The Camera Was Picked Up from the Ground

On the morning of the fourth day of the deserted island exam, after roll call ended, Hikigaya slipped away from the camp, taking advantage of a quiet moment. He made his way to the place they had agreed upon the night before and settled in to wait.

After a while, a familiar figure finally emerged from the trees—Matsushita.

"I-I'm sorry for making you wait, Hikigaya-kun."

She looked a bit flustered, probably from running. It wasn't hard to guess she had been delayed while coming up with an excuse to leave. After all, unlike Hikigaya, she wasn't someone who could easily slip away unnoticed—she had friends.

"Let's go," Hikigaya said casually.

Since he was the one who extended the invitation, there was no point in complaining. They were pressed for time, hoping to get ahead of Tobe and Ayanokoji.

"Sorry about this," Matsushita grumbled as she followed Hikigaya. "Karuizawa and the others keep bothering me, and I can't seem to shake them off. Without the help of the guys, everything has become so inconvenient. They never think about solving things themselves, always relying on Hirata-kun."

"It's fine. Hirata is more than willing to help. Besides, it's only natural for him to assist his girlfriend," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly.

Hirata was indeed a busy person. Not only did he oversee the camp's activities, but he also helped the girls with their chores, alongside Ayanokoji. Ever since Ayanokoji started helping with the tent set up yesterday, it seemed like the girls had taken it as a given that they could use him however they liked. Ayanokoji, the quiet and somewhat mysterious figure, didn't dare refuse, and Hirata had surprisingly not intervened.

Hikigaya suspected that Hirata's leniency wasn't due to a belief in Ayanokoji's innocence but rather a chance for him to amend his ways. By assigning Ayanokoji tasks with the girls, Hirata was both giving him a chance for redemption and keeping an eye on him to see if he would slip up again in the presence of female classmates.

Although it was a bit unfair to label Ayanokoji as a pervert, there was evidence to support such claims, so the suspicion wasn't entirely baseless.

"Speaking of girlfriends," Matsushita continued with a hint of excitement, "I can't help but feel there's something odd between Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san. Karuizawa-san seems very close to Hirata-kun in front of us, but his attitude towards her is no different from how he treats others. What do you think, Hikigaya-kun?"

"I think your instincts are right," Hikigaya said.

"Really? You think so too?"

Matsushita seemed quite animated about the topic of romance. But as their conversation unfolded, it felt more like they were unraveling a mystery than discussing a love affair.

There was something suspicious about Hirata and Karuizawa's relationship.

"They must have some secret they're hiding," Matsushita insisted.

"...I think you're overthinking it," Hikigaya yawned, uninterested.

"It's probably just that Karuizawa is trying to get close to Hirata to secure her position in the class. It's not as dramatic as you're making it out to be."

"Even if you say that, something still feels off."

Matsushita pondered this, her thoughtful expression evident. Although there were many red flags in their relationship, Hikigaya felt it was none of his business and chose not to dwell on it.

Hikigaya led Matsushita to the edge of a cliff along the coast. His excellent memory helped him locate the ladder he had used before.

"Hey, there's a ladder here?" Matsushita exclaimed in surprise, evidently not having paid much attention to the island while on the boat.

"Yes, I'll go down first," Hikigaya said, not elaborating further. He climbed down the ladder and reached the familiar small cabin.

He approached the terminal device at the cabin's entrance. It still displayed that Class A was in control, though less than ten minutes were remaining.

Things were progressing even better than expected. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for their target to arrive.

"Hikigaya-kun, is that the base?" Matsushita asked as she came down the ladder, immediately recognizing the small cabin.

Given the unusual location of the cabin, it was a base set up by the school.

"But how did you know about this place?" Matsushita asked curiously.

"Did you see the island's scenery when the boat made the announcement?" Hikigaya asked.

"No, I was with my friends at that time… Oh, I see. The scenery had significance," Matsushita realized.

Hikigaya's reminder made Matsushita recall that the announcement had been oddly phrased. Describing the island's view as "meaningful" rather than "beautiful" had indeed seemed off. Her attention had been diverted by her friends, causing her to miss this detail.

Well, perhaps solitary individuals had their limits too… Hikigaya thought to himself, unable to ignore the facts before him. He had to admit that Matsushita's help was crucial for their operation's success this time.

Hikigaya shook his head and pulled out a digital camera from his pocket, handing it to Matsushita, who looked surprised.

"Wait, where did you get this?" she asked, recognizing immediately that this wasn't something obtained through point redemption, especially after the recent issues with students using points without permission.

Hikigaya chuckled, "I found it on the ground."

"Seriously? There's no way this was just lying around," Matsushita said, looking at him with disbelief.

"What exactly have you been up to? Anyway, just tell me what to do next."

Matsushita quickly realized that probing further into the camera's origins was pointless.

"It's simple. Just hide there and take the photo when you get the chance," Hikigaya instructed, pointing to the nearby bushes.

Matsushita, being sharp, didn't need everything spelled out for her.

"Got it. But remember, no deliberately getting hit, okay? We agreed on that!" Matsushita insisted firmly.

"Alright, alright. I'm not a masochist," Hikigaya said, a bit exasperated. "And I've mentioned before, those guys are brainless and unlikely to strike easily."

"But just in case, if a fight does break out, I'll step in to help," Matsushita said confidently, patting her chest.

"Okay. I'm counting on you," Hikigaya said, feeling a bit uncomfortable about being protected by a girl.

After Matsushita hid in the bushes, Hikigaya positioned himself in front of the terminal device, closing his eyes to concentrate and focusing on his hearing.

After some time, the noise suddenly came from the direction of the ladder.

Almost immediately, Hikigaya snapped his eyes open. It was time to begin.