Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Those Dry Lips, Intensely Taken
Afterwards, I participated in tasks such as English tests and classical literature tests, earning points and receiving food. I looked at the top 10 groups listed:
2nd Year High School Koenji Group - 168 points, 1st place
3rd Year Nagumo Group - 166 points, 2nd place
3rd Year Kiriyama Group - 150 points, 3rd place
3rd Year Mizoe Group - 133 points, 4th place
3rd Year Ochiai Group - 133 points, 4th place
2nd Year Ryuen Group - 128 points, 6th place
2nd Year Sakayanagi Group - 127 points, 7th place
1st Year Takahashi Group - 115 points, 8th place
2nd Year Kanzaki Group - 104 points, 9th place
3rd Year Kuronaga Group - 101 points, 10th place
Then, I looked at my own rank, which was 17th with 91 points. While there was a considerable gap between me and Koenji, catching up wasn't impossible. Well, I was intentionally avoiding catching up. But still, being in 10th place with 101 points…
...
Due to heavy rain on the 7th day, the activities were canceled, and it was expected that the peak would come on the 8th and 9th days. The heavy rain that continued until dawn cast a shadow of great unease over the students. However, by the morning of the next day, the rain clouds had disappeared as if it were a lie, and the sky returned to a clear, blue state as it was two days ago.
Given the current situation, dropping out of school was not an option, so I decided to continue at this pace. As for the food issue, I managed to secure provisions for two days, so it was okay. However, we were gradually experiencing energy deficiency due to not reaching the intake levels required for high school students.
Passing through the designated area of H7, I found the forest to be treacherous, clearing spider webs entwined on my clothes as I sat down slowly on the spot. The 9th day remained uncomfortably hot as usual, and I was quite tired, so I was now sitting down and resting.
"107 points, well, that's completely fine."
My current rank dropped to 18th from yesterday. Since there was a possibility of being targeted when ranking within the top 10, I decided to take it slow and not increase my points for a while.
As the sun set, I began to look for a place to stay. I found a suitable spot, but I noticed a single-person tent placed there alone. Since it was a good spot and the sun wasn't directly shining, I wanted to set up camp there. However, I wanted to check with the neighbor first, but there was no sign of anyone returning to the tent. Then I heard noises from inside the tent. Presumably, someone was inside.
"Sorry to bother you, but I'm setting up my tent next to yours."
Keeping an appropriate distance from the other person, I placed my backpack on the ground. It turned out the owner of the tent next to mine was Ibuki.
"It was you…"
As I was making preparations, I was called out from behind. It seems the owner of the tent next door was indeed Ibuki.
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Without showing any sign of remorse, she said that and slightly glared at me before returning to her tent. Watching her leave, stumbling vaguely as she entered her tent, I felt uneasy and decided to visit Ibuki's tent.
"Hey, mind if I come in?"
Since there was no response, I opened the tent and saw Ibuki sitting inside, eating something.
"What...?"
"What are you eating?"
"Dried meat."
Since it wasn't included in the distributed manual, she probably secured and cooked the raw meat herself. Making dried meat takes quite a bit of time and effort, so she must be quite skilled. While I was impressed, Ibuki asked me:
"Hey, how many points do you have now?"
"I'm not telling you."
"You're stingy."
Even if I told her my rank, it wouldn't benefit me. I couldn't tell if she wanted to aim higher than me or what. Ibuki urged me to leave, suggesting that if I didn't tell her, I should leave sooner.
Thinking that way, I pretended to leave the tent. However, there was something that had been bothering me since earlier, so I quickly grabbed her wrist.
"What are you doing?!"
She tried to kick me, but I grabbed her other hand as well, causing her to exhale as if her strength had been drained, and she looked in the direction of the day after tomorrow.
"I know I can't beat you, but what's the deal? You want to sabotage me?"
Ibuki continued to glare at me, as expected, she seemed to dislike me, probably because she regarded Horikita as her enemy, which made sense since we were in the same class.
"You... Are you dehydrated right now?"
"What!?"
She might not even notice it even if the warning alert goes off now. She might already be experiencing it.
"It's nothing. My throat isn't dry anymore..."
This is bad; it's the worst condition. She might have felt dryness until a moment ago, but now she might not feel it even if it's at its limit. I took two 500ml bottles of water from my bag and handed them to Ibuki.
"I'm giving it to you."
"Huh?"
"I said I'm giving it to you. You're going to collapse like this. Don't show me that kind of state."
"You're annoying... There's no way you're giving it to me."
Despite my offer, Ibuki didn't accept it. However, it was obvious that she was getting weaker. Perhaps I'm too kind-hearted, I couldn't just leave her like that.
"Why are you so against asking someone else's help?"
"It's none of your business."
Seeing Ibuki's condition deteriorating gradually, and her voice getting weaker, I forcefully pulled her closer and kissed her.
"Mmm..."
"Huh!?"
Ibuki, wide-eyed at my unexpected action, who would normally try to kick me to death, didn't resist while we kissed.
"You... What are you doing?///"
"If you won't accept it willingly, I'll make you accept it by force. Did you enjoy the water after a long time? I have plenty of water, so I'm not in trouble."
"...I won't forgive you for kissing me. But I'll take it."
Saying that, she quickly drank more than half of the water from the PET bottles. Normally, she might want to savor it, but she probably wanted to replenish herself as soon as possible.
For now, I decided to calm down and spend the night. The next morning, Ibuki's tent was nowhere to be seen, indicating that she had left. The departure time was deduced. The standing designated area was displayed for a while. The location was E3, a bit far, but I headed there at my own pace.
"Did you also participate in the Horagasaki island test?"
"Oh, it's Kiryuin-senpai, huh?"
Encountering Kiryuin nearby, she had ranked 9th. As you can see, she was a student participating alone.
"This deserted island test turned out to be surprisingly interesting. I got excited unexpectedly, considering my age."
"Well, you're a year ahead of me, right? And... aren't you tired?"
"Nah, I'll keep going at this pace. Aren't you aiming for the top?"
"No way, I just want to enjoy it without getting expelled. Don't you have that kind of senpai who's not aiming for first place?"
"The podium involves everyone competing fiercely. I can't just play around, or else. But if Nagumo or Koenji crumble, that's a different story."
"Crumble, huh. For now, there's nothing like that, and it should be okay, right?"
"Do you think Nagumo would leave Koenji alone?"
It seems like the senpai has a good grasp of things to come. In a situation where the strengths are evenly matched, Nagumo can't definitely win. It might be possible for Nagumo vs. Koenji to happen soon.
"I went back to the starting point yesterday and gathered information. It seems that groups struggling with food and water shortages are taking the strategy of cutting off one member to avoid a collective failure."
"That's the best decision."
No matter how many points you gather, it's meaningless if the entire group retires. At that point, expulsion is decided. So, it's safer to return one or two people to the starting point, even if efficiency drops.
"Anyone in the bottom 10 pairs might be thinking of retiring."
"When someone no longer cares about appearances, they'll do whatever it takes to survive. Don't let your guard down, okay?"
"That sounds more like you, senpai."
"Hmm, indeed, as a delicate maiden, you might want to feel a sense of crisis."
Saying that, she tightened her fist. I still can't figure out what makes this person tick.
"Hehe, sorry for taking up your time. Both you and I need to cherish every minute and second."
Saying that, Kiryun raised her hand and headed towards the task.
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