Watch Your Back

"Hey, Ichinose."

Ryuen's eyes glinted with malice as he turned toward her. "Your class swept up most of the points in this exam, didn't you? So, what brings you here? Are you here to rub your victory in our faces?"

Ryuen had the audacity to mock them, even after shamelessly exploiting the goodwill of others during the exam. If there was a word beyond "shameless," it would be his to own. But this tactic might have worked on someone like Horikita—not Ichinose.

"Oh, not at all!" Ichinose smiled warmly and shook her head. "I think everyone worked really hard in this exam, including you, Ryuen-kun. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I bet you put in a lot of effort too, right? I really admire that about you."

"Tch."

Ryuen spat on the floor, clearly irritated by Ichinose's upbeat and diplomatic response. It must've disgusted him to hear her praise for hard work, especially when the one who worked the hardest had been him.

Because if there was anyone who had truly fought to survive the island, it was Ryuen. Others were just playing at camping, but Ryuen had been in full survival mode from the start.

With her usual smile, Ichinose added, "By the way, I was wondering if it would be okay for Kanzaki-kun and I to join your table. I'm really sorry to bother you, but there aren't any other open seats nearby."

Despite her words, Hikigaya noticed something odd. A few of Ichinose's friends were seated just a few tables away, watching her with eager eyes. The fact that she'd come over with only Kanzaki—of all people—was strange. This was more than a casual lunch.

She was likely here to probe the status of the other classes, and Kanzaki, her sharpest second-in-command, was by her side for that very reason.

In other words, things were about to get messy.

Why does it always turn out like this? Hikigaya thought, as B-Class—or rather, A-Class's Ichinose and Kanzaki, B-Class's Hashimoto and Kamuro, and C-Class's Ryuen—had all gathered around one table. These were the big players from each class, and the fact that they were all sitting together made Hikigaya feel increasingly out of place.

He was just a background character from D-Class, nowhere near qualified to join in on the conversations of such heavyweights. It was probably a good time to slip away.

"Well, since you guys have stuff to talk about, and I'm not all that hungry anyway, I'll just—"

As Hikigaya began to rise, someone kicked him sharply under the table.

"Ow!" He winced and turned toward his attacker.

Kamuro? When did she turn into the violent type?

She feigned innocence, her expression unreadable.

"Ahaha, Hikigaya-kun, you're as predictable as ever," Ichinose chuckled with a wry smile. "But come on, it's rare for everyone to be together like this. Don't spoil the mood."

"Exactly," Hashimoto chimed in. "Let's all enjoy our meal."

Enjoy? Yeah, right. Hikigaya doubted there would be anything enjoyable about this.

And yet, there they were. The six of them were from four different classes, awkwardly sharing the same table in a corner of the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, they had caught the attention of other students nearby.

"Hmph!"

A single glare from Ryuen was enough to make most of the onlookers quickly avert their gazes.

Whoa, didn't know he could be useful like that, Hikigaya thought, half-amused.

Before he could dwell further on the oddity of the situation, Ryuen suddenly called out to him again.

"Dead eyes, let's get back to the topic."

"Huh?" Hikigaya blinked, surprised.

He'd assumed that Ryuen would drop the subject after Ichinose and Kanzaki's arrival. He was wrong. Ryuen didn't seem to care about keeping anything a secret.

Was it because there was no longer any reason to keep things confidential? Or was he hoping to use this moment to gather more information?

Probably the latter.

"But first, let's clear something up, Dead eyes," Ryuen leaned in, his gaze fixed sharply on Hikigaya. "What's your take on Suzune's withdrawal? Don't tell me you didn't notice anything strange."

"Uh…" Hikigaya hesitated for a moment before answering. "If you're so curious, why don't you just ask Horikita yourself? Maybe she was thinking the same thing as you."

"Pfft, are you joking? That woman doesn't have the brains to come up with a strategy like this."

Ryuen's voice dripped with disdain. It was clear he had no respect for Horikita's abilities.

"And more importantly, I doubt she has the guts for something like that."

With those words, Ryuen stood up and slowly leaned in closer to Hikigaya's face.

The stench of disinfectant filled the air.

"Wait!" Ichinose quickly stepped in between them, pushing Ryuen back before things could escalate further. "Ryuen-kun, is it true? Why did Horikita withdraw? Was she injured?"

"Tch! You're so annoying!"

Even though Hikigaya was Horikita's classmate, Ichinose had bombarded Ryuen with questions, which frustrated him to no end.

Kanzaki, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Ichinose, I know you're concerned about Horikita, but let's hear Ryuen out first."

"Haha, sorry! I got a bit too worked up," Ichinose apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Yet somehow, it felt deliberate. Her little outburst had successfully disrupted Ryuen's train of thought.

"Anyway," Ryuen continued, though annoyed, "there's no way Suzune came up with this plan on her own. Someone else is pulling the strings from behind the scenes."

He smirked, his gaze dark and sinister. "Since the results were announced, I've been wondering who knocked Suzune out to make her withdraw. Dead eyes, other than you, I can't think of anyone else in your class twisted enough to pull that off."

Before Hikigaya could respond, Kamuro cut in, her voice icy. "You've been talking a lot of crap, haven't you? Are you done yet?"

"What's the matter? You sticking up for him now?" Ryuen sneered.

"I just think you're obnoxious," Kamuro replied bluntly. "It's clear all of this is just nonsense cooked up in your head. Are you that desperate to come up with excuses for your failure?"

Ryuen laughed, amused by her response. "Hah! Don't forget, it's your class that took the biggest loss. You dropped down to B-Class."

As the tension escalated between Ryuen and Kamuro, Ichinose quickly intervened.

"Alright, everyone, let's calm down. This is a restaurant, after all. We wouldn't want to disturb the other guests, would we?"

Her tone was gentle but firm. After a brief pause, she continued, "Ryuen-kun, I also think what you said about Hikigaya-kun was a bit much. I don't believe for a second that he would do something like that. Please take back what you said."

"Tch, boring."

Ryuen let out a scoff, clearly unamused by the situation. He slumped back in his seat, eyes drifting away in disinterest.

Hikigaya, on the other hand, fell silent, deep in thought. It wasn't anger that occupied his mind, but the intent behind Ryuen's words. It seemed that Ryuen didn't fully believe Hikigaya was responsible for the incident, but rather, he suspected Hikigaya knew who the mastermind was. He wanted to use him to uncover the truth, perhaps even untangle the intricate web behind it all.

If that was the case… wasn't it just perfect?

"Ryuen, have you considered another possibility?" Hikigaya finally spoke, breaking the tension.

"What's that?" Ryuen's eyes narrowed, his tone laced with skepticism.

"Horitaka didn't withdraw for any complicated reason. She simply got injured when she returned to camp."

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

As expected, Ryuen didn't buy Hikigaya's explanation for a second. His personality was one that inherently distrusted coincidences, and Hikigaya's suggestion only further solidified the suspicions Ryuen had already harbored.

Without a doubt, there was someone else in Class D pulling the strings.

"Honami, it seems you haven't fully grasped the situation yet," Ryuen suddenly shifted his focus to Ichinose.

"Hm? I suppose I'm still a bit in the dark," Ichinose smiled casually, not a trace of concern in her expression. "Are you planning to enlighten me, Ryuen?"

In truth, she likely understood the majority of the situation. That was just Ichinose's strength—no matter how much she was provoked, she never lost her cool, and she could always steer the conversation to her advantage.

"Heh, you're calm, I'll give you that. But don't forget one thing."

Ryuen smirked coldly as he drained the last of his coffee.

"You think Class D is just a bunch of misfits, so you don't hesitate to work with them. But among them is someone who'll stop at nothing to win—even if it means turning on their own. Ichinose, you and your class might be allies with Class D, but be careful you don't end up stabbed in the back."

The idea of switching leaders wasn't hard to conceive, but among the four classes, only Ryuen and Class D had employed such a tactic. People like Ichinose and Katsuragi would never entertain the notion of harming their classmates.

If their leader was compromised, they'd merely seek out the other classes' leaders to strike a mutual agreement, neutralizing any advantage.

Deliberately injuring the leader to force a replacement, though… that took a certain ruthlessness not everyone possessed.

"Ryuen, your entire theory is built on pure speculation," Ichinose responded calmly. "I don't believe anyone would go that far. That would be over the line."

"Oh? There's a living, breathing example of that sitting right in front of you," Hikigaya chimed in, unable to resist adding his commentary.

Ryuen had a history of reigning in the troublemakers within his class, and he showed no mercy to those who crossed him.

And yet, Hikigaya didn't particularly dislike him.

After all, Ryuen was nothing if not consistent, wearing his ruthlessness openly for all to see. The entire year knew what to expect from him. Calling him infamous would be putting it kindly.

"Hmph, think whatever you like." Ryuen's voice remained as hard as ever. "But let me tell you something. It doesn't matter if you're the one behind all this or not. Every last one of your classmates is under suspicion."

"Oh, is that so? Well, good luck with that."

Hikigaya's response was as lethargic as ever, and Ryuen, evidently bored by the lack of reaction, stood up with a scoff and left with a derisive smirk. However, the others remained uneasy.

Especially Hashimoto and Kanzaki, the two second-in-command. Both of them had come to a silent, simultaneous realization.

Class D wasn't as simple as it appeared.

And Hikigaya wasn't the only one worth watching.