Chapter 128: The Alliance Between Class A and Class C
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
Ibuki Mio lowered her voice, trying her best to make her tone sound less flustered.
"I heard you tossing and turning." Elsie blinked, her gaze focused in the darkness. "You flipped over so many times; you definitely can't sleep."
Ibuki took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep. Don't worry about me."
"Don't say that," Elsie said softly. "Rest assured, if you have things on your mind keeping you awake, I'll stay with you!"
Ibuki was stunned. "Stay with me?"
"Mhm. When you can't sleep, having someone with you makes it feel less miserable," Elsie said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "When I can't sleep, I watch Kami-nii-sama play games. I usually fall asleep just watching him."
Ibuki's mouth twitched.
'Falling asleep watching someone play games?' Ibuki couldn't comprehend it.
"No need," she rejected curtly.
"Then do you want to chat?"
Ibuki fell silent. She actually did want to say something—to vent the messy thoughts cluttering her brain. All the plans regarding Ryuen Kakeru, the things Katsuragi Keima had said, this strange place called Class D, and that inexplicable emotion in her heart...
But she wasn't a person who liked to talk. Moreover, she was facing Elsie—the "hidden expert" in her eyes. If Elsie was truly putting on an act, wouldn't saying these things play right into her hands? This person acting like she cared was probably just trying to extract intelligence from her.
Katsuragi Keima already knew her identity. Since that guy already suspected her, why did he still approach her? As she thought, Ibuki felt a twinge of frustration. From start to finish, she had essentially been a hindrance to her own cause. She longed to win back some dignity, thinking she might be able to get some intel out of Elsie instead.
Ibuki stared at Elsie, trying to find a flaw in that face. But Elsie just blinked at her, looking completely innocent.
"..." Ibuki spoke hesitantly, "What kind of person do you think Katsuragi Keima is?"
Elsie blinked. "Kami-nii-sama?"
"Mhm."
Elsie thought for a moment.
"Kami-nii-sama is a very strange person."
"Strange?"
"Mhm. He used to not care about anything except playing games. But recently..." Elsie tilted her head. "He's started to care about things."
"Care about what?"
"Caring about the people around him," Elsie said. "Like Kei, like Airi, like Maya, like Kikyo, like Suzune... he cares about them."
Ibuki fell silent.
'Caring about the people around him.'
Then what about her? Would she be cared about?
'No, what am I thinking?'
"..." She asked again, "Has he ever said something like 'You are special' to you?"
Elsie thought about it. "He has. He's said that to a lot of people."
Ibuki froze.
'Said it to a lot of people?'
Then... it wasn't special? Just something he said casually? A feeling she couldn't describe suddenly welled up in her heart. Was it disappointment? Or something else?
"However," Elsie continued, "when he says 'special,' he means it sincerely. Kami-nii-sama doesn't tell lies. In his eyes, every single person is a special existence, an irreplaceable existence."
Ibuki looked at her. "How do you know?"
"Because I'm his sister," Elsie said matter-of-factly. "I just know."
Ibuki fell silent.
'Sincerely.'
So that sentence... was real? Still, why did that guy suddenly say something so cryptic? She and Katsuragi Keima hadn't really had much contact before, right?
Elsie looked at her and suddenly smiled.
"Do you like Kami-nii-sama?"
Ibuki snapped her head up. "Wh-What?! How is that possible!"
"Your face is so red."
"That's... that's because it's hot!"
"It's quite cool at night, though."
Ibuki was speechless. Elsie laughed even harder. "Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you." She rolled over to face Ibuki. "But seriously, Kami-nii-sama really is amazing, right?"
Ibuki paused. "..." She had to admit, "He is amazing."
"And his eye for people is very accurate," Elsie said. "If he said you're special, then you must be special in some way."
Ibuki remained silent.
'Special? What exactly is so special?'
"..." She spoke up, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Elsie blinked. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's just..." Elsie thought for a moment, "Even though you look cold, you aren't actually a bad person. I can tell."
Ibuki was stunned. "How... how can you say that?"
"By intuition," Elsie said simply. "I can feel it."
Ibuki didn't know what to say.
This girl... was she truly stupid, or was she an expert who had reached a level of returning to simplicity? Her words sounded incredibly sincere. Even though Ibuki told herself a thousand times that the other party was just acting, she couldn't detect a single flaw.
"You and Kami-nii-sama seemed to be chatting quite happily just now, too." Elsie let out a yawn.
'Happily?'
Ibuki recalled the conversation. Was it happy? Although her identity had been exposed, the walkie-talkie found, and everything seen through... strangely, she didn't feel fear or anger. Instead, there was a sense of... relief? A relief from no longer having to pretend or hide.
"Elsie."
"Mhm?"
"Are... are all the people in your class this strange?"
Elsie thought about it. "Strange? Not at all. Everyone is very nice."
"Nice?"
"Mhm. Kei has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; Airi is timid but brave; Maya is a bit loud but very sincere; Kanji is funny; Kikyo is... well... and Suzune is cold but very responsible." Because Elsie mostly used nicknames, Ibuki couldn't immediately figure out who was who. Elsie smiled at Ibuki.
"Everyone has their own personality, but they are all good people."
Ibuki fell silent.
'Good people.'
In Class C, that word sounded like a luxury. Everyone had hidden agendas; everyone was on guard. Good people? They wouldn't survive in this school. Take Class B, for example. They would surely be dragged down sooner or later.
In Class C, the only one Ibuki viewed as a truly good person was Shiina Hiyori. And she seemed to be very close to Katsuragi Keima and his group. It was truly incomprehensible.
Bringing her thoughts back to reality, Ibuki asked, "Then what about you? What kind of person are you, Elsie?"
"I'm not a human at all."
"What?"
"No, nothing. You mean me?... I'm just me."
"What does that mean?"
"It's just..." Elsie thought, "I say what I want to say, and do what I want to do. Kami-nii-sama says that's called 'being yourself.'"
'Being yourself.'
Ibuki chewed on the phrase.
-
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On the beach about two kilometers away from the Class D camp, the light of a campfire danced in the night, illuminating a small patch of sand. This was the Class C camp. To be precise, it was the "vacation camp" Class C was intentionally displaying to everyone.
Ryuen Kakeru lay leisurely on a beach chair, holding a glass of juice. Sunglasses covered his eyes, masking his expression. Nearby, the embers of the BBQ grill still emitted a faint heat, and the aroma of roasted meat lingered in the air.
Several Class C students sat around the fire, chatting quietly. Some walked by the shore, others rested in tents. Everything looked harmonious and relaxed, as if they truly were on vacation. However, Ryuen's gaze was constantly aimed in a specific direction.
"Ryuen-san," Ishizaki Daichi approached and lowered his voice, "Will Katsuragi really come?"
Ryuen didn't answer. He just continued lying there as if he hadn't heard the question. Ishizaki wisely retreated to the side.
A few more minutes passed. A sound came from the edge of the jungle. With a smile on his face, Ryuen left the camp and walked into the forest. A man had been waiting there for a long time.
Katsuragi Kohei.
He was wearing the school-issued tracksuit, his expression solemn. His gaze swept over the Class C camp in the distance before finally landing on Ryuen in front of him. During the day, Katsuragi Kohei had used the excuse of scouting the terrain to move around Class C, observing Elsie and the others through binoculars. At night, while most others were resting and few were paying him any attention, he had quietly slipped out to meet Ryuen.
This was an arrangement they had made beforehand.
"You're here?" Ryuen took off his sunglasses, a smile appearing on his face. "I've been waiting for you."
Katsuragi did not respond to his warmth. He simply walked in front of him with a wooden expression. The moonlight illuminated their faces, adding a serious atmosphere to this meeting.
"Speak," Katsuragi said, getting straight to the point. "What did you call me here for?"
Ryuen laughed. "Katsuragi, you're just too direct. Want something to drink first? We have juice and BBQ..."
"No need," Katsuragi interrupted. "I don't have time to play games with you. Sakayanagi might not be here, but I can't leave Class A for too long. Her people are constantly watching me."
Ryuen's smile deepened. "Sakayanagi's people? You mean Kamuro Masumi? Or Hashimoto Masayoshi?"
Katsuragi's brow twitched slightly. He hadn't expected Ryuen to be so well-informed about their internal class affairs. "You know?"
"Of course I know." Ryuen looked at the man. "Class C might not match Class A, but we do our intelligence work. Those two, Sakayanagi's loyal dogs, are capable and smart. She's probably somewhere on the island right now, waiting to watch your performance, isn't she?"
Katsuragi remained silent. Ryuen was right. Even if Sakayanagi wasn't physically present, her people were observing from the shadows. If he was gone too long, they would definitely get suspicious.
"So, make it brief," Katsuragi said. "What exactly is your plan?"
Ryuen put down his juice and leaned forward, the firelight casting deep shadows on his face. "My plan is simple. Let everyone believe Class C is slacking off. Let everyone lower their guard. Then, on the final day, a fatal strike."
Katsuragi stared at him. "That's it?"
"Of course not just that." Ryuen laughed. "I've already sent people to infiltrate Class D and Class B."
Katsuragi's eyes narrowed. "Ibuki Mio? Your fight earlier was just an act, wasn't it?"
"Smart." Ryuen nodded. "She will gather intel in Class D and find the real leader. Then, during the leader-guessing phase on the final day, we will strike with precision."
Katsuragi was silent for a few seconds. "Earlier, I saw a Class D student in contact with you. Who was that?"
"Elsie, Katsuragi Keima's sister."
"Katsuragi Keima... you said that person wasn't simple."
Ryuen nodded.
'Katsuragi Keima.' He remembered that name well.
The events of last time were still fresh in his mind. That seemingly harmless gamer actually possessed such terrifying strength. He, Ishizaki, and the others didn't even have time to react before being taken down. He had been brooding over it ever since.
"However..." Ryuen spoke, a trace of complexity in his voice, "he is indeed not simple. So I don't plan to tear faces with him directly yet. Let Ibuki perform her role for now."
Katsuragi looked at him. "Are you sure she's acting? Not that she actually fell out with you?"
Ryuen laughed. "Katsuragi, you underestimate me. Would I be stupid enough to fall out with my own person in public? That conflict was designed from start to finish. All so Class D would believe Ibuki was truly kicked out." He paused.
"And since I kicked her down right in front of them before she ran off, the people in Class D will believe she truly has nowhere else to go and will take her in."
Katsuragi was silent for a few seconds. "Then what was Elsie doing there?"
"She claimed she was lost."
"I saw her; she had the leader's keycard on her."
"She claimed she was the leader of Class D."
"And you didn't believe it?"
Katsuragi looked at him. "Of course not."
"It's precisely because I don't believe it that it's more interesting," Ryuen said.
"Would Katsuragi Keima put the leader card on his own sister? Make a ditzy-looking girl the leader? It's too obvious. So obvious it feels like a trap." He paused. "So, I guess the real leader must be someone else."
"Who?" Katsuragi Kohei's brow was furrowed, appearing to be in deep thought.
"I don't know," Ryuen said. "But Ibuki will keep investigating. Once she finds the real leader, we will make our move. I will share the intelligence I obtain with you—"
As he spoke, the smile on his face became even more pronounced. "And in return, I need you to provide us with Private Points in the future."
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