Chapter 131: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's Doubts
As if he had thought of something, Katsuragi Keima quickly walked toward the other side of the camp. His pace was much faster than usual, which seemed almost incredible to those who knew him—this was a person who usually played games even while walking, moving as slowly as possible. Now, he was actually initiating a brisk walk?
That direction led precisely to the tent where Chabashira Sae resided. As the Class D homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae's tent was arranged at the outermost perimeter of the camp, near the edge of the jungle. This made it convenient for her to observe the movements of the entire camp and handle any emergencies.
Before reaching the tent, Katsuragi Keima lightly tapped on the door flap. "Sensei."
Rustling sounds came from inside, and soon, Chabashira Sae pulled back the flap and stepped out. She was dressed in a suit, her legs encased in black stockings, her hair tied behind her head, and her expression remained her usual brand of cold indifference.
"Katsuragi, is there something the matter?" she inquired.
Katsuragi Keima looked at her with an incredibly serious expression—the kind of seriousness identical to when he usually analyzed a game walkthrough.
"Sensei, is it possible to charge a power bank?"
Chabashira Sae was momentarily stunned. "What?"
"The power bank I bought earlier with points has run out of juice." Katsuragi Keima pulled a power bank with a blinking red light from his pocket and held it up to her like he was displaying a piece of critical evidence.
"Can I charge it here? Or do I need to spend more points to buy a new one?"
Chabashira Sae fell silent. She looked at Katsuragi Keima's earnest face, then at the power bank in his hand, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. This was supposed to be a special exam testing the students' wilderness survival and teamwork skills. Except for Class C, students from other classes were fretting over water sources, scurrying for food, and racking their brains to occupy spots.
And Katsuragi Keima? He was worried about his power bank dying.
Chabashira Sae took a deep breath, trying her best not to say anything undignified. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed.
"The school doesn't actually have explicit regulations regarding this part. However, it should be fine if I personally help you charge it to full."
Katsuragi Keima's eyes seemed to light up for an instant—at least, Chabashira Sae felt they did.
"Thank you, Sensei."
He handed the power bank over. Chabashira Sae took it, turned back into her tent, and connected it to the small generator equipped in her tent. This generator was standard issue for every homeroom Sensei, used for charging communication devices and walkie-talkies; its power wasn't great, but it was more than enough to charge a few power banks.
In the history of island exams, very few students chose to spend points on power banks. Even if they did, they would use them very sparingly for critical occasions—like emergency communications or recording key intelligence. Someone who used it up within a single day, like Katsuragi Keima, had never existed. Furthermore, it was used on games.
Chabashira Sae plugged it in, turned around, and looked at Katsuragi Keima. "Anything else?"
"No." Katsuragi Keima turned to leave.
"Katsuragi," Chabashira Sae called out to him. He stopped and looked back. "Mhm?"
Chabashira Sae looked at him, wanting to say something, but ultimately just shook her head. "Nothing. Get some rest; the exam continues tomorrow."
Katsuragi Keima nodded and quickly walked back to camp. Chabashira Sae watched his retreating figure with a complex gaze. She had to admit that Class D's current state was good. Katsuragi Keima didn't seem to have a strategy, but it was effective—they occupied spots with high efficiency and gained many exam points. Supplies were distributed reasonably, personnel deployment was orderly, and they even had the surplus energy to look after a "mole."
If things continued like this, Class D might achieve a very good result. As long as there were no major problems in the final stage of guessing the leader...
Chabashira Sae's gaze shifted to the distance, landing on Elsie, who was chatting with Ibuki Mio. The keycard at the girl's waist was swaying back and forth with her movements, making it exceptionally conspicuous under the campfire's glow. It was as if she were terrified that others wouldn't know she was the leader.
Chabashira Sae's brow furrowed slightly.
'Katsuragi Keima, what exactly are you trying to do?'
Letting a ditzy-looking girl run around with the leader card, visible to Class C, Class A, and everyone else. Isn't this an intentional exposure? Or is it...
She shook her head, not thinking further. That student never played by the rules. Speaking of which, it wasn't just Katsuragi Keima; Chabashira Sae couldn't see through his sister Elsie at all, either. She looked completely ordinary, even... a bit clumsy? But her intuition told Chabashira Sae that this was all a disguise. If Katsuragi Keima was no ordinary person, then his sister absolutely could not be ordinary either.
Regardless of the situation, Chabashira Sae had a backup plan—a means to ensure her class's victory in this exam.
.
.
.
Katsuragi Keima walked back to camp and had just settled down under the large tree when a figure appeared beside him.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
He had approached at some unknown time, his movements as silent as a cat, making almost no noise. "Katsuragi," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka said slowly, his gaze seemingly observing the other party. Those eyes were always so undisturbed, even appearing somewhat lethargic, sharing a slight resemblance to Katsuragi Keima's—yet they were entirely different. Katsuragi Keima's calm was a lack of interest in the real world, while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's calm was more like a deliberately maintained disguise.
"What is it?" Katsuragi Keima pulled his game console from his pocket and glanced at the battery—it was still red. He sighed, put the console away, and looked up at Ayanokouji.
"I saw Class A occupying another spot today," Ayanokouji said.
"Oh, as expected." Katsuragi Keima leaned back against the trunk, his tone flat.
"I also saw their class's Katsuragi Kohei, holding a keycard, standing at the entrance of a cave—"
"He definitely isn't the leader; you should know that too, right?" Katsuragi Keima interrupted him, looking up at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka with a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "Given Katsuragi Kohei's cautious personality, it's absolutely impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake. He's likely acting for others to see. He wants everyone else to think he's the leader, drawing all the attention to himself to protect the real one."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at him without any change in expression. "You think the same as I do," he said.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. The campfire crackled, sending sparks into the night sky. Distant insects chirped in a rising and falling chorus, as if engaged in some secret dialogue.
"You didn't come to find me just to say that, did you?" Katsuragi Keima asked.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was silent for a second before sitting down next to him. "Power bank ran out?" Ayanokouji spoke again. His tone was flat, like asking about the weather.
"Mhm."
"Found Chabashira-sensei?"
"Mhm."
"What did she say?"
"She's helping charge it."
Ayanokouji tilted his head slightly, glancing at Katsuragi Keima. "The generator the school gives the Senseis isn't very powerful. It's fine for communication gear, but for a game console... it might be a bit of a stretch."
Katsuragi Keima opened his eyes and looked at him. "You know quite a lot."
"Observation. On this island, the only place you can charge anything is the Senseis' tents. People from other classes are also looking for ways, though their purposes are different."
Katsuragi Keima didn't respond. Ayanokouji wasn't in a hurry either; he just sat there with his hands in his pockets, watching the people by the fire. Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi were chatting softly, Sato Maya was joking around, Kushida Kikyo was organizing supplies, and Horikita Suzune was studying the map. Elsie was also beside Ibuki Mio, dragging the other girl into a conversation—even though the latter looked very reluctant.
Ayanokouji watched for a long time. "Elsie's keycard," Ayanokouji spoke, "it's intentional, right?"
"What?"
"Letting her walk around with the keycard. Letting everyone see. Letting everyone believe Class D's leader is a ditzy girl."
Katsuragi Keima was silent for a second. "She is very smart."
"I know," Ayanokouji said. "But that's not the point. The point is, no one will believe she is the real leader. Ryuen Kakeru will think it's a trap, Katsuragi [Kohei] will think it's a smoke screen, and Ichinose will think it's a distraction. They will all go looking for the 'real leader'." He paused. "But in reality, the real leader is her."
Katsuragi Keima finally opened his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
Ayanokouji looked at him. "Nothing. I just think the person who came up with this plan is very smart."
As he spoke, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had to admit Elsie's prowess in his heart. Even he, trained in the White Room, couldn't directly see through Elsie's disguise. It was as if that stupidity and innocence were innate. However, Ayanokouji had already determined that all of Elsie's behavior was a facade.
"Anything else?"
Ayanokouji was silent for a few seconds. "Ibuki."
"What about her?"
"How do you plan to handle her?"
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer. "She is from Class C," Ayanokouji said. "A mole sent by Ryuen Kakeru. You should know that."
Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. "I know."
"Then why do you let her stay?"
Katsuragi Keima looked at him. "Because she's useful."
"Useful?"
"Mhm."
Ayanokouji didn't press further; he just nodded. "Understood." No more words were needed; Ayanokouji Kiyotaka understood the other party's intention. "Pretend to be close, trick Ibuki Mio into trusting you, and use her to pass wrong information to Ryuen, just like a tool."
"You're wrong."
"What?"
"I'm not pretending to be close; I truly hope to gain Ibuki's trust." Katsuragi Keima spoke with absolute seriousness. "Even though this isn't a game, I don't view anyone around me as a tool."
"Is that so." Hearing Katsuragi Keima's words, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka nodded thoughtfully. He found it somewhat difficult to understand the other's words. It was completely different from the philosophy he learned in the White Room.
Ayanokouji stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "We have to move tomorrow. Get some rest." He turned to leave. After two steps, he stopped. "Katsuragi."
"Mhm?"
"You said before that you weren't interested in the real world. What about now?"
Katsuragi Keima thought for a moment.
'Not interested in the real world? And now?'
He pondered. It seemed... nothing much had changed. Games were still more interesting than reality. Characters in games had complete plot lines, clear affection levels, and walkthroughs to follow. What about people in reality? There are no walkthroughs, no save files, and no restarts. Everyone has their own thoughts, and every event has countless possibilities. It was too complex. It couldn't compare to games.
But... it definitely wasn't boring.
He touched the game console in his pocket and looked at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"It's... alright."
"How did you change?"
"I don't know. Maybe the people or things around me."
Hearing Katsuragi Keima's words, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed even more puzzled. He had come to this school to find the secular world he had once been abandoned by in the White Room. Katsuragi Keima should have been the same as him originally, not caring about anything. Yet Katsuragi Keima had changed now. Why? If it were him, could he obtain change as well?
'There's still a move tomorrow. Plenty of time to observe. I probably won't need to take action in this exam.'
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka muttered to himself. Before the exam, Chabashira Sae had found him and threatened him with his secrets and expulsion to force him to contribute to the class. But looking at it now, he didn't need to do anything. He just needed to observe.
Katsuragi Keima sat under the large tree, watching the direction where Ayanokouji had left. That person was very smart. No, he should be called very sharp. He could see things others couldn't and think from angles others wouldn't. Every question he asked hit a key point.
But— Katsuragi Keima looked away and leaned against the tree.
'He isn't a beautiful girl from a game. No interest.'
He closed his eyes, his mind still on the power bank. Charging would likely take a long time; what should he do in the meantime? If he had known, he really should have prepared another power bank; the points wouldn't have been that many. He sighed.
He opened his eyes and looked at the fire. Just then, Elsie came skipping over and squatted beside him. "Kami-nii-sama! What are you thinking about?"
Katsuragi Keima looked at her. "The power bank."
"The power bank?" Elsie blinked. "Didn't you ask Chabashira-sensei to charge it?"
"I did, but it'll definitely take a while. I don't know what to do now."
"Can't you just go to sleep?"
Katsuragi Keima was silent for a second. "True." He stood up and stretched. "Come on, let's go to sleep."
"Okay!" Elsie skipped away.
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