Lost on the First Day

"Oh? I didn't expect the Zombied-Eye Boy to take the initiative."

Hearing Hachiman's proposal, Kōenji stroked his chin, gazing at him with a slightly meaningful look. He probably found it a bit unusual.

Hachiman knew his actions were a bit abrupt, but since it was Kōenji, he wasn't too worried. Kōenji wasn't the type to gossip, so there was no need to be overly concerned.

"So, will you accept?"

"Hmph, why not." Kōenji smiled faintly. "I happen to be interested in this island as well, and the reward you're offering isn't too bad. I'll lend you a hand."

"Yeah, you'll be a big help."

Hachiman wasn't too surprised; he had anticipated that Kōenji would likely not refuse. Despite his outward appearance of being difficult to deal with, Kōenji was quite easy to understand. The key to getting him to take action was simply the word "interest."

While other students were focused on getting into Class A and were willing to act in the class's interest, Kōenji didn't care about such things. What he wanted from this school was something else entirely—personal points.

From his performance in the swimming class, it was clear that Kōenji purposely showed his strength, likely aiming for the first-place reward. Moreover, since May, he had been spending his lunch breaks in the classroom, rarely going out to eat, indicating he was short on points.

Of course, Kōenji could have bought points from senior students. Given his status as an heir to a financial conglomerate, no one would worry about him defaulting on a payment.

But he was a man of pride. If he could earn a decent reward on his own, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

"So, Zombied-Eye Boy, where do you want to go?"

"I want you to take me to that tower as quickly as possible."

Hachiman pointed to a distant, conspicuous tower. It was a fair distance away, especially if they had to run through the forest.

He had neither the experience nor the knowledge to venture into the forest, and others were likely just as hesitant to go deep into it.

However, Kōenji's reaction was different. Hachiman had noticed that as soon as they got off the boat, Kōenji had been observing the island's forest with a hint of disappointment on his face.

As expected, Kōenji likely had experience in wilderness survival.

However, this island wasn't truly a wild environment, which was probably why Kōenji felt a bit disappointed.

This was precisely why Hachiman decided to hire him as a guide.

"Good, but Zombied-Eye Boy, you'd better keep up with my speed," Kōenji said, taking the lead immediately.

Navigating the forest wasn't easy. Due to various obstacles, it was impossible to move in a straight line. Following Kōenji's path was the best way to speed up their progress.

But after entering the forest, Hachiman quickly realized that keeping up wasn't just a matter of speed. Within minutes of walking, he felt his sense of direction starting to waver.

Fortunately, as long as he kept his eyes on Kōenji, who was leading the way, he wouldn't get lost.

"Ah, how beautiful! I, standing gracefully amidst nature, am truly magnificent! The ultimate beauty!"

Kōenji exclaimed, seemingly without any difficulty, his steps never faltering as he moved effortlessly. Although Kōenji could be annoying, those ten thousand points were certainly well spent.

"By the way, Zombied-Eye Boy," Kōenji suddenly addressed him, "how do you view this place?"

"...An artificial island created by the school for the students' sake."

"Hahaha, indeed. Even if something goes wrong in this forest, it's no problem," Kōenji laughed heartily, clearly pleased with Hachiman's answer.

He then turned his head and brushed his hair back.

"I am a perfect being, but this time I find it difficult to discern your true intentions, Zombied-Eye Boy. You seem quite certain that I can conquer this forest."

"...You're the same, immediately trusting that I can pay up."

Hachiman struggled to keep up with Kōenji's pace. Luckily, he had been working out regularly; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the energy to respond.

"Isn't that obvious?" Kōenji declared confidently.

"You don't spend lavishly, but neither do you go out of your way to save like others. Your complexion is better than most, too. But don't worry, I have no bad habit of prying into others' secrets."

"...I see."

Hachiman had indeed overlooked that point.

Currently, most of Class D could only afford to eat the wild vegetable set meal every day, while he had only sampled it once when Sakayanagi treated him.

Typically, Hachiman ate whatever he wanted, not skimping on meals. After all, he was a growing high school boy who also needed energy to spar with the student council president.

Skipping meals wasn't an option.

After walking for a while longer, with the tower now in sight, Hachiman suddenly stopped.

"Kōenji, wait a moment."

"What's the matter? Your destination is right ahead," Kōenji asked, but he obediently halted, indicating he was willing to follow a reasonable request from his employer.

Hachiman shook his head.

"No, the tower is just a reference point for directions. The real destination is nearby."

He pointed to a spot beside the tower.

"You can head back to the boat now if you want, but if you come with me, you might see something interesting."

"Oh? Impressive, Zombied-Eye Boy, to notice that." Kōenji responded without a change in expression. "You're right; I'm not feeling well. I think I'll return to the boat to rest."

...Not feeling well?

Hachiman was speechless but couldn't be bothered to retort. It wasn't his business anyway.

"Anyway, it's up to you."

"Do you even have to ask? Since Zombied-Eye Boy has invited me, of course, I'll go and take a look."

Kōenji then gave Hachiman a playful look.

"And I'm curious to see if this interesting thing you mentioned will happen."

It seemed Kōenji had an inkling of what was going on.

But that didn't matter.

The two of them circled the tower and continued through the forest for a while longer until they began to hear the sound of waves. They soon arrived at the shoreline.

"Bingo, so that was your true target, Zombied-Eye Boy."

Kōenji looked with interest at the ground not far away, where he quickly noticed an unusual ladder set up at the edge of a cliff.

"Yeah, I'll go down first."

Just as Hachiman was about to move forward, Kōenji leaped ahead, grabbing the ladder and swinging down in one swift motion.

Wait, what?

Is this guy Tarzan?

If Hachiman hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed someone could perform such a stunt in real life. Kōenji was indeed an extraordinary guy.

Descending the ladder to the bottom of the cliff, they spotted a small hut not far away. The hut had a terminal with a monitor at its entrance, indicating that this was indeed a base. As long as they had the key card, they could occupy it.

Through the window, they could see items like fishing rods. If they took them back, they could fish to supplement their food supply, saving the class a lot of points.

However, Hachiman had no intention of taking the items back, nor did he approach the hut.

Kōenji, who had arrived earlier, also didn't go near the hut. Instead, he waited in place, smiling as he said, "It seems Zombied-Eye Boy was paying close attention to the island from the ship."

"Yeah, it was a meaningful view."

This place would be nearly impossible to find without spotting it from the ship before landing. Most importantly, it was very close to the cave.

Hachiman surveyed the surroundings, then pointed to a nearby thicket. "Let's hide there for now."

"Hmph, I don't do things like hiding my head and showing my tail."

With that, Kōenji climbed a nearby tree with ease and stood on a branch, striking a stylish pose at Hachiman.

...This guy is Tarzan, huh?

Hachiman had no interest in climbing trees, so he quietly hid in the thicket.

However, he soon emerged, grabbed a branch, and swept the ground, ensuring he left no footprints before retreating into hiding.

If all went as expected, Class A would surely come to occupy this base.

The cave was nearby, and the hut was directly below the cliff. As long as they were careful, they wouldn't be discovered.

While the tower was closer to the cave, it was too conspicuous, and other classes would likely notice it.

Considering Katsuragi's cautious nature, it was unlikely he would occupy such an obvious spot.

Of course, this was all just Hachiman's speculation. It was possible that nothing would happen, and if that were the case, the ten thousand points would have been spent in vain.

Fortunately, it seemed the wait-and-see strategy was working. Before long, they heard the sound of someone climbing the ladder.

"Katsuragi-san, watch your step."

"I'm fine. Go check the surroundings."

It was Katsuragi and his follower, Totsuka Yahiko. Hachiman hadn't expected the prey to walk right into the trap.

...Heh, we've won.

Hachiman suppressed his excitement, doing his best to remain calm.

"Yes," Yahiko replied, inspecting the ground before reporting happily, "No one's been here before us... Ah, just as Katsuragi-san said, there's a hut over there! This is great; let's occupy it."

"Keep your voice down. Don't let your guard down."

Katsuragi warned repeatedly, but seeing the fishing rods inside the hut, his expression began to relax.

He likely thought that since even the lightweight items like fishing rods hadn't been taken, no one had discovered this place.

Little did he know, he had already been targeted back on the cruise ship.

"I won't let anyone else know," Yahiko assured him.

Judging by Yahiko's words, he was probably Class A's leader.

—Heh, what a fool, Katsuragi.

Hachiman sneered inwardly. If it were him, he would never choose someone who stuck close to him as the leader.

While there might be merit in doing the unexpected, Yahiko's position as Katsuragi's close aide made him too conspicuous, increasing the risk of exposure.

What was going through Katsuragi's bald head...?

"This exam will leave Sakayanagi speechless," Yahiko said confidently. "And that dead-fish-eyed Hikigaya—I'll find a way to teach him a lesson."

"Forget about Hikigaya. I've heard he doesn't care about his class at all, so there's no need to waste time on someone like that."

Katsuragi's evaluation was fair, which explained why so many people followed him. But unfortunately, even a capable person has their limits. As Katsuragi took a key card from his pocket, Yahiko took it and scanned it at the terminal by the hut door.

Soon, the monitor displayed "Class A," with a remaining time of eight hours.

This meant that Class A had already lost on the first day of landing.

If one class correctly guessed the leader, they would lose fifty points. If all three classes guessed correctly, Class A would lose one hundred fifty points.

Class A started with thirty points fewer than the other classes. With thirty-nine people to sustain for a week on the island, Hachiman estimated they would need to spend one hundred points.

In other words, Class A might end up with only twenty points.

Spending an entire week in a cave, only to end up with a mere twenty points...

The thought of the expressions on those elite faces after seven days made Hachiman eager for the outcome.

But there was still one question.

Would Sakayanagi be surprised by this result?

Hachiman wasn't sure, but for now, he would pass on the information about Class A's leader to the other three classes and consider the rest later.