The atmosphere in Class D's camp was suffocating.
The "male self-inspection" plan proposed by Hirata Yousuke was enforced after a brief commotion. Though Sudo Ken and others grumbled indignantly—muttering things like "Why us?" and "This is humiliating"—under Hirata's unwavering tone and the insistence of most of the girls, the boys eventually lined up in a loose, reluctant formation.
"I apologize, everyone." Hirata's voice was calm but firm. "To prove our innocence, and for the unity of the class, I have no choice but to ask for your cooperation."
He began with himself, turning out all his pockets for everyone to see—empty. Then he opened his backpack, revealing only daily necessities. Only then did he walk toward the first boy.
The search was slow and oppressive. Hirata's movements were careful, respectful, avoiding excessive contact. He checked every pocket, felt the thickness of jackets and pants, even had the boys remove their shoes and shake them out. Finally, he inspected their backpacks.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the back of the line, observing the entire process expressionlessly.
Underwear stolen. The goal is to create chaos and divide the class. The most likely perpetrator is Ibuki Mio.
Though there was no direct evidence, Ayanokoji was confident she was the spy. She had ample motivation to carry out such a destructive mission. According to his prediction, the stolen items were likely hidden in one of the boys' belongings, set to be "accidentally" discovered during the search—thereby solidifying the male group's guilt and escalating the conflict to its breaking point.
But as Hirata worked through each person, the results defied Ayanokoji's expectations.
Nothing.
Not a single item.
From Sudo Ken to Ike Kanji, from Yamauchi Haruki to the last boy—including Ayanokoji himself—Hirata meticulously searched everyone. He rummaged through backpacks, checked the areas near tent entrances where things could easily be concealed.
He found nothing.
The boys' suspicion was cleared under everyone's watchful eyes.
"See! I told you it wasn't us!" Sudo Ken's pent-up anger finally erupted, his voice booming across the camp. "Hirata checked, and there's nothing! You all believe us now, right?"
Other boys chimed in, their emotions stirred, voicing their dissatisfaction and grievances.
The girls exchanged glances. Their earlier anger and vigilance receded somewhat, replaced by confusion and embarrassment. Hirata's fairness and meticulousness were universally acknowledged; his search results carried weight.
"Since the boys don't have it..." a girl whispered, her gaze drifting involuntarily toward the only outsider in the camp—Ibuki Mio.
Instantly, all eyes focused on her.
Ibuki Mio still bore that small white bandage on her face. She stood still, facing the suspicious gazes without a trace of panic—only a hint of offended coldness.
"What? Now you're suspecting me? Just because I'm not from Class D?"
Hirata approached, his tone still polite. "Ibuki-san, I apologize, but given the situation... could we also check your personal belongings? Just to rule out suspicion."
Ibuki glanced at him, then swept her gaze across the Class D students staring at her. "Fine. I don't have much anyway."
She turned and walked toward the tent she was temporarily using, retrieved a dark backpack, and tossed it directly onto the open ground at Hirata's feet. "There. That's everything. Search it yourselves."
Her attitude was so open it was almost aggressive.
Hirata naturally wouldn't go through Ibuki's backpack himself—that would be too intrusive. Instead, he asked a girl to search it inside the tent, to see if anything was hidden there.
The answer, of course, was—
Nothing.
Only Ibuki's own change of clothes.
Hirata offered another apology. "I'm sorry, Ibuki-san, for troubling you. There really isn't anything."
Now, the students of Class D were completely bewildered.
The boys had been searched—nothing. The only outside suspect, Ibuki, had been searched—still nothing.
Had Karuizawa's clothes grown wings and flown away?
"How could this be..." Hirata murmured, his brows furrowed deeply. He had been certain the problem could be resolved internally, but now the thread had snapped.
Just then, Kushida Kikyo spoke softly to Hirata—and to everyone else.
"Hirata-kun, since we can't find anything within our own class... is it possible that it wasn't someone from our class at all?"
Her words drew everyone's attention.
"Not someone from our class?" Hirata looked at her.
"Mm." Kushida nodded, her voice soft but clear. "Everyone, think about it—this is a class competition exam. Perhaps... it was someone from another class who sneaked into our camp while we were sound asleep, intentionally stole things, just to create panic and disrupt our unity."
The conjecture opened a new line of thought for those at an impasse.
"That's right! It could be another class playing tricks!" Yamauchi Haruki immediately jumped in, loudly agreeing. He seemed eager to shed the embarrassment of having been suspected—or perhaps simply wanted to show off. His eyes darted around before landing on Ibuki. "If you ask me, the most suspicious one is Class B! Isn't Ibuki-san from Class B? Maybe she conspired with Ryuuen! Stole things in the middle of the night, then hid them somewhere else, deliberately trying to frame us!"
"Yamauchi-san!" Kushida immediately interjected, a disapproving expression on her face. "How can you speculate about Ibuki-san like that? She's only staying with us temporarily because she's injured. Such groundless words are terribly rude to a girl!"
Her reproach immediately won approval from some of the girls, who turned condemning gazes toward Yamauchi.
Ibuki Mio's reaction to Yamauchi's accusation was far more intense than when her bag had been searched earlier. She glared fiercely at him, her voice rising sharply. "What nonsense are you spouting! That scoundrel Ryuuen... how could I possibly conspire with him! Stop slandering me!"
Her anger seemed genuine and fierce, as if she harbored deep resentment toward Ryuuen.
Yamauchi flinched at both Ibuki's outburst and Kushida's reprimand. He scratched his head awkwardly. "I—I was just guessing... I didn't say it was definitely her..."
Between Kushida's mediation and Ibuki's strong reaction, Yamauchi's theory was quickly suppressed. Most people leaned toward Kushida's suggestion of outside-class infiltration and sabotage.
Though the underwear remained missing, the immediate internal conflict had been temporarily eased.
Yet a rift had already formed.
The girls, led by Karuizawa Kei, became exceptionally resolute after the incident. "Whether it was someone from another class or not," Karuizawa's voice was still tearful, but her tone was firm, "we girls can't mix with the boys anymore! It's too unsafe! We need to separate the camps!"
The proposal received support from nearly all the girls.
Hirata Yousuke looked at the determined girls, then at the dejected boys. His face was etched with exhaustion and helplessness. He knew that emphasizing unity now would be futile.
A split seemed inevitable.
"Alright..." He sighed heavily. "Let's separate the camps as everyone suggests. Leave enough distance between the boys' area and the girls' area."
Moving the camp required manpower, but most of the boys were emotionally resistant and unwilling to help. The girls busied themselves organizing their own belongings.
"Hirata-san, do you need help?" Horikita Suzune approached. Though annoyed by the farce, she understood the situation needed stabilizing quickly.
Hirata shot her a grateful look. "Thank you, Horikita-san. We need help moving some public supplies and re-pitching several tents."
Horikita nodded, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who seemed detached from the chaos. "Ayanokoji." Her cool voice rang out like an order. "You come help too."
Ayanokoji glanced at her, offered no objection, and silently walked over. His mind, however, continued working at high speed.
While Class D's camp descended into division and suspicion, on the other side of the island, far from the commotion, a dark figure moved through the forest at astonishing speed.
Sakamoto's movements were elegant and efficient. Using the swing of vines and the undulations of the terrain, he seemed to glide through the jungle. His goal was to patrol the entire island—confirm the occupation status of all known strongholds and investigate whether any resource points had been overlooked.
Class A's camp construction was nearly perfect now, with ample food reserves to last the remaining days of the competition. That afforded him the leeway to conduct deeper reconnaissance.
Suddenly, his figure halted before what appeared to be an ordinary steep slope.
He pushed up his glasses. Behind the lenses, his gaze swept across the vegetation and soil structure of the incline.
"There seems to be something unusual here."