Leo and Samantha were making their way back to their room after a day spent on the campus grounds when they were approached by a pair they hadn't spoken to before. A boy and a girl, both appearing to be in their early twenties, walked up to them with friendly but slightly weary smiles.
"Hey, you're Leo and Samantha, right?" the girl asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We saw your rankings after the first test. You guys came in second—impressive."
Leo and Samantha exchanged a quick glance, both slightly on guard but intrigued. "Yeah, that's us. And you are?" Samantha replied, her voice level and calm.
The girl smiled warmly, extending a hand. "I'm Ibuki, and this is my partner, Ryuto." Ryuto nodded, giving them a small wave. They both had a quiet, humble energy about them, though they looked visibly relieved to have made it this far.
"We, uh… we actually didn't do so well in the first test," Ryuto admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Ended up in the bottom twenty, which put us in that crazy second round."
"Oh, you went through the race?" Leo asked, genuinely curious. "That looked intense."
Ibuki nodded, her expression turning serious. "It was rough. The mud track, the three-legged aspect… And with that stop-and-go rule every time the music paused. We barely made it. We were so close to getting eliminated."
"Yeah, it wasn't just about speed or even stamina," Ryuto added. "It felt like… they were trying to get us to mess up by making it complicated. You had to trust your partner, keep in sync, and ignore the pressure of all those paintballs."
Samantha listened, nodding thoughtfully. She had the quiet, assessing look she often wore when observing new information. "Sounds like a test of coordination and patience," she said finally.
Ibuki smiled, slightly surprised but appreciative of Samantha's calm analysis. "Exactly. I think each round is designed to shake us in a different way. We're still catching our breath, honestly."
After sharing a few more details about the race and swapping thoughts on strategy, Ibuki and Ryuto bid Leo and Samantha goodbye. "We've got to head to the shopping area. Only got 50 points from passing the last round, so we need to make them stretch," Ryuto said with a grin.
"Good luck with that," Leo said, and they watched the pair head off. Leo turned to Samantha, a small smile forming on his face. "Looks like we've got new allies."
Samantha gave a small nod. "They seem decent. Let's hope they're not just pretending to be."
They headed back to their room, deciding to keep dinner simple that night with the ordinary meals provided by the officials. The food wasn't anything special, but it was enough to keep them going. Both of them ate in relative silence, each lost in their thoughts as they prepared mentally for whatever might come next. Their injuries from the last round were healing steadily, and the rest was doing them both some good.
Just as Leo was getting ready to relax, he noticed a slight frown cross Samantha's face. She looked over at the drying rack by the corner and her gaze hardened.
"Something wrong?" Leo asked.
"My… my underwear and bra," Samantha replied, her voice edged with irritation. "They were hanging here to dry. And now, they're gone."
Leo's brows furrowed in confusion. "Gone? Who would—"
Samantha glanced at the door, her eyes narrowed. "Our doors don't lock. Someone must have come in and taken them while we were out."
Leo felt a mix of anger and embarrassment at the idea. "Are you serious? Who would do something like that?"
She crossed her arms, her gaze steely. "I have a rough idea of who it might be. But I'll keep it in mind. We can't get distracted by it now."
Leo couldn't help but admire her composure, though he sensed her frustration. "Whoever it is… that's low. If we find out, they're going to regret it."
"Leave it for now, Leo," Samantha replied, calming her tone as she unclenched her fists. "There are more important things we need to focus on. We have to be ready for the next test. If we get sidetracked, it'll only hurt us."
Leo took a breath, nodding. She was right, as always. With everything else they were up against, they couldn't afford to let small grievances distract them. But in the back of his mind, Leo was determined to watch out for any suspicious behavior.
As they got ready for bed, Leo couldn't shake his newfound frustration at their competitors. Though Samantha brushed it off, he knew it wasn't something she'd forgotten. They both knew that in a competition like this, trust was rare, and any opportunity to undermine someone's confidence could give others an edge.
They lay down, quietly discussing their observations and strategies as the lights dimmed. For now, they would stay vigilant and look forward to the next test, whatever it might bring.