The special exam entered its fourth day.
Although Class A had some stored food, it was only worth about eighty points. They still needed to go out daily to search for more, or they wouldn't make it to the final day.
Even with careful rationing, according to Katsuragi Kohei's estimate, the stored food would run out by the sixth day, leaving them hungry on the seventh.
Fortunately, the exam would end at noon on the seventh day, and they could return to the cruise ship to feast.
Since the last failed attempt, Katsuragi Kohei had adopted a completely conservative approach, avoiding contact with any other class.
If Class A could hold out until the end, they would earn over three hundred points, enough to surpass the other classes.
If Ryuuen Kakeru could bring back the leader's name, they might even approach four hundred points.
As for personal points, Katsuragi Kohei didn't mind giving them to Class C, though he was surprised that Kaoru Mitoma had managed to negotiate it.
On second thought, it seemed that Class C could only make deals with their Class A. It wasn't the seller's market he had imagined; due to certain factors, it had turned into a buyer's market.
Still, even so, no one knew what Ryuuen Kakeru was thinking.
Katsuragi Kohei was about to lead his team out to search for food when, shortly after leaving the camp, he saw Kaoru Mitoma waiting for him.
"Aren't you going to check in?"
"I'll go later. There's something I need to discuss with you now."
As he spoke, Kaoru Mitoma glanced at Totsuka Yahiko, who was naturally following Katsuragi Kohei.
"What is it?" Katsuragi Kohei wanted to ask why he hadn't brought this up in the camp but then remembered that Class A wasn't exactly united at the moment, which gave him a headache.
"Whatever I do next, just go along with it, even if it means losing some points."
"What?!" Totsuka Yahiko immediately got worked up. "What do you think our points are? You can't just decide we'll cooperate with you!"
Kaoru Mitoma calmly replied, "If we don't do this, we might lose even more points—around two hundred, for example."
"Hey, hey, hey, are you threatening Katsuragi? Don't think you can act unreasonably just because you've helped us before!"
"Totsuka!" Katsuragi Kohei cut him off. "I can cooperate with you, but you have to tell me why."
"I'll explain later. The more people who know, the greater the risk." Kaoru Mitoma glanced meaningfully at Totsuka Yahiko.
Katsuragi Kohei pondered for a moment. "Alright, I'll wait for your explanation."
"Wait, Katsuragi, this isn't right! He's Sakayanagi's man. He might have already secretly leaked the leader's information to someone else!"
Totsuka Yahiko had always been suspicious of Kaoru Mitoma's motives. After all, how could someone who often hung out with Sakayanagi's faction and even chatted amiably with Sakayanagi Arisu herself genuinely help them?
The most likely scenario was that Kaoru Mitoma was a spy planted within their Katsuragi faction.
"Every time he goes out to check in, he refuses to let us follow him, and he even tells us not to linger at the base. It's obvious he plans to exchange information with someone there!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Katsuragi Kohei punched Totsuka Yahiko on the head, instantly silencing his loud complaints.
"It's you who doesn't understand the situation, Totsuka. Quiet down!"
Unlike the clueless Totsuka Yahiko, Katsuragi Kohei was well aware that Kaoru Mitoma was about to make a big move, which was why he had deliberately bypassed most of Class A.
"Keep an eye on Hashimoto-kun. Don't let him idle around. Assign a few people to watch him," Kaoru Mitoma instructed.
He wasn't foolish enough to trust Hashimoto Masayoshi's verbal promises. A person's sincerity isn't measured by what they say, but by what they do.
After saying this, Kaoru Mitoma set off for the fateful base.
Not just Class A, but Class D had also finally settled down.
The arguments from the first day were no longer heard, and the noise had subsided.
Moreover, the points hadn't been consumed as much as expected. Including Koenji Rokuzo's mid-term withdrawal, Class D had only spent around 120 points.
At this rate, they should be able to save half of their points by the end, which was encouraging news.
However, some were far from satisfied with this outcome.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka couldn't help but glance at Horikita Suzune beside him. She was still wearing her stuffy jacket, her complexion slightly pale, her lips a bit white, yet she walked silently along the forest path, keeping pace with him.
The midday sun shone overhead, its scattered rays filtering through the gaps in the treetops. The air was filled with fine particles, like rising mist slowly ascending from the canopy. The sky was cloudless, and in the distance, the shadow of a tower loomed faintly.
As they continued forward, a slope appeared before them, and at the top of the slope stood the base of the tower—a round tower about twenty to thirty meters tall.
A ladder was nearby, allowing one to climb to the top, where they could presumably gaze out at the endless sea.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka quickly dismissed the thought, knowing that Horikita Suzune's goal wasn't the sea beyond.
"About half an hour left," Horikita Suzune checked the time on the wall. "They should be arriving soon. You hide on the other side later, making sure you can see the check-in device."
Staying together would make it easier for their view to be blocked, so Horikita Suzune decided to observe the Class A leader from different positions. That was why she had brought Ayanokouji Kiyotaka along.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka nodded obediently and followed her to find the best observation spot.
Finally, Horikita Suzune added a warning.
"Be careful. Don't make any noise before you see the leader, or you might alert Class A."
Though it made sense, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't think it would be so easy to catch the Class A leader.
However, the reality was unexpected.
Hidden in the woods beside the tower, he soon saw someone approaching.
In an instant, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's pupils contracted. He only saw one person.
Why was there only one person?
This was too strange. Was Class A really that confident?
As the person drew closer, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could barely conceal his shock.
There was no mistake. Even if this person turned to ash, he would recognize them.
Kaoru Mitoma!
Especially as he watched Kaoru Mitoma get closer and closer to the tower, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka unconsciously held his breath. For the first time in a long while, he felt a trace of nervousness.
He probably wasn't the leader. Kaoru Mitoma was likely here to inspect the situation, with the real leader still behind.
The view from the tower was too expansive, making it easy for anyone to spot the act of scanning the card. The risk was too great.
Under normal circumstances, Class A wouldn't send someone to openly scan the card here.
While maintaining his composure, Ayanokouji silently watched Kaoru Mitoma approach the tower and take out what appeared to be a key card.
Even the pinnacle of rationality couldn't help but fall silent at this moment.
------------------------------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator