Chapter 229 The Conversation is Blown!
Shimizu Akira glanced over again and saw someone following Ibuki Mio and Shiina Hiyori—it was his classmate, Wang Mei-yu. She maintained a moderate distance, but her gaze drifted toward Ibuki's group every now and then with feigned nonchalance.
Shimizu could tell at a glance that Wang Mei-yu was the person responsible for tracking them today.
Mei-yu didn't look back at him. After a moment's thought, she pulled a small plastic-wrapped bag of fruit—black crowberry—from her pocket and walked toward Ibuki and Hiyori.
"Shiina-san, Ibuki-san," she stopped, her tone gentle. "If you don't mind, you can have some of these for breakfast to tide you over."
Ibuki Mio looked up, her face tight with discomfort, her tone a bit sharp: "Why share food with us? Don't you all think we're spies?"
"Well... this was a collective class decision. Don't worry, there won't be any trouble," Mei-yu explained softly. Her eyes swept over Ibuki's swollen cheek as she added, "As for being spies, I personally don't think so. After all... you were beaten like this, weren't you?"
Beside her, Shiina Hiyori immediately looked apologetic and spoke sincerely: "We've really caused you a lot of trouble! Please rest assured, once this island exam is over, I will definitely pay a reasonable compensation. It's not a huge amount, but I can manage to provide 100,000 to 200,000 Private Points."
"...Regarding compensation, Hirata-kun and Kushida-san already clearly refused you yesterday," Mei-yu waved her hands quickly.
"Shiina-san, you really are too polite."
Shimizu, listening from not far away, was genuinely surprised—Hiyori actually intended to use her own points to compensate Class D? Then again, it fit her character: if she received a favor, she felt compelled to return it.
He decided to stop eavesdropping and walked over, greeting his classmate first: "Wang-san, good morning."
"Shimizu-kun, good morning!" Mei-yu responded politely.
"Thank you for your hard work hunting last night!"
She didn't talk to Shimizu often, but she had a very good impression of him.
Hearing the word "hunting," Ibuki Mio couldn't help but look up at him. "You know how to hunt?"
She paused—wait, if she remembered correctly, wasn't this the same Shimizu Akira who had openly defeated Albert Yamada during the June boxing match? Not only was he a fighter, but he also possessed wilderness survival skills.
"I just catch a few rabbits and pheasants, nothing special," Shimizu answered casually before turning his gaze to Hiyori.
"Hiyori, long time no see. Speaking of which, it's Wednesday today, isn't it? It looks like we won't be able to discuss the plot of mystery novels like we usually do."
Hiyori's body stiffened.
Before coming to Class D, she had imagined countless scenarios for meeting Shimizu: perhaps he would ask directly if she was a spy, or perhaps he would act like he knew nothing. But she never expected him to bring this up first.
Today was indeed Wednesday. They had an agreement to recommend a mystery book to each other every week and use Wednesdays specifically to discuss foreshadowing and logic. Today should have been their day for heated discussion, but the island exam had disrupted everything.
The tension in Hiyori's eyes faded, replaced by a soft warmth.
"Yes, I almost forgot it was Wednesday... The exam came so suddenly. I suppose we'll have to wait until next week."
"Wait! You two know each other?!"
Ibuki Mio was even more confused. Since when did these two know each other? And well enough to have scheduled book clubs?
"Yes! Shimizu-kun is a fellow reader I met in the library. We often discuss mystery novels together," Hiyori nodded.
Mei-yu watched their familiar interaction with her mouth slightly agape. She hadn't expected Hiyori from Class C to be an acquaintance of Shimizu. Realizing she might be intruding, she whispered, "Um... since you know Shimizu-kun, I won't disturb your conversation."
Mei-yu left quietly, naturally leaving the three of them some private space.
"Finally, she's gone."
Ibuki Mio watched Mei-yu's back, her shoulders visibly relaxing. Though she wasn't the sharpest, she could sense that Wang Mei-yu was the one Class D had assigned to watch them. Being watched constantly was exhausting; without those eyes on her, she finally felt a bit more at ease.
However, she realized that Mei-yu's quick departure was likely due to Shimizu's presence.
'Has Shimizu's prestige in Class D reached this level?'
It reminded her of the first task Ryuen had given her: investigate Shimizu's status and daily behavior in Class D. It seemed his weight in the class was no less than that of a core figure.
Shimizu didn't dwell on Mei-yu's departure and turned his attention back to Ibuki.
"Ibuki-san, do you find the surveillance in Class D too much? It must be uncomfortable having your movements restricted. I actually thought of a way to help you."
"What do you mean?" Ibuki perked up instantly. Thinking about the annoyance of being watched even while going to the bathroom last night made her feel stifled.
'Wait, is he a pushover? If he gets Class D to stop the surveillance, that would be great... even if it feels a bit bad for Class C, getting rid of the watchers is worth it.'
But before her hopeful thought could land, Shimizu tossed out a casual line: "Nothing much. I just think it would be a great idea if you simply withdrew from the exam. That way, you could go back to the ship and enjoy yourself. You wouldn't be bound by Class D's rules or suffer on this island."
'He wants me to withdraw?! Wait! How can I just withdraw!'
Ibuki's heart skipped a beat. Logically, for people "expelled" from Class C with zero points, withdrawing was indeed the most stress-free optimal solution. But she was a spy! If she left now, who would find the Class D leader? Ryuen's plan would fail.
Fortunately, Ryuen had prepared her with an excuse. Ibuki immediately adopted an angry, aggrieved expression: "It's not that easy! Ryuen won't allow us to go back early. He's forcing us to stay on the island for the full seven days! If we don't, he'll make sure the three of us can never show our faces in Class C again!
I don't want to be here either—being suspected as a traitor and squeezing in with another class—it's terrible!"
As she spoke, she kicked a small pebble for emphasis. Shimizu watched her with a flat expression.
'Is she a graduate of an acting class?'
The emotional shifts and tone were quite polished. Ryuen must have rehearsed these lines and expressions with them beforehand. It sounded like a complaint, but every word was a reason for "not being able to withdraw" while shifting the blame to Ryuen. It didn't sound like something her natural personality would say.
"But Ibuki-san, you must understand that any normal class would suspect you of being a spy. On the seventh day, if someone guesses the Class D leader, we lose 50 points. Conversely, if Class C guesses right, they gain 50. That's a 100-point swing between our classes. Not to mention, Class C has sabotaged us before," Shimizu said objectively.
"Class D taking you in is already an act of extreme kindness. It's only natural to watch you. I hope you can be more understanding and overcome your discomfort."
"I know that! But I'm really not a spy!" Ibuki raised her voice, sounding urgent and "wronged."
Inside, she knew—okay, she was lying! If she wasn't the spy, who else would be? But what made her uncomfortable was that while Shimizu was talking, he didn't even look at Hiyori; he only mentioned "you."
His words were targeted entirely at her, dripping with suspicion, while he didn't question Hiyori once.
'I know Hiyori is your friend, but do you have to be this biased?'
Thinking about it, this was actually good for her. Hiyori was a rare friend in class, and she shared Shimizu's sentiment—she didn't want Hiyori caught up in "traitor suspicions" or guarded by Class D.
Shimizu didn't stay on that topic. He moved to the next question: "By the way, how many people from Class C are left on the island now?"
Ibuki blinked. It was a simple question, and Ryuen had taught her the response. She straightened her back.
"Just three! Aside from the two of us, there's Kaneda. All the other students have withdrawn!"
"Then by that logic," Shimizu followed up naturally, "one of you three—you, Hiyori, or Kaneda—must be the Class C leader, right?"
"...Definitely not!" Ibuki faltered significantly this time, a flash of panic in her eyes. Ryuen's "Standard Answers" hadn't prepared her for this! But she forced herself to double down on the denial.
"Oh," Shimizu said, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Beside them, Hiyori, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead.
The conversation was totally blown.
She sighed inwardly, remembering what the teacher had said: every class must designate a leader; it's a hard requirement.
She had even secretly asked what happens if a leader withdraws. The teacher's answer was clear: the class must elect a new one, or the teacher will randomly assign one. There is no "no leader" state.
Since Class C hadn't fully withdrawn and the three of them were still on the island, logically, the leader had to be one of them. Ibuki's reflexive denial of the three of them being leaders was a blatant contradiction.
'Shimizu-kun is so clever,'
Hiyori thought. He saw that Ibuki was a weak point and exposed the contradiction in just a few sentences. If the talk continued, Class C would leak more info. Though Hiyori disliked conflict, as a member of Class C, she couldn't watch their intel bleed out.
She took a deep breath and looked at Shimizu.
"Shimizu-kun, could we speak alone for a moment?"
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