The morning light was hazy, and the ground was wet, reflecting the dawn.
Dark clouds loomed in the distant sky, and the air carried a lingering chill from the night.
It seemed there had been a rainstorm in the early hours of yesterday, perhaps a prelude to an approaching tempest.
Ibuki Mio furrowed her brow.
It was already the sixth day of this special exam, and she still hadn't identified Class D leader.
She had secretly gone through the girls' luggage and backpacks but found nothing resembling a card.
In her search for the key card, Ibuki Mio even risked exposure by sneaking into the boys tents at night to thoroughly inspect their backpacks.
Yet, reality continued to disappoint her.
The leader was clearly smart and cautious, likely carrying the key card on their person at all times.
Moreover, Class D had deliberately formed a human wall during each check-in, with dozens of students mingling together, leaving Ibuki Mio utterly clueless.
She couldn't just join the crowd, so she could only watch from a distance.
Beyond this, there was something else that left Ibuki Mio uneasy.
Her digital camera had broken, inexplicably refusing to turn on.
It was a new camera that Ryuuen Kakeru had bought for her and Kanda Satoru using exam points.
Surely, the quality couldn't be that bad?
If it weren't for the fact that no one had discovered her identity so far, Ibuki Mio would have suspected someone was deliberately targeting her.
But no matter how difficult it was, with the exam time running out, she had to take action.
So, yesterday, Ibuki Mio stole Karuizawa Kei socks.
Originally, she had considered stealing her underwear, but then she remembered the recent rumors about a foot fetishist at school.
Instead, she took the socks and deliberately poured leftover fish soup into Karuizawa Kei shoes, leaving them sticky and emitting a strange odor.
She then casually stuffed the socks into a boy backpack, hoping to force Class D to reveal some information that would benefit her.
Sure enough, the girls and boys ended up arguing.
Strangely, though, Karuizawa Kei, the usually arrogant and domineering girl was crying inside the tent.
Taking the opportunity to inspect the luggage again, Ibuki Mio carefully went through the boys' backpacks once more but still found no trace of the key card.
Watching Hirata Yosuke search the boys, she wanted to step in and help, but of course that was impossible.
Class D was in chaos and the trust crisis had created small cracks in their human wall strategy.
At least the boys and girls were keeping their distance, and the numbers had dwindled.
For instance, Karuizawa Kei and her group had refused to participate.
Ibuki Mio quietly ruled out some suspects, but today, she had to make her final move.
At this moment, the girl still sat under the tree at the edge of the camp, quietly observing the movements of Class D.
Hirata Yosuke began organizing the food groups for the day.
Some continued fishing by the river, while others chose to venture into the forest.
"Ibuki, would you like to join us?"
As he passed by Ibuki Mio, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka suddenly extended an invitation to her.
His invitation not only surprised Ibuki Mio but also caught Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyou, and Yamauchi Haruki off guard.
Ibuki Mio was momentarily stunned but then nodded calmly in agreement.
"I understand. Since I've been under the care of your class, I can lend a hand."
With that, she stood up from the ground and picked up her backpack.
"Suddenly, it feels like I'm building a harem. This is amazing!" Yamauchi Haruki, for some reason, got excited and started spouting all sorts of strange remarks.
Kushida Kikyou didn't reject Ibuki Mio' inclusion. Instead, she smiled warmly and welcomed her happily.
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune was too preoccupied to care about such trivial matters. She forced herself to keep up with the group.
Gradually, Horikita Suzune fell to the back of the group, while Kushida Kikyou and the others chatted ahead.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka also slowed his pace and said expressionlessly "You don't have to force yourself to keep up. It's the last day, after all."
"No, I've been in the tent for too long. If I don't participate in your activities, people will start to suspect me" Horikita Suzune replied, her pale lips pressed together.
"And don't bring this up again."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained silent for a moment before asking.
"How do you usually keep the key card?"
"Why are you asking?" Horikita Suzune frowned.
"I suddenly thought of a way that might lure the other classes into making a mistake" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka explained.
"If possible, could you let me see it?"
Horikita Suzune hesitated for a while before taking out the key card from her person and asking.
"What's your plan?"
"Hand the key card to me regularly. You'll only take it back when it's time to use it. I can subtly reveal the key card, making the other classes mistakenly believe that I'm the leader."
Faced with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka words, Horikita Suzune instinctively fell into deep thought.
However, her mind was foggy and the more he spoke with conviction, the harder it was for her to discern the truth.
"You… what do you plan to do?"
"Let me see the key card first."
Taking advantage of Horikita Suzune momentary distraction, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka took the key card from her hand.
But at that moment, whether due to a slip or something else, the card fell from both of their hands.
"Ah!"
As Ayanokouji Kiyotaka let out an emotionless cry, the people walking at the front turned around to look.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, just saw a bug."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka vaguely answered Kushida Kikyou question, but his gaze remained fixed on Horikita Suzune.
It was hard to believe that she could react so swiftly, immediately picking up the key card and putting it back in her pocket.
However, the plan should proceed without issues.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Ibuki Mio silently averting her gaze.
"If you're this careless again, I'll kill you" Horikita Suzune whispered a warning to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka ignored her reaction and immediately approached Haruki Yamauchi, and the two boys began chatting happily.
As he had anticipated, Ibuki Mio indeed saw the keycard, and the girl was now somewhat bewildered.
After days of no progress, the keycard had come to her on her own?
Before she could think too long, Haruki Yamauchi scooped up a handful of mud and suddenly splashed it onto Horikita Suzune, leaving her completely covered in dirty mud.
Under Horikita Suzune murderous gaze, Haruki Yamauchi dashed back to the camp, shouting something about long live the harem.
Suddenly faced with this situation, the team seemed unable to move forward.
Even if they forced themselves to keep going, after searching the forest for an hour with no sign of food, they had no choice but to return to the camp.
Since there were many girls queuing for the shower room, Horikita Suzune decided to bathe in the river.
She put on her school swimsuit and went alone to a secluded corner before entering the water.
Thus, before noon, Ibuki Mio stared blankly at the backpack and clothes left in the tent by the other girl.
Although she wasn't sure what was going on... she could probably take them, right?
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