Cote: Elite in Action

The Last Play

It was past midnight on the fourth day. Well, I suppose it's already the fifth now. At that moment, I was taking a sip of water near the possession device while admiring the beautiful moon in the sky, which shone brightly, illuminating the night with clarity.

Suddenly, I noticed a figure emerging from one of the tents, specifically from the boys' tent. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the silhouette belonged to Kaneda. Without thinking, I hid behind the nearest tree. Why did I do that? Well, I wanted to see what he was doing awake at this hour. The most logical reason would be that he needed to go to the bathroom, but noticing the direction he was heading, he was walking in the completely opposite direction. As he moved further away, I hurried to follow him stealthily.

After about five minutes of walking, Kaneda stopped in front of a tree that had a white ribbon tied to one of its branches. I saw him approach and start digging something up near the trunk. I was already getting an idea of what it could be, and my suspicions were confirmed when I saw what he was holding in his hands.

—Ryuuen-kun, answer. This is urgent—he said, holding a walkie-talkie.

—I hope it's good news—Ryuuen's voice came through the device.

—Quite the opposite. My camera is damaged.

—Damaged? I checked that it was working fine before I gave it to you.

—I don't know, it just won't turn on.

—Damn it. Then we have no choice but to steal the Class A leader's card.

—Steal it? That's almost impossible.

—You have to do it, Kaneda. Without the camera, we need the card as evidence. That damn bald guy is too cautious, and we need proof. That's what the camera was for.

—I know, but as I said, it's too complicated.

—At least, do you know who the leader is?

—Yes, the leader is Ichinose-san.

—How sure are you?

—100%. I've been watching her, and every eight hours she goes to the possession device. I checked the times afterward and they had reset.

—I see... Kukuku. I was hoping they'd pick someone less conspicuous. So, they picked Ichinose. They probably want to play some reverse psychology on us.

—I guess I'll try to see how I can steal the card, but I can't promise anything. After all, Ichinose is always surrounded by people.

—Do your best to steal it. Try to do it during the night, sneak into her bag, and take it.

—I'll see what I can do. I'll be back before they notice I'm gone—he said, ending the communication with Ryuuen.

Now everything was starting to make more sense. The three walkie-talkies... surely the other one is with Ibuki, who is in Class D. Additionally, it seems that Ryuuen made some kind of deal with Class B and needs some proof to present. Considering the large amount of supplies that class has, it's possible that part of the deal involves Class C providing resources to Class D. But what would Ryuuen gain from it? Besides finding the leaders, I suppose it will be difficult to know all the details.

Poor Katsuragi. Making a deal with someone like Ryuuen is just stupid. He must be desperate to win.

According to Kanzaki, Class B is divided into two factions: Katsuragi's, the "bald guy," and Sakayanagi's. Katsuragi's faction has been losing quite a bit of ground, and since Sakayanagi is not here due to her disability, this is their best chance to show results.