Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could somewhat guess Horikita Suzune thoughts because he was thinking the same thing.
Class B had proactively proposed cooperation, which even without immediate effect, could be beneficial for Class D in the future.
Meanwhile, Class C seemed to have truly withdrawn from the exam, with no trace of them all day and only school staff at their former beach camp.
Therefore, the only way for Class D to earn points was to target Class A.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt a sense of helplessness.
His homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, had threatened to expel him if he didn't work hard to rise to Class A, a threat that was effective as he couldn't find another comfortable place to lay low.
So, adding Horikita Suzune to his plans wasn't a major concern.
He was more concerned about Kushida Kikyo, who had left the camp yesterday under a pretext and returned empty-handed, despite refusing help from friends.
The faint blush on her face solidified his suspicion that something was amiss.
He kept this thought to himself, waiting for the right moment to verify his guess.
Leaving the camp, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka soon heard the sound of waves.
He found a ladder at the edge of a cliff, which led to a small cabin with a check-in device.
He remembered seeing several other man-made structures around Class A base, including a tall tower.
With about four hours until the 2 PM update time, Class A leader would surely return to check in.
He decided not to wait at the narrow cliff area to avoid being discovered and instead returned to the ground to scout other locations.
He visited the tall tower, the river starting point and a wooden cabin, all occupied by Class A.
The check-in times for these bases indicated that Class A leader spent about an hour traveling between them.
Now aware of Class A routine, his next focus was how to ambush the leader, assuming they wouldn't come alone.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka returned to Class D camp, gathering wild vegetables along the way to avoid suspicion.
"Good, we might actually be able to catch Class A leader" Horikita Suzune said, relieved after hearing his report.
"I just went to Class C camp to check. It seems they really are planning to give up on the exam. Only the school staff are left, so if we want to earn points, our only target is Class A" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka added.
"Earning points is great, but why are you so fixated on this?" he asked.
"What if we're wrong? We'd lose fifty points."
Horikita Suzune remained silent for a moment.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. We're not the same kind of people."
At that moment, Kushida Kikyo approached, smiling brightly.
"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun, are you two discussing the exam again?"
Horikita Suzune glanced at her. "Yes. If you're willing to help, why don't you share your thoughts on what happened yesterday?"
"Thoughts on yesterday?" Kushida Kikyo was momentarily stunned.
"Who do you think is most likely to become the leader of Class A?" Horikita Suzune asked.
"You should know the situation in Class A, right? I've seen you interacting with them."
"Oh, that's what you mean. While I do interact with Class A occasionally, I'm not that knowledgeable. I can't really guess who their leader might be" Kushida Kikyo awkwardly smiled.
She then explained the dynamics of Class A to Horikita Suzune—the rivalry between the Sakayanagi faction and the Katsuragi faction, as well as a few notable students.
"It seems Class A isn't as impressive as he made it out to be" Horikita Suzune muttered.
Kushida Kikyo blinked. Was the "he" she was referring to the person she was thinking of?
"By the way, you haven't mentioned Kaoru Mitoma yet. Do you know him?" Horikita Suzune suddenly asked.
Kushida Kikyo expression turned strange.
"I don't know him."
Horikita Suzune frowned slightly.
In her opinion, Kaoru Mitoma was the most threatening person in Class A, not Katsuragi Kohei or Sakayanagi Arisu.
However, the immediate priority was to identify Class A leader.
Not only would it help her out of her current predicament, but it would also serve as a slap in the face to Kaoru Mitoma!
***
Meanwhile, Kaoru Mitoma was fiddling with the extraordinary reward he had just exchanged.
With a crisp shutter sound, a clear photograph instantly appeared in his hand.
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