As the first rays of dawn sunlight filtered through the forest, many in Class A's campsite were already awake. Everyone knew today was the day the results would be announced, so they rose earlier than usual.
Hashima Hikaru was also up, standing on a small hill behind the campsite, gazing at the forest scenery.
"Is it finally time to leave this place?"
Though the island didn't seem particularly large, the young man had learned a lot about it during their resource-gathering efforts.
The school had chosen this location for the first special exam, not just to test teamwork, but also intelligence-gathering and adaptability to the wilderness.
"Good morning, Hashima-kun," Ichise Honami said after finishing her morning routine, climbing up the hill to join him.
"Morning, Ichise-san."
"Soon, Hoshinomiya-sensei will bring out the document to fill in the leader's name. Minamisawa-san said you should be the one to write it."
"Got it."
Hashima Hikaru nodded, then asked, "What about Yamashita-san?"
As a spy sent by Class D, Yamashita Saki had found no opportunity to gather information about the leader despite having her basic needs met and access to insect repellent and herbal remedies.
On one hand, after implementing Hashima's plan, everyone had completely forgotten about the base and key cards, never discussing them.
On the other hand, Minamisawa Shou, the leader, was highly reliable. She acted just like any other student, whether gathering resources or scouting, showing no signs of suspicion.
Thus, Yamashita Saki found no flaws, and unable to gather intel, she hadn't met up with Dragon boy Xiang or Ibuki Mio, as if she'd completely lost contact.
"Yamashita-san has been very quiet, hardly doing anything special, and never leaving the campsite alone."
Knowing Yamashita was a spy, Ichise Honami naturally took action. She tasked her friends, Ando Sayo and Shiraha Chihiro, to monitor her movements. Since they were all girls, they could even sleep next to her in the tent to prevent any suspicious activity.
"After all, since we never revealed anything about the leader, there's nothing she can do."
Hashima Hikaru smiled faintly. Even if Dragon boy Xiang and Ibuki Mio's infiltration succeeded, they'd only obtain the names of two class leaders.
While this could create a point gap by penalizing other classes, winning first place would still be difficult. After all, Class A had spent very few points and would guess the names of three class leaders, so they didn't need to worry about the others' results.
After the final morning roll call, the students prepared their last breakfast, a lavish spread since there was no need to conserve resources.
Once everyone was full, Hoshinomiya Chie approached Hashima Hikaru.
Though the final step was guessing the names of other class leaders, it didn't mean only the leader could write them. Any student could.
"Hashima-kun, please fill this out. The teacher's counting on you."
Though Hoshinomiya Chie had only explained the rules and offered no help this week, she'd been quietly observing the students.
She had to admit, her chosen students, Hashima Hikaru and Ichise Honami, had performed brilliantly in this exam. Their swift integration of the class at the start of the term had created a butterfly effect, allowing plans to proceed smoothly and intelligence to be gathered effortlessly.
"Understood."
Hashima Hikaru took the paper, picked up the pen, and began writing the confirmed information.
The others in the campsite naturally noticed, as this was the most critical part of the uninhabited island exam, and everyone grew tense.
As all eyes turned to him, Hashima Hikaru remained calm, smoothly writing the verified names:
Class B: Todoka Yahiko.
Class C: Horikita Suzune.
Class D: Ibuki Mio.
After finishing, he handed the paper to Hoshinomiya Chie. The young teacher glanced at it, then instructed everyone:
"You can now start packing up the campsite. Whether unused resources or basic supplies, everything must be sorted and brought to the beach. Don't leave any trash behind, or points will be deducted. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Checking the time, there was only about an hour left until the 12 p.m. assembly. Hashima Hikaru immediately joined his classmates in cleaning and packing.
Once everything was sorted, Class A lined up and headed to the beach. After seven days of exams, everyone wore relaxed smiles as they began their journey home.
No matter what, they'd survived this special exam. Now, all that remained was awaiting the results.
The other classes were the same. As Class A returned to the beach, they saw the other classes assembling. The area assigned to Class D remained empty, with only their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Suma, standing at the front.
"Hey, why is Class D's teacher still here? Didn't they give up the exam?"
"Yeah, I saw Class D's students return to the cruise ship earlier. They're probably just going through the motions."
"Really just going through the motions?"
As everyone gathered, a sudden change occurred. Yamashita Saki, who'd been with Class A, glanced around, then stepped out, heading toward Class D's designated area.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Is that student from Class D? Why was she with Class A?"
Next, Manabe Shiho, who'd been with Class C, also stepped out, returning to Class D's area. They glanced at Sakagami Suma at the front, then quietly stood behind him in the empty space.
"What's happening?"
"Manabe-san… was a spy?!"
Since Hashima Hikaru had already shared this information, Class A wasn't surprised, but Class C's students, who'd been kept in the dark, were shocked.
"Hey, so Manabe was a spy? Yamauchi, you really misjudged her!"
"This can't be… it's not like that!"
Yamauchi Haruki reflected on his recent behavior, his expression darkening.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, knowing the inside story, remained expressionless. After gathering the names of Class B and C's leaders, he'd told Hirata, who then relayed the information to Horikita Suzune to fill out the names.
To prevent leaks, Ayanokouji instructed Hirata not to tell too many people, so currently, fewer than three people in Class C knew the situation.
As everyone was stunned, two figures slowly emerged from the forest, one behind the other.
"Well, looks like everyone's here. We're not late, it seems."
Dragon boy smiled at everyone. Though the plan had hit a few snags, he was confident that victory would ultimately be his.