3.2

Although the designated area was close to the location of my campsite, it still took me an hour and a half to reach it. From the watch came a message that I had reached the designated area, but of course, there was no more placement point payout, only 1 point for arrival points. Since I went about doing some events halfway, I wasn't upset about the result. From this higher point in the island, you can see the general view of the uninhabited island.

"My my, you're really quite late Ayanokōji." I heard a voice call out to me.

Standing to my right side was Fūka Kiryūin of third-year Class B. She appeared to be looking down the cliff and observing the island.

"Seems so."

Kiryūin was the most troublesome person who was the closest to me at the moment. I was able to find her location beforehand through the GPS scan.

"I thought I had a tough competitor for the placement point reward, but it was only you?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It isn't uncommon for there to be different groups in the same area. Besides that, I thought that Kiryūin-senpai wasn't interested in the top ten groups."

Kiryūin has risen from whatever place she was all the way to 9th.

"This uninhabited island test was more fun than I thought it would be, and I'm thrilled beyond my age" She replies even though she's just a year older than me.

"I'm going to continue with my current rhythm for a while longer."

"Shouldn't you aim for number one?"

"Everyone is competing with each other for the podium. I can't keep up with that game. However, if Miyabi Nagumo collapses, the story could become a little different."

"I don't think the President is anywhere close to collapsing."

"Do you really think Nagumo is going to leave Kōenji as he is?"

Apparently, Kiryūin also has some idea of what is going to happen next.

"In terms of pure combat power, you can't say that Nagumo will definitely win. You've been watching the developments, haven't you?

Nagumo is almost ready to make his move. In other words, there is a good chance that Nagumo will make a move to dethrone Kōenji. Depending on how the situation unfolds, it's possible that both sides will cease to score points for a while."

It's also possible that one of them will sink and fall down the rankings.

"Hitting your opponent is an important part of battle." She adds.

I don't know when they're going to do it, but they'll definitely face each other at this rate.

"Don't you want to be in the top ten?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any desire to be in the top ten."

"Is that so? I thought you were supposed to have accumulated nearly the same number of points as me."

How interested was she in me? No, I'm not exactly sure I'm the only one. I'm sure that the Kiryūin has analyzed the strategies of everyone in the school.

"Several groups will soon lose their performance. We just have to keep trying and not give up."

I hadn't heard of this student until recently, but I can see now that she's pretty talented. She's a third-year student with excellent insight and intuition that even the OAA system can't fully express her excellence.

"That said, from what I see in the table so far, what do you think of the fact that no group has withdrawn?"

"All I can say is that you can't let your guard down, not even for a moment." I reply.

"Yesterday I went through the starting point to obtain information. It seems that groups that have started to suffer from food and water shortages are trying to get ahead by separating some of their members to avoid joint collapse."

"That's a smart decision."

No matter how many points you accumulate, you will be disqualified and expelled from school if the whole group withdraws. It is safer to send one or two people to the starting point, even if that reduces efficiency. Water is abundant, and hygiene is protected, making it easier to avoid diseases.

"I'm sure the bottom ten groups still carry some hope, that at least some groups will be forced to withdraw."

"People who have nothing left to lose are capable of anything, so you can't be careless."

"Isn't that something that a girl should worry about, Kiryūin-senpai?"

"Hmmm, that is true. As a pretty and merciful maiden, I should feel a sense of danger."

Although it was just a joke, she unexpectedly took it very seriously.

"Well, if it comes to that, I'll just have to beat them up." Kiryūin said with a grin and slammed her fists.

That answer was not something a maiden would say.

"Are you being serious?"

"Fufu~, sorry for taking up your time. After all, every second of my time with you is a precious second that I should be using elsewhere." Kiryūin said as she raised her hand and started to walk away towards the event.

"Aren't you going to go? Maybe now you still have a chance."

"I don't think I can compete with Kiryūin-senpai and win. At this time, I believe that there are at most only two spots left for the event. If there are more than three rival groups headed there, not to mention Kiryūin-senpai. At this point, there's little chance I'll be able to participate."

Kiryūin abruptly stopped back and looked my way when she should be hurrying.

"So that's... no, I dare you to go there and see for yourself." She said with a smirk.

As if she had realized my strategy, Kiryūin left with that chal enge.