"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

The appointment of leaders.

however,

He hadn't even taken a step yet.

A girl's voice, filled with surprise, rang out.

It broke the camp's whispers.

"Oh—! Oh! I see! It's so similar! Sakamoto-san is amazing!"

Everyone followed the sound,

Morishita Ai was seen squatting in a corner of the beach.

He gestured with his hands.

Her bright blue braids swayed gently with her excited movements, and her face beamed with the joy of discovering a treasure.

She's an oddball, the girl in Class A who's known for her unconventional thinking, second only to Sakamoto.

But at the same time, her observation and intuition are sometimes surprisingly accurate.

Hashimoto Masayoshi stood not far away, watching Morishita Ai's "here we go again" expression.

Unable to hold back his helplessness, he spoke up:

"Morishita, what exactly did you see? What does it resemble? Explain yourself clearly."

Morishita Ai raised her head.

He glanced at Hashimoto.

There was some dissatisfaction in his eyes.

She knew Hashimoto had his own agenda.

But at this moment, that doesn't matter.

She pointed to a slightly out-of-place combination of sand dunes and gullies on the beach beneath her feet, which Sakamoto had "built up" with her dance moves.

He spoke loudly to the crowd:

"Look around here, everyone! And look at our surroundings! Doesn't this look familiar?"

After her reminder,

The students in Class A all focused intently.

Carefully compare the area on the beach that Sakamoto "processed" with the actual terrain around the camp.

Katsuragi Kohei also stopped in his tracks.

His sharp gaze swept across the area.

He recalled what he had done before landing on the island.

The school deliberately had the "Speranza" sail around most of the island.

then,

He relied on his memory to diligently memorize some prominent terrain features:

A prominent cape, the mouth of a winding river, the outline of rolling hills…

now,

When he compared the images in his memory with the seemingly messy marks on the beach before him—

Katsuragi Kohei's pupils suddenly contracted!

"This is…!"

He couldn't help but gasp softly.

The small area that Morishita Ai was referring to

Its sand dunes undulate, and the direction of its gullies,

It surprisingly matched the terrain of the bay where their camp was located!

That higher sand dune

It corresponds to the low hill behind the camp;

Those winding shallow ditches,

This corresponds to the small streams flowing from the forest to the sea!

Katsuragi Kohei suddenly looked up.

The gaze is no longer limited to that corner.

Instead, it quickly swept across the entire beach area covered by Sakamoto's "dance steps".

His brain was working at lightning speed.

Compare the outline of the island in your memory with the sandy traces in front of you.

The more you compare,

The shock in his heart grew stronger!

Those seemingly casual dance steps,

It's not some random graffiti at all!

That was a…

A design precisely "drawn" on the sand with two feet

The key topographical features are extremely vivid—

A miniature sand table model of the entire uninhabited island!

"This is not a simple trace..."

With barely concealed amazement, Katsuragi Kohei explained to the students who hadn't fully grasped the meaning.

"This is an island model that Sakamoto-kun made for us! He 'replicated' the entire island's terrain on this beach!"

With this remark,

A collective gasp filled the camp.

Some students who were initially puzzled looked again more closely.

With Katsuragi's guidance, he finally figured it out.

"My God...it really is! Look over there, that long sand dune, doesn't it look just like the peninsula we saw when we were circling the island?"

"And there! Where several gullies converge, isn't that the delta of the main river?"

"Even the undulating terrain is represented by the thickness of the sand dunes... This..."

Shock and admiration spread among the students in Class A.

The turmoil in Katsuragi Kohei's heart was even more difficult to quell.

He had originally planned to rely on the terrain features he had memorized.

Go find Sakamoto to share information and discuss strategies for finding a base.

did not expect…

Sakamoto had already used this unbelievable method...

A more intuitive and comprehensive "map" was presented to them!

What incredible observational skills!

What an incredible memory!

What incredible drive!

In the short time it takes to circumnavigate the island, they not only memorize the entire island's topography, but also perform a meticulously designed "dance".

Transform it into a 3D model on the ground!

This is completely beyond Katsuragi's understanding of "ability".

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart.

Turning to the crowd,

His voice returned to its usual calm and steady tone.

"Everyone! We must make full use of this precious 'gift' left by Sakamoto-kun!"

He pointed to the sand table at his feet,

"This is not just a flat map, but a three-dimensional sand table that includes the terrain's undulations! We can use it to predict the locations of potential outposts on the island and plan the optimal exploration route! This will give us a huge advantage!"

Upon hearing this, the students in Class A were all invigorated.

They all gathered around the sand table and began a lively discussion.

After initially arranging the task of conducting exploration using a sand table,

Kohei Katsuragi walked toward Sakamoto, who was sitting alone on the rock.

The sea breeze ruffled Sakamoto's temples as he gazed silently at the ocean.

"Sakamoto,"

Katsuragi stopped beside him, his tone sincere.

"This model is... absolutely amazing. Thank you so much."

Sakamoto didn't turn around, but simply responded:

"It was nothing, Katsuragi-kun, you flatter me."

His gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon.

Katsuragi paused for a moment,

That crucial question was asked:

"Regarding the selection of a leader...who do you think is the most suitable person to take on the role?"

He stared intently at Sakamoto.

“With this sand table, we can indeed find strongholds quickly. But to capture a stronghold, the leader must activate it with a key card.”

This is a crucial decision.

It concerns the strategic planning and final results of the entire class.

Sakamoto finally turned his head slowly, adjusted his glasses,

He looked calmly at Katsuragi. He didn't answer directly.

As if to say:

"What do you think?"

Sakamoto handed the decision-making power back to Katsuragi.

First Grade Summer Vacation: Chapter 098: Sakamoto Investigating the Base

Time passes quietly,

The survival test on the deserted island has been going on for some time.

Deep within the island, a hidden cave.

The cave was dimly lit and the air was damp.

Katsuragi Kohei and Kamuro Masumi stood deep inside the cave.

A specially made metal stake stood in front of them.

The electronic display screen at the top of the pile was emitting a faint glow.

Several lines of information were clearly displayed on the screen: