Ichinose, you will regret it.

Turning around, I saw the worried and concerned eyes of my classmates in Class B...

I didn't consider their feelings... I just thought that as long as I brought them victory, they would be happy.

But they were wrong. Compared to victory, they believed that there were things far more important than victory.

Uesugi Gen was a little afraid to look, afraid to look at the eyes of the classmates around him, and even more afraid to look at the expression of the girl who was holding his wrist tightly...

Uesugi Gen lowered his head silently and apologized sincerely.

"I'm sorry for making everyone worry."

Shibata Sa on the side sighed, walked to Uesugi Gen and patted him on the shoulder.

"It doesn't matter to us. As long as you're okay, it's fine. You can figure out how to explain it to her."

After saying that, Shibata Sa left the tent.

Seeing this, the others left the tent one after another, leaving time for the girl who had been silent.

After everyone else left, the tent fell silent again.

The atmosphere at the scene was silent for a while, and neither of them spoke first.

In order to break this strange atmosphere, Uesugi Gen forced a smile and spoke in his usual relaxed tone.

"Um, Ichinose, I want to tell you that I just went out to look for—"

"Shut up."

Ichinose lowered his head, his expression hidden in the darkness, and uttered the word calmly.

Uesugi Gen opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, but finally closed it.

At this moment, Ichinose, who had been standing still, finally took action. She moved her feet and slowly approached Uesugi Gen, while slowly raising her right hand.

When Uesugi Gen saw this, he did not dodge, but took a step forward, ready to accept her punishment.

Unexpectedly, Ichinose suddenly let go of the hand that had been holding him, opened his arms, and threw himself into Uesugi Gen's arms.

Uesugi Gen was tensed up by the sudden pounce, but then he immediately relaxed, raised his hands and hugged the girl tightly in his arms.

It was not until now that Uesugi Gen was surprised to find that the girl in his arms was shaking non-stop.

Uesugi Gen regretted why he had to hang out outside for so long, why he had to wait until the teeth marks disappeared before coming back, and why he didn't tell her in advance that he was going out and would come back in the evening so that she wouldn't worry and could go to bed early.

"Isn't that right?"

"Shut up! Don't talk."

Ichinose in his arms immediately interrupted Uesugi Gen and grabbed the clothes on his chest tightly, as if afraid that he would run away again.

The girl's voice quieted down. "That's it. No talking."

Uesugi Gen hugged Ichinose tightly all over her body, making her feel that he was there.

I don’t know how long time has passed.

Ichinose's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Don't scare me like this anymore."

Uesugi Gen lowered his head, stroked Ichinose's long hair, and responded in a low voice.

"Never again..."

The tent fell silent again, and who knows how long it took.

"Are you hungry? I left dinner for you."

Ichinose asked softly.

"Well, I'm hungry."

Uesugi Gen answered honestly.

"Wait, I'll heat it up for you."

Ichinose left Uesugi Gen's arms and walked out of the tent.

"I'm with you—."

Uesugi Gen was about to speak.

"Don't move!"

Ichinose turned around instantly and pointed at Uesugi Gen, "You stay there tonight and are not allowed to go anywhere."

"Oh!"

70

Chapter 70 A simple and crude plan.

The fifth day of the uninhabited island exam, Class B camp.

In a tent, Uesugi Gen and several others gathered.

Kaneda Satoru has been called by Uesugi Gen to collect wood, and he will not come back until dark. Everyone present can speak freely.

"Is it finally starting? I thought you were planning to just wait until the last day of the exam."

Hamaguchi Tetsuya said with a serious expression.

"Ah, the time is almost ripe."

In five days, Uesugi Gen had completed all the arrangements that could be made. All that was left was a slight push to push each class into the abyss.

"So, let me see your plan."

Ryuji Kanzaki was also very curious about this. Every time he asked Uesugi Gen about this, he was fooled by Uesugi Gen. What a damn riddle man!

Ichinose didn't say anything, just looked at Uesugi Gen quietly from the side.

"On the first day, I went to see Teacher Hoshinomiya and asked her a question,"

Uesugi Gen expressed his doubts to everyone in person.

"If Kanzaki raises his hand now and says he's not feeling well and wants to withdraw from the exam, what will be the result?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

"Kanzaki, I remember he wasn't..."

Hamaguchi Tetsuya frowned in thought.

"I should be able to return directly to the ship... along with my leadership."

Kanzaki Ryuji, who knew the rulebook by heart, replied that after all, it stated that the leader could not be changed without a valid reason.

At this point, Ichinose raised a question of his own, "But, leadership itself is part of the exam. Now that Kanzaki-san has withdrawn from the exam, will he still retain his leadership status?"

All the students present fell into deep thought.

Because the two rules of this exam conflict with each other.

30 points will be deducted for each person who withdraws from the exam due to physical discomfort or other reasons.

Leaders cannot be changed without good reason.

Every student should be able to use the excuse of being unwell to withdraw from the exam. After all, that's what Class C did.

But the current situation is that Ryuji Kanzaki, who is in very good health, is applying to withdraw from the exam for the same reason, and at the same time he is the leader of Class B and is in a state where the leader cannot be replaced.

"I think... what Uesugi-kun really wants to ask the school is,"

Ichinose raised his head and expressed his own judgment, "Should the leader stay on this island?"

"Yes, that's what I mean."

Uesugi Gen snapped his fingers and agreed.

"What's the result?"

Kanzaki was somewhat curious about the answer.

"Unfortunately."

Uesugi Gen spread his hands and said, "No, Kanzaki can't withdraw from the exam without a valid reason."

Then Uesugi Gen's expression grew calm. "The school's explanation was, 'Leaders are part of the special exam. Once you return to the ship, you'll be automatically withdrawn from the exam, and your leader status will be lost along with it. Furthermore, if the class is left without a leader, the special exam will be impossible to proceed and will be disrupted.'"

As Uesugi Gen was speaking, his expression suddenly became regretful and he said helplessly.

"What a shame! I was thinking that if the leaders could return to the ship, we could plot against their class leaders, getting them stuck in a state where they could quit the exam without any legitimate reason. Then, we could drive them back to the ship. This would render their class's base inoperable. We could then use our keycards to drive them away, significantly increasing their points. More importantly, we could own all the bases on the island."

Uesugi Gen paused at this point and looked at Shibata Sa.

"I was originally thinking that if the school's answer was okay, we'd give Shibata the leadership position. Within seven days, all the students would search for strongholds, conquer them all, and then replace Shibata. That way, our class would definitely get over 7 points. Besides, the leaders of the other classes have already returned to the ship, so excuses like being unwell wouldn't be possible anymore. We can safely assume they're the leaders."

After hearing what Uesugi Gen said, Shibata Sa couldn't help but shudder.

Three times a day, the entire island, seven days of fighting, Uesugi, are you trying to kill me? Even a gym student can't do this, right?

Ichinose, Kanzaki Ryuji, and Hamaguchi Tetsuya all lowered their heads and said nothing. This plan had a big premise: how could they find the original leader of the three classes?

"But unfortunately, the answer from the university was 'no' and the leaders had to stay on the island."

Everyone couldn't help but feel regretful when they heard this. 500 points was more than half of their class's points. If the plan succeeded, it would definitely be an unprecedented victory.

"So what's your real plan?"

Kanzaki Ryuji asked, since Uesugi Gen asked them to come over, he would definitely not do it without a purpose.

"Don't be impatient. If you want to understand my plan, there is a prerequisite."

Uesugi Gen raised his hand to indicate that he should be patient, and then said seriously.

"From Class C's experience, we can clearly see that the leader's guess is the most important thing in this exam. Even if the score is 0, as long as the guess is correct in the end, you will get 50 points. It is definitely a sure win."

"In other words, the other classes will absolutely not give up on guessing the leader, and guessing the leader requires students to be on the island. So, the other classes will definitely leave at least one student on the island."

Shibata Sa scratched his head, "What does this have to do with our plan?"

After hearing this, Uesugi Gen slowly stretched out three fingers.

“Three prerequisites.

The leader must stay on the island.

Leaders cannot be changed without good reason.

At least one student from each class must remain on the island.

What can you think of?”

In an instant, Ichinose's face changed drastically. He opened his mouth to say something, but Uesugi Gen took the initiative to hold his hand.

Uesugi Gen looked at Ichinose, gave him a reassuring look, and opened his lips.

【Don't worry, I won't forget.】

Kanzaki Ryuji was the first to react, he let out a long sigh, and turned to look at Uesugi Gen.

"What a bold and crazy plan."

"What the hell do you mean? Explain it to me! Shibata Sa, feeling like his head is about to explode, hits Kanzaki Ryuji."

"Let me explain."

Hamaguchi Tetsuya pushed his glasses and stepped forward to explain.

"For this special exam, if a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, there are two possibilities: leader and non-leader."

"Non-leaders can simply withdraw and lose 30 points. Leaders are divided into two categories. The first is a voluntary withdrawal like Kanzaki just now, where there is no physical problem. The school will reject the withdrawal. The second is a passive withdrawal due to other circumstances. Although they can successfully return to the ship, the class must elect a new leader because the leader must be on the island."

When Hamaguchi Tetsuya said this, some people present had already come to their senses.

"Did you notice that no matter how we withdraw, the leader will be in the class. That is, as long as we withdraw all the other 39 people from other classes from the exam."

"The remaining one,"

Hamaguchi Tetsuya's decisive voice echoed in the tent.

“He must be the leader!”