Aside from the occasional argument between the boys and girls, life on the island was surprisingly pleasant.
The best part was...
"Wow, Ian. You’re really good with your hands. Do you usually cook at home?"
"It saves points, so it works out better that way. And I’ve always enjoyed cooking as a hobby."
Shinohara—who, despite her ongoing rivalry with Ike, had become the girls’ leader after Karuizawa and Kushida—admired my knife work as she spoke.
Before we could focus on saving points, our tasks naturally divided.
During the day, most of the students split into teams: one group gathered firewood, the other foraged for food. Ike handled sorting through the supplies back at our base with his surprising wealth of survival knowledge.
For cooking, we chose one representative from each side of the gender divide...
Shinohara stepped up for the girls, and since I was the only one on the boys with any experience, I was the clear choice.
Having the kitchen—our makeshift cooking space—on the girls’ side meant I had a chance to make a good impression on them...
And the main event was, of course, cooking.
"You’re skilled. What dishes can you make?"
"Since I’m Korean, I usually whip up Korean dishes, but I can also handle simple Western or Japanese meals. I’ve made almost every kind of side dish you can imagine."
At Karuizawa’s prompting, Sato and Matsushita nearby expressed their admiration.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Hasebe, who had just finished their morning routine, were watching me cook intently from behind.
In truth, cooking was hardly glamorous—I was simply stir-frying or grilling on a makeshift stove built from stones and firewood, using a small frying pan purchased with our precious points.
Of course, I prepped the ingredients alongside Shinohara, who turned out to be remarkably dexterous herself.
In the end, I found myself cooking surrounded by girls. After weeks of cramming into a tent with gloomy, rowdy boys, this felt like a breath of fresh air.
"...Hmph."
Ibuki still avoided my gaze. Clearly, that incident was weighing on her. Although I hadn’t completely ignored her like on the first day—and we’d managed to engage in some conversation—she remained distant.
"You even subdued wild Sudo before, didn’t you?"
"Ian, are you secretly a jack-of-all-trades? You seem pretty good at sports, too!"
"Ah, but my grades... they’re not so great."
Inogashira, Mori, Wang, Onodera, and the rest...
Before I knew it, the girls—fresh from their morning routines and shower—approached, exuding a pleasant scent as they exchanged remarks.
Then, a tiny spark jumped toward them.
"Kyaa?!"
"Stay back from the flames. It’s dangerous," someone warned.
A stray ember from the firewood landed on my arm. It stung briefly, but after I casually brushed it off, several of the girls seemed impressed.
Yet, what troubled me more was the effect of Onodera’s words and Ibuki’s furtive glance. I thought to myself, "...Damn it. Did she hear that?"
I had subdued Sudo.
If word of that reached Ryuuen, there was a strong chance he’d single me out as the one responsible for reducing Ishizaki to rags. Of course, since it happened in full view of the class, Ryuuen would eventually find out anyway, but...
For now, I wasn’t ready to confront Ryuuen directly. It wasn’t so much about winning or losing as it was a premonition of troublesome consequences.
Later, after finishing another, albeit ordinary, meal prepared by Shinohara and me, I returned to the tent to rest.
While I was relaxing, Ayanokouji—also taking a break inside the tent—approached and said,
"Class C has completely disappeared. Looks like they’ve retired."
"Yeah, that figure seemed likely. They invested all their supplies in frivolities; they wouldn’t stand a chance on a deserted island anyway. Do you know what’s going on?"
"We ran into Class B, but Class A probably understands the situation, too. No, more accurately..."
"An alliance between Class A and Class C? What a hassle."
For the past few days, we’d been exchanging quiet conversations in our tent—the sole hub for our information—keeping our voices low enough not to reach outside.
"What about that matter?"
"Not yet. If possible, I’d like to push things to the limit."
"You really are a sadist. Your personality’s rough, but I’m all for delaying it."
Step, step
"...Someone’s coming. I’ll get out of here."
After that exchange, Ayanokouji and I fell silent for a while.
Dawn.
I woke up earlier than everyone else and let out a small yawn as I surveyed my surroundings.
I ignored Sudo, who was dozing with Ike as his pillow, and Ayanokouji, who looked miserable squeezed between Yamauchi and the others...
"Good morning, Ian. Did I wake you?"
I greeted Yosuke, who had been up earlier and was poring over a booklet.
"Morning, Yosuke. You’re up early."
"Yeah. Even though it’s only day four, I still haven’t gotten used to this..."
It was true—the stone floor was painful. Even after leveling the ground as best we could, pitching tents on dirt was far from comfortable.
"What are you worrying about?"
"...You noticed?"
It was obvious from the way he was leafing so slowly through that booklet.
"...Um, it’s just—I feel like I’m not really contributing much to the class."
"You?"
"I mean, isn’t it true that this spot was found by Ike, and when Kushida and you stepped in to calm everyone down, and even when Sudo got expelled, you helped Horikita and Ayanokouji fix things?"
"That doesn’t mean the center of the class is shifting. No matter what anyone says, the heart of our class is you, Yosuke."
"R-really...?"
"Absolutely. You’re the only one who can unite everyone, unlike the rest of us."
"...Even if it wasn’t me, there’s Kushida and... Ian, too, right?"
"...Me?"
That was never going to happen.
"Someone as gloomy as me couldn’t manage that."
When I protested, Yosuke gave a small laugh and replied,
"Haha, but Ian, you’ve been getting a really good reputation with the girls lately. A lot of them were scared when you first fought Sudo, but after talking with you, they all said you’re just a normal, good guy."
Oh, really?
I hadn’t realized that... a little embarrassing, if I’m honest.
"Still, I could never lead others the way you do, Yosuke."
"I see... I guess so..."
"Have some confidence, Yosuke. The person our class needs most isn’t me or Horikita—it’s you."
"...Thanks. Really, thank you for saying that."
Yes. We need you. I need you.
You’re going to be my right hand.
I’m just not cut out for dealing with monkeys on my own.
After my brief chat with Yosuke, I went out for a walk and bumped into Ibuki.
"Morning, Ibuki. What are you doing here?"
"Tch, why do I always run into you...?"
I called after her as she stared vacantly at some distant spot. She startled slightly, then recognized me and frowned.
That direction... it was the spot where I’d first found Ibuki.
Thinking it over, I said, "Still, it seems you’ve adjusted well. How’s the food? Is it to your taste?"
"...You and the others are really too kind for your own good."
"Hm?"
"Don’t you normally suspect everyone? You can’t possibly think I’m a spy, can you?"
"Why would I now? Still, I trust you, Ibuki."
"Ha...! Trust? And on what basis exactly...?"
"Intuition."
Yes, intuition.
I was sure of it.
You despise Ryuuen. You clearly aren’t a fan of his methods. That’s why you keep resisting him, even when it costs you.
Good determination.
And more than anything...
You don’t wish for our class to fail; you just can’t stand Ryuuen personally.
That’s why I’m convinced, Ibuki—you’re a spy.
That’s all this trust comes down to.
"A man’s intuition is surprisingly accurate, you know."
"What’s that supposed to mean? That’s ridiculous."
At my words, Ibuki dropped her head in an expression of disbelief and turned away. After a moment she murmured,
"...The food is surprisingly good."
Without even meeting my eyes, she muttered those words.
I smiled softly at her and said, "Thanks. I’m glad you’re enjoying it."
I made sure to emphasize it so she wouldn’t direct her suspicions toward me.
Oh, and by the way, I gradually figured out why Yosuke had been lingering over that booklet.
Before we even hit day three, Koenji had bolted, causing our class to lose 30 points. Yosuke was most likely fretting over what expenses were necessary to save points.
Incidentally, his escape was the moment my image of him shifted—from a brazen blond kid to a downright crazy blond kid.
Then, on day five, a sudden incident occurred.
"Hey, you guys! Wake up, everyone!"
Starting with Shinohara’s shout, a new commotion broke out.
And it wasn’t just any commotion—it was Karuizawa’s underwear theft.
For the record, Karuizawa—the victim—was being consoled by Wang and Matsushita.
"A stalker, and now an underwear thief. There really are a lot of hot-headed idiots around," I thought.
Watching the ensuing clash between Shinohara and the other girls—joined by Ike and a few of the boys—I noted that the girls were convinced the culprit had to be one of the boys.
Then Yukimura suggested the most likely suspect—exactly what I had been thinking.
"What if it was Ibuki?"
But Shinohara, who had managed to build a solid rapport with several girls recently, firmly rejected Yukimura’s notion.
Before long, Ike and the others began shouting back, and the argument escalated into a full-blown shouting match.
With voices rising steadily, Yosuke—caught in the middle—stepped in and said, "Let’s all calm down first. If you’re so suspicious of the boys, we could just search everyone’s bags."
At that suggestion, it seemed the issue might be resolved.
That is, until someone found women’s underwear in my bag—an item that blatantly belonged to a girl.
"Oh, shit."
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