COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Day two of the deserted island exam, seven-thirty in the morning.

The morning sunlight slanted across the rocky walls of the mountain. Accompanied by the rustling of the forest's morning breeze sweeping through the treetops, Fuyuji Mikage pounded his aching lower back as he walked out of the cave.

Even with something to cushion the ground, sleeping on the cave's bedding was still something he could hardly get used to. If you could even call it bedding—it was actually just a combination of leaves and plastic bags, with a layer of sanitary supplies spread over the very top. There was always the feeling of something poking and prodding from below.

Because they had played cards until past eleven last night, Fuyuji had actually woken up later than the normal class start time.

He swept a glance back into the cave. Katsuragi Kohei, along with Totsuka Yahiko and a few others, were already nowhere to be seen. They might have gone out to gather wild fruits, but it was even more likely they had gone to probe the other classes for intelligence.

Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki's tent was still tightly shut. It seemed they had gone a bit overboard playing last night.

Fuyuji raised his hand and checked the wristband issued by the school. There was still some time before roll call. No rush for the moment. He would let them sleep a little longer. Later, they still had to make a round and occupy the base points.

According to yesterday's reconnaissance, the total number of base points across the entire deserted island was twenty. In other words, excluding the four base points for the four classes, there were still sixteen base points available for them to occupy. However, by today, the other classes should also be more or less catching on and beginning to explore the remaining base points.

Finding his toiletries from his backpack, Fuyuji made his way to the washing area outside the campsite. Idly gazing at the gently swaying forest across from him, he began his morning wash.

The forest breeze, heavy with the scent of vegetation and earth, brushed against his cheeks. The ice-cold, spring-like air poured into his lungs, instantly dispelling his lingering drowsiness and giving his spirits a jolt of invigoration.

"Here..."

From beneath the long sleeve of an athletic jacket, a fair, unadorned little hand reached out and passed over the toothpaste.

"Thanks." Fuyuji accepted the toothpaste and turned his head.

Shiraishi Asuka, who had just finished washing up, was right beside him. She covered her mouth with a small hand and let out an adorable yawn.

"Shiraishi-san, how did you sleep?" Fuyuji stuffed his toothbrush into his mouth and asked indistinctly.

Shiraishi seemed a bit drowsy and sleepy. She involuntarily leaned askew against Fuyuji, carrying with her a faint, refreshing scent of mint. "Mm... just so-so. I don't seem to be very used to sleeping in a tent."

"Were they too loud for you last night? If you're tired, how about going back and taking a nap later?"

"It's alright. Having the whole class together like this—this feeling is still quite novel." Shiraishi's eyelids slowly closed. Her body's center of gravity shifted bit by bit onto Fuyuji. "Just let me rest for a moment..."

"That's good, then."

Fuyuji smiled. Then, suddenly, his eyes swiveled sharply. He swiftly locked his gaze beneath the shade of a large tree on the slope above.

Kanzaki Ryuji, the one who frequently moved together with Ichinose Honami, was currently concealed in the corner, spying on the every move of the Class A students.

"Looks like there's something to do now."

A few Class A students lingering near the cave entrance had also noticed this uninvited guest. Their eyes were filled with wariness. They exchanged glances with one another, seemingly hesitating over whether to approach and speak to him.

Having realized he had been discovered, Kanzaki did not panic. He openly walked out from the forest, intending to observe, at close range, their Class B's greatest competitor in this deserted island exam.

That was, until he spotted Fuyuji, waving at him with a radiant, beaming smile, and... Shiraishi, leaning lazily against Fuyuji's shoulder like a drowsy kitten fishing by the riverside.

In just a few seconds, the look in Kanzaki's eyes as he regarded Fuyuji shifted from wariness, to shock, and then to an even deeper wariness!

That face of his, which already looked somewhat stiff and expressionless, now became thoroughly distorted and crumbling. His body subconsciously tensed, taking on the appearance of someone facing a formidable enemy.

In the face of such a reaction, Fuyuji, after a long absence, deployed the pirated angel's halo he had stolen from Ichinose. Doubling down, he waved and greeted Kanzaki loudly right there on the spot.

"Kanzaki-san, good morning~"

"Cough, cough. G-good morning." Kanzaki replied with extreme stiffness.

It truly wasn't that he was afraid of Fuyuji. Rather, from his perspective, this guy's style and methods were simply far too reminiscent of a mastermind pulling strings from the shadows.

After the Ryuen Kakeru false accusation incident, he had begun to investigate this Class A oddball. And the result was—he had uncovered absolutely nothing at all!

This Class A oddball had extremely minimal contact with students from other classes. There was simply no place to even start investigating. When he tried to discreetly probe the Class A students he knew, the answers he received were uniformly along the lines of: "To be honest, I'm not really that familiar with him," "He doesn't seem to be interested in class competition," "Katsuragi-kun said there's no need to pay him any mind," and so on.

All of these statements seemed to match his identity as an oddball... provided one removed Ichinose's evaluation of him. To put it another way—the absence of any problems was the greatest problem of all!

For a person in Class A with no issues whatsoever to be trusted to this extent by their class leader—he had never once seen Ichinose reveal such a relaxed, unguarded smile in front of anyone else. Way too suspicious...

"Come to probe our class for intelligence?"

"Yes." Kanzaki kept his expression taut.

"Shall I give you a tour and introduction?" Fuyuji pointed at the earthen stove outside the cave. "Though the inside of the cave isn't very convenient."

"No need. I'll just take a look on my own." Kanzaki concisely and succinctly declined Fuyuji's kind offer.

"In that case, I won't disturb you." Fuyuji raised the toiletries in his hand, indicating he still had things to do.

Kanzaki nodded and proceeded to observe on his own.

As for Kanzaki's reconnaissance, Fuyuji was not the slightest bit worried. From the simple earthen stove on the outer perimeter alone, one could obtain practically no useful information whatsoever. And the cave entrance had already been covered up with a ventilated black cloth, making it impossible to see the interior of the cave campsite.

And indeed, that was exactly the case. After carefully observing for a while, Kanzaki seemed to have discovered no useful intelligence. He could only turn around and leave, helpless.

Toothbrush still in his mouth, Fuyuji sized up the retreating figure of this Class B vice-leader, who appeared to be in excellent, vigorous spirits. "Coming to scout for intelligence this early... it seems Class B has found a pretty decent base point."

"It's because Class B is relatively united. This kind of situation is when collective will is tested the most." After leaning against him for a short while, Shiraishi's mental state was visibly much improved. "Does Fuyuji-kun have any plans for later?"

"I plan to go check out Class C's situation a bit later."

In this special exam, the class most worthy of vigilance was, as expected, still Class C. Ichinose of Class B would likely follow the established procedures to complete the exam. Class D, having already been docked sixty points, could barely protect itself. All that remained was Shoji—who, despite failing every single time he tried to pull off a stunt, would persistently, unyieldingly attempt to ignite an even bigger fire the next time around.

"Then... shall I accompany you on your reconnaissance?"

"It's not reconnaissance. It's wandering." Fuyuji corrected her with great seriousness. "I am an oddball drifting outside the bounds of Class A. How could I possibly take the initiative to do that kind of thing?"

"Yes, yes. Wandering." Shiraishi spoke with a beaming smile. "Shall I come with you later, then? Going alone makes it very easy to blow your cover, you know."

"That won't be necessary." After thinking it over for a moment, Fuyuji still decided to go alone. "Shiraishi-san, go do something you enjoy. Quite a few of our Class A classmates will probably be so bored today they'll end up wandering over to the other classes. If I blend in among them, the effect should be pretty good. Too many people, on the other hand, would easily draw the other classes' vigilance."

"Something I enjoy..." A watery, shimmering light swirled within Shiraishi's eyes. She stared fixedly at Fuyuji. Her pink lips parted lightly, and she silently mouthed two words.

Lap pillow...

"..."

Hold on. It was one thing for me to fantasize about it, but how come you're also obsessing over the lap pillow?!

Fuyuji let out a long sigh. He leaned in close to Shiraishi's ear and whispered a few soft sentences, then quickly pulled away.

"How about it? That place should be quite suitable."

Shiraishi's brows and eyes curved like crescent moons. Her smile blossomed open like a lotus flower emerging from the water's surface.

"Then it's decided. This evening."

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