After hours of searching, the group found themselves empty-handed as noon approached.
No surprise there—the surrounding area had been thoroughly picked over after nearly a week of foraging. The only chance of finding anything would be to venture much farther out. But with the weather threatening rain at any moment, they had no choice but to return to camp with nothing to show for their efforts.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
"Ha ha ha! Look at Horikita! She's covered in mud—this is hilarious!"
Yamauchi, pointing at Horikita with childlike glee, burst into laughter.
His hands were smeared with dark, sticky mud, and Horikita's hair was no better off. Kushida and Ibuki stared at Yamauchi in disbelief, while Horikita stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
After a long moment, Horikita silently extended her hand and grabbed the arm Yamauchi had been pointing at her with.
"Wha—whoa!"
Before Yamauchi could react, Horikita flung him to the ground with surprising force.
Just as I thought—she's been trained by the best.
Hikigaya watched the scene unfold with a sense of déjà vu; he was all too familiar with that move, having been on the receiving end of it from the student council president countless times.
But something about Yamauchi's behavior seemed off...
Why would he suddenly pull such a random prank? He knew Horikita was someone you didn't mess with—why would he deliberately provoke her?
...Oh well.
Hikigaya decided it wasn't worth overthinking. After all, this was Yamauchi they were talking about; doing stupid things was practically his trademark.
The group returned to the main camp just before noon, their search fruitless, but mealtime was unavoidable.
"Horikita-san, you should go wash up. You're covered in mud," Kushida said, her voice dripping with concern.
"Yeah... This is unbearable." Horikita shot Yamauchi a murderous glare. "I'm going to hate you forever. Be prepared."
"Eep!"
Yamauchi cowered behind Ayanokouji, visibly shaken from the thrashing Horikita had just given him. But it was his fault; no one was going to feel sorry for him.
"Wow, so many people here."
Despite the overcast sky, the weather was oppressively hot, and after walking all morning, Kushida was eager for a shower. But to her dismay, a long line of girls, freshly returned from foraging, was already queued up in front of the shower stalls.
It seemed everyone had the same idea.
"...Forget it, I'll just wash off in the river."
Horikita, still shivering from the mud, glanced at the line. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly popular among the girls, so the chances of anyone letting her cut in were slim. Not that Horikita would even ask; she simply gave the shower stalls one look before heading to her tent to change into her swimsuit.
"Ah, wait, I'll come with you!" Kushida called after her, then turned to Ibuki. "Ibuki-san, want to join us?"
"No thanks, I'm not into swimming. I'll just wait in line," Ibuki declined flatly.
Ayanokouji and Yamauchi went off on their own, while Hikigaya made his way over to Hirata.
"Hirata, I need a favor."
"Sure, just give me a moment."
Hirata was busy cleaning the fish Ike and Sudou had brought back. Watching them, Hikigaya felt a surge of irritation.
No wonder he never caught anything; those two had been swiping his catches!
"All done. What's up, Hikigaya?"
"Ahem, well..." Hikigaya cleared his throat. "It rained a bit last night, and I woke up this morning feeling a bit under the weather. I could use some cold medicine."
"You're sick? Is it serious?" Hirata asked, concerned.
"It's nothing. A dose of medicine should fix me right up."
"Alright, I'll go ask Chabashira-sensei for some."
As Hirata started to leave, Ike suddenly stepped in front of him.
"It's just a cold, man. Tough it out; the exam ends tomorrow anyway."
"But—"
Before Hirata could respond, Hikigaya cut in, "If you don't get me that medicine, I'll drop out of the exam. Your choice."
"Huh?!"
His words immediately angered Ike and the other boys nearby.
But Hikigaya continued, "It's not just me. Horikita looks pretty sick too—Yamauchi covered her in mud just now."
"What did you say?!"
At the mention of Horikita, Sudou's eyes flared with anger.
"Hikigaya, is that true? Did Yamauchi do that?"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself. And Kushida and Ayanokouji... Ah, they've already left."
Sudou didn't wait to hear the rest. Fuming, he stormed off to confront Yamauchi, with Hirata unable to stop him.
The situation was playing out just as Hikigaya had hoped.
What could he do? Horikita was the student council president's sister, after all.
"Yamauchi! Why'd you mess with Horikita?!"
Sudou grabbed Yamauchi by the collar, the latter looking completely baffled.
"What? What are you talking about?!"
"I'm talking about you splattering mud all over Horikita! You made her sick!"
Sudou had misunderstood Hikigaya's words, but that didn't matter—no need to sweat the details.
"Huh? How did you—ow, ow! Stop, that hurts!"
The moment Yamauchi started to question him, Sudou tightened his grip around Yamauchi's neck without any mercy.
"Yamauchi, I'm going to make you pay!"
"Wait, wait, wait! There's a reason for this!"
Yamauchi, aware of Sudo's feelings for Horikita, realized the gravity of the situation and quickly sold out the mastermind behind the scheme.
"It was Ayanokoji! He made me do it!"
"...What?"
Not only Sudo and the onlooking students were shocked by this revelation, but even Hikigaya was caught completely off guard.
Why... Ayanokoji?
Hikigaya had only intended to use Sudo to teach Yamauchi a lesson, but now he had unexpectedly stumbled upon crucial information.
Calmly, Hirata asked, "Why would Ayanokoji want to do something like that?"
"He... he seemed like he wanted to get back at Horikita!" Yamauchi blurted out, his words rushing out in a panic.
The statement sounded dubious. Everyone in the class knew that Horikita mostly interacted with Ayanokoji, and he didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge. However, as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving, and some of the students began to entertain the possibility, albeit with skepticism.
After all, Ayanokoji often kept to himself, his gloomy demeanor hinting at the possibility of darker thoughts beneath the surface.
But the man in question wasn't present, leaving everyone to speculate in his absence.
"Then why did you agree to go along with it?" Hirata pressed.
"H-He said he'd give me 30,000 points as a reward afterward."
"That's nonsense!" Sudo shouted, his voice filled with disbelief.
"There's no way Ayanokoji has 30,000 points! Stop accusing him without proof!"
"I'm telling the truth! I'm not lying!"
While the others continued to interrogate Yamauchi, Hikigaya felt there was no need to listen any longer. He was one hundred percent sure now—the mastermind behind everything was that bastard Ayanokoji.
At first glance, Ayanokoji seemed to have no motive, but when Hikigaya reconsidered the situation, the answer became clear.
As the person who interacted most with Horikita, Ayanokoji had undoubtedly noticed her deteriorating health long before anyone else.
Some might think that Ayanokoji's actions were merely a prank, but Hikigaya knew better. This was far too calculated to be a simple joke.
The reason Ayanokoji had manipulated Yamauchi into dumping mud on Horikita was likely to worsen her condition. There couldn't be any other reason.
But why would he go to such lengths?
No valid reason to replace the team captain.
The rule flashed in Hikigaya's mind, and suddenly everything clicked into place. Coupled with Ayanokoji's 'accidental' dropping of the captain's keycard near Ibuki, it was clear what his true intentions were.
Undoubtedly, Ayanokoji intended to use Horikita's withdrawal to mislead Ibuki.
Hikigaya had long suspected that Ayanokoji was plotting against Ibuki, but he never imagined that he would resort to such underhanded tactics against his classmate.
...A masterpiece of mischief, truly diabolical!
A wave of disgust surged within Hikigaya, prompting him to head directly towards the shower area without hesitation. There, he spotted Ibuki lingering at the back of the line, her eyes fixated on the river.
Although many other students, including Horikita, were also enjoying the water in their swimsuits, there was no doubt in Hikigaya's mind that Ibuki's true target was Horikita, the team captain.
Ibuki wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Hikigaya hid in the shadows, observing quietly. Sure enough, when no one was paying attention, Ibuki slipped away from the group.
Just as Hikigaya was about to follow her, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you hiding here, watching the girls?" Matsushita looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and disapproval.
—Great, this is not the time to explain.
Hikigaya sighed inwardly but quickly grabbed Matsushita's shoulder, speaking with a seriousness that took her by surprise.
"Matsushita, if you trust me, I need you to do me a favor."
"Eh? Eh? Wh-what is it?"
Matsushita, caught off guard by Hikigaya's intensity, blushed furiously. She had never seen him so serious before.
"W-What do you need?"
"Don't ask now, just come with me."
Hikigaya, assuming Matsushita agreed, pulled her along as they quietly followed Ibuki.
As they moved, Matsushita slowly calmed down, beginning to grasp Hikigaya's intentions.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you thinking that Ibuki-san might...?"
"Shh, I need you to keep watch. If anyone comes, stop them."
The two trailed Ibuki all the way to the girls' tent. They watched as she glanced around before slipping inside.
Seeing this, Hikigaya quickly but quietly approached. He took out a digital camera from his pocket, crouched down, and carefully pulled back the edge of the tent, aiming the camera inside for a series of rapid shots.
This scene, if witnessed by others, would surely ruin his reputation.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Through the camera lens, Hikigaya captured Ibuki rifling through Horikita's clothes and eventually pulling out the captain's keycard, which she then slipped into her pocket without hesitation.
...Wait, what?
Hikigaya had expected Ibuki to take a picture of the card's name for proof. Why would she outright steal it? That would only alert the enemy.
But there was no time to ponder this now.
With the evidence in hand, Hikigaya quickly stood up and withdrew from the area, beginning to understand the thrill that Kamuro must have felt.
Following and taking covert photos—it was quite an exhilarating experience.