Chapter 7 : The First-years Start to Move

The first destination was B6, and I traveled south in a straight line to get first place. The second after that was A5, which was also close, but unfortunately, it only gave me an arrival bonus. The third area, announced at 1:00 pm, was randomly designated and required me to travel to C3.

There were three ways to do it. The shortest was to go through the steep mountains that rose above A4 and B4. Although not clear from the map, there would be a need to climb cliffs. Another option was to avoid the risks and simply cross C4. Finally, one could choose to take a route that went through D5 and made a big detour through the riverside.

"I think other groups will choose to cross C4 or take the detour." "That seems right."

It was also reasonable to assume that if they took the A4 and B4

route, they'd be able to attain the top spot for the order of arrival rewards.

"I don't think I'm exhausted, but the road ahead is full of obstacles." "It's the fastest way there, right?"

Nanase had managed to keep up with me so far, but was it possible

for her to continue pushing herself in the future? With this in mind, Nanase's intentions seemed unchanged as she chased after me.

Soon after, we were confronted with a major challenge.

It had only been a steep slope so far, but now, a huge cliff appeared in front of us.

There was no easy way to get around the cliff.

We were left with two choices, to either turn back or climb the cliff. "I can go!" she said, opening her backpack.

I decided to let Nanase go first, which was spontaneously done

without saying anything. Nanase took out a ribbon from her backpack and tied her long hair into a bun to make it easier to climb.

"Tsk..!"

As soon as she started climbing, Nanase misplaced her feet and fell.

"Ow...!"

She got up and patted her buttocks. Fortunately, it wasn't a great height, but if she had fallen another two meters, it would have been enough to injure her.

Even though it wasn't very difficult for me, it would've been difficult for Nanase to climb the 10 meter high cliff all by herself.

"That's it." I said.

The wall of reality in front of me was larger than I thought.

I'd been with her for six days, but I was going to have to go on alone

from here.

"I can do it!"

"Even if we could climb it, it wouldn't matter if we exhausted our

energy here. We're taking a risk on this climb to save time, and not everyone will be able to make the detours, so we're trying to save every minute. Not everyone will be able to get around us, so every minute is precious."

Nanase knew that talking in vain was more of a waste of time than anything else.

"I'm going to go, if you still want to climb, do what you want. It's at your own risk."

I left Nanase, who didn't even try to hide her frustration, and began to climb up the cliff.

Nanase should've been able to make a calm decision. I had no intention of looking back, but I felt the presence of someone chasing me from behind and turned around.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry... I'll keep up with Ayanokouji-senpai...!" she said, and stretched out her arms without fear of falling.

Saying that, she extended her arm without any fear of falling. But her fatigue prevented her from putting enough energy into it, so she was trembling.

"If you aren't careful, you'll just end up getting hurt and have to retire."

I warned her again, but Nanase didn't give up and continued to chase after me.

"Why do you go to such lengths to accompany me?"

If you're thinking of obstructing me by getting in my way, then in a way you achieved your purpose.

I climbed down from the halfway point, making sure to check my footing.

Then I held out my hand to Nanase.

"Hold on."

"No, no, that's not how this works. I'm following you on the

condition that I don't need any help, so please go... please don't worry about me, senpai, just go ahead."

"I don't like it when you go ahead and do something irrational, unless I asked you to. This is just a selfish act of kindness on my part. It's my own choice."

"But...!"

"We're wasting time talking about this stuff. Aren't we?"

If I explained it the same way she once did, Nanase couldn't argue

with me. "...Yes."

Nanase looked a little frustrated, but she grabbed my hand. It was one thing to have a low level of physical strength, but it's another to be able to climb, even if you're fully prepared.

"Do you have... climbing experience, senpai?"

"No, I've never climbed like this before."

Everything in this test had to be done by hand. Even just reaching

out and helping in this way would not be a good idea, considering the risks involved.

"I see..."

Sticking my hands up, I led them to where I needed to grab. Despite the inefficiency, we finally managed to climb the cliff face. But that wasn't the goal. We'd lost more than ten minutes just for

this exchange. I didn't have any time to rest before I started walking again. From here, the worst-case scenario was that Nanase could climb down the cliff alone, if she took her time. I started walking. Nanase was slow to start, but she was still trying her best to bite into it, and her attitude was the same as before.

I felt like a wild dog clawing about, but I climbed upwards nonetheless.

It took me a while to reach C3, but when I got there, I was the first to arrive, without any rivalling groups around me.

"Not bad."

It wasn't as if I wouldn't have accepted getting second place, but I was happy enough to the point where I could pat myself on the back.

It seemed like a good idea to have a short rest before travelling to the next designated area.

The wind that blew from time to time was very pleasing; its coolness was amplified up here on top of the mountain.

Until yesterday, the weather was nearly without wind, but it was especially windy today.

The sky that was once clear was now noticeably darker with thick clouds.

"Does it ever feel surprising to you that you're forced to live on an uninhabited island all of a sudden as a high school student?"

"Of course. Still, I think this school is fun."

Nanase smiled bitterly. "Senpai, are you enjoying it here as well?" "Yes. It's a lot of work, but this school never fails to be enjoyable

for me."

Every day in this school may have looked the same to some, but

there was just something different in each one.

That's why I was able to continue enjoying my stay at this school

and never felt bored with the normal life here.

"It may seem like there's a lot of time left until graduation, but it'll

certainly come fast. So it would be great if I could spend it without any regrets."

"Graduation, huh...?"

"What's up?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing."

Nanase's atmosphere had been different from these past few days

while we were close together.

It was different from how I viewed her when she first entered the

school.

It was very faint, but if it were just my imagination playing on me

then I wouldn't have been surprised.

If she had something bothering her, I could only wait for her to tell

me about it.

1

Class A: Takahashi Osamu and Ichika Amasawa, Class B: Takuya Yagami, Class C: Tsubaki Sakurako and Riku Utomiya, Class D: Housen Kazuomi and Nanase Tsubasa. Normally, it would've been difficult for students who were scattered around the island to meet each other, but it was an entirely different case if they prearranged a meeting place before the special examination even began. The person who led this effort until now—Tsubaki—had no notable achievements.

The appointed time had passed, but Housen had yet to arrive. "Tsubaki-san, I see that Housen-kun hasn't arrived yet."

"Well, he doesn't seem like the type to show up on time. Or maybe

it's just that he does not want to show up at all."

The conversation progressed in the direction of waiting for a while,

but Takahashi held his abdomen and raised his hand.

"Sorry guys... I have a bit of a stomach ache, so I have to go to the

bathroom. It might take quite a while."

Saying that, Takahashi hurried towards the forest.

After glancing at Takahashi, Yagami looked at Tsubaki.

"Although it would be more convenient if all of us were present..." Yagami thought about something for a little while, and then quickly

began the conversation.

"Even though Housen-kun hasn't arrived yet, may I have a

moment?"

Tsubaki, who had been staring at the fire, turned around quietly. "What...?"

"I thought it was about time you gave me some concrete ideas." "What do you mean?"

"You're up to something big, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't

propose to get representatives of all classes together at this time when the second half of the season is approaching. It wouldn't be a mere interim report, would it?"

Tsubaki only turned and gazed at Yagami.

"Your OAA is, at first glance, in the lower middle. There is nothing

noteworthy about it. But so far in the battles of the first year you have occasionally made statements that hit the core of the matter. And..."

"And?"

"In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that you've been working behind the scenes to get Ayanokouji-senpai out of school. Utomiya-kun is leading the charge, but in reality, you're the one who's pulling the strings behind the scenes, aren't you?"

"Hmm. You're an interesting person, Yagami-kun. So you knew I was thinking about something and that's why you're pushing for this assembly proposal?"

Even though Tsubaki is the only one who appealed for them to assemble, the big names in each class didn't move at all.

There were no students who would follow the conspicuously unsuccessful Tsubaki.

But this time, it was Yagami's strong support that made it easy for them to call the meeting.

"I've been consistent about the fact that all first-year students should cooperate with each other. Even if Tsubaki-san didn't have an in-depth insight, I thought it would be meaningful just to check on the situation."

"Listen, Yagami-kun, I've got an interesting story to tell you."

"An interesting story, well? It would be a lie if I said I didn't want to hear it."

"But once you hear it, the funny thing is... you won't be able to guarantee anything."

"...How intriguing."

Yagami was a little wary, but he didn't back off and instead waited for Tsubaki's words.

"Yagami-kun, didn't you just say that Utomiya-kun and I were planning to expel Ayanokouji-senpai from school behind the scenes?"

"Yes. At first glance, it seems that the only people participating in the separate exam are Kazuomi-kun and Amasawa-san, but I believe you and the others are after him as well."

"The reward for expelling him is 20 million points. Who wouldn't be attracted to that?"

"Maybe so, but I'm not."

Seeing Yagami clearly deny it, Tsubaki narrows her eyes.

"No. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's very likely. You look harmless,

but aren't you really trying to get Ayanokouji-senpai out of school?"

"What makes you think that? I've never done anything like that."

"I can somehow feel it when I see it. I'm confident in my perception, after all."

Yagami's smile didn't falter, but his expression was clearly hardened.

"You pretend to be a good ally and then stab us from behind. It's a development that I can't imagine from the usual Yagami-kun, but... you were planning to do that. Isn't that true?"

Tsubaki's eyes seemed to peer into the very depths of his soul, and Yagami couldn't help but avert his gaze.

He felt that Tsubaki was far more than an average student, but that much was already clear from her actions.

"You are..."

"Well, that's beside the point. It's a bit of a sour situation right now." "A sour situation?"

"It seems that Nanase has been following him around all this time.

In addition, she said she got permission from him to accompany him. I checked the GPS search, and both of them are in the C3, so there's no doubt about it."

"I see. I suppose that Housen is preparing his next move with an eagle eye."

"We have to do something about it as soon as possible. If Housen- kun expels Ayanokouji, then he will be the winner. If possible, I'd like to hear what kind of method Yagami-kun is using to expel him from the school for reference."

"So I don't have any other..."

Tsubaki approached Yagami with a look of conviction as though she knew something in his heart.

"If you don't show your willingness to cooperate, you're going to lose a lot of things, okay?

"Lose...?"

"Or a loved one will be in danger."

"Wait, you don't mean to do something to Kushida-senpai...!"

Hearing the name, a thin smile appeared on Tsubaki's expressionless face for the first time.

Yagami was already connected to Kushida-senpai.

Then it dawned on him. She was even aware of their deepest secrets. "What about Kushida-senpai?"

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing to say to you..."

Suddenly, two hands pinned him from behind, restraining him. Even though he tried, Yagami couldn't free himself from Utomiya-

kun's restraining arms.

"What are you going to... U-Utomiya-kun?"

"Sorry, I don't hate you, but... this can't be helped."

It was obvious that Tsubaki's intentions were behind Utomiya's

actions.

"I consider all first years to be on our side. Why don't we stop

fighting each other carelessly?"

"You can either be straightforward with the information you have,

or you can retire here, one of two things."

With the only the main first-years of the planned meeting gathered,

there was no way to call for help.

"You, Yagami-kun, have decided that Kushida-senpai is a piece of

the puzzle to expel Ayanokouji-senpai. Why is that? How were you going to make the most of it?"

"I can't tell you..."

Utomiya's grip tightened when Yagami seemed hesitant to answer. "Even if you can't tell me, it's still relevant here. Don't you think it

will be better if you just fess up?"

"I... I... I just want senpai to..."

Utomiya released his restraints on Yagami's hand and immediately

put his arms around his neck. "Agh!"

"You're screwed anyway, Yagami-kun. If you don't want to talk about it here, I'll just ask Kushida-senpai directly."

It wasn't just a mere threat, Tsubaki showed a strong will to carry it out.

The evidence was that she was actually using Utomiya to act in a manner that was akin to violence and intimidation.

"I am asking this for the last time. Do you want to talk?"

Faced with only one option, Yagami had no choice but to make up his mind.

"...I understand. I'll tell you everything."

With his head hanging low, Yagami began to tell her all about Kushida's past, and the fact that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had found out about it.

When all was said and done, Takahashi returned, but in the end, Housen never showed up.