Chapter 126: This Class... What Exactly is Going On?
As night fell, the campfire in Class D's camp crackled and danced, illuminating a small surrounding area with a warm, bright glow.
Elsie sat next to Katsuragi Keima, chirping away as she recounted her afternoon adventures while eating grilled fish. These fish had been caught by Ike Kanji. Her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's, and her speech was muffled, but Katsuragi Keima actually understood her.
"And then that Ryuen Kakeru treated me to BBQ! So much BBQ!" Elsie swallowed the fish and gestured excitedly. "Ryuen is a much better person than I imagined."
"W-What?" Hearing Elsie's words, Horikita Suzune froze for a moment. Beside them, Ibuki Mio also pursed her lips. It was hard to imagine those words being used to describe Ryuen Kakeru.
However, Ibuki remained convinced in her heart that Elsie had been putting on an act from start to finish. To avoid exposing any more of her own flaws, Ibuki slightly adjusted her seating position.
"He even asked how our class was preparing for the exam, so I told him Kami-nii-sama bought lots of things!"
Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. "Mhm. Go on."
"Then he asked me who the leader was!" Elsie pointed to the keycard at her waist.
"I said it was me! He just laughed! A really strange laugh!"
The corners of Katsuragi Keima's mouth curled up slightly. Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune's expression was bordering on distorted.
'W-What?! She just said it directly!'
"And then?"
"Then he told Ibuki Mio to walk me back! But suddenly, Ryuen Kakeru kicked Ibuki! They started fighting!" Elsie's eyes widened.
"It was a fierce fight! Then Ibuki ran away, and I chased after her!"
Katsuragi Keima nodded.
Elsie looked triumphant. "I caught up to her in no time!"
Katsuragi Keima glanced at Ibuki Mio not far away. Ibuki was sitting on the other side of the campfire, her head lowered as she silently ate the grilled fish. Her expression remained cold, but she would occasionally look up at her surroundings, her gaze lingering on everyone for a moment as if observing something.
"Keep your voice down a bit."
"Understood, Nii-sama!" Elsie lowered her voice and continued her report. "Then we got lost! We wandered in the forest for a long time! She even tried to test me, asking if you were the commander and who the leader was—I told her the truth about everything!"
"You told her the truth about everything?" Katsuragi Keima asked for confirmation.
"Yeah! Didn't you say there was no need to lie?" Elsie replied.
Katsuragi Keima nodded. "You did well."
"And then she got weirder and weirder!" Elsie continued.
"The way she looked at me was like... like she was looking at some powerful figure! Even though I didn't do anything at all!"
Katsuragi Keima's smile widened a fraction.
"She's started filling in the blanks."
"Filling in blanks? With what?"
"Assuming you're a hidden expert." Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses.
"Ryuen is likely doing the same on his end. They probably both think right now that a ditzy-looking girl like you is actually a pro disguised as an idiot."
Elsie froze, then said with utmost seriousness, "I was already very amazing, wasn't I?"
"Yes, you're right."
"So what do we do next?"
Katsuragi Keima replied, "Just keep acting as you normally would." He pushed up his glasses; everything was under control. His biggest trump card was Elsie—because no one could decipher her thoughts! Her brain logic was indeed different from others.
Furthermore, since Ryuen and the others had been taken down by them previously, Katsuragi believed they definitely saw Elsie through a certain "filter." No disguise is the best disguise!
Elsie nodded, but the smile on her face couldn't be hidden.
"Oh, right, right!" She suddenly remembered something. "That Ibuki Mio buried something on the way!"
Katsuragi Keima's eyes narrowed slightly. "What was it?"
"She buried it when she thought I wasn't looking, but I saw it!" Elsie said proudly. "I even took a secret peek; it was a walkie-talkie!"
Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. All of Ibuki's small movements had been seen clearly by Elsie.
"A walkie-talkie."
"Mhm! She must be leaving a way to contact Ryuen Kakeru!"
Katsuragi Keima was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled. It was a faint smile, but Elsie saw it.
"Brother, why are you smiling?"
"It's nothing," Katsuragi Keima said. "I just feel like this game is getting more and more interesting."
He looked toward Ibuki Mio on the other side of the fire. She was eating her fish in silence. The firelight reflected on her face, lending a touch of softness to that cold countenance.
"Elsie."
"Mhm?"
"You did very well. Go back and get some sleep."
Elsie stood up happily.
"Okay! Goodnight, Brother!" She skipped toward her tent.
By the fire, Horikita Suzune watched all of this in silence. She waited for Elsie to leave before walking over to Katsuragi Keima and slowly sitting down.
"Katsuragi, that Ibuki Mio... Ryuen Kakeru sent her here on purpose, didn't he?" Horikita Suzune spoke.
"Correct." Katsuragi Keima nodded.
"It's too obvious, especially after you warned me earlier," Horikita said.
"The timing of that Class C internal strife was too perfect. Elsie just said that right after she reached Class C territory, she saw them break out into conflict again. And as a Class C member, she just happens to run to our camp... plus everything else Elsie said..." She paused, her expression turning dead serious.
"She's a mole sent by Ryuen. They staged a play of her being kicked out so she could infiltrate our class and gather intel. Spending points on entertainment facilities was probably just to make us lower our guard."
Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. "Your reasoning is sound."
Horikita Suzune frowned. "Then why did you let her stay?"
"Because she's useful."
"Useful?"
"Mhm," Katsuragi Keima said. "Since she's a mole, she will definitely transmit information. We can use her to pass false information to Ryuen."
Horikita Suzune fell silent. She understood the logic—using the enemy's plot against them. However, was Katsuragi Keima's plan really just that? She stared at him and asked, "Are you sure that's all?"
Katsuragi Keima looked at her. "Not only that, maybe we can turn her."
"Turn her?"
"Mhm. The atmosphere of Class D is different from Class C. Let her stay here for a few days, and she will feel the difference herself. When she starts to waver, we won't need to do anything; she'll lean toward this side on her own."
"And are you sure that will work?"
"—I'm not. In fact, I think the probability of Ibuki changing is quite low. However, people are subject to change; it's just a matter of degree."
As he spoke, Katsuragi Keima's gaze landed on Horikita Suzune. She opened her mouth to say something but swallowed it back, her cheeks flushing slightly.
'Whatever. This person always has his reasons for what he does.'
She trusted him.
Besides, had she really changed? Horikita didn't have that self-awareness. However, hearing her "brother's" words (referring to Keima), she was still very happy.
'"Suzune, you've changed, moving in a better direction."
Forget it, don't overthink. Focus on the current exam first.'
"So what should we do?" Horikita Suzune took a deep breath and continued, "What attitude should we take toward Ibuki Mio? We can't just expose our leader directly."
Katsuragi Keima thought for a moment, his finger lightly tracing his chin. "Treat her normally. Say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done. No need to be intentionally distant or intentionally close. Just treat her like a normal student."
"But she's a traitor..."
"It's precisely because she's a traitor that we must treat her normally," Katsuragi Keima said. "If we intentionally cold-shoulder her, she'll be suspicious. If we're intentionally warm, she'll also be suspicious. The best way is to let her blend in."
He looked toward Ibuki Mio on the other side of the fire.
"Let her see for herself, think for herself. When she discovers that Class D is different from Class C..." He didn't finish, but Horikita Suzune understood.
"Understood." She stood up. "I'll go make arrangements."
"Mhm."
Horikita Suzune walked a few steps, then stopped.
"Katsuragi."
"Mhm?"
"Are you... really just treating her as a variable?"
Katsuragi Keima did not answer. Horikita waited a few seconds, then let out a soft sigh. "Goodnight, Katsuragi."
"Goodnight."
She turned and left. Katsuragi Keima sat by the campfire, watching the flickering flames.
'Just a variable?' He recalled Ibuki Mio's cold face, and the look that flashed in her eyes when Ryuen kicked her down...
What was it? Resentment? Anger? Or something else? He didn't have much contact with Ibuki, but she was also his target. This person required further observation.
He took out his handheld console, the screen's glow reflecting on his face. On the screen was Ibuki Mio's card.
[Name: Ibuki Mio] [Current Affection: -2%]
A new target. Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. He had often encountered tomboyish girls in games; most had attributes like tanned skin or athletic traits. Ibuki Mio's skin, however, was exceptionally fair. This exam was a chance to bring himself closer to her. For now, he would continue to observe.
On the other side of the fire, Ibuki Mio silently ate her fish, her eyes occasionally sweeping the surroundings. Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, and Sato Maya were sitting together, chatting quietly. They would occasionally look at her, but there was no hostility in their eyes, only curiosity.
Kushida Kikyo was organizing supplies with elegant composure. She would occasionally look up and give her a friendly smile. Ike Kanji, Sudo Ken, and a few other boys were boasting on the other side, their voices loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Hirata Yousuke sat in a corner in silence, seemingly out of place and drifting away from the group.
And then there was Katsuragi Keima... Ibuki looked toward the fire. He was saying something to Horikita Suzune. The firelight on his face made that eternally calm countenance look a bit softer. What did he say? Horikita's expression seemed somewhat complex.
Then Horikita stood up and walked toward her. Ibuki immediately retracted her gaze and pretended to eat her fish.
"Ibuki-san." Horikita Suzune sat down beside her.
Ibuki looked up, her expression cold. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Horikita said. "I just wanted to tell you, if you need anything, just ask. Our class doesn't have many supplies, but we can afford to support one more person."
Ibuki was stunned. "You... aren't asking why I'm here?"
Horikita Suzune looked at her. "Do you want to say?"
Ibuki fell silent. Horikita nodded.
"Then we'll talk when you're willing to say it." She stood up.
"Goodnight." Then she turned and left.
Ibuki watched her back, a complex emotion welling up in her heart.
'What did this person mean by those words? Or... was she testing me?'
Ibuki didn't know. But she knew the atmosphere of this class was completely different from Class C. In Class C, everyone had their own hidden agendas and was wary of each other. But here...
She looked at Karuizawa and the others. The three of them were laughing together at something. Their smiles were so natural, so real. She looked at Kushida Kikyo. She was still organizing supplies, but a faint smile remained on her face. Not a hypocritical smile, but a genuine one from the heart.
She looked at Katsuragi Keima. He had stood up and was walking toward his tent. As he passed her, he paused. "Get some rest early. We have to move tomorrow." Then he kept walking.
Ibuki was stunned.
'That's it? No testing? No questioning? No suspicion?'
She opened her mouth to say something, but Katsuragi Keima was already far away.
Ibuki sat in place, watching his silhouette disappear into the tent. That complex emotion in her heart grew stronger.
'This class... what exactly is going on? No, maybe everything is just an act!'
Late at night, inside the tent. Everyone had returned to their tents to rest. Ibuki lay in her sleeping bag, staring at the top of the tent. At this moment, her mind was a mess. Ryuen Kakeru's plan. Elsie's "expert" performance. Katsuragi Keima's attitude. Horikita Suzune's words. The atmosphere of this class... it really was strange.
Could it be that all of this was acting? She tossed and turned.
"What are you thinking about?" A voice rang out from beside her—
Ibuki snapped into a sitting position. Katsuragi Keima was right there beside her, though his eyes were still fixed on his handheld console screen.
"Do you want to go out and chat for a bit?"
"Suit yourself."
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