Intro
The heavy rain lasted until just about the break of dawn, casting a large shadow of anxiety over the students.
However, by 6:00 AM, the rainclouds had vanished as if they'd never existed in the first place, painting the sky with the same clear blue as the days before. That being said, the forest's canopy was so thick that it completely blocked out the sunlight in certain places, leaving behind a muddy forest floor that would take a while to dry up.
"I'll have to address the food shortage sooner rather than later…"
I was gradually starting to run out of energy, unable to maintain the daily caloric intake necessary for a high school student. As I had never undergone intentional starvation training before, this was my first time experiencing what it was like to have an empty stomach for such an extended period of time.
While it'd be possible to stay active as long as I kept myself hydrated, that wouldn't exactly be the best routine to fall into. My immune system would take a hit and leave me susceptible to illness and disease. I guess it wouldn't be impossible to hunt for wild animals or insects, but it shouldn't have to come to that unless I had no other option.
You could buy food back at the starting area if you still had provision points left over, but that wasn't an effective long-term solution, nor was it available to me.
In other words, my only real option to get more food was to get it from Tasks, either by placing high in the ones that awarded it, or by getting it for free from the ones that had it as a participation prize.
However, the Tasks that provided food would only continue to get more and more competitive from now on.
"I'm all packed and ready to go."
Having finished tidying up the makeshift campsite, Nanase approached me with her backpack strapped to her back.
"Amasawa's most likely just going to head to the next designated area, right?"
"Based on the number of points we've earned, I'd say that's a safe bet. So if it's all the same to you, may I continue to accompany you until we reach this first designated area?"
I silently nodded in response. Since we were both going to the same place, there was no reason for us to separate from each other just yet.
Shortly after we began walking, Nanase spoke up.
"Amasawa-san was following us as of the evening of the sixth day or the morning of the seventh, right?"
"Without putting too much thought into it, it's probably safe to assume that she approached us using a GPS Search on the morning of the seventh."
Since there was no way for us to see the search history, there was no concrete proof that Amasawa had used the GPS Search at all. However, if it was clear that the group's score had decreased at some point over the course of the seventh day, then we could at least be sure that someone from the group had used it.
Amasawa's group wasn't a part of the top nor bottom ten at the time though, so as a member of the group, only Nanase would've been privy to that information.
"Naturally, I've referenced this with the data on my tablet already, but… as far as I recall, our score didn't go down whatsoever yesterday."
In short, if Nanase's memory was to be trusted, then Amasawa hadn't used the GPS Search.
"Although it's unknown where on the island Amasawa-san was that morning, you and I were traveling quite fast at the time. It wouldn't have been very easy for her to catch up to us unless she was already somewhere nearby, right?"
"That's probably why she came up with a clever plan to help close the distance."
Unlike the two of us, who were carrying around heavy backpacks and gear, Amasawa had been traveling light.
As a result, even if she had started out a fair distance away, she was more than capable of closing the gap between us.
"I'm guessing she used a trick of some sort to find out my exact location."
"Are you saying that Amasawa-san had somebody else disclose where you were, Ayanokōji-senpai?"
"Possibly."
As it stood now, it was hard to be absolutely certain as to what method she had used.
1
"It looks like this is where we part ways, Senpai. At least for now."
Once we had both earned a one-point Arrival Bonus for crossing the boundary into area E3, Nanase finally broke the ice.
"How do you plan on joining up with Amasawa and Hōsen?"
The GPS Search was an excellent tool for finding out where other people were located, but it was hardly cut out for facilitating a get-together.
That was a job far more suited to a tool capable of direct interpersonal communication, such as a walkie-talkie.
"I can't imagine that I'd cross paths with them by aimlessly wandering around the island, but it's not like I can waste a bunch of points searching for them either. With that being the case, I'll start out by using the point I just got and try my best to chase after their GPS signals. If I can't find them after that, I guess I'll just travel to the next designated area."
This meant that she was probably going with a minimalist approach, searching for Amasawa and Hōsen during whatever downtime she had between areas.
I thought about asking her to share Amasawa's location with me before she left, but since she hadn't even started with the search yet, I decided to simply let it slide.
"I think it'll take a first-year student like me to poke around and find out what other first-years are up to. If I catch wind that something bad is going down, I'll come running and let you know, Ayanokōji-senpai."
While Nanase was brimming with enthusiasm, I was afraid that she'd end up lost, aimlessly going around in circles.
"Just don't overdo it."
With a respectful nod of the head and her tablet in hand, Nanase set off.
It'd be nice if she could meet up with them soon, but that would all depend on how the other two behaved moving forward.
If they were consistently touring the designated areas, it'd be over and done with fairly quickly, but knowing those two, it wouldn't be surprising if the both of them ended up moving erratically instead.
After watching Nanase's figure disappear into the depths of the forest, I took out my tablet.
I was finally back on my own again, and with it, I could officially get started with the second half of the exam.
"No Tasks nearby, huh?"
There was one about 400 meters away from here, but it had already opened up registration more than twenty minutes ago, which would turn into thirty-five minutes given that it would take me fifteen or so just to get there. Furthermore, only five groups would be able to participate.
Ultimately, I decided that going after this Task wouldn't be very practical, so I opted to take a break instead. I'd sit back and wait for the next designated area to be announced so that, by the time my strength was fully recovered, I'd be ready to get up and take action.
When the clock struck 9:00 AM, I picked up my tablet and readied myself for what was to come.
Whether I'd make a beeline for the designated area or head for a Task instead, it all depended on where the next area unveiled itself.
I quickly checked my tablet, only to find out that it was the random designation for the day.
The area in question was area E6, three areas to the south of here, which wasn't actually all that far away, considering the fact that it had been randomly designated.
I started walking immediately but kept my eyes glued to my tablet as I did.
After inspecting each of the Tasks that had also appeared at the turn of the hour, I decided on my course of action.
In order to earn as many points as possible in the time I had left today, I needed to be efficient.
To that end, it was crucial that I did everything in my power to discount the influence of luck.
2
Shortly before 4:00 PM. I had just finished up with a Task I was participating in and was about to take my leave from the site.
"Ayanokōji-kun?"
Thereupon, I crossed paths with Horikita for the first time since we parted ways at the start of the exam.
Although she looked a little surprised to see me, she didn't seem particularly tired.
"It's been eight days, huh?"
"That it has."
We were currently in area F7, reunited once again since our last conversation back on the first day of the exam.
"Did you come for the Task, or are you simply passing through? Where are you headed after this, Horikita?"
"I'm heading to G8. I ended up passing through here on the way. What about yourself?"
Apparently, the area she was headed toward was right next to mine.
"F8. It looks like we'll be going in the same general direction."
Since it'd be a waste of time to stand here and talk, the two of us immediately set out together without so much as another word.
Traveling together seemed like the best way to go about this, given that we'd be taking the same route for the most part.
"You're in better shape than I expected. And from the look of it… I assume you're still on your own?"
"Yes, I am. It's troublesome in many ways, but being alone tends to make many things easier as well."
It was true that, by being alone, you didn't need to worry about taking care of others or matching their pace.
However, throughout the entire exam so far, Horikita's name had never shown up in the bottom ten. While that was decent proof that she was doing well for herself in terms of points, it was strange that she didn't seem tired at all.
"Is it really so hard for you to believe that I'm still in such good shape?"
"Most of the students I've come across have looked awfully tired."
"Hmm. Did something unusual happen?"
"Unusual? Ah… now that you mention it, have you heard about what happened with Shinohara?"
"Yes. To be exact, I heard about it today. In light of that, I'm glad that I ran into you."
Apparently it had gone something like this: somebody from Class 2-A had reached out to Horikita while she was near the starting area earlier today, and they had urged her to meet with Sakayanagi, whereupon she was informed of Komiya and Kinoshita's retirement.
Afterward, Sakayanagi told her about the strategy that I had proposed back on the fifth day and the two began to negotiate.
"You didn't refuse to cooperate, right?"
"I had no reason to do that; I had to prevent Shinohara-san from getting kicked out of school. I heard that you were one of the first on the scene at the time, do you know the details of what happened?"
"No, not really. I think it could've been both an incident or an accident."
I explained what I knew as someone who had seen the aforementioned crime scene from up close.
Of course, I kept certain things to myself, such as the fact that Amasawa had been watching from the shadows.
"Shinohara-san's group ranking has been dropping lower and lower every day. Currently, she's placed seventh from the bottom. At this rate, it seems she'll fall far enough to qualify for expulsion by the end of the day today, so we have to hurry. If worse comes to worst and we can't find another group for her to join, I'll take matters into my own hands. Before I ran into you, I was lucky enough to secure first place in a Task that rewarded me with three additional spaces in my group."
This was good news. The Tasks that increased maximum group size were fairly uncommon, and they were highly sought after as well.
Taking first place in such a contested Task couldn't have been easy.
"But if that's how things play out, then it'll be just you and Shinohara scoring all the points. If possible, I hope our collaboration with Sakayanagi goes smoothly so you can merge with a group that's doing better for themselves."
Horikita nodded in agreement.
"At any rate, over these past eight days that I've been walking around the island, I've really come to realize that a lot more groups have walkie-talkies than I anticipated. I've seen students making use of them all over the place, Sakayanagi-san telling her fellow classmates about what happened to Shinohara-san is only one such example."
"It seems like a particularly strong trend among the upper classes, who are capable of taking charge and have the points to spare. Walkie-talkies let you exchange information over long distances, so depending on how well you make use of it, it could be worth spending such a large number of points."
"If we trusted one another a little more, I wonder… if we could've done that as well…?"
Horikita pursed her lips ever so slightly, perhaps having found the notion fairly difficult to imagine, despite having mentioned it.
"While walkie-talkies are certainly useful, that doesn't necessarily mean that they'd do all that much for us. It'd just be a waste if we didn't end up doing anything with them."
"That's true enough."
I took out my tablet to see if any new Tasks had appeared, only to find that a risk-free, hassle-free Task that gave out food as a participation prize had shown up not too far from our current location.
Furthermore, there was room for as many as fifteen groups to register for it.
However, it only gave out a single point that all groups would get for participating, so it wasn't all that appealing on the points side of things.
"I'm running low on food, so I think I'd like to drop by this Task. How about you Horikita?"
If she had her sights set on her designated area's Early Bird Bonus, then she'd be better off pushing forward without batting an eye.
"I don't have that much food remaining either, so I'll drop by the Task as well."
Since our priorities were identical, we decided to change course and proceeded on our way to the Task.
Although the Task itself was a blessing, participating in it would be highly competitive.
Horikita and I began to pick up the pace as we hurried to the Task site. On the way, we gradually began to catch sight of other groups. From first-years, third-years, and even second-years, all of them seemed to have their sights set on the same destination, given how they were all moving in the same direction as us. In fact, the majority broke into a run as soon as they realized that they were surrounded by direct competition.
"Horikita, you don't need to worry about me. Go ahead and hurry to the Task site."
"Look who's talking. If you've really run low on food, then you ought to be a bit more pressed yourself."
"I just don't have the energy to run anymore."
"And I'm in the same boat."
Despite the rush, it seemed her stance regarding the wasteful expenditure of stamina was the same as mine.
She was all on her own, and yet it was clear that she was acting with a certain degree of flexibility, methodically pacing herself as she tackled the uninhabited island exam.
Not long thereafter, we arrived at the Task site just in time to participate, whereupon we both decided to take some time to mingle with some of our classmates that we hadn't seen in a while. After all, even if we rushed to our designated areas from here, we'd probably be too late to qualify for any Early Bird Bonuses. With that being the case, we'd be better off looking to exchange information until the last minute so that we could make the most of the rest of the exam.
Moreover, many of our classmates still didn't know about what kind of situation Shinohara had been put in.
Later on, once the exam was done for the day, I tallied up my score. I had earned 4 points from Arrival Bonuses and 14 points from participating in four different Tasks, for a total of 18. This brought my overall score up to 96, 23rd place on the leaderboards.
On the whole, I got the impression that groups had been more active today than on the fifth or sixth. However, since there were also groups that, for the most part, hadn't been active at all, a distinct line had been drawn between those who were looking to conserve their stamina and those who weren't.
The eighth day, which I had otherwise expected to devolve into a fierce battle, hadn't actually been that bad in the end. There hadn't been any significant changes in the scores of the top ten either, as the Kuronaga group was still in tenth place with a total of 111 points.
Tomorrow, my goal was to maintain an ideal rank and, if possible, meet up with Sakayanagi once again.
I fell asleep that night hoping that the upcoming designated areas would lead me toward the starting area.