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

Or is it intentionally creating a certain image?

Or perhaps,

A deeper disguise.

And Shiina Hiyori

He lowered his head slightly.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she whispered to Katsuragi:

"Sorry, Katsuragi-kun, we just happened to be passing by and came over out of curiosity. If we've disturbed you, we'll leave now."

She kept a low profile.

Katsuragi Kohei looked at the situation before him,

He glanced again at Sakamoto's calm expression.

I weighed the options in my mind.

He took a deep breath,

His expression softened slightly.

“Since Sakamoto-san says so… and it’s almost noon now.”

He looked at Ayanokouji and Shiina.

"If you two don't mind the simple conditions at our camp, you can stay and have a simple lunch with us. Afterwards, you can go your separate ways, how about that?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded without hesitation.

Answer in a flat, monotone voice:

"Okay, thank you."

Hiyori Shiina nodded slightly.

Said softly:

"Thank you very much for the invitation. Sorry to bother you."

Sakamoto did not object to Katsuragi's invitation.

Ayanokouji's gaze swept between Sakamoto and Katsuragi.

Katsuragi's vigilance regarding camp security, as well as his attempt to take control of the situation, are very much in line with the role of an organizer.

Sakamoto, on the other hand, seemed more detached, as if he didn't care about being spied on.

Or rather, he had absolute confidence in Class A's defense.

It seems the leader has already been identified.

First Grade Summer Vacation: Chapter 103: Sakamoto Making Lunch

It was nearly noon.

In the "dining" area of ​​Class A's camp, at the long table made of stone slabs and rough wooden strips, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Hiyori Shiina sat down somewhat awkwardly at the invitation of Kohei Katsuragi.

The students in Class A also gradually finished their work and gathered here.

A relaxed yet expectant atmosphere filled the air.

Everyone's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the simple yet fully functional stove in the center of the camp.

Today, Sakamoto is still in charge of cooking.

Ayanokouji and Shiina silently watched the composed figure in front of the stove.

There were no modern kitchen appliances, only a stacked stone stove and burning firewood.

And a host of carefully processed natural ingredients:

Cleaned shellfish, strung mushrooms and wild vegetables, some edible tubers and wild fruits.

Sakamoto bent down and gently blew on the already formed embers in the stone stove.

--call.

The once gentle flame seemed to be infused with life, suddenly leaping upwards.

The flames licked the air, radiating a steady heat.

He picked up several smooth, thin wooden sticks, skillfully skewered the ingredients, and prepared to grill them directly.

However, the next action made Ayanokouji and Shiina, who were observing, freeze in surprise.

Sakamoto then saw a small, seemingly handmade jar...

A small amount of glistening white crystals were poured out and sprinkled evenly on the surface of the ingredients that were about to be cooked.

That's... salt?

A question flashed through Ayanokouji's mind.

How could there be salt in such an environment?

Did Class A use their precious special points to buy seasoning?

This seems to contradict the self-sufficiency philosophy they have presented.

Hiyori Shiina's eyes widened slightly.

A hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Katsuragi Kohei, who was standing nearby, noticed the subtle changes in their expressions.

After a moment's thought, he realized that while the salt-making method was ingenious, it wasn't a core strategy that needed to be kept strictly secret.

After all, this is just to add flavor to food, not a way to directly obtain such an important resource as food.

So he took the initiative to explain:

"Don't be surprised. This salt wasn't bought with points; it's coarse salt produced using the island's resources."

"To produce?"

Shiina's tone clearly showed surprise.

Ayanokouji immediately realized that this was Sakamoto's doing again.

Katsuragi continued to briefly recount the process in his calm tone.

Although simplified as much as possible, the steps involved still seem incredible to the listener:

"Although we found some salty wild fruits, Sakamoto thought we could do better. Sakamoto first made a simple filter using discarded plastic bottles collected from the beach, using charcoal instead of activated carbon and clean fabric from his clothes instead of cotton wool. Then, he obtained calcium oxide by calcining seashells, dissolved it in water to make a calcium hydroxide solution; and then collected a large amount of wood ash, added water and filtered it to obtain a potassium carbonate solution."

"Next, the seawater is filtered and evaporated to obtain coarse salt powder, which is then dissolved in fresh water. Potassium carbonate solution is then slowly added, and the difference in solubility causes most of the impurities to precipitate. The solution mainly consists of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, and some acidic plant juice is added to neutralize the excess alkali. Finally, the washed kelp is made into a solution, which is then mixed with the above salt solution and boiled together to dryness, thus obtaining this coarse salt containing iodine."

After Katsuragi finished speaking, he looked at the two of them.

Hiyori Shiina was already somewhat dumbfounded.

She understands the principle.

But on this deserted island, how can such a complex chemical purification process be achieved using only hands and natural materials?

This requires not only knowledge, but also an almost terrifying control over materials, proportions, and temperature.

Ayanokouji remained silent, her mind racing.

Each step of the chemical reaction, ion exchange, precipitation and filtration,

Precise control is required for all of them.

In particular, the amount of potassium carbonate added must be just right to effectively precipitate impurities without introducing too many potassium ions.

How did Sakamoto determine these proportions with the naked eye?

Could he really rely on intuition and experience to determine the accuracy of chemical experiments?

Seeing the even more shocked expressions on their faces, Katsuragi felt a little helpless.

He didn't witness the whole process and can only give a brief account based on what he heard.

He himself was shocked by this move, but when he thought about who did it, it didn't seem so outrageous.

"cough,"

"Anyway... that's roughly the method. Sakamoto-kun seems to be almost done, I'll go help."

At this moment, Sakamoto, who was in front of the stove, had already started cooking.

He wasn't simply flipping the food; instead, he held several wooden skewers skewered with different ingredients in each hand.

With lightning speed, the ingredients trace dazzling trajectories in the air, alternating between different positions on the flames for grilling.

This seemingly flashy move is actually for the purpose of precisely controlling the heat of multiple ingredients at the same time, ensuring that each side is heated evenly and maximizing efficiency.

Some shellfish were placed directly on hot stone slabs, sizzling and releasing a fragrant aroma.

Soon, several carefully "cooked" dishes were served on handmade ceramic plates and placed on the wooden table in front of Ayanokouji and Shiina.

The edges of the roasted mushrooms were slightly charred and glistening with oil; the clams were plump and exuded a warm aroma that blended the scent of the sea with a subtle fragrance of plants.

The tubers were roasted to a golden brown, looking soft and delicious, and even garnished with a small handful of algae mixed with sour leaf juice.

The colors are naturally matched, and the aroma is rich and layered.

This is hardly an emergency meal on a deserted island; it's clearly a meticulously crafted, rustic dish.

Ayanokouji and Shiina exchanged a glance, picked up their simple wooden utensils, and began to eat.

The mushrooms are tender and juicy, with just the right amount of saltiness that brings out their natural sweetness;

The clam meat is cooked to perfection, with a chewy texture and no fishy smell at all, only a complex flavor that blends natural saltiness and freshness.

The tubers are sweet and soft... every bite subverts their imagination of wild survival diet.

"The taste... is excellent."

Ayanokouji put down his cutlery and stated the facts in his calm tone.

Hiyori Shiina murmured his praise, his eyes filled with genuine admiration:

"Sakamoto-kun, you're really amazing. To be able to make such food under those conditions."

At that moment, Masumi Kamuro came over with her food and naturally sat down in the empty seat next to Sakamoto.

She first glanced indifferently at Shiina Hiyori, who was praising Sakamoto.

Then his gaze shifted to Sakamoto, his tone carrying a slightly awkward frankness:

"Yes, that's quite good."

Shiina Hiyori seemed to sense something, but just smiled slightly and continued to eat her food in small bites.

Kamuroku stopped talking and ate in silence.

A silent, subtle current of energy surrounding Sakamoto quietly formed around the dining table.

Only Sakamoto, at the eye of the storm, was "completely unaware" of the changes around him.

Ayanokouji took it all in, then looked at Sakamoto again and said simply:

"Well done."

Sakamoto pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the last rays of the firelight.

"Sorry for the poor hospitality."

First Year Summer Vacation: Chapter 104: Sakamoto Staying at the Camp

After lunch, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Hiyori Shiina bid farewell to the Class A members and left the orderly camp.

The two parted ways on the forest path outside the camp.

Following his original reconnaissance plan, Ayanokouji continued moving towards the other side of the island.

As for Koenji Temple?

God knows where he ran off to.