It was now the third day of the uninhabited island exam.
Morning sunlight filtered through the treetops, while a thin mist hung over the primeval forest. The grass felt damp and soft beneath their feet, and the air was gradually beginning to warm.
Sakayanagi Arisu stepped out of her tent and placed her beret on her head. She enjoyed the morning breeze and the rustling forest, although without her cane, she felt strangely as though something was missing.
"The next designated area will appear soon. Are we still going to rush toward it today?"
Kamuro Masumi yawned and stretched.
Waking at six-thirty every morning was torture.
"Masumi-san, walking a little more in the morning is good for your health. You also get to breathe the fresh air of nature."
Arisu was in an excellent mood.
"We should treasure this rare vacation."
Masumi pouted.
She knew perfectly well why Arisu was so cheerful.
Arisu had missed the previous island exam. Now that she could fully enjoy this one, naturally she was delighted.
"Instead of talking about that, you should come up with a plan. We're almost out of food."
Masumi searched through her backpack.
Only scattered supplies remained—several energy bars and a few biscuits.
At this rate, their group would begin going hungry tomorrow. Even if they ate only once per day, the remaining food would last no more than another week.
They had no shortage of water.
Their group had purchased a filter, so drinking from rivers would be enough.
"Hehe. Doesn't Hashimoto-kun still have his fishing rod?"
Arisu sounded unconcerned.
Hashimoto Masayoshi was packing away his tent. When he heard that, cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"My little princess, I can fish, but perhaps you shouldn't expect too much."
He could barely catch anything in the rivers. If they wanted fish large enough to serve as actual food, they would need to reach the coast.
"Some tasks offer food as rewards too. The portions are small, but we could at least try."
Masumi was slightly dissatisfied.
For the past several days, they had followed Arisu around while she competed exclusively for rewards related to large groups.
During this exam, several ordinary groups could not simply gather and declare themselves a large group.
To have the arrangement officially recognized by the school, they first needed to complete a task that awarded additional group-member capacity.
Arisu had already secured enough capacity to create a large group whenever she wished.
However, she had no intention of stopping. Instead, she wanted to accelerate and help several other groups obtain the same reward.
Masumi did not understand why.
"Masumi-san, I have already secured food."
Arisu sighed deeply.
"The true value of forming a large group is internal consolidation. It is much more convenient than relying on task rewards."
"How is adding more mouths convenient?"
Masumi could not follow her logic at all.
Unless six people in one group somehow became better at enduring starvation.
"No. By consolidating groups, we have already obtained more than enough supplies."
Arisu shook her head.
Spending too much time with Masumi was liable to lower her intelligence.
"Think carefully. There is no punishment for voluntarily withdrawing from this exam."
Masumi tilted her head.
What did that mean?
Masayoshi, however, suddenly looked enlightened.
"I understand. My little princess intends to kill a few people, and then we can take their food."
A dangerous light appeared in his eyes, as though he was ready to serve Arisu immediately.
"Hashimoto-kun, please choose your words more carefully."
Arisu smiled.
Masayoshi shivered.
He laughed awkwardly.
"I-I believe my little princess means that when forming a large group, we can deliberately have several members withdraw and leave their supplies behind."
"Withdraw?"
Masumi frowned.
"Wouldn't they be expelled?"
"No. Only the five groups at the very bottom will face expulsion. Anyone else can withdraw without punishment."
Masayoshi patiently explained.
"A large group can hold six people. If we're ruthless enough, we could reduce six small groups into one large group."
Large groups had restrictions on headcount and gender ratio, but not on how many original groups could be combined.
In the most ideal arrangement, if every original group contained only one student, six entire groups could be merged into one.
The supplies originally intended for eighteen people would then be left for only six.
That would be more than enough.
"However, when groups merge, their scores are combined and then averaged."
Masayoshi added, "If we wait too long, merging could harm us."
For example, if Group A had eighty points and Group B had ninety, their combined total would be one hundred and seventy.
After averaging, the newly formed large group would hold eighty-five points.
For a low-scoring group, merging with a stronger group could cause its ranking to rise dramatically.
For the higher-scoring group, however, it could be a major loss.
Because the exam had only just begun, the score gaps were still relatively small.
Merging early carried little risk.
The longer they waited, the more cautiously they would need to choose partners.
Masumi finally understood.
Arisu intended to absorb several groups early and collect their abandoned supplies.
"Weren't we supposed to form pairs?"
Masumi asked.
"Of course that was a lie."
Arisu smiled slyly.
"Pairs have very little chance of victory. If I hadn't said that, would the others have lowered their guard?"
Masumi froze.
Then she looked shocked.
"Don't tell me you've already made people withdraw."
"Hehe. Masumi-san occasionally reacts quickly."
Arisu spoke leisurely.
"Don't worry. Only a few students withdrew. The supplies they left behind will support us for now."
"So we were never short on food?"
Masumi stared at her.
"Where did you hide everything?"
"I intended to tell you today."
Arisu smiled like a cunning little fox.
"Those supplies cannot fulfill their true value while sitting unused."
"Masumi-san, if even our group is running low on food, don't you think the others must be struggling as well?"
Masumi stood completely still.
At that moment, she understood what Arisu intended to do.
Had Ai been present, she would have been thrilled.
Arisu planned to sell food—essentially the same strategy as Ai's refilled mineral-water business.
"Trading food for points should prove very tempting."
Arisu's ambitions extended much further.
"If another group agrees not to participate in a task, we provide them with a portion of food."
Compared with several points from a task, food was clearly more valuable.
"What if they refuse?"
Masumi asked blankly.
"Then we move somewhere people won't refuse."
Arisu smiled.
"If possible, I would also like to trade for early-arrival rewards."
Aside from the most stubborn students, plenty of groups would likely accept such an offer.
A single task awarded only a few points. Another would appear later, so temporarily giving one up would not have devastating consequences.
More importantly, many groups could not guarantee that they would place at all.
They would rather exchange the uncertain chance of points for guaranteed food.
Arisu's plan was simple.
Her own group would not be the only one carrying out the strategy. Several allied groups could do the same, using supplies to force open a clear road toward victory.
Tasks refreshed, but their number was limited.
Every task claimed by Arisu's faction became one fewer opportunity for her rivals.
By steadily taking away points that competing groups might have earned, she could gradually widen her advantage.
"Then the sooner we form a large group, the more beneficial it will be."
Masayoshi touched his chin.
"Should we contact them today?"
"That would be appropriate."
Arisu gave Masumi an amused look.
Masumi immediately looked away.
"However, we will only merge with one group for now. The other students have not yet become hungry enough."
The hungrier they became, the more willing they would be to negotiate.
Arisu could also use the opportunity to conduct several other forms of business.
"Mitoma-kun is traveling with Morishita-san's group. Would Masumi-san like to visit him?"
"No."
"I heard there are first-year girls with him too. Aren't you worried?"
"Why should I be?"
Masumi looked visibly irritated.
Arisu and Masumi had learned that Kaoru was traveling with Ai's group on the very first day.
The source was naturally Hayato.
At this point, anything that happened around Kaoru usually reached them within several hours.
They were practically monitoring him with obsessive intensity.
Naturally, neither Masumi nor Arisu would admit they were watching his every movement.
Arisu called it intelligence warfare.
Through students in different groups, she had built a network across the island. By collecting information on her competitors, she could make the most accurate possible decisions.
Like an admiral commanding a fleet during the Battle of Midway, she could learn about the enemy only through reconnaissance aircraft.
The instant she identified a decisive opportunity, she would launch her strike force.
Masumi believed the white-haired little girl was simply stalking Kaoru from a distance.
Arisu clearly cared about him but refused to approach him directly.
...
Ichinose Honami was considering the decisive factor that would determine victory in this exam.
As noon approached, the weather grew increasingly hot.
Continuing a forced march under the sun was nearly impossible, so her group had stopped at a task site to rest.
"Sakayanagi-san should already be preparing to form her large group. She obtained the necessary capacity yesterday."
Honami analyzed their situation.
"We only placed second. Next time, we must take first if we want to create a six-person group."
"I heard Class A intends to merge in pairs."
Horikita Suzune frowned.
"Sakayanagi-san will most likely combine with Katsuragi-kun. If so, the merger will happen either today or tomorrow."
Forming a large group offered significant advantages.
For example, everyone received one basic point whenever they reached a designated zone within the required time.
A six-person group would therefore earn six points per movement.
If they obtained every basic arrival point in a day, they could earn approximately twenty-four points.
By the end of the exam, that alone could place them above two hundred and fifty.
With task rewards added, three hundred points would be entirely realistic.
Suzune's group currently had only thirty-two points.
At this pace, Arisu would soon leave them far behind.
"There is also the Additional Member card."
Shiina Hiyori spoke softly.
"I'm concerned about Class A's card. Morishige-kun, who possesses it, can exist as the seventh member of a large group."
"We still don't know whether he has activated it or which group he selected."
That demanded serious attention.
One additional student meant Arisu's large group could earn nearly thirty points per day through basic movement alone.
Honami developed a headache.
Her side had almost no cards left to play.
Outside the exam, Arisu also controlled an enormous reserve of private points, enough to bribe other groups if necessary.
They had already received several reports claiming that Arisu was attempting to buy cooperation from groups in other school years.
Nobody even knew how many points she currently possessed.
Had Honami known Arisu was also preparing to launch a food-based offensive, she might have felt even more hopeless.
"We should find a way to merge with Ryūen-kun's group."
Suzune could think of no better strategy.
It was the approach they had discussed from the beginning.
"With more people, we can compete for task points."
Aside from early-arrival rewards, tasks were the quickest way to accumulate points.
If they used them properly, they might overtake Class 2-A in a single surge.
Although Ryūen's group was not currently nearby, the two sides had a way to remain in contact: walkie-talkies.
The school permitted students to purchase them.
Their effective range was two kilometers, enough to cover a large portion of the island and allow constant communication.
Using the radios, Honami had maintained contact with Ryūen and taken advantage of the cooperation between three classes.
That was also why they knew so much about Arisu's current movements.
It was their only true advantage.
Honami fell into thought.
Beyond forming a large group, how else could they catch Class 2-A?
At that moment, an argument erupted among several groups nearby.
Words such as "ghost," "destroyed," and "withdrawal" carried through the air.
Honami and Suzune exchanged glances.
They had both heard the ghost rumor the previous day, but neither had believed it.
"Has the thief appeared again?"
Suzune wondered.
In her view, the so-called ghost was either a human thief or a wild animal.
"Wait here. I'll ask what happened."
Honami did not think it was a thief.
She suspected an animal.
Suzune watched her leave.
A short while later, Honami returned with a grave expression.
"An entire group's luggage disappeared. They belong to Class 2-A."
Suzune froze.
If the group had lost all of its equipment, it might be forced to withdraw from the exam.
Both girls immediately thought of Ryūen.
He was the only person they knew who might use such underhanded methods.
"I don't think Ryūen-kun did it."
Hiyori recognized what they were thinking.
"If he had, Kanzaki-kun would probably have noticed something."
"Then was it really that ghost?"
Suzune found the culprit astonishingly bold.
Stealing a few supplies was one thing.
Taking an entire group's luggage meant acting as though there were no consequences.
"I don't know. Everyone is calling it a ghost. That group has already asked the teachers for permission to withdraw."
"How could ghosts possibly exist?"
Suzune scoffed.
She was an unwavering materialist.
"I agree."
Honami's expression remained serious.
"But if this continues, nobody will be able to concentrate on the exam. I want to find this ghost."
Suzune stared at her.
"What about the exam?"
"We can continue competing while investigating."
Honami genuinely despised people who deliberately ruined things for others.
"We can't ignore it. We need to identify the culprit."
Suzune did not particularly want to interfere, so she turned toward Hiyori.
"If this is becoming a mystery, please include me."
Hiyori considered it.
The case might provide useful material for a novel.
"I may not possess much ability, but I would be pleased to contribute."
"Hiyori-chan!"
Honami happily clasped her hands, apparently forgetting their earlier discussion about exam strategy.
Suzune stared at them in disbelief.
Hadn't they been talking about how to win the exam?
Was this ghost really that important?