That evening, I called Horikita to the cafeteria.

Since the cafe was a busy place, even if there were students around us trying to eavesdrop on our conversation, they would have a hard time trying to make out what was being said.

I expressed my concerns to Horikita about the current situation between Ike, Shinohara, and Komiya and that it might affect this upcoming uninhabited island exam. Ike liked Shinohara but still hasnt made a move. Komiya, however, was planning to confess soon.

Horikitas reaction upon hearing my concerns was

Isnt it fine to just leave them alone?

As I had partly expected, her reaction to this was indifference.

I thought we had a serious problem on our hands, since youre the one coming to consult me but this isnt our problem to fix. Besides, Ive evaluated Ike-kuns ability as a boy scout to be high, so we should group him with regards to his ability, not his feelings.

I dont know about that. Ike seems to be overly concerned about Shinoharas affairs. Depending on the situation, he might not be as effective as last year. That alone would have been acceptable, but now theres a possibility that he could become a liability to his group due to his concern over Shinoharas affairs.

So he could be expelled due to his feelings for Shinohara leading him by the nose?

I cant say that he definitely wont be.

That would be problematic. This is so stupid.

Annoyed, Horikita let out a heavy sigh.

It seems like Komiya and Shinohara have already agreed to form a group, but because of your orders, they havent confirmed yet. However, if you give them permission, 9 times out of 10, theyll form a group. Youre the leader of Class D now, so if you tell Shinohara that grouping up with Komiya is strategically disadvantageous, she cant forcefully disobey.

So youre saying its necessary to prevent that? But if we stop them from forming a group, wont Komiya-kun just change the timing of his confession? Depending on the situation, he might just confess on that same day.

We cant discount that possibility.

This is a lot more complicated than it sounds. We cant take care of them until they start dating.

Then what should we do?

Why dont we just make Ike-kun confess? If Shinohara-san accepts, Ike-kun will fight hard to stay at the school no matter what group hes in, right? On the other hand, if he gets rejected, he can forget about this whole matter and focus on the exam.

While I think the former is true, it was hard to say what would happen if he gets rejected.

Theres a risk that he would just give up and stop trying in this exam.

However, this isnt something we can settle through talking alone.

Maybe getting Ike to confess soon was the fastest way out.

Although youre good at many things, you dont seem to be good at romance at all.

Im studying hard right now.

For real? Well, let me see what I can do. For now, Ill start with asking Ike-kun and Shinohara-san to form a group together, alright?

Even though we hadnt finished our meals, Horikita took out her phone and launched the OAA app.

Only to discover something completely unexpected.

Unfortunately, it seems like were too late.

Horikita put her phone on the table and slided it toward me so that I could see the screen. On the OAA, you could see the groups that have been formed, and it showed that Shinohara and Komiya had already formed a group. The third person in their group was Kinoshita Minori of Class B.

Since weve already reached this point, we must take measures to prevent Ike-kuns loss of motivation.

Lets discuss this with Yosuke as well. Hes thinking about the best group for Ike right now.

The prospect of forming groups for the uninhabited island exam would be difficult.