Chapter 042: Combat Meeting, Ichinose’s Strength

"Well…"

Hikigaya reluctantly opened his eyes and saw Shibata standing in front of him, while Kanzaki stood behind.

It seemed Kanzaki had been sleeping in another tent and had come over just to remind them of their duties. This guy had a dark heart.

Right, there was also the task of covering for the leader.

After tidying up a little, the three of them left the tent. Their base was located next to a wooden house under the cliff.

Carefully, they climbed down the ladder. Ichinose and Huko had been waiting for them for quite some time.

The stronghold machines were neatly concealed under parasols. A circle of U-shaped wooden tables and chairs was set up nearby, probably serving as a workbench where the girls prepared food and rested.

"Good morning, everyone! How did you all sleep last night?" Ichinose greeted them energetically.

"Good morning."

Shibata responded cheerfully. "It was great! This is my first time camping. Feels pretty refreshing."

"The boys are managing fine," Kanzaki said with a calm expression. "It's not as comfortable as the dormitory, but it's bearable. What about the girls?"

"There's nothing to worry about." Ichinose smiled. "There was a bit of conflict, but everyone agreed to endure it."

Enduring together—what an admirable display of youth.

Hikigaya yawned as they gathered around the stronghold.

The stronghold was scheduled to refresh at 4 AM, but considering everyone's work schedule and physical exhaustion, Ichinose decided to delay it. The new plan was to refresh at 8 AM, 4 PM, and 12 AM—three times a day.

His eyes drifted toward the cliff. Thanks to the sunshade, their activities were obscured from view, meaning other teams shouldn't be able to observe them.

Beep.

Huko swiped the card, successfully occupying the stronghold.

"Do you have any thoughts about Kaneda?" Kanzaki asked as he settled into a nearby chair. "I watched him for half the night, and he was sleeping very deeply."

Hikigaya was a little surprised. So, he had been overthinking things. Ichinose and Kanzaki weren't so careless after all.

Thinking back, when the tents were assigned, Kanzaki had likely arranged for Hikigaya and Shibata to share one, deliberately separating them from Kaneda. Kanzaki had probably stayed behind intentionally to keep watch.

Smart.

"It seems unlikely that he'll cause trouble," Shibata commented after thinking for a moment.

That was one possibility. Kaneda might not be a spy, but he could still have been planted to create trouble.

Hikigaya found a corner and sat down. His personal belief remained unchanged—Kaneda was a spy.

However, since Ichinose and Kanzaki were already keeping an eye on him, they should be able to prevent any issues.

"But…" Kanzaki frowned. "What exactly is Ryuuen planning? According to Kaneda, Class C has used up all its points."

"We should find out more today," Hikigaya replied. "I doubt he'd lie about something so obvious."

Spending all their points for the sake of enjoyment wasn't impossible.

The main issue was that Hikigaya knew nothing about Ryuuen apart from what Ichinose and the others had told him—that he was a delinquent gang leader.

"Zero-score strategy," Ichinose suddenly said with a frown.

"A zero-score strategy?" Kanzaki turned toward her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Even if Kaneda is telling the truth, and Class C really has spent all their points, as long as their leader remains hidden, they can still earn 50 class points for each correctly guessed leader on the final day," Ichinose explained, her tone uncertain.

"What's your reasoning?" Hikigaya asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," Shibata added. "Why do you think so?"

"No particular reason." Ichinose shook her head. "I just can't see Ryuuen as someone who gives up easily. If anything, he seems obsessively competitive."

"I just can't imagine him choosing to forfeit the exam," she admitted awkwardly. "This is the only possibility that makes sense to me."

"But…" Shibata hesitated.

"I understand your concerns," Ichinose said. "Even if Ryuuen correctly guesses three class leaders, he would only gain 150 points. That's significantly less than what he could earn by participating normally. And if he even gets one guess wrong, all his efforts would be wasted."

The risks outweighed the rewards.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call such a plan a gamble.

Hikigaya had his doubts too.

But since he didn't know much about Ryuuen, he decided to trust Ichinose's judgment for now.

"That's true," Kanzaki said after some thought. "And staying hidden on an uninhabited island for seven days without getting caught isn't easy. Can Ryuuen really pull that off?"

Surviving alone for seven days—difficult but not impossible.

The island had limited food resources, but as long as someone could tolerate the harsh living conditions, they could manage.

The real danger was injury or illness.

One wrong move, and they'd have to call for medical assistance, effectively ending their participation in the exam.

"Then what should we do?" Shibata asked. "We can't just kick Kaneda out, can we? What if he's telling the truth?"

Hikigaya didn't particularly care. He had no personal connection to Kaneda and didn't feel responsible for him.

But Ichinose and Shibata were different.

They were the kind of people who would lend a helping hand, even to a complete stranger.

"It's fine."

Ichinose stood up, smiling brightly. "Even if Ryuuen is trying some reckless zero-score strategy, as long as we keep an eye on Kaneda, it won't work. At worst, it won't affect us."

"We just need to be careful. Kanzaki-san, I know it's unfair to Kaneda, but since this is an exam, I'll have to ask you to watch him closely tonight."

"When we capture the stronghold, I'll make sure Kaneda keeps his distance. That should be enough."

"Understood."

Kanzaki nodded seriously, completely focused on the task.

He was dependable, that much was certain.

With his personality, he might not even sleep for seven days just to keep Kaneda under surveillance.

Hikigaya sighed.

Ichinose, Shibata, and Kanzaki were all good people—kind yet cautious. They were keeping an eye on Kaneda, making sure he wouldn't pose a threat.

But…

You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days.

Even if they watched Kaneda every night, there was no guarantee he wouldn't cause trouble eventually.

However, Class B had already made its decision.

There wasn't much Hikigaya could do now.

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