"If we don't have a second toilet, our daily lives will be very inconvenient!"
[I really need to use the bathroom.]
"One toilet should be enough if we allocate it properly!"
[I need to use the bathroom, I need to use the bathroom.]
"Absolutely not enough!"
[I'm going to use the bathroom right now!]
'Then just go already!'
Saiki Kusuo turned his head and glared sharply at the source of the voice—Sudo Ken.
At this moment, Sudo Ken didn't notice Saiki Kusuo's gaze. His attention was entirely focused on the already set-up toilet nearby. From start to finish, he hadn't participated in the class's argument at all.
...
The other classes had already set off one after another. Although Class C's argument hadn't been resolved, in order to quickly secure a base, they ultimately decided to head deeper into the island. Soon, they entered the forest. However, as they ventured further in, the unease in everyone's hearts seemed to grow stronger.
[Could there be tigers, brown bears, or wolves here?]
'Don't worry, I've already checked. There are no such creatures on this island. After all, this is an island created by the school. It's mostly inhabited by harmless animals.'
Saiki Kusuo responded in his mind.
[I wonder what we'll eat these next few days... Could it be... hunting?]
[It won't come to that, but fishing will probably be necessary. However, for a psychic, accomplishing that is a piece of cake.]
[I need to use the bathroom, I need to use the bathroom.]
'.....'
"Everyone, let's take a break here."
After arriving at a clearing in the forest, Hirata Yosuke called for everyone to stop.
"This place seems nice. There's shade from the sun, so let's rest here for now. As for the toilet issue, I think we can set one up here temporarily."
'Please, stop mentioning the word "toilet."'
Saiki Kusuo felt somewhat helpless. That word was now the one he had heard the most.
Fortunately, the argument over whether to buy a second toilet had finally come to an end, and the opposition had agreed to the idea.
"Now, we need to consider the next steps. I think we should decide on a base to set up camp. Also, we can check out nearby bases—does anyone here have experience with wilderness survival?"
Hirata Yosuke immediately asked, and almost everyone's gaze turned to him.
'Seriously, what high school student would be proficient in wilderness survival?'
Saiki Kusuo didn't know what to say and shifted his gaze to the others.
[What? Wilderness survival? Who knows how to do that?]
[It's so hot today. I don't want to run around everywhere!]
[This looks like a tiring task. Only an idiot would want to participate.]
'Yare yare, as expected.'
Saiki Kusuo wasn't surprised by the thoughts of the students in his class. In this situation, such thoughts were normal.
Saiki Kusuo also had no intention of participating in such activities. After all, most people were staying here. Being in the minority would not only cause trouble for himself but also attract attention, making others expect things from him.
'Just like everyone else, I'll stay here and rest quietly.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, preparing to find a spot to sit down and rest.
But at that moment, a terrifying voice rang out.
"Um, if no one minds, I can go!"
The speaker was none other than Kushida Kikyo.
Instantly, the eyes of the boys who had been unwilling to participate in the exploration changed.
"I'll join!"
"Count me in!"
"I'll join too!"
'Hey, hey, hey, didn't one of you just say only idiots would participate? Kushida, are you the psychic here?'
Saiki Kusuo complained.
'Whatever, even if they want to volunteer, it has nothing to do with me. After all, only a few are willing to go out. Even if I stay here, nothing will happen.'
"The five of us will go too!"
At that moment, Ike Kanji suddenly raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention.
The five of them... were the three idiots, plus Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki Kusuo.
'??????? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, why are you dragging me into this? You guys definitely don't want to participate either!'
Saiki Kusuo immediately shifted his attention to the others.
[This seems interesting. Let's join!]
'What's interesting about this?'
[If I volunteer, maybe the girls in the class will look at me differently!]
'Absolutely no chance of that.'
[Whether I join or not doesn't matter, but I can check out the base I saw earlier.]
'Aren't you an avoidanceist?'
Saiki Kusuo glanced at Ike Kanji, whose attention was entirely on Kushida Kikyo.
'Damn it, if I refuse now, I'll probably be criticized by everyone. I might even end up in the top three most annoying people in the class, alongside Koenji. Absolutely not!'
Saiki Kusuo had no choice but to reluctantly nod and step forward.
'Well, aside from the three idiots, the others joining are relatively normal...'
"The sun feels so refreshing. My body needs energy~ I'll join too!"
At that moment, Koenji Rokusuke also stepped forward, volunteering for the exploration mission.
'Hey, hey, hey, why are you suddenly so active today?'
Saiki Kusuo had a bad feeling.
"Now we have exactly twelve people. We can split into four teams!"
Hirata Yosuke smiled and let the twelve people form their own teams.
'Someone, anyone, please team up with me. Ike, I hereby declare that you've risen from being a primate monkey back to a human. You're it...'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, his peripheral vision focused on the others. His only thought was to avoid being teamed up with Koenji Rokusuke at all costs.
But within seconds, the others had already formed their teams.
Now, only three people were left.
Aside from Saiki Kusuo, there were Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke.
'Crap, it's down to these two...'
[Saiki-kun is joining... I want to join too... but there are already twelve people... If I join, it'll be thirteen... and it'll be hard to divide into teams. I'll just be in the way...]
At that moment, Sakura Airi, standing in the crowd, looked at Saiki Kusuo with a hesitant expression.
'Please come, please come.'
Saiki Kusuo desperately wished Sakura Airi would take his place.
...
Soon, the teams began to move out, and Saiki Kusuo was forced to team up with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke.
[My perfect body needs to bask in this glorious sunlight.]
[Ah, so beautiful. Standing leisurely in nature, I am truly magnificent... the ultimate beauty!]
[So beautiful, I am truly beautiful!]
Koenji Rokusuke's inner monologue was incredibly noisy in Saiki Kusuo's ears, as he dashed through the forest like a wild man.
'Damn it, this guy should really be locked up in a zoo.'
'No, no, this guy reminds me of that monster called Rajang from a certain game...'
'In a way, they're really similar.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself as he followed behind Koenji Rokusuke.
'This guy seems to be heading somewhere with a clear goal. If I remember correctly, that should be one of the bases. That's good. If Koenji can find a base for the class, it'll save me a lot of trouble...'
But after walking for a long time, Koenji Rokusuke suddenly stopped and turned around, smiling at Saiki Kusuo.
"Glasses boy."
'What did you just call me?'
"Didn't expect you to be slightly more beautiful than I imagined. For a mere mortal, you're not bad."
'What are you talking about?'
"You can actually keep up with my perfect pace?"
'???'
It was only then that Saiki Kusuo realized the problem.
Koenji Rokusuke moved incredibly fast. An ordinary person probably wouldn't be able to keep up with him—but without a frame of reference, Saiki Kusuo hadn't noticed and had been following him the whole time.
Saiki Kusuo turned around and looked behind him—
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was also closely following him.
Saiki Kusuo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stared at each other, silence hanging between them.
[Koenji has extraordinary physical abilities and reflexes. An ordinary person would probably struggle to keep up with him—but Saiki kept up, and he doesn't even look tired. Now I'm almost certain that Saiki is similar to me. In terms of physical ability, he might even be above me.]
'This is a bit troublesome, but at least they're not thinking about psychic powers. Should I erase their memories...? No, the fabricated memories might be even more outrageous. It's too late to pretend to be out of breath now.'
Saiki Kusuo sighed inwardly. He knew he was in big trouble. Fortunately, the two beside him were Koenji Rokusuke—a golden ape—and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was also hiding his true abilities. At least for now, this wouldn't have a major impact on his life in class.
"I have a question for you mere mortals. Can you tell me how you view this place?"
At that moment, Koenji Rokusuke suddenly asked.
'What is this guy thinking now?'
[These two mortals are slightly more special than the others. Let's test them a bit and see if they've noticed anything unusual about this island.]
'This guy, despite looking like a golden ape, is actually quite meticulous. I underestimated him earlier.'
[He's testing me... trying to see if I've noticed that this island is man-made?]
'Too bad, Koenji, I've already guessed your thoughts!'
Saiki Kusuo's mind raced, and he quickly spoke up:
"This island... doesn't seem particularly special, does it?"
"Good, I see. Don't mind my question. Mere mortals are indeed mere mortals."
Koenji Rokusuke didn't say anything more and continued walking forward.
'Did I manage to fool him?'
At that moment, Koenji Rokusuke's thoughts were once again drowned in self-praise, and Saiki Kusuo had no choice but to continue following him.
As they moved forward, the trees around them gradually thinned, and the path widened—
A large cave appeared before them.
"Saiki, do you think this is a base?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned to look at Saiki Kusuo.
[This is the base. I saw this place from the ship earlier. Saiki must have noticed it too, right?]
'Are you really asking me this while pretending not to know?'
Saiki Kusuo felt somewhat helpless but played along.
"I'm not sure. Maybe?"
"I think it might be."
[Saiki is still pretending not to know.]
'Then what was the point of asking me that question???'
At that moment, two people emerged from the cave—Katsuragi Kohei and Totsuka Yahiko.
'It's that guy—Katsuragi. They got here first.'
Saiki Kusuo wasn't surprised. Before the mission started, he had used his telepathy to hear Katsuragi's thoughts. His first target was this place...
At that moment, Katsuragi Kohei looked around but didn't notice Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki Kusuo. In his hand, he held the key card needed to occupy this area, clearly acting as the leader.
However, Saiki Kusuo knew very well that this was just an act.
As for the leader's identity, Saiki Kusuo had already figured it out the moment he saw them.
[I wonder if anyone's around, but just in case, I'll hold the key card and pretend to be the leader.]
Katsuragi's thoughts were loud and clear.