None of the seven boys had lost anything of significant value. After all, the rules of the exam didn't allow them to bring expensive belongings. What was missing were mostly personal items—things like toothbrushes and clothes, with each boy missing one or two pieces.
Under normal circumstances, boys wouldn't make a fuss over missing items like girls might. Most would just assume they'd misplaced something themselves. However, this time, the sheer number of missing items made it impossible to dismiss as mere carelessness.
"Hondou, weren't you on watch last night?" someone asked. "How did so many things go missing, and you didn't notice anything?"
After the incident where underwear had been stolen, Hirata had assigned a student to keep an eye on the luggage at night, but only the boys' luggage. It wasn't because the girls were being petty or distrustful, but none of them trusted anyone but Hirata. Even Ayanokoji had barely been allowed to help with minor tasks, let alone be trusted with their bags.
However, Hirata couldn't be awake all night since he was also in charge of running the camp during the day. As for the girls keeping watch themselves? That was out of the question—staying up all night was a girl's worst enemy.
Since their tent couldn't hold all the bags, the girls had opted to hide their luggage instead of setting up additional security. Ironically, it was the boys who ended up losing their belongings.
"You're as useless as those neighborhood security guards who doze off during their shift," one boy muttered.
Hondou hurriedly defended himself. "N-no! I didn't see anything, I swear!"
"Then where did the stuff go?"
"I don't know! I was awake the whole time!"
Despite Hondou's insistence, the doubt on everyone's faces was undeniable. He probably dozed off during his watch. Still, it was hard to completely blame him—who would've thought someone would steal from the boys?
"That means you're the prime suspect," someone muttered under their breath.
"How could it be me? I had stuff stolen too!" Bon shot back defensively.
"Maybe you did it on purpose," the voice continued. "You're the only one who could've pulled this off."
Hondou was dumbfounded, staring at them in disbelief. Had he just gone from being the victim to the suspect? Flustered, he stammered, "No, wait! Okay, maybe I did close my eyes for just a second… but staying up all night is boring!"
"I knew it," Yukimura sighed deeply but didn't press the issue. The other boys, who had lost items, shared his sentiment. After all, they were boys—it wasn't like they would react as strongly as the girls. It was strange, yes, but they weren't panicking.
Who could've done it?
At that moment, someone quietly suggested, "Could it be those girls playing a prank on us?"
Everyone froze before instinctively glancing over to where the girls were.
"I see…" Yukimura rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If it's the girls trying to get back at us, that would explain everything. Let's go confront them!"
"Wait, I don't think we should accuse our classmates without proof! This must be some kind of misunderstanding," Hirata quickly interjected.
"Come on, Hirata, why are you defending them? You didn't say that when they accused us of stealing underwear!"
"Exactly! We had to let them search us, didn't we?" Ike and Yamauchi chimed in, always eager to challenge the popular guy.
Honestly, they didn't even need much encouragement. The boys had been stewing in resentment ever since they were accused of being panty thieves. Now that they had the perfect excuse to retaliate, there was no stopping them.
Led by Yukimura, the group stormed over to the girls' tents, shouting for them to come out. The scene felt oddly familiar.
Trailing behind the group, Hikigaya watched the drama unfold. He was still unsure who the culprit might be. Logically, Ibuki seemed like the most likely suspect, but she had already succeeded in causing enough chaos within Class D. Repeating the same stunt wouldn't benefit her much, only increasing the risk of exposure.
It was better to observe a little longer.
"Wait! Let me talk to them first!" Hirata, ever the peacekeeper, rushed ahead to explain the situation to Karuizawa and the others.
As expected, the girls responded with dismissive laughter.
"Oh, please! I thought something serious happened. Why would any of us want your stuff? Just touching it would require disinfecting afterward!" one of the girls sneered.
"I'd say the same about your belongings!" Yukimura shot back immediately. "That rag you call a shirt wouldn't even make a good dishcloth!"
"What did you just say?"
"Enough!" Hirata stepped in before the argument escalated. "This isn't the time to fight. We need to find out what happened to everyone's things."
"Sorry, Hirata, but we're not going to help some underwear thief," Shinohara retorted with a smirk, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "For all we know, you boys could be staging this whole thing to get attention."
"Excuse me? Are you accusing us now?" Yamauchi growled.
"Ha! What a joke."
It was clear the girls weren't taking this seriously. Even though the situation was similar to the stolen underwear incident, they remained calm and treated the whole thing like a joke. Hikigaya couldn't help but feel the disparity between how boys and girls reacted to these incidents.
It was unfair.
Deciding to add a bit of fun, Hikigaya chimed in from the back. "Well, Hirata had something stolen too… Could it be a certain girl with a peculiar fetish?"
"What?"
That single comment was like dropping a match into a barrel of oil. The girls erupted in shock.
"Hirata-kun, you had something stolen?" Karuizawa asked, eyes wide with concern.
"…Yeah, my toothbrush seems to be missing," Hirata admitted sheepishly. He had been trying to avoid mentioning it, but thanks to Hikigaya, it was now out in the open.
"Search! We have to find the culprit!" The girls immediately shifted their focus, suddenly determined to solve the mystery now that Hirata was involved.
Hikigaya glanced at the other boys, all of whom wore defeated expressions. There was no denying the power of a handsome guy like Hirata. Hikigaya had already experienced this phenomenon firsthand.
The girls had hidden their bags in various places, divided by their usual groups. Some had stashed them in secluded corners, while others hid them in the trees, all carefully wrapped in plastic to prevent dirt. Even in matters like this, they worked together—what was it with girls and their need to form alliances? It wasn't like they were going to the toilet… right?
Wait, did they?
The mystery of why girls always went to the restroom in pairs had haunted Hikigaya for years, and he still didn't have an answer.
"Just so you know, you boys aren't allowed to come near us while we check," Shinohara warned as she turned back to the group.
While the girls were willing to cooperate, they only agreed to check among themselves, adamant about not letting the boys see their personal belongings, especially underwear. Shinohara made sure to remind everyone—particularly Ike and Yamauchi—not to get too close.
Of course, that only encouraged them.
"Ike, you know what to do, right?"
"Obviously. Let's go."
The two clowns couldn't resist. Shinohara's warning had only made them more eager to sneak a peek, and they quietly followed behind the girls. No one else bothered to stop them.
Before long, a triumphant yell echoed from the woods.
"Everyone, come look! I found something!" Yamauchi shouted, excitement bubbling in his voice.
"Let go of me, you creep!" Shinohara's furious voice followed.
Realizing what was happening, the group rushed towards the commotion. They arrived to find Yamauchi and Shinohara struggling over a backpack. Several girls stood around, unsure of what to do, while more students were drawn to the scene.
"Yamauchi, calm down. Let go of the bag, and let's talk this out," Hirata urged, trying to diffuse the situation.
But Yamauchi was having none of it. "No way! Look at Shinohara's bag! It's stuffed with something!"
"That's my stuff! You can't look inside!" Shinohara shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The amount of luggage allowed on the island was limited, so no one's bag should've been packed full. Shinohara's defensiveness only raised more suspicions.
Could it be…?
As if to confirm Hikigaya's suspicions, the bag's strap suddenly snapped under the strain, and its contents spilled onto the ground for everyone to see.
"Hey, why are there so many toothbrushes?"
"Isn't this my shirt?"
"And these socks…"
The missing items—shirts, socks, even personal toiletries—had all been crammed into Shinohara's backpack. Frozen in place, Shinohara stared at the scattered belongings, as still as a statue.
For a moment, the group stood in stunned silence. The forest fell eerily quiet until a soft voice broke the tension.
"So this is the legendary reverse harem, huh?"
That single comment ignited a wave of laughter. The boys of Class D couldn't hold it in any longer, erupting into raucous laughter, each one hurling their jab.
This set off a wave of laughter among the boys in Class D, who quickly descended into crude jokes.
"Bet you, Shinohara licked every toothbrush in the camp!"
"Nah, no way! She only licked Hirata's!"
"Feels like Shinohara's on a stamp-collecting spree, picking guys with all sorts of different traits!"
The last one got even more fired up, eagerly pointing at Hirata and the others, as he started assigning each one their "unique attribute."
"Look at this group. We've got the charming Hirata, the too-average-for-his-own-good Ayanokouji, the muscular Sudou, the cute cross-dresser Okitani, the glasses-wearing genius Yukimura, the athletic Hondou, and finally... Ike. Wow, this is like the perfect lineup for a dating sim!"
"Hold on! Why did you just skip over me like that?" Ike protested, his face turning red with frustration. Before he could say more, Yamauchi threw an arm around his shoulder, grinning mischievously.
"Come on, Ike, you're lucky! You, Sudou, and Ayanokouji caught Shinohara's eye. From today on, you're officially her boyfriends!" Yamauchi teased.
"Go to hell! Like I'd ever be interested in someone as ugly as her!" Ike shot back, his face now a mix of irritation and disbelief.
"You're kidding, right?!" Sudou and Ayanokouji exchanged bewildered looks, clearly sharing Ike's exasperation at the absurdity of it all.
The boys of Class D were in rare form, the most lively they'd been since arriving on the island. Even the girls couldn't help but laugh quietly to themselves, caught up in the playful atmosphere.
The secret to unity, it seemed, was finding a common target—someone to laugh at together.
Yet not everyone found the situation amusing.
"Hey! You guys are going too far!" Karuizawa, standing up for her friend, snapped. "It's obvious someone's trying to frame Shinohara, and I bet it's one of you!"
"Wow, here she goes, playing the innocent act again!" Yamauchi rolled his eyes.
"Why don't you check your underwear before accusing anyone else?" he shot back, causing the group to burst into laughter.
Despite the humor, anyone with half a brain knew something wasn't right. Someone was behind this, no doubt. But with the evidence in hand, the boys didn't care about the truth anymore. It was just like when Karuizawa's underwear was stolen—the boys had been blamed without proof.
Now they just wanted to double down and humiliate their accusers.
"You… you all…!" Shinohara, usually outspoken, was at a loss for words. Her voice trembled, and before anyone could stop her, she turned and fled, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll go after her!" Kushida called out, immediately following Shinohara. Karuizawa and a few others trailed behind, their faces set in worry.
Hirata, however, stayed back, his face stern. "Everyone, that was too much," he said firmly, trying to bring some order back to the group.
"Tch, come on, it was just a joke," Yamauchi shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic.
"Yeah, she needs to learn how to take a joke!" Ike chimed in, grinning.
The boys, clearly not remorseful, dispersed, joking among themselves. It was a moment they wouldn't forget, not even by graduation. No, if they ever got into an argument with Shinohara again, this incident would be the first thing they'd throw back in her face. This was the kind of stain that wouldn't wash away easily.
But who was behind it all?
Even Hikigaya found himself puzzled. Who could've pulled off such a stunt? Even Hondou, who was half-asleep most of the time, wouldn't have been oblivious enough for someone to steal so many guys' belongings and plant them in Shinohara's bag without anyone noticing. It wasn't a simple feat.
It couldn't have been the so-called "masterpiece," could it?
"Ayanokouji-kun, I need a word with you."
Horikita's voice interrupted his thoughts. She approached him, her usual calm demeanor giving away nothing. Throughout Shinohara's public humiliation, she hadn't shown an ounce of emotion.
Cold and calculating as always.
"I'll get straight to the point," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Did you set Shinohara up? Answer honestly."
Ayanokouji shot her a sharp glance, incredulous at her directness. "Don't be ridiculous. Haven't you been listening to what Karuizawa said? Even I'd disinfect my hands just from touching that stuff."
He held his hands up, palms out as if to prove his innocence.
"See? No signs of rot, right?"
"...Yeah, they seem perfectly fine." Horikita sighed, conceding the point. When it came to mocking their "masterpiece," they could always find common ground.
Still, Horikita's suspicion wasn't entirely unfounded. Ayanokouji couldn't shake the feeling that there was some truth to it. After all, if he had to pick the most likely culprit from his class, wouldn't it be himself?
But seriously, who was behind this mess?
If Ayanokouji ever found out… they'd certainly deserve a reward from him.