28 Volume 14 - Chapter 7: The First-Years Start to Move

Intro

The sixth day of the exam. We started out by making a beeline south to our first designated area of the day, B6, where I took the first-place Early Bird Bonus. After that, our second designated area was A5, which was fairly close, but we unfortunately only received the Arrival Bonus.

Following closely after at 1:00 PM was the third area, which was the random designation over in area C3. There were a couple of different ways available for us to get there. The first was to cut straight through the steep mountains of area B4. Though it wasn't readily obvious from looking at the map, this route would probably require us to do a fair bit of rock climbing. A somewhat safer alternative to this was to move a bit further east from where we were now before going through the pass in area C4. And lastly there was the option of making a huge detour around the mountain range to area D5 and traveling north from there along the river.

"I'm guessing that most of the other groups we're up against are going to go through C4 or take a detour down and around."

"I think so too."

If we could successfully navigate the slopes of A4 and B4, we'd have a very solid chance of securing the first-place Early Bird Bonus.

"While I don't imagine that you're in the best condition, we're going to have to take on the risk anyway."

"You want to take the direct path through A4 and B4, don't you Senpai?"

Nanase had somehow managed to keep up with me so far, but there was no telling if she'd make it this time.

But apparently, she had already made up her mind about it, as she elected to follow along with me without any hesitation.

Shortly thereafter, however, she found herself standing face-to-face with her largest obstacle yet.

We had only had to navigate a couple of fairly steep inclines and slopes so far, but the challenge before us now was far more akin to a sheer cliff.

Whether you looked to the left or right, the cliff stretched on as far as the eye could see. Taking a slightly easier detour didn't seem like it would be an option here.

Now that it had come to this, we had two distinct options: Scale the mountain, or turn back and find another way.

"I… I can do this!"

Watching as she talked herself into it, I decided to let her go first and see how she'd hold up.

She pulled a ribbon out of her backpack and tied up her long hair to make it easier to climb.

"Ah…!"

The very moment she started the climb, she made a mistake with her footing on the rock and came tumbling down to the ground.

"Oww, that hurt…!"

She gingerly rubbed at her bottom as she stood up again. Fortunately, she hadn't been very high up when she fell. If she had been two meters higher, it probably wouldn't have ended as well for her.

The cliff was close to ten meters tall and in all honesty it didn't even seem like it would even be that hard to climb. That being said, it would probably be challenging for Nanase to scale it by herself.

"I guess that's the end of the line."

In reality, this obstacle was more challenging for her than I thought it'd be.

She had done well to keep up with me these past six days, but it seemed like I would have to push on from here on my own.

"I-I can do it!"

"Even if you can, there's no point if it takes up all your stamina just to get to the top. The entire reason why we're scaling the mountain like this is to save time. Not everyone is going to end up taking a detour, so every second counts."

In fact, pointlessly standing around and talking about this was already a massive waste of time, something that Nanase probably understood as well.

"I'm going now. It's up to you if you still want to insist on climbing, but you're the one responsible for whatever happens."

She looked blatantly frustrated by this, but I simply turned my back on her, placed my hands on the rock, and began to ascend the cliff.

Knowing her, I felt confident that she'd make the calm, rational decision here, so I didn't have any intention of looking back to see what she ended up doing. Contrary to my expectations, however, I sensed her presence draw closer to me from behind and looked over my shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Please… don't mind me. I've made the choice to follow after you of my own volition, Ayanokōji-senpai…!"

Saying that, she fearlessly reached out and took hold of the rock again.

But, due to the lingering traces of fatigue still plaguing her body, she couldn't put enough strength into her grip. Her arms began to shake as she clung to the face of the cliff.

"If you're not careful, you might end up facing consequences even worse than retirement."

I warned her yet again, but she still seemed hell-bent on chasing after me.

What exactly was compelling her to go so far to accompany me?

If she was trying to slow me down by being a hindrance, then in some ways, she was succeeding.

Being careful to maintain a secure foothold on the cliff, I climbed back down to around the halfway point and outstretched my hand to her.

03-13

"Take my hand."

"I, I can't do that Senpai. I promised you that I wouldn't get in your way back when I asked to accompany you… So please, go on ahead and don't worry about me. I beg you."

"If I went ahead and you got injured, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth. If you were down there begging me for help I might feel differently, but I'm the one making the decision in this case, so don't worry about it."

"But…!"

"Isn't it a waste of time to continue arguing about it like this?"

After bringing attention to this for a second time, her hand was forced. There was nothing more that she could say.

"…Alright."

Although she was still slightly frustrated, she took hold of my hand. It was one thing that she wasn't in peak physical condition right now, but even if she was, the question still remained on whether or not she'd be able to climb at all.

"Senpai… Do you perhaps have prior rock climbing experience?"

"No, this is my first time doing something like this."

This exam required you to fumble through all sorts of things you've never tried before. Reaching out to help her like this probably wasn't the correct approach either, given the various risks that came with it.

"Is that so…"

I guided her hands, showing her which spots she should grab on to.

Though it was an inefficient way of going about it, we eventually managed to scale the cliff.

However, we hadn't crossed the finish line just yet. We had spent more than ten minutes simply getting up the cliff. Without a moment of rest, I set off once again. Now that I had helped her find her way up, she could take her time finding a way back down on her own. She lagged behind me for a bit at first, but her firm resolve hadn't changed in the slightest as she quickly caught back up.

As we continued to push forward, I couldn't help but think that she had an uncanny resemblance to a loyal dog chasing after its owner.

Before long, we finally arrived at area C3. Although it had taken a fair amount of time, none of our competitors seemed to have made it here yet, so I easily secured the first-place Early Bird Bonus.

"T-thank goodness…!"

Even though she hadn't even gotten the second-place bonus for her efforts, Nanase let out a sigh of relief.

We had a bit until the next designated area would be announced, so figured that I might as well keep her company and rest for a while.

Just like when we were at the top of the mountain, the light breeze that swept by from time to time was quite refreshing.

"It's been pretty calm out these last few days but it's pretty windy today, huh?"

It had been consistently clear and sunny so far, but thick clouds had begun to fill the increasingly overcast sky.

"It must've been surprising to suddenly get tossed onto a deserted island right after entering highschool."

"Of course it was. This really is such an amazing school."

Nanase let show a shy, yet forced smile.

"Senpai, do you enjoy it? This school?"

"I guess. There have certainly been a handful of headaches to deal with, but I've never really thought of it as unenjoyable."

For the most part the school seemed to be the same day by day, but in some ways it was quite different.

I was simply enjoying my time here, content with the constant, subtle daily changes it brought into my life.

"While it feels like graduation is a long ways away, it'll probably be here in the blink of an eye. That's why I think it'd be best to spend what time I do have without any regrets."

"…Graduation…"

"Is something wrong?"

"O-oh, no. It's nothing."

There was something about Nanase, a certain air with the way she was acting, that seemed completely different from the Nanase I had become accustomed to over these past several days.

It was roughly identical to the feeling she gave off back when she first enrolled here.

However, it was very faint. So faint, in fact, that if someone were to tell me that it was just my imagination, then I might even be inclined to believe them.

If she really did have something on her mind, then I suppose I'll just have to wait for her to tell me about it when the time comes.

1

At 9:00 PM on the sixth day of the exam, several first-year class representatives had arranged to meet up together in area F9.

The representatives in question were Class A's Takahashi Osamu, Class B's Yagami Takuya, Class C's Utomiya Riku and Tsubaki Sakurako, and Class D's Hōsen Kazuomi. It would typically be difficult for such a diverse cast of students to meet up in one location given their separate Tables, but in this case, they had decided on a time and place for the meeting before the exam even started.

Furthermore, since the chosen location was on the beach, a bonfire would serve as a reliable signal for the meeting.

Despite the fact that she hadn't really done anything noteworthy or remarkable so far, the person who had spearheaded this get-together was… Tsubaki.

The appointed time for the meeting had already come and gone, but Hōsen still hadn't arrived yet.

"Tsubaki-san, it seems that Hōsen-kun still hasn't arrived yet."

"Well, he doesn't really seem the type to show up on time. Or maybe he's just not coming."

The group decided to wait a little longer to see if he would show up, but before long, Takahashi raised his hand with an arm pressed against his abdomen.

"Sorry guys… I've got a bit of a stomach ache so I'mma excuse myself. It… It might take a while!"

With that, he hurriedly ran off toward the forest.

As the group watched Takahashi take his leave, Yagami's eyes were fixed on Tsubaki.

"It's certainly more convenient for all of us if everyone is present before we start, but…"

Yagami trailed off, seemingly lost in thought, but he picked up where he left off only moments afterward.

"While Hōsen-kun still isn't here yet, just a little should be fine, right?"

Tsubaki, who had been silently staring at the bonfire, turned and looked toward Yagami.

"What…?"

"I was thinking that it'd be fine if you told us about this plan of yours in detail."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been scheming something big, have you not? Otherwise you wouldn't have proposed for all the representatives to meet together like this when the latter half of the exam is about to start. There's no way you merely want us to report on our progress, right?"

Tsubaki said nothing to this, choosing instead to simply keep her gaze locked onto Yagami.

"Your OAA ratings are, at a glance, below average. In fact, there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about you in the slightest. However, from what I've seen during the battles we first-years have taken part in so far, you've been one to provide fairly critical insight from time to time. Furthermore…"

"Furthermore?"

"While on the surface it doesn't seem like your class has been doing anything to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled, I suspect that you've actually been doing quite a bit of work behind the scenes. Utomiya-kun's control of Class C is just a front. You're the one pulling the strings from the shadows, aren't you?"

"Hmmm. You say some interesting stuff, Yagami-kun. So the reason you supported my proposal to set this up is cuz you knew I thought of something?"

Back when Tsubaki first tried to set this up, the core personalities behind each class hadn't been willing to cooperate at all.

After all, there was no way they would've been willing to listen to an obscure, seemingly irrelevant student like her.

With that being the case, the reason why everyone had been willing to meet here today was because Yagami had been such a strong proponent for it.

"From the very beginning, I've consistently advocated that the first-year student body should look to cooperate with one another. Even if you didn't have a profound reason behind gathering us here today, Tsubaki-san, I felt like it would still be worthwhile just to make sure we all have a solid grasp of the current state of affairs."

"Well, Yagami-kun, how 'bout I tell you something interesting?"

"Something interesting? How immensely curious."

"Though, do know that after you hear it… I won't be able to guarantee anything."

"…It must be something truly fascinating, then."

Yagami felt slightly concerned, but he maintained his composure and waited for Tsubaki to speak.

"Yagami-kun, you said just now that Utomiya-kun and I've been scheming from the shadows to try'n get Ayanokōji-senpai kicked outta school, yeah?"

"Yes. At first glance, one might be led to believe that Hōsen-kun and Amasawa-san were the only ones to take part in it during the last exam, but I think that you two were also targeting him."

"A reward of 20 million private points, just for getting a senpai expelled? Just about anybody would find that attractive, yeah?"

"That may be true for others, but not for me."

Upon hearing Yagami's flat refusal, Tsubaki narrowed her eyes.

"Not for you? Sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that. You make yourself seem harmless, but aren't you really lookin' to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled as well? Hell, you might even be more obsessed with it than Hōsen-kun and Amasawa-san."

"And what makes you think that? I haven't done a single thing thus far."

"It's the kinda thing I can tell just by looking at you. I'll have you know that I've gotta lotta confidence in my eye for people."

At this, Yagami's smile, while still present, became noticeably more strained.

"It's hard to imagine given the way you normally act, but like… I'd imagine that your plan started out with pretending to be an ally so you could slowly get closer to him and stab 'em right in the back. Or am I wrong?"

Tsubaki stared at Yagami with eyes that seemed to peer into the depths of his very being, making him unconsciously avert his gaze.

While he had always had a hunch that Tsubaki wasn't an ordinary student, the way her gaze practically bored into his skull made it seem even more extreme than he had anticipated.

"You…"

"Well whatever, we'll get back to that later. Getting back to the point, the situation's currently looking kinda cruddy, wouldn't you say?"

"Kinda cruddy?"

"Apparently, Nanase-san's been sticking together with Ayanokōji-senpai for a while now. I heard that he's even given her permission to tag along too. I tried checking up on them with the GPS Search feature just to make sure, and sure enough, the both of 'em are up in area C3 together right now."

"I see. So you're saying that Hōsen-kun's already looking to make his next move?"

"I'm saying that we gotta take action sooner rather than later. If Hōsen-kun gets Ayanokōji-senpai expelled, it'll all be over for the rest of us. If possible, I'd like to hear what kinda plans you've thought of to get Senpai kicked out, just as a reference. You get me?"

"I already told you I don't have…"

Tsubaki leaned in closer to Yagami, her eyes brimming with conviction.

"If you don't willingly cooperate starting now, you might end up paying dearly later."

"Pay dearly…?"

"Well, like, someone important to you'll be in danger, or something like that."

"S-surely you're not going to do something to Kushida-senpai!?"

Upon hearing Kushida's name come up, a thin smile finally emerged on Tsubaki's perpetually expressionless face.

She knew that Yagami and Kushida had been connected for a long time now.

Furthermore, she knew that there was something going on between them that he was looking to hide.

"Ah, what's that about Kushida-senpai? Do tell."

"N-no, it's nothing… I apologize, but there's nothing more I can tell y─!?"

Yagami's words cut off as Utomiya suddenly came up from behind and forcefully restrained him in a Full Nelson hold.

He resisted in an attempt to try and break free, but he didn't have the strength needed to get away.

"What, what are you doing Utomiya-kun…?"

"Sorry Yagami. I don't have anything against you, but… it can't be helped."

With this, it was clear that Yagami's earlier suspicions of Tsubaki's true involvement in Class 2-C had been correct all along.

"I-I think of each and every first-year student as I would my own classmate! Why don't we just calm down and stop with this!?"

"Either you come clean and tell us what you know, or you retire right here, right now. Those are your only options."

Since the three of them were the only ones present, there was nobody Yagami could turn to for help.

"Yagami-kun, I get that you think Kushida-senpai is like, the key to getting Ayanokōji-senpai expelled, but why is that? How exactly do you plan on making use of her?"

"I can't say…"

When he refused to answer, Utomiya further tightened his hold on Yagami's arms.

"If you can't say, then that must mean you really are up to something. Dontcha feel like confessing? Like gettin' this over with?"

"I─ Kushida-senpai is just…"

Still not hearing the answer they wanted, Utomiya momentarily released his hold and proceeded to wrap his arm around Yagami's neck instead.

Yagami began to choke for air as he was constricted in a headlock.

"Yer nearing your limit, Yagami-kun. If you don't fess up now, I guess we'll just haveta hear it from Kushida-senpai… directly."

This wasn't just some empty threat. Rather, it was obvious that Tsubaki would actually follow through with it.

The fact that she was using Utomiya as a medium to carry out acts of violence and intimidation was more than enough proof for that.

"I'll ask you one last time. Will you confess or not?"

Faced with no other real option, Yagami finally resigned himself and gave in.

"…I understand. I'll tell you everything."

With his eyes to the ground, Yagami began to speak about the past of the girl named Kushida Kikyō and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's knowledge on the matter.

Not long after he finished, Takahashi returned from within the forest.

They all waited around for a while after that, but in the end, Hōsen never showed up.