After escorting Suzune back to the cornfield to quell her curiosity, Houtarou took Airi with him.
She turned out to be strikingly beautiful — easily matching Suzune in looks.
Her beauty was unsurprising, given that her glasses were merely decorative, without prescription.
Despite her prettiness, Airi was notably shy and introverted. Once Suzune left, Houtarou noticed Airi growing visibly nervous.
When Arisu reported seeing Airi to Masumi, he'd made the rather rude comparison of adopting a little dog from another class.
Though if she were a pet, she would be quite adorable.
Of course, Houtarou knew she was human.
Still...
"Can I pat your head?" He asked, "I've been curious about what a girl's head feels like."
"Eh?" Airi responded, confused.
"You're troubled, aren't you?" Houtarou said, "With Yamauchi and the others confessing to you. If you need help, I'd be willing to assist."
"Ah—you found out…" She replied timidly, "Actually… I used to be a model, but I'm very introverted, so I fear being pursued by others."
So that explained her plain dress.
During the island exam, her true beauty had been accidentally revealed, leading to unwanted attention that clearly distressed her.
It was especially tormenting when Haruki, who had initially treated her as plain, suddenly confessed with obvious insincerity.
"But if it's Oreki-kun asking..." Airi lowered her head.
"On the ship, you did forcefully pull me to take photos."
She seemed aware of how photography excited her, making her bolder, and now appeared apologetic.
Earlier, while walking with Honami, he'd wanted to pat her head but couldn't. Now it seemed he might get his chance.
Thinking this way...
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"Can't find a base, Yamauchi—"
"You're wrong... there's no other base at all."
"Then, Ike, you should confess to Sakura later." Haruki's voice carried over, "If a less attractive guy gets rejected first, and then I confess afterward, the success rate increases. It's some famous psychological effect."
"What? You think I'm worse-looking than you? No one in our class is worse than you! Yamauchi, learn how to talk! If you want someone worse, try Ryūen — I'm definitely better than you. Actually, Yamauchi, why don't you confess to Kushida and get rejected first, then I'll confess to her."
The boys who had gone searching for a base had returned, passing nearby. Their conversation drifted over clearly.
Not only had they failed to find a base, but they were now planning to use their companions as sacrificial pawns — having the supposedly less attractive boys confess first to make the girls feel bad.
Their strategy was simple: lower expectations before raising them. They genuinely believed this would make girls accept them.
But as they discussed this scheme—
They suddenly noticed Airi, Haruki's intended target, standing right there.
And beside her was the handsome Class A student, gently patting her head while she showed no resistance.
To make matters worse, Kikyō was approaching.
Whether she had heard their callous conversation remained unclear, but the atmosphere made it clear that confessions were now out of the question.
"..."
"..."
Just like that, Airi's troubles dissolved before they could begin.
And having been overheard, Kanji lost all courage to confess to Kikyō.
Surprisingly, this turn of events seemed to brighten the girls' moods.
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The next day, when Houtarou invited Kikyō to vent at the cabin again, she surprisingly didn't curse Suzune as usual.
Meanwhile, the boys who had failed in their romantic pursuits chose to forfeit and return to the ship that very day.
This made sense — why stay on the island and suffer if there was no chance of getting girlfriends?
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That night, when Houtarou returned to his class's base, he found himself in an awkward situation.
Because...
"Your clothes... have a girl's scent." Masumi commented while washing his clothes.
Well, this was undeniably true.
Kikyō had used his jacket to wipe her body, and she had sat on his lap. Of course there would be a girl's scent.
He had also shaken hands with Suzune and touched Airi's hair out of curiosity.
So yes, he knew why.
But...
"Kamuro…" Houtarou said, "Do you smell my clothes when you wash them?"
"Eh?" Masumi seemed shocked, "How could I?! I'm not a pervert!"
"Then how did you know my clothes had a girl's scent?" He pointed out, "So you did smell them."
"No, no! Absolutely not!"
Having been caught in her own logic — implying she was a pervert who sniffed his clothes — Masumi dropped the subject entirely.
Sitting at the campsite under the pristine night sky, Houtarou's thoughts drifted to the one person missing from Class A.
What was Arisu doing now?
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At the Advanced Nurturing High School.
Arisu routinely visited her father's office.
Due to her poor health, she needed regular checkups from her father. She was forbidden from participating in sports.
However, slow walking was within her physical limits. While frail, she still needed some exercise, so this gentle activity was permitted.
She now made these visits independently.
"With the entire grade away for the exam, won't you feel lonely staying at school alone?" Narumori Sakayanagi asked.
He had specific reasons for letting his daughter attend this school.
Working here meant he could monitor her health closely.
Additionally, since her health had confined her to homeschooling from a young age, he worried about her social isolation.
He wanted to give her a chance at a normal student life.
"That's not the case." Arisu replied, "I have my own tasks to complete at school."
Oh? What could those be?
But knowing his daughter's tendency for half-answers, Narumori didn't press further.
Beep—Beep!
Arisu noticed the phone on the coffee table vibrate.
A message appeared from a third-year student.
She knew her own exam had arrived.
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The third day.
Morning rain sent everyone back to their camps after roll call.
Class D seemed more relaxed after Haruki's group withdrew. Only five students attended roll call that morning — Rokusuke and Daichi were absent, but Suzune and Kikyō came.
After roll call, Suzune approached Houtarou.
She was remarkably consistent. He had promised they would shake hands daily, and she never missed an opportunity.
Though Kikyō watched with suspicious eyes, they maintained their ritual.
Even when Masumi followed him and discovered these handshakes with Suzune, she observed that their interactions remained purely ceremonial — like a daily greeting.
On the fourth day, under clear skies, Houtarou joined the previously neglected camp guard duty.
On the fifth day, he accompanied Kikyō to the caretaker's cabin. Though he had shared its location, she refused to go alone, fearing another discovery that would require her to buy someone's silence.
On the sixth day, Kikyō brought news: "Class B is finished."
Class C's spy network had proven highly effective, succeeding against both Class B and Class D. That evening, Daichi vanished as well.
On the morning of the seventh day, Tomonari Mashima stood on the beach. All students who hadn't forfeited the exam lined up by class, awaiting the results. All 40 students from Class A were present, as were all 40 from Class B. The remaining 11 students from Class D stood in their position.
In Class C's designated spot — despite their teacher Kazuma declaring their forfeit — stood a single person: Kakeru Ryūen, with his distinctive red middle-parted hair.
Kōhei approached him quickly.
"Yo—surprised to see me?" Kakeru said with a smirk, "Don't forget my obsession with victory!"
He hadn't just avoided forfeiting — he'd survived alone in the wilderness. Moreover, he'd orchestrated the spy network that uncovered the leaders of Classes B and D.
As Kōhei approached, Kakeru's mocking expression grew.
But Kōhei simply said, "Not surprised. For the leader-guessing phase, I wrote your name."
"Ryūen, you went too far." Said Class B's representative, who had suffered from the spy attacks, "Our class also wrote your name for the leader guess."
"Our Class D wrote your name too." Added their leader, the small twin-tailed Mei-Yu Wang.
"Eh?" Kakeru's smirk faltered. Wasn't Rokusuke supposed to be Class D's leader? Why was Mei-Yu Wang speaking as leader?
The reality dawned on him — every class had known he was Class C's leader and written his name.
The determined look fell from Kakeru's face as he learned his score: 0 points, plus another 100-point deduction for his class upon returning to school.
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