Hashima Hikaru, Ichinose Honami, and Andou Sayo squatted together in the bushes, peeking out through the dappled gaps. The two figures standing outside the cave entrance were naturally clearly captured by the trio.
The bald man was naturally Katsuragi Kouhei, one of Class B's current leaders, and the boy standing behind him was his lackey, Totsuka Yahiko.
Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami had spoken with them face to face before, so there was no way they could mistake them at this distance. Not only that, but they could also hear subtle voices coming from over there.
"Katsuragi-kun, we're really lucky. I didn't expect us to successfully occupy a base so quickly."
"Luck?"
Katsuragi Kouhei asked rhetorically, "I actually discovered this place when I was on the ship, so I immediately brought everyone to find it."
"I see, Katsuragi-kun is really amazing."
"Instead of praising me, you should pay more attention to your words and actions, Yahiko."
Although Katsuragi Kouhei was talking to Totsuka Yahiko, he was not looking at the other party's face, but was using his eyes to survey the surrounding environment.
"There are too many hidden places in the forest. In order to prevent people from other classes from eavesdropping and spying, we must always avoid exposing our information. You need to be more careful with your statements."
"I understand."
"As the current class leader and leader, in addition to serving the class, I am also given the responsibility of supervising everyone. Can you understand that?"
"I will concentrate my attention. Please rest assured, Katsuragi-kun." Totsuka Yahiko nodded heavily.
"In any case, since the school has already given us a hint, then we must work harder to cope with the exam and get more points."
When Katsuragi Kouhei finished his last sentence, his gaze still did not leave the bushes in front of him. The trio hidden in it could always feel his gaze drifting back and forth.
However, before setting off, Hashima Hikaru had already emphasized this aspect to all the members of the team, so the current tense situation did not affect everyone's mentality. After squatting down, the three of them remained still and did not make any noise.
After Katsuragi Kouhei surveyed for a few minutes, he called Totsuka Yahiko next to him to return to the cave. Since this place had already been occupied by them as a base, it had to be used to its maximum potential.
After seeing the other party's figure completely disappear, the three of them slowly crawled out of the bushes.
"Hoo, that was really something just now. Katsuragi-kun's eyes were always looking this way. I was afraid he would come over." A flush appeared on Ichinose Honami's pretty face, and she was breathing in small breaths, looking quite cute.
"Is that Class B's leader, Katsuragi-kun? His aura looks really special." Andou Sayo had been holding her breath all this time, hiding her figure in fear, and she was squatting at an even lower angle, and there seemed to be a small piece of wood stuck to her hair.
"And... you all saw it, right?"
Katsuragi Kouhei and Totsuka Yahiko's conversation was heard by the trio almost word for word. Not only that, but an even more crucial piece of information was revealed.
When he was talking just now, he was also holding a emerald green card in his hand.
This was the key card that each class leader would hold.
"Yes, Katsuragi-kun just said that he is Class B's class leader and leader, and he happened to be holding the key card in his hand." Ichinose Honami gently removed the small piece of wood from Andou's hair, and then said, "Could he be Class B's leader?"
"Could it be that information gathering is producing results so quickly?" Andou also remembered that scene just now, and she touched her hair, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
"Not necessarily. Ichinose-san and I have met Katsuragi-kun several times. As one of the leaders who is currently competing with Sakayanagi for control of the class, his personality is more inclined towards stability."
Hashima Hikaru stroked his chin and slowly analyzed to the two girls: "Moreover, this kind of behavior just now is simply deliberate, actively holding the key card and saying that he is the leader, it's a bit too straightforward."
"So what does Hikaru-kun mean?" Ichinose Honami blinked her eyes. Having been with him for so long, the girl could probably guess what he was thinking now.
"Of course, it's to go in and take a look. The rules in the handbook say that you are not allowed to use a base that has already been occupied without permission, but it's not a violation to confirm the occupied state, right?"
"I see, so this is also a part of information gathering, and you can also take the opportunity to peek at their situation." Andou Sayo nodded, quickly understanding how to operate to obtain the greatest benefit.
"Then let's go in together. I'll stand in front later, and Ichinose-san and Andou-san will stand behind me." Hashima Hikaru estimated all the possible situations that might occur and told the two girls, "As the class that has already occupied this base, they will definitely not give in. There might even be a conflict."
"Ah... they won't just try to force us out, right?"
"Hehe, Katsuragi Kouhei is a leader who follows a stable strategy, so he probably won't do something so stupid," Hashima Hikaru smiled and then said, "If he instigates the students in his class to use violence against us, that would be a violation of the rules."
"However, there are no absolutes, so everyone should still follow behind me to prevent any unexpected situations from happening."
"Yes, we understand."
The two girls nodded, and then stepped forward to follow Hashima Hikaru into the cave. As a base set up by the school, this cave was probably naturally formed, but the interior must have been slightly modified to make it more convenient for the students to store supplies.
After entering the cave and walking for a while, the trio's footsteps immediately alerted the Class B students. Someone had already seen the strange figures walking in.
"Please wait a moment!"
The one who spoke was a boy. After seeing Hashima Hikaru and the two girls, he quickly stood in front of the trio, his face unfriendly.
"This base has already been occupied by us. You can't continue to go any further."
"Don't misunderstand. We're not here to seize the base, just to confirm the occupation of the base."
Hashima Hikaru looked at the other party's expression and said with a smile, "This is not against the rules, right? You can't possibly intend to forcibly deprive us of this power, right? That would be unreasonable."
"This..."
Just as the boy was hesitating, many students had already walked out from behind him, and the leader was Katsuragi Kouhei.
"Yo, Katsuragi-kun, good afternoon."
When Hashima Hikaru saw that serious, square face, he chose to greet him with a smile.
"Hashima-kun?"
Katsuragi Kouhei stood at the very front of the Class B students, while all the others quickly stood in a row behind him, blocking the trio's view of what was behind them.
"And Ichinose-san, and one of your companions."
"Katsuragi-kun remembers me? I'm honored."
Although Ichinose Honami felt the tense atmosphere at the moment, she always felt safe because Hashima Hikaru was by her side.
"What are you planning to do? This base has already been occupied by our class."
Although Katsuragi Kouhei had previously invited Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami to form an alliance, it was no longer the same as when school started, so his attitude of hostility was very obvious.
"Of course, we won't violate the rules. Occupying a base is a matter of first come, first served, and we have accepted this fact."
Hashima Hikaru looked at the serious expression on Katsuragi's face, and suddenly changed the subject: "But the rules don't say that we can't come to confirm the occupation of the base, right?"
"Although you found the base first, you can't just say so. If you want to prove that Class B has indeed occupied it, of course you have to let us see the base machine with our own eyes. Otherwise, what if you're cheating?"
As soon as the boy said this, before Katsuragi could even answer, Totsuka Yahiko, who was very close to him, angrily retorted.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We have already occupied this place long ago. This is an undeniable fact!"
"So, since you have already occupied this place, why can't you let us check the equipment?" Hashima Hikaru spread out his hands helplessly. "Everyone is a member of the upper classes, so I think you should all understand the importance of the rules, right?"
"Checking the equipment is not a violation. We don't plan to snatch the base from you. Can you understand what I mean?"
"You..."
Totsuka Yahiko, who still wanted to argue, was given a shut up gesture by Katsuragi, who was standing at the very front, and he stopped speaking.
"Hashima-kun, is your purpose to check the equipment?"
"Of course, we'll leave as soon as we're done and definitely won't stay."
Hashima Hikaru still had a smile on his face and slowly said to him, "Everything we're doing is in accordance with the rules. Please give us your convenience, Katsuragi-kun?"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Katsuragi Kouhei finally nodded. Although he wanted to drive these three people out, the risk of doing so was too high.
As a core figure in the current Class A, Hashima Hikaru had left a deep impression on him, and it seemed that the people on Sakayanagi's side also mentioned this name often. Therefore, when dealing with him, he couldn't afford to leave any handles.
If he really used violence to drive them out, it would leave too many hidden dangers, which was not in line with Katsuragi's usual style. That's why he chose to agree to this request.
"You can check the equipment at the base, but only one person can go."
"Okay."
After Katsuragi Kouhei agreed, Hashima Hikaru spoke a few words with the two girls behind him. They all agreed to let the boy go alone.
However, as Hashima Hikaru stepped towards the innermost camp, two boys immediately appeared behind him, following in his footsteps. They were probably sent by Katsuragi to monitor him.
After walking for a while, a white metal pole stood up in front of Hashima Hikaru's eyes. At the very top was a digital screen with several rows of different text information displayed on it.
Among them were information about the base and instructions on how to operate it. The timer at the top showed the countdown time, which was probably to show everyone the eight-hour base cycle rule.
"Occupant of this base: Class B."
"You've seen it clearly now, can you leave now?" The boy behind him urged.
"Of course, I'm a very law-abiding person."
After Hashima Hikaru withdrew his gaze of investigation, he very simply returned the way he came. However, just as he approached Katsuragi, the boy suddenly muttered to himself in a voice that everyone could hear.
"Seriously, it turns out that no leader information is left on the equipment. What a boring setting."
"!"
Hearing this, Katsuragi Kouhei's expression changed slightly. He seemed to subconsciously glance in a certain direction, although the movement was small, it naturally couldn't escape the eyes of those who were paying attention.
"Hehe."
Hashima Hikaru smiled inwardly, and then, as if nothing had happened, he walked back to Ichinose Honami and Andou Sayo.