Chapter 4 : Coming to Like Your Partner
It was a little after 6 AM, and it had just started to get hot in the tent. I could hear a voice from outside.
"Excuse me, Ayanokouji-senpai. Are you awake?" "Please wait."
I went outside to answer Nanase's call, who visited me.
"Sorry for waking you up so early in the morning."
"I was already awake, so it's okay. I'll have to clean up for our
departure soon. So, what's up?"
She checked the surrounding tents to make sure no one was awake,
and then whispered:
"It's about Ike-senpai. I think I may have said a little too much
yesterday..."
"Well, even if what you said might've been a bit too much, it was
the right thing to do."
I knew I was going to have to step in a lot, but even he was
remorseful, too, at one point.
"Thanks to you, Ike got back on his feet. No, I should say he's
regained his footing. I think he should be grateful."
"Do you think so?"
I nodded immediately, but it looked like she wasn't convinced.
"I somehow feel that Ike-senpai will be in danger. I'm afraid that
yesterday's discussion will turn out to be a disaster, and he'll do something reckless... That's why I'm anxious."
"I don't know how he feels about it, but..."
While I agreed that Ike's state of mind was a concern, it was still a big risk to accompany him. Ike's group and I were in completely different tables, and there was no way to predict where the next designated area would be.
Depending on the next area, there was a possibility of going in a completely different direction.
Why did Nanase suddenly care so much about Ike? Was she planning something?
If so, then was it simply to keep me from going to the designated area?
No, this wasn't something that Nanase would do, but...
I couldn't throw away the possibility that an interference would occur...
"Maybe it's true... After all, it's almost impossible to join up again once you're separated."
"No—that's right."
It wasn't a very good strategy, but it was not impossible either.
To be cautious, but to also care for Sudou's group.
"In more extreme cases, it's not that difficult if you're only thinking
about meeting up. You just have to decide where to meet up. It's feasible if you have the strength to walk the distance."
Whether it was a designated area or a task, all of these ended at 5 PM.
That meant you were free to do whatever you wanted from 5 PM to 7 PM, no matter where you were.
"That's true, but..."
Of course, whether it was really a good or bad idea was another story.
The more the areas they needed to aim for the next day, the more they would rebel against each other, and the tougher the group merging would become.
"For now, let's see where the next designated area for Ike's group will be."
If the route was completely different from ours, it would be wise to give up early.
The first designated area was to be announced at 7 AM after finishing breakfast and cleaning up after ourselves.
"H7?"
It wasn't the worst, but it was hardly an ideal area either.
There was a fine line between going there and then back again in a
mere two hours.
I wasn't sure whether we'd be able to get there in time, but if we
were to ignore it here, our penalty count would increase to two. This was the bottom line.
If the next area was randomly designated and landed to the west across the mountains, I wouldn't be able to catch up.
"It'll be tricky if the next randomly designated area is at 9 o'clock."
If I walked for two hours straight from here, I'd probably have to go up to I8 or I7.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to reach H7 in 2 hours, but...
There was a considerable risk involving Nanase in such a heavy- handed situation.
There was also the option of skipping this one as well without straining ourselves.
The point deduction penalty would start on the third time of missing an area, though.
It was still okay to go through H7, but...
If we were to get stuck in mud, there was a chance of us not being able to reach the designated area for an extended period of time, and soon getting swept up in the subsequent area designations.
"Sudou, what's your designated area?"
"I8. Seems like we're going the same way. Let's have a good time."
So our destinations were completely different, but the path there was exactly the same.
But it should be considered unlucky rather than convenient. With this, the option for me to take hard measures had completely disappeared.
If I chose to go at a harsher pace, Ike and Hondou would surely be unable to catch up.
"We're going in the same direction, so why don't you come with us?"
Since I wouldn't be able to get there anyway, it was better to work with Sudou and the others.
It'd be the same case for Ike, and we could help each other if we were to get into trouble along the way.
"'Course. Hey, Ike?"
"Mmmm, sure, I guess."
Ike replied somewhat shyly, as if remembering last evening's talk. Ike was inspired by the unexpected presence of Nanase.
It was an unlucky start to the third day, but it didn't look like it was
all that bad.
Normally, he would be joking around, saying she was cute and
cuddly or something, plus a cringy pick-up line or two, but he hadn't
shown any such pretenses. It was out of the question to do something like that the day after he told everyone about Shinohara. However, that might've been about to change, as Ike hadn't done such out-of-the-box things until now.
"Okay. I'll take the lead, so follow me."
He enthusiastically raised his arms and took the lead himself. Since I started working with Sudou's group, the place has become much more lively. It was good to be in high spirits.
"Ayanokouji-senpai, you don't look like you're having much fun. Your expression looks distasteful."
"It's nothing."
"Is that so?"
Perhaps I was worried about the designated area, but I didn't
remember showing it on my face.
"Don't waste your energy worrying about it. The guy's always like
that."
Sudou said, craning his head back to supplement our conversation. I was both grateful and ungrateful for his follow-up.
"It is what it is."
I answered in a way that was a bit complicated, not wanting to be on
board of such talk.
Sudou smiled wickedly. He then went to talk to Ike, who was leading
the way.
"After all, Ayanokouji-senpai must have something in mind for Ike-
senpai too, right?"
"You're reading into it too much. I'm happy to see Ike growing. To
be honest, I don't know what kind of danger you're talking about." "...I see."
I decided that this matter would be poorly handled by Sudou and Ike, so I cut the conversation short at this point.
Ike, who was walking in front of me, was certainly stronger than yesterday. I wouldn't say his mind hadn't grown at all. In that respect, I thought I answered Nanase with no lies and fabrications at all.
However—most of it was still just a sham. It was merely the first step in changing. Depending on the situation, it was quite possible that he'd stagnate, or even reverse in the progress.
People were not so simple that they could change as long as they felt like it. Nanase was aware of that part, and that's why she was trying to
make me understand it too. Nanase walked next to me, with her eyes fixed on Ike in front of her. I wondered how far she was really thinking about Ike.
From the front, Ike sounded a little surprised.
A wild bird flapped its wings from the forest and took off into the sky.
It was only on this uninhabited island that we could see this kind of nature with our own eyes.
Anyway, for now I had no choice but to act with Nanase for as long as possible in order to find out her true identity.
1
Just before 9:00 AM, we arrived at the southeast side of I8. The road was steep, but Nanase, who was walking behind me, was breathing normally and seemed to be able to keep up with us even if we accelerated our progress. As soon as we reached I8, Sudou, who had been acting together with us just now, hurried with his group towards a task that had appeared on I9.
"We're moving to J9 for now."
"To reduce the odds of being in the designated area at nine o'clock?" "Yeah."
From here, we could move to the J9 area in less than a few minutes. We arrived at the J9 area three minutes before the deadline while
checking on our tablet.
We sat on the ground for a short three-minute break, waiting for the
second announcement of the designated area.
Nanase, sitting nearby, peered into the screen. The time changed to
9 o'clock a few seconds later. "Senpai..."
Checking the designated area, Nanase looked up. The next area to move was J5, being the second random designation; exiting the forest would be a bit tricky, but we could continue east toward the ocean and then go north on the beach.
Even if the students with the same table had reached H7, it would still take some time to get out of the forest.
This one had more distance, but there was a good chance we'd be able to outrun all our rivals at once.
Most importantly, you'd never know where the random designations were going to send you.
Fortunately, it was within an acceptable range.
We resumed moving immediately without exchanging any words. We decided to take a course toward the beach.
In less than 20 minutes, we landed on the beach from the northeast
of I8 and continued to push our way through the sandy beach.
Along the way, we reached the J6 area.
We encountered a group of adults hurriedly getting ready to go.
I walked past them with a sideways glance and opened my tablet to
find the appearance of a task.
"Beach Flags Showdown, huh?"
It's truly a seaside-esque task. Beach Flags was originally conceived
as a sport to train lifesavers' reflexes and running ability.
There was going to be a call for eight men and eight women to
participate independently.
Since only one person from the same group was allowed to
participate, this was a challenge for eight groups of men and eight groups of women to participate separately.
You would only be rewarded with 6 points for first place. There were a few prizes to choose from as additional rewards too.
In addition, as an extra prize for participation, you'd receive a bottle of 500ml water.
Although the task was announced through the tablet, if you passed by the setup point this way, you'd be able to notice it at an early stage. You could participate before anyone else, but the problem was that you wouldn't be able to know the contents of the task. Of course, if it was a straightforward task, it was possible to predict what you should prepare for, but if it was a more specific task of some sort, it'd be harder to guess.
However, there was an hour until the end of the registration period. If you were to enter now, you'd be stuck on the spot, plus you'd be throwing away the possibility of getting a first-come, first-serve reward in a designated area.
I ignored the task for the time being, and continued on with my priority, which was to reach the designated area.
And thus, a signal was sent to our wristwatches the moment we stepped foot on J5.
"We did it, senpai!"
It took us about an hour to reach our goal. Normally, I'd only
receive an arrival bonus since we took so long, but I was fortunate enough to get first place, and Nanase got one arrival bonus point as well. I didn't know whether she'd get the arrival order rewards or not, since it was up to Amasawa and Housen for their arrival as well.
Now, the next step was to participate in the Beach Flags task.
Nanase and I headed back to J6 to take part in the task, hoping to accumulate more points.
However, this was where the unexpected development occurred. There were already many men and women lined up for the Beach Flags challenge. When we passed the task while the staff were setting up, no one was there. Did that many people gather in such a short time?
"I don't know if we're able to join."
"Right. Maybe the J6 area was designated by another table" "Maybe..."
"Let's head out anyway."
"Okay."
2
We were now in J6 and approaching the task at hand.
There appeared to be more than 8 boys which were eligible to
participate, but that wasn't confirmed yet.
There should've been a chance as only one person from the group
could participate.
A third-year student who spotted us approaching stirred.
Just before, they seemed to be chatting happily with their friends,
but when one of them, Kiriyama, the Student Council Vice President, noticed our presence, his attitude changed dramatically. He hurriedly ran to the person in charge and began to talk to him.
I couldn't help but notice the person in charge of the project.
I told him that I wanted to register, but unfortunately, he told me that I was too late, and that the task had reached maximum capacity. This
meant that I could not participate in the event. The boys, who had reached the maximum number of students, went to change their clothes as soon as possible.
There were only seven girls registered though, and there was still room for one more.
"If Ayanokouji-senpai can't join it, I'll forget about it as well. You'll have to wait for it to finish then."
"No, I was just about to take a break. Nanase should participate." "But..."
"As long as I get the arrival order rewards, I won't be lacking in
points. Whether we can win or not is another matter, but if you think you have a chance to win, you might as well join."
There were still 10 minutes to go before the time limit, but if Nanase entered, the task would reach maximum capacity for participants of both genders.
That meant she could try the challenge without losing time.
"Thank you. Well then, I'll be participating now..."
If you were likely to get points from anything, you should actively
shoot for them. A waiting tent had been set up to avoid direct sunlight, so I moved there.
It seemed that there were several sizes and types of swimwear for both men and women. It could be said that the game began with choosing one that suited you. Well, you had to be good at the sport anyway, so no matter what you chose, it wouldn't change the outcome by much.
The boys who finished changing started to appear one by one from the simple changing room. All of them wore practically the same orthodox swim shorts. The only real difference was the patterns of their respective shorts. The students scattered to meet up with their friends from the same groups.
I decided to look at the boys who were gathering at the task start. All the participating members of the boys were third-years. On the other hand, seven of the participating female members were third-years. It was Nanase, a first-year student, who barely slipped in.
Only one student from a group could participate in the task. That meant there were at least 15 groups of third graders gathered here. The lack of students from other grades felt abnormal, whether it was in the designated areas or just for tasks.
Then, what caught my eye was the Vice President, Ikuto Kiriyama. If a large group of people were working together to make Kiriyama win... Regardless of what I thought, the boys were ready to begin their match, a simple tournament where the student who won a one-on-one match would advance to the next round, needing three consecutive wins in total.
If they were determined to let Kiriyama win, it could be determined by their level of enthusiasm, because whether or not they were serious about winning would have a big impact on how they played.
However, from the first round, an unexpectedly heated battle unfolded. Kiriyama was to face off against a man in his class. Both runners stood up from their starting position and began running at almost the same time, and both jumped in for the flag at a similar time. The difference between victory and defeat seemed to be nothing but the length of their arms. Kiriyama grabbed the flag and won the first round.
It wasn't just that game either; all of the third-year students had a strong will to win, and they carried the game with them. It didn't seem like Kiriyama—or anyone else, for that matter—was rushing it.
It wasn't like he was acting serious because I was watching him.
Kiriyama was not that wary of me, and it was impossible to unify everyone's motives to perform one singular task.
Then how could I explain the herd of third-years in front of me? Maybe something was moving beyond my intentions.
In the midst of all the exciting games going on, the girls also finished
changing and began to gather.
Five out of the participating eight girls wore normal school
swimsuits, while Nanase's swimsuit choice appeared to be quite bold and aggressive.
It seemed they had to wait until the boys' battle was settled. I approached and called out to Nanase.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yes?"
Nanase, who had begun stretching in a bikini, curiously looked up at me.
"Um, you picked quite a cute swimsuit. Is there a reason why you chose it in particular?"
Looking at it simply, there seemed to be no problems with wearing a school swimsuit.
"My reason? Well, I watched a game of Beach Flags on TV and saw the participants were wearing these, and I thought it would look good on me. Plus, it'd be a waste to be wearing a school swimsuit here. Am I wrong?"
No, I'm sure there was nothing wrong with being influenced after watching the TV or something.
It's probably an event that people who come to the beach often do to have fun.
Nanase then watched the flow of the game while making some preparations.
In the men's competition, the curtain came down on Kiriyama as the victor. As expected of him, he paralleled Nagumo, having similar physical abilities at a grade of B+ according to the OAA.
Now for the women's division, where Nanase was competing. As soon as Nanase's name was called in the first game, she moved into battle. Her opponent was a third-year student called Tomioka. Her opponent had a C+ in physical ability, which wasn't bad. On the other hand, Nanase had a B+ in physical ability, which was one level higher. However, high physical ability does not necessarily lead to victory.
Though Nanase had an advantage and total strength was important, each student had their own strengths and weaknesses.
Whether or not they had experience in Beach Flags was also important, but it was probably best to assume that most of it came down to one's high reflexes and running ability. The question being, which one was better? At the signal of the pistol, Nanase quickly got up and kicked off from the sand, diving for the flag in a mad rush.
Tomioka was defeated, unable to even come close with Nanase, and looked up at the sky with a stunned expression.
The timing of the run was partly a matter of chance, but in Nanase's case, it was perfect.
It was proof that her reflexes were clearly superior to Tomioka's.
After the remaining three games, the best four were to be decided, but Nanase's reflexes and running ability were unmatched.
However, you couldn't let your guard down. Even reflexes had the possibility of being slowed down by carelessness, arrogance, or other factors, and even if you were proud of your leg strength, it would be over if your foot got caught in the sand or you tripped and fell.
However, it wasn't always the case that things have to go wrong.
Nanase won the second round with an easy victory, grabbing another point for her.
"That's a tough one."
Kiriyama, who was watching the game, spoke frankly about Nanase, a freshman.
Not to me, of course, but to a fellow competitor. The game went smoothly, and the finalists were decided. Her opponent in the finals was Tokunaga, also a third-year participant. Her opponent had the same physical ability at B+. They won their first two games without any problems, just like Nanase, and looked comfortable at playing. It was an orderly final between the strongest players, and Nanase and Tokunaga took their starting positions.
The spectators, who had been bustling until now, quietly waited for the starting signal.
The pistol signalling the start of the match sounded at a staff's hand, and both competitors reacted at identical intervals to get up. It was a good start to the race, but it was even up until here.
Nanase took her first step from the starting line, using much more immense leg power to kick off from the sand compared to her opponent. She dived into the sand, removing the flag splendidly.
Could Tokunaga have felt their difference in power, despite their similarly perfect starts? The gap between them was too great to show any frustration, and she smiled bitterly, as if somewhat disappointed of herself. Then she shook hands with Nanase, a student two years younger than her.
After washing off the sand, Nanase came back with a participation prize in hand.
She'd fought three fierce battles in this heat, and the coldness of the water must've been seeping into her body.
"Nice win."
I walked over to Nanase, who was taking a break after the final, and complimented her victory.
"Thank you. I managed to win, somehow."
Her shoulders were moving up and down and her breathing was a little ragged, but it didn't seem like she had been giving it her all. She still won despite not using all of her power.
Although freshmen seemed to be at a disadvantage compared to juniors, girls tend to reach their physical peak relatively early, and it
would be safe to say that there was no major difference between the 15, 16 and 18-year olds. The biggest difference between winning and losing would be athletic history, but when it came to Beach Flags, many of them had no experience.
No—there was no need for such an analysis. Tsubasa Nanase's actual physical abilities were higher than the OAA's evaluation. Immediately after entering the school, her evaluation was on par with third-years, but the season was already summer.
Nevertheless, Nanase still settled in the same position of a B+ in physical ability.
It wouldn't be surprising to see her getting an A- or A in physical ability...
"Um, Ayanokouji-senpai?"
"Hm?"
"I'm a bit uncomfortable with you staring at me like that..."
With a slightly troubled look on her face, Nanase let her gaze wander
off somewhere else.
"Sorry... my bad."
It wouldn't be too late to analyze it, even after Nanase had changed
her clothes.
Kiriyama and the other third-year students finished their tasks and
immediately started preparing to retreat. It was safe to assume that they had begun moving in search of the next designated area or task.
It was here that Kiriyama approached me for the first time. "Ayanokouji, don't say anything unnecessary."
After saying that, I turned my gaze to the ocean far behind me.
I looked back and saw multiple figures moving in the shallow water. I immediately understood the meaning of Kiriyama's words.
It was because the student council president, Nagumo, was playing around in the water, completely unbeknownst to me.
Nagumo also noticed us watching, and called out to me, as if beckoning me over.
"I'll say it again. Don't get in my way, okay?"
"I know."
Kiriyama headed away from the sandy beach and into the forest with
his group of friends to head to the next location.
"Nanase, I'm going to talk to my seniors for a bit. Take your time
changing."
"Okay, thanks."
I couldn't ignore this chance, so I went to converse with Nagumo. And that's not to say there wasn't anything bothering me.
"Looks like you weren't able to join the task."
"Isn't that the same for you? Or is it just that you're here for your
designated area? Got a reason for coming here?" "I don't know."
Nagumo laughed lethargically.
"Why don't you come swimming too?"
"As much as I'd like to, I just couldn't afford the points to borrow a
swimsuit like Student Council President Nagumo did."
Nagumo wasn't the only one. Asahina and several third-year
students borrowed swimwear as well.
Furthermore, they even rented a beach ball, which would be
considered playground equipment.
"You seem like you have a lot of time to spare. I thought you'd be
straining to collect points like the others."
"Everyone needs a break every now and then, right? And besides...
the real work starts tomorrow."
Tomorrow. That is, from the fourth day and onwards, the exam
entered its middle game.
That's the day where the top 10 and bottom 10 groups were to be
announced.
"If there's a group that's in the top three outside of the third-years, that will be where I'll be aiming at, because it's impossible for first- years and second-years to get on the podium, you know? And you're no exception to that."
It meant that Nagumo had a strategy in place to not lose. Unless, of course, he's lying to me here.
"I'll gratefully take your advice."
Even if he was the leader of Class 3-A that stood at the forefront of this school.
And when you were someone like the Student Council President, you weren't going to be a mere pushover.
"But I'm going solo, so I might be placed at the bottom, not the top."
"Then you should form a group with someone else as soon as possible. If you blow yourself out and get expelled from the school, Horikita-senpai will be disappointed."
"Nagumo. Can you come over here for a minute?"
A little bit behind me, a third-year student named Masuwaka called out to Nagumo.
Raising his hand in reply, Nagumo rose out of the water and approached Masuwaka.
They were already close enough to have a conversation, but it was probably something that I shouldn't have been hearing.
Before I knew it, Asahina stopped playing about and watched the situation as well.
After she was sure we were far enough away from Nagumo, Asahina approached me.
"Yahoo~! How's it going working alone?"
"Well, you've probably guessed, it's a tough fight."
"I see... However, that might change now. If even Miyabi has set
his eyes on you... then it'll probably get really dangerous. Ayanokouji- kun, you should probably join a group with as many people as possible while you still can—"
"It's already time. We should get going now, Asahina."
Asahina tried to say something, but she swallowed her words when Nagumo returned.
"Well then, do your best."
"Thanks."
I didn't receive any advice from Asahina, but I could still somehow
guess what she was trying to say.
A strategy that could only be undertaken by Miyabi Nagumo.
If it were to be carried out, I would be forced into a tough battle due
to the characteristics of this test.
However, it was a different matter whether Nagumo would be using
that strategy on me or not.
Because right now, I seemed like a meek force who couldn't even
appear in the upper rankings.
3
Our third designated area today was H5.
It was by no means a walk in the park, but a relatively decent place
had been chosen.
"The distance is fair, so we shouldn't have too much trouble
traversing to it."
"I'm guessing it'll take around an hour."
Of course, if I wanted to get the arrival order reward, I'd need to
walk at a faster pace than the one I had this morning.
But even if I did do that, I'll probably end up getting only one point
anyway.
It was tempting to ignore the tasks, but for now they were
concentrated on the west side of the island, and there were few places where I could earn points on the east side. Should I proceed to shoot for a hasty arrival, or should I abandon that idea and leave only one point for the arrival bonus?
It had already been three days since we set foot on this deserted island.
It was time for me to make a decision like this.
"Nanase, how much water do you have on hand?"
"I used up everything I had this morning. I only have the one bottle
that I got from earlier."
I guess we were in the same situation. I only had 500ml of water left. Even if we saved water, we were bound to run out of it today if we
went on the long trip.
I'd be in a shortage of water.
I had 3.5 liters of water on hand when I started the race. Despite the little water I used each day, I'd probably still run out on that day or the day after. I was unsure of the percentage of water I used up daily, but if I didn't do anything about this, I'd only suffer later on.
"Our first stop is the mountains, right?"
"We'll need to get some water first, somehow."
If I was on my own, I'd make sure I reached all four designated areas
during the day and completed the tasks during my free time. Then I would return to the starting area to rehydrate and prepare for the next day. That was one strategy I had in mind, but it was difficult to do so with Nanase in tow. If I explained this to her, she would surely try to follow me, but if she got sick due to recklessness, she would surely retire.
I guess I didn't need to worry about my juniors being enemies.
For now, I just kept walking towards my destination. "Ayanokouji-senpai. Why did you decide to fight alone?"
"I don't have a lot of friends. I couldn't find anyone to partner with." "It doesn't look like it."
"Sure, but I don't have many people I'd consider being close to." "But I'm sure you could have found a partner some way."
"Are you curious?"
"I'm curious alright, since acting alone is dangerous and has no
advantage."
Nanase, who was walking behind me, caught up with my fast pace. Then she looked at me as if to confirm my true intentions. "Ayanokouji-senpai's movements against Housen-kun were nothing
like that of an ordinary high school student."
"If you can figure that out, then you aren't an average high school
student either."
Nanase paused after hearing that and smiled bitterly, as if she were
annoyed.
Then she lightly scratched her cheeks and muttered to herself. "Perhaps that's true."
Whether or not I told the truth to Nanase was entirely up to me to
decide.
Even if it was a half-hearted lie, Nanase wouldn't have been able to
see through it easily.
"It's true that acting alone has many disadvantages. The hurdle of
joining up with another group along the way is low, but if you aren't scoring decent points, you're going to cause trouble for the other group."
"That's not surprising, since the points earned by three people would be averaged out by a point earned by only one person."
"The school encouraged everyone to form groups from the beginning. A person who decides to fight alone is in no position to complain about such things."
People who didn't want to—or couldn't—form groups were capable of making that level of decision. So if the rules put them at a disadvantage and they got expelled, they're merely reaping what they sowed.
"Still, that doesn't mean we don't stand a chance of winning at all. There are cases where getting into a group that's suffering from a lack of points will have unexpected synergies."
"So... is Ayanokouji-senpai fighting alone to create that synergy...?"
"I'm just saying in general. It's too early to erase the line just because I couldn't form a group. Don't misunderstand, Nanase."
"Haha, that's right. It seems that Ayanokouji-senpai is a little sloppy."
Although I tended to be cautious, Nanase said such a thing.
"Has that always been the case?"
"Isn't your personality almost consistently the same?"
"I don't think that's true. A person who has been suffering in the
dark could brighten up their situation in some way, and a person in a bright place could fall into darkness just as easily."
"Even if that is true, how much can the nature of a person change?"
"It sounds like you're pushing it when you hear someone who's dark by nature is brightening up."
"But it's amazing how cheerful they can act, even if they are forcing themselves."
"That's true..."
Even if I was told to suddenly become more cheerful, I wasn't confident that I could pull it off.
Of course, I could play it off with someone I didn't normally meet with, but could I do the same in front of my classmates, who had been with me for almost a year and a half already?
"I can't do something like that. Did you change from junior high school?"
For the time being. I asked about her junior high school days, which was within a natural range of discussion.
Of course, if she were the White Room student, she wouldn't have gone to a junior high school.
Nanase showed a small thinking gesture..
"I don't know. I don't think I've changed from the past, but I might have changed a bit. I mean, I think I've changed in one aspect, even if it's just a little bit."
"In what way?"
"I think I used to... laugh more."
The direction of her change was from light to dark.
"I don't chat and play with others as much as I did in junior high
school, I think."
I couldn't figure out whether she was lying or not.
"I've changed myself because of a certain event that made me this
way..."
What was the event? I was somewhat afraid to ask that. I decided it
was best not to ask. It all revolved around Nanase. Perhaps there was something sensitive in her story that she didn't want to disclose. I waited for her to continue, but before I knew it, Nanase slowed down and returned to her position behind me. I decided to switch to another topic so as to not darken her mood further.
"By the way, how's your group doing? Are they scoring points well?"
"Yes. I don't know who is earning more points from the task— Housen-kun or Amasawa-san—but they seem to be doing even better than I am."
If that was true, then Nanase's group likely had a reasonably high score.
It was hard to see, but they had a good chance of placing high depending on Housen's and Amasawa's movements, even if they were just gaining arrival order rewards.
It's easy to imagine them sinking to the lower end of the scale, though they were stacking up points solidly to some extent.
If the group of three was steadily accumulating points, it wouldn't be difficult to overtake me.
"We'll do our best in that case."
"Yeah."
The first step was to make sure we reached the next designated area. With that as our goal, we'd be walking down a roadless path from
that point onward.
4
It was 1:55 PM. In less than an hour, we arrived in designated area H5. It was only a point, but it was still an important step forward.
I'd intended to complete the task if I could, leaving an hour to spare
from here.
The tasks were originally concentrated on the west side, but now
were beginning to shift to the east side.
"Can you walk?"
I called out to Nanase, who was sitting down and rehydrating. "Yes."
It's ideal that we were getting to the locations without delay, but
Nanase was clearly tired.
"You need to take it easy and rest here."
"But..."
Nanase seemed to be worried that I was going to leave her behind. "If you're unhappy with your companion, you should speak up. I
won't do anything that would stop you from speaking your mind. It would be much worse for you if you pushed yourself now and couldn't keep up later, right? Even if there aren't any random locations today, we'll need to run if we want the designated area rewards before others get them. And if that happens, we can't stop when we go for them."
Despite the frustrated expression on her face, Nanase nodded in reconciliation with her strength.
Sorry Nanase, but this will allow me to move temporarily without restriction.
I didn't know if I'd be able to participate, but if I moved efficiently, I could show up to two or three task locations. I was planning to head to a history subject test that began shortly. In the first place, you could receive 5 points, but you could also get food if you won the task.
The number of participants was limited to 8, so it was better to hurry.
Soon after, I found a group of three people running in from another road. Their destination seemed to be the same task as mine.
Fortunately, I hadn't been seen, so I broke into a run and changed my route.
If I had taken my time, two groups would have passed me. I continue moving quickly through the forest, and soon reach the task area. It seemed that a good number of people had already arrived.
I approached an adult with a tablet, who didn't appear to be a teacher from our school.
"Is a spot available?"
"Yes, it would be the seventh group."
After completing the entry, the two groups I saw earlier showed up,
heading towards us.
Running slightly ahead of the other was Hashimoto's group,
consisting of all second year students.
He seemed to notice me standing beside him, but before that, he
called out to the adults.
"Where's the exam proctor?"
A sweaty Hashimoto shouted, as if he had run a considerable
distance.
"You are the last group to—"
The proctor's eyes darted behind Hashimoto. It was the presence of
a group of people chasing after him.
Aside from Hashimoto or Kamuro, who was second in the running,
the third to fifth positions were all first year group members.
The one remaining member of Hashimoto's group was a long way
behind, in sixth place.
You could participate in this assignment as a group, but if you didn't
have the right number of people, you couldn't register. The excuse of arriving late wasn't acceptable. Not even 30 seconds.
If a group of three freshmen slipped in between them, they would lose their entry to that group.
So Hashimoto managed to catch up with Kamuro, and then...
"Her and I are participating."
He opted to cut one off and enter with two members.
The freshmen sat there in frustration. Laboring without profit, as
expected, resulted in disappointment.
On the other hand, Hashimoto was satisfied with his performance, even though he missed out on the challenge as a group of three. For tasks that were open to group participation, the larger the number of participants, the better, but there was a greater disadvantage whether you could participate or not.
"I'm sorry... I just couldn't make it in time!"
Even though Ninomiya apologized, her teammates didn't blame her. While she was a perfect A for academics, Ninomiya only had a D
for physical ability.
"But you're doing great, Masumi-chan."
"Don't talk to me... It's hot and sweaty... just the worst!" Kamuro, who was doing her best to regulate her breathing, moved
her hand away from the approaching Hashimoto.
"Well, this is the first time I've seen you in an exam, Ayanokouji.
So you're on this side too? It takes a lot of courage to participate alone... Do you get a lot of points?"
"Honestly, I could end up in the bottom ten."
"Are you kidding me? A guy who isn't confident he can win doesn't have the option to fight alone."
The fact was that I couldn't afford to show you my tablet.
"With this, you won't be able to get into the top 10, eh?"
If that happened I'd be turning a lot of heads from different places. "I'm glad this isn't math, anyway, so a math genius like you can't
win easily."
"We will now begin our task."
"Okay, enough useless chatter."
Now that the last group had been determined, the task began
immediately. The more actively you participated in tasks, the more likely you were to compete with students of your own grade. But I wasn't going to cut corners halfway, here. Besides, the test questions were all in a four choice format, so it was going to be much easier to make the excuse that I simply had good intuition.
Even while I faced the tablet, I could almost feel Hashimoto's eyes glance at me.
It was not surprising that he had doubts about my abilities from early on.
I turned my attention to the 20-question history quiz. To be honest, if you asked me if I'm good at history questions or not, I'd say the latter.
In the white room, we didn't excessively study history. However, I was able to remember what was within the bounds of common sense.
With four choices, I was able to answer all the questions correctly with little difficulty.
After a little while, the tally was finished, and the results of all eight teams were announced at the same time.
First place went to me with 100 points, second to a group of third- year students with 80 points, and third place went to Hashimoto and Kamuro with 70 points. As soon as the points and food were given, I immediately started to walk away, but Hashimoto caught up with me.
"What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were good at history, either."
"I'm surprised, too. I had a lot of luck with the first four answer choices."
"Simply because you got lucky? It's not much, but it's still hard to believe."
"If you don't believe me, I don't blame you. I'm sorry, but I have to move on."
"Which one are you aiming for next?"
"I'm heading to the chemistry task. How about you?"
Perhaps Hashimoto's group had the same idea. He looked once at
Kamuro, who was following behind him.
"That's a shame. That's a different task from ours."
Hashimoto was a calculating man. Even if another task was a little
farther away, he'd rather shift towards that than do a task with an opponent who could certainly secure a win.
However, I was certain he wanted to take on the same challenge to find out what I was capable of.
Kamuro overheard the conversation and gave him a blatantly disgusted look.
Heading to another challenge would naturally use a lot of physical energy.
"See you later, Ayanokouji."
Hashimoto took Kamuro with him and headed towards another task. If he really had Sakayanagi working in the background, he'd eventually join up with Ichinose's group and become a six-man team.
5
I got first place in a chemistry test I participated in afterwards, and scored another five points.
This left the third day's final designated area, with a reward of 48 points.
Calculating the points a group of 3 people would get from reaching all of the designated areas with all their members, without rank points or doing tasks, yielded 30 points.
Since it wasn't possible to read the rankings accurately at the moment, how many places could you really surpass with 48 points?
The last designated area today, revealed at 3:00 p.m., was I4. "How are you?"
"Thanks to you, I'm feeling better."
In that case, we can work at full strength today.
I set the direction and start moving quickly with the intention of aiming for the arrival rewards.
We began to walk in silence, but the environment around us had changed dramatically since yesterday.
"It seems... there are no roads around here, are there?"
"Yeah. When I looked on the map, I thought it would be easier than areas D and E, but I was being naive."
The forest was not so deep that it blocked all sunlight, but the ground was rough regardless. Even if you wanted to go in a particular direction, you were forced to make detours left and right.
The students who set foot in this area would likely have a lot of trouble.
If you ran in a hurry, you could get caught and fall, and in the worst case, injured.
"Senpai, how do we plan to get water?"
I won first place in the history and chemistry challenges, but didn't receive any water rewards.
There was only one bottle of 500ml water left to drink.
"If it takes precedence over reaching the designated area, why not go after the tasks in H3?"
H3 had a challenge that was open for another 50 minutes, and it came with not only a point reward, but also the right to receive drinking
water and other things. More specifically: a 2-liter plastic bottle of water.
"It's going to be very competitive."
Nanase continued at her regular pace while speaking to me.
It was about time that some groups, like us, were starting to run out
of drinking water.
"Even if you say that you can get something from a task, the
opportunities are still quite limited."
There were 68 island-wide tasks on the first day.
The second day had 100. And as of that day, day three, there had
been 94 tasks.
Although the number was increasing day by day, there were still less
than the total number of groups.
Some of those tasks only rewarded the 1st place winners. And
because of that, even if you included the tasks that rewarded up to the 3rd place, getting to win even once in a day would become a group's greatest satisfaction.
Naturally, three or four of the best groups would take first place in a day.
With that in mind, it wasn't surprising that some were already running out of drinking water.
When that happened, you were back at the start and forced to compete in the protected safe zone.
If you couldn't reach the designated areas, you would not be able to earn points properly, and the competitiveness would intensify for the tasks that appeared close to you.
The battle of attrition, which inevitably reduced rather than increased the number of points scored, would also be intensified. With the designated areas shifting to the northeast side of the uninhabited island, there was no way to rehydrate as quickly as possible.
"You have an idea about something, Senpai, don't you?"
Nanase turned her attention to me, now caught up and traveling side- by-side.
"What makes you think that?"
"I didn't seem to convey much urgency about the water." "Maybe you just think you can get by on a haphazard basis." "Well, that's a bit of a problem."
Nanase showed a puzzled face, as if flustered.
"I originally adopted a plan to go back to where we started in case of an emergency."
"Wouldn't that be very harsh, depending on the circumstances? If we had to return to the harbor from this location, it would take hours to get back to the starting point. At night, it would be even slower."
Of course, this strategy wasn't possible from just anywhere.
The further you got away from your starting point, the more you risked losing time and energy.
"However, I was looking at fighting with that strategy."
"Water is an absolute must, but to stock up on it too much could hurt our progress. That wouldn't be a wise way of moving."
Nanase's anxiety was an obvious point.
"And yet, you're saying that Ayanokouji-senpai only had that dangerous plan in mind?"
"If you analyze the rules of this special test, the only way to ensure that you get additional water is to pay twice as much at the starting point and buy it, or by completing tasks."
"It is, yes. That's correct."
"The only way you can be sure of getting safe water in time is to buy it at the selling points."
"Safe water, huh..."
"For the rest of the water, you have to rely on natural sources. It could be seawater, rainwater, or river water. The island is uninhabited now, but we don't know the details. If people used to live here, it's possible that the water is contaminated."
Of course, it was hard to imagine that the school would choose such a place, but it's not impossible.
"If you're sick, your single-person group will be out in one shot, and I didn't want to increase the risk by even one percent."
"Forcing your way through at night is also a dangerous risk." "If you fail, it will all mean nothing"
"Will... Ayanokouji-senpai have no problem with it?"
It no longer made any sense to continue the discussion.
As long as I allowed Nanase to accompany me, I wasn't going to use that strategy.
"I know it's a bit cumbersome to talk about, but we have the means to use seawater and river water. I've prepared a pot for insurance purposes. If necessary, I'll boil or sterilize it and use it for drinking
water."
Hearing that, Nanase patted her chest in relief.
Nanase, who had been walking for a while, saw the flowing river
and hurriedly took out her tablet.
"Senpai, we are heading off course. I think we need to head further
east."
We should have been aiming for I4, but our current location was in
the middle of H4.
If I wanted to get to I4 in the shortest amount of time, it was best to
walk farther eastward in front of it, as Nanase said.
"It's okay. This time, I'm not aiming for an arrival reward." "What...?"
Nanase followed me as I continued on, confused about my
intentions.
As we neared the center of H4, we encountered Sakagami-sensei,
who was hard at work setting up what appeared to be a task.
I knew it was here. At least until today, it's exactly as I had read it. "Hello."
"Yes...Ayanokouji?"
Sakagami had a surprised look on his face, despite the constant
possibility of running into a student like this.
It was always necessary to prepare in advance in order to set up and
begin a task.
"We're going to be first in line, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad, senpai. We were lucky enough to find it before the task
started."
"That's right."
Sakagami didn't have time to talk to me, so he immediately resumed
his work.
Then a few minutes later, the time reached 3:30.
"We are now ready to begin the task."
After hearing those words, I immediately announced my
participation to Sakagami-sensei, followed by Nanase.
He quickly registered us through his tablet.
"But, what is the task?"
Nanase opened the map and tried to check it, but Sakagami spoke to
her.
"It's a 'competition' to get water according to the order of arrival: the first one, Ayanokouji, receives two liters and three points, and the second one, Nanase, receives one and a half liters and two points."
"So in other words... we've completed the task..." Sakagami-sensei took out the water, which he handed to each of us. "You two are both quite lucky. Good for you."
"...I was really lucky."
Nanase bowed her head, somewhat embarrassed as she received the
compliment.
"Now you won't have to think about drinking water for a little
while."
"May I just ask you one thing?"
I looked back at Nanase, who had stopped to talk to me.
"What?"
"If I'm not mistaken, I think Ayanokouji-senpai is someone who can
aim higher. Whether it's a designated area or a task, I think he can score far more."
I intended to go and see what I'd been stuck doing together for the last two days.
"I'm not going to skip the first part of the game to begin with. As long as you're on your own, there's no point in doing anything rash and getting sick."
"But if you keep going like this you will just end up losing points. Even if you reach all the designated areas and do all the tasks, time is essential. There's no one who can amass a large amount of points in one day."
Nanase pointed out that there was no other way to do it than to gather points steadily.
The leading groups were naturally building on that same workflow. "Let's just say it's part of the strategy."
"Is your strategy to stay out of trouble and not score?"
I nodded and resumed my steps. I didn't intend to tell Nanase the
rest of the story.
We're working together, but it's obvious that we're enemies because
she's from a different school year. There was still a lot of mystery surrounding her.
"At any rate, there's still a chance of reaching the designated area. Let's hurry."
"Okay."
I hurried to I4, with Nanase following close behind me.
6
Good luck clearly doesn't last. We arrived at I4, but didn't receive any arrival rewards. After that, we didn't have any more tasks, so our fight for the day was over.
"Would you like to walk to the riverfront?"
"Yes. The foothold around here is bad, and it's not suitable for sleeping. Let's move on."
"Agreed."
We headed south along an uncut path, aiming for the river.
It took us 20 minutes to pass through the forest, until we finally
reached our destination.
"Do you want to camp out here?"
"Yeah."
While the two of us agreed on our camp location, a sudden voice
came flying in from a distance.
"Hey! Ayanokouji!"
A familiar male voice drifted across the river.
We could see the figure of Ike, holding a dead branch in his hands. "As I thought, Ayanakouji and Nanase! You've been around here!" Ike grinned, showing his white teeth as he approached us.
"What an amazing coincidence!Are you camping around here
today?"
We conversed with one other, raising our voices to drown out the
sound of the river. Shortly afterwards, we headed upstream with Ike, who signaled us to join him.
Following Ike to the southside of H4, we came across an area where the river connected with land, and met up with the rest of his group.
I spotted Sudou and Hondo, who had heard our voices.
"What is your last designated area for today?"
"I4."
Apparently, Sudou and the others also had I4, and looked at each
other in surprise.
"What a coincidence!"
We were in the same eastern area of the island just this morning, but I didn't expect our final destination to be the same. Considering that we had originally seen Sudou a lot, chances are that our tables shared many of the same locations.
It was then decided that we would camp together, just like the other day.
From there on out, we all had some free time, and everyone did what they felt like.
Of course, when it came to work, it was necessary to cooperate.
I told Nanase I was going to stroll around for a while, and then went into the forest by myself. I had no particular goal in mind, but if I had to give a reason, I'd say it was to encounter other students. Other than Nanase, I hadn't yet found a group that seemed to be in the same table.
About half an hour later, I returned to our campsite to find that Ike had started a fire.
"You're saving a lot of money."
"I think I need to do what I can for myself. This time, we knew in advance we were going to have the exam on a deserted island, right? So I think a lot of people will have done research beforehand."
Ike spoke up, staring at the fire.
"But it's not the same thing as knowledge and experience, is it? It's like, if you want to do it, you'll have no problem doing it."
Certainly not all outdoor skills could be completely replicated just by reading articles and watching videos.
It was easy to see what you could and couldn't do by trying it yourself directly.
"You're here, aren't you, Ayanokouji?"
"What happened?"
"You were late getting back, so I went to look for you a bit." Nanase turned her gaze into the forest.
Somehow it seemed that we'd passed by each other and returned to
the riverside.
"Ahh. Let's get ready to eat."
"Agreed."
Ike grinned and brought out a bucket from near the tent. He proudly showed us what was inside.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
A few fish were in the bucket, probably caught by him.
"I had some time on my hands when I went to the beach, so I caught some for you. Let's eat."
Somewhat hastily, Ike began to prepare the meal.
At first glance he appeared to be fine, but it quickly became clear that he was just putting on a happy face.
But if he was able to face the Uninhabited Island Test better than I thought he would, then there was no need to worry in the first place.
"It smells really good."
As Ike was getting ready to roast the fish, we encountered another group of people passing by, perhaps enticed by the smell of cooked fish. It wasn't all too surprising, considering we were near the river, and the visibility was clear.
However, the only part of the exam that was completely unpredictable was who you'd encounter.
"Ah!"
The second girl in the group made eye contact with me, and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"What's up, Karuizawa?"
"Ah, yes. I mean, that's, I thought there was grilled fish here."
She swiftly covered up her surprise at the coincidence of our
meeting.
I ran into Kei Karuizawa for the first time on the third day. Luckily,
she seemed to be doing well so far.
Both members of Kei's group were in Class 2-A.
Shimazaki Ikkei and Fukuyama Yamanshinobu. Both were both
academically gifted students. While their overall physical strength was a concern, they had the ability to perform well in writing-related tasks. "Hey, why don't we camp here? It looks like Ike-kun is going to
treat us to a meal."
"What? Why do I have to treat you?"
"There's enough food for all of us, it won't run out."
"If you eat it, there'll be less! I refuse!"
Ike, who didn't like Kei to begin with, blatantly rejected her. However, Sudou put his arms around Ike, and muttered: "Isn't it fine? Maybe she knows something about Shinohara."After hearing those words, Ike had no choice but to shut up. We had yet to meet Shinohara on this deserted island.
Her classmate, Kei, would naturally remember it if she had seen her. "Shhhhhh, dude! I'll prepare three extra fish for when that happens!" "Really? Say no more."
It was a half-joking comment by Kei, but we ended up camping
together in an unexpected way.
However, it wasn't something that could be prepared immediately. It was going to be a while before Ike was ready with additional
grilled fish.
I told him that I was going into the woods for a bit, and Kei and I
finally managed to get away from the rest of the group.
Of course, we weren't so deep that we could've gotten lost, but far enough that we couldn't hear or see the others. We found a suitably
large tree, met up there, and sat down with our backs to it.
"It looks like it's going well for you."
Kei's group had scored 37 points in the last three days.
For the time being, it wasn't like we're going to be named in the
lower rankings.
"I'm always getting help from them. What about you?" "I'm doing reasonably fine."
"Well, it's you, so I think you'll be fine."
Ahh, Kei exhaled as she stretched.
"But I can't wait for this exam to be over. I can't believe we're still 11 days away."
It is true that we are still in the early stages of the exam when considering the number of days remaining.
"By the way, what's changed in the last few days?"
"You mean the 'subject' that you told me, right? Well, nothing in particular."
Before the special exams began, I had asked Kei to check a few things for me.
That was because of the possibility of the white room student coming in contact with Kei.
But nothing seemed to have happened in the last three days.
"I'm going to check through your tablet, just in case."
I opened the notepad in the tablet to see a list of the groups and
students Kei had come in contact with.
The students were mainly second-year students, with little mention
of third-year or first-year students.
As expected, they weren't letting themselves get caught easily.
"By the way?"
"Hmm?"
Kei moved her face closer to mine and stared into my eyes.
"That first year girl... I heard she was acting with you?"
"You're very quick on the uptake."
"Ike told me right away. And that doesn't matter."
Well, if you were working with a first-year girl, it's clear why that
would've been suspicious to your girlfriend, even if you weren't in love. No matter how important the reasons were, it would've been impossible for her to accept a man and woman acting together.
Nanase may or may not have been involved with the pursuit of my expulsion, or the white room.
Regardless, those things were not directly related to Kei.
She was clearly frustrated and anxious about the situation.
I squeezed Kei's hand a little tighter and moved my face in closer. "Are you worried? That I've been spending time alone with another
girl."
"Wait, what? It's not that I'm that concerned about it, I'm just
worried about... of course I'm worried about it!"
Kei tried to keep her composure, but her emotions forced the immediate confession.
"I'm only working with Nanase because I have no choice but to get around on the special exams."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. There's nothing more to it."
"I believe you, but I still don't like it when I hear that you're
spending time alone with her."
It would be natural for her to be concerned, if nothing else.
No matter how many clever words I put together here, Karuizawa's
spirit was not going to be lifted. "Kei."
When I called out only her name, Kei, whose lips were slightly pursed in disapproval, looked at me.
I moved my face closer at the right moment and leaned towards her. I wonder if it was less than a second before our lips touched.
The first time I had ever felt the lips of the opposite sex- they were
much softer than I had imagined. "W-What?"
Kei, who still didn't understand the situation, let out a somewhat dumbfounded voice.
I would have liked to enjoy it for a while longer, but I was in the middle of a deserted island test.
It's a wonder no other students happened to be walking by.
"Wait, I-I-I just kissed you. Huh? What?"
"Can you trust me?"
When I asked that, Kei shook her head back and forth repeatedly, like a doll.
If your mind was filled with anxiety about Nanase, the quickest way to remove that was to plant a strong memory in it.
"It would be suspicious if you disappeared for too long. We'd better get back."
With that, I decided to return with Kei, who was still stunned, to the others.