Volume 15 - Chapter 5 Part 2: Conflicting, Intertwining Agendas

5

"Excuse me, Tsubaki-san?"

"What now?"

"I don't know exactly what cards you might have up your sleeve, but I think you could've been better prepared for the current situation if you had given more elaborate instructions to the five groups you sent out. It wouldn't have been that difficult for them to mobilize before being surrounded by the second-years, no?"

Tsubaki was in charge of five first-year groups in total, and even if someone had set their eyes on all five of them from the beginning, it would still be quite difficult to catch and surround them given the sheer size of the island. Therefore, Yagami was saying that it had been a strategic mistake for all of them to get caught so easily.

"You could've prepared any number of excuses to explain why your groups slipped past the second-years, such as being afraid to get entangled in conflicts with the upperclassmen. At the very least I wish you would've discussed it with me earlier…"

"So you're sayin' things ended up this way 'cause I was negligent?"

"To put it bluntly, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

After a momentary glance at Yagami's dissatisfied expression, Tsubaki responded.

"Well, I might as well tell you now that it's all over… you've actually got it backward."

"Backward?"

"They didn't catch us. Rather, we're the ones who caught them."

"Erm… Sorry, but I'm having a little trouble following along with your reasoning here."

"Let's say that the five groups I sent out to expel Ayanokōji-senpai managed to close the distance and corner him. He'd most likely give them all the slip due to there being such a large difference in physical ability, no? Rumor has it that he may even be on or above the level of Hōsen-kun in that regard. I had no intention of having our groups contend with him in the first place."

Hearing this, Yagami cocked his head.

"If I'm hearing you correctly, it's like you're saying the five groups you sent out never even had any chance of beating Ayanokōji-senpai. There wasn't any point to this strategy of yours in the first place."

"There are two points to it, actually. The first was to try and figure out what Ayanokōji-senpai is thinking. What he likes, what he's after, that kind of stuff."

As Tsubaki spoke, she began to tap away at her tablet.

"He prioritizes avoiding any direct confrontation with the first-years over reaching his designated areas. He also stayed away from any Tasks or meetings with any second-years or third-years. From all that, we can assume that he hates bringing any attention to himself and that he's even willing to face penalties to avoid it."

"Even so, if your goal was to discern patterns in his behavior, that's no reason to allow your groups to get caught."

"This leads us to the second purpose, the more important one at that. By purposely getting caught, we've successfully lured in the groups meant to protect Ayanokōji-senpai."

With that, Yagami's eyes widened.

"We should be avoiding a situation where someone comes along and sticks in their nose just as we're about to eliminate Ayanokōji-senpai. Hōsen-kun is the only person other than Utomiya-kun with the strength to take him down."

Having finally understood Tsubaki's objective, Yagami started a GPS Search to try and locate Hōsen's position. However, his GPS signal was nowhere to be found.

"Not everything is as it seems on the surface… so that's what you meant."

With the conversation finished, Tsubaki cleared her mind of all unnecessary thoughts.

"There's one final thing I'd like to ask. If Hōsen-kun had decided not to participate in this matter, would this strategy have failed then?"

"Mmm, not quite. It's more accurate to say I went forward with this strategy because I was certain Hōsen-kun would participate in it. He was prolly hell-bent on fighting solo anyway. If for whatever reason he had said he wasn't willing to take part, I would've just sent in Utomiya-kun instead. Either way, I simply created the perfect backdrop for a one-on-one fight between the two of 'em. All that's left is to sit back and wait for them to go at each other and everything else will work itself out."

And as someone who was operating all on his own, Ayanokōji would have no other choice but to retire from the exam.

6 Translation quality drops here. Will update when improved translation releases.

A man with a great body, especially among the students, ran vigorously through the forest. With only one goal: defeat Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, 2nd year D class.

Violence is not recommended in this uninhabited island test, not even in common sense. However, unlike the school, which is surrounded by surveillance cameras, this desert island has no surveillance. It is impossible to verify a specific fact with just one watch.

The Siege of Ayanokouji was conceived by Sakurako Tsubaki.

He was never interested in such things, but there was a reason he followed the plan. It is not easy to find a single person on a huge uninhabited island. It would take repeated GPS searches to achieve this, and if someone got in the way, they would be dead in the water.

Having one person in charge will help eliminate those distractions. Due to this thought, Housen decided to pretend to follow Tsubaki's instructions.

Find Ayanokouji without any effort, and finish him off one by one without anyone getting in the way.

When the distance to Ayanokouji was almost within reach, Housen dropped the walkie-talkie.

This is a sign that he will not follow Tsubaki from now on. He takes out his own tablet and performs a GPS search to do the final fill. He checks on the GPS Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in front of him, about 300 meters away. He's closer than any of the other rookies. Just a few more minutes.

Housen was already chewing on the joy of being able to participate in a serious fist fight.

But... As if to block Housen's route, a single response from the GPS blocked his view.

Thinking it was a mere coincidence, Housen didn't even try to see who it belonged to. He managed to catch Ayanokouji out of the corner of his eye.

"I found you, Ayanokouji-senpai!"

Ayanokouji noticed that Housen was screaming excitedly and turned around.

"Housen."

Ayanokouji calmly looked at Housen and stopped walking.

"I've been waiting for this moment!"

"I thought you would come to see me before. You are much calmer than I thought. "

"I don't like it when they get in a fight."

"I know Nanase came to see you to gently warn you."

"I see. You made an effort to get Nanase to warn of the attack a day before to have time to prepare."

"I knew it was a tactic that I didn't like, but it also worked for me. I decided to use it to my advantage. "

Housen screamed as his left and right fists clenched and slammed into each other. He had no doubt that in less than ten seconds a real fist fight would begin. "It's a difficult task, isn't it? Housen. "

"Oh?"

In this place where a one-to-one place was supposed to be expected, a man was standing without a shadow.

"Get out of here. You're on my way."

The man waited as if he had anticipated Housen's appearance. Ayanokouji made light eye contact with the man and disappeared deep into the forest. Housen wanted to go after him immediately, but the man in front of him was hard to ignore.

"Why are you here? Ryuuen. "

"That's my line, Housen. You have nothing to do here, do you? "

With that comment from Ryuuen, Housen immediately understood what was going on.

"Eh? ... Ha, so apparently what I'm thinking comes from somewhere else." Housen, who immediately understood the situation, smiled in amusement.

"So it was not a coincidence that the other first years were retained by the second years."

The boys who had been sent to Tsubaki to hunt Ayanokouji did not move from their site so that they would overlap by the GPS with the second years. Everything showed that, just as Tsubaki controlled the first year, there was someone in the second year who also controlled the grade.

"It's you? No, it is not like that. "

If Ryuuen is in command, tablets and walkie-talkies are essential.

However, from what he could see, Ryuuen didn't appear to be carrying a backpack. Also, it would be difficult for someone fighting on the front lines to lead more than one group.

"Have you already understood everything?"

"Do not care. It is none of your business what I do. "

He understood what was happening, but he didn't understand why Ryuuen was part of the effort to stop Ayanokouji from leaving school.

"I'm afraid I have something to do with it."

With a thin smile, Ryuuen began to walk slowly towards Housen.

"I have a lot to do and my pockets are empty. If necessary, I will act as a mercenary soldier. "

"You mean money. But what makes you think you can stop me? "

"Why do you think I can't do it?"

Short distance. The two of them smile hauntingly at each other's fingertips. It was Ryuuen who made the first move. Without taking his gaze off Housen, he aimed his clenched left fist at Housen. The difference in power and stamina due to the difference in physique is obvious, so aim for the chin.

"Whoa ....., that's a pretty daring left hand you have there."

Although he had taken the initiative, Housen, already in combat position, did not lower his guard. He lightly caught Ryuuen's left fist in front of his chest and opened his mouth to smile.

"Don't give me that stinky breath, gorilla."

"You're a good talker. Show me your pride and skill as a sophomore, will you? Hey!"

As soon as he released his left fist, he immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Housen then slams his own forehead against Ryuuen's.

"Aah!"

Ryuuen staggered violently at the unexpected blow that violently shook his brain. Not that Ryuuen hasn't been through much. In fact, he has a history of always being up front in fights and fighting a lot more than the average criminal.

However, the Housen number, on the other hand, is several times higher.

"Oraa!"

Unable to maintain his evasive stance, Ryuuen was hit by Housen's front kick to the abdomen. He fell to the ground with great force and showed a large gap, but Housen smiled widely and did not move from the spot.

"You've been barking and howling for less than ten seconds, haven't you? Don't make me laugh."

"Ha ... you're a hard stone head fucking. Aren't you made of a real stone there? Damn gorilla."

Immediately after getting up, Ryuuen said something that provoked Housen again.

Hearing this, Housen lightly scratched the back of his neck, as if somewhat surprised.

"I guess I was expecting too much. You're not that good to me after all."

"I don't think you will find anyone with whom you are happy."

"I know you are here, because of Ayanokouji, who was walking carefree behind you. Let me take care of it."

"Yes?"

Hearing Housen's words, Ryuuen's smile, which had been on his face all this time, disappeared.

"What, do you also know something, Housen?"

"Know what? So you're really trying to act like nothing's wrong? "

"I thought that not many people knew what it was like between us, but I didn't know that we had that in common."

They spoke conversational, trying to convince each other in a Series of monologues.

"For the first time, I am interested in you, Housen. When and where did you fight, and what was the result?"

"So you're obsessed with Ayanokouji too, huh, Ryuuen?"

The main reason Ryuuen is still in this school is to get revenge on Ayanokouji. As long as he had that, he would not allow Ayanokouji to lose, no matter if it was a fight or not.

Although the Housen in front of him is a brawler who does not fit in the frame of a high school student. Housen sniffed at the heat mixed with a hint of killing intent. "Don't worry. I haven't finished with him, or should I say I haven't even started." He shook his head left and right, his bones creaking as he approached Ryuuen.

"I have never seen anyone stop my fist calmly. First of all, I don't think I'll ever see anyone who doesn't seem to be in pain while being stabbed with a knife. "

The words "knife" and "stabbed" immediately triggered a memory in Ryuuen's mind.

'That Ayanokouji had bandaged his hand for a while, and that he had a scar.'

"Hey, it looks like you've been having a lot of fun without me."

Ryuuen was hit by two fists, but the color of his eyes didn't change at all as he looked at Housen. Not wanting to raise his guard in the face of such an eerie situation, Housen kept pressing. He has always been in a fighting stance, without any pride or carelessness in the fight.

He is always ready for a fight, especially if the enemy in front of him is Ryuuen, who was notorious at school. He kicked the ground and, with a speed not expected of a man of his stature, approached him. He turned around Ryuuen's guard, who was preparing to defend his face, and twisted his fist in his face.

The arm swung so hard that the nose would have been broken had it not been for the arm guard. As soon as he got up, Ryuuen crashed back to the ground.

Anyone would be convinced that from the coup they just saw, the difference between Ryuuen and Housen is obvious.

Ryuuen immediately raised his upper body, but as if he was aiming for that moment, he was surprised by a powerful kick to the face and fell backwards with great force.

"You've been busy falling asleep and getting up right?"

Less than a minute into the fight, it seemed obvious to everyone who was going to be the winner.

"Screw you..."

"Ha ha! That's what I thought, Ryuuen! That's all you are!"

Housen screamed with joy, but at the same time he was forced to scream. There is an irreversible difference in the ability to fight right from the start. And, despite this, Ryuuen's will to fight showed no sign of breaking. Eighty percent of the people Housen fought broke his spirits after a single hit. The remaining 10% would make a show of bravery. And the remaining 10% would despair as soon as the second or third hit was struck.

However, the Ryuuen in front of him was damaged, but no change in the color of his eyes could be seen. In that mental exchange, Ryuuen was one step ahead of Housen.

"It seems like you're having fun, but do you think you've already won?"

Despite the pain, Ryuuen raised his upper body again without losing his smile.

"Don't make me laugh. Do you think you are at my level?"

Housen, who is under his eyes, grabs Ryuen's chest and lifts it up.

"At the end of the day, you are a man who can only get ahead with the help of the little ones."

" Winning one-on-one isn't everything today, is it? In fact, in high school, the public's opinion of you and me was the same. "

Facing the facts, Ryuuen tries to convince Housen.

"It seems that you have been sneaking around and avoiding direct confrontation. It is n effort that makes you cry. "

The jolt wasn't completely useless, but it wasn't effective enough to do any damage. Housen, who has an overwhelming punching advantage, has nothing to change at that position. And Ryuuen, who was still holding on to him, turned his left hand. He spread his hand next to Housen and squirted a handful of dirt into his eyes.

"Ah!"

He showed a surprise attack, but Housen blocked the dirt with his free opposite hand. "Is so sweet!"

"Really!"

This time, he waved his right hand again and shot the sand in his hand towards Housen

"That's why it's so sweet!"

Housen used his arm to avoid the sand again that came out of his right hand. He had felt the fists from the moment he grabbed the fallen Ryuuen and lifted him up.

"It has always been a common practice for the weak to fall in a fight."

This time, Housen's fist quickly struck Ryuuen on the right side of his face. A jab-type hit that focuses on speed rather than power. He shot him alternately, this time on the left side and then the right. He attacked like a boxer repeatedly hitting his fists on a punching bag.

While receiving a powerful shock that nearly knocks him unconscious, the eyes of Ryuuen they crossed Housen's pupils momentarily. Immediately afterwards, Housen's vision wavered for a moment as he saw Ryuuen fall as if he were going to fly off.

"..."

Ryuuen, who twisted his body as he was nearly killed, unleashed a spinning kick just before collapsing. Only the shape of Housen's silhouette was visible, which is slightly blurred. Housen, who had no intention of taking a single hit, became frustrated and squeezed and grabbed Ryuuen's bangs with his left hand.

"Are you satisfied to die innocently? Hey!? I am going to kill you!"

Before the guard arm goes up, he repeatedly hits his right fist on Ryuuen's abdomen.

"There is no one who can beat me in a fight!"

When the seventh fist goes through, an alert sounds from Ryuuen's watch.

"Hahaha! Pretending to be calm, but yelling because your body is on edge? It seems that the wristwatch is more direct than you!"

A wristwatch that detects an abnormality, such as a heart rhythm, issues an alert.

"Seriously gorilla ... I'll just admit I'm proud of the fight ..."

Housen, who saw the compliment as a surrender, loosed his bangs with a triumphant smile. Unable to stand upright, Ryuuen collapses to the ground.The alert resounds throughout the forest.

"Isn't the emergency alert sounding? Is it about time you approached your limits? Is it okay to be honest without hiding it?"

"H ... let's put the joke aside. Isn't the clock broken?"

Ryuuen looks at his wristwatch and laughs, but it is evident to everyone that the damage is great. Seeing that awkward appearance, Housen spits on his feet in a bored manner.

"So Ryuuen. I feel like I didn't enjoy."

"Wait. You think you've won."

"Ah?"

"Did I say that I lost to you even once?"

It was Housen who went through the words, but squeezed his mind once. Although he was in a state of one-sided intimidation, Ryuuen's eyes weren't dead as he said.

"I'll admit that will power, but ... You can't keep it forever!"

Humans are vulnerable to pain.Even if it is strong, it will be equally painful if it is hit with a powerful force like Housen's fist.

It's just a matter of how many hits it can take.

Even if you bear it, the overwhelming difference is impossible to override.

Even if the second alert sounds, he won't lose his composure and inflict pain on Ryuuen with precision.

After being attacked by Housen many times, Ryuuen's wristwatch finally turns into an emergency alert. If left like this for 5 minutes or more, staff and medical equipment will come to the scene.

"Your body is sincere. It has had enough with this desperate situation."

"Oh ... that's a pleasantly numbing pain ..."

However, he got up with a strange laugh without looking at his wristwatch at all. For the first time, Housen knew that Ryuuen's untamed spirit power was genuine.

"What the hell is wrong with you? . You can't even stand, why are you so persistent? There is not a single advantage to being dumb here.

He wears his watch to his ear so he can use it as an alarm clock for a strong emergency alert.

"Are you holding on to that? Hah, the idea itself is wrong."

At that moment, Housen thought that Ryuuen would immediately turn off the emergency alert.

But in the end, without turning off the emergency alert, Ryuuen lowered his arm and put his hands in both pockets.

"The game is not over yet."

"Are you sane? ... The teachers will come here, will you retire?"

"If so, will you quit after all?"

If the school sees this situation, Ryuuen asked how to judge it. Housen received a light kick to the chin, but his evidence was almost nil. The probability that the school interprets that unilateral violence has occurred cannot be ignored.

"You're going to play the victim just because you can't compete with your enemy, you're very pathetic. You're so pathetic, Ryuuen."

Depending on the conditions, it can be said that it has been reversed, but Housen will not be scared by that degree.As long as he has decided to succumb to Ayanokouji with violence in the first place, that point has passed.

"If you are afraid that I am the victim, why don't you go here?"

"Get me out of here."

Judging that Ryuuen's strategy is not to turn off the emergency alert, Housen advances again.

"My GPS is already off. There is nothing wrong with killing you before the teachers hurry up."

Even if the school side rushes to this place, it will last 30 minutes lightly.

"Kuku, I'll have to do that"

Ryuuen greets Housen, who is not intimidated by the threat and does not even try to remove his hand from his pocket.

"If you don't feel like protecting yourself, you can go to bed!"

Kazuomi clenched her right fist, not wanting to waste any more time. Ryuen takes both hands out of his pocket, but both hands are clenched too.

"I don't think the tricks will work for me!"

Housen knew instinctively that Ryuen was holding something, but he never stopped. To break the spirit, he sent a full-body right straight to Ryuuen. Seeing that, Ryuuen catches him from the front without opening the two fists he was holding. Housen's arm tries to break the guard, but immediately after that.

"Whoaahh!"

Two shadows emerged from the blind spot in the trees and stood behind the Housen.

"What ─── !?"

No wonder Housen was surprised by the unexpected signal. When he did a GPS search a few minutes ago, there was no other reaction than Ayanokouji and Ryuuen around him. Even if immediately after the battle begins, they could never reach there even if they pointed to this place in a straight line. Despite this, two men grab Housen's left and right arms. His existence was like that of a ghost.

Not only Ishizaki, but also Albert, who has a body as strong as Housen, even the mighty Housen couldn't stay on the ground. Albert holds his right arm, which is his dominant arm, and Ishizaki holds his left arm on the other side.

"Shit!!"

He flailed desperately, but it wasn't easy to shake off both of them, even if Housen had a great physique!

The next moment, Housen burned Ryuen, who unprotected himself and laughed eerily.

"It's a simple story. If you break your watch, the GPS won't recognize it."

At an early stage, he disabled Ishizaki and Albert's GPS function and they accompanied Ryuen. When he assumed it was one-on-one, Housen discovered that Ryuuen's strategy had set him up.

"Are you going to do it 3 to 1? Ah !?"

"Don't bark so loud, Gorilla. Your execution is about to begin."

Both fists that had been grabbed again are repeatedly thrown at Housen's face without hesitation.

As he turns Housen's face from right to left, he repeats endlessly until his knees touch the ground.

Housen continued to bark as he supported his shaking knees, but continued to hit him without loosening either of his hands.

Due to the accumulated damage, Housen's knee broke and he falls to the ground. When Housen's head was lowered into the correct position, Ryuen held Housen's head with both hands and kicked his knees towards his nose.

"Gut ...!"

With an inaudible voice, Housen fell to the ground on his back for the first time. Ryuuen made a sign with his eyes to both of them and made each of them grab his arms just like when they were standing.

Gorillas must always be handcuffed. Well, you've done a lot of good, haven't you, Housen? "

04-11

While brushing his hair, Ryuuen straddles Housen.

"You took me lightly, you piece of shit!"

"Light? Ha! What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you, you're a shitty little fish that can't even fight alone in a real fight!"

"Kuku, don't make me laugh. I'm not stupid enough to fight a gorilla"

With that said, Ryuen laughed and raised his fist.And without hesitation, he slams Housen's cheeks violently.

"Oh yeah, don't worry, Housen. I won't ask you to cry. Even if you apologize, nothing will change."

Despite being hit without protection, Housen was not weak enough to sink. Rather, he gets angry and wreaks havoc. Albert and Ishizaki worked hard to control him.

"Shit! Stand back, you little bastards! "

"Don't get out of control. We're just starting out, right? I'm going to beat you up and you're going to enjoy it."

He moves his fist down over and over again, but Housen continues to bark instead of whimpering.

"I'm sure you won't be bragging about your fight."

Both physically and mentally, Housen has shown that he has reached the top of the world with just one fight. If the fight had been 3-1 from the start.

Ryuuen would have judged his team to be in a bad position. It is also proof that Housen Kazuomi's human strength is recognized in front of him. However, in a battle, an impromptable decision can decide the outcome. Like a blow, a fall can make the difference between light and dark. With a moment of carelessness and pride, the position is reversed. After that, Ryuuen's one-sided lynchings were repeated, and even the mighty Housen lost the strength of his body.

"How difficult. My arm is starting to hurt. " He exhales into the red fist while laughing.

"Ha, ha ... damn ..."

Hosen tries to escape from Albert using his right arm, which is his dominant arm, but he is no match for the enemy.

"You had a guy like that as a subordinate ... I didn't expect it."

In a simple comparison of power, he looked at Albert, who would not be defeated by Housen.

"Hey, big man ... Why the hell are you following Ryuuen? Eh?"

In simple combat power, it is clear that Albert has more power than Ryuuen.

"It is true that I am a man that Ryuuen can't defeat even if he faced me once or twice."

"Why then?"

"You don't understand, Housen. Not only the monstrously powerful rise to the top."

Even with that explanation, Housen, who had always fought alone, was far from being understood.

"Kuku. Well, in Albert's case, I'd say it's just camaraderie"

Albert doesn't like to get into unnecessary fights, and decides that the best way to keep the class together is to follow Ryuuen.

That is why he does not hesitate to lend a hand, although sometimes he has to act scandalously. He may temporarily harm his friends by following the instructions, but he believes that in the long run it will benefit his companions, so he has decided to follow Ryuuen. By nature, he is a kind-hearted man who does not like violence.

"Don't think you have won with this, Ryuuen!"

"I'm sure you're not happy with that. You never thought you'd lose like this. But for me, the process doesn't matter. The last man standing is the winner."

To Ryuuen, who didn't have the one-on-one vision from the beginning, Housen's provocation made no sense. Rather, he took it as the cry of pain from a defeated man, and plunged into pleasure.

"Oh shit. ...! "

After being hit dozens of times, no matter how many times Housen was hit, he would reach his limit. Even if there was no longer an existence that held the left and right hands, it would not be easy to defeat Ryuuen.

"Remember, even if you win here, the next time I see you, I will kill you immediately."

"I am not going to swallow your revenge of the gorilla, but if you are going to do it....do it well It is not as simple as winning. Winning is not as simple as it seems. If you go ahead, but you end up being expelled, you will you lose. "

"What is it ...!"

Ryuuen's direct blow hits Housen's cheek and ripped his consciousness away. Housen's consciousness flew and resolved, and Ryuen slowly rose to his feet.

"Huh. ... it was a tough fight. "

While spilling blood from his fist, Ryuuen looks up at the sky and exhales wearily with a sigh.

"But he's a great guy. ... I really thought he was a monster."

"You would be a fool if you faced him."

Albert agreed with those words and nodded.

"They have had to work a lot."

It is an example of how fierce this battle has been, the words of thanks for his work come from Ryuuen.

"No, no, no, no! We were just supporting you! Hey, Albert!"

Neither Ishizaki nor Albert had major external injuries.

It was that Ryuen had decided that he had to avoid involving them too much in this battle. If the number of suspicious people increases, this dispute will not end up as a simple brawl.

"You should get moving. The teachers could arrive at any moment."

It has been a certain amount of time since the emergency alert on Ryuen's wristwatch sounded.

"What about Ryuen-san ...?"

"Well, I'm in this state. Even if I wanted to continue, they wouldn't let me do it easily."

Along with Housen, the injuries inflicted on Ryuuen are quite serious.

"I'm going to retire together with Housen"

"Are you sure with that?"

"I have left everything they need in the hands of Katsuragi. Although the first three groups have become more difficult to win"

If he left Housen here, there was a possibility that he would head towards Ayanokouji. But if Ryuuen, the one who hurt him, disappears, that will be a problem. Here, Ryuen and Housen had a one-on-one fight and retired together.

From the beginning I decided that this was the only and most beautiful way to do it.

"... I'm sorry to hear that."

The Ryuuen and Katsuragi Group, who ranked 5th yesterday, had a slim chance to move on to the next spot. Ishizaki regretted it.

"That is not the case."

Ryuen laughs lightly as if he remembers something. Not knowing why, Ishizaki and Albert looked at each other.

"I'll tell you soon. Go anyway now."

To ensure that both Ishizaki and Albert survive as a group, they must avoid abandonment. To do this, they must exchange watches and join the group as soon as possible.

After they both ran towards the starting point, Ryuen sat down to use Housen's unconscious body as a bench.

7

"─── Thank you for your report, you can go back to the exam."

Tsubaki, who received a report from the walkie-talkie, ended the call quietly. "It didn't go very well, did it?"

Seeing her complexion and judging her like this, Yagami asks.

"When I went to see the point where Housen-kun would have come into contact, it seems that the teachers were meeting and were taking him back to the starting point. He got into a fight with a boy named Ryuuen from the 2nd class. grade B, and they both got very injured. Well, it was kind of suspicious because Ayanokouji-senpai kept moving."

If Housen had drawn him one-on-one, the GPS would have had to stop moving on the spot.

"I don't know much about that person, but he stopped Housen-kun."

Tsubaki, unconvinced, purses her lips and reflects on the failure of this plan. This is because Ayanokouji's designated areas were C3 and D2, the perfect place to surround him. However, this positive factor also gave the adversary time.

"This is not the end of Ayanokouji's expulsion, is it? For the first graders to be safely saved, we have to crush the other independent groups. If you have any other ideas, let me know."

Yagami presses her, but Tsubaki looks away and mutters with interest.

"I don't think we should cross more dangerous bridges. If we force ourselves to help a group of people who are falling here, sooner or later they are destined to disappear."

"... So you're saying you're backing out here?"

"There is something I don't like. Perhaps it was decided early on that my plan would not work. "

"What do you mean?"

"The story of the bounty in his head is spinning on its own, and Ayanokouji-senpai's vigilance is strong. Most importantly, as long as I don't trust my first-year classmates, it means that this plan was reckless."

Tsubaki disliked the interruption, which was more annoying than being dejected over failure.

"I regret having done it alone."

She was very sorry, saying she could have done a much better job. When she released the tablet screen, she noticed something.

"Eh?"

For here Tsubaki realized that Utomiya was not present.

"What happened?"

"Where is Utomiya?"

When she said that, Yagami also pretended to notice Utomiya's absence.

"I think it was close until about 30 minutes ago ..."

It was when Tsubaki was launching into battle with an enemy that she couldn't see on her tablet. Feeling disturbed, Tsubaki shows a map 10 minutes ago and searches for Utomiya's location.

It was about 400 meters southwest of where Tsubaki was standing.

"What are you doing...?"

There was only a GPS reaction near it, and the name was─ Hayato Kitou second year from class A. The moment she saw the name, Tsubaki took the walkie talkie.

8

A large man runs through the forest in poor visibility. The big man's goal is the camp where Sakurako Tsubaki, Hachi, Takuya Yagami and Utomiya Riku are.

He had been instructed by Sakayanagi and he was tasked with unmasking the person who was in charge of that plan. When Kitou runs and tries to keep the camp in sight, he finds a figure in front of his eyes. The man was standing on the road as if he was blocking the way, looking towards Kitou. Kitou did not recognize the face of that person, but immediately recognized that he was not an ally. He tried to change course while there was distance, but when he saw it, the other man also began to walk. Recognizing that he is an enemy, Kitou stops running and turns to the man.

"What do you want on these roads?"

Utomiya asks the question in a severe tone of voice, forgetting to use honorifics even though he is dealing with an older student.

"I think you are Kitou Hayato-senpai ..., a second year student from class A"

He says it calmly and with a mixture of honorifics. He was originally alone, so he remembered Kito, but he was removed from the list because he joined the group. However, telling him that he knew from the beginning can be suspicious, so he pretended not to notice.

"I'm in a hurry now"

With a new rejection, Kitou tries to dodge Utomiya.However; Utomiya grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him.

"...What is it"

Kitou, who was annoyed by his behavior, looked at him with contempt, but Utomiya also just shot him a sharp look.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you pass from here."

"What?"

Utomiya's fist approaches in front of Kitou, who frowns suspiciously, Kitou calmly avoids the fist and keeps his distance.

"What are you doing?"

And then Utomiya reached out, and grabbed him by the neck.

"I'll tell you. I'm not going to let you pass from here."

"What is your name?"

"1st year of class C, Utomiya"

'Utomiya', One of the objectives of the investigation, ordered by Sakayanagi At the stage where he was trapped here, he wasn't the main target And Utomiya also guessed that Kitou had received instructions from someone to come here.

"Who ordered you to come here?"

He tried to ask the name, but Kitou gave no sign of answering.

"I have no intention of showing any compassion even with a senpai."

At these words, Kitou's eyes shine brightly and his thick arms point to Utomiya's neck. Unhurriedly, Utomiya kept his distance and escaped Kitou's attack without difficulty.

However, due to his quick evasive action, the walkie-talkie in his pocket falls at Kitou's feet.

"Oh crap...!"

He rushed closer, but Kitou's stance prevented him from launching himself without a fight. The dazzling stares continued for a while, but then the silence was broken by another.

"Utomiya-kun? What are you doing?"

Tsubaki's voice leaks from the walkie-talkie rolling under his feet.

"Shit..."

Utomiya clicks his tongue and looks at the walkie-talkie he has dropped.

"Didn't you follow my instructions?"

Tsubaki continues to do so, though she doubts she won't get an answer. Utomiya was looking for an opportunity to pounce, but Kitou signaled him to calm down with one of his hands.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie at his feet and gently tossed it towards Utomiya.

"What are you going to do ...?"

Utomiya asks as if the fury that had been drained from him by his unexpected action.

"The objective has been reached"

When there was no longer a need to fight, Kitou collects his luggage and turns around. He heard Tsubaki's voice over the walkie-talkie and decided that she was the commander. Kitou's back has started to drift away, leaving him defenseless.

"If you can hear Utomiya-kun, calm down. It's a bad idea to fight Kitou-senpai here now."

Kitou disappeared while staring at the walkie-talkie for a while without answering.

"... It's me. "

When he was alone, Utomiya answered with a walkie-talkie.

"Are you safe? What about Kitou-senpai?"

"He went right in front of me .."

"Why would you do something like that? If you do something like that, Utomiya will also be expelled. Right? Or were you just trying to keep second year students away from me?"

"No, it's not. ... I'm sorry. If the strategy didn't work out this time, there was no need to give unnecessary information to a potential opponent. I wanted to prevent them from getting close to Tsubaki."

"I can't blame you for what happened, but is that what you thought, Utomiya-kun?" After a short silence, says Utomiya.

"No. ... Yes, yes. I moved on my own."

Perhaps it was an annoying reply, Tsubaki was silent for a moment behind the communication device.

"So. If you can move for now, come back."

"Very good."

After finishing the communication, Utomiya looks at the tablet. Then when he picks up the walkie-talkie again, He change the code and communication begins.

"I've gotten rid of that 2nd year weirdo. I should be pleased to see that Tsubaki is in charge."

"As expected, Utomiya-kun"

"So, how was Tsubaki's plan?"

"It failed as expected. Even though Ayanokouji-senpai didn't bother to give advance notice, I'm sure it was an old-fashioned strategy that was never going to be successful from the beginning."

"I have to go." Without inadvertently prolonging the matter, Utomiya turns off the walkie-talkie.