NOVEL WEB Chapter 136: 73.3
…
After learning the rules, the students of Class B had no choice but to allow Ryuen to exchange supplies for them. There was simply no other option. After more than 3 hours of walking, they were numb and in need of essentials like food, water, sunscreen, and toilets.
The basic toilets provided by the school were inadequate, and everyone was feeling down. Knowing they would be on the island for a week, they reluctantly decided to exchange for a regular toilet.
Ryuuen, being opportunistic, suggested he might sell the toilets later at a steep price if they were patient and paid him 2,000 points each time they used it.
In essence, Ryuuen positioned himself as the toilet director during this period, which didn't sit well with many. [T/N: 🤣]
His earlier attempt to sell bases at inflated prices had already been rejected by the students, so they insisted he adhere to the original rules and use his class's basic points to exchange for supplies.
Therefore, despite their initial intention to save points, they had to start by having Ryuuen spend 100 basic points to obtain the necessary supplies.
…
The students from Classes C and B continued to linger on the beach, while the head teachers of all four classes remained seated. At this point, it was likely that Classes D and A had already set up their camps, leaving only Classes B and C in a miserable state on the beach, unable to establish their own.
All eyes turned to Chabashira, as the current scenario favored Class D, who had become the strongest by occupying the most strongholds.
With each stronghold potentially earning them between 50 to 60 points in bonus points, Class D's unexpected strength surprised teachers from Classes B and C alike.
Chabashira maintained her usual impassive demeanor. "My students are not cheating. They are strictly adhering to the rules," she affirmed.
Profound. This was an age-old saying, yet there was a lingering sense that Chabashira lacked enthusiasm.
Why was this so, especially when her class was clearly in the lead?
Hoshinomiya Chie, sensing the gravity of the situation, rose from her seat, seemingly ready to approach Class B.
"Hoshinomiya sensei—"
However, Mr. Mashima from Class A shot her a glance. "It's troublesome. As a teacher, we should have principles," he stated firmly, implying a commitment to fair play without any hint of cheating.
It appeared unnecessary for her to intervene. Following their rest, the students of Class B were already beginning to self-reflect. They had also noticed the unusual circumstances surrounding Class C, prompting discussions on potential strategies.
"That Ryuuen guy can't be trusted," Kanzaki remarked, expressing doubts about Class C's reliability in the current situation.
"But our current situation isn't great either," Kanzaki remarked with a sigh. "Everyone is exhausted."
Under the shade of their parasols, the students of Class B gathered together. Some realized they still had sunscreen and applied it, though their sunburnt skin stung painfully.
Adding to their discomfort, everyone wore cloth shoes after walking over 20,000 steps, making their feet ache intensely.
For Class B, today's trip to the island was nothing short of hell.
One of the girl students, already weakened, couldn't hold back tears when she finally had a chance to rest and drink water, receiving comfort from her classmates.
But what made their situation even more hellish was that they were resting on the beach, which the teachers insisted wasn't a stronghold and therefore prohibited them from camping here.
Allowing them to remain was only a temporary solution; waiting until nightfall would surely pose greater challenges.
"We need to secure a base before then," Ichinose asserted. "Ryuen and his group haven't moved either, so they're in the same predicament as us. But we can already secure a stronghold."
"Check the time now," Ichinose continued. "Mr. Mashima mentioned we can stay at other classes' bases for one hour, and strongholds need to be refreshed every 8 hours."
"So, half an hour ago, we can go to Class D's base and wait for the 8-hour occupation period to expire," Ichinose proposed. "Then we take over."
"We need to capture this stronghold first to solve the issue of where we'll rest tonight."
"Agreed," murmured the students of Class B, nodding in determination.
"This plan is indeed good," Kanzaki nodded in agreement.
"At the same time, the current situation is pretty bad. I just drank some water and managed to calm down a bit," Kanzaki said reflectively.
"I apologize for losing my temper at the D-class base earlier."
"No problem," Ichinose shook his head. "Everyone was under a lot of stress at that time."
The atmosphere in Class B seemed to lighten up. Despite enduring more than three challenging hours together, they had grown closer and more unified.
"On the other side," Kanzaki continued, gesturing towards Class C's parasol. "Komiyama and Albert, select ten boys."
"It's 2 PM now, four hours have passed,"
Ichinose observed. "So around 4 o'clock, we'll head towards Class D's occupied bases and await their leader."
"I don't believe Class D's leader won't reveal themselves after claiming so many bases," Ryuen asserted. "Also, select five boys to stay at Class A's base."
The plan was clear: verify the identities of the leaders of Class A and Class D.
As expected, Ryuuen remained composed, monitoring the situation via the homeroom teacher of class C.
Despite Class D's dominance in occupying numerous strongholds, uncovering the leader's identity during the seventh-day guessing session would reset their bonus points to zero.
"If Class A and Class D cooperate or if Class D occupies too many strongholds, the leader's identity will inevitably surface," Ichinose speculated.
"The discomfort of being wiped out in the end will be even more pronounced."
At 5 PM, half of Class B's students had already set out. Exhausted from walking, they carefully evaluated the several strongholds they passed, searching for the most suitable one.
Ultimately, they settled on a well-maintained vegetable garden, abundant with cabbage, radishes, and water spinach.
As the time approached 6 PM, just before the 8-hour deadline for occupying the base, Ishizaki Daichi exclaimed, "Here they come!"
Ryuen, Ishizaki Daichi, and Albert had been waiting in a seaside base, poised to take over if the leader of Class D abandoned it or showed up to swipe their leader card. Soon, a tall, muscular man approached them.
"Well, if it isn't Dragon Boy?" the man greeted Ryuen, known as Kouenji Rokusuke. He had impressive muscles and striking red pupils.
"What are you three up to here?" Kouenji asked casually. "Playing hide and seek?"
"It's quite interesting, isn't it?" Kouenji remarked as he walked directly to the card machine and smoothly swiped his leader card.
"Beep!" The machine confirmed, "Card swiping successful. This stronghold has been occupied."
Kouenji had successfully taken over the base and claimed the leader position for Class D. He then glanced back at Ryuuen and remarked, "I won't play with you anymore," before turning and leaving.
Ryuen and the others watched Kouenji leave in silence. Ryuen focused particularly on Kouenji's back. The name column on Kouenji's leader card was taped over, preventing them from confirming his identity directly.
Ryuen considered the situation carefully as Ishizaki excitedly concluded that Kouenji must be the leader of Class D since he swiped the card. However, Ryuen remained cautious and skeptical.
"Anyway, let's stick to the original plan," Ryuen suggested, trying to maintain focus despite the uncertainty surrounding Kouenji's identity. He acknowledged that Kouenji appeared to be a skilled actor, making it challenging to discern the truth with just their observations.
Moreover, Class D has formed an alliance with Class A.
In Class A, there is Oreki Houtarou.
So, there is no guarantee that Oreki wouldn't ask Kouenji to deliberately violate the rules.
For Class A, there are too many strongholds on this island, and the points that can be generated by the strongholds in a week are also very large.
Two solutions can be considered:
Either gain many strongholds to accumulate points, or simply withhold points altogether.
Bases will be directly abolished if used in violation of regulations. Do not doubt this.
Ryuuen believed Oreki capable of such actions; he possessed significant influence. After all, he had previously inquired about his points and then orchestrated Kouenji's maneuver to deceive him out of them. So, let's arrange for a spy to appear and confirm the identities of the leaders of Class A, Class B, and Class D.
In the evening, students from Class D and Class A also gathered at the beach for roll call. All students were informed that Class C had given up.