Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

2nd Day, 1:30 PM.

When we got back to the camp, our classmates greeted us with a smile.

"Welcome back, Kiyotaka-kun, Matsushita-san. We've prepared lunch for you." Kushida received us warmly with her friends following behind.

"Ah, thank you, Kushida-san, everyone. You're so sweet," replied Matsushita.

Grabbing my share of well-cooked fish and corn, I approached Hirata and asked about the situation.

Since we got the upgraded cookware set, we obtained cooking materials and gas in exchange for a more expensive buy. It was worth it, but Class C's water shower also had gas. Even though their cookware set only consists of utensils, the gas supply from the water shower made their expenditure much less if they also decided to use them for cooking. As expected of Ichinose's class.

After confirming everything with Hirata, it was time for the next part of my investigations.

"I see... Is Horikita doing alright?"

"It's as you've said, Ayanokouji-kun. Horikita-san was quite sick when their group got back. I'm having her rest inside one of the girls' tents for now. She told me to apologize to her once you come back."

"If her condition isn't too bad, it's all good. She'll probably recover tomorrow. Have Karuizawa keep an eye on Ibuki for a bit. We'll investigate the place we talked about last night after I reinvoke our right."

"I understand."

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With that, Hirata and I stealthily headed out into the woods. None of us were familiar with the forest yet. Apart from the area around our base camp, we'd need a map to navigate the island and use self-made indicators like markings on trees.

I frantically scanned the manual as we walked. Trying to match that vague shape from Ryuuen's small drink table isn't the easiest thing to do. There were a lot of available objects that might share the same shape and size.

"This is it. This was the tree that Ibuki-san was leaning against when we found her," said Hirata.

"I see. Good job, Hirata. I'll investigate the small area around this tree. I want you to scout the southwestern part of the forest from here. You can have the map while doing so."

"Is it alright if I ask why?"

"Ryuuen's class will either retire tomorrow, which is the third day, or after that, the fourth day. Surely, they won't try to camp out on the beach, especially at night when the tides are high. If my hunch is right, they might've set up their base camp in the direction that I told you. If you mark some trees in that area, we can navigate around it easier when needed."

"I see... If we can move around that area, it'll be harder for them to send out snoopers effectively. Thank you for explaining, Ayanokouji-kun. I'll be back in a bit." Satisfied with my explanation, Hirata went ahead and left.

I turned around and surveyed the ground. Because it was hot, spotting unnatural soil patches was very easy.

"I see... So that's his plan..."

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It was a little over two in the afternoon when Hirata and I got back. Under Karuizawa and her friends' watchful eyes, Ibuki couldn't do anything but sit tight. Apparently, Karuizawa managed to take all of her time by interrogating her aggressively. And when she sensed that Ibuki's fuse was about to blow, she stopped playing the bad cop and proceeded to accept her presence with vigilance. That's what she told us, at least.

Right now, Ibuki walked back to her usual place and minded her own business while indifferently observing our campsite.

"Aren't I amazing?" Her expression was proud and cute.

"Thank you for your help, Karuizawa-san." Hirata nodded with a smile.

"Good job, Karuizawa. You can tell me the details of what you talked about when I get back. The search party will be heading out again. It's time to find more spots," I said.

"Finally, huh...? Do you think Class A has found more than one spot already?" she asked nervously.

"Most likely, yes. I wanted to prioritize our base until the third day, but given what Matsushita and I have seen earlier, Class A's control of the western region is quite apparent. We can't let them get ahead too much."

"Leave the rest to us, Ayanokouji-kun. We'll hold the fort for you guys." Hirata reassured me with a cool expression.

"Yeah, I'll be counting on you."

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2nd Day, 2:23 PM.

"Alright, let's do this, Kiyotaka!" roared Ken.

"Pleased to work with you, everyone!" cheered Satou.

I wanted both Horikita and Matsushita to rest so I assigned Satou and Ken to act as substitutes for them.

The six of us assembled and would go out under the guise of food procurement. With Hirata and Karuizawa's leadership for the boys and girls, respectively, I can rest assured that everything will turn out alright when I return.

We headed out directly to the east. Everyone gasped in awe when we reached the photogenic view of the beach.

"Amazing! The sand is so nice!"

"We can definitely play some volleyball 'round here!"

"It's quite near, too."

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have everyone swim here on the fourth or fifth day. I'll suggest it to Hirata.

"For now, let's head north from here. Please tell me if you notice any strange or out-of-place landmarks," I said. Chabashira-sensei loosely commented about boulders and plaques as things to look out for. It's safe to say that seeing them would lead us to spots.

We entered the forest for shade before walking north. Of course, it wasn't long until we found what I was looking for. A very nice cave opening that's enveloped by the forest could be seen at the end of the beach.

"Woah, this is a cave, isn't it, Kiyotaka? Now we have our own. Not just Class A." Ken asked with a proud grin. He's really competitive, isn't he?

"At first, I thought it was, but there's actually an exit if we try to walk all the way to the other end," I replied.

"Eh? Wait— Wait a minute, how did you know about that, Ayanokouji-kun? Have you been here? I thought this is the first time you've explored the east?" asked Satou.

The other ones nodded in wonder.

"Well, you see, some of us surveyed the island when the ship went around it yesterday. Namely, Hirata and Horikita, along with me. The three of us took note of each unique landmark that could be significant for later."

"S-Seriously? The exam wasn't announced by that time, was it?"

"Ayanokouji, are you perhaps talking about the PA before we disembarked?" asked Makida.

"Yeah, that's it. Good job on taking notice, Makida."

"No, no. I was talking about it with Setsuya and the other guys, but we never really thought much about it. It was weird, but we didn't put our guards up because we thought they were only giving us hints about potential spots for picture taking..." he explained.

"So the three of you already had an idea of what might happen right from the start? As expected!" Onodera praised me and the other two (who weren't there) with a smile.

We entered the tunnel while the entrance was highly illuminated by the blazing sunlight. When we walked a dozen meters in, our sights were finally blessed by a very familiar object.

"A device! This really is a spot!"

"Hell yeah!"

I quickly registered my name on the device so we could earn our first provisional point outside our main spot. Alright, this is a good start.

"Okay, let's head back to base now. This is a very nice find. But of course, since Ibuki is in our camp, please don't tell anyone about this for now."

After they nodded in agreement, we continued walking and saw the exit. The tunnel brought us to the eastern edge of the forest where the ocean was visible. We paced through the trees and arrived at the northern part of the river.

"Makida, Okitani, Onodera, and Satou, I want the four of you to go back to our base camp first. If you follow the river down south, you'll get back without a problem." I instructed them before facing Ken. "Ken, the two of us will go up this hill and check some business. Are you up for it?"

Ken, who was initially confused, widened his grin with a clench of his fists.

"No problem! You've run around the island since morning. If I can't keep up while relaxing back at the fishing dock, then I'd be a wimp."

Makida might've been the better pick since he was much more familiar with the area. After all, he reached the top along with Horikita and some other classmates yesterday. However, since speed and stamina were essential, I decided to have Ken as my tag-along.

"Good. Follow my lead. We'll rev you up with a running exercise."

"Hell yeah, you got it!"

When the other group split up with us, Ken and I bolted through the woods. We immediately felt the change in elevation because of the uneven slant of the ground. I know that it's fine as long as I follow the general direction towards the top, so I focused on dodging obstacles instead of directions. There wasn't any need to waste our time marking trees either.

Of course, Ken managed to keep up with me using his large energy tank and his strong, lengthy legs.

"Phew~! The hell? You didn't even break a sweat," he commented after observing my condition.

"That's not true. My shirt is pretty much drenched," I replied. "I should take a quick dive on the river after resting..."

The water is going to feel so refreshing. I can't wait.

Ken and I observed the top and saw the spring. When we looked around, we could only make excited noises with how amazing the view was. The only elevation point that's higher than us were the two mountains to our west. This was a very ideal spot to take pictures.

"So, Kiyotaka? Do you have any idea where the possible spot might be?"

"No, actually. Let's just look around, for now. This hilltop is very small. If there's a spot, then it'll be easier to find than the ones scattered around the dense forest."

As expected, it didn't take long until the mechanism revealed itself.

"It's here!" yelled Ken.

The way his voice produced an echo was quite amusing. I wonder if the people from below could hear him.

I approached Ken and saw the device attached to a boulder, much like the one near the river. However, this one was much more inconspicuous. The way it's blended with a bunch of fully bloomed hollyhocks tells me that it was deliberately hidden.

"This is awesome! Another spot!"

After I registered my key card, Ken and I rushed back down, straight towards our base camp. I relayed most of my findings to Hirata.

If Ibuki was really a spy, she must be having the worst time of her life. With our class being coordinated, it'll be hard to make a move and find out our leader's identity. Even if most of my classmates aren't severely on guard, she's still overwhelmingly outnumbered.

For now, the second day was a fruitful day for our class. Two new spots were discovered and taken over. It's very unlikely for students of other classes to find them unless they have a detailed map. For Class A, it's quite impossible for them to try and explore the eastern area when they have the western region occupied. I thought about all of that while relaxing in the river.