped inside and said with a frown, "I estimate it will start raining around noon."
"If a sudden downpour starts, won't it be dangerous for Katsuragi-kun and the others running around outside? If they get trapped in the forest by the heavy rain, never mind securing the bases, they could even get injured. If that happens, we might immediately lose a large number of resource points," Satoshi, who had just walked into the cave carrying a box, expressed his concern after hearing Yukinoshita and Hikigaya's casual chat.
"I've already used the transceiver to notify the students who went out to return to the cave as quickly as possible," Yukinoshita gently nodded.
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About an hour later, the classmates returned to Class A's camp one after another, carrying various supplies. But it wasn't until close to noon that Katsuragi and his group walked in through the entrance, looking somewhat disheveled.
"Welcome back. Has it started raining outside already? Your clothes are completely soaked..." Yukinoshita, who was making tea, glanced at the few people and asked softly.
"Not yet. But the forest is wet and dark, and simply getting here took twice as long as the previous days." Katsuragi sighed with relief, finally back at the main cave camp.
"Thank you for your hard work. You few students should go change your clothes first. Kamuro-san, this is for you." Yukinoshita walked over to Kamuro and handed her a towel.
"Oh, thank you..." Kamuro took the towel, then looked at her sportswear, which had begun to darken in color, and lightly sighed: "I'd better go take a shower first."
Hikigaya glanced around. Since all of Class A's students had returned, the cave, which had been empty except during sleeping hours for the past few days, now seemed a bit crowded.
The students, having nothing to do while waiting in the cave, took out snacks and entertainment items and gathered to play party games. They were laughing and fooling around, and the whole cave was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
Loners often couldn't understand the act of "laughing and fooling around," so they were often called killjoys. In fact, loners weren't shy; they just thought things through a lot and wouldn't act rashly. For example, considering if they would bother someone, if there was danger, or if their joining would disrupt the current joyful atmosphere, and so on.
Thinking this, Hikigaya walked by himself to the cave entrance, staring blankly at the sky, at the approaching storm.
The sky seemed to be swallowed by darkness, like an ink-splashed painting without a single ray of dawn. Amidst the pitch blackness, the smell of damp soil and green grass rose into the air, the forest was shrouded in a layer of moist mist, and sporadic black spots began to splatter on the grassy area.
A drop, and then another drop. Each time a raindrop hit the ground, it made a pattering sound. Finally, these black spots covered the ground.
Whoosh— The unrestrained heavy rain poured down from the sky.
Raindrops streamed down frantically, a massive curtain of water blanketed everything, and the rain poured, seemingly intending to drown the entire deserted island.
Under the rain's cleansing, the dense trees lowered their branches, and the completely soaked leaves, heavy with crystalline water droplets, hung down heavily, looking even greener in the rain. Water dripped from the treetops, falling onto the ground to form small, rippling puddles. The water level of the streams and rivers rose rapidly due to the rain, the sea was
turbulent, and a hurricane-like storm raged, stirring up layers of huge waves and kicking up countless splashes.
The wind howled; the roaring sound spread throughout the entire forest with the gale, and large trees swayed violently in the blowing wind.
Insects had nowhere to escape in this heavy rain; they hurriedly burrowed into the crevices of tree trunks and stones, seeking temporary shelter. Lightning flashed and crisscrossed, illuminating the entire forest, and the raindrops glistened like diamonds in the electric light. Thunder boomed, deafening, echoing in every corner of the forest, instilling awe of nature.
Just as Hikigaya was contemplating the might of nature, he saw Kamuro, who had changed clothes, walk toward him while wiping her damp purple long hair with a towel.
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