By the seventh day, Horikita Manabu had not only resolved his own class's crisis, but rumors were spreading that he was about to launch a fierce attack against Nagumo Miyabi.
People like Tonokawa Sosuke hurriedly gathered information, only to learn that Nagumo had allied with Class 3-B to strike at Horikita Manabu.
The attack, of course, failed.
Nagumo couldn't afford the price Class 3-B demanded, so they cautiously turned to Class 3-D instead, planning to have others launch a kamikaze-style assault.
Thus, Horikita Manabu neutralized Class 3-D.
Upon hearing the news, Nagumo nearly laughed in frustration.
He had never agreed with Class 3-B's plan—if they didn't use their own people, betrayal was all too likely.
Only their own classmates would be truly committed to pushing their class to A-rank.
Everyone else was unreliable.
Yet, Class 3-B ignored Nagumo's advice.
After all, using their own people would cost them 400 points—hardly worth it—and they couldn't just sacrifice a classmate so casually.
Fortunately, Nagumo didn't dwell on it too much.
The reason he had cooperated with the other party was that he also needed their help—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to deal with Kaoru.
After receiving Kaoru's warning, Ryuuen didn't immediately seek out Nagumo.
Instead, he deliberately waited until today to leisurely report the situation to him.
"Heh, if he wants to act, let him. Does he really think I care?"
Upon hearing Ryuuen's report, Nagumo immediately scoffed.
"If I were bothered by one or two students dropping out, the class wouldn't have made it this far."
That's what he said, but in reality, Nagumo had already broken into a cold sweat.
Yes, Kaoru's assessment of Class 2-A wasn't wrong.
The current Class 2-A desperately needed a victory to prove that, under Nagumo's leadership, their position as the A-Class remained unshakable.
Losing one or two students would only invite more doubts about Nagumo within the class.
Nagumo believed Class 2-A wouldn't outright overthrow him because of this, but it would still significantly weaken his influence. N
ext time, he might not be able to command them so easily.
"I don't care about your conflict, but should we proceed with the original plan?"
Ryuuen looked completely indifferent. "Even if we don't, you still owe me what was promised."
Nagumo's face darkened.
How dare this insignificant worm try to exploit him in his moment of weakness?
"Have you even been doing your part? Why did Mitoma find out so quickly?"
"Who could've kept this hidden? The moment that woman told him, he would've figured it out. Don't tell me you suspect I leaked it?"
"Can you handle it?"
"Heh, that depends on whether you can give me enough points."
Nagumo's expression flickered uncertainly.
Right now, he truly couldn't afford to part with more than three million Personal Points.
He could only insist, "Mitoma couldn't possibly have four million. Just go ahead with it!"
Ryuuen grinned. "You're willing to gamble, but I'm not. For me, points I can actually see are more reliable."
Nagumo sneered. "If you don't act, you won't get a single point from me!"
The atmosphere grew tense and awkward.
The two stood facing each other in a secluded corner of the school building until Ryuuen finally broke the silence.
"Right now, you're the one in danger, Nagumo. For all we know, he might be coming for you this time."
"That's none of your concern. I have my own ways."
Nagumo had anticipated this and had already submitted several suggestions to the school.
"In the end, the mistake was you joining their group in the first place."
He gritted his teeth—that was the most frustrating part.
Ryuuen shrugged. "If you ever have Personal Points to spare later, feel free to call me anytime. I'm always ready to help you deal with Mitoma."
Nagumo's expression softened slightly.
It seemed he hadn't lost Ryuuen yet.
Though the guy was cunning, his goals were clear. Nagumo could be certain he wouldn't side with Kaoru.
"By the way, the value of this information is five hundred thousand."
"…Ryuuen, who do you take me for?"
"Just kidding. The friendship price is three hundred thousand—for the sake of our long-term cooperation."
Though resentful, Nagumo still agreed.
Because at the core of this matter was Ryuuen's lack of faith in his ability to provide enough points.
Perhaps with a hint of anxiety, Nagumo believed he had demonstrated his strength and composure to Ryuuen.
He wasn't afraid of Kaoru or Horikita Manabu.
In fact, he was eager for Kaoru and Horikita Manabu to attack him—that would give him a reason to mock the useless fools in his class.
Without him, they were nothing but lambs to the slaughter!
What Nagumo needed to do now was gauge their intentions and prevent this attack.
...
"Are you ready?"
Kaoru glanced at his group and saw Hashimoto smiling leisurely.
"We've done all we can. Now it's just about adapting on the spot."
Ishizaki curled his lips. "Don't expect too much. At best, I'll just pass. First place belongs to Class C."
It seemed that no matter how hard the school tried to teach students the diversity of interpersonal relationships, some still didn't get it.
Kaoru didn't respond.
Even if troublemakers like Ishizaki Daichi and Kouenji Rosuke fell behind, he wouldn't react.
Because the real test was about to begin.
On the eighth and final day of the forest school, all thirty-six groups from the school would face their last assessment.
After breakfast, Kaoru and the other first-year boys were led by their teacher to the familiar dojo, where the first exam would soon commence.
Zazen meditation.
"This exam consists of two parts: observing the rules upon entering the dojo, your movements, and whether there is any restlessness during meditation. Once meditation ends, please wait in the classroom for instructions on the next exam. Those whose names are called may now enter…"
As the announcement concluded, the teacher began calling names one by one.
Unlike the usual group arrangements, the exam order seemed randomly assigned.
Kaoru was fourth from last.
He entered the dojo respectfully, sat perfectly straight on the floor, and quietly meditated on the day's plans.
Soon, the meditation session ended smoothly.
The next exam was a written test, covering content related to the training camp.
Unless someone was particularly bad at thinking or paying attention, it was unlikely they'd score poorly.
Kaoru controlled his score and left the exam hall once it was over.
On the way, he overheard a few upperclassmen discussing something strange—apparently, someone had fallen during the long-distance run.
The exam order for upperclassmen differed from the first-years.
The second-years' first exam was a relay race, while the third-years had a speech.
So, it was the second-years who had run into trouble.
Kaoru listened for a moment before silently heading to the next exam venue.
The third exam was the relay race.
The school had arranged buses to transport students to their respective relay points.
Kaoru had already discussed the strategy with his group beforehand—placing those with weaker stamina in the earlier, flatter sections of the race.
The rougher, more challenging sections would be handled by students with strong endurance, like Kouenji Rosuke, Kaoru Mitoma, and Hashimoto Masayoshi.