Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 134: Discovering New Outposts, Kushida-san Takes a Big Step!

Kushida looked at Hachiman, who stood still, and suddenly realized something.

Previously, she had accidentally kicked the railing and revealed her true nature, and this moment was witnessed by Hachiman. Since then, Kushida had been under his threat. Initially, she had intended to use her handprint to threaten him, but it turned out to have no effect and backfired. In the end, she found herself blackmailed, forced to follow his orders, and betray her class at specific times.

For someone like Kushida, who wanted to be everyone’s angel and maintain a pure image, such a betrayal was highly damaging to her reputation. If she didn’t handle it well, her image could be severely tarnished. Therefore, this was truly a blow to Kushida.

“Even though I suggested you go and draw, you didn’t really listen, did you?” Hachiman said. “And on the ship, there was Ike trying to confess to you.”

“Although that was resolved, I bet you were still in a bad mood, right?” Hachiman continued.

“Hmph.”

Kushida listened to his words and quickly realized what he meant. Was he trying to help her manage her emotions?

“You were staring at the island’s images for quite a while on the ship. I think you probably found some good spots,” Hachiman said. “And now, over the past couple of days, you’re looking to release some of that frustration.”

“I don’t have anything going on right now, so I can go with you and help you watch out,” he added.

“…” Kushida.

Sure enough.

Hachiman’s insight was annoying.

Previously, her outlet for venting had been writing blogs, but that could be seen by others. It led to a disaster in middle school. She then considered writing in a diary, but that too could be exposed. So, she resorted to kicking the railing as a way to release her frustration physically.

Unfortunately, Hachiman caught her in the act.

And now, he was perhaps the person who understood her the best in the entire school.

“Ugh,” Kushida muttered cutely to Hachiman, but when her classmates weren’t looking, she added in a cold tone, “Then come with me.”

Her initial tone sounded like a playful complaint, but the second half seemed like a simple dismissal.

This was Kushida’s colder, more distant tone, after her gradual shift in attitude.

Hey, Kushida, even though you’re facing away from the camp, your tone shouldn’t change that quickly, right?

Don’t forget, if this gets exposed, you’ll be the first to face the consequences.

Hachiman silently complained in his mind.

But Kushida’s reaction made it clear that her emotions were probably reaching their limit.

So it was the right decision to intercept her today.

…

On the ship, when they heard the announcement about the exam, Hachiman had Sakura record a video. Then they all watched it together, looking for important points to remember.

Hachiman paid attention to the outposts, while Kushida had a different approach. She was searching for places that would suit her venting habits, such as areas where she could kick railings.

And the place Kushida chose was the central tower.

This white tower offered a view of other outposts, making it a highly advantageous location.

However, Kushida didn’t head toward the tower directly. Instead, she led the way around a smaller tower, walking straight toward the grass near the edge of the white tower.

Then she stopped.

“Kushida?” Hachiman looked at her.

He walked over to her and understood why she had stopped.

It was because she had noticed something strange on both sides of the grass: two large nails driven deep into the ground.

Bending down to look, Hachiman immediately saw a large gap in the ground.

The two nails were positioned just below a steel ladder, with a thick rope tied nearby, seemingly used as an extra safety measure.

Hachiman moved forward, grabbed the rope, and stepped down the two rungs of the ladder to test its strength. After confirming it was safe, he said, “Did you find this place?”

“This was a random discovery,” Kushida replied. “I had remembered two areas that I thought could be good for venting, but when I got here, I found that both were outposts already claimed by Koenji. So I decided to explore a new spot.”

“Fortunately, I found this place,” she added.

“I see.”

“Now this area leads downward. If you go down a few steps, you’ll see,” Kushida said.

So, Hachiman stepped down the ladder.

It wasn’t a long drop—only about ten meters.

At the bottom, he found a small valley, and not far from the stairs was a small cabin.

Yes, a cabin.

Standing on the grass near the central tower, the cabin was situated in a place with a significant drop. If one wasn’t paying close attention, it could easily be overlooked.

Hachiman reached the small cabin, and upon hearing footsteps, he turned to find Kushida had also followed him down. She seemed to be tying a thick rope as she descended.

She didn’t notice him.

So, Hachiman couldn’t confirm that she was, indeed, wearing underwear.

This was obvious because she was in sportswear, so nothing could be seen.

“I’ve been here once,” Kushida said. “But I didn’t go down to the ground. I just saw the cabin and the open area from the stairs and then went back.”

“After all, with a cabin, I couldn’t be sure if someone was here,” she explained.

In other words, she had come out alone to explore the area but was also concerned about encountering danger.

“There is someone here,” Hachiman said. “But they’re probably not around during the exam.”

With that, he pushed the door open.

It wasn’t locked. The wooden floor was not dusty, indicating that someone had likely been living there recently.

Inside, there was a bed, fishing gear, a small fridge, and a small kitchen. On the wall was a telescope.

“This should be the administrator’s residence for this artificial island,” Hachiman said. “Ordinary islands don’t have so many resources, and like the vegetable garden on Ichinose’s side, those crops definitely aren’t wild.”

“Those crops wouldn’t survive without someone taking care of them. So, they must come here by boat to tend to it. Clearly, there must be someone living here.”

“And this place is most likely that residence.”

“It should be this place.”

“From the central tower, you can see most of the outposts on the island.”

“And there’s also a telescope here.”

It was a reverse deduction. The purpose of the telescope was likely to observe the surroundings.

“I see.”

“Then, is it possible that the administrator is still on the island, or will they temporarily return to this cabin?” Kushida asked.

The reason she asked was because she had noticed a wooden post in the open area in front of the cabin, which the administrator might use for exercise.

At the same time…

It looked like a railing that could be kicked.

So, Kushida seemed a bit more focused but also a bit nervous.

Even though Hachiman could help keep watch, if the administrator suddenly returned, Kushida’s true nature might be exposed.

So, she wasn’t entirely at ease.

“They won’t be coming back during the exam,” Hachiman said confidently.

Then he walked over to where the fishing gear was stored.

Kushida followed him, and when she looked over at the fishing gear, she found a card reader there. It was still dark, meaning no other students had discovered or used it yet.

There were many outposts on the island, and in order to earn points, one needed to find the card readers at the outposts and have the leader use the leader card to scan them.

So now, the presence of the card reader means that this place is technically a stronghold.

However, it cannot be considered a proper stronghold.

The reason is that the cabin is small, only able to accommodate a few people who sleep on the ground. It’s similar to the small cabins used during elementary school experimental classes in Chiba Village.

Therefore, it can’t house an entire class of students for group living.

“Since this place is considered a stronghold and can be occupied by students, then why still keep an administrator?” Hachiman said. “The administrator will definitely be removed. They won’t be returning during the exam.”

“That makes sense,” Kushida nodded.

“Then should we inform Koenji about this stronghold?” Kushida asked.

A stronghold can earn 3 points per day, and since it’s only the second day of the exam, occupying one more stronghold would give the class an additional 20 points.

“No need,” Hachiman replied. “You want to vent your emotions, right? If we tell everyone about this stronghold, your place to vent will be gone.”

“I had suggested an outlet for your emotions, like painting.”

“But you didn’t want to paint.”

“And you can’t keep kicking the railings at school. Two months have passed, and now you’ve probably accumulated a lot of pent-up emotions. Just kicking the railings for a bit surely won’t satisfy you,” Hachiman said.

“Ugh, stop acting like I need to vent every day,” Kushida said, blinking lightly.

“Well, vent today and you won’t have to come back tomorrow,” Hachiman said. “I’ll tell Koenji about this stronghold tomorrow.”

“No,” Kushida’s expression changed instantly. “How could I vent everything in just today?”

Her tone also turned cold.

Hachiman noticed that her cute “angel” persona had started to turn dark. While her appearance remained the same, her eyes had grown cold.

It was a strange transformation.

Though Kushida looked cute in her “angel” persona, Hachiman realized that this darker version of her actually attracted him more.

So, was it true that his taste was kind of strange?

“Then, please go ahead,” Hachiman said.

He moved to sit at the side, keeping watch.

“What a boring guy,” Kushida shot him a deep glance before walking over to the post, seemingly ready to kick it.

However…

“Also, you’re not allowed to curse at me,” Hachiman added.

“…” Kushida.

She had only cursed at Hachiman once, and he had quickly exploited her weakness, so she wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

She muttered to herself.

“Those guys really have no self-awareness.”

“Like Ike, how dare he confess to me?”

“Doesn’t he know I really dislike him?”

“As for Horikita Suzune, that girl, I’ve been so nice to her, and she doesn’t even tell me any secrets. Looks like she still just sees me as a superficial friend…”

“…”

Kushida was beyond saving.

________________________________________

On the Other Side…

At the beach, by the materials exchange station.

“Little Chabashira, one of your students found the administrator’s cabin,” the teachers were watching their computers on the beach, while students wore wristbands with location trackers that allowed them to confirm the students’ movements.

Then…

Hoshinomiya spoke up.

It was the second day of the island exam.

The students had mostly settled in.

Although Class C had shocked the other homeroom teachers by occupying 20 strongholds in just 2 hours yesterday, there were still some clues to follow.

The ship’s broadcast had already reminded students to prepare for the exam.

So, Class C probably prepared in advance.

There were a total of 20 strongholds on the island.

As of now, only 22 strongholds had been occupied or used.

Three strongholds remained empty.

However, just a moment ago, one of those three remaining strongholds was discovered.

This stronghold was unique and harder to find than the others.

It was like an Easter egg.

“Impressive,” Hoshinomiya said. “Even such a hidden place was discovered. Little Chabashira, your students have really stood out in this exam.”

“To be honest, I never imagined your class would be so strong.”

“…” Chabashira.

Chabashira was just brewing coffee when she almost spilled it, her hand trembling upon hearing the words.

However, she steadied herself.

She knew that her friend had said this intentionally.

It was to draw the attention of the other two homeroom teachers.

This made perfect sense.

Because in this exam, in order to earn points, it was necessary to preserve the initial points as much as possible, then acquire as many stronghold points as one could, and finally, correctly guess the team leaders of other classes.

As far as initial points were concerned, Class A had maintained 220 points thanks to the support from Class D, without any change.

However, Class B, led by Hoshinomiya, had already spent 100 points of their initial points and would continue to consume more due to their class’s larger expenses.

Even with frugality, by the end, Class B’s initial points were estimated to only be around 150–170 points.

On the other hand, Class C, under Chabashira’s direction, had reset their initial points to zero. They stopped calling the roll, but had already secured 20 strongholds. As long as no other class guessed their team leader, they would be able to earn over 300 points.

Class D had also reset their initial points to zero, and 37 students had opted out. However, this forfeiture wasn’t without value, as the 300 points they originally had were spent on materials and moved to Class A. This meant they had made a deal with Class A.

As a result, Hoshinomiya, the teacher of Class B, began to grow anxious.

Because…

It seemed that in this exam, Class B had gained nothing. They were simply participating in the exam obediently.