Night Flower
Written: 8/22/2022
Chapter 6 will be the start of the island survival arc sort of, though for course I wanted Munfurawa to play a smaller more comedic role in the small interlude, with the summer vacation plot. It's very small and thus won't be too much. Again, the island exam will definitely contribute to more time, and the likes.
Regarding romance, I don't really know if I want to give Munfurawa a relationship. It's not that I'm against or anything, rather I'm conflicted on who it would be, is all.
Anyways, here's chapter 6.
Chapter 6: Deserted Island Exam Part 1
Third Person POV:
After the incident with Sudo, classes went by as normal, until summer vacations came up.
Munfurawa had no plans to do anything. He just wanted to relax after his involvement with the others with Ken Sudo's case.
Sighing as he got out of bed, he did some small stretches to get his body feeling fresh, heading to the washroom to clean up.
Once he got ready, he proceeded to do what he had done for the past couple of days so far, and that is study, go out and exercise, then eat.
It was a mundane process, but it was as normal as he had hoped for. And he enjoyed it.
He hadn't expected anything different to occur this day, but atlas it did.
To his utter confusion, he had gotten another knock on his door.
Grunting and getting up, he merely got up, and approached his locked door.
To his surprise, it was Horikita, who had knocked yet again.
"Ice girl?" Munfurawa asked, and this time, Horikita slapped Munfurawa in the face.
Well, attempted to, as Munfurawa quickly caught her hand. She flinched in realization at her quick act failing.
"How did you catch that?" Horikita asked in surprise.
"Martial arts also teach reflexes, how you positioned yourself after my comment made me know you were going to attack me." Munfurawa merely stated, much to the sigh of Horikita.
"Anyways, I want to offer something to you." She then asked, which confused Munfurawa.
"And offer? What is it?" Munfurawa asked, clearly not in the mood, as he wanted to stay away from the class for the summer vacation.
Horikita sighed, "I got a call from Ayanokouji, well multiple calls. Apparently the class is orchestrating a pool get together tomorrow, and they want me to be involved…"
Munfurawa pondered, and thought about it, "Ayanokouji called you multiple times? Sounds rather desperate."
Horikita shrugged, "It was whatever, but yeah, I figured I'd also ask you to join us."
Munfurawa looked at Horikita like she was crazy, "You do realize than nobody in the class has offered me to come with them…"
Horikita turned her head to the side, "It's because no one approached you, as they said you looked rather intimidating. You went back to sulking in your corner, being unapproachable to anyone, even Sudo and Kushida."
Munfurawa clearly didn't care, "Good for them I guess."
Horikita sighed in a bit of frustration. "Listen, I'm offering you to join."
"And why should I?" Munfurawa asked, "I'm enjoying myself during this summer vacation, I don't think I need to come."
"They never got to thank you for your actions. Even Sudo wants to thank you for saving Sakura."
Munfurawa did somewhat flinch a bit at that, albeit very lightly, "She told you?"
"Yes, she's been hanging out with Sudo a bit more, and he's apparently been giving her some confidence to be herself."
"That's nice of him…"
The two remained awkward for a bit, realizing the outfit Horikita was wearing. "I forgot it was summer."
"I was about to ask, how can you wear all of those clothes?"
Munfurawa shrugged, "Adapt. It was a lot hotter where I'm from."
"And where are you from?" Horikita asked, and immediately Munfurawa shut off the conversation to that.
"Not important, fine, I'll join you at the pool." Munfurawa stated at last, turning around to his stuff.
Horikita stepped into his dorm, looking around. She already raised an eyebrow at what she saw. "Why do you have so much coverings, like masks, hand wraps, and bandages?" She asked suddenly.
"They're mementos, I guess." Was all Munfurawa stated as he packed his stuff in a small shoulder bag, "Why are you in my dorm?"
Horikita realized, blushing, "You left the door open." She answered keeping her composure.
However, she eventually failed when she took a smell around Munfurawa's bed, her cheeks getting redder, and she felt her face burning up. She quickly shook herself out and watched as Munfurawa packed his stuff.
"You're not taking swimming stuff?" She asked, and he shrugged.
"Not really a fan of swimming." Munfurawa stated. "Though in case I get pushed in, then sure, they need to make a one-piece swimming suit for men…"
His comment confused Horikita, but she didn't think too much of it before she left. Giving a small thanks to accepting her request to join.
Munfurawa sighed, it appeared that he would not be able to escape his classroom now.
As the day progressed, he heard the knock again, and was met by Horikita and Ayanokouji.
"I'm ready, let's just go." Munfurawa stated off the bat before Horikita could respond. He let Horikita lead them, as Ayanokouji and Munfurawa stayed behind, not really saying or displaying anything.
Ayanokouji and Munfurawa did trade some glances, but nothing to significant.
Eventually as they reached the pool change room, Munfurawa hesitated to get out of his clothes and into his swimsuit. Sighing, he snuck out. He didn't really want to be apart of this anymore. But he decided to remain on the seats, watching everything unfold.
Truth be told, after the incident with Ken Sudo, the boy had seen Munfurawa more in a friendlier manner. In addition to Horikita, and Ayanokouji, he also seemed somewhat close to Sakura, which shocked many of those in his groups.
He keeps insisting that it is merely his gratitude towards her, and vice versa, that makes them close. They both had saved each other and promised to protect each other.
Regardless of what it was, Sudo and Sakura had gotten uniquely close, which to the shock of Ike and Yamauchi.
He detected the weird movements and personalities of some of the boys, towards the girls. He once again regarded it as a mere case of Puberty chemical change syndrome, where they let their instincts get the best of them.
"Hey Munfurawa," Sudo greeted, and Munfurawa nodded back.
"Why aren't you wearing your swimming outfit?" Sudo asked, and Munfurawa sighed.
"I put it on underneath my clothes, I don't feel like swimming now."
"Fair enough," Sudo rubbed his head, "Who invited you?"
Munfurawa turned to Horikita, "Ice girl."
Sudo almost laughed, "Ice girl? Seriously?! That's such a funny name…"
Munfurawa shrugged, "And I can guess you invited Sakura."
That got Sudo to stop laughing, his face getting a bit red, before he yelled in comedic rage, "You're such a smartass how did you know?!"
Munfurawa shrugged, "You two seemed close, it was a natural choice to assume."
Sudo sighed, "Yeah, everyone's been noticing, she doesn't know how much she's helped…"
Munfurawa pondered, before he noticed Sudo's change in personality.
"AHHH CRAMP!" Sudo exclaimed before he ran away comedically.
"That isn't something you can do with a cramp…" Munfurawa commented before he decided to follow him. He was curious and suspicious at the same time.
Just what were these boys doing?
Of course, Munfurawa lost them.
That is until he heard commotion.
What he stumbled upon was something he hadn't expected.
Sakayangi, Ryūen, with Sudo in the middle. That was trouble, and thus Munfurawa immediately came from above Ryūen's small army.
Just as Yamada was approaching Sudo, Munfurawa dropped down, landing gracefully, much to the interest of them.
"Ara ara, Munfurawa-kun, didn't know you were the knight of this class…" Sakayanagi commented.
"Humour me, haha…" Was all Munfurawa responded with before he stared down at Yamada and Ryūen.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise." Ryūen commented, smirking, "How about I let Yamada deal with that monkey over there, and I'll have my personal struggle with you, Munfurawa…"
Crap, now even Ryūen knew of his name…
"We're not here to fight." Was all Munfurawa stated, before he eyed Yamada for getting close to Sudo.
It seemed that despite his non-violent stance, Ryūen did not care.
"Albert, take care of both of them." Yamada proceeded to approach Sudo and Munfurawa.
While Sudo backed up, Munfurawa stayed his ground, staring at Yamada with his eyes.
When Yamada raised his arm and proceeded to punch, Munfurawa noticed his arms were too big to catch, unless he had a strong back foundation. And he couldn't dodge since Sudo was behind him.
He would have to block Yamada's punch.
When the punch came, Munfurawa felt a small bolt in his arm, which he put up to block. He remained standing up, much to the shock of even Yamada.
"Huh? You blocked that without falling over, that's impressive…" Yamada commented, before he grabbed Munfurawa's arm. Clearly getting the message, Munfurawa kept his balance and center of gravity as close to the ground as he could to avoid being lifted.
Doing so, he brought his caught arm close to himself across his chest, before elbowing Yamada's wrist, striking the pressure point.
The motion caused Yamada to release his grip on Munfurawa, as he rubbed his wrist in pain. Munfurawa by comparison felt very little on his arm where Yamada had grabbed him.
"What is going on here?" Manabu Horikita intercepted, causing everyone to stop their conflict and actions.
Manabu Horikita then jumped from one level above, just like Munfurawa did.
"It seems someone also knows how to drop to the ground like a cat…" Manabu Horikita commented towards Munfurawa, before he turned to the rest to cast his judgement.
One scene of Suzune Horikita saying her speech about making it to the highest ranks of class later, and everyone left.
He hadn't seen the volleyball match, as he didn't care. He made it out to the pool, and saw Suzune Horikita, and Ayanokouji talking.
Eventually, Ayanokouji pushed Horikita into the pool, which was funnier because of her reaction.
"I'm surprised the pool didn't freeze when you went in, ice girl." Munfurawa taunted, much to Horkita's dismay.
"You came at the worst time…" Horikita mumbled, as she dragged Ayanokouji into the pool.
Eventually, the others in Class D began to also jump in the pool. Sudo pushing Munfurawa into the pool before he jumped in as well.
Eventually, the day was over, and everyone was allowed to go to their dorms again. Once again, walking with Ayanokouji and Horikita, Munfurawa remained silent as he looked at the photo of the class together.
He sighed, it seems that his days of being invisible were ending, as everyone was eventually finding out his name. Even Ryūen was finding out, which sucked.
Still, he eventually realized that being invisible in this school wouldn't cut it.
Ayanokouji had decided to head into his dorm early, leaving Munfurawa and Horikita to their own devices.
Sighing, he decided to give Horikita an extra photo he had taken of the class.
"What is this?" She asked.
"The Class photo of all of us at the pool, someone wanted me to take a photo, which is why we did. Thought you'd like it. Also, nice speech, everyone heard it." Munfurawa bluntly stated.
Horikita sighed, "Yes, I am aware."
Munfurawa nodded, before he turned around to go in his own dorm. Horikita doing the same.
As he looked closer and turned to make sure Horikita went in her dorm, he could've sworn he saw her smile slightly as she looked at the photo.
Munfurawa was somewhat shocked, not expecting Horikita to be someone who could smile.
"Perhaps the ice girl can smile, and she has a beautiful one at that…" Was all Munfurawa thought before he went in his own dorm, going straight to his bed that he missed.
Screw beauty, this comfort was what Munfurawa wanted to stay with.
After that small incident in the summer break, Munfurawa and most, if not all of the four classes were now on a cruise. A luxury cruise liner, called Speranza.
While the other students began to relax, Munfurawa felt some suspicions regarding this entire ordeal.
The officials stated everything was free, which was something they needed after their initial phase of buying out.
For Munfurawa, however, he had around 350,000 private points, in part due to the constant weekly gain from Ishizaki, as well as the funds he got from selling the photos of Munabu Horikita and Ayanokouji.
So, in a sense, he was doing well. The others, he couldn't speak for.
As the others were having fun, enjoying their lives, Munfurawa was pondering, as always. Judging from his experience with this school so far, nothing came free.
The private point system they thought was free came at a cost, this cruise would be no different.
"Hello Munfurawa-kun." A petite girl by Arisa Sakayanagi approached Munfurawa, clearly with interest.
"Hello, Sakayangi, what are you doing here?" He asked, clearly knowing she came on her own just to talk to him.
Whilst before Munfurawa would do his best to avoid her, as he felt an ominous presence whenever she was around. Now, she was tolerable at least.
Sakayangi led Munfurawa to her area, which consisted of other Class A students. In particular, they included Nishi Karuka and Ryoko Nishikawa. Regardless, they gave me some information about Class A that was of vital importance for later. It was strange that they were giving this information to someone they just met, however considering Munfurawa knew Sakayangi, they perhaps saw him as an equal.
With the help of Ichinose, he had learned a decent amount about Class B through listening. With Class C, he already knew quiet a bit regarding the dictatorship of Ryūen, as well as his blackmail against Ishizaki, who was still providing him information.
That meant information about Class A was not as potent. Thankfully, he was learning with the help of Sakayanagi and the girls. Munfurawa was careful to not poke too much into this, to not cause suspicion.
Once he left the area, and went back to his own isolated state, he watched the others of Class D enjoy themselves. In particular, he noticed Sudo approaching Sakura, who was nervous as always. The only who seemed to not be around, were yet again, Ayanokouji and Horikita.
As Munfurawa was thinking, he noticed the ship slowly approaching an island. Already getting an idea of what was going on, Munfurawa went to pack his things up, assuming they were heading out soon.
Eventually, everyone was brought out of the island. Immediately, Munfurawa could tell that this island was shaped in a rather drastic way. It sort of brought him back to the times when he lived on an island.
A man named Tomoya Mashima stood on a podium with a microphone. "Welcome everyone! To the start of the year's first special test!"
That seemed to surprise most, if not, all the students in the cruise. Munfurawa looked around and indeed spotted the amount of surprised looks. To Munfurawa, he somewhat dreaded going back to the island where he came from. However, this was an island owned by the school, so he should be fine.
"For the next week, you will be living on this island with your respective classes!" Mashima continued, not caring for the uproar the students were having. "No student, will be allowed to board the ship unless the situation is desire. This is an exposure and learning experience on survival tactics."
"Each class will receive 300 points, use them wisely, as they will be added to the class points, with the total change reflecting over the summer." Mashima continued, while Munfurawa pondered.
He looked across the area, noting some small specifics within each class. Most notably the absence of Sakayanagi, meaning Class A was run under Katsuragi.
Munfurawa did not know much about Katsuragi, but from what Nishi Karuka and Ryoko Nishikawa told him, Katsuragi and Sakayanagi had a lot of arguments about running the class. That wasn't explicitly told, but the fact that they chose to secretly tell Munfurawa was significant, and made him feel that the class was split between the two representatives.
As he ignored his class fantasizing about the possibilities of 30,000 extra points a month, Munfurawa continued to observe around. Once Chabashira gave a manual with the list of purchasable points, he spotted rules.
Munfurawa took note of the multiple rules. Regarding the point system, they are given 300 to start off for purchasable products, with there being ways to lose points. In general, the point system was relatively simple. Perhaps going after the most spots would be a strategy, however the risk of using a spot already taken by a group was pretty risky.
That isn't until he looked at the leader role. If a leader is guessed incorrectly, the class could lose -50 points. Interesting…
Immediately, Munfurawa gathered an idea, perhaps trying to find the leaders of each class would be ideal quickly, especially when that was when they were consolidating spots. However, Munfurawa had an idea that could make it work well.
He merely listened to them as he realized the importance of both offensive and defensive strategies for this exam. Perhaps putting those to defend spots would be ideal. As someone who learned well and lived on an island, Munfurawa knew getting the topography of the island down was important and strategic.
Getting the idea down, he made his way towards the class with an idea.
However, it seemed that many of his classmates already began planning, albeit poorly.
"The class leader role is mandatory, so discuss who should be the leader, and I will give them the keycard stamped with their name." Chabashira finished, before she made her way near the cruise ship.
She then came back to hand us wristwatches to check our bodily functions. However, as she helped with the cardboard box usage and vinyl sheets for the islands, Munfurawa looked out, noticing other classes getting ready to enter the island. In particular, Munfurawa noticed the similar paths Class A and C were taking.
He pondered, knowing the direction they were going. It would be of the best idea to perhaps check their area as quick as he could.
"Everyone?" All the members of Class D turned their heads to Hirata, "Alright, let's go over the basics of what we already know, what we have, and the rules, before we decide our leader…"
Munfurawa turned to his class and proceeded to check everything. However when the issue of the portable toilet began, Munfurawa stepped up.
"I understand the argument of both sides, however we must make up a decision that is both sustainable and reliable. We mustn't waste more time arguing over this." He started, deciding to put his idea in the fray.
Immediately he was noticed by almost everyone, who stared at him like he was new to the class. The looks of not even knowing who he was surprisingly felt awkward, with only a few knowing who he truly was.
Thankfully, it would be Horikita to help his case, "I agree with Munfurawa, for now we must get on the move with our own priorities. If no one needs the toilet, we will not worry for now."
They all nodded, before Munfurawa added in, "Besides, for now at least, there's no harm in trying the makeshift toilet. Let's try not to waste our points recklessly."
Again, the class stared at him, like he was crazy, but eventually nodded as his points came across.
"So suddenly the loner wants to be noticed," Horikita commented.
"Oh, shut up, ice girl…" Munfurawa fired back which made Horikita sigh in frustration.
Deciding they decided to back up, Munfurawa nodded to Hirata, who began moving.
"So, Munfurawa is it?" Hirata asked, and when the loner nodded, he continued, "When did you join this class? I never saw you."
"Two weeks later. I was moving in the process. My application to this school was last minute." Hirata looked excited.
"Wow, so you're from outside Japan?" He asked, his voice sadly making everyone listen to their conversation.
"Not exactly... I'm not from Tokyo…" Munfurawa kept it vague. "Anyways, I think for now the best course of strategy, is to have a reconnaissance team to explore the island."
"Huh?"
Even Ayanokouji and Horikita looked at Munfurawa regarding the idea.
"I think the main purpose right now for the first third of the day would be to gather an idea of the island. Learning to find which advantageous points to occupy. Perhaps bringing our leader to the reconnaissance team would be also ideal, to directly occupy as early as possible. Losing the spot to a rival class would not be good." Munfurawa explained.
"But wouldn't that run the risk of running into other classes?" Ayanokouji asked, and Munfurawa nodded.
"It will, but there are two catches. The first is the pick our leader as quick as we can so we can maximize the possible distance we can cross. The second, however, is the even that a leader is also there. We could merely end up in a Mexican standoff, with us just staring at the opposing class." Munfurawa explained, which most of the class understood.
"That makes sense… so who should be the leader?" Hirata mentioned, and immediately multiple whispers could be heard.
"Perhaps Hirata?" They heard someone ask, which was immediately debunked by Horikita. A class representative was a no go. Neither were members who openly outgoing.
"Exactly, we need a classmate who is rarely looked at by other classes. Someone who is hard to see…" Hirata emphasized, everyone also pondered, before comedically they all looked at Munfurawa.
"Ice girl?" He asked, before he noticed everyone staring at him.
"What?" Was all he asked, not realizing that everyone had inevitably forced him into a role he wouldn't appreciate.
"Why me?" Was all he asked, before Ayanokouji chimed in.
"You are smarter than you bring on, you are responsible and have an idea on what to do. That reconnaissance strategy is smart. Also, you are perfectly invisible, so it will work out well."
Munfurawa sighed, "Very well, let me get the key card…"
As Munfurawa began to get the key card from Chabashira, he suddenly got an idea, and knew Chabashira would be willing to go alongside the idea. After all, it was a loophole in the rules the exam.
Eventually, he put the key cards in his hands, and begun to make his way to the rest of the group.
"Alright, let's get go and explore a spot to settle, afterwards around four of us as reconnaissance, me included." Munfurawa started, looking at the group as they began their trek.
Going through the forested area, the area immediately showed to be very humid, with most of the peers sweating. Still, we continued the path. Judging from the area and how the island was made, we were nearing the center of the island. This could be good settlement for the class.
The drinking water from the stream made it better. The checkpoint radiating for Munfurawa to swipe his keycard over.
Eventually, as he looked over at everyone getting used to the area, Horikita got a few, notably Sudo and Ayanokouji.
"Let's all remain close to the checkpoint, so we can avoid someone identifying us for swiping." Horikita mentioned.
Munfurawa nodded, before swiping the card across the checkpoint, before passing it to Horikita, Ayanokouji, and Sudo, before finally giving it back to Munfurawa, who safely hid it back in the pocket of his short pants.
"Alright, now that this is set up, the reconnaissance will be heading out. The rest of you can observe around, but make sure you retain around here." Hirata ordered, being the leader.
"So Hirata, Ice girl, Yukimura, and I will focus on identifying the topography here. Sudo, Sakura, and Ayanokouji can focus on the other side." Munfurawa stated. "The rest do the other way and keep a solid amount near the checkpoint."
The group nodded, not questioning that a loner was suddenly leading the class. Not much happened, but for Munfurawa's group, they found roughly two unoccupied spots that could function as bonus points.
Ayanokouji, Sakura, and Sudo found three unoccupied spots, alongside an unusual amount of berries. They would have to bring Ike to the area to see if the berries were indeed healthy to snack on perhaps.
Onodera's group seemed to have found the occupied base of Class C, with some interesting results.
"It doesn't seem that class C is taking the exam seriously. They decided to ultimately return to the beach on the south of the island. The interesting thing is the fact that the entirely of the group seem to be vacationing, rather than searching for other spots." Onodera spoke, "Rather they seem hellbent on relaxing…"
Munfurawa's mind began racing in thoughts. The idea of blowing their points just to have fun? Perhaps, but maybe there was a plan behind that disguise. Perhaps Ryūen put that under a mask. There had to be a reason why Ryūen did this. Was it perhaps to neglect the fear of losing points?
That didn't really seem sense. They wouldn't gain anything. They would be stuck with their previous amount, especially if they decide to retire.
"Let's see, if they decide to lose the 300 points off the bat, how else could they gain points?" The thought was immediately answered.
Guessing the class leaders. Theoretically it did make sense. It's not like no class would have the full 300 points they were given by the end. Considering they could get 150 points alone from guessing all the classes' leaders, that would be their only effective way.
Would they be incompetent to actually let Ryūen be the leader? Of course, he was too much into himself to accept someone else as the leader.
But again, if they had no points to negate due to a correct guess by another class, then there was no penalty theoretically, unless they go for bonus points.
Sighing, Munfurawa concluded, that the only threat that Class C could potentially give to them, was to attempt to guess their leader.
Then, it would be beneficial to get the extra spots around Class C, if they aren't going to bother with them.
"Did you see anyone from Class C look interesting in taking a spot that you came across to get to them?" Munfurawa asked.
Onodera shook her head, "It seemed that they are all ordered by Ryūen to not do so, there's no evidence they even stepped foot from where we came from."
Munfurawa nodded, "Perfect, three others will come with me and we will get some extra spots for extra points straight off the bat."
Horikita immediately felt skeptical. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked. "Getting the spots right next to Class C?"
Munfurawa shrugged, "Perhaps, but if the Class around an area, like the southern parts of the island, seems unlikely to actually get points based on the fact that they seem willing to vacation, rather than actually perform in the exam, then getting everything between us and them would actually be beneficial."
Horikita still looked unsure, "What if it's a fluke?"
Munfurawa understood, "It could be…" He mumbled, "But look at our spot." He pointed.
"It has a timer when it expires, meaning it had been occupied. Assuming we all can see the occupied spots, then we can identify the unoccupied ones, and I don't see a rule where a class can take it for themselves, it even says, use of another class's occupied spot without permission will result in a 50-point penalty." Munfurawa explained.
Horikita seemed to get it, "So if we take the chance now, even if we get the occupied spot, it doesn't' exactly mean we have to defend the spot?"
Munfurawa nodded, "Exactly, and if we know Class C has not bothered to occupy any of the spots in route, then we shall take them for ourselves."
Ayanokouji seemed to have been listening to what Munfurawa had stated.
"We should probably check on Class C while we can. Then on our way back we can determine whether to occupy them or not. We shouldn't waste time as well. The earlier, the more bonus points we can get." He spoke up.
"Indeed, so then is it you, ice girl and I?" Munfurawa asked, and Ayanokouji nodded.
"It seems that way."
"Will you stop calling me ice girl?" Horikita angrily mumbled, sighing as she led the way.
"Anyways, out of all the potential bonus points, which one would be the easiest to get from here?" Ayanokouji asked.
"It seems we will have to check out the ones in route to Class C first. They seem to be the safest option now." Horikita commented, and thus they decided to make their way to Class C.
The three individuals of Class D didn't really need to observe Class C in person so close. In reality, all they had to do was observe the commotion, and they quickly realized what was going on.
"They really are vacating…" Horikita mumbled, "Then I guess we can get those four extra points, I don't think they will be out on the first day…"
"Indeed." Ayanokouji commented, as they decided to ignore whatever Class C was doing now, focusing on themselves, as they begun swiping the checkpoints, all three of them in case someone sees them. They still had to keep caution.
Eventually making it back, we eventually called it a day. It was approaching evening, and thus the rest of the day could be used to relax.
Letting the others relax, whether it was in a separate river, Munfurawa heard one girl yell after a boy had tried to peak on her while bathing, he didn't care for the drama of others. As long as they worked together then it would be fine.
But as the others in the class began to enjoy their time. Munfurawa was at a crossroads. Why was he helping the class this much? He had officially let himself out of the shadows, to literally become a leader. The class hadn't even known of him at the time. How did they accept him so easily?
Did ice girl claim he had responsibility in the fighting drama? Or if they found out he was the one to transfer 100,000 private points?
Regardless, Munfurawa knew that his actions now, meant he was no longer invisible.
"So long for being a nobody…"
Eventually, his mind went back to the checkpoints, somewhat glad they had gotten the swipe now, out of all times. Right now, it was 11, almost midnight. By now, everyone had slept, wanting to wake up early would be ideal rather than sleeping in.
Munfurawa was among the last to fall asleep. Then again, he only needed around 5-10 hours of sleep. For now, around 7 would do.
In a way, getting those bonus points at this time, when others were sleeping was optimal timing. Regardless, Munfurawa knew they still had a lot to do.
Renewing the checkpoint with Horikita and Ayanokouji, they called it a day.
Of course, Munfurawa wasn't officially done. Lying down, he began calculating the points, and the possible requirements they will use. This obviously included the portable, which the girls will eventually need. In addition, some were skeptical of the stream, and thus bottled water would be needed.
It didn't matter much, it wasn't like the class was actually going to get the amount initially. Still, Munfurawa felt a bit paranoid.
Getting up, he could have sworn he saw a figure. He had to go see. Tucking the keycard around Ayanokouji, hoping if someone approaches them they won't try to reach for the keycard.
Unfortunately, the runner had a head start, in addition with the nighttime darkness, Munfurawa couldn't catch up or find where the shadow ran off to.
He was able to make out an unusual muscular figure, however, which already gave him two possible options.
He sighed, grabbing the keycard back and heading to sleep for the night.
Waking up at 6:30, Munfurawa was somewhat surprised to find himself the first up. He shrugged, deciding to get intel on their current circumstances, as well as the plan for the next day. Looking around, he knew he couldn't risk being reckless and swiping the card just yet. He had to wait for Horikita to wake up specifically.
Why? We'll see later.
As he pondered, he heard the sound of rustling. Looking back, it was Sudo to wake up first. That was a surprise.
"Ah, Munfurawa, how long were you awake for?" He asked, and the loner shrugged.
"Not too long, I've just been looking at our current intel and the plan for today." Munfurawa pondered.
"Man, such a decision-maker." Sudo commented, getting up to perform some stretches.
As Munfurawa continued, he was shocked when Sudo asked him a question.
"So, I might like Sakura…" He revealed, which made Munfurawa look up.
"Huh?" He asked, and Sudo deadpanned.
"Do I need to spell it out? I think I've fallen for her." He emphasized, and Munfurawa then got it.
"So you like her for giving you another chance?" He assumed, and Sudo shook his head.
"No, not that specifically. Remember when you told me to fight to protect others?" Sudo asked.
Munfurawa nodded, "I do remember that, why are you reminding me of that now?"
Sudo sighed, "It really made me realize how much I care for her. Maybe originally it was a gratitude for her saving me from expulsion, but as we hung out we got to know each other. She told me about her stint as a gravure model, and I didn't mind, really."
Munfurawa took this in, as Sudo continued, "Eventually, when she had that issue with the stalker, I found myself furious. I wanted to really hurt someone. My anger has always, kept me away from getting hurt. I don't want to blame my past, but when you do something over and over, it gets hard to break the cycle."
Munfurawa could kind of relate to that, but for now he remained quiet and let Sudo say what he needed to. "Everyone was always telling me that my way of coping and getting things done was wrong, as if spitting on the way I got through times. And I hated that. I thought you were no different, but you weren't."
Sudo looked Munfurawa straight in the eyes, giving him a smile. "You didn't try to make me stop fighting, just to fight for the right reasons, and that opened my mind up. If you hadn't told me that before we caught that stalker, I could've seriously hurt him. I just care for Sakura now, and even she helps me to not fight all the time."
Munfurawa thought about it, "It's just learning. I already told you what you could do. If you and Sakura are developing well with the personality you have, moreso than before, then continue. If you are doing something progressively right, you're going down the right path."
Sudo went silent, before speaking, "You're such a cool guy, your very smart, yet you can fight without being violent somehow… I envy you…"
Munfurawa looked at Sudo, who seemed a bit angry, but held it in, and instead patted Munfurawa's shoulder. "As a rival, not as someone I want to hurt."
Munfurawa pondered, "Well, I have a proposition. Teach me basketball, and I'll teach you how to defend yourself without hurting others badly."
Sudo gave a smile at that proposition. "Deal." Was all he said before he went to clean himself up.
Unbeknownst to them, Horikita had woken up and heard the entire conversation, a small smile enveloping her face.
She decided to get up around five minutes later, with Ayanokouji up around three. One by one, the class got up, with Sotomura being the last one awake.
"So, what's the priority today?" Yamauchi asked, looking at Munfurawa as if he had planned everything.
Hirata was the one to speak, "Perhaps focus on our position and essentials?"
Horikita countered, "That could be one, Ayanokouji, Sudo and Sakura did mention of lots of berries around a certain direction, since Ike is the most experienced, sending him to that direction would our best best."
"Should we try to start predicting other class leaders now?" Yukimura asked, and Munfurawa nodded.
"I would agree, in particular to sending out some smaller squads to observe what the other classes are doing." Munfurawa added onto Yukimura's idea, "after all, this is a test where we aren't at a disadvantage academically. We should utilize this to the best of our abilities."
Horikita bumped in, "Therefore, we can have two groups to specialize in exploring the other classes' bases, while the others can focus on fetching food and consolidating our position. Getting the center of the island gives us benefits and downsides."
"Indeed, we can be approached by any angle, yet we can spread ourselves evenly, yet still be connected." Ayanokouji mentioned, explaining the benefits and downsides Horikita mentioned.
"Well, if that's the plan, let us scan our position." Munfurawa approached the checkpoint, with other students, as they all passed and swiped, to hide the potential of someone watching.
"Now that that's done…" Munfurawa mumbled, as he spotted Horikita thinking.
"What are you thinking, ice girl?" Munfurawa asked, only to be met with a punch from her.
He caught her hand but found this strange. Even if she didn't really put effort in her punches, this was incredibly weak. He could feel her hands that he caught, and they were somewhat warmer than usual. He then noticed the sweat coming off her face.
"Does Horikita have a fever?" Munfurawa thought but decided to let her still go.
Putting Horikita's fist down, he then turned to the class.
"Alright, so Hirata, ice girl and I will head towards the camp of Class B." Munfurawa started, ignoring the ice-cold look Horikita was giving him. "And Ayanokouji, Sudo, and Sakura will explore Class A. Kushida, Ike, Karuizawa, and Yamauchi, can explore the berry patches that they mentioned."
He then turned to Kushida, "You know where the berry patches are, right?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Yes, I was told by Sudo!" She exclaimed, so happy for a class that seemed rather grumpy considering they slept on the ground.
He had purposely, again, but Sudo and Sakura together, for them to further develop their connection. It was strange, to see these two be this close to each other, but Munfurawa was happy for the guy.
Even if he came across as the wrong guy, he was just trying to survive, which was not compatible with this new environment. At least, get his reasoning to change.
Munfurawa, Horikita and Hirata made their way to the camp of Class B. Munfurawa had remember they were the only group to really head east, and thus, a simple look at the rising sun, and they knew which direction they were going.
A makeshift map in his hands as he eyed what he had known so far, and what needed to be filled in. he never was strong drawer, but his abilities to create good legends was what made the map stand out.
"We do seem to be approaching an opening." Hirata commented. Munfurawa looked up, and indeed noticed the signs of human life.
"Well, it seems that Class B has gotten themselves in a nice position." Horikita commented.
And she wasn't wrong. They seemed to have found an area with a decent source of drinking water, alongside the trees perfectly spaced for places to rest.
Regardless, they were living relatively comfortably. Compared to Class C and Class A, from what he had heard, Class B was probably the most stable, even moreso than Class D.
Eventually, they found someone who would be nice to them.
"Ah! Hirata! Munfurawa! And Horikita! Nice to see you!" Ichinose's voice rang into our ears as the girl came to hug Hirata, who returned it. Horikita, who tensed, but took it, and Munfurawa, who comedically pushed his hand in front of her face, stopping her motion.
Ichinose eventually gave up hugging Munfurawa, mumbling, "meanie…"
However, that quickly changed when Ichinose began to explain to them what they were up to. Apparently, they had a relatively smooth and stable sense of points with the area they had found.
It was rather far compared to the start, but it clearly was worth it. They really didn't seem to have spent a lot. This made Hirata a bit worried, as now he felt self-conscious that they had spent a bit too much.
Eventually, other students joined in the fray, eyeing them with suspicion, but seeing Ichinose talk casually to them, eventually conceded and accepted them.
"So you plan to just chill, collecting points from your checkpoint?" Munfurawa asked, and Ichinose nodded.
"Pretty simple, but effective, the only risk are other classes finding out our leader." Ichinose commented.
"I'm hoping it's not you, Ichinose." Was all Munfurawa stated, only for some students of class B to get skeptical of them once again.
A class representative, named Ryūji Kanzaki approached Munfurawa menacingly. He was only an inch taller than Munfurawa, however, as he threatened him.
"And who are you to judge us on our strategies, you defect?" Kanzaki menacingly and with fire responded, making Hirata and even Horikita, albeit less, flinch.
But Munfurawa remained stoic. "I'm not criticizing you, I'm just asking you your strategies regarding class leaders."
Kanzaki mumbled, "Wouldn't matter to you, defect. You and your defect class should just leave while they can."
It really seemed the tension was high, and even Horikita seemed a bit upset and how things were going.
Thankfully, Ichinose stepped in. "Kanzaki! That is not how you will treat our guests!"
Kanzaki faltered, "But he-"
"Doesn't matter! He's just looking out for us." Ichinose rebutted, not giving Kanzaki further room to speak.
Eventually, she bowed to Munfurawa, "I apologize on behalf of him, for his insults and rudeness."
Munfurawa sighed, "It's fine, I'm used to it, and that's how a class should perceive someone new entering their space.
He turned to Kanzaki, "Good job." Was all Munfurawa stated, which confused him.
He just got yelled at Ichinose for yelling at someone, but that someone had just praised him… What?
"It's a natural response to be skeptical of those outside your circle. Regardless of our status, you treat us as outsiders, unless you have a reason to trust us." Munfurawa stated.
Kanzaki sighed, "Whatever, why are you truly here?" He asked at last.
Munfurawa sighed, "Well, we want to start the process to creating an alliance."
That surprised Kanzaki, Ichinose, and even Hirata and Horikita.
The latter whispering into his ear, "What the hell are you thinking?"
Munfurawa pushed her concerns behind, "Trust me on this." Was all he said.
"I don't expect you to immediately agree, however I fear that something between the other two classes are brewing. It was rather suspicious, at least on Class C."
Ichinose pondered, "You are right, can you give us information?"
Munfurawa nodded, merely telling them about them using all their points, to avoid the negatives of guess their points, but also benefitting purely from guessing class leaders.
Ichinose and even Kanzaki heard of this and sighed, "Well it seems that if that's the case, then we might be in for some trouble. If Class C is potentially focusing on that, we should be prepared… Kanzaki mumbled.
Munfurawa replied smugly, "I'm sure you already have a plan for that, Kanzaki."
This had the added effect of getting him angry, but knowing he was embarrassed in front of a chuckling Ichinose, he merely hid in it.
Eventually, they agreed to a lot of cooperative stuff. While the alliance wasn't official, as only Munfurawa and Ichinose were with it, the others were not. This made a 2-3 against creating it, with the people they were with.
For now, they still needed some time to pass before.
However, with the potential, that only Munfurawa had suspected, Class A and C might be working together, they needed to have this edge just in case.
Eventually, they had to leave, and Ichinose gave a farewell to the three. Once she shook hands and hugged Horikita and Hirata, but not Munfurawa, they trio made their way out.
"What were you thinking?! Offering an alliance straight away!" Horikita exclaimed once they were away from the camp.
"I wasn't immediately offering the alliance, just proposing the idea, just in case." Munfurawa replied.
"Just in case, what?" Hirata and Horikita asked, and Munfurawa pondered.
"It's probably a paranoid guess, but I think being on trustful terms with Class B will benefit us. We both are already good with our spots and bonus points." Munfurawa stated.
"You do realize if anyone finds out the class leader, then all of it is gone?" Horikita mentioned, and Munfurawa nodded.
"I do, however I am confident we will not be found." Munfurawa replied.
"And how can you be so sure?" She asked, and Munfurawa had a simple response.
"You'll see when the results are given."
Horikita sighed, "You're confusing…"
Munfurawa replied, "I know I am, ice girl. Anyways, let's head back to the base camp. I don't know if the others had gone out, but we'll see. For now, we've gotten an insight on how Class B is doing, as well as the possibility of an alliance."
Horikita grunted in frustrating. "Stop calling me ice girl!"
"Like I said, I think ice girl fits you."
Horikita screamed in agony at the nickname pasted onto her face, while Hirata just laughed.
"You two have such a unique dynamic, it's interesting."
A.N / So we've finished the first day, and are in the process of the second day of the deserted island arc. I don't know how many chapters based on this arc there will be. Judging by my process perhaps a total of three or four.
So Munfurawa was seen as the perfect candidate as a leader, due to being invisible. As you can see, his desire to become invisible came back to bite him in the ass. Now, he is forced to take a leadership role. I don't want this to look like he suddenly became known by the class. He's still rather unknown by the others, which is why only as select characters know him.
Many of the girls are still unaware of him, and are confused. Munfurawa is progressively getting more communicative, but that doesn't mean he's social. He's only doing this because it will bring back the status quo. Anyways, the next part we'll see how far we get.
See you late, for chapter 7.