NOVEL WEB Chapter 143: 76.1
The beach where the students gather also serves as the supply exchange point. Among the four classes, Class C has abstained, and Class D's basic points have returned to zero.
The teachers know that the remaining Classes A and B aren't short on supplies, making the exchange point more symbolic than necessary. But duty calls, and they have to be present.
As the teachers were preparing to leave on the return ship for a break, they noticed something unusual—someone had discovered the 41st stronghold, an Easter egg of sorts.
At that moment, a pick-up boat docked on the other side of the beach. Most of the teachers glanced over just long enough to confirm that Class C Teacher had returned, then quickly turned back to focus on the computer screens of Mr. Mashima and Mrs. Chabashira.
The atmosphere was tense, almost exclusionary. It was clear that Class C Teacher wasn't particularly liked by his colleagues.
But even though Class C had abstained and their basic points were at zero, this didn't mean they were out of the game.
In fact, Class C Teacher saw Ryuuen's determination. While most of Class C had indeed abstained—36 students in total—Ryuuen, along with Ibuki, Ishizaki Daichi, and Kaneda, remained.
Ryuuen stayed on the island as the team leader with a specific purpose: to participate in the team leader guessing session before the island exam ended on the seventh day.
The basic score of zero didn't disqualify them from participating in the guessing game, and as team leader, Ryuuen couldn't simply abstain.
However, remaining on the island made it easy to identify him as the leader. To counter this, Ryuuen chose to hide—not within the 40 known strongholds, but by heading deeper into the island.
The island isn't very large, but it isn't small either. It has areas suitable for survival and school activities, as well as zones that are off-limits or difficult to reach.
In these areas, Ryuuen has chosen to reside, fully embracing the challenge of real island survival.
Ryuuen's persistence and determination are rooted in his strategy to gather information about the leaders of the other classes, aiming to guess correctly and earn points.
This is his commitment to victory. The numbers on the board reflect Ryuuen's tenacity, which gives hope that he could lead Class C to Class B, or even further toward Class A.
If Ryuuen can break through to Class B, it would greatly increase Class C Teacher's salary and rewards, allowing him to pay off his debts from being defrauded by a woman within the next three years.
As Class C Teacher contemplated this, he noticed Hoshinomiya Chie looking at him with a playful expression.
"Do you remember stronghold No. 41?"
"Stronghold No. 41?" he quickly responded.
"It refers to the guardian's hut, where the island is managed," Hoshinomiya explained.
"It's an Easter egg in this exam. Previous editions of the exam also included this little surprise, but no students, not even Horikita Manabu, discovered it.
It requires keen insight and the ability to view the situation from the school's perspective. For Horikita, his focus on class issues likely prevented him from thinking so broadly."
She continued, "The exam is officially about island survival, but when you consider that this is an artificial island—with green vegetables, fruits, sugar cane, and corn all managed and provided by humans—it contradicts the survival theme.
Finding the hut of the island's caretaker reveals the island's artificial nature, which is the Easter egg in this exam."
"The chairman proposed this Easter egg as a special reward. If a student finds this stronghold and swipes their card, they get 50 bonus points."
"Has anyone found this stronghold yet?" he asked.
"Yes," Hoshinomiya confirmed. "Students from Class A and Class D have already found it."
"..."
Class C Teacher was puzzled. Hadn't Ryuuen found it? He had high hopes for Ryuuen, believing that Ryuuen's strategy of hiding would naturally lead him to such a concealed spot.
But according to the information gathered, this stronghold was hidden just down the edge of the white tower at the center of the island.
The White Tower itself is a stronghold. If Ryuuen wanted to remain hidden and avoid detection, staying close to the White Tower would be counterproductive. This suggests that Ryuuen might have missed an opportunity.
Seeing the disappointment on his face, Hoshinomiya Chie added, "I have some good news. Not all students from your class abstained. Three students resisted Ryuuen, but were punished, and ended up on the island. They were then taken in by students from Class B and Class D."
This was known to him. The remaining three students were spies Ryuuen had assigned to monitor other class leaders.
"Was there one from Class A?" he inquired, realizing a blind spot.
"Yes," Hoshinomiya Chie said with a hint of sadness. "The students from Class A found a lone Class C student and brought her to Class B. So now, there are two students from Class C in my class."
He noted that Ryuuen had chosen to let the spies go, intending to place them in other classes. This decision, while strategic, seemed unsavory and somewhat mean-spirited.
With two spies in Class B, the risk of losing leader information was high. If the leader's information leaked, it could be traded, allowing others to guess Class B's leader and potentially causing Class B to lose points for forming an alliance with Class C.
"However," Hoshinomiya Chie said, "take a look at my phone." She showed photos in her album, revealing two students from Class C, Ibuki and Kaneda, both with visible scars.
He recognized this as a sign of a hard-fought struggle.
It was also a sign that Ryuuen saw the students in Class C as a threat to his own class's progress. This was an attempt to win the trust of students in other classes.
Regarding the photo, Hoshinomiya Chie continued, "Before this exam, Ryuuen was already in trouble with the student council for fighting a student from Class D. And now, he's at it again."
She smiled, her mood clearly improving. "My students despise this kind of bullying. They asked me to take photos of Ibuki and Kaneda being beaten to leave evidence.
I plan to report Ryuuen's actions to the student council when we return. We hope the council will punish him for his behavior."
Hoshinomiya Chie added, "Ryuuen isn't just hitting one person but two, showing he's unrepentant and continues his criminal behavior. I believe the fair and serious student council president will deduct not just 50 points, but 100 points from his class evaluation score."
Class C teacher reflected concern. A deduction of 100 points would be severe, but if Ryuuen already had a record, he could face heavy penalties.
The worst punishment for student fighting would be a 100-point deduction from the class evaluation score and possibly a week's suspension from school.
Considering Ryūen's persistence and his efforts to place spies, this exam still had significance for Class C. Hoshinomiya Chie's tone indicated she was aware of Ryuuen's strategy to place spies in Class B to obtain leader information.
As a teacher, she couldn't interfere, but she knew that this information would likely be leaked, and points would be deducted.
Since the spy assigned to Class A was redirected to Class B by students from Class A, Ryuuen could only gather information on the leaders of Class B and Class D.
Therefore, the maximum points he could gain were 100, which would lead to a 100-point deduction when school resumed.
Hoshinomiya Chie felt a bit more relaxed, having observed the Class C teacher become increasingly distressed.
...
"You're enjoying playing games with others again," Chabashira remarked as she saw Hoshinomiya Chie return to the material exchange point.
She had noticed the doubtful expressions on the faces of Class C teacher.
"Well, it's not surprising," Hoshinomiya Chie responded. "Class C has gone too far, throwing two spies into my class."
"And wasn't there a spy in your class arranged by Ryuuen-kun?" Hoshinomiya countered.
"My?" Chabashira's smile seemed emotionless.
Hoshinomiya Chie felt uneasy. Chabashira's attitude was peculiar. Despite being best friends, Hoshinomiya Chie didn't want Chabashira to succeed, especially since Chabashira had led Class D in the past and ultimately failed.
If Class D climbed up now, Chabashira would surely want to compete, which Hoshinomiya Chie would find problematic.
However, Chabashira appeared to have no ambition to climb higher this time, but it still resulted in Class D seemingly earning a lot of points. This left Hoshinomiya looking discontented.
"Don't just see the students as spies," Chabashira said. "It's also a strategy. And you've done it in the past, haven't you?"
Hoshinomiya Chie chuckled, realizing she might be in trouble. If Ryuuen's spies caused Class D's bonus points to drop to zero, it would be exactly what she hoped to see.
"Still," Hoshinomiya Chie said, shifting her attention to Mr. Mashima's computer, "both the students in Class A and Class D are behaving strangely."
Because the 41st stronghold was clearly discovered. By bringing the team leader and swiping the card, they could immediately earn a high reward of 50 points.
However, the two students didn't seem to be leaving to find their class leader. Instead, they appeared to have arrived at the hut of the island's caretaker and stayed there without swiping their card.
Ten minutes had passed, and they still hadn't left. What were they doing?