Classroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Probing

Ichinose Honami pushed herself up from the makeshift plastic mat, gracefully brushing a thin layer of dirt from the knees of her crimson tracksuit. She cast a bright glance toward the bustling cooking area at the center of Class B’s campsite.

“I’m going to go help prepare lunch. Please, make yourselves comfortable for a moment!”

Seeing her prepare to leave, Kanzaki Ryuji instinctively shifted his weight to stand and follow. It was a deeply ingrained habit; as Ichinose’s right hand, he felt compelled to oversee every logistical detail of the class.

“Shiranami-san, let’s go help out together,” he called out, waving toward Shiranami Chihiro, who was hovering nervously nearby.

Shiranami looked up at Kanzaki’s voice, offering a timid nod. She hurriedly gathered the supplies in her hands and stood.

But before Kanzaki could take a step, Ichinose turned back, an apologetic smile softening her features.

“Ah, wait. Since we have guests, it wouldn’t be right to leave them alone. Kanzaki-kun, could you stay behind and keep them company? Chihiro and I can handle the lunch preparations.”

Kanzaki paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over Kaedehara Tetsu and Kamuro Masumi. He had to admit, abandoning students from a rival class in the middle of their base camp was a severe breach of etiquette—and a tactical risk.

“Understood,” Kanzaki replied smoothly, though a hint of reluctance tightened his jaw. “I’ll stay here and keep Kaedehara and Kamuro company.” He lowered himself back onto the plastic-bag carpet, watching Ichinose and Shiranami retreat toward the food prep area.

With the girls gone, a heavy, stifling silence descended over the temporary resting area.

Kanzaki was a man of logistics and strategy, not idle chatter. Stripped of Ichinose’s radiant social buffer, he found himself utterly out of his element. Dealing with students from other classes naturally triggered his defensive instincts, making it impossible for him to project a relaxed facade.

“The weather… is quite unforgiving today,” Kanzaki ventured, the attempt to break the ice feeling painfully forced.

“Indeed,” Tetsu replied, his voice calm and unbothered. “But your campsite is impeccably chosen. The canopy provides excellent shade.”

“Yes. We weighed several variables before settling here… though I suppose a fair amount of it was just luck.”

“Speaking of variables,” Tetsu continued smoothly, “what are your thoughts on the exam so far, Kanzaki? Harder than anticipated?”

“It’s manageable. It’s a wilderness survival test, after all; we never expected a luxury cruise.”

“Class A secured a rather advantageous spot,” Tetsu noted, his dark eyes glinting with mild amusement. “We have a well, but the distance to the river makes foraging a bit of a chore.”

“Every location has its trade-offs,” Kanzaki replied stiffly.

The rigid, transactional rhythm of their exchange only thickened the awkwardness. Sitting quietly to the side, Kamuro Masumi watched Kanzaki struggle to maintain the conversational life support. She found his visible discomfort secretly hilarious.

Just as Kanzaki’s conversational well ran completely dry, Tetsu shifted his posture, his tone dropping into something far more deliberate.

“Speaking of trade-offs, Kanzaki… you’re aware of Class C’s current situation, aren’t you?”

Kanzaki’s posture stiffened. “Of course. Squandering their starting points so recklessly is baffling. They claim they’re treating this exam as a vacation, but in an environment designed to test our endurance… it’s highly irregular.” He paused, his brow furrowing as he analyzed the rival leader. “Frankly, when I first heard about their lavish setup, I assumed Ryuuen had completely lost his mind. But knowing his character, there has to be a calculated motive behind this madness.”

“And what do you suppose that motive is?” Tetsu asked, his voice a soft, probing murmur.

Kanzaki frowned, pondering for a moment before shaking his head. “I haven’t deduced the exact mechanics of his strategy yet. But Ryuuen doesn’t act without a guaranteed return on investment. This behavior holds some specific value for Class C.”

“I have a theory,” Tetsu offered, leaning forward slightly.

“Let’s hear it.”

“It’s highly probable that Ryuuen intends to plant spies among the other classes. He could easily force the majority of his class to withdraw from the exam entirely, leaving behind a select few to act as sleeper agents.”

The air around Kanzaki turned instantly frigid. His mind raced, rapidly calculating the terrifying feasibility of Tetsu’s hypothesis.

“Sleeper agents…” Kanzaki muttered, his voice dropping to a grim whisper. “That is entirely possible. If a spy could embed themselves and observe a rival class from the inside, it would grant Ryuuen an overwhelming advantage when it comes time to guess the Leaders.”

“Precisely,” Tetsu agreed, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. “And considering Ichinose’s boundless empathy… if a battered, desperate Class C student were to beg for sanctuary…”

Kanzaki’s expression darkened into a scowl. “Honami would take them in without hesitation,” he admitted bitterly. “If that happens, the identity of our Leader would be in critical danger of exposure.” He looked at Tetsu, a rare flicker of genuine gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you for the warning, Kaedehara. I’ll discuss countermeasures with Honami immediately.”

But Tetsu wasn’t finished. With a casual tilt of his head, he shattered the fragile camaraderie in an instant.

“Speaking of protecting your Leader…” Tetsu murmured, his dark eyes locking onto Kanzaki’s. “What if Shiranami Chihiro were the one holding the key card?”

The words detonated like a point-blank explosive inside Kanzaki’s skull.

Though Tetsu’s tone was breezy—framed as nothing more than a harmless hypothetical—Kanzaki felt the blood drain from his face. The underlying weight of the statement was suffocating. This wasn’t a random guess. It was a surgical strike.

‘He knows.’

Kaedehara Tetsu knew that Shiranami was Class B’s designated Leader.

Kanzaki’s mind spun out of control, frantically searching for a leak. Class B had executed their operational security flawlessly. The identity of their Leader was a closely guarded secret, and their classmates were fiercely loyal; no one would dare sell that information to a rival., Shiranami hadn’t interacted with anyone outside their camp. The only anomaly was that she had been the one to escort Tetsu and Kamuro into the base. But even then, a brief walk through the forest wasn’t nearly enough time to extract such highly classified intel.

‘How the hell did he figure it out?’

Digging his fingernails into his palms, Kanzaki forced his facial muscles to remain completely impassive. He was acutely aware that the slightest twitch, the smallest hesitation, would confirm Tetsu’s lethal deduction.

“If Shiranami were the Leader…” Kanzaki replied, keeping his voice perfectly level. “What of it?”

“Her personality is rather timid,” Tetsu observed, leaning back. “But paradoxically, that makes her an excellent camouflage. She naturally shies away from strangers, minimizing the risk of accidental exposure during interrogations.”

“I suppose that would be a tactical advantage,” Kanzaki conceded carefully.

Tetsu chuckled softly, waving a dismissive hand. “Just a passing thought, really. Shiranami seems incredibly earnest and reliable. It wouldn’t be strange at all for Class B to entrust her with the role.”

The black-bellied mastermind let the silence stretch, his piercing gaze lingering on Kanzaki’s rigid face for a few agonizing seconds.

“Besides, I have no intention of causing unnecessary trouble for the other factions. We are all schoolmates, after all.”

The veiled implication hung heavily in the humid air, leaving Kanzaki drowning in a sea of paranoia. What exactly was Kaedehara playing at? Was this a threat? A negotiation tactic? Or purely psychological torture?

From the periphery, Kamuro Masumi watched the masterclass in manipulation unfold. While she couldn’t decipher every hidden layer of the verbal chess match, the sudden, suffocating spike in tension was impossible to ignore. She tracked the subtle evolution of Kanzaki’s demeanor—from polite awkwardness, to genuine alarm, and finally, to the desperate, trembling effort of a man trying to hold his composure together under the crushing weight of Tetsu’s gaze.