Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

The C-class camp echoed with the crackling of burning firewood and the sizzling of animal fat dripping into the fire.

Beside the clear stream, several makeshift stoves made of stones and mud were lined up, where freshly cut wild boar meat was being roasted with gusto.

"Wow! This is so delicious! What is this? The flavor is so much richer than the pork in the supermarket!"

"It's so hot! Ahh, but it's the best...! I never thought I'd find something like this while surviving in the wild!"

The boys, including Ken Sudo and Haruki Yamauchi, forgot to wipe their sweat and devoured the meat.

Under the shade of a tree at a slight distance, Horikita Suzune sat on a rock with an aloof expression, flipping through the thick special exam exchange list that had been distributed to her.

She held a piece of roasted meat on a leaf in her hand, taking small bites every now and then.

It seems she doesn't dislike this wild and untamed food.

"...I've done a rough calculation."

Horikita spoke to Kaoru Hanayama, who was standing next to him, in a calm but confident voice.

"Two more tents are needed, 20 points each. One more temporary toilet, 20 points each. And... the makeshift shower kit that ridiculous man demanded as payment. That's also 20 points."

At this point, Horikita sighed softly.

"The total cost is 60 points. But apart from that, we shouldn't need to buy anything else for now. As for food, we still have plenty of wild boar meat left, and we can solve the water problem by boiling river water, as suggested by Chi. As long as we can maintain this standard of living, even disregarding the final leader-guessing reward, we can retain at least 220 special points."

"Not bad."

Huashan gave a brief reply, exhaling smoke into the sky.

For him, as the leader of a yakuza group who frequently manipulates huge sums of money, being frugal is not in his nature.

But he frankly admitted that the class manager was quite capable.

"But there's a problem."

Horikita cast his indifferent gaze into the depths of the forest.

"It's about Koenji, who's been designated as the leader. Sure enough, he's sweeping through the strongholds at an astonishing speed. But his show-off personality is practically like he's announcing to other classes that he's the leader. If other classes see through his leadership, he'll lose at least 50 points in punishment alone."

Just then.

Shhh! Shhh!

The leaves of the trees overhead shook violently, and then a figure, gripping a thick vine, gracefully danced through the air with its back to the sunlight.

"Hahaha! What an excellent lunch break, everyone in Class C!"

Like Tarzan, Rokusuke Koenji flew in and landed perfectly in front of the stove.

Without the slightest hesitation, he deftly used the branch in his hand to poke away the piece of premium wild boar meat that looked the most delicious on the grill.

"W-Kouenji!? You bastard, that's the top-grade meat I painstakingly flipped over...!"

"Mmm! Amazing! This wild, alluring scent makes my beautiful body even more perfect! Well then, I'm off to take control of the next outpost. Don't forget to set up the showers, Boy & Girl!"

Completely ignoring Ike's attempts to protest, Koenji elegantly chewed the meat, grabbed the vine again, and flew into the depths of the forest.

Horikita rubbed his temples and glared fiercely at that arrogant figure.

"You saw that, right? It would be a miracle if the other classes didn't suspect anything. Koenji's autocratic behavior might actually hold us back."

"It doesn't matter."

Huashan flicked his cigarette ash and said, seemingly unconcerned.

"Since you've handed over the work, don't criticize how he does it."

Faced with this uniquely Yakuza-like attitude of being prepared to accept the consequences once the task is handed over, Horikita seemed to have a trace of resentment drained away and sighed.

"Your careless and sloppy personality can be really scary at times."

Hanayama did not respond to Horikita's words, but instead turned his gaze to the edge of the camp.

Slightly outside the circle of people busily eating meat, Sakura Airi sat alone.

Although she was also holding roasted wild boar meat in her hand, she clearly stopped eating it.

Although he would take a small bite every now and then, his complexion was not good, and it was obvious that he had difficulty even swallowing.

Wild boar meat, while flavorful, also has a distinctive, strong gamey odor and tough muscle fibers.

It's fine for boys who are still growing or people who are starving.

However, it's understandable that a quiet girl like Sakura would have difficulty digesting wild boar meat, which wasn't bled enough.

"...feed."

Huashan approached slowly, speaking to him with a condescending air.

"Hana-Hanayama-kun...?"

"Don't you like the food?"

Faced with the direct question, Sakura hurriedly shook her head.

"Eh!? N-no...! That's not true! It's delicious."

Sakura forced a smile and took a bite of meat as if to prove something.

However, the stench of wild animals that followed made her gag slightly, covering her mouth.

"..."

A yakuza leader will not force team members to eat food they cannot accept.

Without saying a word, Hanayama took the slice of meat from Sakura's hand.

"what……"

"Don't force yourself. Forcing food that doesn't suit your stomach won't turn it into strength."

The stiff wording contained the care of a protector.

Sakura lowered her eyes as if she had breathed a sigh of relief and muttered softly, "I'm sorry."

(Well... that's true, but we still need something other than meat to fill our stomachs.)

Huashan looked around the campsite.

Logically speaking, it would be standard practice to bring along Ike Kanji, who is used to outdoor activities.

After all, Huashan didn't know much about the wild and didn't have the ability to distinguish fruits or edible plants on the deserted island.

However, Ike is currently surrounded by boys like Yamauchi and Sudo, and is immersed in compliments such as "Ike, you're amazing!" and "This is delicious!"

His need for approval is being satisfied, and he's so inconsiderate to ruin what should be his blissful time for his own convenience.

Huashan shifted his gaze.

On the other side of the shade of the tree, there was a girl who had just finished calculating her accounts and was about to close the booklet.

"Hey, Horikita."

"Hmm? What is it? You don't mean, even now, you're planning to ask me about my experiences with wilderness survival, do you?"

"Spend a little time with me."

Huashan raised his chin and pointed towards the depths of the dense forest.

"There are women who can't eat wild game. Go pick some fruit or something else edible. I need someone to test for poison, plus a recorder."

"You bastard. What do you take me for?"

Horikita seemed stunned and let out a heavy sigh.

However, despite complaining, she still stood up and dusted off her gym clothes.

"There's no other way. If we just leave you like this, what if you eat some poisonous mushroom and collapse? The class will lose its biggest fighting force... Let's go."

Hanayama gave a soft hum and stepped into the lush forest with Horikita.