Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 3: Chapter 9.3 - Tranquil Night

"Yo, Ayanokouji!" Ike greeted me with a grin. "Everyone's waiting for you. The girls were looking quite worried, you know? You lucky bastard."

"Wanna switch places with me? You guys might want to explore the island yourselves."

"Ohhh! I'm alright with just fishing and teaching everyone some stuff, but I'm down for tomorrow if everything goes well." Ike lightly slapped my arm before heading back. "C'mon, the boys just got finished making the bonfire, and we've got leftover food from earlier."

Thanks to their work, I managed to find my way to the campsite with ease.

Most of my classmates greeted me upon return. I brought the fruits I got on the way back and had the food experts store them somewhere.

All of us ate supper like normal. The moment I finished, Hirata secretly lent me one of the flashlights so I can use them later. He'll explain everything to Kikyou, Horikita, and Karuizawa, but for now, I need to leave as fast as I can. After all, the roll call will be held at exactly 8:00 PM. If I leave now, around 6:45, I think I'll have enough time given my familiarity with the place. The darkness will slow me down, but the flashlight and moonlight should be enough to guide me properly.

At around 7:28 PM, I finally reached the top. I barely managed to go back in time many minutes later, at 7:56 PM. Of course, the bonfire acted like my beacon.

"Oh, Ayanokouji-kun, you're finally back." Hirata greeted me with a pretty loud voice, enough for most of my classmates to hear.

With his help, everyone was under the impression that I went out to the forest to get some wood for my own little campfire, just like last night.

"Yeah... I got lost, but I made it back, somehow."

After Chabashira-sensei's roll call, everyone got ready to just chill out and sleep. As usual, I looked over the map and manual, checking them with a quick scan. While hearing the lively conversations of my classmates, Horikita approached me with her light footsteps.

"Horikita...? Is everything alright?"

This time, I was ready. I prepared a seat across mine if ever someone wanted to talk with me. Horikita sat on the sturdy branch and stared at me. I kept the map and manual back inside my bag.

"Will we continue everything like this?" she asked.

"Pretty much. It would've been nice if we can send out people along with the search party to scout out the other classes' base camps, but it'll be pointless. Class D is a lost cost. I don't know if they've retired already, but they won't get past the fourth day for sure. We're in a cooperative relationship with Class C, so betraying them would hurt us in the long run. And lastly, Class A is pretty much a fortress. As an overall better class, antagonizing them directly would put our current position at risk," I explained.

Katsuragi already suggested a non-conflict strategy for all classes. This can only mean that he's confident about getting more spots than us... Well, the western region certainly has some noticeable spots, but is that really it...? Being secretive about their cave was strange, to begin with. They should have a very good reason for it, and that reason is vital for their success.

"I see... I've been thinking about the same things. In the end, I think the only strategy left is to get points from spots as much as we can. The whole class is stable thanks to your instructions, as well as Karuizawa-san and Hirata-kun's leadership..."

Midnight attacks can be done as long as I'm alone, but the physical risk is too high. The most plausible plan to penetrate Class A's defense is from the inside... I don't know how divided their class is, but colluding with a traitor is a decent plan. It's unfortunate that I don't have connections with any Class A student, though.