'Shiina... she did help quite a bit, I guess.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself. Thanks to the novel Shiina Hiyori gave him, he finally had a way to pass the time. After all, he couldn't use teleportation to leave the island every moment.
Though the moment he took the book, Shiina's thoughts had already spoiled most of the plot, but something was better than nothing.
"Oh, Saiki, one more thing... do you know about that recording incident from last time?"
Shiina asked curiously. She had promised Ryūen Kakeru to help investigate, but after confirming there were no traitors in their class, even she couldn't find more clues.
"If it's inconvenient, never mind!"
Shiina just wanted to know the answer to the mystery. Her curiosity was insatiable.
"Sorry, I don't know much about it either."
Saiki shook his head.
"It's okay, no worries."
Shiina smiled at Saiki again, her expression as bright as spring.
'Does Saiki know? How was that recording even made? To get it so silently, only someone with supernatural abilities could've done it, right? How did they manage that? So impressive.'
Hearing Shiina's thoughts, Saiki's heart skipped a beat. Her playful idea was actually the answer to the mystery.
'Also, this exam is like a puzzle too. Guessing the leaders of each class—usually, the higher the status in the class, the less likely they are to be the leader this time. They're just too noticeable.'
'I suspect you have supernatural abilities too.'
"It's getting late, I should head back! See you on the ship later."
Shiina glanced at her watch and said, then quickly left.
'Was Shiina hinting at Ibuki's purpose? Better pretend I didn't notice.'
Saiki thought, refocusing on his fishing rod. Just then, Sakura Airi, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up:
"Saiki... who was that just now?"
Her gaze followed the direction Shiina had left.
"She's from Class D, Shiina Hiyori. We met by chance at the library, so we got to know each other."
Saiki explained.
Perhaps because the atmosphere had been too awkward earlier, neither Shiina nor Airi had introduced themselves to each other.
At that moment, Saiki could still hear Shiina's thoughts from a distance.
'That girl next to Saiki earlier... who was she? I was talking to Saiki and forgot to greet her... will she have a bad impression of me?...'
"I see."
Airi nodded, her eyes involuntarily falling on the book in Saiki's hands.
'So... Saiki likes reading too?'
...
A few hours passed. Saiki checked the number of fish in his bucket. Though fewer than Ike's, it was perfect for him.
Airi hadn't been much help; most of the fish were caught by Saiki using his powers to make them jump into the net.
The river had many fish species, and Saiki had randomly picked a few using his powers. Though he didn't know much about fish, anything on this island should be edible.
'I... I did help Saiki, right?...'
Saiki could clearly hear Airi's thoughts but didn't point it out.
After tidying up, Saiki and Airi returned to the campsite. Ike and the others had also returned from fishing.
"You went fishing too, huh? Tch, no good, Saiki. Your catch is way less than Ike's!"
Yamauchi Haruki, who had done almost nothing all day, mocked with a smile.
"No, no, no!"
But seeing Saiki's catch, Ike's expression changed drastically.
"?"
Saiki felt a sense of foreboding.
"You caught XX fish?! That species is incredibly hard to catch! It requires specific depths, distances from shore, and picky bait. Plus, they're strong—the school's fishing gear can barely handle them... and you caught several?! Amazing, Saiki! I never thought you were a fishing master!"
For the first time, Ike looked at Saiki with pure admiration.
'???'
Saiki looked down at his bucket. The fish inside seemed to gaze back at him with resentment.
He'd just used his powers to grab them randomly, never expecting this reaction.
"Really? Saiki's that good?"
The others crowded around, hearing Ike's words.
'So... Saiki's amazing at fishing too? He looked so casual while doing it.'
Airi's eyes widened, fixed on Saiki.
'Damn, now I'm too noticeable in class... Never expected this. Definitely not fishing tomorrow...'
Saiki resolved, as Hirata Yōsuke approached:
"Thanks to you, Saiki! You and Ike will handle fishing for the next few days."
"Long live Saiki!"
"Saiki's so cool!"
Surrounded by everyone, Saiki could only stand there, unable to refuse.
...
As evening fell, after a hearty fish dinner, everyone resumed their activities.
Some went to sleep, others walked around. Though it was summer and not yet dark, everyone stayed nearby.
Ike bombarded Saiki with fishing questions for over 20 minutes. Despite Saiki insisting it was luck, Ike didn't believe him.
After 20 minutes of persistence, Saiki finally managed to dismiss Ike. Just as he thought he could rest, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka approached.
"Didn't expect you to be so good at fishing."
Ayanokōji praised Saiki expressionlessly.
"Just luck."
Saiki replied helplessly. Earlier, Ayanokōji had been with Horikita Suzune, investigating other classes.
"What do you think about Ibuki's appearance?"
Ayanokōji suddenly changed the topic, looking at Ibuki.
Saiki glanced at Ibuki Mio, who had grown slightly closer to some girls in the class.
'Haven't seen any signs of Class C's leader yet. Can't ask directly—too obvious.'
Saiki could hear Ibuki's thoughts clearly.
'Ibuki's a spy from Class D, but I can't say that. She's still useful to me.'
Saiki thought, preparing to feign ignorance.
But just as he was about to speak, Ayanokōji spoke first:
"You've noticed too, right? Ibuki's a spy from Class D. Today, I investigated other classes and found Class B also received a student from Class D. I don't believe in coincidences, so they're likely spies too, aiming to uncover other classes' leaders."
'Ibuki appearing near our class was already suspicious. After learning Class B had the same situation, I was certain.'
'Saiki must've noticed too, but he didn't say anything. Probably planning to use Ibuki, just like me.'
'Saiki's thinking aligns almost perfectly with mine. Same thought process.'
'You...'
Saiki looked at Ayanokōji. In a way, their thoughts were indeed similar—keeping the spy close.
But Ayanokōji wanted to use the spy for better results, while Saiki just wanted to control Ibuki's score.
He'd planned to create a chance for Ibuki to 'accidentally' discover his identity, controlling the class's score...
But now, Saiki's plan was ruined.
Ayanokōji had outright told him Ibuki was a spy. If Ibuki later realized he was the leader, he'd be suspected!
If Ayanokōji hadn't said anything, Saiki could've played dumb. Now, he couldn't even do that.
'Damn it, Ayanokōji, what are you up to?'
Saiki's mind raced for a solution.
'Can only play dumb... but how?'
'If it were the old Saiki, he'd definitely pretend to know nothing. But the more he pretends, the more obvious his abilities become.'
'You!'
Saiki clenched his fist, then slowly spoke:
"I did suspect her too."
"When did you realize?"
Ayanokōji asked.
"From... the start."
Saiki wasn't lying. From the beginning, he'd heard Ibuki's thoughts.
"Figured. You noticed the dirt in Ibuki's fingernails?"
'?'
Saiki hadn't noticed that, but he nodded.
'Saiki's observation skills are impressive, on par with mine, maybe even better.'
'Ibuki had dirt in her nails, and I checked her location earlier. The soil was freshly turned, hiding a radio. I saw another at Ryūen's place today.'
'Even knowing she's a spy, Saiki kept Ibuki. Probably planning to use her. His thinking mirrors mine.'
'...I didn't think that far...'
Saiki didn't know how to respond.
'Saiki and I are the same type, after all.'
'Sorry, I'm a psychic, not like you.'
After a few seconds of silence, Ayanokōji spoke thoughtfully:
"Saiki, between rising to Class A and a peaceful high school life, which would you choose?"
"The latter, of course."
Saiki answered without hesitation.
"Rising to Class A is too attention-grabbing. I just want a quiet life."
"Seems we have a lot in common."
Ayanokōji nodded at Saiki.
'If I can sense Saiki hiding his abilities, he's likely noticed what I'm hiding too. He's not a subject of Shirogane's experiments, but with such similarity, maybe he's from another facility like Shirogane's.'
'I do know, but please don't say it. I don't want trouble, and I'm from an ordinary family. Don't add random backgrounds to me.'
"I'm not interested in Class A either, but for specific reasons, I need to achieve it."
Ayanokōji said, not hiding his identity as he had before.
"Hmm..."
Saiki could only nod.
"So in this exam, I want a higher score. If needed, I'll assist you. You don't dig into my past, and I won't into yours."
Ayanokōji stepped closer to Saiki, extending his hand.
"Saiki, let's team up."