Chapter 3 - Ch.2

Chapter 6:

The man known as Tsukishiro

In the morning, I woke up on the right side of E3 and tried to check the

map on my tablet. As a result of evading the first year's siege on me all day

yesterday, I ended up not stepping on a single designated area yesterday.

Sakayanagi informed me that they had retreated immediately in the

afternoon, but I didn't dare go to the designated area. I just participated in the

challenges while I was on the run and scored the minimum amount of points.

The randomly designated area that was announced at 1:00 p.m.

yesterday was F3, followed by G3 at 3:00 p.m.

I opened the map and loaded the image from yesterday's GPS search at

1pm. There were a total of five groups of first-year students who had been

following me and only Hōsen was coming towards me with his GPS turned

off. There was no doubt about it. And after Hōsen was sidetracked with his

confrontation with Ryūen, it was clear from the subsequent searchs that all

the groups withdrew and returned to the special exam.

However... While Sakayanagi and I were focused on those enemies,

several other groups of first-year students who had been scattered had

gathered and were moving ahead of me to the designated area. The reason I

thought these groups were suspicious was because as soon as 3:00 p.m. came

around and my fourth designated area, G3, was announced, they started

moving west towards F4. The road here is narrow, and it's difficult to escape

if the road is blocked, but if you avoid it, you'll be forced to take a

troublesome detour.

I avoided the risk just in case, but that cost me a lot on the previous

day. As a result of avoiding risks, I've missed six designated areas in a row

and have four consecutive penalties have accumulated. I need to get out of

this situation as soon as possible. If you take three more penalties in a row,

you will lose another 18 points from here.

The total score displayed is 119, but it's far from the safe zone for

avoiding expulsion. The safety line I had set for myself was around 105

points. If I dropped below this point, it would not be surprising if I was

expelled. That's why I forced myself to move in the middle of the night, and I

succeeded in getting within range of G3, the area designated for the fourth

time yesterday.

Since I couldn't see the rankings anymore, I had to imagine how I

would do on this last day. There are 157 groups in total, which may seem like

a good number, but in reality, many of the groups have already merged. In

other words, the number of groups has already been reduced by quite a few.

Of course, on this last day, it is clear that some groups will move to rescue

lower groups. If a group with almost 200 points picks up a lower group, they

will surpass me at that moment.

Furthermore, on this final day, the impact of doubled scores cannot be

ignored. The strategy of the first-year students is slowly driving me to the

path of expulsion. There is still a possibility that the first-year students are

still waiting for me, but the GPS search is no longer a possibility for me. I

need to save every point I have.

At 7:00 a.m., the designated area was H3, which wasn't a great location

because of the mountains, but there was nothing I could do about it. Even if I

took the shortest route from here, it would take me almost two hours. There

was no time to dawdle. On a day when many students would be taking on a

task that had doubled in reward, I was going to have to fight to make it to the

designated area. By noon, I might have dropped even further down the

rankings.

As I was packing my bags and leaving, I received a call on my walkietalkie from Sakayanagi.

"Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun. I'm sorry you had to go through so

much yesterday."

"Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been because you were

there to help out."

"Will you be okay with the penalty? It looks like you moved around

quite a bit during the night."

Seems like Sakayangi kept a watchful eye over me with the GPS.

"The first designated area is H3. There's not much room, but I think I

can make it."

"H3... "

Since I didn't want to waste time, I started to move while talking to

Sakayanagi.

"Ayanokōji-kun, I don't mean to burden you, but I have a slight issue.

It seems today at dawn, Ichinose-san disappeared."

I don't think you can classify that as a "slight" issue. This is a major

problem, especially on the last day.

"What do you mean she disappeared? Was this accidental?"

"No, it seems to be a spontaneous action. She has been acting strangely

for the past few days."

That's what Sakayanagi said, but there was still another problem at

hand here.

"Why did you contact me? I don't think there's anything I can do to

help you."

"I did a GPS search to find Ichinose-san's location and found out that

she was in E3, the same location as Ayanokōji. However, she was near the

border of D3."

Even though we are in the same area, there certainly is a distance

between the two ends. And now, I've already stepped into F3.

"What was the last designated area for you and the others yesterday?"

"D5. I'm not sure what to do."

"Why would Ichinose leave the group early in the morning without

telling anyone and end up in E3? When did you find out?"

"In the morning, I noticed that I had lost a point. I checked with the

people in our group, but there was no sign that anyone had used the GPS

search. It seems that Ichinose-san used it, and although we currently don't

know if she was heading for E3 or an area further away, it's normal to

assume that she went to meet someone."

"I suppose so. If she had stepped on the fourth designated area

yesterday, that's the only reason she would have moved early in the

morning."

"I thought it might have been to meet Ayanokoji-kun, which is why I

thought I should bring it up..."

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea. I haven't once seen Ichinose in this

exam, and I don't have a clue what she might want. What are you going to

do?"

"The first designated area for us to head to is E6. I'm not sure what to

do, but I'm going to have to ignore Ichinose-san for now. If she retires in the

worst-case scenario, it won't have a significantly negative impact since it's

the last day."

Having said that, the Sakayanagi group is a precious seven-member

team. By the end of the 12th day, they were in fourth place, a perfect position

for a podium finish. It would be a blow to lose Ichinose here.

On the flip side, she was acting arbitrarily on such an important final

day. It's an inexplicable action that Ichinose, who acts more for his friends

than anyone else, can't imagine.

"You're in trouble it seems."

"Accidents happen, you know. Well, even if I leave her alone, the

special exam will be over in half a day, so I don't think there will be any

problem. If you do see her, please ask what happened.

Sakayanagi ended the communication, saying that anything further

would be a hindrance.

"Where is Ichinose headed...?"

I put the walkie-talkie away in my backpack as I walk, and take out my

tablet this time. It's the last day, and I don't need to think about charging

anymore. With thirty-one percent left, I should be fine. The map on the

screen shows the designated areas I need to go to and the challenges scattered

around.

For the past two weeks, challenges had been popping up all over the

deserted island. However, on this last day, I can see that there are no

challenges at all in the northern areas of the island, from 1 to 3. On the

contrary, the central and southern areas, from 5 to 10, and even more so from

A to E, are where most of the challenges are concentrated. This makes sense

when you consider that this is simply the last day of the exam and they are

trying to get you to return to the starting point. It is wise to quickly step on

the designated area and take on a task. I was tempted to use the GPS search to

find out Ichinose's location, but I was now in danger of being expelled from

school.

I need to save my points to increase my survival rate as much as

possible.

Part One

My second destination of the day was I2, the northeast end of the

deserted island. Now that I've managed to stop the penalty, I can head there

with some peace of mind. After the exam ends at 3:00 p.m., we'll basically

walk back to the starting point, but in some cases, they have a plan to collect

the students on a patrol boat. If you're in the area, the patrol boat will come

to J6 at 5pm.

"The ending of the exam is nearing, and yet they've given me such a

troublesome zone..."

How could the designated area be the most northeastern, when the

testing environment remains the same, with the challenges concentrated on

the south side of the island? I was tempted to bemoan the fact that it was a

mistake on the school's part, but I had no choice. It would have been easier if

I could just let it go, but I was beginning to feel something disturbing here.

Since this morning, I had not seen or passed any of the other students.

Even though the island is large, there are still many opportunities to see or

hear from them as long as you are on the move. Of course, since I didn't

make it to the last designated area yesterday, I don't know why I didn't bump

into any of the students following the same table as me.

This indicates that many students have already gone down to the south

side where the assignments are gathered. After stepping on I2, it might be a

good idea to ignore the final designated area and head for the task.

H3 has a narrow river dividing the area. This river cannot be used as a

shortcut, so it is a troublesome place that you are forced to go around. The

saving grace is that you can just walk along the river and don't have to worry

about getting lost. No need to panic, just walk down the river to the

southwest, reach the point where you can cross, and head northeast. You can

walk alongside the water until you hit the mountains. That's how I got to the

other side of the river, near the center of H3.

"Ayanokōji-kun──!"

As I was walking along, listening to the sound of the water flowing by,

I heard a voice calling my name from afar. The north side of the river that I

had just bypassed.

There, covered in mud, Ichinose was staring at me, out of breath.

"Ichinose... what are you doing here all the way in H3?"

As I recall, according to Sakayanagi, Ichinose was in E3.

It was just after ten o'clock now, so if we take the time when the sun

started to rise to be around 5:30, then Ichinose had walked for about four and

a half hours to get here. That's a pretty quick pace.

"I.... I-I came to see Ayanokōji-kun!" Ichinose shouted from across the

river, her words cut off by visible exhaustion.

"I'm coming over there now!" With that, Ichinose starts running along

the river even though she's clearly not in a good state. She throws away her

heavy backpack as if it was in the way. Her steps were unsteady. Ichinose's

physical strength was probably at its limit, and it would take a lot of effort to

get here. I turned back the way I had come and hurried to meet up with her.

We ran along the river for about five minutes and arrived at a point

where we could meet up. Since I couldn't let Ichinose push herself too hard, I

crossed the river to the north side first.

"Hey, I'm finally... finally catching up with you... Wait for me, I'm

coming!"

I wondered if she felt responsible for chasing me this far and calling me

off. Out of breath, Ichinose reached in front of me, but she couldn't stand and

fell forward.

"Ah!"

I hold Ichinose, who is about to fall.

"Gosh, I'm sorry! Oh, that? Why? My legs aren't... doing what they're

supposed to..." She hurriedly tries to pull away, but her knees are shaking and

she can't seem to stand properly.

"What's wrong with you, Ichinose?"

Ichinose looks up at me and opens her mouth, desperately trying to sort

out the situation.

"I really need to tell Ayanokoji-kun something!"

"To tell me?"

"I've been worrying, worrying, worrying about... my friends, a-and I

have to protect my classmates..."

What is she talking about? I don't know what it's about, but I'm pretty

sure she's trying really hard to get the right words out.

"But even so, I was worried about Ayanokōji-kun, so... I thought why

not?"

During this special exam, I didn't have any particular contact with

Ichinose. It seems that something unexpected happened. In order to tell me

whatever it was that happened, she's been walking for over four hours,

desperately trying to get here.

"My watch broke, so I was going to go back to the starting point to get

it replaced... That's when I saw two people, Acting Director Tsukishiro and

Sensei Shiba. T-they were there...!"

Ichinose speaks in a faltering voice, she's exhausted to the point where

she still hasn't calmed down her breathing. Depending on what the severity

of the situation is, she probably spent a few days worrying about it. This only

adds onto her weak physical condition by giving her mental strain.

"They said if Ayanokōji-kun is safe until the last day, they'll call you to

I2 and bury him."

The words "I2" and "bury him." It's true that if you only hear those

words, you'll think it's quite a disturbing turn of events that will take place.

The reason why Tsukishiro and the others were so carelessly overheard by

Ichinose was because her watch were broken and they could not trace the

GPS response.

"Does protecting your classmates... mean that Tsukishiro threatened

you?"

Ichinose nodded repeatedly, though she seemed momentarily surprised

by my guess.

"If I told Ayanokōji-kun about this, he... said he was going to expel my

classmates, but I just couldn't leave you alone...!"

"Don't worry about it, you turn your head the other way. I'm your

enemy, you know."

When Ichinose heard those words, she shook her head strongly and

violently, saying no.

"You can't! Ayanokōji-kun, Ayanokōji-kun is... not my enemy!"

Ichinose clutches the shirt near my chest.

"I think I'm an enemy, though."

"No! Because... for me, Ayanokoji-kun is..."

The hand that gripped the shirt tightly is squeezed even tighter once

more.

"I'm... I'm in love with you, Ayanokōji-kun. ...!"

The words must have been something Ichinose herself had not expected

to say.

After the words came out, she averted his gaze as if to cover her own

mouth.

"W-what?! I-I didn't... I mean I did... but what?" She repeatedly shook

her head from side to side in panic, as if she hadn't been able to catch up with

her own understanding.

"What did I just say?"

As if her memory of what she had said had flown, she started to panic

when she couldn't understand.

"Are you sure you want me to repeat it? What you just said to me?"

"Uh, yeah... Oh, no, no! I'm not sure what I said exactly but I

remember more or less! Yes! But you see I-"

"Thank you, Ichinose."

"What, what, what?

I had to thank her, for looking out for me. She put me ahead of her

classmates, ahead of the group and the exam she was trying to win.

I don't take that feeling with contempt.

"If Ichinose hadn't warned me, I don't know what would have

happened to me."

This is probably a big turning point for me. If I hadn't met Ichinose

here, I wouldn't have gone to I2, assuming Tsukishiro was there waiting for

me. It's most definitely true that Tsukishiro threatened Ichinose. But here she

is, right in front of me.

And she told me everything, without regard for the danger.

"Is it true what you said earlier?"

"Well that would mean... so, uh, no, it's not, you know?"

"If it's not, deny it now. I'll get the wrong idea."

"Ah.... misunderstood.... well maybe not...."

Ichinose was about to deny it, but she decided that she could no longer

hold it in any longer.

"I like... you."

She admitted in a small, snatchy voice that seemed to fade away.

"I think I just realized that you probably won't feel that same way

about me. I'm sorry."

There was nothing to apologize for.

"To be honest, I was surprised that you felt that way about me."

"Gosh, I'm sorry. You don't like me, do you?

"That's not true. It's just that I can't respond to Ichinose's feelings right

now."

"O-oh yeah, because I'm not good enough for Ayanokōji-kun..."

"That's not it. There are still several things that need to be resolved,

and I couldn't answer yes or no in this situation."

Besides, I had to avoid telling her about Kei's existence here. Even if it

would cause more harm and resentment if she found out later, she was in the

middle of a deserted island test. There is still time left, so I shouldn't do

anything that will take away her will to fight.

"It may not make sense to you, but that's the best I can do for you right

now."

"Yes... I understand." Ichinose nodded her head in response, neither

displeased nor dissatisfied.

"I'm going to head to I2 now. I have some things I need to do there."

"No, you can't! It's dangerous!"

"If I don't, you won't be able to protect your precious classmates, will

you?"

I'm sure she knows that because she's been through so much. It's not

hard to imagine that if she contacts me and tells me, Tsukishiro will find out

about it. But I think I need to tell her that this isn't a last-ditch effort, it's a

comeback.

"You need to take a long break and then try to meet up with the group.

Understood?"

Patting the head of the obeying Ichinose once, I decided to head to I2.

Part Two

There was a rocky area near the border between I2 and I3, with some

bushes higher than my knees near it.

"Let's just stick to this area." I lowered the backpack I was carrying

and hid it in those bushes.

Not knowing what awaited me from here on out, the pack on my back

would only be a hindrance. I decide to leave everything behind, including my

tablet. If I can make it back from I2, I won't have any trouble finding my way

back to this rocky area. Perhaps the group with the same table as me was

given a completely different designated area. I'd rather not lose a point by

searching now just to find out for sure. In addition, now that I know Ichinose

is involved, the option of not going is gone. If I chose to ignore this situation,

it's hard to tell how much punishment he'll give her for revenge.

As I finished my preparations, I started to walk towards I2.

"Yo, Ayanokōji. What a coincidence."

Miyabi Nagumo, who was holding a tablet, was looking at me with an

interesting look in his eyes. Given the situation I was in, it was unnatural for

whoever it was to be in this nearby area. Is this man involved in Tsukishiro's

case, other than the bounty?

No, the title of student council president probably doesn't mean that

much to Tsukishiro. The fact that he showed up here doesn't seem like it

needs to be connected to that case, but I'll be on the lookout.

"Why is Student Council President Nagumo in this place?"

A quick look around didn't reveal a single student in the vicinity that

could be considered a member of Nagumo's group.

"Don't worry. You and I are the only ones here."

Perhaps using a GPS search, Nagumo said and tried to push my guard

down.

"There are no challenges near here, where have you been?"

The direction in which Nagumo appeared was southeast.

"I was playing on the beach in I4. This is an island after all."

How could he be playing on the beach on the last day, when almost all

the students were collecting scores with bloodshot eyes?

"Is that what you call the margin of champions?"

Nagumo laughs, not answering that question.

"But I'm going to return your line from earlier, Ayanokōji. What are

you doing here in a place like this with no designated area or assignment.

Have you been meeting with Honami?"

It wasn't surprising that her name would come up here. Even if she

didn't see Ichinose directly, it would be obvious that she was in a close

position if he was doing a GPS search.

"If so, is that a problem?"

"No? If you were still with her, then there's a lot to say, but you're here

alone now. That means you have another purpose. What's in store for I2?"

When I decided to ignore the question, Nagumo continued as if to

change the subject.

"You're done with the exam, right? I just thought I'd have a word with

you. There aren't many situations in school where you and I, the student

council president, can stand around and talk alone."

"I suppose that's true."

I'm just a shady student. The other person is the head of the student

council, so there's a clear imbalance. But I don't think he came here just to

make small talk.

"You knew that the first-years were going to attack me, didn't you?"

"You're not so bad at guessing, are you?"

There was talk of a bounty of 20 million points if I was expelled. Even

though it was led by Tsukishiro, it was an undeniable fact that Nagumo was

in the middle of it. If Nagumo is as good as I think, it would not be surprising

if he was observing the situation with a GPS search regardless of the date. If

he had seen the movements of me and the first-year students yesterday, it

would have been obvious that I was going to be attacked. I'm sure that

Nagumo is as aware of the whole picture of this special exam as I am, if not

more so.

"Don't feel bad about the bounty, okay? It wasn't originally my idea."

"You're working with Acting Director Tsukishiro, right?"

"If you know that much, then it's a quick story. The money all came

from the acting director. I'm just lending my name as the student council

president."

Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, if it was an order from the

acting director, Nagumo wouldn't be able to resist it.

"If it's an order from the acting director, I'll agree you had to accept it.

But I thought that the student council president I know would kick such an

offer to the curb."

"When the bounty was mentioned, if it had been any other student but

you, I wouldn't have accepted it. But the one who was nominated was none

other than you. You're the only man who was recognized by the senior

student, Horikita."

As I thought, Nagumo was only looking past my shoulders, towards

Manabu Horikita who is standing behind me.

"Answer me, Ayanokōji. What do you intend to do in the future?"

It would be easy to say, "Don't worry about me, I'm insignificant."

However, Nagumo would not be deterred by that. As long as I don't know

what awaits me in the future, I want to make the most of my time.

"This is none of your business, Student Council President Nagumo.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on the last special exam without worrying

about me? The difference in scores between you and Kōenji should be close.

If you don't go back, you won't get any rewards. You'll continue to be

unable to participate in some of the tasks as well."

"Don't worry. On this last day, I've got Kōenji completely under

control."

Saying that, Miyabi Nagumo took out a walkie-talkie from his back

pocket. So even though they were far away, he could still give instructions,

and that would be enough?

"I'm also wondering what you're going to do, but if you can't answer,

I'll change the question. Let me see if you're as good as the senior Horikita

made you out to be. Let me see what you're really made of."

That's the main reason why he's come all the way here?

"Don't tell me you want me to fight with the student council president

here?"

"I don't mind a fistfight, but I prefer a more straightforward fight. Even

after this exam is over, there will still be an opportunity to fight across grade

levels, so I'll take you on there."

So, it was the student council president's direct request.

"Didn't you learn that from this exam? You can't compete with me, the

student council president."

In fact, Nagumo had consistently maintained his first and second place

finishes in this exam. Kōenji, who was in a close race, would have a chance

to turn the tables, but it would still be a tough fight.

"You've got one, and we've got seven. It's weird that it's a match."

"Kōenji is good enough to win, he's a freak, but he's undeniably

talented. In contrast, I've never been able to get into the top ten groups."

I urge him to go to Kōenji if he's looking for a strong opponent.

"Well, that thing is certainly more than I imagined. He's the only one

that made me make an offensive move in this test."

I shrug my shoulders, though I somewhat approve of Kōenji. I guess

the offensive move refers to the fact that Nagumo is using the walkie-talkie

right now.

"Using the entire third grade to get ahead in the order of arrival and

monopolize the assignments is probably a trick that only the student council

president can do, right?"

Unlike the freshmen and sophomores, almost the entire third year group

is under Nagumo's control. If he wanted to reliably contain Kōenji, he could

certainly do so by mobilizing all the third-year students. It doesn't matter

how strong, fast, or skilled they are at completing their tasks. A group of

them will reap what they sow. As a result, Kōenji could only get the arrival

bonus from the basic movement. In the meantime, Nagumo and the others

were just piling up arrival bonuses and the point gap was widening.

"Quicksilver, as expected, you've seen through that much. When did

you notice it?"

"I knew it was suspicious from the Beach Flags stage. I didn't dare to

fill the empty slots left by Kiriyama. That seat was reserved for the student

body president."

But since I arrived first, I had no choice but to enter with the vacant

members. This meant that Nagumo was leisurely playing around and waiting

for Kiriyama and the others to finish their assignments.

"I had always thought that you and Vice President Kiriyama were

enemies, but it seems that you're not as distant as I thought."

"He'd join forces with me, even though he hates me, if it meant he

could graduate as an A student.

"So, aside from the out-of-this-world Kōenji, ordinary students are

helpless."

When I replied with that, Miyabi Nagumo laughed, as if something was

wrong.

"You don't really mean that, do you? You don't think I'm a great

person at all."

"That's not..." I tried to deny it, but Nagumo stopped me with his hand.

"I know you think that I just mobilized all three years and won by force

alone, but that's not true. Now I'm going to show you my psychic powers."

"Psychic powers, huh?"

"I'm going to guess your group ranking at the end of the twelfth day."

The only groups that had been released were the top ten groups and the

bottom ten groups. Excluding those 20 groups from the total of 157 groups,

there were 137 groups without the merge. Of course, I was the only one who

knew my exact ranking. At the last minute, before the date changed, I was in

16th place.

"Your rank is... 11, right?" Nagumo replied confidently, but he missed

the rank slightly.

On the twelfth day, I repeated the GPS search in preparation for the

attack from the first years. If I hadn't spent those extra points, I could have

finished 11th. The rules made it impossible to keep track of the rankings of

all the groups. In other words, there was a good reason for what Nagumo had

said.

"Ah, but not anymore. Now, you're in about fifteenth or sixteenth

place, right?"

"Yes, I am. I'm honestly impressed."

I admitted honestly, and presumed Nagumo would calmly accept the

fact.

"I know I said something about psychic powers, I was only joking. But

I just stepped on the fact that if you really had hidden abilities, you would be

ranked around there."

Apparently, this Nagumo guy is much more talented than I thought.

"You were inconspicuously ranked a little lower than tenth, and you

were always in a position to outperform the top, right? If I or Kōenji were to

clash with you and drop down the rankings, you could turn the tables."

I avoided standing out, and worked to stay hidden until the end of the

12th day. At the end of the day, when the pace of scoring points at the top

slowed down due to fatigue, I had left a line to aim for the podium with a

quick score, depending on the situation. No, I thought I had.

"Did you notice? That it was impossible from the start."

It meant that the strategy I had planned had been nullified by Nagumo

from the very beginning.

"The tenth place has always been the third-year Kuronaga, right?

That's because I was the one who kept him in tenth place. I was keeping him

in tenth place so that I could shut down the guys who were trying to turn the

tables by gaining points unseen."

The score between tenth and ninth was widening, and it was getting

harder and harder for me to get to the top. All of this was going according to

Nagumo's plan. He forcibly eliminated the invisible enemies and narrowed it

down to only the visible ones.

"I've always doubted whether you were capable, but now it's clear.

You've earned the right to be beaten to a pulp by me, and you should be

happy about it."

"Is it part of your strategy that the student council president went out of

his way to take command and target Kōenji on the last day?"

" I could have earned 400 or 500 points if I wanted to, but that would

have been somewhat problematic. However, it's not very interesting, is it? I

gave him hope he could beat the first and second years. Besides, if we lose in

a close game, I might be able to see Kōenji's disappointed face."

Nagumo had been fighting as the strongest group for the past two

weeks. And now, on this last day, he wants to show off his presence by

sinking Kōenji and taking the top spot himself. If Nagumo is serious, he can

find out all the scores that a particular group gets, whether they got the

seating rewards or not, and how they did in the challenges, using GPS search

and the eyes of his friends. Even now, on the last day of the tournament,

when the scores are unknown, Nagumo knows exactly how many points

Kōenji has. In other words, it's possible for him to pull off a dramatic victory

like winning by one point.

"Well, I don't care about Kōenji anymore. The last thing I'm going to

do in this school, is defeat you, Ayanokōji."

Nagumo, who has always been chasing the shadow of Horikita

Manabu, is trying to see that figure in me. I guess he wants to defeat him

completely and make it black and white, even if it's in a different way.

"The leader of the second year D class is Horikita. Even if there was a

special exam where I had to compete with the third-year students, I wouldn't

be fighting against the student council president Nagumo."

"Then I'll have to force you to come to the front? Including the

bounty."

So, he's threatening to reveal everything about me?

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to hurry ahead. Please leave the rest of this

story for another time."

"You think I'm going to let you off easy? I'm not leaving until you say

you'll fight me, okay?"

Nagumo walks behind me, as if he intends to follow me.

If there's something waiting for me down the road, I'll be forced to

involve Nagumo. We're dealing with Tsukishiro. In the worst-case scenario,

Nagumo will lose everything he has built up and may even be expelled in the

name of power. Even if I tried to persuade him with words here, he would not

respond. Of course, I couldn't just lie and take the easy way out. I stopped

and looked back at him.

"So have you decided?"

I pressed hard without warning on the chest of the misunderstood and

delighted Nagumo. I'm sure he didn't expect to be touched by a younger

kohai, and without any resistance, he fell to the ground on his buttocks. The

tablet he was holding and the walkie-talkie in his pocket spilled out and fell

to the ground.

"What...?"

He doesn't understand what happened to him, or so it seems. Before his

understanding catches up, let me finish what needs to be done.

"Miyabi Nagumo, the Student Council President. Even with this, I still

think I'm underselling you. You have different abilities than that of the

student council president Horikita, and you have successfully reached the top

of this school. In fact, it's not an exaggeration to say that you've not only

maintained a comfortable top position in this special exam, but you've also

completely dominated it."

I continue my words before he can recall his calmness, or his anger.

"There are just some areas that you shouldn't step into. Please pull back

here."

"Ha... don't be silly Ayanokōji. Are you trying to order me around?"

"It's because I have great respect for you as my senior, that I'm not

going to show mercy here."

"Ah? Who the hell do you think you...?"

I look into Nagumo's eyes with all the killing intent I can muster.

"Don't you understand that I told you to back off?"

Nagumo stood up forcefully, refusing to admit that fear had been

instilled in him.

"Enough of this, okay? You're the first person who's ever treated me

this hard, Ayanokōji..."

At that moment, a call came over the walkie-talkie that had fallen

beside Nagumo.

"We've made our way up, Nagumo. This is the third time in a row that

I've prevented a challenge from Kōenji. Give me your next instructions."

I hear the voice of one of the delighted third-year students. The strategy

to seal off the Kōenji seems to be going well. Nagumo makes no attempt to

react to the voice and glares at me.

"Hey, Nagumo, the senpai's won't move unless you tell them to. Didn't

you have to keep attacking Kōenji until the end of the exam if you wanted to

make sure he'd drop to second place?"

"Pres, are you there?"

Even though the conversation was only audible, I could tell that it was

important to Nagumo. Nagumo takes the walkie-talkie in silence and turns

the power knob to off.

"It's not Kōenji that's important to me."

Without even trying to wipe the dirt, Nagumo comes closer to me.

"I'm going to fuck you up. That's the last thing I'm going to do as

student council president."

Willfulness, I wondered. He inspired himself as the student council

president and shook off my intimidation.

"Me...?" Without hesitation, I slammed my fist into Nagumo's chest.

"Shit...!"

He instantly lost his ability to breathe, and Nagumo temporarily

collapsed on the spot as if he was losing consciousness. I catch Nagumo and

lean him against a large tree where the sun doesn't shine. Since he wouldn't

listen to my advice, I had no choice but to do what I had to do here.

Nagumo's watch detected an abnormality and sent out a warning alert, which

sounded for five seconds. It shouldn't be long before he wakes up. Maybe

twenty minutes, maybe thirty. At any rate, I wouldn't have to involve

Nagumo in what was to come. Of course, there would inevitably be other

issues that would come up after the exam was over. But for now, it's just a

small matter.

If I don't solve the problem of Tsukishiro, there's no point in thinking

about the future anyways.

Part Three

A little after 10 a.m. on the last day of the exam, I, Suzune Horikita,

was heading north along the border between I4 and I3, aiming for I2. It was

the last day of the special exam, and I was trying to muster up my last bit of

energy. Fortunately, until just before midnight last night, the second year

Class D had not been listed in the bottom 10 groups. The bottom five groups,

the range of expulsion, were all third-year students.

However, we cannot be absolutely sure. At the end of the day, if these

five groups were to join forces with another group, their scores would

inevitably increase, and there was a possibility that they would switch places

with the group just outside the sixth and seventh positions. In extreme cases,

if all ten of the bottom groups are paired with the top group, then all ten of

them could be out of the bottom.

My tablet shows that my designated area is I7, which is the exact

opposite of I2, where I am headed. It was an outrage to ignore the designated

area that I was heading to. The answer to why I am doing this lies in a piece

of paper in my right hand. This was folded and tucked away in my tent when

I woke up this morning. I unfolded it and saw that it had four words written

on it in an irregular pattern: "Noon," "K.A.," "Expelled," and "I2." The first

time I saw it, I knew I was in trouble.

As I inquired further, I thought of two things. The first was that the

person who wrote it had such beautiful handwriting that I wanted to use it as

a model. The other is that paper and pen are not part of the free supply.

"I wonder how many points the notebook and pen were..."

I vaguely remember it being mentioned in the manual for the deserted

island, but I don't remember the detailed point prices because I decided it

was worthless. I may need the note if my tablet runs out of battery or breaks

down in a hurry, though. Anyway, some drunk guy bought a notebook and

some notes, and then sent me this little cryptic thing.

"No, it's too easy to call it a cipher."

I2 is the area of the deserted island, and noon is the time. This indicates

that there is something going on here today, the fourteenth day, since it was

the last day when he sent the note. If I say it was just a prank, that's all. But

the two words that remain are not.

Aside from the former expulsion, it is the K.A. that is the problem.

If other students had seen this note, they probably wouldn't have

understood what it meant. The moment I saw it, I knew the meaning. It was

the initials of Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.

"If you consider the meaning as it is, Ayanokōji-kun will be expelled

from the school today at noon, I2...."

You've got to be kidding me, I thought.

So, when the 7 a.m. designated area was announced, I was going to

ignore it. But I was a little concerned about the fact that Ayanokōji-kun's

GPS was on E3. But if time goes by and he gets closer to I2, it might not be

just a joke. If it was someone's trap to waste points, then I had fallen for it.

The result - Ayanokōji-kun had made his way from F3 to G3. If he continues

to head to I2, he will be able to get there quite soon...

I had such a premonition that I decided to head north to find out for

sure. There is a bounty on his head. The probability that it is a suggestion

cannot be dismissed. There was still some time before noon, but I wondered

how far Ayanokoji-kun had gotten. Of course, it's possible that it's just a

coincidence and he's already on his way to another area. I feel the urge to do

a GPS search, but I hold it back. My score is good enough to be in the top

50%. However, if I abandoned the designated areas and tasks from here on,

and even used the search, I wouldn't know that. If I'm wasting my time in

any way, I might as well head to I2.

"Ah! I'm finally catching up! You better wait for me Horikita!"

Such a voice came from behind me as the end of my vision opened up

and I could almost see the river.

"How... did you end up here?"

Mio Ibuki-san, who is out of breath and glaring at me, shows up. From

the fact that it doesn't feel like she just appeared by accident, it looks like she

went to the trouble of GPS searching to follow me.

"Score, show me your score."

"Hold on. What the hell are you talking about?"

Showing up out of nowhere and asking me, the enemy, to show you my

scores is a behavior I don't understand.

"I told you. I'm not going to let you beat me in this special exam."

She sticks her forefinger in front of my eyes.

"You don't need to confirm that now. Couldn't you have waited until it

was over?"

"I mean, there's no guarantee that all the groups' scores will be

announced after the special exam."

"Sure, that might be true. It's the top and bottom groups that matter."

There was no guarantee that all students would have immediate access

to the rankings of the many groups that existed. Of course, there's always the

possibility that they'll be made public as a matter of course.

"So why don't you let me check here and now?"

She wants it to be black and white as to which of us collected more

points on the last day.

"That's a silly and unbelievable statement, but... you're serious if

you've come all this way. How many times did you use the GPS search?"

"Three times. Since you were so close, I figured it was now or never."

The greater the distance, the more difficult it becomes to meet the

person you want. That meant Ibuki-san had used the GPS search three times

to get here.

"Well, that's a lot of work, isn't it?"

"I don't need that kind of pity, just tell me your score. I got a 131!" She

declared forcefully, as if to say, "What do you think?"

"Thanks for telling me, even though I didn't ask. But I do have two

things to say. First of all, there's no guarantee that you're telling me your real

score."

"Huh? Then why don't you just look at it?"

I stop Ibuki-san as she tries to take her tablet out of her backpack.

"Secondly, even if you disclosed your real score, I won't tell you."

"What? What's that? Are you going to say the same thing as that guy?"

That guy...? I was a little curious, but I kept talking.

"Even though we're both second-year students, we're enemies. I don't

want to take the risk of disclosing any information."

I don't think I'm in the bottom ten groups at this point. But the scores

will fluctuate until the very end. Even if it's the last day, there's a non-zero

chance that I'll be caught flat-footed by the information I give to Ibuki-san.

"All right. So, you freaked out when you heard my score, huh? You're

losing, right?"

"I'm not even going to answer that question. It'll give you an

implication to whether you're winning or losing."

Even though I repeated that I wasn't going to give any information,

Ibuki-san kept pushing on.

"Why don't you just admit it honestly? That you couldn't beat me in

points."

"I'll leave it at that, and you can go back to your exam."

I try to match Ibuki-san, if that makes her happy.

"Holy shit you piss me off. Show me your real score."

"I basically admitted defeat, but you're not satisfied?"

"I want to know what your real score is. And I want to know how much

I beat you by."

"This is silly..."

"It's important to me."|

"I'm sorry, but we have to move on."

"Are you trying to escape?"

"I'm on my way to the designated area. It's funny that you would

describe it as running away." I turn my feet to hurry to I2. Ibuki-san must

have taken that as running away, because she followed me.

"Do you have a designated area to the north of you? Or are you simply

following me?"

"What I want to know now is your score. If I knew that, I'd go back to

my assigned area too."

So she's obsessively concerned about me. I honestly don't want to be

stranded here. I don't want to waste my time when I'm being swamped by a

single piece of paper.

"I've lost."

"Oh, you admit it? So, you're finally admitting defeat, huh?"

"No, I don't. I'm saying that I lost to that kind of obsession of yours.

I've collected 145 points. You came close, but I won the game."

I disclosed information that should have been hidden. That's why I

declared my defeat.

"You're beating me? If you're going to say you're winning, then show

me the proof, the proof."

Of course you will. But I'm not going to stop walking. I want to get to

I2 as quickly as possible now to make sure he's safe.

"Okay."

This is efficient, though I don't think it's the right answer.

In any case, even if Ibuki-san knows the score I have on the last day of

this exam, it won't have a big impact. Right now, every minute or second

counts. I take down my backpack and reach for my tablet, which I keep

inside. Ibuki kept her stern face and waited for me to tell her how many

points I had. I took out the tablet and was about to press the power button.

Almost at the same time, Ibuki-san and I felt a strong presence from ahead

that we didn't even try to hide, and we looked up.

"My my, what do we have here~!"

An innocent voice, like that of a child meeting a playmate.

"Hi, Horikita-senpai!"

Looking at the female student who had appeared before she knew it,

Ibuki-san expressed her dissatisfaction without even trying to hide it.

"Who...?"

"It's Amasawa Ichika-san from 1st year Class A."

It's possible that we just happened to show up at the same place, but

she's acting kind of strange.

Still wary, I turn to face Amasawa-san, tablet still in my hand.

The first year's bounty and what was written on this morning's paper

flash through my mind.

"Don't worry about me, you can do whatever you were doing, okay?"

"Not so fast. We were just talking about various private matters."

Ibuki-san is well aware that I don't want to tell her my scores as much

as possible. She'll also understand that I don't want to show her the scores on

my tablet here to see if I won or lost. I tried to gently urge her to leave, but

she didn't move.

Ibuki-san, who seemed to have lost her numbness at the sight of her,

said irritably,

"You're in my way..."

"So Horikita-senpai, how is Sudō-senpai doing~?"

"Huh? Did you just ignore me?"

It's impossible that she didn't hear Ibuki-san's question, but Amasawasan ignored her. She turns her shoulders, setting down the backpack she was

carrying, as if she wasn't planning to leave right away.

"Yeah. I'm sure he's grateful that you saved him." She smiles, and

there is no hint of an apology to me.

The longer she stays here, the longer I'll be delayed in getting to

Ayanokōji-kun. Unless these incidents are somehow related...

"Amasawa-san, you're in my way. I have a prior engagement over

here, so please go away."

"Prior engagement? Didn't Ibuki-senpai just barge in on her own too?"

It was as if she had heard our conversation from an early stage.

Something isn't right.

"Even if that's the case, it doesn't matter, now please go."

With a stronger tone than previously, Ibuki from my side tells

Amasawa-san,

"Go away. Now."

If I go any further, Ibuki-san might actually do something about it.

Even with such a threat, Amasawa-san just smiles in amusement.

"I wonder what your goal is, Amasawa-san."

Putting aside Ibuki-san for the moment, I turn my attention to

Amasawa-san. I don't want to spend any more unnecessary time on her, but I

have no choice.

"Tsk." Ibuki-san is irritated by this, but she waits for me as if she has

no choice.

"I want to ask you one thing, where is Horikita-senpai going to go from

here?"

"I'm standing here talking to Ibuki-san right now, but as soon as I'm

done, I'm heading for the F3 area."

A lie, of course. I'm in a situation where I'm about to abandon my own

designated area. But there's no advantage in telling Amasawa-san that. She's

colluding with the other first-year students to try and get the bounty of

expelling Ayanokōji-kun. It's safer not to talk about unnecessary things

related to Ayanokōji-kun. I thought that was my decision, but I soon realized

that it was a mistake.

"You're a liar Horikita-senpai. Your designated area isn't over here, is

it?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to trap me with some strange

trick?"

"There's no point in trying to deceive me. The designated area that you

should be heading to is I7, right?"

Amasawa-san's immediate response was the designated area where I

should be heading next. There was no way she could have guessed this by

mere coincidence.

From the look on her face, I could only assume that she was trying to

hook me from the start.

"We second-year students have our own way of fighting. We can't tell

the truth about everything."

After saying that, I quickly continue.

"Isn't it inevitable that we should be wary of the person who tried to

bring down Ayanokōji-kun?" I smoothly switch the conversation here.

The first year is the enemy, theres no harm in showing some ill will.

"Hmm. Well, I guess that's true too." She said this, but it didn't seem

as if she was listening to my words.

I couldn't help but feel that she was already here with a conclusion in

mind.

"Where are you going, Horikita-senpai? You don't think it's... I2, do

you?"

Apparently, that thought of mine had hit me in the wrong direction.

"You know a lot of things, don't you? But it was only this morning that

I decided to go to I2. You're very perceptive, aren't you?"

Even if she had used the GPS search to pinpoint my location, it

wouldn't have been easy for her to get ahead of me like this. If that's the

case, then I should assume that Amasawa-san is also involved in this piece of

paper today. As I was wondering if I should ask her about it, Ibuki-san

stepped forward.

"Hey, how long are we talking about this?"

I felt the same irritation. I'm going to be forced to deal with Amasawasan more than I'll be able to deal with Ibuki-san.

"Ibuki-san."

I turned on my tablet and showed the screen of my score to Ibuki-san,

knowing that the information would leak out. She would inevitably see the

three group expansion slots I had obtained, but since I didn't have to use

them until the end of the game, there was almost no harm done.

I'm sure she doesn't care about the maximum group quota part, though.

The moment she saw the score, I heard Ibuki-san's faint click of her tongue.

Then she scratched her head and said loudly in frustration.

"Huh? Seriously? That sucks."

It's a somewhat cruel answer to her hard work for the past two weeks

so far.

Nevertheless, I think Ibuki-san did well. The fact that she's scored

enough points to compete with me, even with her low academic ability, is

enough to make me look back at her.

"If you're done, you can head to the designated area. You've got

double the points this last day, so you still have a chance to turn things

around."

"That's true, but... what do you mean you're trying to abandon the

designated area?"

She asks, as if Amasawa-san's words from earlier are bothering her.

"This is your chance to leave, Ibuki-san. I'm in a situation where I can't

score any points right now for some reason."

I don't have to explain everything from scratch, you understand, right?

I appeal with my eyes.

"Yeah well, the game is on until this exam is over. If you say you're

going to stop, I'll just turn the tables on you without reservation." In disgust,

Ibuki-san turned her back and walked away, as if she was satisfied with the

situation.

With this, I succeeded in parting ways with Ibuki-san. As I put away

my tablet in my backpack, I focused on dealing with Amasawa-san.

"I'm heading to I2 now, but what about you?"

"Why are you ditching the designated area to go to I2 where it doesn't

matter? I don't care about that assignment. It's not like we're doing it during

a special exam, is it?"

"Don't you think you know that better than anyone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be silly, you threw this paper into the tent while I was asleep.

What's the point of that?" I show her the small folded paper, holding it

between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand.

"Paper? Can I see that please?"

You do your best monkey business imitation. Well, I have no use for

this piece of paper anymore anyway. I give the paper back to Amasawa-san,

who I think is the original owner.

After receiving it, she opens it and checks the contents. "Irregularly

lined up letters: "Noon," "K.A.," "Expelled," "I2." She reads it aloud, then

closes his eyes once more.

"Damn it..., I didn't realize how much you liked to play games..."

"Games? What are you planning to do by involving me and Ayanokōjikun?"

"I don't know about that. It seems that I'm just one of the participants,

just like my senpai."

"Don't try to fool me. The fact that you appeared in front of me proves

that you are the owner of that paper."

Laughing somewhat annoyed, Amasawa-san tore up the paper. She tore

it seven or eight times, and when it was unreadable, she threw it away.

"Did you see something disturbing in those four words?"

"Ayanokōji-kun might be expelled from school. It's not unconventional

to read it that way."

"Hmm." She continues to talk as if she has a better grasp of the

situation than I do.

Anyway, it's a waste of time to keep up with her word games any

longer. I put my backpack back on and start walking towards her.

"I'm not happy. I don't know anything about Ayanokōji-senpai, but I

don't think it's right for you to pretend to be his friend just because you're

classmates."

As we stood side by side, Amasawa-san said those words.

"You don't know anything about Ayanokōji-senpai, right, Horikitasenpai?"

I didn't like that for some reason, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Then are you saying that you know more about him than I do?" I just

looked at her and she forced me to meet her eyes and smiled widely and

triumphantly.

"Fufu~ I know a lot about Ayanokōji-senpai. I know why he's so goodlooking, smart..., and stronger than anyone else."

It was hard to believe that a freshman who had just entered the school

would know so much about Ayanokōji-kun. Does that mean they've known

each other since before middle school? Just like me and Kushida-san, who

were in the same junior high school?

Amasawa-san continued her words unconcernedly.

"So, what do you know, Horikita-senpai?"

What do I know? I'm... the... first friend Ayanokōji-kun has made since

he entered this school. Yes, I guess you could say we're friends in a way. Our

seats happened to be next to each other, and we started to talk... a lot.

I thought he was just a normal student at first, but he was actually much

smarter than I imagined. My brother was one of the first to approve of him,

and he's also an expert in martial arts. However, he usually hides this side of

himself and prefers to lead a quiet school life. There are still very few people

who know about his abilities, but other than that, the information he has is

probably not much different from others.

"Yes, it's true, I may not know everything about him, I can't deny

that."

Thinking about Ayanokōji-kun again, I couldn't help but come to that

conclusion. Maybe Amasawa-san knew exactly what she was talking about. I

don't know.

At my words that could be considered a declaration of defeat,

Amasawa-san smiled happily.

"However..."

"However?"

Surely that's not what's important. I think it's not how much I know

about him now.

"I want to continue to know him for the rest of my life, until I graduate.

As a classmate, as a... friend, far more than you are now."

That's what I wish for right now, and that's how I feel. He is an

important friend and an indispensable member of the class that we cannot

afford to lose. If he was in danger right now, I couldn't help but run to him.

That's the reason why I'm leaving the designated area and heading there.

Now, I was able to reaffirm what I was trying to do. This choice is not a

wrong one. If it turns out to be just an unfounded fear, so much the better.

"Do you think you can help him? You're not good enough yet."

"I may not be good enough as you are right now. But I'm going to be

the one who can help him when he's in trouble."

This school life had only just begun to turn around. This conversation,

which could have been considered a waste of time, might have had a great

meaning. I suppose I should thank her for making me realize that. As I was

about to walk away, Amasawa-san's outstretched right hand stood in front of

me. When I look at her face again, I see that she has already lost her smile

and is looking at me with intense murderous intent.

"I've learned something from talking to you. Something is actually

about to happen on I2. If not, you don't need to try so hard to keep me here."

I can't afford to waste any more time here.

"Where are you going?"

"Can't you see how this is going? I'm going to I2 to help Ayanokōjikun."

Exactly what I said earlier, a step towards becoming someone who can

help him in times of trouble.

"Don't make me laugh. There's no way Ayanokōji-senpai would ask

Horikita-senpai for help." She says that just to correct me.

"At least for now, yes."

"Only, it's different in the future?"

Nodding, I look back once.

"And there's another thing I've figured out. I really think you don't

want me to go to I2. In other words, you were not the sender of this paper."

As I tried to avoid the outstretched hand, Amasawa-san stood in front

of me once again.

"I won't let you go, Horikita-senpai."

"The more you stop me, the more I'm definitely going to have to go to

I2. The way you're talking about it, it means he's in trouble now, doesn't it?"

It didn't matter how much I knew about the situation. All I could be

sure of was that something was clearly going on with Ayanokōji-kun right

now.

"Do you think you can go?"

"Yes, I think I can go."

Even if I have to forcefully remove the obstacles that stands in front of

me.

"Hmm, I can just feel your determination. I'll just wait for you to put

your bags down."

That meant that she would restrain me even by force. It would be better

not to think of it as a mere verbal threat. I took her words in stride and slowly

set my backpack down at my feet.

"Just so you know, I'm an experienced martial artist."

"I know."

"You're pretty well-informed, aren't you?"

I wondered if she knew more about me than just Ayanokōji-kun.

"I'll go ahead and say it too, but I'm super strong, so you'd better be

prepared for that."

From the moment she showed her anger. I knew firsthand that she was

no ordinary girl. I'm sure this isn't some kind of stunt. The fatigue from the

desert island exam has naturally built up. The same is true for Amasawa-san

in front of me. However, I'm not as tired as one may think, so we're evenly

matched as far as condition goes. If that's the case, I won't be defeated so

easily.

I took a slow stance and observed the behavior of Amasawa-san in

front of me. She doesn't seem to be taking any particular form, and only has

an eerie expression on her face.

"If you say you're going to see Ayanokōji-senpai, let's play for a bit to

stop that."

The Amasawa-san in front of me stepped to the left and...

"Ack!"

I was on full alert, but immediately after I saw it start to move, I sensed

danger and ran away, jumping backwards. The outstretched arm was not

strong enough to grab me, or was it? In any case, I thought I had avoided the

initial blow, but the next thing I knew, I was grabbed by the chest and the

clothes on my right arm.

"Damn..." In the time it takes me to mutter such words, my vision is

spinning around. Realizing the pain in my back, the fact that I was thrown on

my back followed.

"Oh no... what a surprise."

Unable to breathe, I let out a labored gasp.

"No, you can't let your guard down. Yes, I'll give you a fresh start, so

stand up, stand up." Looking down at me, Amasawa-san gives me an evil

smile.

I don't think I need to put into words again how humiliating that is. Just

one contact is enough to know. Amasawa-san's ability is considerable. As we

were both women, I thought that even if there was a difference in our

abilities, it would be slight. Ingenuity, resourcefulness, inspiration, and luck

were all factors that could turn the tables. But I may have been naive in my

thinking. Anyway, the damage to my back was not something to be laughed

off. It was fortunate that the ground was dirt, but it would take some time to

recover from the damage.

If the other side is proud of their overwhelming advantage, I'll take full

advantage of it. I decided to spend tens of seconds on one process of getting

up.

Don't worry, I'll wait for you; you can rest for five or ten minutes."

"If your goal is to keep me from going to Ayanokōji-kun, then so be

it."

"If you don't want to fight, that's the best way, right? Even from

Horikita-senpai's point of view."

That's for sure. We've been going through the deserted island test

without a hitch up to this point, and now we're starting to fight and quarrel at

the end of it. If I'm not good enough, I'll be retired and I'll even be expelled

as the sole student.

"Not yet..." Once the pain in my back is gone, I take another stance.

The same stance as before.

Just because I have a background in martial arts doesn't mean I'm any

good at street fights. I can only demonstrate my abilities as I have learned

them. I was surprised at how fast Amasawa-san was moving, but I had an

idea of how to fight her with my judo skills. One time, a karate master taught

me carefully what to do when a man grabs a woman and tries to push her

down. I remembered this in my mind and practiced it again. I was wary of

going easy on my instructor, but if it is Amasawa-san, I wouldn't have to

worry. I throw away the idea that she's younger than me and switch to the

feeling of fighting a superior opponent.

"Fufufu~!" She laughs aloud, perhaps amused that I'm focusing on the

slight changes in Amasawa-san's legs and shoulders instead of her face.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean, Horikita-senpai. I know exactly

how you feel. But you know what?"

I don't go along with her play on words. Right now, I'm focusing all of

my attention on seeing through her first move...

After another shock and pain, I realized that the left foot that was

coming at me at high speed had hit a little above my armpit as I tried to

match the right foot that she had stepped on.

"Ack!" I was kicked to the ground in agonizing pain, almost to the

point of tears. I was kicked to the ground, and all I could do with my arms,

which couldn't even defend themselves, was catch myself. I rolled around on

the ground two or three times, confused even though I knew how it happened.

"You thought it was mainly judo, didn't you? You're not thinking

straight."

"Ugh, ugh....!" I hold my right side where I was kicked and close my eyes.

The pain is so intense that it almost breaks my heart in an instant. This

is the second time I've felt such deadly strength since the time I faced off

against Hōsen-kun... It was only recently that I started to lose confidence in a

number of ways.

"This year's first-year students are not all that cute..."

"Does that mean that last year's Horikita-senpai was a cute girl, unlike

me?"

I know it's a mean question, but it's a painful reply. I may be a

different type of girl, but I'm sure I'm no less cute than you. I tried to stand

up, but as I put pressure on my legs, I felt them slipping away. With a back

throw and one kick, my strength has been drained more than I thought

possible.

"What are you? You seem to know the old Ayanokōji-kun..."

One thing was for sure, this Amasawa-san possessed a strange strength

just like him. A glimpse of the strength that Ayanokōji-kun showed when he

faced my brother, when he faced Hosen-kun.

"There's no way I'm going to tell a senior something like that."

"Well, you don't seem like the kind of person who would give me an

easy answer."

Anyway, it's one of the few good things that the other side is playing

with me. It's just a matter of keeping me from going to Ayanokōji-kun, so I

guess it doesn't matter how much time we spend here. I need to let some of

the damage I've done go in order to move forward.

"What can I say, I'm disappointed about a lot of things. Senpai isn't as

good as you think you are, you know? That's why Ayanokōji-senpai doesn't

ask you for any advice."

As if peeking into my heart, Amasawa-san's eyes look into my inner

thoughts.

"You say you want to help, but really you want to know what he thinks

of you, and you're scared to find out that he doesn't trust you."

"Yeah, I guess that could be it."

"As I said before, Ayanokōji-senpai won't be able to rely on Horikitasenpai."

"Even if that's the case, I want to hear it from him, not from you."

"Can't you see that's not cool?" Without even trying to hide her annoyance, Amasawa-san approached my side.

"Kushida-senpai still has better eyesight than you."

"Kushida-san? How come Kushida-san's name came up here...?

"Stand up, Horikita-senpai. Talking to you is only irritating me, so I'll

end it."

As a mercy at least, she gives me a reprieve to regain my stance. Then,

as for me, I can't just give up the fight until the end. I stand up and focus all

my attention on seeing through Amasawa-san's attack. I know I'm repeating

myself, but as long as I can only do this, I have no choice.

"Bye~!"

Amasawa-san runs out with light steps and comes at me. Do I catch

her? Avoid her? I'm sure neither of them will succeed.

If that's the case, at least give me a shot...!

Pan! The sound of a dry fist rang beside my ear.

But the pain doesn't come, and a shadow forms in front of my eyes,

hiding my vision.

"You, why ...?"

A student catches her fist in front of me and spits it out without even

looking at me. The small back was Ibuki, who was supposed to have left.

"I guess that wasn't a bad punch."

"Nice catch~. I was a little surprised by your unexpected appearance."

When I couldn't swallow the situation and couldn't move, Ibuki-san

turned around and stared at me.

"I'm the one who's going to beat you. I don't want to see you get

defeated by a freshman from who knows where." She said and shook off the

fist she had grabbed. Amasawa-san distanced herself again.

"I'm Ichika Amasawa~. Please remember my name, Ibuki-senpai."

"I'm not good at remembering personal things. If you want me to

remember, can you leave that much of an impression on me?"

"Fufu, that's kind of funny."

"I'll play with her, and you can go wherever you want."

"What are you talking about? You've worked so hard on this special

exam to beat me, haven't you?"

"You're throwing away the designated area too, aren't you? There's no

point in turning the tables like that."

That's why you came back? I swallowed the words.

"She's incredibly strong, you know. You might end up regretting it.

Would you still be okay with that?"

"What's that? Are you saying I'm going to lose?"

"That's how strong your opponent is."

"I don't think I can lose to Ibuki-senpai."

"You guys really think I'm not good enough eh?"

A bad threat seems to have the opposite effect, igniting Ibuki-san's

feelings.

"Even if you were to win against Amasawa-san, if you were to overdo

it or sound an emergency alert in the process, you may well be retired. As the

lone you, there's also a chance you'll be expelled."

"So it's the same for you, right?"

"What? Yes, I suppose so."

"I'm sure I'm stronger than you." She gestured with her hand for me to

leave.

"Which one of you is going to fight? You'll have to decide quickly!"

"I'll take her."

"What kind of line is that coming from the chick who almost lost

earlier? You're in my way, so back off."

"This is my fight, it's none of your business."

"What the hell are you talking about? You must have hit your head and

gone crazy."

"That's..."

It's not possible to stop Ibuki-san with a half-hearted attempt. But I

can't do something here that I would leave to her. I grabbed Ibuki-san by the

shoulders and forced her to step back.

"What are you doing!"

"I've been trying to be obtuse, but I have to tell you. You can't beat

her."

"Don't be silly. Don't make assumptions before you even try."

"It's true. You can't beat her because I couldn't even get my hands on

her."

If the fire has been lit, I will stoke Ibuki-san's fire to the utmost.

"Then I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong..."

I hold out my left arm toward Ibuki-san.

"What?"

"I don't want to fight a losing battle, and if you're going to break into

this fight, you're going to have to show a certain amount of resolve as well.

You'll be in the same group as me. And if one of us is incapacitated, you can

leave and prevent the group from retiring."

"You're kidding. Why would I want to be with you?"

"I told you. I asked you to be prepared. You don't get into this fight

without being ready."

"I don't like it..."

"You don't have to like it. But if you're going to join, I want to be able

to count on you."

"Seriously, that sucks to death. But it wouldn't be any fun if you got

kicked out of school by a freshman."

We both know that our intentions are repulsive. But the watches stop

where they meet. The link requires ten seconds. If she wanted to stop us,

Amasawa-san could do so easily, but there is no sign of movement.

Amasawa-san is only enjoying observing what we do from above.

"That's not a bad strategy. If single people work together to form a

group, you can certainly escape expulsion even if the other person is a big

monster."

Turning her back to us, Amasawa-san quietly distanced herself from us.

I don't think she felt the danger of being in a two-on-one situation and pulled

away. After some distance, she stops and looks back at us.

"But there's one miscalculation, Horikita-senpai."

"Miscalculation? What exactly are you talking about?"

"The fact that it's okay if one of you retires means, on the other hand,

that there's no problem if one of you breaks."

She smiles a wide smile of pure evil that she has never shown before.

"So you're saying I already pissed you off? You're not good enough."

Even though she must have felt her opponent's strength firsthand, Ibuki-san

seems to be enjoying herself.

And at this point, the signal for the completion of the link rings out.

"I wonder, which one should I break first!"

After taking the first step, the expression of Amasawa-san, who ran out

at once, was full of passion. There is no stance or anything, just the desire of

grabbing as she extends her hand towards us.

"Kuku! Kukukuku!!!" She was smiling so much that she looked

distorted and inhuman.

Is it me or Ibuki-san? I'm probably more hateful to her, but that doesn't

mean I shouldn't think that I have a higher chance of being targeted.

"Let's go, Ibuki-san! You, to the left!"

"Don't order me around!"

However, the moment I said to move, Ibuki-san starts moving to the

left. I also move to the right side at the same time and check the aim of

Amasawa-san who is coming towards me. She seemed to be running straight

towards us with no intention of playing tricks. It was clear she was trying to

stop me from making the correct judgment with her unrelenting advance.

However, even then, I could see it clearly. As both sides took action,

the distance was instantly closed and we collided. Because my fists and

Ibuki-san's could not possibly work in tandem, the timing of our attacks

would naturally diverge. But even so, it would be impossible to respond to it

easily.

Nonetheless, Amasawa dodged as easily as if she were training.

We continued to attack without resting our hands, as we were being hit

repeatedly.

"Yes, let's stop for a while."

Amasawa-san interrupts our attack without any hesitation.

"What's with this chick...!"

"Totally..."

We lined up and stared breathlessly at Amasawa-san in front of us. As

an impromptu duo, we're choppy, but it's still two against one. If it were a

normal situation, we should have been able to overpower her. Instead, it was

the other way around.

It's more than I imagined... No, it's beyond my imagination.

Furthermore, we also had to be wary of our movements. If we did as

we pleased here, the risk of expulsion wouldn't be minimal.

"Ibuki-san, don't you dare touch her."

"Let go of me!" As if she couldn't stand the restraining condition,

Ibuki-san stretched her flexible body to the limit and unleashed a kick. It was

the first time I had ever seen a woman in such a position.

"Ah!"

"I said stop, didn't I?"

At this moment, I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort in the midst

of a war that was being pushed. A clear difference in power. Does this mean

that Amasawa-san is playing?

She seemed to be fighting with minimal movement since a while ago.

What if she wasn't waiting for me to recover when she was fighting me one

on one? But it's not an answer that fits. It should be easy to subdue me with

her strength. I can think of one strategy I'd like to try. I need to get out of this

once and for all anyway.

"Ha!" I thrust my left fist into her body, but like Ibuki-san, it was

lightly swatted away.

"Yes, let's start over."

Looking down at us and smiling, Amasawa-san distances herself once

more.

"You're going through the same thing I did."

"Unlike you, I set myself up for this to happen... to start over."

"Excuses are dumb."

That would probably refer to both of us to anyone looking at the current

situation.

"If you think I'm licking my chops, I'm going to remind you..."

I get up and grab Ibuki-san's arm to stop her from setting one of us up.

"What are you doing?"

"Now that we're on the same side, you're going to follow my

instructions. Can you do that?"

"Huh? I can't do that."

"There's no point if you don't do it. You know full well how strong

Amasawa-san is in front of you, I can't win by myself nor can you."

"Even if I can't, I'm not going to follow your orders."

I think about it. I wondered what the best way to treat Ibuki-san would

be. What would Ayanokōji-kun do if he were here and in the same situation as me? How can two people who don't really get along work together, even if

it's just for this occasion?

"Ibuki-san."

"I told you I don't want to."

"I'm well aware that you and I are water and oil, and even though we

got into a bit of a tussle during the island exam a year ago that led to our

current relationship, there's one thing I do approve of about you."

Yes, I'll do what I need to do now, without hesitation.

"Your fighting sense is second to none to mine. No, I'd say it slightly

surpasses mines."

"Ha, what a rush. Are you trying to lift me up with that?"

"But your fighting style is specialized for one-on-one combat, and I

know better than you how to move against a strong opponent in a two-on-one

fight. Cooperation may have been the wrong word for you. Lend me that

strength of yours."

Ibuki turned her attention to me for a moment as I said this.

"You are stronger in terms of physical strength. But that's all. Other

than that, you're on a whole different level. You can't study, you can't

organize a class, you can't join hands with anyone. I'm sorry, but calling

yourself my rival is a bit conceited."

If I offended her, that was it. But I'm not going to stop mid-sentence.

"I think it's time for you to come out of your shell. Ibuki Mio-san."

"What's...?"

"If you continue to push forward in solitude as you are now, you will

surely face the danger of being expelled from school somewhere down the

line."

"No, I don't care if that's what happens."

"That would mean a complete and utter defeat for you, but that's okay,

right?"

"Huh?"

"Dropping out at the halfway point isn't even close to being a rival.

You'll have to hang on until the very end, and grow into a rival who I'll be

able to fear."

"Oh, I get it, I get it, shut up. I'll obey you for this moment. That's it,

right?"

"Very well."

"So, what do I do?"

"Just like before, attack Amasawa at the same time. But don't worry

about hitting her. I want you to stand around so that you will never be caught.

And I want you to keep attacking endlessly."

"Hitting is secondary? What's the point in doing that?"

"If my readings are right..., I'm sure there's a winning strategy here.

When I give the signal, attack with everything you've got."

Ibuki-san moved away from me, though she didn't seem convinced.

"Conference meeting is over? Well then, let's start round two, shall

we~?"

We started running at the same time, splitting left and right as we

headed towards Amasawa-san. In order to avoid being caught, it is strictly

forbidden to get too close. I timed my fist thrusts from a distance where they

might not connect. Of course, if Amasawa-san does not take any action, the

attack will hit her. So, as for her, she needs to keep responding to every

attack with some degree of nervousness.

Don't rush, stay calm, and if you sense danger, quickly get away.

If I were alone, she wouldn't be able to escape, but now that she's

dispersing her consciousness in two directions, it's a fighting style that

works.

There is no time to lose.

Quickly, quickly, before I tire out...!

By continuing to attack dangerously, the sharpness of Amasawa-san

movements begins to slow down. Although her expression was smiling, she

was clearly starting to lose her breath.

"Now!!!" I swing my right fist with all my might at Amasawa-san so as

not to miss this once in a thousand chance.

If it had been just a moment ago, I would have been able to stop her

with one hand with room to spare, but she took a defensive posture. My fist

didn't hit her directly and was blocked, but Ibuki, who was behind me,

kicked the ground and shot a clenched fist into Amasawa-san's face as she

turned and tried to respond.

The first time the attack hit, Amasawa-san's body shook.

"Haaaaah!"

As Amasawa-san drops her hips deeply, Ibuki unleashes a powerful

thrust at her abdomen. Exhaling, Amasawa-san collapses. I straddle her at

that moment, blocking her body from getting up.

"My... my. It seems that one worked quite well senpai."

"It seems so... This is it, Amasawa-san... I admire your strength, but

you have a fatal lack of stamina."

I was able to exploit her too unexpected weakness and managed to turn

the tables on her.

"Fufu, did I give it away? I'm so frail."

Despite being defeated, she was in no hurry to laugh, sticking out her

tongue a little. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her skin peeking out

from under her gym clothes. Without thinking, I grabbed her gym clothes and

forcefully pulled them up to her navel.

"Ah, senpai. I didn't know you felt like that~"

A strong bruise-like mark. In fact, the marks of several blows can be

outlined. A wound that looks like a punishment, quite different from the

regular fist punch I had given her only one blow.

It was a wound that she had received before the fight began.

"I've just had a little fight before the seniors, you know."

Normally, her face would be contorted in pain, and she would have

trouble walking. And yet, she was in such a ragged state, but she had the

upper hand against the two of us.

It wasn't that she didn't have stamina. She had been fighting on the

verge of severe collapse from the start. She was fighting in a situation where

she needed to recover even more than I did... The truth of the matter almost

makes me dizzy.

A person who can inflict such injuries against Amasawa-san, who is in

perfect condition. Even if we were to include boys, the only person that came

to mind was Hōsen-kun.

"Do you want to know who did this to me? It might have been Hōsenkun."

There was no doubt that Hōsen-kun's ability was extraordinary. He

could probably get the upper hand against Amasawa-san, who had unrealistic

strength. But there are things about her character that can be seen even after

just a little relative contact. I don't think she will answer honestly. It's just

that she presented me with one answer that made sense to me. If that's the

case, does that mean there is someone else who can overpower Amasawasan? Even if I apply myself to all the students in the school, I can't think of

anyone that comes to mind.

Maybe Yamada-kun, no, but there's no advantage for him to do that.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. Who is it really?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that senpai~"

Seeing that I was careless because I was deep in thought, Amasawa-san

seized the moment and jumped out of my grasp.

"Hey, what are you doing! You let her get away"

"You're right, I was careless."

She let Amasawa-san escape from what could have been a one-time

opportunity.

"Well, now we're back to square one, both of you."

The other side was in a full-body wound. But the situation was reversed

again. I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold her off again... to be honest.

But I have to try.

At least, I thought as much until she went to her backpack and pulled

out her tablet.

"Looks like I'm done. It's getting a little interesting, but I think my

time is up."

"What do you mean?"

"It means we're done here. If you want to go through, be my guest~"

She said, opening the path that had led her to show strong resistance and

refused to let me pass through earlier.

Is this some kind of trap? While we were unable to grasp the situation,

Amasawa-san started walking somewhere.

"Where are you going?"

"Where? Hmm... I guess the designated area for now. I'll have to do the

special exam, just in case."

Well... if she's called it off, then I best go check on Ayanokōji-kun's

condition.

"Ah, that's right. I don't think you need to chase after Ayanokōjisenpai anymore."

"Why?"

"Well, it's highly likely everything is already over. If you think it's a

lie, why don't you go?"

"What about Ayanokōji-kun?"

At that question, Amasawa-san slightly lowered her eyes.

"Why don't you see for yourself? There's always the chance you might just end up regretting that you didn't make it in time."

Amasawa-san seemed to really be planning on turning back and slipped

past us.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to go after Ayanokōji?

That's why you're fighting Amasawa, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm going after him."

He's already in front of me, I can't turn back without checking now.

"Then I'll go with you."

"Why?"

"If Ayanokōji says he's in trouble, I thought I'd stand by and laugh at

him."

"You're a bottom-feeder, aren't you?"

We hurriedly reloaded our backpacks on each other and ran off to I2.