Chapter 3: The battle against loneliness

I BRUSHED AWAY THE COBWEBS that covered my clothes and slowly lowered my backpack. The ninth day of the uninhabited island exam would be another hot day.

Breathing heavily, I arrived at the fourth designated area without any incident. Finally, I had reached my destination as planned. Sweat flowing from my forehead came running down onto the bridge of my nose, so I wiped it away with my wrist. The fourth mandatory movement started at 3:00 P.M.

It was a significant transfer from H9 to D5 area. It took me a lot of effort to reach the designated area within the specified time. I had bumped into an event on the way here, but I had chosen to ignore it to reduce the risk of being penalized.

Since it took almost two hours to reach this area, very few groups arrived, and I managed to get third place in placement points. I wasn't unhappy with these results, but my wish to see Sakayanagi at the starting point hadn't come true.

I didn't want to mess around with the fact that I would overexert myself if I moved down there now. Although I had brushed shoulders with several groups of second-year Class A students, none of them were carrying radio transceivers. Perhaps I should force my way there tomorrow morning?

No... that would be tricky. I suppose I'll have to put the Sakayanagi case on hold for the time being and summarize the gains and losses of today.

"All the points gained today add up to a total score of 112 points."

Kuronaga, who held 10th place, had a total of 123 points. With a difference of only 11 points between us, I had moved up to thirteenth place.

Considering it'll soon be 5:00 P.M., the possibility of ending the day with this point difference is very high. Although my ideal ranking is eleventh place, an 11-point difference is still within my tolerance range. Although this result arrived slightly later than I had planned due to the Nanase incident and the bad weather, I've still reached the excellent position I had been planning for since the start of the exam.

My plans revolved around getting a high ranking on the point board.

Although it's only thirteenth place right now, and there's some discrepancy, it doesn't make a huge difference. What's important is the matter of "staying below tenth place." To get on the podium, it's inevitable you're going to need to accumulate points. But whether it's a group of one person or a group of seven people using booster cards, you'll be revealed the moment you hit the top ten rankings.

The ideal ranking to avoid becoming noticed and still get a high placement is eleventh place. There are, however, several drawbacks to this strategy. The issue of managing your score becomes quite difficult, and if you don't control your scoring well, you'll be thrown onto the top list, even if it's just for a second. In that case, the strategy will have become a complete failure.

The most significant disadvantage is that it's very dependent on the tenth-place scorer. The closer the tenth-place score is to the first place, the easier it will be to reverse it. The more significant the score difference is, the more difficult it will be to change it.

That's why the leading groups need to have an advantage over the rest. Demonstration of those "advantages" has been slower than expected, and now some groups are acting better than I assumed. It's not a substitute, but the relative advantage of the second years is that there's no resistance from the lower classes and no pressure from the upper classes. The act of obstruction can also be seen as self-sacrifice, and there is no way to perform it without a certain margin of score.

What I care about most of all right now is the movement of Nagumo.

You would assume he would do something against Kōenji, who is fighting for the top spot, but his GPS movements don't seem like he's planning anything at the moment. This might be better in the sense that they're more focused on scoring points than taking down their rivals.

"Even if I don't win, it'll be fine if Kōenji comes first or second."

If I stay around 11th place, I won't be exposed. Even if I'm delayed by encountering Amasawa or any other first-year hindrance, I don't have to worry about dropping in ranking. I need to stay hidden in the high range until the end of the twelfth day.

After resting in the shade of a tree for a while, I put on my backpack and left this area for the next one, which is just a little further. I had been thinking about finding an open area just slightly away from the borderline.

By the time the sun had set, and when I had to decide where to camp for the night, I saw a single tent for one person in sight. Since the entrance was zipped up, I assumed it's unoccupied at the moment. I had planned to go to the bathroom, but before that, I got up and looked at my surroundings.

"Nice place, huh?"

Such an open and flat place is hard to find on this island. It would have been great if I could lay out my tent here, but I was an only male now, unlike when Nanase was here. If this other person was a female student, it would be a source of dispute again.

But why is there a single tent?

Did this person act separately from the group, or was it just one person? If it's the latter, it could be someone I know, right? Before I pitched my tent, I wanted to know who else was there. I decided to stay here for a while to see what would happen. If the owner is out for a walk, they'll definitely be back before sunset. Or if they're sleeping right now, and I hear noises, I'll try to talk to them.

I suppose it would be more efficient to say something right now... but I would instead observe and let them take the first initiative.

I waited about ten minutes, but there was no sign of anyone coming back, nor was there any noise from inside the tent. It may be possible this person is sleeping as there is no group to keep pace with.

"Is anyone there?"

I held my breath and waited for a reaction, but I didn't hear anything.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to set up a tent nearby. Let me know if there's any problem."

With the premise that the other party isn't there, I can have an excuse if they do come back and tell me to leave. Of course, it's desirable to keep an adequate distance from that tent.

Not too long after, I finished setting up my tent, although I was still curious about who the other person was. Once again, I'm pretty impressed with my skills of pitching tents compared to last year on the other uninhabited island. Not only that, but I like one-person tents because I don't need to worry about anyone else.

Well maybe it's because I think like that, I don't have many friends.

A cheerful person would say something like "A small tent-like this is boring." I wonder if there will be a day where I feel the same way.

"I can't imagine what it would be like..." I mutter to myself.

It's a future that will never come.

"I thought some weirdo had come along but it's just you."

As I was getting ready to change my clothes, someone called out behind me. Apparently, the owner of the lonely tent was Mio Ibuki of second-year Class B.

"Did I disturb you?"

"Not really."

After answering me briefly, Ibuki started glaring at me. I thought she would say something to me, but she immediately went back to the tent.

Thinking she was acting a little strange, I decided to go see what she was doing.

"Do you have a moment?"

No answer.

"I have something I want to ask you."

I called her once more, but there wasn't any response. However, I could hear a faint noise from inside the tent. I had assumed she was simply ignoring me, but she seemed to be doing something.

"I'm going to open it if you aren't protesting..."

Just in case, I waited thirty seconds before opening the curtain to Ibuki's tent.

"...What?"

When I looked inside, Ibuki seemed to be biting something.

"You're really– No, what are you eating?"

"Jerky," she replied.

"Jerky? I didn't see that in the uninhabited island manual they distributed..."

That means she bought raw meat and cooked it herself. But making beef jerky alone should take a lot of time and effort. Above all, in the beginning, Ibuki had left challenging words for Horikita and immediately headed for the designated area. If you carry raw meat with you, it's evident that it will go bad in a few hours due to this heat. So, I have to assume that the entire sophomore class B had a line for making jerky.

TL Note: Jerky is lean trimmed meat that has been cut into strips and dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. It's a good source of protein.

It would most definitely save considerable amounts of points. The efficiency of homemade jerky as a portable food item is great. More importantly, the number of points needed for foods like beef jerky that are already seasoned and can be kept for a long time would be so huge that it simply wouldn't be cost-effective. The same amount of jerky prepared from raw meat consumes a great deal of time and energy, but it can save a lot of points. Even if they're full for a few meals and hungry for the next few meals, second-year Class B can ignore the highly competitive food events.

"It doesn't matter, it's none of your business." Ibuki replies with a cold tone.

This is what I assume Ryūen's strategy is since Ibuki wouldn't ever tell me anything about it.

Having said that, although Ibuki had decided to tackle this exam on her own, she didn't ever fall into the bottom ten as far as I can remember. She should be barely scraping by and accumulating a decent amount of points thus far. For Ibuki, it's basically impossible to get the top three in any event that requires academic ability. Her only option to continuously score points is to go after the placement points or to go after the events that require athletic ability.

Of course, by doing this, she should have definitely accumulated more fatigue than the other students. As a result, it's clear that she's taken a lot of psychological damage as well.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she has exceeded her own limits.

"How many people have you spoken with since the exam started?"

"What?"

I would assume she also hasn't been sleeping at night, given the dark circles under her eyes.

"...Horikita. I won't lose to her, didn't you hear? I mean, we haven't had a conversation since the start of the exam."

At best, she's probably only opened her mouth to answer yes or no at the assignment table.

"It would be nice to talk with someone for a bit."

"I don't have any reason to talk with my enemies."

"Then what about your classmates? You should meet people just by walking around the island."

"I don't consider the guys in my class as friends."

She's practically locked herself in this shell and has become what she is today. I'm surprised Ibuki has continued in this state for nine days. But there were still five days left in the exam. If you cut off the threads of tension that hold her, even for just a moment, she'll collapse in one breath.

Of course, if Ibuki, who is alone, withdraws, then it's a guarantee she'll be expelled from school. However, in this special exam, it is common to understand that whenever possible, we do not want to have a group of students expelled from the same grade as us. The best strategy is to take a day off, not counting the seventh day, which was affected by bad weather. Doing nothing for a full day should restore most of your strength. Then you can use the remaining four days to get through the exam in one go. It would be incredibly beneficial if Ibuki implanted this strategy.

However, reality isn't that easy. Resting through a whole day is easier said than done. Even if you force yourself to take a break, your mental state might continue to degrade. You'll have to rest with the knowledge that while you're recuperating, others are accumulating points. The pressure of being overtaken and squeezed into the bottom ten will slowly eat away at your psyche. Spending time alone like that is something that no ordinary person can do.

Furthermore, skipping all the designated areas will only result in stacking up penalties. If the penalties stack up, they'll cause you to suffer the next day and beyond.

"Get out of here." Ibuki spits out at me.

"...Sure."

Even if the other party is Ibuki, a girl is a girl. At this time of day, when it's just getting dark, peeking into the tent of the opposite sex is definitely not something I want to be caught doing.

Even if Ryūen was here right now, I doubt he could have solved Ibuki's problem.

I left Ibuki's tent and started to organize my clothes again. The wind is relatively strong today, so I should be able to spend a cool night.

"Hey you." Ibuki called out to me from outside the tent.

After I tidied up, I looked outside to see Ibuki's figure appear outside the tent. She staggered and almost tripped for a second, but she quickly straightened up and walked towards me.

"How many points do you have right now." Ibuki asked with her hands in her pockets.

I was happy she had come out to talk, but the question was a rather bold one.

"We're enemies."

"So, you won't tell me?"

She muttered "cheapskate" under her breath, but I still won't tell her. At this point, no one on the island would benefit by knowing that I'm in thirteenth place. She probably won't believe me anyway.

"That's what I mean."

"At least tell me if you're above or below me. My score is-"

I put up my hand to stop Ibuki, who wanted to tell me her points without asking for my permission.

"Sorry, but I won't answer your question no matter what form it takes."

Even answering "above" or "below" gives her a hint. It would be the same if I lied. I may get out of trouble by answering lower than her. Still, once others learn that I am fighting to secure a score, groups will come to force me into a desperate situation. I must be careful not to let information like that spread around.

Ibuki clicks her tongue and puts her hands back in her pockets.

"Whatever. You're a waste of time."

"Exactly. Besides, your real rival is Horikita, right?"

As soon as I mentioned Horikita's name, the bored Ibuki developed a fierce expression. She proceeded to take her hand out of her pocket and raise her middle finger at me.

"If you see her, tell her I'm not going to let her beat me." Ibuki says while scowling at me.

"That's fine, but why are you giving me the finger? I'm not your rival."

"You're the same. Aren't you on good terms with Horikita?"

Not really. But even if I told Ibuki that, her opinion of me probably wouldn't change. I assume at this point, Ibuki had only come here to ask about my point situation.

"Wait a minute." I call out to her.

I reach out to grab Ibuki's arm, who clearly doesn't trust me, and doges it with full alertness.

"Ha. You want to fight?"

She assumed I was coming to provoke her, and she balled her fists.

"No, I don't want to fight you."

Once again, I quickly reach out for her wrist and grab it without leaving any room for error.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ibuki yells at me.

I defended my side against Ibuki, who kicked me in a panic. I thought she would resist for a while longer, but she let out a sigh as if her anger had run out.

"I admit I can't beat you but one day I'll kick your ass."

I really wish she wouldn't set such a ridiculous goal.

"So, what? Did Horikita send you to sabotage me?"

On top of misunderstanding my intentions, she even made up some up non-existent facts. Even if I had argued, I was in the same class as Horikita.

For Ibuki, that's more than enough to disregard reason.

Relatively speaking, Ibuki will not accept my recommendation of rest.

"Your pulse is fast."

"What?"

"And your mouth is also pretty dry. I can tell by the cracking on your lips it's pretty serious. You're obviously dehydrated."

If this goes on, her wristwatch alarm is bound to ring soon.

It may already have sounded out once.

The reason she sat quietly in the tent was probably because she was exhausted. Still, she also wanted to suppress the alerts caused by an abnormal pulse.

"I'm... I'm not that thirsty." She said as I let go of her wrist.

"Mind your own business, I don't have any problems that I can't take care of." Ibuki said while looking at me with a withering look.

After Ibuki said that, she turned around and headed back to her tent. I immediately ran by her and straight into her tent.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"

She clearly would never listen to my words, so I need to employ more forceful tactics. I rummaged around until I found her backpack.

"Let me see what's inside."

"Ehhh? That's not something I can show to boys! I don't even show it to girls."

"Thought so."

Since it was impossible to get her permission, I opened it anyway and started to check the contents.

"Who do you think you are?".

The only things in the bag were clothing items and disposable toiletries and what little jerky she had left. Plus, a 500ml mineral water bottle that was already empty. Since there was a garbage collection device where the event was done, the useless stuff had already been discarded. There was not even a drop of water left inside the bottle, which means it should have dried out a long time ago. There was also no walkie-talkie that could be used for long range contact.

"How long have you gone without water?"

"I don't need to answer you."

"How long have you gone without water?" This time, I asked her with a stern look and a more assertive tone.

"...A whole day. And little more."

"Were you running around in that state?"

"I haven't been running anywhere, I was here resting all day."

"That's a cheap lie. There wasn't any GPS responses at this location in the morning."

"So, you ran a scan?"

Of course, I didn't, but this bluff seems to be working. Ibuki wouldn't simply choose to rest when she needed to defeat Horikita.

"Has the emergency alert been triggered yet?"

"...An hour ago. So, I had no choice but to take an early break."

The watch's warning bell will stop chirping when physical abnormalities stop occurring continuously. After a while, it'll stop ringing the emergency alert and go back to the warning alert.

"If you don't rehydrate, it'll keep ringing even if you're resting."

If you can't stop your fast-beating pulse, it will be transferred back to the emergency bell. By that time, the dehydration symptoms will also have worsened. Once you undergo the medical examination, you won't be allowed to partake in the exam anymore.

"I'll do something about it tomorrow. I'll go to the starting point in case of emergency, so leave me alone."

"That's more than two kilometers from here. If you try and cover that, you'll definitely collapse."

"Then I'll complete an event or whatever."

"It's because you can't do an event that you're in this situation right?"

The only way to calm down Ibuki is to counter her flawed reasoning with a good argument. I grab my backpack from my tent and pull out two 500ml plastic bottles that I got from completing today's challenge.

"Let's negotiate."

"What?"

"I have trouble finding food. On the other hand, I have an excess of water. That's why I want to negotiate with you, because I can make an equal exchange."

Ibuki clears her throat when she sees the plastic bottle of water, even though it isn't cold anymore.

"What are you going to do? Again, this is a fair deal. You're going to have to give me a certain amount of food for this water."

"Who do you even think you-"

"You can say no, but that will be the end of our negotiations."

Ibuki's rebellious words won't stop if I don't maintain a strong attitude.

"If you withdraw from this exam due to dehydration, you will surely lose to Horikita. I met her a while ago, she looked great, and didn't seem to need food or water."

Mentioning her competition, or even Horikita's name for that matter is the keyword for Ibuki. Threatening her wouldn't get me anywhere, but bringing up the only thing she cares about right now, Horikita, will get her to listen to me.

"In that case, I'll accept your deal. How much food do you want?"

Ibuki's food supply will run out in less than two days at this rate. If I took only a short amount of supplies, it can't be called a fair trade.

"Give me half."

"Is that all?"

"It's better than being stuck with nothing to eat but weeds."

That was the deal Ibuki, and I made for water and food. The second I handed her the bottle, Ibuki drank half of the mineral water in one gulp.

Usually, I would have reminded her that she should drink slowly. However, considering that she already has symptoms of dehydration, she needed to rehydrate as soon as possible.

I think she was dissatisfied with how I was looking at her, and she resumed with her murderous look. Although the dehydration symptoms have more or less improved, Ibuki's spirit is obviously not in a normal state. She's been maintaining a tense state of mind without having much energy to spare.

How much longer could she hold on, I wonder. Will it be a few hours or few days? I wish she can hold on until the end of the exam. After this, I probably won't see her again since we don't share the same path. I had to try one last time to convince her.

"I won't thank you. It was a fair deal, right?"

"I never asked you to thank me."

I'm sure she's been in a sensitive state with people because she's been so tense all day. It would be fine if it was a short-term battle, but in a long-term exam like this, it's just asking for trouble.

"If you haven't sunk to a lower level yet, it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend a day or so until tomorrow to regain strength, right? Or you could switch to a strategy of just going after food and water."

"Throw away my score? Ha, you must be kidding me." Ibuki said as she stormed out.

"I don't make an effort because I don't want to be expelled. I only care about beating that Horikita chick."

I know that.

That's why I'm giving her advice that will help her win.

Ibuki has hated me ever since she found out I'm X. Due to that unnecessary filter, my true intention can't even be conveyed.

"Why am I still here? I don't have to talk to you anymore." Ibuki said, clearly annoyed. She left me and went back into her tent.

I knew persuading her like this would be futile, but I wanted to warn her anyways. At the very least, her health should be fine today and tomorrow.

After that, she'll have to rely on her determination. Since she's acting alone, I'm a little worried about her score. But seeing as she wants to compete with Horikita, her ranking shouldn't be that low.

Although the day isn't quite over yet, I used too much energy today, so I'll rest. It'll be nice to calm down and spend the night quietly.