COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

Since the students of Class A went to bed early the day before, they all woke up early the next morning, and the hot island made it impossible for them to go back to sleep.

The first order from Katsuragi, once most of the students were awake, was to confirm whether the outposts they had lost earlier had been retaken.

At this moment, the first group of scouts had already returned.

"Katsuragi, those outposts have been retaken by Class D. There's no one guarding the area, and the next time we can take over is between nine and ten."

As more and more scouting groups returned, Katsuragi gradually got the full picture: Class D was planning to capture a lot of outposts to earn temporary points and close the gap with the other classes.

It was a good plan. If executed well, they could close the gap with the other classes just from this exam.

Katsuragi had to admit, the person who came up with this plan for Class D was decisive and had great execution skills. He couldn't help but admire them.

But, did they really underestimate us in Class A? To boldly take over our outposts right under our noses?

Since you're so disrespectful, I won't hold back. I'll find your leader, and on the last day, I'll write down his name, making your plan fail!

Though Katsuragi had made up his mind and set a plan, his expression remained calm.

"Alright, let's rest for now. After breakfast and roll call, we'll head out to monitor the outposts."

On the other hand, Kanda Shuichi from Class D woke up much earlier than expected, at least earlier than when he was at school.

Though he still wanted to sleep, the hot summer air made Kanda Shuichi's sleepiness fade away. He had to prepare breakfast for forty people, so sleeping any longer was impossible.

So, he rubbed his eyes, unzipped the tent, and stepped outside.

After stretching and yawning, he took a deep breath of fresh air.

Class D had spent all their 300 initial points to buy several small tents. They were small, but sleeping two people in one wasn't too cramped, so the large tent students didn't have to deal with crowding.

Also, when Ichinose was there yesterday, she gave Class D a great idea: get unlimited women's sanitary products and plastic bags from Chabashira-sensei.

Then, by combining them, they could make simple mattresses to put under their tents.

Thanks to this, Kanda Shuichi had a pretty good night's sleep. Though not as comfortable as his school bed, this was pretty good for camping.

As for all the sanitary products and plastic bags, they could be recycled later.

After breathing in the fresh air, Kanda Shuichi heard a familiar voice.

"Are you awake? If you are, come help."

Hmm?

Horikita-san, you're up early, and helping? Helping with what?

Following the direction of the voice, he saw Horikita busy in the makeshift kitchen, clearly preparing breakfast.

"Are you making breakfast for me? Even so, I won't give you any extra personal points."

Horikita Suzune didn't stop what she was doing, even after hearing Kanda Shuichi's words.

"I just feel useless. The reason we managed to take the Class B outposts is all thanks to you, so I want to do something to help."

Alright then, Horikita-san, as long as you're happy.

"I'll go wash my face by the river. You keep at it."

The morning river water was very cold. Just touching it with his fingers brought a coolness to Kanda Shuichi's somewhat warm body. He scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face, immediately feeling refreshed.

Camping really is great.

When he returned to the camp, Horikita Suzune was still busy.

For breakfast this morning, it was oden. Horikita Suzune was currently threading the ingredients onto skewers.

Oden is simple to make—just prepare a good broth, skewer the ingredients, and boil them. Then, the students can help themselves and pick what they want to eat.

But...

"You're preparing so much food, are you planning to let everyone eat this for seven days?"

"Is that a problem?" Horikita Suzune turned to look at him, confused.

No, of course not. It's just seven days of eating oden, right?

After securing his damp bangs with a headband, Kanda Shuichi started helping Horikita Suzune with the work.

As time passed, most of the students began to wake up. Of course, some were also drawn out of sleep by the delicious aroma of food.

Horikita's cooking had been praised by Kanda Shuichi before, and the broth was incredibly flavorful. Once it started boiling, the fragrance quickly filled the entire camp.

"Is breakfast oden today? It smells really good."

"No, no, I'm so hungry. I really want to eat."

"I'll help too."

"Go wash your hands first!"

Horikita Suzune's oden received unanimous praise from everyone, and even Kushida didn't find any fault with it. It seemed like it really was delicious.

Although... could it be that she thinks it was Kanda Shuichi who made it?

Well, that might not be far from the truth, since Kanda Shuichi had prepared the broth, adding ingredients like red dates and ginger.

Even though it was summer, sleeping on the ground could cause dampness to seep in, so drinking something like this was actually good.

At 9 AM, after breakfast and attendance, the students started their free activities. Some were planning to fish by the river, while others chose to explore the island. Since it was an artificial island, there were no large wild animals, and as long as they didn't get lost, it was pretty safe.

Koenji and the others were also getting ready to move out.

To the north of the island, near the Class A cave camp, many students from Class A were lying in wait.

They were waiting for a certain Class D student to appear.

That annoying guy—I'll figure out your true identity.

Apart from Katsuragi himself, most of the people who came were students sent by Sakayanagi.

What was most surprising was that Totsuka Yahiko wasn't joining this operation.

Because the timing of Class A's camp occupation and the occupation of the other locations were nearly the same.

Katsuragi feared that this might be a feint, a trap to draw them out.

If the enemy took advantage of the absence of Class A's leader from the cave and seized the cave without any resistance, it would be a huge loss.

So, as the leader of Class A, Totsuka Yahiko couldn't leave the cave under any circumstances. He had to prioritize the safety of their base. Changing the occupation time was even riskier.

If the enemy dared to occupy the points outside the cave while they were sleeping, they could steal their base when they weren't paying attention.

That would truly be a disaster.

In fact, Kanda Shuichi had considered this kind of operation, but in the end, even he thought it was too extreme, so he abandoned the idea.

If he had gone through with it, the little white-haired loli would probably end up crying.

Well, Kanda Shuichi wasn't really worried about the little white-haired loli crying. What he was more concerned about was that Class A might become desperate, and his group would likely end up being dragged down with them.

No, the worst-case scenario would be all four classes ending up destroyed.

So, it was better to leave some room and give the other side some hope, even if it was just hope that Kanda Shuichi had made up.

...

Five minutes left.

Looking at the time on his wristband, Katsuragi hid himself in the dense bushes, making sure even his breathing was barely audible.

This time, he had to figure out the enemy's true identity. As long as he wasn't discovered, he could strike back at the last moment.

If they are unfortunately discovered, the other party may try to change leaders at the last moment. So, this mission requires not only seeing the enemy but also ensuring they don't notice you. 

Five minutes felt extremely difficult for Katsuragi, each second felt like an hour, as though under a moonlit curse.

However, despite this, Katsuragi kept his calm and maintained his pace, showing no sign of impatience. At this moment, he was the hunter, but if he wasn't careful, he could easily become the prey.

"Swish!"

A strange sound echoed above Katsuragi. He quickly looked up, and a figure flashed into his line of sight.

The figure was heading toward the checkpoint card reader that Katsuragi had been watching.

"Bang!"

A dull sound came from under the figure's feet, and Katsuragi could clearly see the person's appearance.

The tall, muscular figure wore a school-issued red and white tracksuit, with long golden hair casually hanging down his back.

Katsuragi recognized him—Koenji Rokusuke from Class D. Although he hadn't shown any particularly impressive abilities in the last six months, just from his appearance, Katsuragi felt this person should not be underestimated.

But what Koenji did today completely reshaped his understanding.

What was that? 

Flying straight from a tree trunk?

Did you think you were Tarzan?

It wasn't exactly flying, but Koenji used the large trees and branches as support, moving freely through the forest like he was flying. For most people, it would be impossible, but to Koenji, it seemed easy.

Koenji's unreasonable physical ability left Katsuragi stunned.

According to the intel, Koenji never liked participating in group activities. He always did things his own way and had no sense of collective awareness. 

But now, was he acting for Class D?

Could it be that the previous unfavorable information about Koenji was deliberately spread by the D-Class students to mislead outsiders like them?

If that's the case, then Koenji must have secretly taken control of Class D, which would explain his independent behavior.

The fake intel was probably meant to lead up to this moment.

Katsuragi felt like he figured it all out. The person who was supposed to be the leader on the surface must be Kanda Shuichi. 

He couldn't imagine that Kanda Shuichi had the ability to command someone as proud and capable as Koenji.

As Koenji reached the card reader, he didn't know what Katsuragi was thinking. He casually surveyed his surroundings while waiting for the countdown to finish. Then, he used his leader keycard to take control of the checkpoint.

After securing the checkpoint, Koenji took off again, heading toward the next one.

A few minutes later, Katsuragi slowly came out from the bush where he had been hiding to check the card reader.

Class D 7:56:39

This meant that the checkpoint had been taken over by Class D three minutes ago, and the one who took it was undoubtedly Koenji Rokusuke.

So it was you, Koenji! You're the leader of Class D for this exam?

After leaving this checkpoint, Koenji quickly arrived at the next one. This time, he clearly noticed that someone was watching him.

Let's play a little joke on them.

"Hmm?"

Koenji frowned, pretending to be confused, and then walked toward the ambush point.

He stopped just two meters away, then suddenly pushed aside the bushes there.

"Looks like it's just some small animal."

Koenji muttered to himself.

In fact, he had already noticed the two people hiding nearby. Although they held their breath, he could clearly hear their rapidly beating hearts due to their nervousness.

Ignoring them, Koenji turned and left. As before, he used his keycard to take control of the machine and quickly moved on.

Just like Katsuragi, the two people waited a while after Koenji left before heading to the machine to check the situation.

Because they had rested early the previous day, most of Class A's students woke up early in the morning. The hot weather on the island made it impossible for them to go back to sleep. 

Katsuragi's first order, after most of the students had woken up, was to confirm whether the previously captured bases had been retaken.

At this moment, the first group that went out to explore had already returned.

"Katsuragi, those bases have been retaken by Class D. There's no one guarding them. The next opportunity to take them back is between 9:00 and 10:00."

As more and more exploration teams returned, Katsuragi gradually got the full picture: Class D was planning to capture a large number of bases to gain temporary points, hoping to close the gap with the other classes.

It had to be said, this was a good plan. If done properly, just from this exam, Class D could close the gap with the others.

Katsuragi had to admit that the person who came up with this plan in Class D was decisive and very capable of executing it. He felt deeply impressed.

But still, underestimating Class A? You stole our bases right under our noses!

Since you are so careless, I won't hold back. I'll find your leader and write his name on the last day, making your efforts useless!

Although he had already made up his mind and set the plan, Katsuragi's expression remained calm.

"Alright, let's rest for now. After breakfast and roll call, we'll head out to monitor those bases."

---

The next morning, besides a few people who went out to capture the island's bases, most students chose to go out in groups to sightsee.

Yes, sightseeing.

According to Koenji, this island was not truly an uninhabited one, as the artificial modifications were obvious. 

Not only were there food production areas, but there were even seasonal vegetable and fruit farms.

However, despite that, acting alone was still somewhat dangerous. The probability of getting lost is different when you're by yourself compared to when you're with someone else.

Many students didn't stray far from the river, since the river, which was 10 meters wide, was enough to keep them entertained. 

For example, at this moment, a group of girls was playing in the river.

"Shin... Kanda-kun!"

Sitting on a stone by the river, enjoying the scene of the lively high school girls playing in the water, Kanda Shuichi suddenly heard someone calling his name.

Hmm?

He turned around, and just as he did, a shutter sound mixed with the flowing water rang out, and Kanda Shuichi, along with the river beside him, was captured by a digital camera.

The one who took the photo was Sakura Airi, the girl whom Kanda Shuichi had previously played a small prank on.

At this moment, Sakura, with a flushed face, was staring excitedly at the photo she had just taken of Kanda Shuichi.

The digital camera in her hands had been rented from the school.

When a student suggested recording moments from the exam, they rented the camera. 

But now, it seemed like everyone had gone off to play, so Sakura had temporarily taken charge of it.

After looking at the picture, Sakura shyly ran over to Kanda Shuichi.

"Kanda-kun... You're not mad, are you?"

In Japan, privacy is highly valued, so taking candid photos without permission is considered very rude.

Sakura had only noticed that Kanda Shuichi seemed to blend well with nature, which made her subconsciously call out to him and snap the photo.

But now, she had to ask for his permission. If he disagreed or got upset, the precious photo might have to be deleted.

"No, this camera was rented to capture moments from the exam, and besides, these photos won't be spread around, so it's fine."

Unlike the Japanese, Kanda Shuichi didn't feel too concerned about being photographed. His face wasn't something to hide, so he wasn't bothered by it at all.

After receiving Kanda Shuichi's approval, Sakura Airi excitedly nodded.

The two exchanged a glance and could both see the excitement in each other's eyes.

"That guy is Koenji from Class D, right? Looks like he's the leader of Class D."

"That's right. I've heard of him. He's the only son of the Koenji family, and he's outstanding in every way. But I don't know why he ended up in Class D."

"Hmph, in the end, he's only at this level. So what if he took our base? As long as we write his name on the last day, Class D's points for occupying the base will be completely wiped out, and they'll lose 50 initial points."

"Exactly, victory belongs to Class A!"

Half an hour later, inside Class A's cave base, Katsuragi and several other scouting teams gathered together.

"I've confirmed it, the one who came is Koenji Rokusuke from Class D."

Hearing Katsuragi's words, the others nodded.

"I don't know that guy, but he has long golden hair, a very muscular body, and his movements are completely chaotic. He even dropped straight from the sky."

With the same description, Class A's students confirmed the identity of Class D's leader—Koenji Rokusuke.

"Let those idiots in Class D be proud for a few days. We'll definitely crush them when the time comes! Victory belongs to Class A!"

---

————— ----

You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu