Magician of Cote

Vol-3 Ch-5 The First Day

We returned from our morning round. We had claimed the spots again at night, with this round we had gained 15 points.

The fellowship disbanded, some went to their tents to get some rest while others were going for a morning bath in the river.

The heat and humidity, combined with an hour of cycling up and down a hill had us sweating buckets.

We'd kept the luggage outside in order to make the tents as spacious as possible. After looking around to make sure I was alone, I found a singularly colored piece of luggage. It was Hiyori's bag. Since her bag was different, it was easy to spot. I am sorry, Hiyori. But this is necessary.

I grabbed it without hesitation and checked inside. If someone saw me doing this, that would lead to some weird rumors. Inside, I found the same kinds of things that everyone else had, like towels, a change of clothes, underwear, etc. However...

"A digital camera, huh?"

On the bottom of the camera, I found a rental sticker. Why did Hiyori have this? I considered the possible reasons, trying to think from her perspective. After conjuring up an image of her in my head, several possibilities suggested themselves. I checked the camera's power source. It had no data, and no sign that it'd been used. After I finished my inspection, I returned the item to the bag, and went towards the shower stall for a quick bath.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun. Heading to the bathroom?"

Hirata was awake. He greeted me near the bathroom stalls with a toothbrush in hand. Maybe he noticed that I was sweatier than usual.

"Ah. Yes, we just returned from our trip. So, I thought it would do me some good to bath in cold water."

He nodded as if he understood my reasoning.

"Ayanokouji-kun, can I talk to you about the exam?"

"Yeah, sure."

"We spent 232 points yesterday, if we include Kouenji-kun's penalty. It goes up to 262. I can't help but think, how will we win the exam? I mean don't get me wrong, we are grateful for the comfort we are getting, but the class also wants to reach Class A." He said with hesitation and nervously.

I put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a confident grin.

"Hirata, there's no need to worry. Have I ever let this class down? Trust me, there is no one in this island who could defeat me."

This boosted his confidence, he put on the classic Hirata smile which flatters the girls.

"Want to come and bath together in the river?" he asked.

Even though I liked my privacy, I was really tempted to bath in a river for the first time. So, I accepted the offer.

As we headed to the river, we came across an unexpected person.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

Kanzaki, looked our way. Some other boys were with him, although I hadn't met them personally, I knew there names from the OAA.

They appeared surprised, as if they hadn't expected us at such an early hour, but quickly regained their composure.

"First day's over, so I wondered how you were doing. I thought I'd check on you. Your location's great. Also, I am kind of jealous of your camp. Why did you guys bought so many things?"

He seemed legitimately impressed by our base camp. He didn't appear to have a hidden agenda.

"You're Kanzaki-kun, from Class B, aren't you?"