The Ultimate Fishing Skill

Since Shinohara had fled in tears, the boys from Class D had regained their energy. After finishing their work, they all ran off to the river to play, filling the air with constant laughter.

It was hard to imagine how things had taken such a turn.

Hirata had been trying to raise the class's morale for days, but no matter how hard he tried, it always seemed futile. Ironically, the very thing he had hoped to avoid became the means to achieve his goal. He felt frustrated, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

Hikigaya was equally disheartened, still unable to grasp who had orchestrated the entire situation. Ibuki was now mostly cleared of suspicion, leaving Ayanokoji as the only one capable of pulling off such a stunt.

But why would he do it? What possible reason could justify stuffing so many boys' belongings into Shinohara's bag? Even if it was to serve some purpose, it felt excessive, and the unnecessary risk only made it all the more baffling.

Maybe he was overthinking it.

Hikigaya suddenly realized he had hit a dead end. While Ibuki's plan to frame the boys had thrown Class D into disarray, not every incident needed to have such a clear objective. It was like when Horikita initially suspected him. She believed he had both the reason and the means to take revenge on Shinohara.

In simpler terms, the incident may not have been for the sake of victory or any strategic gain.

It might have been a personal vendetta against Shinohara.

If that were the case, it would explain why so many items were placed in her bag—to maximize her embarrassment. Personal grudges could widen the suspect pool significantly. Given Shinohara's abrasive personality, who knew how many people she had offended?

Hikigaya recalled his nightly strolls, during which he had felt someone lurking around the camp, watching them.

Bah, it wasn't worth the mental effort.

Rather than obsessing over the petty drama involving the girls in his class, fishing seemed like a far better way to pass the time.

With a grin, Hikigaya grabbed his fishing rod and headed for the river. He had a good feeling about today—he was certain he'd catch something big. Fishing was all about mood, and he was in excellent shape. There was no logical reason for it, just a gut feeling—some might even call it a superstition, but ordinary people wouldn't understand.

And so, with Shinohara's dignity as the unintentional sacrifice, Class D settled into a temporary calm as they entered the sixth day of their uninhabited island exam.

The weather, however, was taking a dramatic turn. Though the heat was as oppressive as ever, dark clouds had gathered overhead, blanketing the sky in a dismal gray.

A heavy downpour seemed imminent.

Preparing for the worst, Hirata began organizing everyone to secure the camp, reinforce the tents, and properly store their belongings. There were countless other tasks to be managed as well. He suggested they survive on the food they had foraged today, which would save them twenty points. No one objected given they'd be back on the ship enjoying proper meals by tomorrow afternoon.

Class D's restraint in the face of dwindling points was admirable, but it slightly derailed Hikigaya's plans.

"Hikigaya-kun, it's going to rain soon. Maybe you should skip exploring for today?" Hirata spoke politely, yet there was a firmness in his tone. "You've got a good eye. Why don't you join Kushida's group to help gather food? Everyone's relying on you."

"…Alright."

At this point, Hikigaya couldn't bring himself to mention that he still wanted to fish. After three days of catching nothing, he was starting to feel like an ace pilot—flying without ever landing a catch.

There had to be something wrong with that river—it was cursed!

Grumbling under his breath, Hikigaya begrudgingly joined Hirata's group. His teammates were Kushida, Horikita, Yamauchi, and Ayanokoji.

Ugh, what a nightmare lineup.

None of them were easy to deal with. Hikigaya had also been planning to visit Class A's base today, but with the rain looming and these troublesome companions in tow, it seemed impossible.

Sure, it was only about a thirty-minute walk, but with the weather threatening and such an annoying crew alongside him, it wasn't worth the hassle.

Still, summer rains came quickly and left just as fast. By tomorrow morning, the skies would likely be clear again.

There was no rush. Plenty of time remained.

Hikigaya calmed himself and quietly followed at the back of the group.

"Kushida-san, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with your usual group?" Horikita's discomfort with Kushida's presence was apparent, and her question was blunt. Despite her sharp tone, Kushida smoothly brushed off the inquiry.

…No, Horikita was genuinely uncomfortable.

Though she tried to hide it, there were subtle signs that something was wrong. Even in the stifling heat, her tracksuit's zipper was pulled up. Her voice lacked its usual strength, sounding weak and fatigued.

From the very start of the exam, she hadn't been in good health.

Was she enduring it all this time? What a stubborn fool.

Hikigaya sighed quietly, frustrated by Horikita's rigid nature. The manual clearly stated they could exchange points for medicine, and it only cost five points. He understood her reluctance to burden the class, but if she pushed herself too far and was forced to withdraw, it would only hurt them in the long run.

It was better to ask for help now—everyone would understand. Hirata, at the very least, would silence any objections.

As Hikigaya contemplated this, Kiyotaka's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Hey, Ibuki, why don't you join us?"

"…Me?"

Ibuki seemed surprised by the invitation, and Hikigaya couldn't blame her. He was just as shocked, though for different reasons.

"With the exam almost over, I won't force you if you don't want to," Ayanokoji said casually.

"...You're right." Ibuki nodded slightly. "And I do owe Class D some help… Alright, I'll pitch in."

She slung her bag over her shoulder and joined the group.

"Nice! Another girl! Feels like I'm building a harem here!" Yamauchi's excitement was as obnoxious as ever, his idiotic grin plastered across his face.

Hikigaya couldn't be bothered to respond to him. Instead, he turned to Horikita. "Now that we've got more people, why don't you stay back at the camp and help out? Hirata could use an extra hand."

"Eh?"

Horikita blinked in surprise, just about to respond when Ayanokoji interrupted.

"Yeah, Horikita's not as nimble as Ibuki. If she tags along, she'll just—oof!"

Before he could finish, Horikita's hand came down hard on his side, forcing him to double over in exaggerated pain.

Though Hikigaya was certain he was faking it.

"Keep your mouth shut. I'm not any slower than Ibuki-san," Horikita declared before marching into the forest.

…What a hassle.

Hikigaya suspected Ayanokoji had a hidden agenda. There was no way his careless words didn't have some deeper, calculated motive.

The best opportunity to persuade Horikita to rest had already slipped through his fingers. Now, there wasn't much Hikigaya could do except watch how things unfolded.

Hopefully, nothing troublesome would come of this...

Due to the overcast sky, the visibility in the forest was rather poor.

Despite spending a considerable amount of time searching, they found nothing. In the end, they decided to split into pairs but agreed not to stray too far from each other.

"Kushida-chan! Let's—"

"Hikigaya-kun, let's team up."

Just as Yamauchi was about to invite Kushida, she immediately turned to Hikigaya, seemingly oblivious to Yamauchi's offer.

"Uh, well then, Ibuki-chan, how about you and I pair up?"

Yamauchi, showing his usual thick skin, clicked his tongue in frustration but quickly composed himself and turned to invite Ibuki instead. Ibuki, however, didn't even acknowledge him, focusing solely on searching for food.

As for Horikita and Ayanokouji, they naturally paired up without a word.

"Looking forward to working with you, Hikigaya-kun," Kushida said with her trademark sweet smile.

"…Sure," Hikigaya responded, knowing full well what was coming.

In front of the others, Kushida maintained her angelic façade. But the moment they distanced themselves from the group, her true nature emerged.

"Hey, Hikigaya," Kushida's voice turned icy as she glanced at him sharply. "You seem quite concerned about Horikita. Were you trying to get her to rest earlier?"

It seemed Kushida had also noticed Horikita's condition. After all, they'd been living together for quite some time now.

"…No, I just thought she was in the way."

"Hmph, you're not fooling me."

Kushida wasn't easy to deceive, especially when it came to anything involving Horikita. Her instincts were razor-sharp when it concerned her.

"Like when the boys and girls argued last time—you were the one who gave Horikita that idea, weren't you? There's no way someone like her would come up with such a clever retort. She'd just rely on her grades to belittle others."

Hikigaya hadn't expected her to notice that as well.

Though, you're really underestimating Horikita, he thought, though he couldn't entirely disagree.

"Hey, I was doing it for Hirata's sake," Hikigaya explained with a sigh. "Didn't you notice? Hirata wasn't himself that day. He was on the verge of snapping, and I didn't want the class falling apart with no one to handle the everyday stuff."

"Huh? But even so, you didn't have to involve Horikita," Kushida's tone softened as she considered this.

Hikigaya kept his face neutral. "Who else could I ask? Would you have been willing to risk alienating the girls by stepping in?"

"Uh…" Kushida fell silent. The fallout from that incident had led to many girls branding Horikita as a traitor behind her back. While it earned her some favor with the boys, Kushida couldn't care less about that.

For Kushida, maintaining a good relationship with the girls was far more challenging and required careful, time-consuming cultivation. Dealing with simple-minded boys who could be easily manipulated was a hundred times easier.

Seeing her fall quiet, Hikigaya took the opportunity to speak. "Look, Horikita is the student council president's sister. I'm just helping her out within reason. And no matter how much you dislike her, I doubt you'd want anything bad to happen to a classmate, right?"

"Well, of course not! If something happened, it would ruin the atmosphere in class!"

Although Kushida's disdain for Horikita was clear, it hadn't escalated to the point where she wanted her dead—just out of the school, perhaps.

…Wait, why does that still sound pretty bad? Hikigaya thought. But then again, the student council president wants his sister to drop out too, so maybe it's not worth worrying about.

"Ah!"

At that moment, Ayanokouji's frantic voice echoed from nearby.

—Sigh, what's that guy doing now?

Hikigaya looked over to see Horikita bending down to pick up a card on the ground, while Ayanokouji stood there looking flustered.

Seriously… this is supposed to be your best act? Not very convincing.

"What's wrong?" Kushida asked with concern, looking over at Ayanokouji and Horikita, while Ibuki also turned her attention in that direction.

"Nothing, really. Just a bug that startled us a bit… Sorry about that," Ayanokouji quickly apologized, but Horikita shot him a death glare.

"S-Sorry…"

Even after Ayanokouji's repeated apologies, Horikita's anger remained undiminished as she stormed off without a word.

Meanwhile, Yamauchi sidled up with a smirk, eager to tease Ayanokouji.

…Seriously? Is that all?

Watching the farce unfold, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a bit bored.

So the best you could come up with was some lame trick like this? Not exactly top-tier stuff. Your skill level isn't much different from mine!