In practice, I can issue tasks to my master.

Without a doubt, this must have been arranged by Longyuan.

(Class D is truly his personal fiefdom...)

(On the other hand, Class A... sigh...)

Kamuro Masumi sighed inwardly, then turned and brought Yamamura Miki over.

When she took the bowl and chopsticks from Horikita Suzune, she realized that Nangong Cheng had long anticipated that she and Yamamura Miki would come.

No, no, that's not right.

It's more likely that Nangong Cheng's reason for causing trouble in Class A today was precisely to achieve this goal.

But why?

The rules of this uninhabited island exam dictate that each class must strictly guard against each other to ensure that the key card information is not leaked.

So a normal person would definitely be afraid of spies or moles from other classes infiltrating their class, but you, Nangong Cheng, don't care about that at all, and even try to get people from other classes to infiltrate your class's camp.

Although Class A has confirmed Class D's keycard information, and she and Miki Yamamura no longer need to think about it, the same question remains—

why?

Generally speaking, there is a motivation behind every action a person takes.

If Nangong Cheng came to Class A to cause trouble in order to "force" her and Yamamura Miki to come to Class D's base, then what was the purpose of bringing them here?

Masumi Kamuro glanced at everyone present without making a sound.

Wilderness survival, one man and multiple women...

When these two words are combined, any normal person can associate them with a specific plot.

Could it be that……

The thought of that possibility made Kamuro Masumi's meal taste like cardboard, her mind preoccupied with what Nangong Cheng might do to them that night.

Volume 1: 91. Communication, Cooperation Beyond Cooperation

Masumi Kamuro guessed right, but she also guessed wrong.

The reason I guessed correctly is that Nangong Cheng does indeed play games that adults play with Karuizawa Megumi, Sakura Airi, and the others.

However, the reason for saying that he guessed wrong is that Nangong Cheng has no plans to do anything to her for the time being.

"Gentlemen, now that you're here, you'll need to take turns keeping watch tonight, just like us."

As is customary, Horikita Suzune assigns tasks to the new "guests." Including Shiina Hiyori who arrived the next day, it has now become a three-person night watch per group.

However, she was unaware that the Class D key card had already been "sold" by Nangong Cheng; otherwise, the night watch would probably have been canceled long ago.

"Kamuro is in a group with me, and your friend is in a group with Karuizawa, is that okay?"

"Ah."

The two women naturally had no objections, and to show that they weren't there to freeload, they even took the initiative to wash the dishes after the meal.

Then they took a walk around the camp.

Kamuro Masumi wanted to have a private chat with Nangong Cheng, but couldn't find him. In the end, it was Kushida Kikyo who "kindly" reminded her.

"Nangong-kun took Karuizawa and the others out after dinner, and they probably won't be back until after midnight."

"I see..."

Masumi Kamuro doesn't want to be the girl who understands everything instantly anymore, although it's also possible that she's overthinking things.

Since we can't find Nangong Cheng, let's talk to someone else first.

"Shiina-kun, is it convenient for us to chat?"

"Hmm... what would you like to talk about, Kamuro-kun?"

Since arriving at Class D's base, Hiyori Shiina has talked to everyone, but she didn't expect that the newcomers would also want to talk to her.

She already had a guess in her mind about why Masumi Kamuro and Miki Yamamura would come to Class D's base.

After all, Nangong Cheng had just returned, and the two of them arrived at Class D's base shortly after. The cause and effect of this were quite obvious.

"That, it's..."

Kamuro Masumi opened her mouth, but as the words reached her lips, she suddenly felt something was amiss.

Since one of them is from Class C and the other from Class A, they shouldn't normally be at Class D's base. So, the fact that the three of them are gathered here is truly a very special "fate".

Furthermore, as Shiina Hiyori said, what could these students who weren't in Class D possibly talk about when they got together?

"Shiina-kun, let's talk somewhere else first."

"Okay."

Hiyori Shiina glanced discreetly at Miki Yamamura, who was following behind Masumi Kamuro like a nobody.

She had previously "subtly" reminded Nangong Cheng because she heard strange noises coming from Nangong Cheng's tent while keeping watch that night.

She could recognize the voices of Karuizawa Megumi and Sakura Airi, but there was also the voice of a strange girl she had never heard before.

Therefore, we can rule out Masumi Kamuro first.

"Shiina-kun, let's not beat around the bush—it must have been Ryuen who sent you to Class D, right?"

The three of them arrived at a secluded corner.

Masumi Kamuro got straight to the point: "I wonder how your progress is?"

"uh-huh……"

Hiyori Shiina lightly tapped her cheek with her finger, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Did Katsuragi send you here?"

"No, we came here on our own initiative."

Hiyori Shiina narrowed her eyes.

"Because of Nangong Jun?"

I guess so...

Kamuro Masumi gave an ambiguous answer.

Although she wouldn't mind harming the class's interests to affect Katsuragi's competitiveness in Class A, doing so in the current situation would confirm her reputation as a traitor to the class, which would in turn affect Sakayanagi Arisu's competitive voice.

Without a clear indication from Sakayanagi Arisu, she could only suppress this "what's the use of trying" mentality.

"So, Shiina, what's your answer?"

"I'm still waiting."

Hiyori Shiina also had no intention of telling Masumi Kamuro the truth, but unlike the latter's considerations, she believed that Masumi Kamuro, Miki Yamamura, and Makoto Nangong were having an affair, so she decided to keep a close eye on things for the time being.

Of course, as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy can be my friend, and she doesn't mind revealing some trivial information to him.

"To be honest, just as you can tell that I was sent by Longyuan, Class D naturally figured it out as well, so they've always been wary of me."

"I, you, and this classmate will be separated during the night watch; it's a protective measure they've implemented."

Kamuro Masumi raised an eyebrow.

She didn't care about that kind of thing, because she would probably make a similar decision in her own case. So, she was more concerned about what Nangong Cheng planned to do.

"When will we take action? Do you need any help?"

Although Arisu Sakayanagi said she wasn't suited to thinking, Masumi Kamuro felt that the brain was a good thing and should be used when it was useful.

For example, right now.

Because Shiina Hiyori arrived earlier than her and Yamamura Miki, and given Nangong Cheng's style of doing things, he must have talked to Shiina Hiyori, so she bet that the two of them either cooperated or had ulterior motives.

Although she couldn't guess what the two were thinking, it didn't stop her from following them to cause trouble and then using them as a pawn to kill someone.

If Katsuragi and the others want to take this opportunity to cause trouble, she can also throw Shiina Hiyori out to shift the blame. After all, it was you, Katsuragi, who started the cooperation with Class C, right?

"Speaking of which..."

"Kamuro-kun, as students of Class A, I imagine Katsuragi-kun must have told you about the deal he made with Ryuen, right?"

Shiina Hiyori knew exactly what Kamuro Masumi wanted to do.

Choosing to cooperate when both parties share the same goal is a common choice, but sometimes cooperation is possible even when goals differ.

"Yes."

When Shinjiro Masumi saw that Hiyori Shiina had brought this up, his eyes lit up.

But before she could continue, Hiyori Shiina spoke first, saying, "In that case, we can be considered to be in a cooperative relationship."

"Cooperation is based on mutual trust. So, Kamuro-kun, could you please tell me what Nangong-kun did in Class A today?"

"..."

Masumi Kamuro pondered for a moment.

She chose to leave things unsaid.

"He said he already knew about the Class A key card and seemed to want to use it to blackmail Class A into making a deal."

"Yeah……"

Hiyori Shiina also only believed half of it.

Because Nangong Cheng had previously discussed setting up a trap for Kushida Kikyo with her, but this matter might involve people from Class A, she was on guard.

"So, Kamuro-kun, do you think he's bluffing, or has Nangong-kun actually obtained information about Class A's keycards through some means?"

"This one……"

Kamuro Masumi glanced at Yamamura Miki subconsciously, unsure of the answer to the question.

Furthermore, she wasn't sure what Shiina Hiyori's purpose was in asking these questions, and she didn't want to be tricked into revealing too much information.

"We can't be sure."

"Because the only person who knows the information about the key card should be Katsuragi, and he has always been in charge of keeping the key card, so he is probably the only one who knows about this."

Hiyori Shiina had been observing Masumi Kamuro's expression, and naturally noticed her subconscious movements.

"Are you sure only Katsuragi knows?"

"Given Ryuen's style, I don't need to tell you—even if Katsuragi reaches an agreement with him, Class A will still be his target."

Kamuro Masumi frowned.

This was something not only she understood, but everyone in Class A knew.

Because Ryuen's methods are notoriously ruthless, and his character and reputation are notoriously bad, Katsuragi's cooperation with him is like playing with fire, and even betrays his usual prudent approach.

Reminded by Shiina Hiyori at this moment, Kamuro Masumi subconsciously began to let her thoughts wander.

"You mean, Longyuan and Nangong... they've partnered up?"

"Uh...that shouldn't be possible."

This is the truth.

Hiyori Shiina doesn't believe that Makoto Nangong will cooperate with Ryuen, at least not this time.

Putting aside the "grudges" between the two, judging from their personalities, they would never get along unless special circumstances occur.

"What I mean is that the reason why Ryuen chose to cooperate with Katsuragi is most likely because he believes that he has enough understanding of Katsuragi and can guess some of Katsuragi's thoughts."

"So, perhaps Nangong Jun is the same—he guessed who Katsuragi would choose as the key card holder."

Is that right?

Masumi Kamuro couldn't quite understand it, because wasn't this just a gambler's mentality?

If you guess wrong, you will not only lose 50 points, but all the points gained from capturing the stronghold will also be invalidated.

Starting with a 0-point lead may avoid the first penalty, but the second penalty is much more severe, isn't it?

Putting aside Longyuan, which had already failed once, was Nangong Cheng really that confident that he could guess correctly?

"If that's the case, I have nothing to say."

Masumi Kamuro sighed.