25 Volume 14 - Chapter 4: What it Means to Like Someone
Intro
It was just after 6:00 in the morning, right about when the inside of my tent began to heat up, when I heard a voice coming from outside.
"Uhm, Ayanokōji-senpai, are you awake yet?"
"Please wait a second, I'll be right out."
I emerged from within my tent, responding to Nanase's call.
"I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning."
"I was already awake so it's fine. We need to start tidying up and get ready to head out soon anyway. What's up?"
I took a look around at the other tents and noticed that nobody else had woken up yet, so I kept my voice to a whisper.
"It's about Ike-senpai. Do you think I said a little too much last night…?"
"Well, rather than having said too much… To me it felt more like you just called it like it was."
While I did think that she had gotten a bit too involved in his personal matters, it seemed like she had more or less reflected on it.
"Thanks to you, Ike's managed to get back on his feet. Or, I guess it's more like he's managed to finally take a stand. I think he appreciates what you've done for him."
"You think so?"
I nodded immediately, but she still seemed somewhat unconvinced.
"I feel like Ike-senpai is in a sort-of precarious position right now. I'm afraid that yesterday's discussion might backfire and cause him to act recklessly… That's why I'm not sure if we should split off from them right away."
"It's not that I don't understand how you feel, but…"
While I was also worried about Ike's mental state, traveling together with them would come with great risks of its own. Our groups each had completely different Tables, so there was no way to predict where our designated areas would be.
Depending on this next designation, we might have to head off in entirely different directions.
Given that, I found myself wondering whether her feelings were genuine or perhaps something more artificial.
If it was the latter, was she simply looking to keep me from going to the designated areas?
No, a move like that felt far too weak and short-sighted.
At some level, I couldn't exactly dismiss the idea that she might hold me back, but…
"It's no good, huh… I thought so. If we split up with them, it would probably be impossible to meet back up again."
"Well, let's see…"
I wouldn't say it was the best idea out there, but I guess it wouldn't be entirely impossible to implement.
There would still be ways to keep an eye on Sudō's group and stay on top of our own affairs at the same time.
"It's extreme, but as far as meeting back up with them is concerned, it shouldn't be that difficult. It's just a matter of deciding on a meeting place in advance. Even if it's a long distance away, as long as we have the stamina left to walk, it should still be possible."
Be it designated areas or Tasks, the day's obligations always came to an end by the time 5:00 PM came around.
In other words, we were basically free to do whatever and go wherever we wanted from 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next day.
"That's true and all, but…"
Of course, whether or not this was actually the correct course of action was another story altogether.
The further away our designated areas were from each other, the tougher it would be to decide on a suitable meeting place.
"In any case, we should probably wait and see what designated area they get first."
If their route was completely different from ours, then it'd be for the best to give up on the idea sooner rather than later.
After packing up camp and eating breakfast, 7:00 AM came around and with it the announcement of the first designated area of the day.
"H7, huh?"
I wouldn't say it was the worst outcome, but it certainly wasn't ideal by any stretch of the imagination.
It wasn't clear whether we'd be able to make it there within the next two hours or not.
However, if we didn't make it there in time, it would be our second missed area in a row.
In which case, if the next area ended up being randomly designated and showed up somewhere off to the west of the mountain range, we'd really be in a pinch.
"It would be quite troublesome if the randomly designated area were to happen at 9:00."
Under the assumption that everything went smoothly for these next two hours, we'd probably only reach I7 or I8 at the very most.
Of course, it's not like it would be impossible to reach H7 in two hours, but…
Getting Nanase involved in something so drastic would come with an equivalent amount of risk.
"We can always choose to conserve energy and miss the area for a second time."
The point reduction penalty only began once a group had missed three area designations in a row.
So in that sense, even if we didn't make it to H7, we should still be fine…
That being said, should the situation turn dire, we could very well be subject to the mercy of our destination, forever unable to find our way to the designated area in time.
"Sudō, what designated area did you get?"
"We got I8 so if you two are goin' the same way we can head out together. I'm fired up so let's get this done!"
While our destinations were different, our routes would, for the most part, be the same.
However, this turn of events was far from convenient. In fact, I felt more inclined to call it unfortunate instead.
Thanks to this, I would be prevented from taking any extreme measures.
If we were to go all out trying to get there, Ike and Hondō would certainly not be able to match our pace.
"We're heading in the same direction again, so how about we stick together until we have to split up?"
I figured we might as well travel together with them since we probably wouldn't reach our area before the time limit anyway.
After all, Ike's situation was still a concern, and we'd at least be able to collaborate should something happen along the way.
"Sure thing. You down, Kanji?"
"A-ah, of course."
Ike looked somewhat flustered as he responded, the memories of last night's conversation probably still fresh in his mind.
Nanase's presence, that of a stranger, had helped to spur Ike forward.
And while this had been an unfortunate beginning to the third day, there at least seemed to be some upsides to it working out the way it had.
Under normal circumstances, Ike would crack jokes and try to smooth-talk Nanase, prattling off about how cute she was or something, but that wasn't the case here at all. It would be undeniably outrageous if he acted that way after everything he said about Shinohara just last night. However, given that Ike was exactly the type of person who did undeniably outrageous things from time to time, the fact that he was showing restraint now may very well be proof that he was beginning to change.
"Well, anyway. I guess I'll lead, so you all can just follow me."
With that, Ike rolled his shoulders, stretching them both out in their full range of motion before taking up the lead and setting out. He had gotten much more lively ever since we started traveling together with them. After all, a false show of courage wasn't all that different from the real thing.
"You don't seem to be enjoying this very much, Ayanokōji-senpai. Your expression is quite stiff."
"It's nothing out of the ordinary."
"Is that so?"
While it was true that I was somewhat bothered about our designated area, I felt pretty confident that I hadn't let it show on my expression.
"There's no use worryin' 'bout that. Ayanokōji's always got that sorta look on his face."
Sudō chimed in, having heard what we were saying from over his shoulder.
I wasn't sure if I should be thankful for his support or offended by it.
"Well there's your answer."
I had slightly mixed feelings about it, but in the end I just went along with Sudō's explanation.
Sudō let show a mischievous grin before heading up to the front and striking up a conversation with Ike.
"You're still thinking about Ike-senpai, aren't you Ayanokōji-senpai?"
"You're reading too far into it. I'm glad to see that he's grown up a bit, but honestly outside of that I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"…Is that so?"
Since there was a chance that Ike and Sudō might overhear what we were saying, I cut our conversation short.
As he was now, Ike was certainly more energetic than he had been yesterday, so it wasn't incorrect to say that he had grown up in a mental sense. In that respect, the response I had given Nanase technically hadn't been a lie at all.
However─ Most of this 'growth' was superficial. This was nothing more than the first step of his journey of change. Depending on the situation, his progress may stagnate, or possibly even go through a major regression.
People are not so simple that they can change just because they want to, a truth that Nanase also appeared to be well aware of. And to that end, she wanted to have me understand it as well. From off to the side, I could tell that her gaze was fixed on Ike as he walked in front of us, and upon seeing this, I couldn't help but wonder to what extent her thoughts were really about Ike.
From just ahead of us, Ike and the others raised their voices in surprise.
A wild bird had suddenly spread its wings from further within the forest and took off into the open sky.
It was the type of special, firsthand look at nature that we'd probably only get to experience on an uninhabited island like this.
At any rate, if I wanted to find out the truth about Nanase, my only real option seemed to be traveling together with her, at least for the foreseeable future.
1
It was nearly 9:00 AM, and we were currently in the southeast corner of area I8. The path ahead was rugged, but Nanase's breathing wasn't labored in the slightest. It seemed like she wouldn't have any problems keeping up if I picked up the pace a bit. Sudō's group had been together with us until just a few minutes ago, but the moment we arrived at I8, they ran off to take part in a Task that had appeared back in I9.
"For now, let's head over to J9."
"This is to lower the chances of being in the next designated area at nine o'clock, correct?"
"Yeah."
From our current location, we should be able to reach J9 in only a few minutes.
We pressed onward, arriving in J9 just three minutes short of 9:00 AM, our eyes glued to our tablets as we stepped foot into the area.
For the three short minutes we had, we sat down on the ground and took a break as we waited for the second designated area to be announced.
From where she was seated, Nanase peered at the screen of my tablet. Seconds later, the clock struck nine.
"Senpai…"
Upon seeing the next area, Nanase looked up at me. It was the second random designation of the exam, but it wasn't that far away at area J5. It would be a tricky journey if we went through the forest, so we could just head all the way east and travel north along the beach instead.
Even if there were students on our Table who had successfully made it to area H7, it would take them a lot of time to navigate through the forest.
We had more distance to cover, but there was a chance we could surpass our competition in one fell swoop.
When it came to random designations, the fact of the matter was that there was no way to tell where they would pop up.
In this case, we were lucky that it had turned up within a reasonable range.
We immediately resumed our journey without exchanging another word.
It had been tacitly understood that we would take a path straight to the beach.
Not even twenty minutes later, we stepped foot on the sand in the northeast corner of I8, and from there, we pushed north along the shore.
As we traveled, we passed through area J6, where we encountered several adults in the middle of setting something up.
I cast them a sidelong glance as we passed through, then opened up my tablet to find that a Task had just appeared here.
"Beach Flags Showdown, huh?"
Beach Flags is a sporting event that was originally designed for lifeguards to train various skills essential to their practice, such as running speed and reflexes. A perfect fit for the sandy coastline.
They were apparently looking for eight boys and eight girls, who would be participating separately.
Since only one person would be allowed to participate per group, the Task needed a total of eight different groups per gender.
Only the first place group would receive rewards, earning 6 points along with the ability to choose an additional reward out of several provided options.
Outside of that, every group would receive a 500ml water bottle as a prize just for participating.
Usually, new Tasks would be announced via the map on our tablets, but if you just so happened to be passing by while one was being set up, you'd be able to learn about it ahead of time. You'd get to register for the Task before any other group, but subsequently, you wouldn't be able to discern what type of Task it was going to be until it started. Of course, if it was something straightforward, you could probably figure it out just by looking at what was being set up, but if it was some sort of academic test, that would be almost impossible.
This Task, however, had a registration deadline of one hour. If we registered for it now, we'd be stuck in the nearby area, effectively casting aside any chance we had of earning an Early Bird Bonus by reaching our designated area.
For that reason, I decided that we would look the other way for the time being and prioritize reaching our designated area instead.
Not too long after, just as I began to feel like we had arrived in area J5, a notification showed up on my watch.
"We did it Senpai."
In total, it had taken us about an hour to get here. Under normal circumstances, taking a full hour to reach a designated area would only net you the Arrival Bonus. However, I was apparently lucky enough to have been the first group to get here, whereas Nanase had secured herself the one-point Arrival Bonus, so we both came out ahead. Whether or not she would get the Early Bird Bonus as well depended entirely on Amasawa and Hōsen, but I had no way of knowing about that.
Since we had dealt with our designated area, our next step was to go back to area J6 and register for the Beach Flags Task.
The two of us went back the way we came, our sights set on earning accumulating as many points as we could.
We were met with something unexpected when we arrived back at the Task site, however. A long line of students, both boys and girls, had already formed at the registration point. The area had been empty back when we passed by earlier, so just where did all of these people come from?
"If we're lucky, we might be able to take up the last spot?"
"Perhaps. Maybe J6 is the designated area for another Table?"
"Perhaps…"
"Let's go check it out for the time being."
"Right!"
2
We entered area J6 and approached the Beach Flags Task site.
It looked like there were already more than eight boys participating, but there was no way to say for sure just yet.
Since only one person per group was allowed to participate, I probably still had a chance.
A male third-year student noticed us as we drew closer.
His name was Kiriyama, the vice president of the student council. Up until a few seconds ago, he seemed to be enjoying himself as he chatted with his friends. However, his demeanor changed entirely the moment he caught sight of us, as he immediately rushed over to the staff member in charge of the Task and began to talk to them about something.
While I was put off by his strange show of behavior, I simply approached the staff member myself and let them know I was looking to participate.
Unfortunately, I was told that the student just ahead of me had apparently filled up the last spot in the boys' category, making it impossible for me to participate. I watched as Kiriyama and the other boys who had registered left to go change their clothes in the makeshift changing rooms that the staff members had set up.
The girls, on the other hand, only had seven entries, so there was still one more spot available.
"If Senpai can't participate then I'll sit this one out as well. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."
"It's okay, I wanted to take a break anyway. You should participate."
"But…"
"Since you're surrendering all of the Early Bird Bonuses to me, the gap between our points is only going to get wider. I'm not saying anything about whether you'll win or not, but you should just go for it if you think you stand a chance."
There were still about ten minutes left until the registration deadline, but if Nanase entered, the Task would reach maximum capacity.
In other words, she could immediately compete in the Task without wasting any time.
"Thank you very much. Well… I suppose I'll go sign up then."
If she had a decent chance of stealing away points from students of other school years, then she should take full advantage of it. Given that she was the one who had asked to accompany me, she wasn't really in a position to make willful decisions here. But even so, this was still a Task that she should be firm about participating in.
A tent had been set up a bit off to the side for people to take refuge from the direct sunlight, so I moved over to it once Nanase left to change clothes.
There were a variety of different swimsuits available for the Task for both boys and girls. One might go so far as to say that the competition truly began from the moment you decided on which one you would wear. Although, since there wasn't going to be any swimming, it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference no matter which one you went with.
One by one, the boys began to emerge from the makeshift changing rooms, donned in their chosen swimwear. For the most part, they were all wearing standard loose-fitting swim trunks, with the only real difference between them being the pattern print of the fabric. The various students on standby began to cheer and hollar as their friends came out into the open.
I decided to take a closer look at the strange lineup of students who had assembled here. Each of the eight boys were third-year students. Similarly, on the girls' side of things, there were seven third-years. Nanase, the sole first-year student, had only just barely managed to slip her way in.
As a rule, only one person could participate per group, which meant that there were at least fifteen different groups of third-years gathered here right now. Regardless of whether they were here because of a nearby designated area or because of this Task alone, the fact that there weren't any students from other school years present was undeniably abnormal.
Given that, Vice President Kiriyama was certainly worth paying attention to. If a large number of people were all moving together just to ensure that he would take the win, then…
I stood back and thought this over, and before long, everything was ready for the boys to begin their matches. The format of the competition was the average bracketed tournament, where students would compete against each other in one-on-one matches in order to decide who would advance to the next round. Winning three straight matches would net you the first place spot. Therefore, I should be able to see if the competition had been fixed for Kiriyama by watching the intensity of the other third-years.
After all, the intensity of the matches would help dictate whether they were serious about winning or not.
From the very first match, however, the competition was unexpectedly fierce, with Kiriyama pitted against one of his very own classmates. The two boys arose from face down on the ground and broke into a sprint at practically the same time. It was so neck-and-neck that they were both in the air as they dove for the flag. You could even say that it all came down to the length of their arms. In the end, Kiriyama seized the flag, and with it, the win.
It wasn't just that first match either. Time and time again, the third-years faced off, burning with determination to come out on top. It really didn't seem like they were deliberately throwing for Kiriyama's sake, or anyone else's for that matter.
They could be taking it seriously because I was watching, but that probably wasn't the case here.
Kiriyama wasn't 'that' wary of me, and even if he was, it was immensely unlikely that he'd be able to convince everyone else to follow along.
In which case, what was the explanation for the crowd of third-year students currently spread out before me?
It was possible that something beyond my expectations was happening here.
Just as the boys' matches were getting into full swing, the girls began to show up in their new change of clothes.
Five of them had chosen the usual school regulation swimsuit. Nanase, meanwhile, had chosen an option that was far more bold and daring.
It seemed like they were on standby, free to do as they wanted until the boys finished.
Given that, I approached Nanase and called out to her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
She looked over at me curiously, in the midst of doing warm-up exercises in a blue-green bikini.
"I see that you chose a rather cute swimsuit. Is there a reason for that?"
If she wanted to keep things simple, then a standard school swimsuit would've probably been more than enough.
"A reason? From what I've seen of Beach Flags on TV, girls usually compete wearing swimsuits like this, right? I thought it'd be strange if I took part in a school swimsuit. Have I misunderstood something?"
Well, if we're talking about what's shown on TV, then she wasn't exactly wrong.
After all, Beach Flags is one of the most popular recreational activities for people that come to the beach.
At that, Nanase turned her attention to the ongoing matches as she continued with her warm-up exercises.
The final match ultimately drew to a close with a splendid victory for Kiriyama. This was only to be expected from someone who was trying to take down Nagumo. His skills seemed to be an accurate representation of his B+ Physical Ability rating in the OAA app as well.
The girls' category was up next, meaning that Nanase would be participating soon. In fact, her name was called for the very first match, so she immediately went and took her position prone on the field. Her opponent was a third-year girl named Tomioka, who had a decent C+ Physical Ability rating. Nanase, on the other hand, was one step above that with a B+. That being said, a higher Physical Ability rating wouldn't necessarily guarantee victory.
Overall Ability would certainly have a part to play here, and furthermore, everybody comes with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Whether or not a student had prior experience with Beach Flags would also be important, but I felt pretty confident in thinking that it mostly came down to running speed and reflexes. This begged the question: Who was truly better between them? At the sound of the pistol, Nanase nimbly arose from the ground, kicked off from the sand, and burst toward the flag in one swift motion.
Tomioka lost before she even had the chance to put up a fight, left only to stare at the open sky with a dumbfounded expression.
The timing of the blank was usually unpredictable, but in Nanase's case, she had responded in perfect sync with the sound of the gun.
That alone served as definitive proof that her reflexes were several magnitudes faster than Tomioka's.
The six remaining competitors who had been watching from the sidelines had probably gotten a sense of just how formidable Nanase was as well. After the next three matches, the four semi-finalists were chosen, and Nanase's speed and reflexes seemed to be a head above the rest.
However, that was by no means reason for her to be careless. Between negligence, pride, and an assortment of other factors, there were plenty of things that may dull her reflexes, no matter how amazing they may be. And, no matter how much confidence she may place in her running ability, if she were to get her foot caught in the sand and tripped, it would all be over.
But at the end of the day, results rarely betray the favored outcome.
Nanase won her second match by another large margin, and was now one step away from snatching up the competition.
"She's a tough one."
Kiriyama voiced his candid impression of Nanase as he spectated the matches.
Of course, these words were not meant for me, but for his fellow group members.
The other semifinal match went by and before long, the final matchup was decided. Nanase would be going up against a girl named Tokunaga, and this time, her opponent was someone with an identical B+ Physical Ability rating. Tokunaga had won her last two matches decisively, much in the same way that Nanase had. The final match had become a proper showdown between two worthy competitors.
Up until this point, the onlooking crowd had been fairly rowdy, but everyone quieted down as the two girls took their positions and waited for the signal.
The staff member fired off the pistol for the last time, the sound echoing out across the beach. And with it, the two girls burst into action, arising from the sand simultaneously. The opening movement was truly evenly matched, but the similarity between them only went that far.
Not only did Nanase take the first step after getting up, but she propelled herself forward with a strength far superior to that of Tokunaga. And then, after a short sprint, she dove, cleanly wrenching the flag out of the sand as she did.
Tokunaga had been skilled enough to make it all the way to the final match, and given that she also had a flawless opening, she must've realized the difference between herself and Nanase. A difference so apparent that she couldn't even feel resentful about it, left only to smile bitterly with traces of astonishment in her expression. In the end, she asked Nanase for a handshake, paying due respect to the victor two years her junior.
After leaving to wash off all the sand from her body and swimsuit, Nanase returned with her participatory bottle of water in hand.
After fighting three fierce battles in this sweltering heat, a cold drink of water was probably just what her body needed.
"That was a landslide victory."
With the competition finished, I went to Nanase's side and spoke up to her as she rested.
"Thank you very much. I managed to get through it somehow."
Her shoulders were moving up and down to some extent and she was definitely at least somewhat short on breath, but overall, I got the impression that she hadn't really put forth that much effort. In fact, it seemed to me that she had won with strength and energy to spare. In a contest between a first-year student and a third-year student, it may seem at first glance that the first-year is at a disadvantage. Generally speaking, however, girls reach the full potential of their physical capabilities at a relatively earlier age. As a result, there was probably no real difference in the athletic capabilities of a girl at 15 or 16 and a girl at 18. The primary factor influencing the outcome would have to be prior experience in the sport at hand, but in the case of Beach Flags, that wasn't something that many teenage girls would have.
No─ was there even any point in trying to analyze it like this? The fact of the matter was that Nanase Tsubasa's true Physical Ability rating was higher than what the OAA reflected. We had been told that the incoming first-year students would have their ratings evaluated based on their performances during their third year of middle school, but we were already well into the start of summer.
It had already been so long since the start of the year, and yet Nanase was still maintaining a B+ rating.
To me it seemed like she was more than capable of getting an A- rating or even an A, but…
"U-uhm, Ayanokōji-senpai?"
"Hm?"
"Seeing you stare at me so closely like that, it's… well, it's a little unsettling, you know…?"
She looked away from me, a somewhat uncomfortable expression on her face.
"Ah… Yeah. Sorry."
It'd probably be fine to continue thinking about this once Nanase changed her clothes.
With the Task finished, Kiriyama and the other third-year students immediately began preparing to pull out. It was probably safe to assume that they would be headed off to their next designated area or another Task site.
At that, Kiriyama approached me for the first time since we showed up here.
"Ayanokōji, don't say anything unnecessary."
He said nothing further, simply turning his gaze toward the distant shoreline behind me.
I looked over my shoulder, curious about what he meant, only to catch sight of several figures moving together along the sandbar.
I immediately understood what Kiriyama meant.
At some point, Nagumo, the student council president, had started messing about with some other third-year students in the ocean not too far away from the Task site.
03-06
He must've realized that I was looking at him too as he proceeded to call out to me, subtly beckoning for me to come over.
"I'll say it again just to be sure: Don't get in my way, got it?"
"I understand."
Together with the rest of his friends, Kiriyama headed off toward the forest, leaving the beach behind.
"Nanase, I'm going to go talk with a senpai for a bit, so take your time getting dressed."
"I will, thank you."
I couldn't exactly ignore Nagumo, so I figured that I might as well go talk with him, at least for a bit.
Besides, there was something I was curious about myself.
"From what I saw, it didn't look like you were able to participate in that Task."
"Aren't we the same in that regard? Or did you just come here because of a nearby designated area?"
"Hmm, who knows?"
Nagumo smirked dismissively, evading the question.
"How about you come take a swim with us?"
"As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer, I didn't have enough points left over to rent a swimsuit like you did, President Nagumo."
It wasn't just Nagumo either. Asahina and several other third-year students had also rented swimsuits.
They had even gone so far as to rent a beach ball to play with at the same time, so it seemed like they had quite a bit to spare.
"You seem awfully composed, playing on the beach like this. I thought you'd be fighting tooth and nail to rack up points like the rest of us."
"Well it's important to take breaks, right? Besides… the real event starts tomorrow."
Tomorrow, that is, the fourth day of the exam.
The day when the top ten groups and bottom ten groups would be announced on our tablets.
"If it turns out that a first or second-year group has managed to sneak into the top three, I'll take action accordingly. First and second-years have no right to stand on the winners' podium. You're no exception either, so keep that in mind."
In short, this meant that Nagumo had a strategy of some sort to prevent himself from losing.
Provided, of course, that he wasn't lying.
"Thank you very much for your considerate advice."
At the end of the day, Nagumo was the leader of Class 3-A, the class that stood at the apex of the entire school.
Moreover, he was the current president of the student council. Given his position, his words were most likely not just mere lip service.
"However, I'm in a group alone. Rather than being at the top of the list, my name may very well show up at the bottom."
"In that case, you'd better group up with someone as soon as possible. Horikita-senpai would probably be fairly disappointed if you self-destructed and got yourself expelled."
"Nagumo. Come over here for a sec?"
From a bit behind me, a third-year student named Masuwaka called out to Nagumo.
Nagumo lightly raised his hand in response and proceeded to walk out of the ocean, headed over to where Masuwaka had motioned for them to talk.
They had already been plenty close enough to have a conversation, but I guess they didn't want me to overhear anything.
At some point, Asahina stopped playing around in the ocean to take a look at what was happening, and after making sure that Nagumo was an adequate distance away, she approached me.
"Heyo. Word is that you're working alone?"
"Well. You probably heard me earlier, but I've got a tough fight ahead of me."
"That so…? Maybe that's for the best though. If Miyabi were to start goin' after you… things'd prolly get pretty dicey for ya, yeah? So here's some advice. While you've got the chance, go meet up with as many groups as possible and───"
"Asahina, it's time. Let's get going."
Just as she was about to whisper something into my ear, Nagumo came back, causing her to swallow her words.
"W-well, good luck."
"Thanks."
While she had stopped mid-sentence, I could more or less infer what she was going for.
Nagumo Miyabi had a strategy that only he himself would be able to implement.
A strategy that, if executed, would certainly make the fight ahead even more unsparing due to the peculiar nature of the exam.
That said, whether or not he would actually use that strategy against me was yet another question.
After all, as of right now, I was but a harmless existence that had no chance of taking up one of the top spots.
3
Our third designated area of the day was H5.
We wouldn't be able to get there by walking along the beach, but it was a relatively decent location, all things considered.
"It's a fair distance away, but we should easily be able to make it there without too much difficulty."
"We should be able to manage it in an hour or so."
Of course, if we wanted to go for the Early Bird Bonus, we'd need to move at a faster pace than we had this morning.
However, even if we did, we'd probably only get a single point at most.
It was the type of situation that made me want to escape to a nearby Task instead, but most of the available Tasks were currently concentrated on the west side of the island. Since we were in the east, we didn't really have very many options available to us.
Given that, would it be better for us to rush to H5 to try and get the Early Bird Bonus, or just take it slow and settle for the one-point Arrival Bonus instead?
It had already been three days since we first stepped foot on this island; it was time to make a decision.
"Nanase, how much water do you have?"
"I used up the last of what I had on hand this morning. All I have left is the bottle I was given from participating in the Task earlier."
We seemed to be in a similar spot, as I only had a single 500ml bottle left as well.
Even though we were being conservative with our water consumption, if we kept having to travel long distances like this, we'd surely run out by the end of the day.
In other words, there was a very real prospect of water shortage.
I had bought 3.5 liters of water back when the exam began. Even if the other groups were being conservative with their water consumption like us, they'd probably start running out by today or tomorrow. It was unclear what overall percentage of groups this would apply to, but for the most part, things would be difficult moving forward.
"This is our first major hurdle."
"We'll need to obtain fresh water somehow, won't we Senpai?"
If I were on my own, I'd opt to reach all four designated areas and clear nearby Tasks in the downtime. And after finishing up with everything for the day, I'd just return to the starting area to rehydrate and prepare for the next. This was one of the main strategies that I had been considering, but it'd be hard to execute with Nanase tagging along with me. She'd definitely go along with it if I explained it to her, but if she were to fall ill because of that, she'd have to retire from the exam.
Though, I wasn't exactly obligated to pay heed to an enemy underclassmen.
For the time being, I just kept walking toward our next destination.
"Ayanokōji-senpai, why did you decide to take part in the exam alone?"
"I don't have many friends, so I couldn't find anyone to group up with."
"That doesn't seem to be the case to me."
"I'm not lying. There really aren't very many people I'd be willing to call a friend."
"Even so, I'm sure you could've at least found someone."
"Are you really that curious?"
"Yes. Because no matter how you look at it, acting independently puts you at a complete disadvantage, wouldn't you agree?"
Nanase, who had been trailing behind me this whole time, quickly ran forward to keep pace beside me.
Then, she looked at me, trying what she could to ascertain my true intentions.
"Back when you faced off against Hōsen-kun, your movements were different from those of a normal high school student, Ayanokōji-senpai."
"If you managed to notice something like that, then you're not exactly a normal high school student either, Nanase."
Nanase seemed a bit troubled by my immediate response and let show a somewhat forced smile.
She then lightly scratched at her cheek before softly conceding with an 'I guess you're right'.
I could've taken the opportunity to press her on this if I wanted to, but it would've been entirely up to her if she would answer honestly or not.
If she gave me some half-baked lie, I'd be able to see through it, but I didn't think she'd make a mistake like that.
"It's true that acting independently comes with many disadvantages. It shouldn't be impossible for me to join up with another group during the exam, but if I don't have a decent number of points when the time comes, I'd just end up causing trouble for the other group."
"Understandably so. After all, your score would be averaged together with theirs, regardless of how many people their group might have."
"But, it seems fairly misguided to complain. The school recommended that we form groups from the very beginning, so those of us who decided otherwise aren't in any position to complain."
Regardless of whether you specifically decided not to form a group or couldn't find one to join, it was still ultimately your own decision. Therefore, even if the rules put you at a disadvantage and got you expelled, you'd only be reaping what you yourself had sown.
"Even so, it's not like it's impossible for me to win either. If I were to join a group that was struggling to accumulate enough points, there's a chance that my presence might bring forth unexpected synergies."
"So you chose to fight on your own in order to bring forth these synergies…? Is that what you're saying, Ayanokōji-senpai?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I was just talking in a general sense. Despite your misconception, you still shouldn't discount the possibility that I simply struggled to find a group to join."
"Fufu, that's true. You certainly seem a bit inarticulate at times."
Despite her usual reservation, Nanase spoke her mind.
"Have you always been like that?"
"For the most part, aren't people with my sort of disposition usually like this from the start?"
"I don't think so at all. Things happen that can cause someone with a gloomy disposition to become bright and spirited, and in the same vein, someone with a spirited disposition may become gloomy. That can happen, right?"
While I could understand what she was trying to say, I had doubts about how much a person's core nature was truly capable of change.
"I hear you say that a naturally gloomy person can change, but I can't help but feel like it would be forced."
"Yet, though it may be forced, the fact that they can act cheerful is amazing in it's own right."
"…True."
If I were suddenly told to adopt a bright, amiable persona, I wouldn't be confident in my ability to see it through to the end.
Of course, I could temporarily put on an act in front of people I didn't usually interact with, but if you asked me if I could do that in front of my classmates, then the answer would be a resounding no.
"I don't think I'd be able to do it. On that note, have you changed since you were in middle school, Nanase?"
I managed to bring up the topic of middle school without it sounding too sudden.
After all, somebody from the White Room certainly would've never attended middle school.
Nanase paused to mull my question over for a brief moment.
"I wonder. I don't feel like I've changed very much since back then, but I probably have a little."
In other words, there was something that made her think she had changed, even if only slightly.
"In what way?"
"In the past─ I get the sense that I used to smile more."
So for her, the direction of change had been from 'light' to 'dark'.
"I also get the sense that I talk and go out with others far less often than I did back then."
Was she telling the truth, or was this merely a lie she'd spun?
"After all, an incident took place that I believe changed me forever…"
I found myself somewhat reluctant to ask what that 'incident' was. She was the one who had initiated this conversation, and it felt as though she had been subtly trying to bait me into mentioning it, so I decided not to pry any further.
Nanase patiently waited for me to say something, but at some point, she slowed her pace until she was trailing behind me once again. I took note of this, and opted to change the topic.
"By the way, how's your group fairing, Nanase? Are you guys doing alright on points?"
"Yes. Between Hōsen-kun and Amasawa-san, we've been earning quite a few from Tasks recently. I'm not sure which of the two has been contributing more, but either way, they appear to be doing more than me."
If she was telling the truth, then her group was doing fairly well for itself.
Depending on what Amasawa and Hōsen had been doing, there was a possibility that they were earning Early Bird Bonuses as well, though that was just conjecture on my part.
"Conversely, I might be in a risky spot."
While I had been steadily racking up points, it was safe to assume that I was gradually sinking down toward the bottom ranks.
A three-man group doing the same thing that I was would easily overtake my score.
"Let's do our best moving forward, Senpai."
"Right."
Before anything else, we needed to safely arrive at our next designated area.
With that as our goal, the two of us proceeded to forge our way through the untamed forest.
4
1:55 PM. We arrived at our designated area, H5, in just under an hour.
Although we only received a single point for our efforts, it was still an important step in the right direction.
We had an hour until the next designation, so I wanted to go for a Task if at all possible.
Earlier, most of the available Tasks had been concentrated on the western half of the island, but now they were slowly beginning to pop up over here on the east.
"Can you keep going?"
I posed Nanase a question, watching her sit down as soon as we arrived to take a drink of water.
"Ah, yes!"
While it was praiseworthy that she was able to keep up with me, there was no way that she wasn't exhausted right now.
"You should take it easy and rest here."
"But…"
She seemed to be worried that I'd leave and abandon her.
"I'd say something if I wasn't happy with having you accompany me. I'm not just going to disappear. Moreover, if you push yourself too far now, it's only going to make it tougher for you to keep up later, right? Although there won't be another random designation today, we may need to run for the next area if I decide to go for the Early Bird Bonus. I won't be able to slow down and wait for you if it comes to that."
Despite her frustrated expression, Nanase eventually acknowledged the limits of her endurance and nodded in agreement.
I felt sorry for her, but this would allow me to move without any restrictions, albeit only temporarily.
If I moved fast enough, I could probably make it to two or three of the Tasks sites in the nearby area, though whether or not I'd be able to participate in them was another matter.
Here in area H5, a 'History Test' Task would be starting soon, so I set off to go take part. The first-place group would only receive five points, but if you won, you'd get additional food provisions, so I wanted to make sure I got there in time.
Participation would be limited to only eight groups, which wasn't a lot, so it'd be best if I moved quickly.
Shortly after setting off, I managed to catch sight of two three-person groups racing against each other through the sea of trees, and from what it looked like, they were headed toward the History Task just like I was.
Fortunately, they didn't see me, so after slightly adjusting my route, I began to run as well. After all, if I took my time walking, they would beat me to the Task site.
Without stopping, I advanced through the forest and eventually arrived at the Task site, only to find that a decent number of people had already assembled there.
There was an adult present with a tablet in hand, though they weren't a teacher from the school. I promptly called out to them.
"Could I register for the Task?"
"Yes. You'll be the seventh group."
Once I finished registering, the two groups I had seen earlier came running this way.
Of which, the first student to draw close was Hashimoto, a fellow second-year.
He noticed my presence but was far more interested in calling out to the staff member.
"Can we still register!?"
Hashimoto shouted, sweat dripping as though he had just finished running a marathon.
"You would be the final group, but─"
The staff shifted their sights to the students drawing close behind.
Apart from Kamuro, who took up the lead, the next three were all first-years from the other group.
Hashimoto's third group member, however, was lagging quite a ways behind the rest.
This Task was one that allowed you to work together with the rest of your group, but naturally, the staff on duty wasn't going to wait for any members that hadn't arrived yet. Making excuses about how close they were wouldn't fly either, even if they were only 30 seconds away.
If this group of first-years were to slip in while Hashimoto waited for his last group member, they would snatch away his spot.
Therefore, once Kamuro got close enough, Hashimoto─
"We're the only ones participating, just me and her."
─chose to cut off their last member and register as just the two of them.
The three first-years collapsed to the ground in frustration. It must've been truly demoralizing to have put in so much effort to get here only to have it bear no fruit.
Hashimoto, on the other hand, seemed content with this outcome even though he had missed the chance for his entire group to participate. When it came to Tasks that allow you to participate as a group, the more people you had, the better off you'd be. That being said, there was a world of difference between being able to participate as a group and not being able to participate at all.
"S-sorry, I, I co- I couldn't make it in time…!"
Once she finally arrived, Ninomiya sputtered out an apology as she gasped for breath, but naturally, her fellow group members didn't seem to hold it against her.
Ninomiya had an A- rating in Academic Ability, which was not to be made light of. Her Physical Ability rating, however, was a D-.
"In any case, good work getting here, Masumi-chan."
"Oh shut it. Don't talk to me… It's hot and I'm all sweaty now, this sucks…!"
Kamuro, who was doing what she could to get her breathing under control, kept at a distance, waving Hashimoto away as he approached her. Her dismissal prompted him to turn toward me instead.
"Come to think of it, this is the first time we've run into you this exam, Ayanokōji. So you're in the area too, eh…? To think you're going at it alone too, brave stuff there. You doing alright on points?"
"In all honesty, I wouldn't be shocked if I placed in the bottom ten."
"Stop pulling my leg. There's no way a guy who doesn't think he's gonna win would choose to take on the exam alone."
I honestly wasn't in that great of a spot right now, but I didn't really feel like showing him my tablet to prove it.
"I hear what you're saying, but when you end up showing up in the top ten tomorrow… what then?"
He faced me with an inquisitive, somewhat tentative look in his eyes, but there was absolutely no way something like that was going to happen.
"Well whatever, I'm just glad this isn't a math test. We wouldn't stand a chance against a genius like you."
"Alright everyone, the Task will now begin."
"Whoops, looks like that's enough chatter."
Since the last group had registered, the Task began immediately.
By actively seeking out and participating in Tasks, you'd often find yourself pitted against students from your own school year, much like how I was now. However, I had no intention of easing up on them.
Besides, basically every question on the Test was four-option multiple choice, so even if I were to get a relatively high score, I could just say that I had gotten lucky after guessing at random.
Although my attention was focused on my tablet, I would occasionally catch glimpses of Hashimoto peering in my direction with a probing look in his eyes.
He had been suspicious of me from fairly early on compared to most people, so this was understandable.
At this point, I began to tackle the twenty test questions. Honestly, if you were to ask me whether I was good or bad at history as a subject, I'd be inclined to go with the latter. This was because, in the White Room, there wasn't a particularly strong focus on teaching us history. Be that as it may, I was still familiar enough with the subject to have a grasp of the basics.
Since each question only had four choices, I was able to answer them all correctly without any difficulties.
After a short wait, the results were tallied and the final scores for each group were announced.
I took first place with a full 100 points, second place went to a group of third-year students with 80 points, and third went to Hashimoto and Kamuro with 70.
Once I received my points and food provisions, I immediately set off toward my next destination. But, Hashimoto followed close behind and quickly caught up with me.
"You really kicked my ass back there. To think you were good at history as well."
"I was surprised too. I got lucky on several questions since they were multiple choice."
"So it was just pure luck, huh? I find that hard to believe."
"Well, if you don't believe me then there's nothing I can do about that. I'm in a hurry right now, sorry."
"Which Task are you going for next?"
"I was planning on going for the chemistry Task. What about you?"
I watched as he shot a look back at Kamuro who was following from behind. In all probability, his group had been thinking of doing the same thing.
"What a shame. We'll be going in different directions."
Hashimoto was a cunning person. Instead of trying for the same Task as an opponent who was certain to take first place, he would rather shift his sights elsewhere to have a better chance of winning, even if it would take a little longer to get there.
In truth, however, he probably wanted to challenge the same Task as me in order to find out what I was really capable of.
Upon hearing what Hashimoto said, Kamuro let show a look of blatant disgust and reluctance.
After all, having to go to a different Task would use up a lot more stamina.
"See you later, Ayanokōji."
With Kamuro in tow, Hashimoto ran off, heading toward one of the other Tasks nearby. If he was following Sakayanagi's instructions, then sooner or later, they would probably join up with Ichinose's group and form a six-member team.
5
Following the history Task, I participated in the chemistry Task and took first place again, racking up an additional five points.
And thanks to that, with only one designated area left to go for the third day, I had accumulated a total of 48 points.
A three-man group that had only been earning Arrival Bonuses, that is, a group that had foregone any Early Bird Bonuses and Tasks, would have a cumulative total of 30 points.
Since there was no way for me to know what the group rankings were like yet, I could only speculate about how well I was doing.
Just before 3:00 PM, I reunited with Nanase. Shortly thereafter, the last designated area of the day was revealed: area I4.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Thanks to your concern earlier, my energy has recovered completely. I'm prepared for anything you might throw at me."
This was the last thing on our list for the day, so since she was up for it, I figured that we might as well go full steam ahead.
After deciding on a route, we swiftly began to move, our sights set on the Early Bird Bonus.
We walked together in silence for a bit, but our surroundings were vastly different from before.
"You know, I must say… There's no decent path forward around here at all, is there?"
"Yeah. When I looked at the map, I thought that this part of the island would be easier to traverse than the D or E areas, but I suppose that was overly optimistic."
Although the forest wasn't so dense that the canopy above completely blotted out the sun, the ground below was still rough and difficult to get a proper foothold on. The path was such that, if you wanted to push forward in a specific direction, you'd have to constantly veer to the left and right to do so since it wasn't possible to move in a straight line.
The students who set foot on this part of the island would probably have a pretty hard time with it.
Any attempts at hastily running through would come at the risk of having your foot get caught on something. Worse case scenario, you might even sustain an injury.
"Uhm, Senpai, how do you plan to go about securing more water?"
While I had taken consecutive first place victories in both the history and chemistry Tasks, water wasn't given out as a reward for either of them.
As such, my only remaining supply of drinking water was a single 500ml bottle.
"If you feel that water takes precedence over reaching our designated area, then how about we go to the Task in H3 instead?"
In area H3, a Task had shown up with roughly 50 minutes left until the registration deadline. Not only did it reward groups with points, but potable water as well. Furthermore, it was an entire two liter bottle.
"It'll probably be hotly contested."
We discussed the idea, but I continued pushing forward without stopping.
Soon, other groups would start to run low on water, just like the two of us.
"Even if we can get water from the Tasks, the opportunities to do so are quite limited."
On the first day of the exam, 68 Tasks had been held throughout the island.
On the second day, this number went up to 100. And as of today, the third day, there had already been 94.
Although the number of Tasks was increasing day by day, it still wasn't even close to the number of groups out there.
There would be nothing to complain about if it were possible for every group to win once per day. But even if you included the Tasks that rewarded the top three groups, there just weren't enough. After all, many Tasks only offered rewards to the group that came in first place.
Of course, it didn't help that a particularly skilled group could snatch up first place three or four times in a single day either.
Given all of that, it wouldn't be unusual if there were already groups out there that had exhausted their supply of drinking water.
If that happened to your group, you'd be forced to return to the starting area and compete within what was effectively an established safety zone.
You wouldn't be able to earn points normally since you wouldn't be reaching most of your designated areas, and the Tasks that appeared in the nearby area would become incredibly competitive. Forced to fight a losing battle, your situation would only continue to get worse as your points slowly dwindled away.
The closer one's designated area got to the northeast corner of the island, the less control they would have over their ability to immediately rehydrate themselves.
"You have something in mind, don't you Senpai?"
Nanase drew closer so as to walk side-by-side with me as she asked, her eyes peering over in my direction.
"What makes you think that?"
"The fact that you don't seem very concerned about our impending lack of water."
"Maybe I'm just thinking of leaving it up to chance."
"T-that would be a bit of a problem for me…"
Nanase made a difficult expression, thrown for a bit of a loop by my joke.
"I originally planned on going back to the starting area in the event of an emergency."
"Our current circumstances don't really allow us to do that, right? It would take several hours to return to the harbor from here. And it would be even slower if we chose to do so at night."
Naturally, it wasn't a strategy that could be utilized from anywhere on the island.
The farther away you were from the starting area, the greater the strain would be on your time and stamina.
"Even so, it's still a strategy I've considered implementing."
"Water is an absolute necessity, but if you do that way, you might end up getting hurt. I don't think it's a very wise idea, not by any stretch of the imagination."
Her concerns here were definitely justified.
"And yet, you're telling me this dangerous idea is the only one you've been considering, Ayanokōji-senpai?"
"If you look at the rules of this special exam, it's clear that the only method to get more water is to purchase it at double the price back at the starting area or win it by completing a Task."
"That… Yes, I suppose you're right about that."
"And between those two methods, the only truly reliable method of getting safe, potable water is to buy it with points."
"Safe, potable water huh…?"
"Outside of that, you'd have to rely on natural sources of some sort, be it seawater, rainwater, or river water. This is allegedly an uninhabited island, but we weren't really informed about the island's history. If people used to live here, then it's possible that the water has been contaminated."
Of course, it was hard to imagine that the school would have us come here if that were the case, but there was no way to be sure.
"As a one-man group, if I were to get sick, I'd be done for. I'm not going to do anything that would put me at risk."
"Forcing yourself to move across the island at night is already more than risky enough."
"If it fails, then that's that."
"…So you're saying that, if it's you, you won't fail?"
In any case, it was meaningless to continue talking about this at this point.
After all, from the moment I allowed Nanase to accompany me, I no longer had any intention of going through with the idea.
"It's a bit late to be bringing this up now, but I do have a way to utilize seawater or river water. If necessary, we can sterilize our own drinking water by boiling it in a pot that I've prepared."
Upon hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief with her hand on her chest.
After walking together for a while longer, Nanase eventually caught sight of the flowing river and hurriedly took out her tablet.
"Uhm, Senpai, it seems we've gone off course. We need to go further to the east."
We were supposed to be heading toward area I4, but we were currently moving toward the center of area H4 instead.
If we wanted to get to I4 as quickly as possible, then we would need to go east, just as Nanase had said.
"It's fine. We aren't aiming for the Early Bird Bonus this time."
"Eh─?"
Though she had her doubts about what was driving my decision, Nanase followed along.
Eventually, we arrived near the center of area H4, where we encountered Sakagami-sensei, hard at work setting up a Task site.
It seemed that my predictions so far were right after all. The site was exactly where I had thought it'd be.
"Hello."
"Oh… Ayanokōji?"
Although Sakagami-sensei looked surprised when I called out to him, it went without saying that somebody would have to set up a Task before it officially started, so there was always a possibility of coming across students early like this.
"Is it alright if we're the first ones to sign up, Sakagami-sensei?"
"Yes."
"This is great Senpai. We're lucky to have found another Task before it showed on our tablets."
"Lucky indeed."
Sakagami-sensei didn't seem to have the time to talk with us, and quickly got back to the construction of the site.
After waiting for a few minutes, the clock struck 3:30.
"Well then, you can register for the Task now."
As soon as I heard this, I immediately approached Sakagami-sensei and reasserted my intention to participate.
Nanase promptly followed suit after I finished the registration process on my tablet.
"Though, I wonder what type of Task this is?"
Just as Nanase was about to open up the map to try and answer the question herself, Sakagami-sensei spoke.
"This is a Task where you earn water according to the order in which you arrive, a race, essentially. Ayanokōji, having come in first, will receive 2 liters of water and three points. As you came in second, Nanase, you'll receive 1.5 liters of water and two points."
"That means─ We've already cleared the Task haven't we? …What a surprise."
Sakagami-sensei went and retrieved the water we had won and presented it to each of us.
"Luck is also an extension of your abilities, you two. Be proud."
"…We are truly fortunate."
Nanase seemed somewhat embarrassed as she bowed her head and accepted the water.
"With this, we won't have to think about drinking water. Well, at least for a while."
"Say… Could I perhaps confirm something with you?"
Not long after we left the Task site, I looked back at Nanase who had stopped to ask me something.
"What is it?"
"If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you're someone who can aim much higher, Ayanokōji-senpai. Be it designated areas or Tasks, I'm sure you're capable of scoring quite a large number of points."
She was looking to confirm what had been weighing on her mind as we traveled together these past two days.
"I never planned on exerting myself during the early stages of the exam. Since I'm on my own, it would all be over if I were to get sick or injured due to negligence."
"But, with the way things are going now, aren't you afraid that you'll just continue to fall behind the other groups? No matter what, time efficiency is important. It isn't something that you can work to overcome in a single day."
She was saying that tirelessly working to rack up points was the only real approach available.
And as an approach, it was a steadfast one that the more prominent groups would undoubtedly look to implement.
"Let's just say that this is only one part of my strategy."
"A strategy… that involves deliberately holding yourself back when it comes to earning points?"
I nodded and set off walking again. This wasn't something that I wanted to go into more detail about with her.
Even though we were traveling together, that didn't change the fact that our different school years made us natural enemies. Moreover, there were many mysteries surrounding her as well.
"Anyway, there's still a chance for us to get the Early Bird Bonus at the designated area. Let's hurry."
"Y-yes."
Nanase hurriedly scrambled to catch up with me as I left, and together, we quickly made our way to area I4.
6
Our streak of good luck didn't last long. We arrived at area I4, but as one might expect, we didn't receive the Early Bird Bonus. We weren't fortunate enough to come across any prospective Tasks either.
Although there was still plenty to be desired, the curtain fell on the third day of the exam.
"Should we keep walking toward the riverside?"
"Yeah. The terrain around here isn't the best, and there aren't many suitable places to spend the night either. Let's keep going."
"Okay!"
We cut a path south through the forest, pushing forward with our sights set on the river's edge.
After twenty minutes, we finally reached our destination.
"Want to camp somewhere around here?"
"That's fine with me."
Just as the two of us came to an agreement, I heard a voice somewhere off in the distance.
"Heeey-! Ayanokōji-!"
A familiar voice, coming from a certain someone who was calling out to me from the other side of the river.
It was Ike, who was standing there with a bunch of dead branches in his arms.
"Ayanokōji-! Nanase-! I thought it was you two-! So this is where you guys've been-!"
He drew closer to the river, smiling with his pearly whites on full display.
"What an amazing coincidence-! Are you camping around here tonight, Ike-senpai-!?"
We were forced to raise our voices as we spoke, futilely trying to drown out the sound of the river running in between us. After shouting back and forth like this for a bit, Ike finally sent the signal for us to just join him on the other side. At his instruction, Nanase and I went upstream along the river.
Before long, we came upon a land bridge near the south side of H4 and met up with him.
Sudō and Hondō were also present, having come over after hearing our voices.
"Hold up, what was your last designated area today, you two…?"
"I4."
Sudō exchanged glances with his fellow group members, surprised by my response. Apparently, their last area of the day had been I4 as well.
"Man, what're the odds!"
This morning, we had all started out in the same location, and surprisingly, we ended the day in the same place as well. Although, given that I had run into Sudō several times now, there could be some sort of built-in tendency for our Tables to lead us to the same places despite being different.
At this point, we all decided to camp together again, just like we had yesterday.
Since we were free for the rest of the day, we all went and did our own thing for a bit.
Of course, we still worked together when necessary since we were all part of the same campsite.
I told Nanase that I was going for a stroll and went off into the forest on my own. I didn't have a particularly deep reason for doing this or anything, but if I had to come up with one, it would be to take a look around the area for other students. After all, with the exception of Nanase's group, I still hadn't come across any others that seemed to have the same Table as me.
I returned to the campsite around half an hour later, just in time to watch Ike light the campfire he had been working on.
"You're quite resourceful."
"Well, you gotta do whatcha can to help out. You know how we were like, told beforehand that we'd be doin' an exam out on an island this time? I reckon most people went and looked up how to handle this kinda stuff ahead of time cuz of that."
With his eyes fixed on the campfire in front of him, Ike continued.
"But, well, there's a difference between knowledge and experience, right? How should I put it… If you could do something just cuz you knew about it, nothing would be hard at all."
It's true that you can't always replicate something just by reading a couple of articles or watching a video about it.
You'd only be able to find out what you're capable of by trying it out for yourself.
"Ah, there you are, Ayanokōji-senpai."
"What's up?"
"You were gone for a while, so I went to look for you."
Nanase turned her gaze over toward the forest as she spoke.
From the sound of it, we had just missed each other when I came back.
"Alrighty guys, I think it's about time we had some grub."
"Okay."
Ike had a broad grin on his face as he went to retrieve a bucket from over by his tent.
And then, he proudly showed us what was inside.
"Wow, amazing…!"
The bucket contained several fish that Ike had apparently caught at some point.
"I had some time to kill back when my group was by the ocean, so I took the opportunity to catch a few. Let's chow down!"
In somewhat of a hurry, Ike started preparing dinner.
At a glance, he seemed to be carrying on in good spirits, but it was obvious that he was just pretending.
However, he seemed to be taking on the uninhabited island exam with a far more level head than I thought he would, so for now, I guess there was nothing to worry about.
"Something smells really good over here—"
A group of three that happened to be passing through the area approached us, perhaps drawn in by the appetizing scent of the fish Ike was grilling. We were camping out in the open since we were next to the river, so it wasn't surprising that they had seen us.
What was completely unexpected, however, was the identity of one of the three students in the group.
"Ah-!"
A girl, the second one to approach us, unintentionally let her voice slip and cried out upon making eye contact with me.
"What wrong, Karuizawa-san?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just, like, shocked 'bout them grilling fish is all."
She spoke, trying what she could to cover up her surprise about coincidentally meeting up with me like this.
The exam had only gone on for three days when I had my first encounter with Kei, but even so, she seemed to be doing fine so far.
Her two fellow group members were from Class 2-A.
Their names were Shimazaki Ikkei and Fukuyama Shinobu, and they were both very academically gifted students. While, as a whole, their group was rather lacking when it came to physical strength and endurance, they certainly had the potential to claim the top spot in any written test-based Tasks they managed to register for.
"Hey, why don't we camp here too? I think Ike-kun'd be willing to treat us."
"Haah!? Why should I treat you!?"
"C'mon, it's not like you'll run outta fish."
"There'll be less for us if you guys eat them! No way!"
Ike didn't really like Kei in the first place, so he blatantly refused.
However, Sudō pulled him aside and muttered a few words into his ear.
"Dude, what's the harm? She might know somethin' 'bout Shinohara."
Upon hearing that, Ike went silent.
He still hadn't been able to meet Shinohara on the island yet.
And since Kei was a classmate, it was reasonable to assume that she'd remember if she had seen Shinohara somewhere before.
"I-it can't be helped! I guess I'll just have to prepare for three more people!"
"For real? Sweet! It's a good thing I tried asking."
Kei was only half-joking when she brought up the idea, but somehow, it led to her camping together with us.
That said, preparing food would take time.
It would probably be a while before Ike would finish grilling the additional fish.
I announced that I'd be going into the forest for a bit, with Kei doing the same not too long afterward.
Of course, we didn't go in so far that we could get lost; just enough to make sure the others wouldn't be able to see or hear us. We met at a fairly large tree and sat down together with our backs up against the trunk.
03-07
"You seem to be doing alright."
Kei's group had secured 37 points over these past three days.
At least for now, they weren't doing all that badly.
"I'm just relying on the other two, mostly. How about you, Kiyotaka?"
"I'm doing well, all things considered."
"Well, since it's you we're talking about, you'll be fine for sure."
Kei let out a noise as she stretched.
"Anywho, I just wish this exam would end already… I can't believe we've still got 11 more days of this."
Considering the number of days we had remaining, there was no denying that we were still in the early phase of the exam.
"By the way, has anything happened these past few days?"
"You mean『that person』you told me about, right? Hmm, nope, nothing comes to mind."
Before the special exam started, I asked Kei to go check on a certain something for me.
I did this in consideration of the possibility that the White Room student would try and come in contact with Kei.
However, it didn't seem like anything had happened so far.
"Just in case, I've noted down everybody I've come in contact with on my tablet."
She opened up the notepad app on her tablet and showed me a list of all the different students and groups she'd interacted with over the past three days.
It primarily consisted of second-years, with essentially no contact with first or third-years.
As expected, they wouldn't let themselves get caught that easily.
"By. The. Way."
"Hm?"
She suddenly leaned in very close to my face and peered into my eyes.
"I heard that first-year girl back at the campsite has been traveling around with you, Kiyotaka."
"Word travels fast, it seems."
"When I asked Ike-kun, he told me immediately though? Wait, that's not the point here!"
Even I, who was ignorant when it came to love, understood that a girlfriend would be concerned if they were to find out that their boyfriend had been willingly traveling together with another girl. Even if I were to list out a bunch of reasons behind the decision, I was fairly confident that I wouldn't be able to convince her.
I could talk of how Nanase might be involved in the expulsion plan against me or how she might have a connection to the White Room, but…
For Kei, things like that wouldn't matter at all.
At the end of the day, she would still be extremely upset and uncomfortable with the fact that I was working together with another girl.
I drew in close to her face as I squeezed her hand in mine.
"Are you worried? That I'm spending all this time alone with another girl?"
"Wait wait wait, w-what? I'm not, like, worried or a… Of course I'm worried!"
Kei tried acting tough at first, but she quickly dropped the act and confessed.
"I'm just traveling together with Nanase in order to successfully get through the special exam. That's it."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. It goes without saying that I have no other intentions with her."
"I believe you, but, but still like, when I think of you being alone with another girl… I hate it."
Even though there was nothing between Nanase and me, as my girlfriend, it was only natural for Kei to feel anxious about it.
In this situation, no amount of smooth-talking would be able to ease her heart.
"Kei."
When I called out her name, she turned and looked at me, her lips ever-so-slightly tapered into a defiant pout.
I took full advantage of this opening to lean in and pressed my lips into hers, smothering the pout away.
They must have only touched for less than a second.
The sensation of her lips, my first kiss, was far softer than I had imagined.
"Hu…h?"
A muddled noise leaked out from her mouth, her mind still processing what had happened.
In truth, I'd have liked to enjoy the moment for a while longer, but we were currently in the midst of a special exam on an uninhabited island.
It wouldn't be surprising if somebody were to pass by while we were sitting here.
"Wa? Huh? I, J-just now… a k-kiss? …Eh? Eh!?"
"Have faith in me and wait for now, okay?"
At this, Kei absentmindedly nodded her head like a mechanical doll.
If she was distraught about the fact that I was traveling together with Nanase, then the fastest way to get around it was to give her something more intense to think about instead.
"The others may start to suspect something if we're gone too long. You should head back."
With that, I decided to have Kei, who was still in a daze, head back to the campsite.
