36 Volume 15 - Chapter 4: Surrounded on All Sides – Kōenji Vs. The Free Group
Intro
It was just after 5:00 PM on the tenth day of the exam, right around the time when the students were freed from their obligations for the day. The leader of Class 3-B, Kiriyama, quietly shut his eyes after having finished up with a conversation on his walkie-talkie.
Even though the second half of the exam was now in full swing, Kōenji still showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. Throughout the past several days, he had been racking up enough points to stay neck-and-neck with Nagumo's group. When the top ten groups were first revealed on the fourth day of the exam, it had been somewhat surprising to see Kōenji's name included on the list. At the time, however, neither Kiriyama, Nagumo, or just about anyone else had given it much thought.
After all, anyone could tell that a one-man group like Kōenji would be reaching his limit soon enough.
"Kiriyama, don't you feel like Nagumo's response to this has been too, y'know, passive? Wasn't he supposed to run away with the lead once the second half of the exam started? He's put off dealing with this Kōenji guy for so long now that it's already day ten and their scores are still pretty much the same."
Mikitani, also a Class 3-B student, spoke while looking at the current state of the leaderboards on his tablet. Nagumo's group had an overall score of 236 whereas Kōenji's was 230, a difference of only 6 points. Kōenji was in a prime position to turn things around; it would just take a single first-place Early Bird Bonus.
Nagumo's group had dramatically increased in size thanks to the special 'More People' card, and as such, they could reliably earn 7 points per Arrival Bonus just by having everyone make it to a designated area before the time limit.
Kōenji, on the other hand, would only be able to earn 1 point per Arrival Bonus, but at the same time, it would be easier for him to earn Early Bird Bonuses. This was even more impactful given that he alone boasted the highest number of first-place Early Bird Bonuses out of every group in the exam.
"Even if Nagumo manages to lock down first-place, with the way things are going, you're just gonna end up in third. Man, if you end up losing to a lowly second-year, then your reputation with all your supporters'll go right down the drain."
Kiriyama's group currently had a total of 188 points. The difference between their score and Kōenji's had only been growing larger and larger as the days passed.
"Come to think of it, there was a rumor going around not too long after Kōenji enrolled last year, wasn't there? That whole thing with how he was going up to various second and third-years and dropping hints about buying their private points with cash? What did you think about that back then?"
"I thought he was getting ahead of himself just cuz he's rich, somethin' like that."
"I'm pretty sure that's how everyone thought of it. Just a strange kid from a rich family. One who seemed pretty capable physically and had decent scores on tests, but never really did anything to make a name for himself."
Hearing Kiriyama's answer, Mikitani nodded.
"The main reason why Kōenji managed to fly under the radar for so long is that he's never really seemed all that serious about anything. He goes against the grain, refusing to behave how a student of this school ought to be. Even during past exams, he's always been completely defiant about taking part."
This knowledge had spread out amongst not only the second-years, but the third-years as well.
If Kōenji had always been a serious, diligent student, then Nagumo would've recognized him as a formidable enemy much, much earlier. Therefore, he would've probably taken action against him sooner as well. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, after all.
"I don't know what happened, but it's clear that Kōenji's going all-out this time around. And as a result, he's made himself out to be the most formidable opponent out there right now. His seemingly unlimited energy makes him especially frightening. It's entirely possible that he might not run out of steam before the exam is over."
He was not only making the best use of the few advantages that came with operating alone, but also executing every move with a nearly inexhaustible supply of stamina.
Since he had accomplished so much, the third-years had been left with no choice but to come up with a plan to try and deal with him.
If left unchecked, Kōenji would undoubtedly finish in the top three.
And depending on the situation, he might even end up overtaking Nagumo.
While losing to an underclassmen would be a problem in and of itself, losing to a one-man group would be downright shameful.
He was an opponent they had to defeat to matter what, an opponent they needed to dispose of sooner rather than later.
Of course, violence should be avoided if at all possible.
If the third-years were to assault Kōenji, injuring him and forcing his retirement, it would definitely lead to problems.
After all, squashing his progress with violence would inevitably bring about harsh judgment from the school.
In the end, they'd have to subdue Kōenji as peacefully as possible.
"Kiriyama, have you decided on a plan?"
"Yeah. We'll use the Free Group."
The Free Group: an informal group composed of several three-man groups that Nagumo had personally chosen to act as his arms and legs during the exam. There were five groups each from Class 3-B, 3-C, and 3-D, for a total of fifteen. Two members of each group were given the task of following instructions given to them by a figurehead, whereas the last was told to travel between designated areas so as to avoid incurring any penalties.
In other words, within each of these so-called 'Free Groups', there were two students free to move about the island.
"Well, I suppose that's fine. So, how many do you plan on using?"
"All six groups I have at my disposal, all of them."
"All six? Are you for real dude? He's only one guy. Four should be more than enough if you have my group take charge. The other two can stick with your group and─"
Kiriyama cut in, interrupting Mikitani mid-sentence.
"Kōenji is the only threat; there'll be plenty of time to deal with everyone else after we crush him. We have until the end of the twelfth day to check the leaderboards, so we've only got the next two days to knock the guy down a peg once and for all. Once he starts to lose momentum, he won't be able to bounce back again."
Even if Kōenji were to join up with some other group, the outcome would still be the same.
"That's true and all, but didn't Nagumo say there was some other group he was worried about? If we send everyone we've got available to deal with Kōenji, we won't have the manpower for anyone else."
Mikitani hadn't been told which group exactly Nagumo had been referring to, but he felt like it was probably safe to assume they were part of the top ten, meaning that it was most likely either the second-year Ryūen group, Sakayanagi's group, or the first-year Utomiya group.
"Don't bother worrying about that anymore. Nagumo was just getting worked up over nothing."
Kiriyama, on the other hand, knew exactly which group Nagumo had been so concerned about.
However, that particular group hadn't shown up on the leaderboard even a single time in the past ten days.
Even if they were to pick up the pace at this point, it'd be impossible for them to make it to one of the top spots.
"So it was just Nagumo's mistake then, huh?"
"…Seems weird, doesn't it? For Nagumo to misjudge something like that."
"I guess it's not unreasonable, the dude's been haunted by a ghost of the past after all."
A ghost of the past: a remnant left behind by Horikita Manabu, the only man that Nagumo had ever recognized.
In that light, it was understandable that Nagumo, who was usually more than capable of overseeing the battlefield, had now been rendered blind.
"So anyway like, you're just gonna let the six Free Groups handle Kōenji while you go on with collecting points like usual?"
"No. I'll take command and see it through myself."
"You? Wouldn't that be way too inefficient? Let me take care of it."
If the currently third-place Kiriyama group were to get involved with obstructing Kōenji's progress, it would only serve to inhibit their own progress moving forward.
"You're asking me to leave you in charge?"
"It's do-or-die for me this time around. You've already found your path, but I've got no choice but to try and get Nagumo to acknowledge me somehow, so please man, just let me take care of it."
Mikitani put forth his best plea, but Kiriyama didn't seem to be having any of it.
"That's not happening. If you use the six Free Groups and screw things up, the results will be disastrous."
"But you need to take second place, right? Don't waste your time when you don't have to dude!"
Desperate to take credit, Mikitani refused to back down.
"Aside from myself or Nagumo, nobody will be able to stop Kōenji. End of story."
Upon hearing this, Mikitani's brow furrowed ever so slightly. However, Kiriyama didn't even bother to spare him a glance, so he didn't notice his disgruntled expression.
That evening, the six Free Groups hurriedly set out with Kiriyama at the command, all for the sake of stopping one lone student.
While an ordinary opponent would be one thing, even Kiriyama had no idea what Kōenji was truly capable of.
The only problem now was where the first designated area would appear at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning, the eleventh day.
The plan of action would differ depending on which direction Kōenji ended up moving in.
As such, it would be ideal to take care of all of this some time after he had settled down for the night, but before the exam started up again in the morning.
Fortunately, Kōenji's current location, area B3, and Kiriyama's current location, area E3, weren't very far from each other.
Since the scores of the top groups could only be monitored until the end of the twelfth day, Kiriyama only had two more days to verify whether or not his efforts would bear fruit. At the very least, he wanted to establish a thirty-point lead for Nagumo before the leaderboards went away.
"How far you gonna have us march tonight?"
Not long after embarking on the long journey, Mikitani posed Kiriyama a question in an attempt to kill time.
"As far as we can. I'm aware it's risky to travel in the dark like this, but I think I'd at least like to make it within one area of him before stopping for the night. We have to catch up with him by 7:00 AM tomorrow morning, after all."
Once Kōenji started moving again, catching up would become significantly more difficult.
"Well, we've got two days, so I'd reckon it'll be a walk in the park. With all six of your group coming along, we've got eighteen whole people across seven whole groups working on this."
Mikitani turned and looked over his shoulder, as if to motion toward the sixteen third-year students following behind them.
"Don't get careless. There's a good chance he might give us the slip with how vast the forest is."
"I get he's like, fuckin' strong for a second-year, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's younger than us."
Kiriyama and Mikitani had never seen Kōenji's outstanding physical prowess firsthand, so it was difficult for them to make a completely accurate assessment of who they were dealing with. But even so, they had been aggregating data on the true extent of his capabilities from various third-year students who had previously competed against him in Tasks.
"Stay cautious and keep your wits about you. Treat this as though we're going against our greatest adversary yet."
"Greatest adversary? Suuure dude. Whatever you say."
Presented with such a dismissive, derisive response, Kiriyama felt reassured that turning down Mikitani's plea had been the right decision after all.
When faced with an enemy you have to defeat no matter the cost, you must take them on with the unwavering intention to kill, to choke the life out of them.
However, should you lack the resolve to do so and approach with negligence, well, that's when you might end up as the one being snuffed out instead.
1
A little after 6:30 AM on the following morning, the eleventh day of the exam, the Kiriyama group and the six Free Groups had successfully surrounded Kōenji's campsite.
Kiriyama prompted Mikitani for an update.
"What's the situation?"
"There doesn't seem to be any movement inside the tent yet, so he's prolly sleeping like a log right now. Though, it'd sure make things a lot easier for us if the dude just fell sick and slept the whole day like this."
It was at this time that Mikitani voiced a suggestion, not only to Kiriyama but to the nearby members of the Free Group as well.
"Hey, why don't we trap him in his tent before he gets a chance to come out? If we make it so that he can't pack up his campsite, the guy won't be able to do anything."
Upon hearing Mikitani's suggestion, the other members of the Free Group began to nod in agreement. Kiriyama, however…
"It's true that if we stall him here long enough, we can delay him from making it to his first designated area on time. However, how exactly would we explain ourselves if a third party saw us doing that? We need to refrain from doing anything that might seem crude to onlookers, even if it means doing something less effective overall."
Even though they were already violating the rules, they had to prioritize reducing the risk as much as possible.
"Can't we just run a GPS Search first then? It's not like we can't spare the points."
"Don't forget that a GPS Search isn't the end-all be-all; our tablets aren't going to tell us the locations of any faculty members. We'll stick to the plan and strike once Kōenji packs up camp and starts moving. In the meantime, if you cross paths with any first-years, second-years, or even a faculty member on their way to set up a Task site, immediately look to distance yourself from Kōenji."
Essentially, Kiriyama was warning everyone to stay out of arm's reach of Kōenji.
As the clock neared 7:00 AM, the situation finally began to change.
"He's on the move."
Kōenji seemed blissfully unaware that he had been surrounded, humming a tune to himself as he started to tear down his tent. His movements were practiced and skillful, and it seemed like he'd be ready to depart by 7:00 AM.
And then, once he was done, he took out his tablet and began to wait for the exam to start at the turn of the hour.
"Go."
Having decided that now was the time to strike, Kiriyama issued the command and proceeded to close in on his target.
Mikitani and the rest of the Free Group followed after from a distance.
It was unclear whether or not Kōenji was aware of the situation he was in, as he simply kept his eyes glued to his tablet without so much as lifting his head to keep an eye on his surroundings. Even though he had been surrounded by an army of 18 people, he continued to act as though he was oblivious to their presence.
Mikitani began closing in, having judged that Kōenji was just feigning ignorance, but Kiriyama stopped him with a stern look before taking the lead himself.
"Kōenji, do you have a moment?"
Despite being addressed by name, Kōenji still didn't look up from his tablet.
"What do you want from me?"
Kōenji's response was curt, by no means a proper way for someone to speak to an upperclassman, but Kiriyama paid it no mind.
After all, he was fully aware that Kōenji Rokusuke was somebody who lacked any form of common sense.
"I didn't expect you to put in so much effort this time around. If you were always this capable, then why haven't you taken any of the previous exams seriously before?"
"Is that really something we ought to be talking about right now? It'll be 7:00 AM soon, so shouldn't you all be getting ready to scamper off to your next designated area?"
"You should understand without me needing to say anything, Kōenji. You've scored far too many points."
Kōenji spoke as though he hadn't connected the dots yet, but Kiriyama was pretty sure it was just an act.
"I'm going to have to ask that you stay here for the rest of the day today."
"To stop me from earning points… is that how it is?"
"That's right."
Naturally, there was no way that Kōenji would simply go along with a request like this.
"I don't know who you are, but anyone can tell with only the most trivial amount of thought that you're just being unreasonable. Alas, however, seeing as you've brought along so many with you… I suppose that means you've come prepared to contain me here should I refuse to comply, yes?"
"Even if you keep going at the pace you have been, it'll be impossible for you to take first place. You're all on your own while Nagumo's group has seven people, and my group is in third place with six. I'll admit that you've been doing quite well for yourself these last several days, but I imagine you'll start to hit a wall as you begin running out of energy."
"It doesn't sound like you need to worry about me then, do you?"
"We're doing this just in case, that's all. Moreover, as third-years, it's hard to accept that we've had to do so much to compete against a single person. Of course, nothing bad will have to happen if you're obedient and agree to follow our orders. Nagumo is the student council president, so getting on his good side would make your life at school easier too."
Essentially, Kōenji had been offered two distinct choices: he could either be strong-armed into submission, or obey and curry favor with Nagumo.
As silence fell between them, the hour changed, and with it came the revelation of the day's first designated area.
After checking the notification, Kōenji slowly put his tablet in his backpack.
Kiriyama and the others kept their eyes trained on him, watching to see if the second-year student would take action or not.
"I've got somewhere to be, so if you'll excuse me."
As soon as these defiant words passed his lips, Kōenji instantaneously sprinted off, breaking past the members of the Free Group encircling him.
"Wha- Hey!!!"
Even though they had him surrounded, there were still gaps in their formation large enough for a person to slip through, which Kōenji had taken full advantage of. It wouldn't be wrong to say that everyone, even Kiriyama, had been complacent with how they were approaching the situation. They had discounted the possibility that Kōenji might just disregard their orders and escape.
"After him!"
Mikitani hollered for his colleagues to give chase, but by that point, Kōenji had already disappeared deep into the forest.
"Don't panic. You'll only get yourself hurt if you try to keep up with him."
"We don't have time for that right now man! He's getting away!"
"He might get his hands on the first Early Bird Bonus, but that's it. If he decides to run around and try to escape from us, then that means he won't be able to take part in any Tasks. And if he has the gall to participate in a Task in spite of that, it'll be easy for us to catch up with him."
While they wouldn't be able to determine which area Kōenji was headed toward based on the direction he had fled in, the existence of the GPS Search meant that he wouldn't be able to hide forever. This was something that Kiriyama was well aware of.
Mikitani, however, was impatient and raring to go, and ran ahead once everyone collectively began their pursuit.
2
With Mikitani in the lead, Kiriyama and the rest of the Free Group were currently tracking down Kōenji.
"What's his current location?"
"About that, it doesn't seem like he's moved at all since earlier. I've searched three times now and he's been in the same place every time."
It was far too unnatural for someone to stay completely stationary when it wasn't even break time yet.
Kiriyama glanced down at his tablet in an attempt to wrap his head around Kōenji's incomprehensible behavior.
"It doesn't look like there are any Tasks near him either."
"Yeah. We should catch up with him in 200 meters or so."
"Don't be negligent this time. Drive him into a corner once and for all, got it?"
"You don't have to tell me twice."
About six hours after Kōenji had made his escape, Kiriyama and the Free Group finally managed to catch up to him.
Surprisingly, the reason for this turned out to be because he had chosen to take a nap in the broad daylight, completely disregarding his current circumstances.
Upon seeing such a sight, the third-years exchanged glances in astonishment.
Taking initiative, Mikitani approached the sleeping man. He peered down at him from above for a moment before speaking up with a strong tone.
"Rise and shine, Kōenji. You've got a lot of balls to be taking an afternoon nap like this after trying to run from us. Or maybe you've just tuckered yourself out after all the work you've done these past ten days?"
Mikitani could only come up with a single reason as to why Kōenji would do this, given his current situation.
That, even if you didn't want to rest, sometimes your body would give you no other option.
Kōenji slowly opened his eyes with a peaceful, leisurely smile.
"Isn't it obvious? Like you, I am but only human, after all."
"Then how 'bout you just sit right there and take the rest of the day off? You must've worn yourself out quite a bit these last few days. Your senpai's out here givin' you some real thoughtful advice, so you'd best take it to heart."
"Take the rest of the day off? You're quite the comedian."
Completely unphased by the fact that he had once again been surrounded, Kōenji rose to his feet.
Mikitani had been the one looking down at him just moments earlier, but once Kōenji, who was over 180cm tall, stood up, he found that he was now forced to look up instead.
Kōenji's eyes were brimming with vitality, and he seemed far larger than when he had first emerged from his tent earlier that morning.
"…No need to push yourself. If you just sit back and enjoy a short rest, nobody'll have to suffer."
Although he felt intimidated, Mikitani still pressed on.
"There's no need to worry about that. My stamina has already recovered unto utter perfection. I'd suggest you refrain from lumping me in with those of an average ilk."
Taking Kōenji's composed demeanor as a mere bluff, Kiriyama spoke up in response.
"You do indeed look healthy, but as Mikitani said, you've been running around quite a lot these past ten days. There's no doubt about it, given that you've earned more first-place Early Bird Bonuses than any other group. However, even if you have more stamina than an average person, you should be nearing your limit any time now."
"I must say, having a limit at all strikes me as something that would only apply to someone stuck in their normalcy."
"Or in other words, you're saying you still haven't reached your limit yet?"
Kiriyama put forward a question, his voice dripping with skepticism, but Kōenji responded without so much as a second thought.
"I'll have you know that I'm an immensely short sleeper, seldom predisposed to even the strongest spells of REM sleep."
"The hell? Predisposed to spells of what now?"
While Mikitani voiced confusion about what Kōenji was talking about, Kiriyama's expression hardened immediately.
"A short sleeper, huh…? If that's true, this is quite the serious problem."
"What do you mean, Kiriyama?"
"An average person ideally needs to sleep for seven to eight hours per night in order to stay healthy. After all, if you get any more or less than what your body needs, you won't sleep comfortably. However, a short sleeper has the aptitude to stay perfectly healthy with less, sometimes only needing as little as six hours per night."
As a whole, sleep repeatedly cycles between two different states: REM and non-REM. Put simply, REM sleep is the state where the brain is active and awake, whereas during its non-REM counterpart, the brain is asleep.
And since short sleepers spend less time in REM sleep, they could rejuvenate both their minds and bodies with a simple short break or two.
"I thought it was strange for you to be sleeping out in the open like this… So that was the reason…"
Even though Kōenji has extraordinary strength and stamina, fatigue would undoubtedly begin to take its toll after a long period of intense physical exertion during Tasks and travel.
However, by napping intermittently during whatever downtime he had after reaching a designated area or whenever there weren't any suitable Tasks nearby, he had managed to conserve a good portion of his stamina.
If Kōenji was truly as short a sleeper as he claimed to be, then not only did his stamina eclipse that of an ordinary person, but his recuperative abilities did as well.
Now, for the first time, a faint feeling of anxiousness began to take shape within Kiriyama.
Despite the overarching incentive they faced to pace themselves, every group felt tired and fatigued by this point.
The feeling of your legs crying out for a break with every step you took. The feeling of your drive to take part in the exam gradually fading away.
These were feelings that all students shared, deep down in the most unconscious parts of their psyches.
Or at least, that's what Kiriyama had assumed, and it was due to that assumption that he had thought Kōenji would be easy to take care of.
What if, however, the threads holding that assumption together began to snap…?
"By the way, do you all still have something you need from me?"
"We don't care how much stamina you've got or how short a sleeper you are; you're gonna listen to us whether you─"
Having lost his patience, Mikitani once again tried to mandate Kōenji's obedience, but Kiriyama intervened just as the words were coming out of his mouth.
"We don't have anything else, you don't need to concern yourself with us."
Kiriyama wanted to avoid using any inflammatory language as much as possible and try to keep things civil.
It was a soft, lenient approach, and although Mikitani felt increasingly frustrated, he still went along with it.
"Fufu. You say that, and yet the lot of you seem awfully belligerent, hmm?"
Kōenji didn't seem to pay any mind to their warnings or threats.
It was around this time that the third designated area of the day was announced, prompting Kōenji to immediately set off after a brief look at his tablet.
Mikitani spoke up once Kōenji had gone out of earshot.
"He's not the sorta guy who's gonna listen to us, Kiriyama."
"That might be true."
"And I'm pretty damn sure he's bluffing about that short sleeper shit too."
However, while many groups had already seen a noticeable drop in their efficiency, Kōenji had maintained a quick pace since just about the beginning. It was obvious that he was constantly honing his body, day in and day out. In fact, Kiriyama even hypothesized he only saw the uninhabited island special exam as a means to further refine his training.
"We've got no choice but to change plans. We'll force him out through Tasks alone."
With that, Kiriyama finally came to a decision and gave the order for everyone to chase after Kōenji.
However, Mikitani looked displeased, seemingly upset with the direction Kiriyama had taken things in.
"I'm the one in charge here, Mikitani. Don't create any waves."
"Hmph…"
Despite their misgivings, the various third-years began to fan out, forming an 18-person triangle formation around Kōenji, who was at this point leisurely making his way to his next destination.
In the meantime, Kiriyama began issuing orders over his walkie-talkie.
Kōenji, however, simply continued to walk without paying any mind to their actions.
He didn't stop moving forward, nor did he stand still.
Kiriyama had a total of three different plans in mind. The first was simple: to try and persuade Kōenji into giving up on getting first place. Of course, this particular plan involved having everyone close in on him to help magnify the pressure and get him to concede. The second plan revolved around staying in formation around Kōenji as he made his way around the island in an attempt to inhibit his movements. And finally, the third was to try and anticipate which Tasks he would aim for and make it there before him to fill up the slots.
Between the six Free Groups and Kiriyama's own, they had a total of seven groups at their disposal, which should be more than enough to impede Kōenji from registering for Tasks. And, even if he still managed to register, they'd at least be able to lower his chances of winning by having everyone compete with the sole intention of crushing him.
While each Task had differing conditions for participation eligibility, there were generally two different types.
There were those in which you participated as an individual, and those in which you participated as a group.
While the Free Groups couldn't register for the group-based Tasks since they didn't have all of their members present, those very same Tasks usually required a minimum of two people to participate. This meant that Kōenji was restricted to Tasks that allowed him to take part alone, which in hand meant that any of the third-year students could take part in those Tasks as well.
The third-years shadowed Kōenji for a while without any issue, but as time went on, they began to grow more and more restless.
From an outsider's perspective, Kōenji's walking speed was so fast that he could've been mistaken as a professional speed-walker of sorts, so much so that chasing after him took up quite a fair bit of stamina. The third-years were already beginning to show signs of fatigue just by trying to match his pace.
The pace was so foreign to them that before long they became completely exhausted.
Frankly, it probably would've been easier on them to run instead.
"Kōenji! Stop it with all this tough-guy show-off shit!"
Mikitani shouted loudly, having judged that Kōenji was simply pushing his way forward under a false show of courage.
"My my my, you're quite the loud one, aren't you? In which case, how about I pick up the pace a tad?"
With that, Kōenji began to run for a second time.
"Not this time! Surround him!"
The various third-years who'd been following from a distance closed in all at once.
But, just before they had him fully surrounded, Kōenji instantaneously slipped through the cracks in their formation.
"No way-!?!"
One of the third-years exclaimed in surprise, the sound of their voice drowned out by the sound of the wind.
The man in question was already long gone, swiftly crossing over the harsh terrain as though he was running on a well-maintained track at a school sporting event.
And then, with a level of speed that'd put a high-level sprinter to shame, he disappeared into the forest.
Many of the twelve individuals who made up the Free Group were highly confident in their athletic abilities.
Even on the OAA app, all of them had Physical Ability ratings of a B or higher.
In a sense, they were a unit of soldiers that Nagumo and Kiriyama had assembled for the sake of monopolizing most of the Tasks.
"After him! Don't let him get away!"
"Wait, Mikitani! Don't take action without my say so!"
"Shut your mouth! You really want him to escape again!? We'll catch that asshole and drag him back by force!"
Ignoring Kiriyama's orders, Mikitani and the rest of the third-years proceeded to chase after Kōenji.
"Those idiots…"
Kiriyama momentarily deliberated over whether or not he should chase after them, but he ultimately decided to just pull out his tablet and attempt to reformulate his strategy.
It felt hard for him to believe that Kōenji would just break into a sprint for no reason.
Therefore, it followed that he was either headed toward his next designated area or a Task.
"Out of the Tasks nearby, the one in E3 is the only one he'll be able to participate in, but the reward for taking first-place is only 8 points… It wouldn't be surprising for him to prioritize the 10 points from the first-place Early Bird Bonus instead, but… where exactly is his next designated area anyway?"
Area D4 was the most likely candidate given the direction he had gone in, but it easily could've been a randomly designated area as well.
"…What a tough opponent to figure out."
It had truly dawned on Kiriyama that Kōenji was more than just eccentric; that he was someone whose actions seemed to defy common sense and logic altogether.
3
As it would turn out, Kōenji's objective had been the Task in area E3 after all.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Task site and promptly completed the registration process. It was only then that he finally stopped moving.
A few minutes later, Mikitani and the rest of the Free Group caught up with him. However, somebody else had already filled up the last slot in the time it had taken them to arrive, so they were forced to sit back and wait until it was over. The Task in question was an English Test, and although the participants varied from first-years to third-years, the difficulty of the subject matter was the same across the board.
Ultimately, a student named Dōmichi, who was widely thought of as one of the brightest students in the third year, took first place, but Kōenji had taken second by a slim margin, earning himself four points as a result.
Because there were teachers and event staff around, Mikitani and the rest of the Free Group planned on closing in once Kōenji left the Task site, but Kōenji broke into a sprint before any of the teachers had a chance to disperse.
They had lost the initiative, left with no other choice but to reactively chase around a man whose speed far outmatched their own.
The next time they managed to catch up was just before 3:00 PM, right after Kōenji arrived at his third designated area.
For the third time, Mikitani and the rest of the Free Group surrounded him.
"You're quite the persistent bunch, I'll give you that."
"As if we give two shits about what you think!"
For essentially the entire eleventh day of the exam, they had tried their best to anticipate the Tasks Kōenji was going for, but not even once had they been able to stop him.
It was safe to say that, by this point, their pride as third-years had been completely torn to shreds.
Nagumo would probably be extremely disappointed upon hearing about it too.
The word 'amicable' could hardly describe the situation anymore.
"This is your last warning, Kōenji."
Kiriyama spoke sternly as the Free Group surrounded Kōenji for what seemed like the final time.
"Just one day. Just listen to us and stay put for one day. That's all you have to do."
If they could get him to halt his movements for 24 hours, then Nagumo would be practically guaranteed to hold onto first place.
All that mattered was that they prevented Kōenji from taking the top spot again.
"H-hey, Nagumo said to keep him busy for two days though…! Shouldn't we be tellin' him to stay put for both tomorrow and the day after?"
"We'll lose the ability to check on the rankings by then. Although I doubt there'll be any other groups capable of catching up to us, we should focus on improving our own score instead of trying to shut down somebody else."
This was the conclusion Kiriyama had reached after having observed Kōenji thus far.
"Spending three full days on this simply isn't worth it."
"Then just leave a few of us here to make sure the dude stays put for two days! Problem solved!"
"You really think Kōenji'll just play along with that?"
If Kōenji stayed put for only one day, he'd still have a fairly good chance of taking second or third place overall.
However, if it were two days instead, he'd run the risk of dropping off the leaderboards altogether.
"There's no way he'll take a defeat like that lying down."
"Well that depends on how we handle this, now doesn't it?"
Having been fed up with following Kiriyama's instructions for a while now, Mikitani finally broke.
"…You really think you can do it?"
"'Course I can, and once I do, it's on you to get me a one-way ticket straight to Class A, got it?"
With that, Mikitani stepped forward, pushing Kiriyama aside as he spoke directly to Kōenji.
"You heard all that, right? Tomorrow and the day after, stay here."
"Is that a request?"
"No, it's an order."
"How audacious. And what if I refuse?"
"Worst case scenario, you'll be expelled."
With those words, Mikitani and the rest of the third-years drew in even closer.
Although not explicitly stated, their intentions were perfectly clear: if they couldn't solve this peacefully, then they'd do it by force.
But, despite their threat, Kōenji's fearless smile never faltered. He simply watched on as the third-years approached.
"Seeing as though you're not saying anything, can I assume that means you'll give in and obey us?"
"I'll not be giving in to anyone."
"Then, you've left us with no other choice. We'll have to make you submit to us. You're fine with that, right Kiriyama?"
"I don't care anymore as long as he gives in. It's your decision to make."
Upon hearing Kiriyama's tacit agreement, Mikitani let out a scornful laugh, his attitude as bullish as ever.
However, the moment the final designated area of the day was announced, Kōenji rose to his feet.
Panicking a bit, Mikitani quickly gave the signal for everyone to close in.
"I told you. Stay. Put."
They were so close that there was practically no way Kōenji could get away without pushing Mikitani or one of the other third-years aside.
"Can't say I find any beauty in how close you're getting. I'm no sodomite do leave me out of this."
"So what're you gonna do about it? If you force your way past us, I'll take that as a declaration of war."
"Fufu, is that so?"
Kōenji smiled as he took a step forward.
Of course, that single step was enough for him to come into contact with Mikitani, who was standing right before him.
However, he didn't take this step with the intention of pushing Mikitani out of the way.
Rather, it was just an ordinary step forward, one that resulted in nothing more than their shoulders bumping into each other.
Put simply, it was Kōenji's attempt to force his way past Mikitani without actively raising his hand against him.
Mikitani could've simply been brushed aside, but thanks to his strong, well-built physique, he was fairly confident that he'd be able to hold his ground. For him, this was a golden opportunity to prove that just because Kōenji was fast didn't mean that he was powerful, but…
"!!!"
It felt as if a boulder was slowly crashing into him, and before long he found himself with no other choice but to give in and move out of the boulder's way.
On the other hand, Kōenji just proceeded to walk forward as if nothing had been in front of him to begin with.
"You bastard, wait!"
Mikitani desperately reached out and grabbed Kōenji by the shoulder, but such a half-hearted effort would never be able to stop him.
If he let Kōenji go now, while he was right under his very nose, then he'd be left to repeat the same, inane game of cat-and-mouse he'd been playing the entire day today.
Therefore, he chose to do what he could to resist, yet he couldn't stop Kōenji from pushing forward.
When he realized that Kiriyama was watching him struggle, Mikitani clicked his tongue and changed gears.
He quickly called for one of his companions, Morooka, to help, and together, they tried what they could to pull Kōenji to a stop.
However, the moment Morooka placed his hand on Kōenji's shoulder, he found himself being dragged along, overwhelmed by Kōenji's momentum.
A split second later, he collapsed to the ground in dramatic fashion, seemingly wrought with pain.
"Aaaagh! I think my arm's broken!"
Morooka began to scream and holler about his apparent injury, much like a professional soccer player who'd been 'injured' on the field.
Upon seeing what had happened to his companion, Mikitani quickly cut around Kōenji and stood directly in front of him, forcibly blocking off his path.
"Look what you've done now, Kōenji! You clearly hurt Morooka!"
"Looks like he's just staged an injury if you ask me, no?"
"Yeah yeah, say whatever you want, it ain't gonna change the fact that he's been shoved to the ground."
Everyone seemed to feel as though the tides had changed as they once again closed in on Kōenji, completely preventing him from making an escape.
The more moderate, amicable approach that they had been using earlier was now a thing of the past.
"So it's gotten to the point where I can't overlook your actions anymore, hm? What to do, what to do, I wonder?"
"By that cocky look on your face, I'd imagine you're about ready to send us flying. But, it'll be a big problem if you somehow manage to beat each and every one of us to a pulp, you do know that right?"
This was Mikitani's way of giving a warning, making it clear that Kōenji wouldn't be able to lay a single finger on any of them.
However, rather than refute Mikitani's point, Kōenji went on to speak neutrally.
"I don't have any intention of showing mercy to people who get in my way, much less those who bare their fangs at me whilst doing so."
Having heard Kōenji say that he would not hesitate to use violence, Mikitani's expression hardened for a moment.
"What if we report you to the school then?"
"What if? Wouldn't it just put a stain on your records as a bunch of third-years who tried to sabotage one of your underclassmen?"
Kōenji's confidence stemmed from the fact that he knew all of the third-years' watches were operating properly. If they weren't, their strategy of trying to predict the Tasks Kōenji went for and registering for them ahead of time would never get them anywhere. After all, you needed a working wristwatch to register for Tasks.
"So are we done here? Thanks to all of you, I'll be hard-pressed to get to my Early Bird Bonus in time."
It had been more than ten minutes since the final designated area of the day was announced, so opposing groups were probably already well on their way to it by now.
There was a decent chance that Kōenji would miss out on the first-place Early Bird Bonus, but there was no telling exactly how it'd end up playing out.
"Sorry, but… we ain't lettin' you go."
Mikitani spoke with certainty, making it clear that he and his friends would never stop coming after Kōenji.
"We're also not gonna play nice with you forever, you got that?"
"So you're saying you intend to continue to bare your fangs at me?"
Although many of the third-years had been at a loss due to Kōenji's bizarre atmosphere until now, they soon recalled their original purpose. They knew very well how shameful a sight it was for so many people to surround a lone underclassman, but since it was the only option they had to survive, they didn't care.
Under more usual circumstances, their opponent would've given in once they realized how truly desperate they were, but Kōenji was different.
A young man who held no interest in anyone but himself. A man who only cared about dealing with the current situation in a way that would appease his sense of beauty. His long, blond hair was in no way inferior to a woman's, and it was clear that he had been taking care of it even during his time on the island.
Kōenji brushed his slightly messy bangs to the side and smiled a daring smile.
Seeing that, Mikitani felt momentarily overwhelmed with a mix of awe and fear and subconsciously took a half-step back.
"Time is money, so by all means, do come at me."
Saying that, Kōenji spread out his arms, seemingly inviting the third-years to strike the first blow.
"You sure about this Mikitani? Like 100% sure?"
One of his companions tentatively asked for confirmation, and after a moment of silence, Mikitani steeled his resolve once more and issued the inevitable command.
"…Yeah. Worse comes to worst, we'll just have to take Kōenji down with us. Get him!"
With Mikitani's words acting as their battle cry, three third-year students simultaneously charged Kōenji.
One approached from behind to try and restrain his arms while the other two moved in from the front and left.
At a glance, it might seem like dealing with three oncoming attackers would be difficult, but the three students in question weren't exactly experienced when it came to fighting.
Their movements lacked a sense of teamwork as well, so it was more like they had all just pounced at Kōenji with roughly similar timing than executed a planned, coordinated assault.
None of them were seriously trying to injure him either. If anything, they each seemed to be thinking that someone else would throw the actual punches.
As such, Kōenji avoided everything with one single, grandiose step off to the side, causing the oncoming third-years to accidentally collide head-first with one another.
"Dude! Attack him, not me!"
"I should be saying that to you!"
The third-years began to squabble with each other over who was at fault, and needless to say, it was anything but the beautiful scenario Kōenji had been hoping for.
"Don't you guys lose sight of why we came here in the first place. Our target is Kōenji and Kōenji alone."
Mikitani, the most experienced fighter out of all of them, called out to his bickering companions to try and stop them from self-destructing.
4
Not too long after the fight first began, Kōenji was surrounded by exhausted third-year students; each of them down on their knees, gasping for air.
He had broken their spirits by effortlessly evading everything they had thrown at him, all without ever striking a single blow of his own.
"Haaa… Haaa… Dammit, what even are you…? Some kinda monster? Why even go through all this effort in the first place? Wouldn't it have been way easier to just shake us off your trail like earlier…?"
Mikitani slouched back in fear, having keenly realized that Kōenji could easily come after him at any time.
"It's quite annoying to have you following me around all the time, you know? It's unpleasant, like having the wind sweep dead autumn leaves into my face over and over again."
Listening in from the sidelines, Kiriyama calmly offered an analysis of the situation.
"I see. You're not wrong, Mikitani was indeed fully prepared to chase you down until the bitter end, so you probably thought to break his resolve by making it perfectly clear how much more powerful you are. But to think you'd break him without even lifting a finger… You're probably the only one capable of coming up with a stunt like that and actually following through with it."
Kōenji had decided to nip this problem in the bud here and now, even if it meant giving up on a chance for an Early Bird Bonus to do so.
And from the way it had played out, Kiriyama and the rest of the third-years had had the rug pulled right out from under them.
"You alright, Mikitani?"
"Y-yeah. I'm not hurt…"
Some students had fallen down by accident, whereas others had thrown themselves down to the ground out of self-destruction, but overall, just about everyone was unharmed. Even in the worst cases, nobody had anything more than a few scrapes on their hands.
The fact that Kōenji had never utilized violence further illustrated the overwhelming difference in power between them.
"I'll be taking my leave if that's alright."
"Do whatever you want Kōenji."
"Do excuse me then. Adieu~"
With nobody left to stop him anymore, Kōenji simply walked away.
Once the young man had disappeared from view, the still-dejected Mikitani began to mutter to himself.
"What the hell is with that guy? Is he really just a high schooler?"
"In life, there'll always be people who don't seem to play by the same rules as the rest of us. Just like Nagumo."
"So we're just stuck crawling around on the ground like this for the rest of our lives then, huh?"
Mikitani slammed his fist down to the ground, frustrated by his own inadequacy.
"That freak! Making me look like such a fuckin' idiot! Dammit! Dammit!!!"
"Our fight's not over yet."
Kiriyama cast a glance in the direction Kōenji had gone before picking up his walkie-talkie.
"What, you gonna report my failure to Nagumo?"
"And what good would that do at this point? I've already decided to win this instead."
"R-right."
"Don't worry Mikitani. I anticipated that Kōenji would be extraordinary from the start. But, no matter the person, everyone has a weakness. After all, as the saying goes: go big or go home."
Mikitani nodded silently, feeling at least somewhat relieved by Kiriyama's words.
Kiriyama, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit shaken by anything that had happened today. After all, he had anticipated that it would end up like this from the very beginning.
It was all a part of his strategy to have Kōenji lower his guard now that he believed that the third-years had given up on stopping him.
Despite the best efforts of everyone in the Free Group, they had accomplished effectively nothing today. As a result, Kōenji had probably gotten the impression that the third-years as a whole were pushovers. And that was exactly what Kiriyama was hoping for.
5
The eleventh day, moments before 5:00 PM.
I had only just arrived at my final designated area, J10, when I found myself momentarily captivated by the rocky, rugged scenery laid out before me.
While it was important for me to collect points and provisions from Tasks, it was even more so to keep a firm grasp of my current standing on the leaderboard.
After all, it was surprisingly difficult to keep my score at eleventh place all the time. Not only did I have to avoid being penalized for missing too many designated areas, but I also had to earn just enough points to stay matched with the tenth-place group.
Yesterday, the third designated area was area B9, which had been a random designation all the way from area F4. Given the distance involved, I pretty much immediately gave up on getting there in time. I didn't end up making it to the area after that either, area C9, meaning that I had missed out on two areas in a row.
I somehow managed to avoid the penalty by reaching my first designated area this morning, area C8, but the school then announced another random designation all the way down in area H9 which, of course, I ended up missing all over again. The bad luck continued as I spent the rest of the morning playing catch-up with the area announced after that, area I9.
Once a random designation decided to send you all the way to the other side of the island, you didn't have any other choice but to chase after it and hope to catch a break.
And after the experience I had recently, it was clear that these long-distance random designations were the primary setback groups had to deal with, as well as the number one reason why their points never seemed to increase.
The path I had taken to get to area J10 had been steep and rugged, but from somewhere not too far up ahead, I could hear what sounded like a boy and some girls talking with each other.
The wind was quite loud, so I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but even so, their voices sounded vaguely familiar.
I figured that, since they could be acquaintances of mine, I might as well get a bit closer to take a look.
The voices were coming from the west, near the oceanside.
Upon making my way in that direction, I spotted a group of three girls from Class 2-B: Isoyama Nagisa, Morofuji Rika, and Shiina Hiyori.
They were joined by yet another group of second-years, one that I hadn't seen since the first day of the exam. Namely, that of Ishizaki Daichi, Nishino Takeko, and Tsube Hitomi.
In the beginning, our groups each had different tables, but apparently our designated areas had overlapped this time.
"Ara? Why if it isn't Ayanokōji-kun?"
Of the six of them, five were completely absorbed in their conversation. Only Hiyori, who sat just before me and a bit separated from the rest, noticed my presence. She waved me over to her as soon as our eyes met.
"You seem to be faring better than I expected."
"That's because we've been working quite diligently to keep up with everyone. We've even managed to increase the maximum size of our group to six."
In other words, her group had joined forces with Ishizaki and the others.
To be honest, it didn't seem like their group had much in terms of pure, raw potential, but Hiyori would at least be able to contribute more than her fair share when it came to brainpower. She'd act as the backbone of the group in that sense, even though her physical abilities were, frankly, rather poor. In fact, looking at the group as a whole, you could say that they actually had a decently solid balance of strengths and weaknesses going for them.
"Were you planning on joining up with Ishizaki's group from the beginning?"
"Something like that. I had several groups in mind to potentially join up with if I had the chance, and they were one of them."
She spoke without so much as an attempt to hide anything, turning her gaze over to Ishizaki and the others as she did so. They were immersed in a friendly discussion as they watched the evening sun begin to fade over the horizon, soothing their tired spirits.
Given that the group primarily consisted of Class 2-B students, they seemed to get along pretty well with each other.
Even Tsube, the only one from a different class, seemed to be blending in with them just fine.
"How about you, Ayanokōji-kun? No health concerns, I'd hope?"
Even though she could see that I was still traveling all on my own, Hiyori didn't seem particularly concerned or surprised about that.
"Yeah. So far so good."
"I don't think there's anything to worry about, but please do be careful. After all, even a single injury is all it'd take for you to retire."
"I know."
She patted at the ground beside her, so I took her up on the offer and sat down.
"Only three more days left, huh?"
She posed me a question as we watched out over the ocean together, and it didn't seem like there was any special, deep meaning behind it.
"Yeah."
So I simply agreed as the two of us sank into a peaceful mutual silence, relaxing and rejuvenating under the rays of the setting sun.
Normally, when meeting with a friend or somebody I was otherwise close to, the first thing they'd ask about was how well I was doing in the exam.
Since we were in the midst of an arduous battle with our futures on the line, it's only natural that they'd be curious about that.
Hiyori, however, didn't seem to have any interest in asking me how many points I'd earned or how well I was doing.
Well, rather than being uninterested, it felt more like she was simply confident that I wouldn't be expelled.
"Oi! If it ain't Ayanokōji!"
Having finally noticed my presence, Ishizaki shouted in my direction, grinning with an inexplicably, excessively happy smile.
The remaining group members also seemed to have noticed me by now, but rather than join in with Ishizaki's merriment, they instead grabbed him by the shoulder as he tried to approach.
"What?"
"Don't bother them."
"Huh? It's not like Ayanokōji hates me or anythin' though?"
"That's not the point here…"
"Now, now. Obliviousness is just one of Ishizaki-kun's charms, don'tcha think?"
"Charms? You're joking right? He just can't read the mood at all in my opinion. Nothing 'charming' about that."
"That's… Well, yeah, I can't really deny that."
From the sound of it, it seemed like Nishino and Tsube had really opened up to one another since I last saw them.
This heightened sense of comradery was probably a common occurrence for many groups, brought about by the long period of time they had been together whilst stuck fighting on a deserted island.
After all, if you spend every waking moment working together with someone to avoid mutual expulsion, it gets easy to look past whatever small, trivial issues you might've had with them beforehand.
But in another sense, it was cruel.
Once this special exam was over, inter-class warfare would start back up again, spurring on a future for all of us filled with nothing but conflict and strife.
When that time comes, there will probably be a fair number of students who aren't able to make the hard choices due to the friendships they fostered during the exam.
"Sorry for bothering you all."
I said farewell as I stood up to take my leave, having concluded that they wouldn't be able to speak freely amongst themselves with me around. However, Ishizaki hurriedly ran up to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder before I could make it very far.
"It's stressful bein' the only guy in this group fulla chicks, so why not hang with us for a bit, eh Ayanokōji~?"
"Hang with you…?"
"The exam's done for the day anyway, and I'll bet you were also plannin' to set up camp somewhere around area I9, yeah?"
Despite being my final designated area for the day, area J10 wasn't very well-suited for camping due to the strong winds and uneven, rocky ground. So, in a sense, Ishizaki was right. I had indeed planned on avoiding the coastline and pitching my tent somewhere closer to area I9, however…
"I think that's a splendid idea!"
Hiyori stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to us, voicing her support for Ishizaki's idea.
In the grand scheme of things, Ishizaki and Hiyori were on relatively good terms with me, so it wouldn't exactly be a problem for us to share a campsite together. My issue was what the other girls thought about it.
"I'm fine with it if you all are. Ayanokōji-kun seems harmless enough to me."
"For sure. Sounds good to me."
But, apparently, not even a single one of them had any problems with it.
It's hard to put into words, but overall, their group seemed to have an incredibly amicable, cozy atmosphere going for them. It almost seemed like they had forgotten that they were in the middle of an unsparing, high-stakes special exam.
It was the type of atmosphere you'd expect from those in Ichinose's class, but I guess this meant that Ryūen's class was gradually starting to change as well.
6
"Ayanokōji-senpai…! Ayanokōji-senpai…!"
Later that night, after everyone had already gone to sleep, I awoke to a voice calling out my name.
They spoke quietly so as not to wake up anyone else in the campsite, whispering to me from just outside my tent.
I briefly checked my watch to see how late it was, only to find that it was 2:30 AM.
"It's me, Nanase."
Hearing that, I quickly woke myself up and poked my head out of my tent. Sure enough, Nanase stood in the darkness before me, her figure faintly illuminated by the light of her tablet. Furthermore, despite the darkness, I could tell that she was panicking about something.
"What are you doing here so late…? You're not hurt are you?"
"I'm fine, it just so happens I ended up here in I9 like you Senpai. In fact, I saw you from afar earlier this evening, but I decided against making contact since I was together with Hōsen-kun at the time."
"…So?"
"There's something urgent I needed to tell you about. Today… no, I guess it was actually yesterday given how late it is, but anyway, Hōsen-kun told me that on the twelfth day, the first-year students will be carrying out a large-scale plan to try and trap you, Senpai."
"A large-scale plan? Did he ask you to play a role in that?"
"Ah, no, how do I put it… Whatever, I'll just start from the beginning."
After taking a deep breath, Nanase began to explain that had happened.
Apparently, Hōsen had been told to meet up with Takahashi, Yagami, Tsubasa, and Utomiya, but he never showed up for the meeting. Nanase didn't know exactly which day this meeting had taken place, but later, on the ninth day, a different student approached Hōsen with a walkie-talkie in hand, claiming to be the group's messenger. They came asking for Hōsen's cooperation once again, and the details of their request went as follows:
First, they said something about how they were going to force my retirement during the final stage of the special exam.
Then, they talked about how they wanted to hunt down other upperclassmen who were taking the exam alone and forcing their retirement as well.
Finally, the messenger handed Hōsen the walkie-talkie and told him they'd reach out on the day of with the specific details. However, from what Hōsen told Nanase after the fact, he allegedly had no intention of actually working together with the other first-years. Instead, he planned on pretending to cooperate with them whilst using them to further his own goals in turn.
In any case, this all just validated my suspicion that they were going to take action during the final stage of the exam. Fortunately, I had already taken measures to deal with that very scenario ahead of time.
"They made the right choice by keeping the specifics to themselves until the last minute."
If, somehow, the details of their plan were to leak out and reach my ears, it would only make it that much easier for me to prepare countermeasures.
In fact, they still haven't revealed the finer details of their plan to Hōsen yet, out of a well-placed fear that he might betray them.
"Who's the one spearheading all of this?"
"I don't know for certain, but the main contact Hōsen's been speaking with over the walkie-talkie has been Tsubaki-san."
"She's never seemed like the type to take action out in the open like this, though."
"That's what I thought as well. If anything, I was under the impression that Class 1-C was centered around Utomiya-kun. However, I've heard that Hōsen-kun and Utomiya-kun are on bad terms. They apparently become belligerent with one another during discussions, so it's possible that Tsubaki-san was just chosen to act as their intermediary."
That was certainly possible, but someone like Yagami or Takahashi could just as easily be the one pulling the strings as well.
"I'm grateful just to find out which day they'll be taking action. I know it's late, but you'd best not stick around here too long. Things could get pretty dicey later on if they were to find out that you've told me all of this."
My own circumstances aside, getting caught now could potentially cause a lot of problems for Nanase's school life moving forward.
For better or for worse, she was still in the same class as Hōsen, and that wasn't going to be changing any time soon.
Therefore, I instructed her to leave before Hōsen realized what she was up to.
"Alright. I'll get back in touch with you if anything else happens."
"Ah, don't do that. I appreciate it, but you've already done more than enough for me for this special exam. Even if you notice that something else is going on with the first-years, there's no need for you to report to me about it. You don't have to go out of your way to keep helping me."
"But─"
"You've given me enough information. Take a step back and focus on doing what you need to as a member of your own group with Amasawa and Hōsen."
If Nanase were to lose their trust now, she wouldn't be able to act as an informant for me in the future.
In which case, Nanase's value to me would plummet considerably.
"If you say so, Senpai, then… I understand."
With a deep bow, Nanase trotted off into the darkness.
Once her figure had completely disappeared from view, I took out my tablet and thought to myself for a second.
As my eyes adjusted the brightness of the screen, I could feel my drowsiness completely fade away.
While it was probably safe to say that the information Nanase gave me was genuine, whether or not things would end up playing out that way was a different matter altogether. I didn't know much about the inner-workings of Class 1-D, but as a person, I knew Hōsen utilized the same sort of tactics as Ryūen to maintain control over his class. The only real distinction between them was that Hōsen had a tendency to take a more self-serving approach when faced with obstacles.
And yet, Hōsen had kept Nanase right by his side ever since they first enrolled here.
It made sense why he did too. After all, Nanase sported a level of resilience and mental fortitude that was practically unheard of for a first-year high school student. Add that on top of her impressively high academic and physical abilities, she was no doubt an exceptionally useful person to keep around.
However, just how much Hōsen truly trusts her remains to be seen.
If he didn't truly trust her, then it's possible that he had told her everything in order to mislead her. And while I didn't quite believe that Hōsen had figured out that Nanase was on my side, I wouldn't exactly be surprised if he still felt wary about it. Furthermore, given that Amasawa is involved, there was always a chance that she told him about it as well…
In any case, this plan the first-years were working on wasn't all that much of a surprise. Given the sizable bounty on my head, I'd been operating under the assumption that they would try to pull something on me since the moment I stepped foot on the island. So, while I was grateful for Nanase's report, my plans still remained unchanged.
7
After dozing off for a bit, I woke up at 6:00 AM and promptly spent one point running a GPS Search. If the first-years were truly planning to take action today, then their movements and positioning ought to have been at least somewhat unusual.
"Their positions… haven't changed at all, huh?"
Hōsen was the only one nearby, which wasn't all that surprising considering that we were part of the same Table. The rest of the first-years were at least three areas away in any given direction. It didn't seem like they were up to anything right this moment. It seemed highly unlikely that they'd attack me in a public place as well, so I'd probably be safe as long as I stayed near Ishizaki and the others.
Hiyori, Ishizaki, and the rest of their group had already woken up and were now getting their things in order for the twelfth day of the exam.
And once everybody was ready, we all set off together.
"Having to hike so early freakin' sucks man."
Ishizaki grumbled, still having not fully woken up yet.
"Well there's nothing we can do about that, now can we? We'd just be setting ourselves behind if we're already in the designated area when it gets announced."
Nishino promptly quipped back in an attempt to silence Ishizaki's complaining.
The two of them had probably spent the last eleven days bickering with each other like this.
The rest of their group, on the other hand, paid them no attention and simply focused on the walk ahead.
"Ayanokōji-kun, don't you feel lonely, facing the entire exam all on your own?"
Walking right by my side, Hiyori posed me a question.
"No, not particularly. If anything, I'd say it's more comfortable for me this way."
"I… I think I'd be pretty lonely and a bit scared, actually."
"Scared, huh? Somehow, I can't really imagine you being scared, Hiyori."
Since she was always so composed and laid-back, I didn't think that she'd be so sensitive to something like that.
Even if she were to be confronted by a ghost, she seemed the type to respond with intrigue and excitement rather than fear.
"Even so, I still think I'd be scared. That's why, when I see how well you're holding up, I'm struck with how truly amazing you are, Ayanokōji-kun."
"I'd say that just makes Horikita and Ibuki that much more amazing, don't you think?"
The longer a person is left to face hardships alone, the weaker their mental state becomes, and eventually, they'd start thinking about things they shouldn't be thinking about.
Paranoia would inevitably set in as they'd begin to imagine things hiding within the sound of the wind and the rustling of the trees.
"Indeed… Girls like the two of them, on this island all by themselves… It'd be impossible for me."
Hiyori let show a somewhat frightened expression as she thought about it.
I guess it was thanks to this exam that I had gotten the chance to see this unexpected side of her.
"Y'know, the two of you seem mighty close, don'tcha think?"
Having been walking from just up ahead for some time now, Ishizaki turned around and commented on our apparent closeness.
"Hey now, don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Nishino immediately went and grabbed him by the collar of his jersey in an attempt to pull him away, but Ishizaki didn't pay it any mind and continued.
"You two should just get together already! Then you can transfer on over to our class, eh? How 'bout it?"
"Don't spout that shit! You're pushing 'em way too fast!"
Nishino promptly whacked Ishizaki square on his head, leading Ishizaki to cry out in pain as he recoiled away from her.
"Ishizaki-kun sure is a funny one, isn't he?"
Hiyori let out a laugh as she spoke, seemingly not even the least bit interested in Ishizaki's proposition.
Well, it would be a big problem for me if she were to take everything he said seriously.
So, I just decided to pretend I didn't hear anything as well.
"That friggin' hurt god damn it. Don't you think it's important to get Ayanokōji on our side?"
"I don't think so at all. In fact, it seems to me like you're way too obsessed with the guy. Or am I wrong?"
Since Nishino and the others weren't aware of everything that had happened, Ishizaki probably seemed like the odd one out here.
He probably seemed like he was trying way too hard to win over somebody when all they had done was get a perfect score on a single math test.
"That's like, uh, how do I put this… Ayanokōji and I are just on the same, uh… wavelength? Yeah, wavelength."
"Wavelength? Really? I can't imagine there being anyone on the same wavelength as you, though?"
Nishino had unsparingly turned Ishizaki's argument against him, leaving him with no choice but to look to Hiyori and I with eyes pleading for help.
"That's not true at all, Nishino-san. Despite how he looks, Ishizaki-kun is quite the… person, you know?"
Hiyori had spoken up in what seemed like an attempt to try and support Ishizaki, but nobody knew what exact it was she was referring to.
"Quite the person? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, the person. It's exactly what you think it is. I won't say anything more."
"…O-oh yeah… Anyway, good for you, yeah? Getting praised by Shiina-san like that."
"W-wha? I dunno what the heck that was all about, but I guess it ain't that bad to hear some praise every once in a while!"
In my eyes, all of this was most likely just something that Hiyori had made up on the fly since she couldn't think of anything in specific that would help support Ishizaki's character.
But, since there was no way I'd ever say something like that out loud, I simply decided to pretend I hadn't heard anything once again.
Later, once the clock struck 7:00 AM, my first designated area of the day, H10, was announced.
Hiyori's group had apparently gotten a different area, J9, so at least we wouldn't be competing for the same Early Bird bonuses anymore.
Personally, I was pretty pleased to hear that. After all, it wasn't exactly a good thing to go head-to-head with students from your own school year.
"Welp, Ayanokōji, looks like this is where we part ways. See ya later dude."
"Yeah. The exam's almost over, so make sure you don't slack off and keep working hard."
Just before I could take my leave, Ishizaki held out his fist, prompting me for a fist-bump. I returned the gesture, and with that, we headed our separate ways.
After walking for a bit, I could just barely hear some voices calling out from behind me.
When I turned around, I was met with the sight of Ishizaki, Hiyori, and everyone else waving goodbye.
I waved back before heading off toward area H10.
For the rest of the day, I ran a new GPS search every hour on the hour, caring not for how many points I was spending. However, there was nothing that seemed to indicate that the first-years were up to anything, and before I knew it, it was already 5:00 PM.
This meant that the information Nanase had gone to great lengths to report to me was most likely false. Perhaps Amasawa had told the other first-years about Nanase's betrayal? Or maybe they truly had planned on taking action today, but it had been postponed or cancelled due to some sort of accident?
Either way, there were only two days left in the exam, and I couldn't afford to let down my guard.
My third designated area today had been randomly designated on the other side of the island again, and due to that, I ended up missing my fourth designated area as well.
My overall rank on the leaderboard didn't drop that much, but due to all the GPS searches, I had fallen down to 16th place.
Tomorrow, I needed to make it to my first designated area, no matter what.
