37 Volume 15 - Chapter 5: Conflicting, Intertwining Agendas

Intro

Let's rewind the timeline just a bit, all the way back to the ninth day of the exam, the day just after the rainstorm, when Nanase first left Ayanokōji's side.

Hōsen, despite technically being part of a group of three, had been acting on his own since day one. It was already 7:00 AM, but Hōsen was simply relaxing in his tent despite the fact that his first designated area had been announced.

This continued until just after 8:00 AM, when a lone individual approached Hōsen's tent and called out to him.

"Good morning, Hōsen-kun."

"Haaa?"

"It's me, Nanase."

"I can tell that by your voice, dipshit. Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? We're in the same group, it's only natural that we'd stay in contact."

Nanase's response was serious, but Hōsen let out a scornful laugh upon hearing it.

"You really gonna say that? Seems like you had one hell of a time together with Ayanokōji… got any results to show for it?"

"…No I don't. In the end, I was no match for him."

"Ha! A chick like you really went and challenged him head-on? Without even using those feminine 'assets' of yours?"

"Assets…? What assets?"

Hōsen continued, exasperated by Nanase's inability to follow along with his logic.

"For fuck's sake… Your tits are huge and yet you're fuckin' dumb in the head."

"Uhm, I don't quite understand the correlation you're implying between the breasts and the brain."

"Whatever, nevermind. Anyways, you came all the way here just to tell me you failed?"

Hōsen took out his tablet and immediately ran a GPS Search.

Since he didn't know if somebody had followed Nanase all the way out here, he felt it necessary to run a quick check on the surrounding area. However, there didn't seem to be anyone worth worrying about nearby.

"My plan to force Ayanokōji-senpai's expulsion on my own ended in failure. That's why I decided to come here and ask you to lend me your strength, Hōsen-kun. If you have a plan, please let me in on it."

Nanase had taken action all on her own and was only now trying to come back and buddy up again, so Hōsen didn't exactly trust her here. Well, to be precise, Hōsen wasn't exactly the type to trust anybody in the first place.

"Leave. I'll handle it myself."

"…I will gladly wait here with you until you change your mind."

"How 'bout you just get your ass to the designated area instead? Make yourself useful and prevent us from getting a penalty."

Despite his best attempt to drive her away, Nanase had no intention of leaving.

So, he decided instead to simply ignore her as he shut his eyes and continued to lounge around inside his tent.

After about ten minutes, Nanase spoke up once again.

"Hōsen-kun."

"The hell are you still here for? You're wastin' your time."

"It seems you have a visitor."

Hōsen opened his eyes just a crack, only to see that a second silhouette was now standing beside Nanase outside his tent.

"U-uhm… Hōsen-kun… It's me."

"'Me'? Who the fuck is 'me'? Am I supposed ta' know you by voice, shitbag?"

The visitor had introduced themself without giving their name, and Hōsen's response was merciless.

"I-I'm K-Katagiri… from Class C…"

"Never heard of ya."

"I'll hear you out in Hōsen-kun's place. How can I help you?"

"That's, uhh… Well I brought something that I was instructed to give to Hōsen-kun."

"Something you have to give to him? What is it?"

"I-I was told not to tell anybody other than Hōsen-kun…"

Despite his dismissive attitude from earlier, Hōsen suddenly began to crawl out of his tent, having apparently reconsidered.

And then, he rose to his feet. He stood tall, towering over the small-statured Katagiri.

"If this is something stupid, I'mma send you flying, got that?"

"T-this! I brought this!"

With his eyes clenched shut and his hands trembling, Katagiri fearfully held out a walkie-talkie before him.

"A walkie-talkie, it seems."

"W-with this, you'll be able to talk with Utomiya-kun."

Despite his fears, Katagiri managed to get out the words he needed to say.

"Ha! So he wanted to talk to me so bad that he sent some fuckin' small fry all the way here to give this to me, eh?"

Saying that, Hōsen reached down and snatched up the walkie-talkie from Katagiri's hands.

"Utomiya. What're you tryin' to get at by making contact with me? Want me to play around with you, is that it?"

Hōsen spoke into the walkie-talkie, only to be met with silence.

As he waited, he brought out his tablet and ran another search to pinpoint Utomiya's current position on the map.

"I dunno if you're not there or you're just ignorin' me, but this is your first and only chance, got that?"

Perhaps instigated by Hōsen's supposed final warning, a voice suddenly spoke from the other side of the call.

『…I didn't want to make contact with you either, but I wasn't left with any other choice in order to carry out the plan.』

"Plan? What the hell are you on about?"

『Have you forgotten about the sixth day already?』

"Ah, I guess you did say something about holdin' a secret meetup on the sixth day. Sorry, I forgot."

Nanase's expression stiffened ever so slightly as she heard this. After all, she hadn't heard anything about this since she had been traveling together with Ayanokōji.

Hōsen cast a glance in her direction, but instead of stepping away to continue the conversation, he simply waited for Utomiya to continue.

『We expected that you might choose to ignore the meeting.』

"Did you? Get to the point."

『Soon, we'll be carrying out a plan to save the first-years.』

"Save the first-years?"

Upon saying that, Hōsen temporarily powered off the walkie-talkie, cutting off communication with Utomiya.

At the same time, Nanase hurriedly took her tablet out of her backpack and checked the standings for the bottom ten groups.

And from what she found, a total of four first-year groups were in danger of being expelled.

"Of the four first-year groups currently in the bottom ten, two are from our class, Class 1-D."

"Pfft, I don't give two shits if our trash gets taken out. Don't tell me he thinks I'd take action just to save a couple of worthless classmates?"

"Please don't be careless. I think they might be up to something."

"Oh shut the fuck up Nanase. I don't need you to tell me that."

Hōsen once again powered on the walkie-talkie.

"I dunno what you're talkin' about. What's any of that gotta do with me?"

From all this, Nanase felt keenly aware that some sort of strategy was already in motion.

She listened in with bated breath, eager to find out what was going on. However, at the same time, she knew that her presence would be obvious after a single GPS search.

Utomiya and the rest of the first-years had probably already investigated who Hōsen was with by this point.

For what it was worth, it seemed like the first-years were deliberately avoiding the topic as well.

『It's… because you're absolutely vital in our plan to save them.』

Utomiya's expression as he said this wasn't visible since he was talking over the walkie-talkie.

However, his words gave off a vague impression that he personally didn't agree with what he was saying, and Hōsen was by no means stupid enough to not be able to see through that.

"Did someone tell you that? Ain't that a joke."

『If you want to refuse, refuse. I'm just reaching out to try and extend you the opportunity. I for one have always felt like we could do this without you anyway.』

"Then in that case, we're done here. I refuse."

Hōsen responded with a plain and simple rejection and left it at that.

He gripped the walkie-talkie in hand as if he was about to throw it off into the forest, but rather than actually do so, he simply stood and waited for Utomiya's response.

『…Hōsen.』

Frustrated, Utomiya called out Hōsen's name, but this time, Hōsen was the one who responded with silence.

『I suppose this means we won't be getting any help from you, then?』

Utomiya's disposition was such that he would've usually ended the conversation the moment Hōsen first refused to lend a hand.

But, since he didn't do that, it seemed pretty clear to Hōsen that someone else was involved.

"Slow down. Nobody said I'm never gonna cooperate."

『…What?』

Utomiya's voice contained a vague hint of confusion as he spoke.

And in a way, his confusion made it seem like he had never expected Hōsen to cooperate in the first place.

"If you come on over here, kneel down before me, and beg, then I guess I can lend ya a hand. How's that?"

『Don't be stupid. Who in their right mind would ever bow their head to scum like you?』

"Then there's nothin' more to say. I hope you're fine with endin' it here, eh Tsubaki?"

Hōsen spoke directly to Tsubaki, who he assumed to have been listening in on their conversation from over Utomiya's shoulder.

『You noticed? Or did you just do a GPS Search?』

"Is it even worth spendin' a point on somethin' so obvious? I've known she was a shady bitch since the first time I laid eyes on her."

Hōsen was lying. He had noticed that Utomiya and Tsubaki were right next to each other when he ran a GPS Search not too long ago, but instead acted as though he had found out by instinct.

『Seems I can't let Utomiya-kun handle this on his own after all.』

A slight smile crept up on Hōsen's face as he listened to Tsubaki and Utomiya's exchange.

"You sayin' you don't trust Utomiya?"

『Only when it has to do with you, Hōsen-kun. Everyone knows you two get along like water and oil, and I'm not gonna let negotiations break down due to his inability to set aside his emotions.』

"Well then, what're you gettin' at with this 'savin' the first-years' shit?"

『I'm sure you already know the answer to that. Four groups in the bottom ten are first-years, with two of them from Class 1-D. If nothing changes before the exam ends, then the damage done to the first year, and your class in particular, will be enormous.』

Hōsen was the sole person in charge of Class 1-D right now, and for someone in his position, this should be quite a pressing situation.

In fact, it would be strange if the person in his position wasn't at least somewhat anxious to do something about it.

However, not only was Hōsen unwilling to take action, but he didn't even seem fazed by the prospect of his classmates being expelled.

"So fuckin' what? You're not seriously thinkin' of askin' me to help you save 'em all?"

『I have one quick question before I answer that. Nanase-san is on your side here, correct?』

For the first time since the walkie-talkie made it into Hōsen's hands, Nanase's presence was acknowledged.

This was Tsubaki's attempt to probe for additional information, be it as simple as an extended silence or a careless slip of the tongue.

"More or less. She's at least got some use compared to all the rest of the worthless trash in Class D."

『I see. Then I won't worry about her and get on with it. Essentially, you're correct. I plan on saving all four groups, as well as any other first-years who drop into the bottom five moving forward.』

"Yer spouting some awfully big words for someone who's had to come crawlin' to me for help. You ain't done jack shit to make a name for yourself since enrollment, so are you even capable of backin' 'em up? You're not gonna like it if I find out you're just wasting my precious time for no reason."

『For someone whose time's so precious, you seem to have quite a lot to spare lazing around.』

Tsubaki's words seemed to indicate that she had been monitoring Hōsen's physical location for longer than expected.

"You know what? Just for fun, how 'bout I send your little errand boy Katagiri back to ya half-dead?"

Hōsen's expression grew cold as he looked over at Katagiri, who promptly shrank back in fear.

Though, to be fair, with the way the mood had changed, the vast majority of students would probably find themselves doing the same.

『Don't get so cocky, Hōsen. If you lay a single finger on Katagiri, I'll make sure you end up regretting it.』

『Stop Utomiya-kun. Don't interfere.』

『But─』

A disagreement seemed to break out between Utomiya and Tsubaki, but the transmission was cut off before anything more could be heard.

"'Ey Katagiri, what happened with them?"

"Eeeek!"

Hōsen's smirk was so ominous that Katagiri began to unconsciously distance himself as he cried out in fear, almost as if he was trying to run away.

"Tsk, fuckin' wimp. Hurry up and get lost."

"B-but the walkie-talkie…"

"The walkie-talkie? I'll take real good care of it for you."

"But…"

"Katagiri-kun, don't say anything more. It's probably for the best that you just leave it with Hōsen-kun."

Nanase took it upon herself to step between them in an attempt to persuade Katagiri to stand down.

The look in her eye seemed to convey that even she didn't know what might happen if he continued to dig in his heels.

And just over Nanase's shoulder, Katagiri could see Hōsen staring him down with a piercing glare. It was so intimidating that he was practically scared senseless, causing him to turn tail and run away into the forest, nearly stumbling over his own feet in the process.

"What a retard."

"You were immensely overbearing there."

"That's just my way of doin' things. But you already knew that."

After Nanase and Hōsen exchanged a few choice words with each other, Tsubaki finally responded.

『Thanks for waiting, shall we pick up where we left off?』

"Fine with me. Oh, but just to let you know, that Katagiri guy left his walkie-talkie with me and ran off somewhere."

『You threatened him, right?』

Tsubaki spoke bluntly, as if his actions had already been accounted for.

"That puny weakling wouldda had it rough as shit against me. The fight between us wouldda been over before it even started. Same thing goes for you too, Tsubaki."

『Indeed, no matter how hard I tried, I doubt I could ever beat you in a fist fight. But, this alone would be another story.』

"This?"

『I'm pointing at my head. A battle of the mind.』

Hōsen couldn't help but let out a laugh at Tsubaki's seemingly serious response.

"Ha… You're a piece of fuckin' work if ya really think you're sharper than I am."

『There's a way to forcefully save a group that's fallen into a rut, but in order to do that, we'll need all the help we can get. The upperclassmen already seem to be using a roughly similar strategy, so I'd like to borrow the power of Class 1-D as well.』

This was the reason why Tsubaki was reaching out to Hōsen, who had been off doing whatever he wanted since the exam first began.

"As much as I'd love to help you guys, I've got shit to do right now. I'm real fuckin' busy."

Tsubaki knew full well that Hōsen had plenty of time on his hands, given that his GPS signal hadn't moved an inch even after his first designated area was announced. However, she deliberately chose not to mention that, just to see how he would react.

『'Real fuckin' busy', huh…? You mean with trying to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled, yes?』

"Pretty much. I don't have the time to give a fuck about how many of my trash classmates get kicked outta here."

『But how exactly do you plan on expelling him? It's already the morning of the eighth day and Ayanokōji-senpai is still operating all on his own, but his name hasn't shown up in the bottom ten yet. In this special exam, there are only two ways to get expelled. Either your entire group retires, or you finish as one of the bottom five in terms of overall score.』

And having him finish as a part of the bottom five was obviously less practical than its alternative.

『While a handful of students have retired this past week, the number of groups that have been eliminated so far is still at zero. We have a week left and it's only going to get harder from here, so a couple of groups might very well get eliminated at some point.』

『That's certainly true. I know some are already pretty close to running out of food.』

Utomiya chimed in from over Tsubaki's shoulder. He, alongside many of his companions, had already provided aid to first-year groups who were struggling for food several times by now.

『If five other groups are eliminated first, it'll become effectively impossible to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled, right? So in a sense, you can think of bailing out the failing first-years as means to help ensure Ayanokōji-senpai's expulsion.』

Upon hearing Tsubaki's point, for the first time, Hōsen's cocky smile began to fade, instead taking on an air of serious consideration.

"Bailing out the first-years, huh? Well, it doesn't sound like a terrible idea… Aight, cut past all the bullshit and tell me your plan then."

『As I said earlier, we'll bring together our entire school year, just like the upperclassmen have been doing. We'll have the groups that are lagging behind merge together with groups doing well enough to pick up the slack. If it comes down to it, I'd like to try and snipe Tasks away from the struggling second and third-year groups as well.』

"If the plan's that simple, then how come you've come crawlin' to me for help? I can't imagine Class A and B would be willin' to help our classes neither."

『You don't need to worry about that. They already decided to cooperate with me a long time ago. At this point, we're all just waiting for you to get on board too.』

Essentially, they were ready to take action as soon as Class 1-D promised to cooperate.

"It ain't a bad idea at all, but you haven't said jack shit that proves you'll be able to get anywhere with it. At the end of the day, you'd just be using the same ol' strategy as everyone else. And I'll tell you what: the first-years'll be first to fuck things up what with how much less experienced we are."

While on the surface it seemed as though Hōsen had been listening half-mindedly, he had actually been slowly pouring over every facet of Tsubaki's strategy inside his head.

And after a period of deliberation, he had concluded that, although their odds of saving the struggling first-years would go up, there'd be no getting around the disadvantageous position it would otherwise put them in.

『You're not wrong. With the plan as it is now, we might not be able to protect every first-year out there.』

"Oh? Maybe I was just imaginin' shit earlier, but I thought you said you were gonna save every single one of 'em?"

『Just as you've hypothesized, if everyone were to use the same strategy, the first-years would indeed lose out in the end. Therefore, why not just force a couple retirements before the exam comes to a close?』

With this, Tsubaki's true target finally began to take shape.

『There are still a handful of upperclassmen taking on the exam alone, you know? Let's just flatten them.』

"I see. If five solo groups drop out, I guess it's possible to save 'em all."

『Originally I thought it'd be best to try and claim the upper hand once everybody started to exhaust themselves. I'd planned on it being in the second half of the exam, ideally some time between day eight and day ten, but, well… there were a few unexpected setbacks.』

Firstly, there was the fact that Hōsen hadn't shown up for the secret meeting on the sixth day.

But at the same time, there was the fact that just about everybody had been given the chance to recover their stamina after the bad spell of weather ruined the seventh day.

Both of these 'setbacks' instantly crossed Hōsen's mind as well.

"So? Tell me exactly what you're lookin' to get me to do for you."

『The acting director mentioned something when he was going over this exam, remember? That it's not a problem if you solve things with a bit of violence? You yourself have been planning to use brute force to beat Ayanokōji-senpai to a pulp, haven't you Hōsen-kun?』

"Well sorta, it's not like I've got any other option."

Hōsen responded as such, but his true intentions were slightly different.

He actually had several other strategies in mind, but regardless of which one he ended up going for, the fact remained that he wanted to crush Ayanokōji with his own two hands.

『But it's been difficult to stop Ayanokōji-senpai all by yourself, given how he's constantly on the move, right? That's the reason why you haven't found the opportunity to do anything yet. However, it'd be a different story if you were to cast a wider net.』

Tsubaki was implying that she would be willing to take on that role for him.

『For your information, I've looked into how many first-year students are both confident in their fighting abilities and willing to make use of them, such as yourself and Utomiya-kun. If you can surround Ayanokōji-senpai with enough people, he won't be able to escape unscathed.』

"So you're tellin' me to help put this little stunt of yours into action?"

『Yep.』

"What kinda slack-jawed idiots would just go along with somethin' so dangerous? Utomiya aside, I don't reckon anyone else'd be willing to put in the work free of charge."

『Naturally. I've agreed to pay a contingency fee of 500,000 points to those who cooperate. Unfortunately this does mean that your own overall share of the profits will be smaller, but just think of it as a necessary expense for the assistance provided.』

Essentially, she was proposing to share a portion of the private points they'd earn for getting Ayanokōji expelled.

『Wait Tsubaki. At the fundamental level, violent behavior is prohibited by the school. How many people could possibly be willing to risk it all just for half a million private points?』

From the sound of Utomiya's voice coming through in the background, it seemed like this was his first time hearing the specific details of Tsubaki's strategy as well.

And upon hearing the sound of the transmission cut off moments later, Hōsen realized that Tsubaki had intentionally allowed him to overhear it.

When using a walkie-talkie, one's voice would normally only be transmitted if they were deliberately holding down the talk button.

Therefore, if it seemed like Utomiya was about to say something confidential, she could've simply let go of the button.

However, she hadn't done that. This had been her way of indirectly conveying to Hōsen that she still had unseen cards up her sleeve.

『You're right, it would've been impractical to ask them to risk it all on day one. However, the second half of this exam will be both physically and mentally exhausting, so the sheer amount of stress they'll be dealing with can't be underestimated. Their desire to relax and have fun will be at odds with their desire to bring about results. Of course, it's only natural that some might feel reluctant to take on the risk of dealing the first blow, but that's precisely why I'd like to have Hōsen-kun take the lead in that regard.』

Tsubaki calmly stated her analysis, saying in a roundabout way that Utomiya's concerns had already been accounted for.

『It's not uncommon for people to feel the desire to jaywalk when there aren't many cars around, but they're often unwilling to take that first step when there's a chance that others are watching. However, the moment one person makes a move, things change.』

And Tsubaki was saying that she wanted Hōsen to be that one person.

"Well, I don't hate takin' this approach of yours, but the school ain't stupid."

『When the time comes, both sides will be at fault. The school's got a zero tolerance policy, so we'll both have to face expulsion. Therefore, I'll take full responsibility and drop out of my own volition as the one behind the scenes issuing instructions to everyone.』

"Oh?"

『I don't have any like, real attachment to this school. That's why I'd be chill with leaving whenever. I already gave all my private points and my 'Half Off' card to the kids who grouped up with me.』

Not only had Tsubaki come up with such a detailed plan, but she had also ensured that her accomplices would be fine even if they were to get caught up in the aftermath.

"To think you're willin' to sacrifice yourself, how fuckin' extreme. Color me impressed."

Hōsen spoke true words of admiration, praising Tsubaki for coming to the negotiation table with such a powerful weapon in hand.

『Utomiya-kun, I know I didn't tell you about any of this, but are you opposed to it?』

『…No. In fact, I think it'd be a waste of time to try and rely on cheap, petty tricks at this point. From what I've seen from observing Ayanokōji on my own, it's not just a coincidence that a 20 million point bounty has been placed on his head. He's clearly been targeted because he's such an abnormality. If we stay within the rules, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll just outmaneuver anything we throw at him. If you're truly prepared to do this, then I've got no right to stop you.』

Utomiya wasn't opposed to using violence, he was just apprehensive when it came to the consequences of doing something so utterly transparent.

But if Tsubaki really were to take full responsibility, it was different.

The narrative would change entirely if it came out that Hōsen, Utomiya, and everyone else who agreed to take part in this had just been being used by somebody else.

It's possible that they might get penalized in one way or another, but it was difficult to imagine that the school would choose to expel dozens of students who had simply been following orders.

『It'd prolly be hard to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled with normal methods. That's why I think the school put together this special exam for us, a well-crafted stage free from the eyes of surveillance.』

『I see. So this exam wasn't a coincidence either.』

Hōsen closed the map on his tablet and switched over to recording mode.

"Ey Tsubaki, this plan make Ayanokōji retire by usin' violence, you come up with it all on your own?"

『More or less.』

"And if I play along with it, no first-years'll be expelled, right? Can you go ahead an' guarantee that for me?"

『I promise. And if something does happen, I'll take full responsibility.』

With this, Hōsen felt satisfied and turned off the recording.

『Is that all the evidence you want? It'd be safer if you had my complete testimony, yeah?』

Upon hearing that she had seen through his attempt to gather evidence, a content smile took shape on Hōsen's face.

"So? When's the big day?"

『I can't tell you that yet. After all, I can't afford to let such critical information leak out so easily.』

"So ya don't trust me, huh? Maintainin' secrecy is great an' all, but I might not be able to help ya at the drop of a hat."

『That's exactly why I'm giving you that walkie-talkie.』

Apparently, she had intended to give Katagiri's walkie-talkie to Hōsen from the very beginning.

In other words, the result would've been the same whether Hōsen had stolen it or not.

"So that's how it is, eh?"

『I'll contact you again when the time's right. Take care.』

Saying that, Tsubaki one-sidedly ended the call.

"What a crafty little bitch."

With a sneer, Hōsen slid the walkie-talkie into his pocket.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I could do whatever, but there probably ain't no harm in just ridin' along with Tsubaki's little strat. In any case, I was still plannin' on crushin' Ayanokōji, even if I had to do it all myself."

To do that, he would have to repeatedly spend points on GPS Searches.

But since it sounded like Tsubaki was willing to take care of that, Hōsen had decided that he might as well just hitch a free ride.

"We get to do whatever we want and Tsubaki'll take all the blame. It's way too sweet a deal."

"I get a suspicious feeling from it personally… Are you sure you're not just being used?"

"She's welcome to try. Well, I don't really give a fuck either way."

"…I'll help too."

"Oh yeah?"

"I want to do what I can to protect our classmates. Please, let me stick with you until we hear more from Tsubaki-san."

Presented with Nanase's earnest plea, Hōsen responded with a few simple words.

"Do whatever you want."

1

And now, let's shift the timeline back to the present, at precisely 6:51 AM on the thirteenth day of the special exam.

Utomiya came across Tsubaki sitting beside her tent, looking up at the sky.

"What are you thinking about Tsubaki?"

"Just thinking through everything one last time. You need somethin'?"

"Well, I just thought I'd have a few words with you before we carried out our strategy. After all, this might be the last time we ever see each other."

"Fair enough."

Since this could very well be their final conversation, they decided to touch bases with each other.

"Why haven't you been using your walkie-talkie to communicate with me like you do with everybody else?"

"Because you can't understand what someone is truly thinking without talking to them face-to-face. You were there for the entire conversation with Hōsen-kun, so you should know exactly what I mean by that."

"Indeed. While I could get the gist of what he's up to over the walkie-talkie, it's impossible to straight-up trust anything he said to us."

"You say that mostly because you don't like him, don't you?"

Tsubaki's words hit the nail right on the head, causing Utomiya to turn and look away with embarrassment clear on his face.

"Out of all the first-years, you're the only one I can trust, Utomiya-kun. I let you hear about the plan face-to-face because I wanted to hear your raw, unfiltered thoughts on the matter."

For a split second, a somewhat self-derisive smile took shape on Tsubaki's face, but she quickly reverted back to her usual blank expression.

Utomiya had just been told that Tsubaki trusted him, but rather than get caught up in that, he remembered that there was something he needed to check.

"How are the preparations going?"

"Wanna see a GPS screenshot I took just a bit ago?"

With that, Tsubaki powered on her tablet and tilted the screen toward Utomiya.

Ayanokōji's campsite was located in area E5, whereas the first-years were currently located in areas D4 and E6.

"Our positioning is perfect, just as you planned."

"Well, we've been very thorough in that regard, wouldn't you say? The terrain just so happens to favor us as well."

Tsubaki slowly raised her eyes and looked at Utomiya, who was fixated on analyzing the screenshot.

Meanwhile, a certain young man approached the two of them.

"Tsubaki-san, do you have a minute?"

The young man was none other than Yagami, the effective leader of Class 1-B and a member of the same group as Utomiya.

"Everything's good to go, so I guess I have time, but…"

Suspicious of Yagami's intentions, Tsubaki let show a look of slight dissatisfaction.

"To tell you the truth, there's something I really feel the need to talk to you about, Tsubaki-san."

"Sorry, but hold on a second. There's something I want to ask Yagami about first."

Before Yagami could successfully pull Tsubaki aside, Utomiya interrupted with a strong tone.

"What is it?"

"Your GPS signal disappeared all of a sudden yesterday. Where did you go?"

"My apologies. My watch broke down all of a sudden, so I rushed back to the starting area to get it fixed."

As he said this, Yagami held out his left wrist, showing everybody his watch.

"It broke, did it? That makes twice now."

By this point Utomiya had raised his guard, fully suspecting that Yagami was up to something.

"What are you planning, Yagami?"

"It's disheartening to hear that you suspect me of scheming just because my watch broke. Didn't your watch break a few days ago too, Utomiya-kun? Wouldn't that make you suspect as well?"

"Mine was nothing more than a simple software malfunction."

"And the same goes for me."

Utomiya scowled at Yagami, who had been smiling throughout this entire exchange.

"Hey, could you two stop with this bickering? We're all friends here, no?"

"…Sorry. I guess I might just be a little on edge with the plan coming up here soon."

"No no, I was out of line as well. I apologize."

At this point, Tsubaki took the reins of the conversation and prompted Yagami for more information.

"So it took you a full day to get your watch replaced? Or is there something else?"

"Well, I went and prepared a gift of sorts for you in regards to today's operation."

"A gift?"

"More accurately, it's a plan to drive Ayanokōji-senpai into a corner. After all, things don't always play out the way you expect them to, right?"

The plan was set to go into action very soon, and yet Yagami was now suggesting something unsettling.

However, the one who felt the most alarmed by this was not Tsubaki, but rather Utomiya, who stood right beside her.

"What exactly are you saying, Yagami? Are you seriously implying that you think our current plan will fail? That's-"

"Yagami-kun, I'm not carrying out my strategy with the expectation of failure."

Tsubaki raised her voice a little as she spoke, interrupting Utomiya.

"Of course you aren't. Your strategy is effectively flawless, Tsubaki-san. You could even say it's so airtight that not even a measly ant could slip past you. You've gathered the largest, most proficient lineup of first-years you possibly could've, so I certainly don't doubt that you'll succeed. However, don't you think it'd be best to take whatever precautions you have available to you?"

Despite her suspicions about Yagami's incessant chattering, Tsubaki responded calmly.

"Personally, I don't want to do anything I don't have to, but I'll at least listen to what you have to say."

Internally, Tsubaki felt like it would be fine to decide what to do after hearing out Yagami's proposal.

"Moving forward, I imagine you'll repeatedly use GPS Searches to pinpoint Ayanokōji-senpai's location as you drive him into a corner. However, doing so will use up quite a large number of points, will it not?"

"We've had one of our backup groups give us a tablet in preparation for that."

Utomiya chimed in to answer in Tsubaki's stead, but it seemed that Yagami had already taken that into account.

"I understand that, but it's hard to say that's an efficient way of doing it. Do you know why that is?"

"Because we don't know where Ayanokōji-senpai's designated area is, and it's impossible to predict his movements."

Yagami nodded once, seemingly satisfied with Tsubaki's answer.

"Right. Whether Ayanokōji-senpai chooses to head toward his designated area, chase after a Task, or simply try and escape from us… if we can successfully predict what he decides to do, then our efficiency will rise dramatically."

"If it were that easy to find out where he's headed, then we wouldn't have any problems. But that's exactly why we've prepared tablets from several groups so that we can run as many GPS Searches as we want."

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I could be helpful to you, so I decided to do a little investigating. Specifically, I asked myself: Of the twelve tables, which one does Ayanokōji-senpai belong to?"

Tsubaki had been idly twirling a lock of hair around her finger, but when Yagami said this, she stopped.

And at the same time, Utomiya suddenly drew silent.

"So you're sayin' you know what table he's part of?"

"Yes. Although, strictly speaking, it's this tablet right here that truly knows, not me."

Saying that, Yagami brought out a tablet.

"What's so special about a tablet?"

"I borrowed this particular tablet from one of my peers in Class 1-B. As it turns out, their group is part of the same table as Ayanokōji-senpai."

"In other words, with this, we'll be able to find out Ayanokōji-senpai's projected movements without any delays."

Yagami nodded calmly.

By identifying Ayanokōji's designated area right when it gets announced, it made anticipating his movements that much easier.

"And you're 100% certain that this peer of yours shares the same table as Ayanokōji?"

Utomiya spoke roughly, practically demanding an answer from Yagami.

However, Yagami ignored him and continued addressing Tsubaki.

"As for how I went about investigating it, I─"

"Repeatedly ran GPS Searches until you managed to identify groups with similar movement patterns, right?"

Tsubaki had figured out the method without so much as a second thought.

"…Impressive. Perhaps my help wasn't needed after all?"

Yagami, who had wanted to surprise Tsubaki, had himself been surprised in turn.

"Nah, I'd appreciate it if you lent me that tablet though. I'd like to refrain from wasting points if at all possible, considering how many I'm gonna have to spend moving forward. But are you really fine with it?"

"We're in the same boat here, Tsubaki-san. Your success is directly tied to my own. Moreover, while Utomiya-kun and I have been fighting hard together on behalf of all the first-years, it's gradually gotten more and more difficult for us to get into the top three. With that being the case, I've been left with no choice but to focus my efforts on other matters."

The reason why Yagami had come here today was because he no longer found much significance in earning more points.

If he were in a position where he could realistically make it to first place, he wouldn't have had the free time to come here.

Having made his point clear, Yagami continued.

"Furthermore, if you don't accept my proposal, I won't be able to provide you with insurance."

"Insurance? What the heck are you getting at?"

"Our number one priority is to drive Ayanokōji-senpai into a corner with your strategy and force him to retire from the exam. However, that might end up failing for any number of reasons. For instance, what if Ayanokōji-senpai is traveling together with a third party for the entire day? You can't attack him when there might be witnesses, right?"

"There's no need to worry about that. He's been pretty much all on his own since day eight."

Utomiya quickly commented that Yagami's concerns had already been accounted for, but Yagami simply shook his head.

"But you can't guarantee that that'll still be the case here on day thirteen."

"Sure, I guess that's true. But what's your point?"

"In the event that something unexpected happens that causes the plan to fail, why not change tactics? We can prevent him from reaching his designated areas, denying him from earning points. Furthermore, tomorrow is day fourteen, the final day, so we'll have three additional opportunities to prevent him from earning anything."

"So you're saying we can make him face a penalty a total of five times between today and tomorrow?"

"No, we'll actually be able to make him face a penalty a total of seven times. Yesterday, Ayanokōji-senpai failed to reach his third designated area, area D4, since it was randomly designated too far away from him, and he didn't make it to the area after that, D2, either, meaning that he's already missed two in a row. I've gone and verified that he had focused on doing Tasks instead."

"If he gets penalized seven times, that's twenty-eight points down the drain… That's nothing to scoff at."

There were only two days left in the exam. Losing twenty-eight points during such a crucial period would be quite a serious blow.

At this point, Utomiya felt like this 'insurance policy' Yagami had come up with might very well be worth considering after all.

"For the time being, Ayanokōji-senpai is still alone. While it's unclear exactly how many points he has, I doubt he has very many given that he's the only one in his group. He might even use points on the GPS Search to try and escape us once he knows he's under attack. And to top it all off, if we can predict the Tasks he goes for and make it to them before he does, we'll have a decent chance to make him drop down to the bottom of the leaderboards."

"Well, you're definitely not wrong."

"If this 'insurance policy' successfully makes Ayanokōji-senpai retire, then how about we split the bounty 25-50-25? I take five million, you guys get ten million, and we distribute what remains to the groups that failed. Everyone should be satisfied with that, no?"

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea to me, what do you think, Tsubaki?"

While Utomiya was truly awestruck by Yagami's proposal, Tsubaki didn't seem to have much of a reaction to it.

"Tsubaki, I think we should take advantage of this."

Faced with Tsubaki's silence, Utomiya spoke up once again, encouraging her to accept Yagami's proposal.

"Well, if you've truly gone outta your way to get that tablet for us, I wouldn't really have any other choice but to accept. However…"

Tsubaki trailed off as she reached into her bag and took out a stack of three tablets: her own, a previously-mentioned backup, and now a third one.

"What's this third one?"

"A tablet from someone with the same table as Ayanokōji-senpai, same as yours."

"What? When did you…?"

There had been no need for Yagami's help in the first place. Tsubaki already had everything she needed right in the palm of her hand.

"You've really gone beyond my greatest expectations, Tsubaki-san. To think you had already come up with the very same idea…"

"Then, why didn't you say anything about this!?"

Frustrated, Utomiya pressed for Tsubaki to explain herself.

"I just didn't like it. That is, that Yagami-kun had also thought of the same exact plan of makin' Senpai miss his designated areas. I was tryin' to act dumb and let him have his moment, but it ended up being way too similar to my own plan for me to keep my mouth shut."

Yagami and Utomiya exchanged glances at Tsubaki's more-or-less childish logic.

"If that's the case, it'd be inappropriate for me to try and claim remuneration. Allow me to forgo my five million points. In the meantime, I'll take a step back and keep an eye on things from a distance."

"Thanks. It really is quite hard to get things done when someone you don't trust is breathing down your neck, so that helps I guess."

No matter how unabashedly blunt Tsubaki's words may have been, Yagami accepted them with a calm, satisfied look on his face and promptly took his leave.

Once he was out of earshot, Utomiya spoke up.

"Tsubaki, suppose we manage to take down Ayanokōji by force, will the school really end up retiring him from the exam?"

"Nothing is guaranteed when using heavy-handed tactics like this. Worst case scenario, those of us who set this up might be the only ones kicked out of here."

"If that were to also happen to the groups that helped us, we'd be dealing with quite a serious number of expulsions."

An outcome where only the first-year students were expelled. Utomiya's expression stiffened at the thought.

"But, realistically speaking, the chances of that happening are almost zero. As the one pulling the strings, the one who would take on the brunt of the punishment would be me and me alone. After all, the school can't afford to expel ten to twenty first-years."

"That's a problem in and of itself. Are you really planning to shoulder the burden all on your own?"

"When the school first announced the previous special exam, I was the one who proposed we try to expel Ayanokōji-senpai. You just went along with it, no?"

"That's true, but…"

Utomiya recalled the previous special exam that took place just after enrollment, where they had to form pairs with one of the second-year students.

It had been bundled together with another, hidden exam that would award twenty million private points to whomever could get Ayanokōji Kiyotaka expelled from the school. At the time, Utomiya hated the idea, proposing that Class 1-C remain neutral as spectators.

However, Tsubaki's repeated attempts to persuade Utomiya eventually won him over. She reasoned that twenty million private points would be an invaluable asset for Class 1-C if they wanted to set their sights on making it to the upper classes.

When he asked her how exactly she planned on getting Ayanokōji expelled, she instantly stated that she'd try to pair up with Ayanokōji and throw caution to the wind as she intentionally bombed the exam. And then, following her expulsion, the twenty million point bounty would fall into his own hands, given his status as her co-conspirator. She had requested for him to use the points for Class 1-C's future endeavors.

"When you first told me about this plan of yours, you told me not to ask too many questions about your motives."

"Oh, are you curious? About why I'm so fine with letting myself get expelled?"

"…I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. It simply isn't natural for someone to be so eager to leave when they pretty much just got here."

"Well, I'll admit that Class 1-C has been far cozier than I expected. Since I'm gonna be expelled either way, I figured that I might as well go out in a way that best benefits the class."

Tsubaki left it at that, clearly reluctant to explain herself any further. Utomiya also sensed that nothing good would come from trying to press her any further, so he instead turned his gaze toward the forest.

"Maybe it's best if I go as well. I'm confident I could take Ayanokōji one-on-one."

"That's not happening. You're an indispensable talent for Class 1-C, Utomiya-kun. Furthermore, even though I'll be taking responsibility for what happens, there's a chance you might get hit with the same punishment by participating. Leave Ayanokōji-senpai to the others."

"If we were facing an ordinary opponent then I'd be fine with that. But Ayanokōji has a twenty million point bounty on his head; he's far from ordinary. Even Hōsen wasn't able to take him out and he tried his hand before any of us. We should play every card we're dealt."

"True. We should definitely consider him as someone at least at Hōsen-kun's level."

Despite her agreement, Tsubaki still didn't give Utomiya the green light on his request, instead instructing him to stay behind with her.

"…Alright, I get it. I'll stay here and keep an eye on how you do things."

"Hey, Utomiya-kun."

After a short pause, Tsubaki called out to Utomiya, who had begun to distance himself so as not to get in her way.

"What?"

"You seem pretty strong; where'd you learn to fight? You're not a delinquent, are you?"

"It's not really all that worth getting into. I think we can both agree there's no need to pry too deeply into each other's affairs."

"Fair enough. But let me ask you this, just to be sure… you're not hiding something important from me, right?"

"Hiding something? No. The upcoming fight has been the only thing on my mind."

"Alright then."

And so, just like that, 7:00 AM arrived, bringing with it the start of the exam. With a walkie-talkie in one hand and a tablet in the other, Tsubaki pressed down on the transmission button. From the information displayed on the tablet, Ayanokōji's first destination was area C3.

"Attention everyone, the enemy's first designated area is C3. Those in D4 are to remain on standby. As for the E6 group, start heading north and prepare to flank. Do not engage without permission."

Tsubaki issued her orders before quietly releasing the button.

"After eliminating Ayanokōji-senpai, I wonder which second and third-years I should crush before the school catches on…? Hmm…"

Tsubaki spent these final moments mulling over her next potential target.

2

It was the morning of day thirteen, and I noticed something unusual when my first designated area, C3, was announced at 7:00 AM.

These days, I had gotten into the habit of starting things off with a GPS Search, checking the positions of those I'd be competing with for the Early Bird Bonuses.

Upon doing so, I noticed that Utomiya, Tsubaki, and Yagami, three noteworthy first-years, had all gathered up together. It wasn't particularly unusual to see Utomiya and Yagami together given that they were in the same group, but Tsubaki's added presence bothered me a bit. Furthermore, none of their other group members seemed to be nearby either.

Reminded of Nanase's warning, I had the feeling that the first-years would probably attempt to ambush me today.

First-year groups were still scattered all across the island, but their concentration and positions had changed drastically since I last checked yesterday evening. Quite a large number of groups had amassed in areas D4 and E6, effectively surrounding me.

"So they've started to move, huh?"

As vast as this uninhabited island may be, if my opponents were to make full use of the GPS Search, avoiding a head-on confrontation with them would be difficult. I had figured out that Nanase and I shared the same table in only a few days. So, needless to say, it was safe to assume that they had already figured out which designated area I'd been assigned as well.

With that being the case, my best choice was to simply not go to area C3. However, taking on a penalty during these final few days of the exam would be incredibly risky as well.

I had missed my last two designated areas yesterday. So, while it was unclear whether or not they knew about that when they decided to attack me today, their timing definitely couldn't have been better. If I didn't make it to the remaining seven, there was no telling how far my rank would drop…

"It seems they have a solid grasp on how to fight, I'll give them that."

They had made the right choice by not trying to make a move late at night or early in the morning. If they had tried something in the dead of night when visibility was poor and I ended up escaping, it would've become impossible to catch me no matter how many GPS Searches they did. Conversely, had they tried early this morning, they would've had a hard time coming up with a battle plan since they wouldn't know where my designated area was.

Anyway, there were certainly more of them than I had anticipated. I had considered that Hōsen and some of the other more influential first-years might try to pull something, but this went well beyond my expectations.

Hōsen himself was still located in area D4, just as he had been the night before. I'd probably cross paths with him if I decided to go to my designated area.

If I were to be attacked by the first-years, the school would most likely protect me. Yet, at the same time, the entire school would label me as someone unsettling and strange.

And as a result, I would lose any chance I had at reaching my goal of leading an ordinary student life.

Even the many teachers who knew nothing about me would probably start to think of me as someone abnormal.

Heading to a Task site would help guarantee my safety since there would be teachers around, but it wouldn't be a very good idea to allow my pursuers to close in on me while I stayed put in one place like that.

There was always the option of traveling together with another student, but I should operate under the assumption that the first-years weren't the only ones I had to worry about. Since the third-years were under Nagumo's direct control, they could very well be out to get me as well.

In a sense, the only option I had right now was to stay on the run until my pursuers ran out of energy and gave up.

I spent ten minutes or so packing up my tent and getting everything ready, after which I ran another GPS Search. This time, it was abundantly clear that the first-years' GPS signals were rapidly closing in on my location.

Nanase had warned me that it would turn violent, and ultimately, her warning had proven true.

The one behind this operation was clearly undaunted by the prospect of expulsion. Whoever they might be, the mastermind was probably willing to take full responsibility should something go wrong.

If that was truly the case, then I needed to avoid getting involved in any direct confrontations, even if it meant missing every single designated area announced today.

Given that I was surrounded by both rivers and mountains, I felt tempted to escape by crossing up and over the mountain range. However, the rough terrain made that route less than ideal. Although it would still be dangerous, I'd probably be better off looking to escape through the south.

As long as I stayed far enough away from my designated areas, the enemy most likely wouldn't pursue me too deeply.

And so, with my route decided on, I retrieved a certain something from my backpack and headed out.

3

"How's it going, Tsubaki-san?"

It was 8:00 AM, and if all had gone according to plan, the first-years should've successfully made contact with Ayanokōji by now.

Yagami felt concerned about how reports confirming this had yet to arrive through the walkie-talkie, so he decided to ask.

"Don't worry too much, everything's going as planned so far. It's honestly kinda scary how well things are going."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Ayanokōji had beautifully circumvented apprehension by the pursuing first-years. It wasn't clear how often, but it was evident that he was periodically performing GPS Searches. Every single point that he spent was a win in and of itself. Tsubaki was more than willing to resort to violence, but she felt like it would be most ideal if she could crush Ayanokōji without it.

If he continued to give up on his designated areas like this, she'd come out on top without ever having to dirty her hands.

Alternatively, if he were to lose his patience and try to force his way past them, then they'd just beat him down then and there.

They were looking to chase after him without driving him into a corner, intentionally leaving him with just the slightest opening to escape in order to push him further and further away from his designated areas.

Tsubaki ran a new GPS Search every ten minutes or so, slowly draining her stockpile of points without a care in the world.

She hadn't bothered with earning points over these past twelve days in order to win the exam.

Rather, each and every point had been meant for right here, right now.

Before long, the clock struck 9:00 AM, confirming that Ayanokōji had now missed his third designated area in a row.

According to the tablet, Ayanokōji's next destination was area D2. And given that he was currently seeking refuge in C6, he would have a tough time making it there, even without Tsubaki's interference.

As time went by, the two groups of first-years continued to chase after Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.

Despite only receiving updates every ten minutes, his projected movements were quite easy to understand.

With the way he was going now, there was a chance that he might slip between areas B4 and C5 and head northeast. To account for that possibility, Tsubaki had instructed the remaining three groups at her disposal to gather together in area C4.

Satisfied with that, she decided to take a one-hour break from searching to wait and see how the situation would play out. By the time 10:00 AM rolled around, she ran another search to take a look at everyone's positions. Just as she had predicted, Ayanokōji was attempting to escape between B4 and C5. The two pursuing groups behind him would soon reach area B5 as well.

"No way I'm gonna let you slip past me."

Tsubaki directed the groups stationed in area C4 to converge on Ayanokōji as he descended from the mountain. Her plan was to preemptively block off his path, forcing him northward toward B4 and B3.

At this point, she began to run GPS Searches every ten minutes again, ensuring she had a solid grasp of everyone's positions. Ayanokōji had started moving north toward B4 to avoid the blockade of first-years, just as expected. Seeing this, Tsubaki ordered the three groups in C4 to start heading north as well to corner him and prevent him from escaping.

"May I ask a question, Tsubaki-san?"

"…What?"

From a short distance away, Yagami lifted his gaze from his tablet.

"Wouldn't it be easier for us to corner Ayanokōji-senpai if you gave more detailed instructions? Your progress has been a tad lackluster, no?"

"So annoying…"

Tsubaki muttered under her breath, pointedly ignoring Yagami's question.

After another half hour or so, she noticed that something was off.

The three groups stationed in C4 that she'd instructed to move north hadn't budged much more than an inch.

Even if something had gone wrong along the way, what in the world could make all three groups just stop like this?

This time, she ran a new GPS Search after only five minutes instead of waiting her standard ten.

"They really aren't moving…"

Ayanokōji was just about to cross from area B4 into B3 while the three groups still hadn't left C4.

At this rate, there was a very real chance that he might escape into area C3.

"What's going on? Did something happen?"

Tsubaki called out to the groups over the walkie-talkie, but no response came back.

"That's weird…"

While something could've gone wrong between the groups, she had a hunch that this wasn't a mere accident.

"Tsubaki-san, what's the matter?"

Seeing her clouded expression, Yagami leaned over and took a peek at the screen of her tablet.

"Has something happened?"

"Three of the five first-year groups I sent out have stopped moving. They all seem to have one strange thing in common too: each of their signals just so happen to overlap with those of a second-year group."

With more than 400 people scattered about the island, it was commonplace for different groups to pass by each other.

As a result, Tsubaki had never really paid it any mind when it happened.

"C4 groups, please respond."

She called out over the walkie-talkie again, but no matter how long she waited, she was met with nothing but silence.

"Isn't it possible that they just had an accident of some sort? Groups are constantly moving about the island in pursuit of Tasks or designated areas. I think it might be rather dangerous to go jumping to conclusions at this point."

"So it's just a coincidence that three of our groups are all being obstructed by the second-years?"

"I guess you have a point…"

After five more minutes of holding back her bubbling impatience, Tsubaki ran a new GPS Search.

"They've finally started moving, but their pace seems quite sluggish."

"Those second-year groups are pretty much right on their heels."

Meanwhile, Ayanokōji had already finished passing through B4, made it down the mountain in B3, and was now making his way toward C3.

Given the situation, Tsubaki's last hope fell upon the shoulders of the two groups that had been chasing after Ayanokōji, but… At some point unbeknownst to her, those very groups had also stopped moving.

Moreover, there were second-year groups right beside them as well.

"The second-years definitely appear to be interfering here… But who─?"

Yagami reached over to touch Tsubaki's tablet in an attempt to confirm the details for himself.

"Oi, buzz off!"

"W-what!?"

Tsubaki swatted Yagami's hand, driving him away.

"I let you stay here since we're currently working together, but I don't remember giving you permission to mess with my things."

Yagami distanced himself a bit, taken aback by Tsubaki's fierce glare.

"…I understand. But if I may suggest one thing, wouldn't it be wise to ascertain the identities of these second-years?"

"Fine."

Tsubaki began investigating the groups in question. She'd already planned on looking into it, regardless of Yagami's suggestion.

However, out of the five second-year groups that seemed to be actively obstructing her plans, not even a single student stood out to her.

"It doesn't seem like any of the noteworthy second-year personalities are participating."

"Not only that, there's an almost equal distribution of students from Class A to Class D within each of their groups."

"So in other words, this isn't the work of one specific class, but the entire second-year student body as a whole?"

Yagami's observation would make sense, but Tsubaki had a hard time believing it.

It seemed highly unlikely that all four second-year classes would be willing to come together just to protect Ayanokōji. Unless…

"…So that's how it is."

Given the situation, there was only one possible explanation.

"These five groups must have no idea why they were sent to stop us in the first place."

04-10

"You really think they're cooperating without knowing the reason behind it?"

"The specific reason doesn't really matter. They could've just been asked to obstruct us first-years from reaching designated areas and Tasks in order to protect the second-year rankings."

Having grasped the situation, Tsubaki began to go back through all of the GPS Searches she had done over the course of the day today.

She flipped through the screenshots, tracking the movements of the second-years.

"It's all far too organized. Whoever's behind this, I can only imagine that they saw through our plans from the very start."

"There are only two days left in the special exam, after all. It seems rather natural at this point for them to possess such vigilance. I'm sure Ayanokōji-senpai is well aware of the bounty on his head, so it's certainly possible he prepared for this in advance."

Indeed, as Yagami figured, the longer the exam went on, the more vulnerable one became to attacks.

"We can just lay low for now and wait for the right time to strike. The second-years can't afford to protect Ayanokōji-senpai 24/7, right? They've got a special exam to worry about too, after all."

"That's true…"

With only two days remaining, most students would normally be filled with the desire to earn as many points as possible.

"The other thing that bothers me is how easily our groups were surrounded. Even though they're moving as distinct units, apprehending five groups is no small feat."

To that, Yagami was at a loss for words, posturing his hand beneath his chin in contemplation.

"No ideas? To me, it just proves that they have someone pulling the strings from the shadows."

"So you're saying that their leader is someone lurking behind the scenes just like you, Tsubaki-san?"

Tsubaki nodded as she placed her tablet onto the ground before her, peering down at the GPS map of the entire island. Somewhere within the borders of this map, there was someone surveying the current battlefield much like she was now, issuing clear instructions to suppress the first-years' movements.

"Personally, I think we should consider suspending the operation."

"Why?"

"Are you truly planning on having them force their way through? It's too dangerous."

"That's not the plan here. With our main fighting force out of commission right now, I wouldn't be able to pull off a stunt like that even if I wanted to."

"Then why not call off the operation?"

"It's the same thing either way, so why bother?"

"The same thing…?"

Tsubaki had anticipated that this might happen from the very beginning.

In fact, she was rather thankful that the second-years had shown up to interfere.

"I may not know who it is that's behind all of this, but, well, I'll tell you right now that not everything is as it seems on the surface."

"What on Earth are you planning?"

"The enemy leader probably noticed the five first-year groups mobilize last night."

"I see… That would mean they've been running GPS Searches all throughout the night as well."

"As I said before, the second-years have their own special exam to deal with. Seeing that we had five groups ready, the enemy mobilized five groups of their own in response. If they had set aside six or even seven groups for this, they'd end up neglecting the special exam."

"But isn't it possible that they set aside one or two backup groups, just in case?"

"That's possible. But as far as I've seen, only five second-year groups have shown irregular movement. Maybe they're confident that they can wrap this all up just by matching our numbers? But, well, that'd be a fatal decision on their part."

Tsubaki picked up her walkie-talkie and issued out a new set of instructions.

"There's nobody in your way now. Go ahead with whatever you have in mind."

"Who are you talking to? There aren't any groups nearby at our disposal…"

"I told you, didn't I? Not everything is as it seems on the surface."

Having sent her message, Tsubaki began to contemplate who exactly was behind all of this.

"Is Ayanokōji giving orders while on the run? No, that simply isn't possible. He doesn't have the authority to control the other classes, much less the time to do so…"

She softly muttered to herself, her words kept just out of earshot from Yagami, who still stood nearby.

Whenever Tsubaki was lost in thought, she had a habit of whispering to herself in a way that was inaudible to those around her.

Yet no matter how quiet her voice might be, her mind would always become clearer by saying her thoughts out loud.

For her, it was kinda like taking articles of clothing out from a messy drawer one by one so they could be neatly folded and properly stored back inside.

"For now, it seems pretty safe to assume that Ayanokōji got in touch with whoever is behind all of this and asked them for help. In which case… He most likely had plenty of time to prepare for this fairly early on the exam…"

"Uhm, did you say something just now?"

"It's nothing, don't worry 'bout it."

Apparently, Yagami had picked up a bit of her repeated mumbling.

Slightly annoyed, Tsubaki once again turned her attention back to her tablet.

4

Gazing out over the sea shimmering with a diamond-like beauty, Sakayanagi took a sip of water into her mouth. Said water was meant more so to moisten her lips than for regular hydration.

The time on the clock read 7:05 AM, precisely when Tsubaki had put her strategy into action.

"It seems they're finally starting to move."

With her gaze having fallen down toward her tablet and a walkie-talkie in hand, Sakayanagi began to issue instructions.

She had been running continuous GPS Searches late into the night for the past three days now. After all, in order to successfully trap Ayanokōji, it would be necessary to take action outside of the standard exam hours.

"And it looks like everything's ready on our end as well, so let's get started, shall we?"

『That's true and all, but, uhm… there's no guarantee we'll bump into them just because we're in the same area, no?』

A listless-sounding voice came back through the walkie-talkie. The speaker was none other than Sakayanagi's classmate, Tsukasaki.

Sakayanagi proceeded to explain her plan: To interfere with the first-years and prevent them from taking part in any Tasks.

"Over these past twelve days, the terrain of this uninhabited island has gradually undergone some changes. Would you happen to know why that is?"

『The terrain's changed? I assume it's due to people constantly walking around the island?』

"Correct. Every day, both students and faculty are constantly traversing the island. In fact, aren't you yourself currently trying to find the safest, quickest route to your destination, Tsukasaki-kun?"

The changes weren't dramatic, but there were still many pathways that showed clear signs of human passage due to the prior rainfall.

"At the end of the day, it's not difficult to guess which route someone'll take when they have a fixed destination."

『It's almost like you've seen the pathways yourself despite not having actually come out here to look at any of them.』

Although Sakayanagi's understanding of the island was confined to the information given by her tablet, she could still visualize it in a three-dimensional way.

She ran realistic simulations in her mind of exactly what everyone would do. And from that, she had grabbed ahold of the faint traces left behind by the one who had come up with this entire scheme.

After gazing out at the ocean for another thirty minutes or so, Sakayanagi checked her tablet again.

"Now then, with everyone heading for their Tasks and designated areas, there are seldom few who aren't moving at all."

Moreover, if you were to narrow it down to just first-year students, the number of options was even fewer. Out of all the GPS signals that hadn't moved since the exam started for the day, there were only three that belonged to first-years.

"Yagami Takuya-kun, Utomiya Riku-kun, Tsubaki Sakurako-san… I wonder which one is truly my opponent here? Or perhaps it's all three?"

With a delighted giggle, Sakayanagi leaned back and shut her eyes, thinking back fondly on the conversation with a certain someone that had gotten her wrapped up in this amusing conflict in the first place.

Three days earlier, on the night of the tenth day of the exam, Sakayanagi had received a call from Takemoto's group, who she had previously entrusted with one of her walkie-talkies.

"Why are you contacting me so late? Did you run into trouble?"

Sakayanagi thought there might have been some kind of accident, but that didn't seem to be the case here.

『No, it's nothing like that. Ayanokōji wants to speak with you.』

"Ayanokōji-kun?"

Hearing the unexpected name immediately shook Sakayanagi out of her drowsy stupor.

『I kinda owe him a bit of a favor, so it'd be great if you could talk with him─』

"Of course, it's no problem at all. Put him on for me."

『Just a moment please.』

There was a brief moment of silence, and then─

『Sakayanagi?』

"Good evening, Ayanokōji-kun."

Sakayanagi started off the conversation with such an elegant, out-of-place greeting that it was hard to believe that they were still in the midst of such a rigorous special exam.

『It seems your collaborative efforts have been going well.』

"Indeed. I've managed to make contact with both Ryūen-kun and Horikita-san, and things are progressing smoothly. I'm not aware of the details, but from what I've heard, you've been a great help to Takemoto-kun and the others."

『Your group has been making great strides as well. You're currently in fifth place, right? You're in a great position to take the top spot.』

"It's not like I'm without cause for concern."

『Is that so?』

"Have you met with Ichinose-san at all?"

『No, I haven't seen her at all since the exam began. Is something wrong?』

"I've been informed that she's been acting a bit strange recently. From what I'm told, she's been distracted or something these past few days. I'm rather worried."

This was a lengthy, arduous special exam, so it wasn't that unusual for students to fall ill, be it physically or mentally.

"In any case, what business do you have with me?"

『I wanted to ask you for a favor, Sakayanagi.』

"Please, don't hesitate. I'll gladly pay you back for the help you've shown my classmates."

『It's about the White Room.』

"Well… It sounds like I'm in for something exceptionally interesting."

Given that Sakayanagi was already more than familiar with the circumstances surrounding Acting Director Tsukishiro, Ayanokōji began by explaining that Nanase had been an enforcer sent in to force his expulsion. However, he also explained that there was another White Room student lurking in the shadows, one that he highly suspected to be Amasawa Ichika.

"You should've told me this much earlier."

Sakayanagi felt somewhat disappointed, as if she'd missed out on an opportunity to indulge in some fun.

『I didn't tell you because I wasn't absolutely certain of anything until just recently.』

"So from what I've gathered, you want me to crush Amasawa Ichika-san for you, yes?"

『…No, that's not it.』

The nonchalance with which Sakayanagi brought up the idea seemed to throw Ayanokōji for a bit of a loop.

『To tell you the truth, there's yet another thorn in my side.』

At this point, Ayanokōji disclosed the real issue at hand here: the bounty that had been put forward by Nagumo and Tsukishiro.

Sakayanagi was the only student among the second-years that was aware of Ayanokōji's peculiar background, given that she had known him since early childhood.

However, the reason why Ayanokōji hadn't shared any of these things with her was largely due to the heavy burden associated with such knowledge, but also because Ayanokōji didn't think of her as an "ally".

Originally, in this school, students from different classes were fated to go against each other until the day they graduated.

As a result, there was always a chance that Sakayanagi might leverage her knowledge of the White Room in order to win out in the end.

And yet, from all of his previous interactions with her, he knew that the risks of that happening weren't all that high.

But now, after weighing the relatively unlikely risk of Sakayanagi's betrayal against the new risk he was facing, he had found himself reconsidering his priorities.

"In other words, you're saying that the first-years will start to move against you soon."

『That's right. I'd like to ask you to take care of it.』

"Still, aside from White Room students, I can't imagine anyone else would have the ability to successfully corner you, Ayanokōji-kun."

『The first-years will likely resort to violence. After all, their safest bet to get me expelled is to exploit the fact that I'm on my own. In which case, I imagine they'll concentrate on stopping me from taking part in any Tasks and maybe even try to prevent me from reaching my designated areas.』

Sakayanagi had no doubt that Ayanokōji would win if he chose to take a more forceful approach, no matter how many people they sent after him.

That, however, wouldn't be a very great way to handle this.

"If the first-years aren't able to take you down despite their numbers, your name would likely end up spreading all throughout the school, Ayanokōji-kun. Personally, I'm not sure if I feel excited or upset about that."

『Personally, I'd rather you be upset. And there's a possibility that Tsukishiro might still be planning something too. I'd like to concentrate on dealing with that if possible.』

"I understand what you're asking of me."

『You'll be taking on a heavy burden, Sakayanagi.』

"I realize that. If I'm to keep constant surveillance on the first-years, I'll simply have to accept the costs, or rather, GPS Searches, that come along with doing so."

At the end of the day, there were certain things that had to be left to Sakayanagi.

"Oh, don't worry. I already have a solid grasp of how many points the Class A groups have right now."

『That's… a very elaborate communication network you've made for yourself.』

"According to the rules, the scores of the bottom ten groups will be publicly available until the end of the twelfth day. As such, it's incredibly important to know which groups are in trouble and which have plenty of leeway moving forward. There are several groups out there with plenty of points that have little to no chance of making it to the top ten. So, hypothetically, even if they had to perform a fair number of GPS Searches, they'd still have more than enough points to cover their bases until the end of the exam."

It was a strategy only made possible thanks to the union between Class A and Class C, with Sakayanagi's flawless, iron-tight leadership and Ichinose's unwavering trust. It was the type of strategy that Class D would never be able to pull off. The cost of securing enough walkie-talkies alone would make it impossible.

"So I just need to hold back the first-years that are after you, right, Ayanokōji-kun?"

『Can I take that as you agreeing to help me?』

"Spending all my time helping groups clear Tasks has made for a slightly dull exam on my part. Not to mention this ordeal seems like it could be rather beneficial for me."

『Which means…?』

"The favor you're asking of me is far too great compared to the debt I owe for helping Takemoto-kun. So essentially, I'm saying that I'll help if you promise to owe me a favor in turn."

『That sounds rather harsh, but if you manage to get results, I can accept it.』

"It's decided then. I'll begin with my preparations."

『Ah, one more thing. Do you mind if I hold on to this walkie-talkie?』

"Of course not. I was planning on letting you hold onto it anyway. It'll make it much easier for us to communicate with each other. But, could you hand the walkie-talkie back to Takemoto-kun for a moment? I'll fill him in on the situation and have him give it back to you."

─As Sakayanagi thought back on her memories of that night, a slight smile crossed her lips.

She looked down at her tablet as the five groups she had mobilized began to close in on the first-years.

"Well then, the suspicious first-year groups have been stopped for now. Let's see if we can pinpoint who exactly is behind all of this, shall we?"

With a walkie-talkie in one hand, Sakayanagi began issuing further instructions to her classmates.