Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

[Wait, is it possible for fish of this size to live in this kind of river?]

Upon seeing Saiki Kusuo's condition, Ike Kanji rushed over to help, but Saiki Kusuo had already 'taken the first step,' pretending to lose his balance before jumping into the lake.

.....

An hour later, Saiki Kusuo, who had changed into a new set of clothes, lay in the camp.

"Qi Mu, you're pushing yourself too hard!"

Hirata Yosuke stood beside Saiki Kusuo and shook his head.

"Kusuo-kun..."

Meanwhile, Sakura Airi's face was filled with worry.

I'm sorry, but to avoid future trouble, this is the only way.

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

"Did you know! Qi Mu fought for half a day with a fish that was over a meter long so that everyone could have delicious grilled fish tonight, which is why he lost his balance and fell into the water... It's all my fault... I couldn't help Qi Mu in time."

Meanwhile, Ike Kanji pretended to wipe away tears, adding fuel to the fire as he spoke.

"Is Qi Mu really working this hard?"

"I never expected Saiki to be such a kind person..."

"Qi Mu-kun..."

Surrounded by students from Class C, some of whom were even moved to tears, Kusuo Saiki desperately wanted Kanji Ike to shut up. His outrageous remarks had only garnered him more attention, but since he was pretending to be sick, he couldn't make any other moves.

'I deliberately fell into the pool in front of me, so that it would make sense for me to feign illness later.'

Saiki Kusuo thought this to himself, and at the same time spoke.

"I feel a little dizzy... do I have a fever?"

"Have a fever?"

Ike Kanji was somewhat puzzled. He reached out and touched Saiki Kusuo's forehead, then let out a scream.

"So hot, so hot!"

The temperature is set too high....

Kusuo Saiki quickly controlled the temperature around him, keeping his body temperature within a normal range for a living organism.

"really?"

Hirata Yosuke was somewhat surprised. Although the possibility of catching a cold and fever from falling into the water was not small, wasn't this a bit too fast?

He quickly touched Saiki Kusuo's forehead and was able to confirm that the other had a fever.

Kusuo Saiki glanced at Kiyotaka Ayanokouji on the other side out of the corner of his eye—Ayanokouji Kiyotaka understood immediately and then spoke:

"If it's a fever, the situation could be quite serious. I think it's best to let Qi Mu return to the ship for treatment."

"Yes, I think so too!"

"Qi Mu has done so much for us lately."

"You've worked hard, Qi Mu!"

This time, no one objected, a stark contrast to the previous reaction when Kogenji Rokusuke withdrew from the exam.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Although the class points will be deducted by 30, the food points I saved from fishing these past few days, and the reward points I received for correctly guessing the identities of other class leaders, far outweigh this amount. Consider it my way of repaying you."

As Kusuo Saiki pondered these thoughts, he could also clearly hear the thoughts of those around him.

For example, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

[Qi Mu actually managed to convincingly appear sick. I originally thought he would deliberately injure himself, but I didn't expect him to use such a clever method. How did he do it?]

The answer is superpowers.

Kusuo Saiki answered the other person in his mind.

At the same time, Kusuo Saiki could also hear Mio Ibuki's voice outside the tent.

【found it! 】

Kusuo Saiki turned his head and looked in the direction from which the sound came, his gaze gradually passing through the tent and reaching outside the camp.

At this moment, Ibuki Mio was secretly rummaging through everyone's luggage in Class C, looking for traces of key cards. Right now, the attention of the students in Class C was basically on Saiki Kusuo, and no one paid any attention to Ibuki Mio's movements.

Mio Ibuki finally found the key card in Kusuo Saiki's backpack.

[Kusuo Saiki?! He's the leader! I never expected that.]

【I'm so sorry, Class C. Although I don't agree with Ryuen's method, being too kind-hearted always comes at a price.】

Hopefully, you'll learn from this experience in the future.

Ibuki Mio felt a surge of secret delight. She immediately took out her digital camera from her backpack, snapped a few photos, and then promptly left Class C's camp with the camera.

......

About ten minutes later, Chabashira Sae, along with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune, brought Saiki Kusuo to the shore. Soon after, the medical personnel took Saiki Kusuo back to the ship to rest.

"Hey, glasses boy, I didn't expect you to be back too!"

As soon as Saiki Kusuo returned to the ship, he saw Kogenji Rokusuke lying on a deck chair, sunbathing.

"Are you feeling unwell too? Just like me. I've been receiving proper treatment. But it's strange, in this hot weather, there's no ice water on the ship?"

'I'll break your room's air conditioner later too.'

Kusuo Saiki felt annoyed just looking at Rokusuke Kogenji's face and didn't want to pay too much attention to him, since he had stayed on the island for several more days because of him.

"Well, well, even though there are only a few days left until the exams end, I've managed to get back here a little early."

Kusuo Saiki returned to his room and lay down on his bed.

'I've already informed Ayanokouji of the leaders of each class, so things are even for the classes... But I should still keep an eye on the situation there, just in case anything unexpected happens.'

Thinking this, Kusuo Saiki activated his Clairvoyance ability.

......

"Qi Mu actually fell ill like that?"

Horikita Suzune looked in the direction of the cruise ship, still finding it somewhat unbelievable.

"It's only been a few hours. Even if you caught a cold, it shouldn't have happened this quickly."

"Maybe he was already sick, but just couldn't hold on any longer today?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji helped Kusuo Saiki explain.

"Very likely, but I didn't expect Qi Mu to be such a show-off."

Horikita Suzune shook her head and shifted her gaze elsewhere.

"But if Qi Mu withdraws from the exam, how will our class occupy the base afterwards? Only the leader can use the key card."

"School rules would never have such a loophole."

As Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke, he approached Chabashira Sae, his almost emotionless gaze fixed on her face.

"Tea Pillar Teacher, since Saiki is currently unwell, shouldn't we change our class leader?"

"Yes."

Looking at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in front of her, Chabashira Sae's face revealed a meaningful smile.

"What? Leaders can be replaced?"

Horikita Suzune's eyes widened, her gaze filled with surprise; she hadn't expected this at all.

"Then let's change the leader to Horikita."

.....

Meanwhile, in the forest on the other side of the island.

Ibuki Mio leaned against a tree, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.

Just then, two figures emerged from the depths of the forest.

One of them was Katsuragi Kohei.

The other person is Long Yuanxiang.

At this moment, Long Yuanxiang looked extremely disheveled, his clothes were covered in mud and grime, his face was covered in stubble, and he had many abrasions on his body.

To convince the other classes that Class D had all forfeited, Long Yuanxiang survived alone on the island. Without points or supplies, and unable to stay in the free tents provided by the school, he could only drink river water, eat wild fruit, and sleep in caves or bushes.

"I've already taken the photos."

Ibuki Mio first sized up Ryuen Sho, then handed the digital camera in her hand to Katsuragi Kohei.

"Saiki...Saiki Kusuo?"

Katsuragi Kohei paused for a moment at the name, unable to recall for a moment who the name belonged to.

However, it doesn't matter who it is anymore.

"In that case, the contract is established."

Katsuragi Kohei said to Ryuen Sho, who smiled and nodded.

All of this was part of Long Yuanxiang's plan.

Chapter 74: Qi Mu, You Are the Enemy I Least Want to Face

"We also have information on the leaders of Class B. Do you need it?"

Ryuen Sho smiled at Katsuragi Kohei. His spy planted in Class B had also obtained information about their class leader—though they hadn't yet been able to obtain any physical evidence.

"Without solid evidence, there's no need for that. Go back and take a good shower after the exam."

Katsuragi Kohei shook his head, then turned and left.

"In that case, my mission is over."

As Ibuki Mio spoke, she walked towards the shore. Her mission was complete, and there was no need for her to stay there any longer.