Classroom of The Elite : The Marionette

Chapter 46: Managing the Camp

After Kurose-kun and Minami-kun left, we discussed what items we should buy from the manual. There was a slight disagreement between the boys and girls. Basically, some of the boys wanted to save as many points as they could, while the girls wanted to buy some items to make our lives easier here.

At first glance, the girls may sound selfish, but they argue that some of them are not used to living outdoors and some have frail bodies, like Komugi-san for example. That's why they are worried that some will get sick if they push themselves too hard and have no choice but to withdraw. Faced with arguments like that, even the boys had to take some time to think.

Taking into account both sides' opinions, I tried to make a rough calculation of the minimum amount needed to live for seven days. The result made me smile. Apparently, the required cost is not as much as I thought if we are careful.

"Ikeda-kun, please take a look at this..." I called out to Ikeda, who has been the most vocal male student besides Kurose-kun.

"What is it?" I handed my notebook to Ikeda, who read it carefully. Some other students like Sawatari also looked at my notes. Ikeda seemed a little surprised when he saw it.

"Are you sure this is not a mistake? Can I see the manual?" following his request, I handed him the manual so they could compare the numbers in my notes with the prices listed in the manual.

"Everything is cheaper than I thought..." Sawatari murmured.

"Right, even with a seven-day food package for the whole class, it's only about fifty points," I explained. "Even if we add a tent, two portable toilets, sleeping bags, a swing, and other camping equipment, the total still doesn't exceed 100 points. So as long as we don't buy recreational equipment, our lives can be considered sufficiently guaranteed with just a hundred points or more."

"But do we really need to buy food packages? I thought we would gather food from the forest or go fishing. Besides, I don't think we need two portable toilets..." Ikeda seemed determined to cut costs even further. His comment sparked strong reactions from some of the girls.

"What do you mean not needed? Two toilets are already the most minimum!" Kotoishi-san railed. "There are 40 of us here, what makes you think one will be enough?"

"They're right, Ikeda..." even Iwa-kun seemed to agree with the girls. "If there's a line in front of the toilet and someone is desperate, they might end up relieving themselves behind the bushes... it could be dangerous if the forest starts to smell..."

Uhm... Iwa-kun doesn't need to explain it like that, but I understand what he means. That's why I try to convince him as well "They're right, Ikeda-kun. Besides, we're not allowed to litter the environment, so I think an extra toilet is necessary..."

"Hm...you're right," Ikeda-kun finally had to give in. Saving money is indeed a good way, but we also have to consider our survival. Unfortunately, even though he gave in about the toilet issue, Ikeda-kun still didn't fully understand that point, as seen from his next question. "...but what about food? Do we have to buy food every day?"

"Yes... unfortunately, we have to," I said firmly. "Considering none of us have camping experience except for Gilang-kun and Nakatani-san, we have no choice but to order food packages at least once a day... what do you all think?"

The question was specifically directed at Gilang-kun and Nakatani-san, as they were the most experienced among us. The decision was made based on their ability to support us. Gilang-kun, who understood this, immediately voiced his agreement with me. "Satonaka-san is right. I know how to gather food, but I'm not sure I can provide for 40 people... I mean, I can teach you all how to do it, but it will be difficult to gather a large amount of food..."