After leaving, Hikigaya didn't return to the D-Class camp. There was something more important he had to do. Katsuragi and Ryuen had already revealed their cards—now it was his turn.
Before long, he arrived at the teachers' tent by the shore.
"Well, if it isn't Hikigaya. What brings you here?"
Inside the tent, there were only two teachers: Mashima-sensei from A-Class and Hoshinomiya-sensei from B-Class. Hoshinomiya greeted him with an overly warm and friendly smile.
Hikigaya glanced around the tent but didn't see Chabashira-sensei. She was probably handling the fire incident at the D-Class camp.
"Yes, I do have something to report."
Hikigaya answered politely but walked straight past Hoshinomiya and toward the young male teacher sitting inside—Mashima-sensei, A-Class's homeroom teacher.
Among the four first-year homeroom teachers, aside from Sakagami-sensei from C-Class, the others were relatively young. In particular, Hoshinomiya and Chabashira seemed to have known each other from before, not just as coworkers.
"Mashima-sensei, I need to report something to you."
Hikigaya looked at the A-Class homeroom teacher with a calm expression.
"What is it?"
Mashima-sensei remained expressionless.
"It's about something very important that I lost. I suspect that a student from another class deliberately stole it."
As soon as Hikigaya finished speaking, an eerie silence filled the tent.
Hoshinomiya, standing behind Hikigaya, was briefly stunned before giving a half-smile. On the other hand, Mashima-sensei's expression was stern as he stared at Hikigaya.
"This is a serious accusation. Do you have any proof? Making baseless claims can have severe consequences."
Mashima-sensei seemed to have noticed something unusual. Or rather, everyone here was sharp enough to tell that Hikigaya had come straight to Mashima-sensei with a clear purpose—this was obviously aimed at Class A.
But Hikigaya didn't seem to pick up on the warning in Mashima-sensei's words. Instead, he looked frustrated and said, "Mashima-sensei, you're the main person in charge of this special exam. You have to punish these thieves who stole my things."
"Hold on, Hikigaya. What exactly did you lose?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei asked with a smile.
"It was a first-aid kit. On the first day of the deserted island exam, I got injured, so I asked Koenji from my class to buy a medium-sized first-aid kit for 15 points. That should be easy to verify."
Hikigaya explained truthfully. "But then, the kit disappeared. I suspect that some students from another class saw an opportunity and stole it. 15 points—that's enough to buy food for an entire class of 40 students for a day!"
Mashima-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei were slightly taken aback. A small first-aid kit cost 8 points, and most classes only exchanged for those since they were cheaper and still sufficient for handling most outdoor injuries.
As Hikigaya pointed out, the medium-sized kit not only cost as much as a full day's worth of food for a class, but it also contained a wide range of medical supplies—many of which might never even be used. In terms of value, it was a poor exchange choice.
Mashima-sensei quickly checked the exchange records. Among all the first-year classes, only one had exchanged for a medium-sized first-aid kit. It stood out immediately.
"The kit went missing on the first day?"
Mashima-sensei caught a key detail and pressed further. "If it disappeared on the first day, why are you only reporting it now?"
Hikigaya, as if already prepared for this, answered with a wronged look, "Because, just like you said earlier, I didn't see the thief, which means I had no proof. Even if I had reported it back then, it wouldn't have done anything. Instead, I would've just been accused of making false accusations."
Mashima-sensei: "..."
Hoshinomiya-sensei turned away, barely holding back a laugh. It was obvious that Hikigaya's words were a direct comeback to Mashima-sensei's earlier "warning."
This kid really holds a grudge.
"And now you're..."
Mashima-sensei pretended not to notice Hikigaya's sarcasm. But going by what he said, the fact that he was now reporting it meant... he had found proof?
"I originally thought it was just bad luck and that I'd have to accept the loss. But today, I found out that the medium-sized first-aid kits actually have tracking devices installed!"
One reason why the medium-sized kit was so expensive was that it contained special medications for emergency situations. Some of these were prescription drugs or required strict supervision. To prevent misuse, a tracking device was placed inside.
Hikigaya looked straight at Mashima-sensei. "In other words, the school can track the stolen kit's location and find out who took it. That's why I came here—I hope you will handle this serious violation fairly and justly."
He then paused for a moment before adding, "Because you're Class A's homeroom teacher."
...
After meeting with Ryuen, Katsuragi braved the rain to return to Class A's camp. Their base was a spacious cave, with a large plastic sheet covering the entrance to block outside gazes completely.
As soon as Katsuragi stepped inside, Totsuka came forward with a clean white towel.
"Katsuragi, the rain is heavy outside. Please take care of yourself and don't catch a cold."
Seeing Totsuka act so eager to please, many students from Sakayanagi's faction looked at him with disdain.
"You guys don't get it! Katsuragi is our leader now, unlike someone who just hides at school and drags the whole class down. Thanks to Katsuragi's leadership, we have so many supplies and class points! If he got sick over something small like this, that would be the biggest loss for Class A!"
Totsuka declared loudly, completely unbothered by how flattering his words sounded. In fact, he seemed proud of it.
Katsuragi frowned slightly but didn't scold him. He could remind Totsuka about it in private, but in front of everyone, he wouldn't embarrass him. Otherwise, how would his other supporters see him?
Besides, Katsuragi didn't mind letting Totsuka speak on his behalf. Some things were better said by others, and this also served as a warning to Sakayanagi's supporters.
Right now, everything was going well. As long as they made it through tomorrow, the results he led Class A to achieve would be the final blow to crush Sakayanagi completely.
Later, Katsuragi and Totsuka moved to a quieter spot. As Totsuka handed him a cup of hot tea, he excitedly asked, "Katsuragi, did the deal with Class C go through?"
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