In practice, I can issue tasks to my master.

But if that's all there is to it, it doesn't count as true understanding.

After all, these few months are enough for this batch of freshmen to adapt to this life of deceit and treachery, and they will never easily trust a person again.

But Honami Ichinose is different.

This pillar of Class B, the school's most gentle leader, and the beautiful girl known as the "Archangel" possesses an affability that can be described as talent.

Who would this person speak to in this tone?

There is only one answer.

A person she can let down her guard with, or rather, someone she can completely rely on.

And that person was actually from Class D.

What an irony.

Ibuki Mio suddenly felt a little bored.

She really wanted to graduate from Class A because it was an easy shortcut for students from ordinary families.

But it's difficult.

Leaving aside Class A and Class B, even Class D could become a huge obstacle in the way of Class C.

Nangong Cheng's reputation is truly terrifying.

This time, the opponent and Longyuan seemed to have a tacit understanding and chose to start with 0, but the two had completely different styles in subsequent decision-making.

One option is to gamble by guessing key cards, while the other prefers a more conservative approach of capturing strongholds to rack up points.

It's hard to say which is better, Ibuki Mio or Mio.

But if you ask her which decision she prefers, it will definitely be the latter.

Unfortunately, Ryuen is the only one who has the final say in Class C, and even Shiina Hiyori's opinions are rejected... If this plan fails, it will be fine, but if it succeeds, we can see the end of the road ahead.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

But in reality, only a fraction of a second passes.

Ibuki Mio's gaze refocused.

She watched as Ichinose Honami stood there for a while after Amakura Asako left.

The girl didn't immediately return to her tent. Instead, she looked up at the stars in the sky, the curve of her lips faintly visible in the moonlight.

That wasn't a look of disappointment.

It's more like they're anticipating something.

Ibuki Mio saw all of this without showing any emotion on her face.

She is waiting.

After Ichinose Honami turned and left, and after the surroundings had become completely quiet, she straightened up from behind the tree and silently retreated into the deeper darkness.

When I returned to my spot, the moon had already climbed halfway up the sky.

It was called a landing point, but it was actually just a depression on the outskirts of Class B's base, hidden by reefs.

She didn't live at the outpost—not because she couldn't, but because she didn't want to.

Because the stronghold was crowded and noisy, she preferred to be alone.

In addition, given her personality, this kind of life of dependence, like begging for food, would be a rather agonizing experience for her, so she chose to find a place near the B-class base where she could barely rest.

Ibuki Mio sat on the ground, hugging her bent legs with both hands, her chin resting on her knees.

Her mind was filled with the scene from just now.

"……interesting."

Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

"Perhaps we can really consider what Shiina mentioned... but let's wait and see for a while longer."

The moonlight fell on her profile, outlining a cool and aloof silhouette.

She closed her eyes.

If nothing unexpected happens, this exam should be over tomorrow.

But what will the outcome be?

That's beyond her judgment.

...

...

The morning light gradually rises from the sea level.

In Class D's hideout, Horikita Suzune was always the first to make a move.

She got up twenty minutes earlier than everyone else, sat on a tree stump outside the tent, and drew something in the sand with a twig in her hand.

Upon closer inspection, it revealed today's action plan—who would be responsible for the search, who would stay behind, and what would be eaten for meals today.

She was drawing very seriously, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were struggling with something unseen.

"Good morning, Horikita-kun."

Kikyo Kushida walked over carrying a pot of freshly heated soup, her face adorned with her signature bright smile.

"Good morning." Horikita Suzune replied without looking up, "Just leave the soup there."

"Okay~"

Kikyo Kushida put down the pot and then helped the people who had been keeping watch late into the night to tidy up the tent flaps.

The movements were so natural, as if they had been done a hundred times.

Nobody thought there was anything wrong with it.

A groggy voice, sounding like someone still half asleep, came from Karuizawa Megumi's tent.

"Hmm... what time is it..."

"Seven o'clock." Sakura Airi's voice came from inside the tent, small and still a little sleepy: "Megumi, why don't you sleep a little longer? I'll go get you some water."

"No...you stay with me..."

Karuizawa Megumi murmured something, then pulled Sakura Airi into her arms and hugged her as if she were sleepwalking.

"Okay, okay..."

Sakura Airi blushed and gently patted Karuizawa Megumi's back as if she were soothing a baby to sleep.

The tent fell silent again.

Horikita Suzune glanced in that direction but said nothing.

Karuizawa Kei said last night that she wasn't feeling well, but only she knows whether it's true or not.

Based on her personal deduction, it's probably fake.

Since everyone is eating the same food, the probability of you being the only one feeling unwell is extremely small.

However, she won't point that out.

After all, this might be Nangong Cheng's arrangement.

The existence of a mole in Class D has been a thorn in her side for a long time. If she could find out who it was through this opportunity, that would be ideal.

But what she didn't know was that the two girls inside the tent were lying face to face, staring at each other.

"Xiao Hui, what exactly happened last night..."

"Shh—" Karuizawa Kei raised a finger and whispered, "Don't even mention it, my legs are still sore."

Last night, she couldn't resist her craving and "forced" Nangong Cheng to perform services for her.

Sakura Airi wasn't a novice anymore; she immediately understood what Karuizawa Megumi meant, and her face instantly turned red.

"You, you keep your voice down..."

"What's there to be afraid of? They all think I'm sleeping." Karuizawa Megumi turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and said nonchalantly, "Besides, they already knew about this, so it's fine if they heard it."

"Well, you can't be that direct..."

Although Airi Sakura is already a seasoned "mature woman," she is still very girlish at heart.

"Sisters, stop fooling around."

Karuizawa Kei lifted her face from under the pillow and rolled her eyes at Sakura Airi.

"I personally helped you push the drum last night, I've seen you in every way, stop pretending to be reserved."

Sakura Airi's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just pulled the blanket up to cover half of her face.

Karuizawa Kei smiled.

"Well, but Makoto might actually prefer your contrasting appearance."

"Next time I'll do it too—"

She didn't finish speaking because footsteps came from outside the tent.

The two of them shut their mouths at the same time, as if they had rehearsed it.

...

...

Hiyori Shiina encountered Makoto Nangong on the outskirts of the base.

To be precise, Nangong Cheng "happened" to walk onto her inspection route.

The two of them didn't intentionally stop, but as they brushed past each other, their steps slowed down by half a beat.

There was no dialogue.

They didn't even make eye contact.

Shiina Hiyori's gaze lingered on his left wrist for a fraction of a second—there was nothing there, but she wasn't looking at the wrist itself, but rather at the area behind it.

Nangong Cheng continued walking forward.

He walked for an unknown amount of time until he reached a tree, put his hands in his pockets, and faced the sea.

The morning sea breeze was gentler than yesterday, carrying a hint of saltiness and the fresh scent of grass and trees. In the distance, several seabirds skimmed across the water, their wingtips glistening with golden light.

He stood there for about three minutes.

Then he took something out of his right pocket.

It was very small, held in his palm, and he couldn't see what it was.

He glanced down at it, rubbed his thumb on it briefly, and then withdrew it.

"almost."

He spoke very softly, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps to the wind.

As he turned to walk back, he passed by Kikyo Kushida.

Kikyo Kushida was serving breakfast to Megumi Karuizawa and the others who had just woken up. When she saw him, she smiled and greeted him, "Good morning, Nangong-kun~"

"Good morning." He nodded, without lingering.

Kikyo Kushida silently watched Makoto Nangong's retreating figure, her smile fading slightly after he walked away.

It doesn't disappear, but rather converges.

It's like changing a smile from "to everyone" to "to a specific person".

This was a decision she made after thinking about it last night.

Even if she chooses to keep a low profile, she can't dispel Horikita Suzune and the others' suspicions about her, so she might as well take this opportunity to "cut ties" with some students who have no use to her.

Moreover, as long as she can grasp Nangong Cheng's "dark history," it's equivalent to grasping Class D, so there's no need to go to great lengths and waste energy.

In addition, she also needed to confirm something—after she used the [Dark History Erasure Card], did Nangong Cheng still remember what happened that night?

It wasn't that she didn't believe in the practicality of the system items; it was just that she was too suspicious. In addition, Nangong Cheng was a veteran actor no less skilled than her, so she had to be wary of him using sweet talk to trick her.

It was noon.