6.1

My second destination of the day was I2, the northeast end of the deserted island. Now that I've managed to stop the penalty, I can head there with some peace of mind. After the exam ends at 3:00 p.m., we'll basically walk back to the starting point, but in some cases, they have a plan to collect the students on a patrol boat. If you're in the area, the patrol boat will come to J6 at 5pm.

"The ending of the exam is nearing, and yet they've given me such a troublesome zone..."

How could the designated area be the most northeastern, when the testing environment remains the same, with the challenges concentrated on the south side of the island? I was tempted to bemoan the fact that it was a mistake on the school's part, but I had no choice. It would have been easier if I could just let it go, but I was beginning to feel something disturbing here.

Since this morning, I had not seen or passed any of the other students.

Even though the island is large, there are still many opportunities to see or hear from them as long as you are on the move. Of course, since I didn't make it to the last designated area yesterday, I don't know why I didn't bump into any of the students following the same table as me.

This indicates that many students have already gone down to the south side where the assignments are gathered. After stepping on I2, it might be a good idea to ignore the final designated area and head for the task.

H3 has a narrow river dividing the area. This river cannot be used as a shortcut, so it is a troublesome place that you are forced to go around. The saving grace is that you can just walk along the river and don't have to worry about getting lost. No need to panic, just walk down the river to the southwest, reach the point where you can cross, and head northeast. You can walk alongside the water until you hit the mountains. That's how I got to the other side of the river, near the center of H3.

"Ayanokōji-kun──!"

As I was walking along, listening to the sound of the water flowing by, I heard a voice calling my name from afar. The north side of the river that I had just bypassed.

There, covered in mud, Ichinose was staring at me, out of breath.

"Ichinose... what are you doing here all the way in H3?"

As I recall, according to Sakayanagi, Ichinose was in E3.

It was just after ten o'clock now, so if we take the time when the sun started to rise to be around 5:30, then Ichinose had walked for about four and a half hours to get here. That's a pretty quick pace.

"I.... I-I came to see Ayanokōji-kun!" Ichinose shouted from across the river, her words cut off by visible exhaustion.

"I'm coming over there now!" With that, Ichinose starts running along the river even though she's clearly not in a good state. She throws away her heavy backpack as if it was in the way. Her steps were unsteady. Ichinose's physical strength was probably at its limit, and it would take a lot of effort to get here. I turned back the way I had come and hurried to meet up with her.

We ran along the river for about five minutes and arrived at a point where we could meet up. Since I couldn't let Ichinose push herself too hard, I crossed the river to the north side first.

"Hey, I'm finally... finally catching up with you... Wait for me, I'm coming!"

I wondered if she felt responsible for chasing me this far and calling me off. Out of breath, Ichinose reached in front of me, but she couldn't stand and fell forward.

"Ah!"

I hold Ichinose, who is about to fall.

"Gosh, I'm sorry! Oh, that? Why? My legs aren't... doing what they're supposed to..." She hurriedly tries to pull away, but her knees are shaking and she can't seem to stand properly.

"What's wrong with you, Ichinose?"

Ichinose looks up at me and opens her mouth, desperately trying to sort out the situation.

"I really need to tell Ayanokoji-kun something!"

"To tell me?"

"I've been worrying, worrying, worrying about... my friends, a-and I have to protect my classmates..."

What is she talking about? I don't know what it's about, but I'm pretty sure she's trying really hard to get the right words out.

"But even so, I was worried about Ayanokōji-kun, so... I thought why not?"

During this special exam, I didn't have any particular contact with Ichinose. It seems that something unexpected happened. In order to tell me whatever it was that happened, she's been walking for over four hours, desperately trying to get here.

"My watch broke, so I was going to go back to the starting point to get it replaced... That's when I saw two people, Acting Director Tsukishiro and Sensei Shiba. T-they were there...!"

Ichinose speaks in a faltering voice, she's exhausted to the point where she still hasn't calmed down her breathing. Depending on what the severity of the situation is, she probably spent a few days worrying about it. This only adds onto her weak physical condition by giving her mental strain.

"They said if Ayanokōji-kun is safe until the last day, they'll call you to I2 and bury him."

The words "I2" and "bury him." It's true that if you only hear those words, you'll think it's quite a disturbing turn of events that will take place.

The reason why Tsukishiro and the others were so carelessly overheard by Ichinose was because her watch were broken and they could not trace the GPS response.

"Does protecting your classmates... mean that Tsukishiro threatened you?"

Ichinose nodded repeatedly, though she seemed momentarily surprised by my guess.

"If I told Ayanokōji-kun about this, he... said he was going to expel my classmates, but I just couldn't leave you alone...!"

"Don't worry about it, you turn your head the other way. I'm your enemy, you know."

When Ichinose heard those words, she shook her head strongly and violently, saying no.

"You can't! Ayanokōji-kun, Ayanokōji-kun is... not my enemy!"

Ichinose clutches the shirt near my chest.

"I think I'm an enemy, though."

"No! Because... for me, Ayanokoji-kun is..."

The hand that gripped the shirt tightly is squeezed even tighter once more.

"I'm... I'm in love with you, Ayanokōji-kun. ...!"

The words must have been something Ichinose herself had not expected to say.

After the words came out, she averted his gaze as if to cover her own mouth.

"W-what?! I-I didn't... I mean I did... but what?" She repeatedly shook her head from side to side in panic, as if she hadn't been able to catch up with her own understanding.

"What did I just say?"

As if her memory of what she had said had flown, she started to panic when she couldn't understand.

"Are you sure you want me to repeat it? What you just said to me?"

"Uh, yeah... Oh, no, no! I'm not sure what I said exactly but I remember more or less! Yes! But you see I-"

"Thank you, Ichinose."

"What, what, what?

I had to thank her, for looking out for me. She put me ahead of her classmates, ahead of the group and the exam she was trying to win.

I don't take that feeling with contempt.

"If Ichinose hadn't warned me, I don't know what would have happened to me."

This is probably a big turning point for me. If I hadn't met Ichinose here, I wouldn't have gone to I2, assuming Tsukishiro was there waiting for me. It's most definitely true that Tsukishiro threatened Ichinose. But here she is, right in front of me.

And she told me everything, without regard for the danger.

"Is it true what you said earlier?"

"Well that would mean... so, uh, no, it's not, you know?"

"If it's not, deny it now. I'll get the wrong idea."

"Ah.... misunderstood.... well maybe not...."

Ichinose was about to deny it, but she decided that she could no longer hold it in any longer.

"I like... you."

She admitted in a small, snatchy voice that seemed to fade away.

"I think I just realized that you probably won't feel that same way about me. I'm sorry."

There was nothing to apologize for.

"To be honest, I was surprised that you felt that way about me."

"Gosh, I'm sorry. You don't like me, do you?"

"That's not true. It's just that I can't respond to Ichinose's feelings right now."

"O-oh yeah, because I'm not good enough for Ayanokōji-kun..."

"That's not it. There are still several things that need to be resolved, and I couldn't answer yes or no in this situation."

Besides, I had to avoid telling her about Kei's existence here. Even if it would cause more harm and resentment if she found out later, she was in the middle of a deserted island test. There is still time left, so I shouldn't do anything that will take away her will to fight.

"It may not make sense to you, but that's the best I can do for you right now."

"Yes... I understand." Ichinose nodded her head in response, neither displeased nor dissatisfied.

"I'm going to head to I2 now. I have some things I need to do there."

"No, you can't! It's dangerous!"

"If I don't, you won't be able to protect your precious classmates, will you?"

I'm sure she knows that because she's been through so much. It's not hard to imagine that if she contacts me and tells me, Tsukishiro will find out about it. But I think I need to tell her that this isn't a last-ditch effort, it's a comeback.

"You need to take a long break and then try to meet up with the group.

Understood?"

Patting the head of the obeying Ichinose once, I decided to head to I2.