COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

The deserted island. Beneath the lush, verdant canopies of the trees, sunlight struggled to pierce through the dense, thick foliage, casting dappled, swaying spots of light upon the damp forest clearing.

"Ehh~ The Class D students didn't leave a single thing behind?" Ichinose Honami covered her lips in astonishment.

"Correct. At the very least, I didn't discover anything worth noting. Of course, this is merely my own judgment. In a moment, Ichinose-san may make your own assessment based on the current situation."

"Since even Katsuragi-kun couldn't find any valuable clues... we probably can't either." Ichinose let out a small sigh.

"Ichinose-san, even if you say that, our Class A won't lower our guard against your Class B."

...

Faced with the Class B leader approaching and greeting them with such friendliness, Class A couldn't very well put on a cold face and drive them away.

Beyond competition, the two classes had no real conflicts to speak of. Some students were even privately friends. Furthermore, one couldn't rule out the possibility of future cooperation between the two classes someday.

And so, when Ichinose led the Class B students over, the students of both classes engaged in friendly exchange—mutual probing—right there in the forest.

"Crack..."

Facing Fuyuji Mikage, who wore a friendly smile and was striding toward him, Kanzaki Ryuji, the corner of his eye twitching violently, subconsciously retreated two steps.

Why is it you again?!

"Kanzaki-san~"

Fuyuji, with extreme, over-familiar cordiality, grasped Kanzaki's hand, putting on the appearance of the best of buddies. He launched directly into small-talk mode.

"Aiya, last time when I came to visit your Class B, you weren't there. I had originally wanted you to give me a proper tour and introduce me to your Class B classmates."

"..."

Kanzaki attempted to pull his hand back, only to discover that the other party's enthusiasm was somewhat excessive.

Never mind the fact that we're barely acquainted and haven't even added each other as friends. Even if we had added each other, I still wouldn't want to host a dangerous element like you, a suspected mastermind pulling strings from the shadows!

Furthermore, could you possibly have forgotten exactly what kind of heaven-and-earth-defying, universally-outraging deed you committed at the Class B camp last time?

Right now, you rank at the very top of the Class B Students Most Vigilantly Guarded Against Leaderboard. In another sense—this villain must be executed!

Even so, Kanzaki still maintained the customary composure and refinement befitting a son of a distinguished family. Drawing a deep breath, he strove to calm his emotions. Keeping his face taut, he asked.

"Is Fuyuji-kun also out here scouting the situation regarding Class D's withdrawal from the exam?"

"Putting it that way isn't wrong." Fuyuji sighed and spread his hands helplessly. "Though I don't particularly enjoy doing this kind of thing... it can't be helped. Someone has to do the work, after all."

"Then has Fuyuji-kun made any discoveries?" After hesitating again and again, Kanzaki ultimately decided to probe Fuyuji. His voice was deliberately lowered.

There truly was no other choice. This guy had already come all the way to the Class B camp and committed the brazen, in-your-face act of publicly asking the Class B leader out on a date. No matter what, he could no longer be ignored as before.

Yet, the only person who might possibly know his true background—Ichinose—would simply laugh it off with evasive vagueness whenever asked. He could only take matters into his own hands.

"Discoveries, huh..."

Fuyuji lowered his head, as if deeply pondering something. His gaze drifted across the fallen leaves beneath his feet.

At the same time, Kanzaki was also secretly scrutinizing Fuyuji's expression. Whatever answer he gave next would, to a certain extent, reflect this person's character.

A moment later, Fuyuji raised his head and glanced around vigilantly. He beckoned Kanzaki over, signaling for him to lean in closer.

Could it be...

Kanzaki subconsciously tilted his ear over.

"In truth, regarding Class D, we do indeed have an important discovery..." Fuyuji lowered his voice.

"And that is..."

And that is... Kanzaki's throat bobbed once.

"Guess?"

Guess? Guess what the discov—

Kanzaki's entire being instantly froze solid. A bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over his head, thoroughly extinguishing the tension and anticipation from just moments ago into absolute, utter nothingness.

"Ha ha ha!"

Fuyuji laughed and clapped Kanzaki on the shoulder.

"This is still the special exam period, you know. How could I possibly tell you? Kanzaki-san—being too naive isn't a good thing."

Crack!

Kanzaki's back molars ground together audibly. The veins at his temples throbbed. Why had he fallen for such an obvious trap?!

"Yahallo! Fuyuji-kun, Kanzaki-kun."

At that moment, Ichinose, having roughly finished her chat with Katsuragi Kohei, came over to the two of them with a smile. Her footsteps landed softly upon the fallen leaves, producing gentle, rustling sounds, easily breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two.

"What are you chatting about?"

Fuyuji beamed. "Some tips and experiences on how to get along with people."

"Is that so? Truthfully, I'm also completely clueless about that sort of thing. Later on, after learning a bit about it from Chihiro-chan, it got just a little better."

Fuyuji stared at Ichinose's flawless, radiant face with a look of surprise.

Bringing up Shiranami Chihiro in front of him—contrary to her usual behavior...

Ichinose also noticed Fuyuji's gaze. She smiled sweetly and returned his stare with open, unabashed frankness.

"..."

Fuyuji swept his gaze across the Class B contingent and asked, as if merely making casual, idle conversation. "By the way, where's Shiranami-san? I recall she seems to always be together with Ichinose. Didn't she come along today?"

At these words, a subtle, nearly imperceptible change flickered across Kanzaki's face, but it very quickly reverted to its original state. He watched the two chatting harmoniously and cheerfully, his expression perfectly composed.

"Chihiro-chan?"

Ichinose drew a deep breath. Her large, sky-blue eyes looked directly into Fuyuji's eyes. She spoke softly.

"Chihiro-chan... she returned to the cruise ship because she wasn't feeling well."

Fuyuji was momentarily taken aback. Then, he quietly shifted his footsteps, and while continuing to chat as though discussing household matters, he imperceptibly, without drawing any attention, distanced himself and Ichinose away from the crowd.

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. It's just a simple case of being unaccustomed to the climate and environment." Ichinose gestured to Kanzaki, signaling that he didn't need to follow.

"In that case, it really is better for her to return to the cruise ship."

"Mm, mm. Yes, that's exactly what I thought too."

...

Once the two had gradually walked a certain distance away and confirmed that the other students would likely have difficulty overhearing their conversation—

Fuyuji watched Ichinose, who was walking ahead with her small hands clasped behind her back, her steps light and graceful. He let out a sigh of heartfelt, genuine admiration.

"Ichinose... you really are impressive, as expected."

Whether Shiranami Chihiro had actually returned to the cruise ship or not was fundamentally unimportant. What was important was that this statement was, in truth, telling—or reminding—Fuyuji that the leader could be changed. Therefore, please do not fill in Shiranami Chihiro's name when guessing the leader.

This was an open conspiracy.

Ichinose's character was such that she would never abandon her comrades. But Fuyuji dared not gamble on even that sliver of a possibility.

Firstly, the school had never stipulated a specific timeframe for changing the leader.

After all, illness was a legitimate justification. What if a leader truly fell ill, yet it occurred outside the designated leader-change timeframe? How would the school choose to handle it?

Once one thought through this matter clearly, the risk of guessing the leader would infinitely magnify. Because one could never guarantee that the opposing side wouldn't swap out the leader at the very last moment, just before the leader's name was submitted.

"Ehehe." Ichinose scratched her head sheepishly, a shy, embarrassed blush rising on her cheeks, yet her eyes sparkled brightly. "Not at all. I was just thinking about persevering together with my classmates until the very end of the exam, that's all."

"You, oh you. Excessive modesty isn't a good thing." Fuyuji shook his head.

"So... can you?"

"Since you've put it that way—do I even have a second option?" Faced with Ichinose's offensive, Fuyuji surrendered crisply and decisively.

"That's wonderful!" Ichinose patted her chest, a smile of relief blossoming at the corner of her lips.

"However, this situation also applies to Ichinose's class equally." Fuyuji blinked and covertly reminded her.

"Eh?" Ichinose's round, wide eyes widened in disbelief. "Ryuen-kun is the same?"

"That's the current situation. Ichinose, don't fall for his tricks, okay?"

"That's exactly what I wanted!" Ichinose clenched her small fists, her voice brimming with fighting spirit. "This way, the situation has evolved so that every class can only settle this fairly and honorably, face to face!"

"Do your best, okay."

"Heh heh. I will."

Ichinose nodded vigorously. Her face was radiant with the glow of confidence. Her golden-pink strands of hair danced and leaped in the morning light filtering through the treetops.

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