In practice, I can issue tasks to my master.

Everyone sat together eating, and the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

But Kikyo Kushida suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, Horikita-kun, what place do you think we'll get this time?"

Horikita Suzune was about to pick up some food when she heard Kushida Kikyo speak to her, and she paused for a moment.

She gave the latter a meaningful look and said, "Just do what you're supposed to do. You can't just get a ranking if you want to."

“That’s true~” Kikyo Kushida smiled, then changed the subject: “Anyway, as long as everything goes smoothly, we can surpass Class C this time, which is a good sign.”

Horikita Suzune glanced at her again.

Kikyo Kushida sensed that Suzune Horikita was looking at her, so she didn't look up, but kept the curve of her lips steady, with an innocent and carefree smile on her face.

But in her heart she was thinking, "As expected, Horikita Suzune is much more sensitive than she appears."

That wasn't something I said offhand.

She was testing the waters.

To test Horikita Suzune's attitude towards this matter.

If Horikita pressed for details, it meant she was on guard.

If Horikita hadn't pressed for details—

That means Horikita either genuinely doesn't care, or he's already learned something from Nangong Cheng.

Regardless of the type, further observation is needed.

Kikyo Kushida put the food in her mouth and chewed slowly because she was still thinking.

The most important lesson she learned after spending so long in Class D was—never put all your eggs in one basket.

Last night, agreeing to cooperate with Hiyori Shiina and Miki Yamamura was just one option, but she also had to consider the consequences of the plan failing and always leave herself a way out.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Karuizawa Kei without making a sound.

She was the one who "recommended" Karuizawa Kei to go to Nangong Cheng for a massage to relax. You should at least acknowledge that favor, right?

Kikyo Kushida was still somewhat guilty about this.

Although they shared the secret of "massage" in a sense, it's hard to say what Karuizawa Kei really thought.

"Indeed, we still need to make more preparations."

In fact it is.

In the evening, Karuizawa Megumi found Nangong Cheng.

The latter was leaning against a tree, holding a bottle of water in his hand, staring straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

She walked over and stood next to him.

Neither of them spoke.

A few seconds later, Karuizawa spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Operation tomorrow night?"

"Ah."

"Now I can finally get a good night's sleep."

She spoke with a smile, but the next second, her smile suddenly vanished.

"Are you sure there's no problem?"

Although she unconditionally believed in Nangong Cheng, the plan was still very risky. If it failed, even if Nangong Cheng could still keep the problem children in Class D in check, his prestige would definitely suffer.

Most importantly, this could allow the mole to hide even deeper.

Nangong Cheng glanced at Karuizawa Kei.

The setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting its light on her face and making her worry very clear.

He smiled.

"Yes, no problem."

"Just get some sleep and then wake up early to wait for good news."

Karuizawa Kei stared at Nangong Cheng's face for a while, then turned and left without saying anything more.

But after taking a few steps, she suddenly turned back, made a face at the latter, and said, "Don't forget my reward~"

Then she ran back into the tent.

As Nangong Cheng watched her figure disappear behind the tent flap, the smile on his face slowly faded.

He looked up at the sky.

The sun was sinking below the horizon, turning half the sky a fiery orange-red.

It will be dark in two hours.

Night fell faster than expected.

The campfire was relit, its flames dancing in the darkness.

The people in the outpost gradually entered the tents.

Horikita Suzune did a final check of the supplies, and like Karuizawa Megumi, went into her tent to rest early.

Tonight, the ones responsible for guarding the first half of the night are Sakura Airi, Hasebe Haruka, and Kamuro Masumi, while the ones responsible for guarding the second half of the night are Horikita Suzune, Wang Meiyu, and Karuizawa Megumi.

Kikyo Kushida sat by the campfire for a while longer, chatting casually with the person on duty, before yawning and going into her tent.

Everything seems normal.

Until Sakura Airi suddenly said, "Kaka, my stomach hurts a little, I need to go to the toilet, will you come with me..."

Haruka Hasebe nodded.

She glanced at Masumi Kamuro, who was simply watching the campfire quietly.

"Kamuro-kun, let's leave for a bit."

"Well, I see."

No sooner had the two left than Kamuro Masumi suddenly coughed, and then two people came out of the tent.

Naturally, it's Kikyo Kushida and Hiyori Shiina.

They nodded to Masumi Kamuro, exchanged a glance, and then left the base.

About five minutes later, Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka returned to the base, and then the shift changed in the middle of the night.

at the same time.

Nangong Cheng also returned to the base.

The scores were all racked up in the early hours of this morning. Now, all that's left is to wait for the mosquito and fly camera to show footage of Kikyo Kushida and Hiyori Shiina having a secret rendezvous.

The two men's actions were not part of his plan.

It's alright, though.

As long as the most crucial step remains unaffected, no matter what Shiina Hiyori wants to do, his plan will not fail.

"Since things have come to this, let's go to sleep."

Volume 1: 94. Perhaps we can get to know each other better.

Day 6, morning.

Because he had to check in, Nangong Cheng always woke up earlier than everyone else.

No, to be precise, he hardly slept at all.

He stood under a coconut tree on the outpost's perimeter, his back to the camp, waiting for a destined person.

Soon, a series of footsteps sounded from behind.

"Nangong Jun, I've kept you waiting."

Shiina Hiyori maintained a polite social distance from Nangong Cheng, a gentle smile on her face: "What can I do for you?"

"Shiina-kun..."

Nangong Cheng turned around, a slightly frivolous smile on his face: "What about that thing I mentioned before? What have you thought about?"

"I don't think you want to stay in Class C any longer, and continue to let a rude man like Long Yuan make you do things you don't like, right?"

“If you were in Class D, I can guarantee that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen to you.”

Hiyori Shiina nodded, then shook her head; the gentle smile on her face suddenly gave off a sense of distance.

She said, "Nangong Jun, I am very glad that you have invited me many times, but this is a major life event and I cannot make a decision lightly."

"Furthermore, although I don't like Longyuan's approach, given the realities this school has set for us, and the situation in Class C, perhaps he really is the most suitable leader for Class C."

Nangong Cheng touched his chin, his expression becoming somewhat inscrutable.

"Truth or dare?"

"It's not exactly the truth, it's just the honest truth."

Hiyori Shiina shook her head: "I remember there's an old saying in China—'A gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions; if you judge by intentions, no one in the world is perfect.'"

"As long as Longyuan can eventually lead Class C to the position of Class A, then no matter what he did, he will be the greatest contributor to all the students in Class C."

"That's true."

Nangong Cheng neither confirmed nor denied this.

To put it bluntly, his impression of Longyuan was much better than that of Nan Yunya—after all, a true villain has always had a better reputation than a hypocrite.

To give a specific example...

Even though most students in Class C had a negative opinion of Ryuen, the latter never considered expelling them.

In contrast, consider Nagumo Masayuki.

Anyone who doesn't do what he wants, or who openly expresses dissatisfaction with him, is basically destined to be expelled from school.

Fun fact: The number of students in the second grade is the smallest among the three grades.

This is a person with a strong sense of egoism who believes in absolute meritocracy and the law of the jungle. In a sense, he is indeed a student that the school has always favored.

Unfortunately, he was a bit obsessed and couldn't help but cause a big mess when provoked by him, which resulted in him losing his position as vice president.

Looking at it this way...

Although Ryuen is quite charismatic, and was even driven to the point of wanting to drop out of school by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, he was eventually "saved" back, which shows that he does have a certain personal charm.

But appreciation is one thing.

The base of the wall still needs to be dug.

"But there's only one spot in Class A. Do you think it will be in Class C?"

"..."

Hiyori Shiina gave Makoto Nangong a subtle glance.

Although she knew this man was very confident, for example, what he planned to do next was even more radical than Longyuan's approach, she had no doubt that she would be the ultimate winner.

She was genuinely curious about the source of Nangong Cheng's confidence.

His inhuman physical abilities?

But this is not an exam that tests physical ability.

"The school gave us three years. Isn't it a bit too early for you to say such things, Nangong Jun?"

"Three years?"

Nangong Cheng smiled and shook his head.

He really wanted to say that it wouldn't take three years at all.

He could have easily dragged Class A down in this exam, but he refrained from doing so for the sake of his long-term plan.

"Shiina-kun, let's wait and see."

"I'll say it again—"