Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Ayanokōji's POV

As I was returning to the base, I happened upon an odd sight. Within the dense thicket of trees and branches, there was a small clearing, an open area surrounded by shrubbery. In the centre, there was a log spanning across around half the diameter of the clearing, most likely the result of a tree toppling over some time in the past.

Sat atop that log was a lone girl. She was facing away from me, so the only thing I could see was her silver hair that reached down to her mid-back, tied back by twin black ribbons. That, and the fact that she was trembling subtly.

I kicked my brain into gear but, after around half a minute, it returned nothing. Even after scouring through all my knowledge, I couldn't find anything that would help me right now. This situation was completely unfamiliar to me.

After hesitating, I finally decided to just walk out and approach the girl. My footsteps made soft sounds as I walked on the grass, intruding on the quiet that veiled the forest. The girl appeared to hear my approach, because she tensed up as I go closer.

"Um... Hello," I called out awkwardly.

I sighed internally. Of all the situations that could arise, why did it have to be one that would test my weakest skill? Social interaction was most definitely not my forte by any stretch of the imagination.

The girl turned to half-face me. She didn't look directly at me, rather, she just turned to face my direction. One thing immediately occurred to me. Either this girl was genuinely nervous, or she was an extremely good actor.

"I'm Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, from Class D."

"I'm... Shiina Hiyori. Class C" The girl looked up at me, and I got my first good look at her face.

Immediately, two things stuck out to me. The first was that she was cute. Her soft facial features combined with her demeanour invoked a strong urge to protect her. More importantly, though, was the ugly red mark that sorely blemished her left cheek. It was no doubt a violence-inflicted wound.

"Are you okay?" I asked as sincerely as I could.

"I'm fine..." She gave a gentle smile, but I could tell that it was forced.

"Why are you out here all alone?"

"I had a disagreement with Ryūen-kun, so he kicked me out of the Class C camp." She explained, massaging her injury.

"I see..." I trailed off, not exactly knowing what to say.

I couldn't deny that I was skeptical, but my conscience wouldn't allow me to just leave her here.

"Would you like to come back to the Class D camp with me?"

"Huh? But... But I'm from an enemy class."

"Of course, I'd have to discuss it with the others once we get there but, as it stands, there isn't really a better alternative."

"Hmm, okay. In that case, I'll accept your kindness."

Despite her situation, this girl still managed to smile and appeared to be remaining positive. Her resolve was commendable.

Shiina picked up the bag that she had laid down beside her feet and, trailing behind me, set off towards the cave. I directed my gaze over my shoulder, towards the girl who was following timidly behind me, her eyes trained on the ground.

We walked without uttering a word to each other, only the sound of an occasional branch snapping under our steps could be heard. This was definitely one of the more awkward silences that I'd experienced since enrolling here. I didn't assume that this girl had bad social skills, though – after all, anyone would be shaken if they were in her position. Moreover, it was a result of my lack of tact when it came to situations such as these.

Eventually, we broke out of the forest and arrived at the cave. It seemed that Kururugi and Ryuzaki had already returned, as there was a flame centered in the open area outside the cave entrance, with a fish roasting above it.

By now, the sun had begun inexorably sinking toward the horizon, turning the lanky pine trees into fire-edged silhouettes. As such, the bright flame contrasted against the dimming skies, banishing the darkness that would soon invade the desolate island.

There were four thick logs being used as seats that lined the perimeter of a square around the flickering sparks. Seated on them were the outlines of six people, their faces lit up by the sweltering heat. The fourth log was vacant, and I assumed that it was saved for me.

It appeared that while I'd been gone, the others had also gathered enough leaves to cushion all of us when we slept, since there were multiple large piles of them stacked near the mouth of the cave, which looked ominous now that evening had set in.

It made sense that they were able to get everything sorted while I was gone. After meeting Horikita, Kushida and Kōenji, I had decided to do an entire lap around the island, in order to get more familiar with its topography. While doing that, I'd happened across Class B, who'd occupied a riverside spot, and then I stumbled upon A-Class a bit later on.

Class A had captured the two spots closest in proximity to our base. The three spots that Class D had occupied were notably close together compared to the rest, but these two weren't exactly far away from us. In fact, it would probably be possible for us to observe the location of their base camp if we were at an elevated vantage point.

I'd noted down these occupations on the map in my manual by writing a letter next to the spots I'd marked. There was a total of ten spots located on the island, and I now knew which class was occupying six out of those ten spots. The remaining four were most likely split evenly between Class C and Class E, if I had to take a guess.

"Hey, Ayanokōji, what are you doing? And who's that with you?"

Light's smooth voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized that I'd been standing still absentmindedly for a while as I pondered. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I gestured for Shiina to follow me, and made my way over to the fire.

"Where the hell have you been? It shouldn't have taken you this long to occupy two spots." Sora called out as I reached the flames and sat down on the log.

Shiina looked hesitant, so I motioned for her to sit on the other side of the log with me. She, obliged and sat, glancing nervously between each of my classmates.

"I decided to look around the island for a bit, to gather information. I found out which spots were occupied by Class B and A." I explained.

"I see. And who's this girl? I thought you were dating that Kushida chick." The raven-haired boy asked, nodding toward the silver-haired girl sitting beside me, causing her to blush lightly.

"She's Shiina Hiyori, from Class C. Apparently, she's been kicked out of her class and has nowhere to go." I ignored the dangerous remark about Kushida and answered his question.

"So you brought her here?"

"Yes."

As I said that, there were two distinctly different reactions. Notably, Lelouch and Sora sent a look at me that seemed to say, 'you're an idiot,' while Light and Kururugi gave me an approving nod.

"You're naïve, Ayanokōji. She's probably a spy." Sora said in a disappointed tone.

"I'm not naïve. I also considered the possibility, but I thought it'd be best to bring her here anyway. After all, we can't be certain either way, and I couldn't just leave a girl alone in the forest." I replied.

"Hmm..." Sora stroked his chin as he thought.

Lelouch decided to add his own opinion. "Still, though, why would you risk leaking information just to help an enemy? It seems foolish to me."

"Even if she is a spy, that doesn't change the fact that she's a lone girl with nowhere to go." Light countered.

"Hm? If she's a spy, then that means that she didn't actually get kicked out of Class C, doesn't it?"

"Do you really think Ryūen would let her back in without having gathered any information?"

While this debate went on, Shiina merely sat in silence, looking down. I couldn't blame here, since this must be a very awkward and also unsettling situation for her. After all, if we decided not to let her stay with us, she actually would be left to fend for herself.

"I agree with Light. Even knowing that her abandonment is a set-up, we should still shelter her because it's the right thing to do." Kururugi said, opposing Lelouch.

It made sense that Light and Kururugi would fight on Shiina's behalf. They were the two here with the strongest moral principles, after all.

"This is a special exam; we don't have time to waste housing enemies." Sora interjected coldly.

"And you would leave a girl alone in the wilderness during the night based on the assumption that she's a spy? How can you even be sure of that?" Light shot back, slightly raising his voice.

"Oh, you idiot, just look at her face! If Ryūen actually wanted to discipline and punish her, he wouldn't have given her a mark in such a visible place, would he?"

Sora raised a good argument. The fact that her injury was in such a prominent place meant that it was likely put there intentionally