บท 23: Volume 14 - Chapter 2: The Curtain Rises on the Uninhabited Island Exam
Introduction
8:40 AM. The cruise ship slowly pulled up to the dock.
That is, the uninhabited island special exam was finally about to begin.
There would be a grand total of 157 different groups participating, with sizes ranging anywhere from one to four members.
As a breakdown, there were 36 first-year exclusive four-person groups, 81 three-person groups, 32 two-person groups, and 8 solo groups. And in the end, five of them would be gone.
Tensions began to rise as my classmates gathered together, and once everyone was present, we all headed off to the ship's gangway. Since we weren't instructed to form an orderly line or anything, the school seemed to be tacitly allowing us to chat amongst ourselves as we awaited further instruction. That is, as long as we stayed together as a class.
The starting area for all groups was area D9. Since there wouldn't be any randomly designated areas on the first and last day, the next area would be within two cells laterally or one cell diagonally from here for a total of 12 potential options.
However, the area two cells to the south, theoretical D11, didn't exist, so truth be told, there were really only 11 options.
This first day could be thought of as an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with a new environment when we didn't even know our left from right yet.
After a brief announcement, we waited for our turn to disembark the ship, bags and backpacks in hand after receiving them not too long ago.
For my provisions, I ended up choosing a tent, two liters of water, three 500ml water bottles, 12 portable meals, a flashlight, a portable battery charger, a pot, a lighter, and a set of paper cups, for a cumulative total of 4960 points. Altogether, there was still plenty of free space left in my backpack, even after adding in all of the free essentials. So, even if I won additional provisions later on by clearing Tasks, I wouldn't have to worry about not having the space to carry them around.
According to the announcement, we would be disembarking in the same order as yesterday's briefing sessions, with the first-year students getting off before the rest of us.
It seemed like the first-years would finish getting off the ship by around 9:00 AM, the time when the first designated area was to be announced.
It made sense to think that this had been arranged to give the first-years a slight advantage.
On the other hand, it put the second and third-year students at a disadvantage, albeit only once.
Furthermore, since Class A was also the first to disembark, Class D would be put at an even greater disadvantage.
The total difference would only be an initial 15 to 30 minutes or so, but factoring in our limited travel time, it would still be a fairly sizable setback.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well yesterday?"
As I waited, I was approached from behind by Horikita, who was carrying a backpack of her own.
"Well, more or less. How about you? Are you feeling sick at all?"
"I see you're still patronizing me about what happened last year."
"I'm not patronizing you. Just messing with you is all."
She looked at me with an expression of annoyance, wordlessly telling me that there wasn't any difference.
"You're awfully chipper even though such a serious special exam is about to start."
"There's no use getting worked up at this point. It'd just be a waste of energy. For that matter, have you heard about the third-year boy who got sick?"
"Yes, I have. I'm just glad that it didn't happen to one of our classmates."
If you fell sick before the start of the exam, you'd be forced to retire without even getting to step foot on the island. In this case, the retired third-year would have to stay in the doctor's office or sickbay until his health improved. And even after recovery, he would be stuck on the ship, unable to do anything but pray for his group to pull through. Fortunately, he had been part of a group of three, so the fact that he had avoided getting kicked out of the school altogether on the very first day was a silver lining to an otherwise terrible mess. Although, for the students of the other school years, having one of the bottom slots get filled sooner rather than later was probably exactly what they'd want.
By now, the first-years were almost finished and it would soon be the second-years' turn to get off the ship. The clock struck 9:00 AM and with it, my watch sounded off the first alert of the exam.
As if in unison, practically every student pulled out their tablet and began to check the details, myself included. After all, if we did so once we were off the ship, we'd lose out on time.
The first area I would be heading to was… D7. Just two cells north of the starting area.
I inclined my tablet's screen in Horikita's direction, prompting her to tell me her own designated area.
"Mine is F9. Looks like the two of us have different Tables."
"Seems like it."
Since we all started from the same place, it was possible that both our areas might overlap somewhat even if we didn't have the same Table, but it looked like Horikita and I would be going in two completely different directions.
There were a total of 12 Tables. If the resulting 12 designated areas were all guaranteed to be different during every interval, you would essentially be competing against the same 13 or so groups the entire exam. In reality, however, it would be safe to expect designated areas to overlap between Tables fairly often.
In any case, even if you weren't setting your sights on the top three groups, it would still be important to begin piling up points, one point at a time.
Furthermore, it'd be best to try and avoid getting caught off guard by any randomly designated areas that might pop up all of a sudden.
"I won't worry about you anymore, then. At least try to manage a decently high ranking."
"As much as I'd love to do that, it'd be pretty funny if I were the only one in the class to get expelled from all this."
I responded as I put my tablet back into my backpack.
"That… would be troublesome."
For her to say that she would be troubled without me was a bit shocking.
"I lent you some points just the other day. I'd be mad if I didn't get any back."
"…That's what you're worried about?"
She made a show out of tilting her head to the side in confusion, as if to ask what other reason there possibly could have been for her to worry.
"I know you have that contract with Kushida-san, so I can't blame you for being troubled for money, but man up and do something about it."
"That almost hurts to hear."
If I ran into a sudden, urgent expense, I might not be able to come up with the money in time. I hadn't even been able to raise the funds to protect Kei from expulsion without help.
"You better not push yourself too hard, Horikita. A solitary girl like you has a tough fight ahead of her. You should look to join up with another group or find yourself an opportunity to bring someone into yours as soon as possible."
"Thanks for your most exceptional advice then."
She sounded a bit suspicious, but it didn't seem like she was that worried.
Horikita was leagues ahead of where she was a year ago; As she was now, she should be more than capable of identifying her own limitations.
"Speaking of which, the conditions for merging groups certainly seem strict, so we'll need to pay attention to that."
"The point averaging, huh."
The longer it took to merge with another group, the more problematic it would become to average the points together.
However, if you managed to max out your group size early on, you'd reap the benefits all the way until the very end of the exam. Earning six points just for reaching a single designated area would be huge, and you could even get seven if your group had the 'More People' card. Compare this to a solo group who would have to toil over every single point, and the difference was clear as day.
From the moment they were off the ship, the first-year students quickly set off without the slightest hesitation. And since there weren't any Tasks yet, the second and third-year students would most likely do the same, choosing to head toward their first designated area once they were finally off the ship.
When I finally stepped foot in the harbor, I decided to stand back and take a look at the general flow of things instead of rushing off to my destination.
I needed to make sure to set aside about an hour to an hour and a half for traveling, but there shouldn't be any problem with waiting around for about 30 minutes as long as I kept track of time. If you didn't have your sights set on getting the Early Bird Bonus, there was no difference in how many points you'd earn for arriving after an hour or so.
"There don't seem to be any second-year groups in a hurry or anything. Well, it's not a very good idea to compete for this first designated area anyway. Even if they rushed to try and catch up, they'd still be over 10 minutes behind the first-years in the lead. Closing a gap like that would use up a lot of stamina, don't you think?"
Having come off the ship herself, Horikita approached me yet again.
"Given the disadvantage, it's only natural that people would want to take it slow at first."
As they disembarked right after Class 1-D, students from Class 2-A might have a slight chance of catching up in time, but it didn't seem like they were going out of their way to do that.
"Anyway, it's really hot, isn't it…? I'm glad I thought ahead to get a hat. Are you fine without one?"
"I don't have enough points left to buy one. I'll figure something out."
While Horikita and I were chatting, a young man gallantly strode past us. From the brief look I managed to get of his smiling face, he gave off the impression that he would be enjoying these two grueling weeks to the utmost extent possible.
"Kōenji… Do you really think that guy will take this special exam seriously?"
"Who knows… While he's agreed to my bet, there's no telling what he'll do."
"It's a coin flip. That is, whether he'll really take action or not."
Kōenji had promised Horikita that, if he didn't take first place in this special exam, he would cooperate during the next. But, this promise wasn't really held up by anything. There was no compelling force, no binding agreement put in place, so if he didn't want to keep his word, that would be it.
However, Horikita was gradually becoming more and more recognized as the leader of our class, so if Kōenji chose to betray her trust, he could rest assured that none of our classmates would lift a finger to help him when faced with a difficult exam in the future.
An outcome like that wouldn't be very desirable, even for somebody like Kōenji…
I was personally looking forward to witnessing Kōenji's performance during this special exam.
"Let's friggin' goooo! I've got my sights set on numbah one, baby!"
Not too far from us, a lone male student broke into a full-on sprint straight toward the sandy beach: Class 2-B's Ishizaki. He was shouting loudly, but Nishino, his group member, was just trailing behind him, not really making any effort to run and chase after him like he wanted. And then there was Tsube, who was watching the two of them from the rear with an awkward smile on her face.
"Oi, hurry up Nishino! You too Tsube!"
"It's super hot so don't go askin' for the impossible! I mean, like, we can't even catch up to the first-years anymore. Sheesh."
"Well, uhm, at least it's good that Ishizaki-kun is motivated, yeah?"
Tsube looked at Nishino with a somewhat exasperated expression as she tried to smooth things out between the two of them.
I had heard that Nishino was fairly isolated from the rest of her class, but it seemed like Tsube was making an active effort to try and get close to her.
"If we give up, then it's all over! The first-years might get careless and slip up, you never know!"
"You seriously wanna go after 'em? Forget that. It's like, such a total waste of energy."
"Woah woah, c'mon, don't be like that!"
Both Nishino and Tsube stood in stark contrast to Ishizaki, who was practically bursting with energy.
"How 'bout you just go ahead without us then?"
"We won't get the Early Bird Bonus if we do that though! Besides… it'd suck if we got split up or somethin'."
Right now, the only thing you could check on your tablet was your own current location. Even amongst members of the same group, it would only be possible to find out where somebody else was once the GPS searching feature unlocked on the sixth day.
If you got separated from your group before then, you'd have a hard time meeting up with them again.
Seemingly unaware that I had been watching the whole exchange, Ishizaki reluctantly gave in and went back to Nishino and Tsube to match their pace.
I could understand his impatience, but there was no need to be in such a hurry straight from the get-go.
"Found you!"
All of a sudden, a firm, almost angry, voice called out to us.
The owner of said voice approached us, fiercely glaring at Horikita.
"What do you want?"
"Want? I don't 'want' anything. Just makin' sure you know I'm never gonna lose to you…!"
Having apparently approached Horikita just to say that, Ibuki turned on her heel and set off to the north all by herself.
"Good grief… I wonder if she properly understands just how difficult this exam is?"
"She seemed quite motivated. It must be nice to have a rival."
At my light teasing, Horikita forced out a deep sigh.
"I don't see myself as her rival at all though? Well whatever, she's going north and I'll be going east, so it seems we've got different Tables too. There's that at least."
After all, if they had the same Table, they might bump into each other every now and again.
One of the few benefits of being alone had to do with the designated area's Early Bird Bonus. Since you didn't have to rely on anyone else, the only thing limiting your potential was your own two feet.
"Well, it's about time for me to get going."
With that, Horikita made sure her hat was snug on her head and set off to the east. Though, not long after she started walking, she stopped and looked back in my direction for some reason. Just as I thought there might be something she had forgotten to mention, she looked away and set off once again.
After watching a fair number of students head out, I realized that I hadn't seen any third-year students pass by yet even though they should've started getting off the ship already. As such, I decided to turn around and check on what was happening.
As I did so, I saw a fair number of third-year students walking in my direction. Even from a distance, I could tell that every single one of them was calm and composed, significantly more so than the first and second-years had been.
From the numbers, it seemed like students from Class 3-B had just about finished disembarking, so I took a moment to try and catch a glimpse of Nagumo. However, I couldn't find him anywhere.
As I continued to look for him, the third-year students who were walking toward me eventually caught up and began to pass by.
"You're still here, Ayanokōji?"
Hearing someone address me, I gave up on my search and returned my attention to the third-years nearby.
"Good morning, Kiryūin-senpai. Is there anything strange about that? I'd imagine that many groups would choose to refine their strategies here at the starting area."
"But you're alone, right? You should be fine to think it over while you walk."
She expressed her doubts about my decision to stay at the starting area.
While I already knew she wasn't an ordinary person, she really had a keen eye for detail.
"If there's something you wanna know, I can help explain it to you."
"Thanks, but it's fine. After all, you're a third-year student, Kiryūin-senpai. A direct competitor to second-year students such as myself."
Upon politely declining her offer, she didn't say anything more on the matter, simply choosing to meet my gaze with her own instead.
"There's something… enchanting about seeing the entire student body scatter throughout the uninhabited island. Though there are more than 400 of us, we're nothing but insignificant specks of dust in comparison."
Kiryūin spoke casually, watching as the various groups of students began to disperse throughout the island.
Despite being a third-year student, she was also among those who chose to tackle the exam alone.
While this exam wasn't exactly going to be a walk in the park, she didn't seem even the slightest bit anxious or restless about it.
In fact, she seemed to give off the faint impression that she was looking forward to it.
"By the way, what's your first designated area?"
"D7."
"Hoh? Sounds like we've got the same destination then. At least for this first one."
Kiryūin looked at me happily, letting show a white, toothy smile.
"Please don't be too hard on me, then."
"Right back at you. Well, I'm gonna head out. You wanna come along?"
"No, but thanks for the offer. I doubt I'd be able to keep up with you, Senpai."
"I guess we'll find out if that's true or not soon enough."
Leaving me with that, Kiryūin walked off toward the sandy beach all by herself.
I continued to linger around the area for a little bit longer, but ultimately never caught sight of Nagumo.
And just like that, a few minutes after Kiryūin left, I set off as well.
For the time being, I'd leisurely make my way to my first designated area.
One of the most important parts of this exam was making sure not to miss out on the easy points that came with reaching the designated areas. You could earn 5 to 10 points all at once if you succeeded at Tasks or got your hands on an Early Bird Bonus, but that would require a good mix of physical ability, academic ability, and luck when facing competitors. Therefore, I felt pretty confident that the true core of all of this came down to stockpiling points, one point at a time.
So with that in mind, I once again pulled out my tablet and opened up the map.
As a whole, the map was divided up into 100 different areas, with each area running 500 meters vertically and 700 meters horizontally.
For my first move, I needed to go from area D9 to the edge of D7. Since I was already near the center of D9, I needed to walk about 750 meters in a straight line.
At a standard pace of about 80 meters per minute, it'd be very easy to cover. At that rate, without taking any external factors into account, I should be able to reach the designated area in around nine minutes. But, as one would imagine, there was a fair chance that the path ahead would neither be flat nor straight. Faced with such a thick forest, I could run into steep slopes or cliffs that make it impossible to proceed. And as a result, the journey as a whole would probably take several times longer than usual. The highest point of the island was about 300 meters above sea level, so a decent amount of uphill travel was to be expected. Furthermore, as time went on, the weight of your backpack and gradual wear and tear on your stamina would get in the way of your ability to keep moving forward.
So, even if everything went smoothly, it was probably better for me to expect this to take about three times as long, or around 30 minutes. And if the path ahead was particularly treacherous, it could easily take over an hour.
With the exception of the first and last day, there would be four designated area shifts per day. As such, there was a decent chance that I might end up taking the same path several times over the course of the exam. It'd probably serve me well to keep my past movements in mind, along with how long it had taken me to move from place to place.
1
Before long, the flat, even ground gave way to a dense thicket of trees.
And just like that, I reminisced about the island from last year's exam as I entered the forest.
I hadn't really noticed it last year because I had been moving together with my classmates, but it wasn't exactly easy to make it through the forest like this. Unsurprisingly, it was difficult to keep moving in a straight line, and getting a proper foothold on the forest floor was much more challenging than expected. The presence of such a huge harbor seemed to indicate that the island hadn't always been uninhabited, but even so, that very well could've been something of the distant past.
From time to time, I would spot gigantic webs stretched between the trees, presumably spun by spiders several centimeters in size. Students who were afraid of insects would definitely have a hellish journey awaiting them. It reminded me of the wildlife advisory notice that had been included in our manuals.
It was impossible to go to your destination by traveling in a simple straight line, but on the other hand, taking a detour would cause you to lose all sense of direction, no questions asked. If you didn't have some sort of tool to help you find your way, it'd be difficult to reach your designated area. The only reason the trip wasn't already down-right impossible was due to the tablet I was holding right now.
While on the island, being able to confirm your own location at any time would be an indispensable asset.
As long as you moved with your GPS in hand, the path ahead would always be open to you.
Although, even without the tablet, the probability of getting lost during this first interval was quite low.
I could see several groups in front of me fumbling about as they made the trek forward.
And since I could also hear voices talking behind me, it seemed reasonable to think that essentially everyone nearby was taking the same route to this first destination. So as long as you followed after the students in the lead, the risks of injury or running into a swarm of insects or something would go down accordingly.
Few groups would have the courage to recklessly plunge their way into an unexplored forest right off the bat.
Those who had given up on the first area's Early Bird Bonus were simply moving along as though they were in the middle of a field trip.
After a while, I caught sight of Haruka, Airi, and Akito, who had stopped to look at their tablets together. From the look of it, they were talking amongst themselves as they confirmed their surroundings.
As I began to draw closer, I could hear them exchange views with each other about their next designated area.
"You guys talking about what to do next?"
I called out to insert myself into their conversation, to which the three of them nodded their heads all at once.
"Our first area was D8, so like, we're done already, yeah?"
The edge of area D8 came not too long after stepping foot into the forest, so it seems they had already managed to earn their points earlier. I didn't really feel the need to ask about how many they had earned, since it was nearly guaranteed to be only the three-point Arrival Bonus.
"It's pretty hot, and there isn't any shade out on the beach, so we came here to speculate about the next area."
As a whole, you'd certainly be better off trying to account for where the next designated area might appear at.
"What area do you have, Kiyotaka?"
"D7; One cell north from here."
"That so? A buncha students have already gone up ahead, but, well, one point is one point I guess."
"If we had the same Table, we could have traveled together…"
Airi muttered to herself quietly, seemingly disappointed.
Even though we were split up into different groups, this exam still had a surprising variety of ways for students to work with each other.
There were even several rules that facilitated this, such as the ability to share food or lend and borrow equipment to each other. Plus, if two groups had the same Table, they'd essentially have the same destination, so it would definitely be easy for them to stick together.
Of course, there were downsides to this as well. The more groups there were working together, the more difficult it'd be for them to keep pace with one another. Furthermore, each group would have their own opinions and goals, inevitably leading to increased competition for Task participation. This could easily become a major source of conflict if the groups didn't come up with some sort of contingency plan in case there was only one more space left for a Task.
In this particular case, you could say that it was fortunate that we didn't have the same Table. It was absolutely critical that I avoid working together with people that might hold me back, so this had effectively spared me the trouble of having to turn them down.
"There are twelve Tables, so the odds weren't great from the start. In any case, for now I think I should get to my designated area sooner rather than later."
"Yeah. We've gotta get moving to our next area sometime soon anyway, so go ahead."
"It kinda sucks though. I hope we can meet up again somewhere when we've all got more time to spare."
Haruka bid me farewell with Airi waving goodbye from behind her. And with that, I turned my back to the three of them and continued my journey to area D7.
After about 30 more minutes of walking, I finally arrived at my first designated area, causing my watch to sound off a few times.
I took a look at the notification on the watch, which said that I had been given an Arrival Bonus of one point.
I also noticed that I was given the option to adjust the notification volume, but I chose to leave it as-is for now. Just to make sure everything was working properly, I took out my tablet and found a matching record for the bonus in the point transaction history.
Since each area didn't seem all that big when viewed on the map, it almost felt like you'd always find yourself running into other students. But once you were actually out on the island, it gave off a completely different impression.
Even if there really were students scattered around you, it'd be difficult to catch sight of them because of all the trees.
Although I couldn't see anyone around right now, I felt fairly certain that a good number of students were in the area somewhere.
In which case, they had probably gone in deeper, opting to move closer to the area's center to make it easier to head out to the next designated area and gather information.
I searched for a clearing in the forest with this assumption in mind, and before long, my field of vision suddenly opened up.
Sure enough, a large number of students had gathered together in the same place. The race to the next designated area would be a competition between students of all school years, so it's understandable that they'd look to raise their chances of winning, even if only slightly. Furthermore, the only way to find out who had the same Table as you was to come and take a look first-hand.
By going through this process a few times, you could get a rough idea of who your direct rivals were.
I took a quick headcount, for a total of 29 people present, myself included. As far as I could tell, it felt safe to assume that there were more students elsewhere in the area.
"Good morning to you, Ayanokōji-senpai."
As I took note of the names and faces of everyone present, a female student noticed my presence and approached with a greeting: Nanase Tsubasa of Class 1-D. Her fellow group members, Amasawa and Hōsen, were nowhere to be seen, prompting me to wonder if they were out exploring nearby or had come up with a strategy of some sort and left the area already.
"What happened to the other two? Aren't groups supposed to stick together for the most part? Seems better to do it that way to me at least. Especially at first."
I put forward a question, interested in seeing how she would respond.
"They said they'd scout out the area and then we all split up. So I decided to come check how many other groups were here."
Apparently, she had chosen to do the same thing that I had.
Since I had arrived late, she probably had a better grasp of the competition than I did.
There were still many things I didn't know about Nanase. For the time being, I felt pretty confident that nothing good would come out of lingering around here any more than necessary.
"I think I'm going to leave. It can't hurt to take a look around."
"Indeed! You're all alone, so please be careful Senpai. Goodbye, then."
She readily set me loose and walked over to where a cluster of first-year students had gathered.
With my brief exchange with Nanase finished, I left. After walking for a bit, I found a place to sit, set down my backpack, and took out my tablet. I wanted to avoid wasting energy if at all possible.
In total, it had taken me about 50 minutes to reach the designated area. Since there was a break, the next area would be announced in slightly over 3 hours. Tasks, on the other hand, would start showing up very soon.
I patiently watched the clock; Waiting until it was finally 10:00 AM.
And then, I promptly began to comb through the locations, details, and rewards of the various Tasks that popped up on the map.
I'd have to decide between waiting for the next designated area and trying to go for a Task based on what I found.
To start out, there were a total of 14 different Tasks. One of which had appeared in the upper left corner of area D7, the area I was currently in. This was by far the closest. I could see several of the students within my field of vision immediately head off toward the northwest, probably intending to check out the details of the Task as they walked.
The Task in question was called 'Fire Starter'. 5 points would be awarded to the first group that managed to start a fire using a specially-provided tool. There was no reward for second place or below.
Another Task, albeit slightly farther away, had appeared in the central part of area E7 called 'English Test'. It had a participation limit of two people per group, with first-place receiving 5 points, second place 3 points, and third place 1 point.
More students seemed to be headed that way than for the Fire Starter Task.
Starting a fire wasn't going to be easy, especially for anyone who hadn't actually done so before. Rather than trying to tackle it, it made far more sense to try their hand at English that they were already familiar with.
There was also a 'Geography Test' task in area D8, but only one group went in that direction.
The reason that there was such a difference between this Task and the English Test could be primarily attributed to the area in which it had appeared.
Area D8 had a large number of students with another Table. And even though it was only one cell to the south, it would still take time to get there. You'd hardly have a chance of beating the students who were already close by.
While there was a 60-minute registration deadline, it would probably hit max capacity long before that.
Heading toward the Task at area C6 was yet another option, albeit the furthest away of those I had considered so far.
It was called 'Grip Strength Measurement', and seemed to be split up based on gender. Furthermore, it had a longer registration deadline of 120 minutes.
It seemed like a perfectly reasonable option, but I had to keep in mind that those who weren't able to register for the Fire Starter Task would probably choose to head over to it instead. Plus, if the next designated area appeared off to the east, I'd have to travel a considerable distance from C6 to get there.
Speaking of distance, the furthest of the 14 Tasks was all the way in area G3, a Task called 'Trivia Test'. It was a high-value Task that one person from each group could participate in, where first place would be awarded with 10 points. Even though the registration deadline was 180 minutes, there was still a chance that you'd run out of time before you could get there. And, if you went to G3, there was a high probability that you'd have to give up on reaching your next designated area, so you couldn't make the journey without giving it a lot of thought first.
However, if everything went smoothly, you could effortlessly earn 10 points with this Task alone.
"What an interesting exam."
In a sense, we were free to choose whatever option we wanted.
There were a full three hours until the next designated area would be announced. I got up from where I was sitting, having ultimately decided to head for the Grip Strength Measurement Task in area C6. The students who had gone to see if they could participate in the Fire Starter Task would inevitably waste a little time, so this was my chance to steal a march on them.
As I walked, I began to carefully look over each of the Tasks I didn't plan on participating in, all for the sake of memorizing everything about the different locations and types of Tasks that might appear.
2
"Yoo~hoo~ Ayanokōji-kun!"
I arrived at the C6 Task site after about 40 minutes of walking, only to find Class 2-C's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, lying in wait inside a tent in an attempt to escape the scorching heat of the sun.
Furthermore, nearly 20 students from all three school years could be seen in the surrounding area.
"You came all the way here, but unfortunately, registration closed up about five minutes ago."
Other than Hoshinomiya-sensei, there was a second adult who I had never seen before in the process of explaining the Task to the gathered students.
"So it seems."
With that being the case, there was no point in me staying here any longer. I tried to leave, not really wanting to be around Hoshinomiya-sensei any more than necessary, but she grabbed me by the arm just as I turned to go.
"Oh don't be in such a hurry! Feel free to sit back and watch for a while~."
"Don't you think it's wrong for a teacher to encroach on a student's time just for their own convenience?"
"Awh, c'mon~ Don't exaggerate! You'll have oodles of time after this~."
As a teacher, she should be fully aware of the true nature of this exam, where a split-second judgment could very well mean the difference between a win and a loss, but… she still didn't seem to have any intention of letting me go.
"My last designated area was D7, so it's more than possible that my next will be here in area C6. If that happens, will you take responsibility for causing me to lose out on the Early Bird Bonus?"
At that, Hoshinomiya-sensei hurriedly let go of my arm and took a few paces back to distance herself.
"C-cruel! Don't be like that Ayanokōji-kun, teasing is a no-no~ I just wanted to chat a lil' bit, that's all. It's like, I've been feelin' pretty grumpy recently, so how 'bout you sit back and hear me out?"
While she had let go of my arm, it didn't seem like she wanted our conversation to end yet.
I reluctantly decided to keep her company and listen to her, at least for a little while.
"It's been since the end-of-term exam, yeah? Since we've talked one-on-one like this, that is."
"That's true."
Given that she had witnessed me competing firsthand back then, along with my recent perfect score in mathematics, it wasn't difficult to imagine that she was now more wary of me than ever before.
"Anywho, you've been attracting a lotta attention recently, you know? I didn't think you were the type that liked standing out."
"I don't."
"Then why'd you get that perfect score in math? I mean like, I think it's pretty weird that you just went and got 'em all right. There was even a problem that I wouldn't have been able to get."
From the perspective of someone who potentially saw herself as Chabashira's rival, it made sense that she didn't really like the way things had played out, but for some reason, it felt as though she was taking all of that out on me.
"Are you sure? I think there are plenty of students capable of solving that sort of problem, though."
"Are there? Hmm… Are you like, guessing? Even if I assume you're right here, I'd expect them to be like, Class A or B students at least. And what class are you in again, Ayanokōji-kun? A… B… C… Oh that's right, Class D. Just say it out loud with me, 'Class D'. This might sound rude or something, but the first thing that comes to mind for me when I say it is a laughable place chock full of problem children, filled to the brim with nothing but defects. And yet you wanna tell me that there are kids with outrageous specs like you mixed in with all that?"
"While I don't know about me, I think there are plenty of outstanding students in Class 2-D. Moreover, if you take a look at Class 1-D, there are plenty of outstanding students there too, don't you think?"
I wasn't particularly informed about the third-year students, so I didn't say anything about them, just to be safe.
"Uh… That's true and all, but like… the school's policies have changed a bit since last year, yeah?"
Even though she asked me this, there was no way that I'd know the answer to that.
In the midst of our pointless conversation, the Grip Strength Measurement Task began in front of us, with a third-year student named Oshio being the first on deck. They seemed to be going in the order in which they had registered for the Task. And, among all the participants was my fellow classmate, Sudō. His group members, Ike and Hondō, were nowhere to be seen, suggesting that he had probably split off and rushed here on his own to secure a spot in the Task.
"I'll agree that there are some outstanding Class D kids out there, sure, but I don't think they're good enough to keep their class together or anything. When it comes to you though, I get the impression that you've influenced your surroundings."
I've influenced my surroundings, is it? It shouldn't come off that way though, at least not from an outsider's perspective.
From the sound of it, she was awfully familiar with the circumstances at play on my side of things.
It was probably fair to assume that she had gathered a solid amount of information at some point without me noticing.
"Anyway, I've really like, lost my cool here. This is the first time I've ever had a class go and drop down to Class C like this. I dunno how to say it exactly. I mean, there always used to be an order to things. Class A would compete with Class B while Class C and Class D went at each other, you feel me~?"
If what she was saying was true, then this 'order' was now certainly a thing of the past.
"I really thought that this class would be the one to reach Class A, but… well…"
She openly voiced her dissatisfaction about the current state of Class 2-C.
"Isn't it your duty as the homeroom teacher to do something about that?"
"What a cruel thing to say~!"
She covered her ears with her hands, unwilling to listen to anything more on the matter.
She was like an adult who hadn't finished growing up yet, or more precisely, a woman who had never truly graduated from her years as a student.
"Ah! Me, me! You know what, Sensei's got a totally revolutionary idea for you! Just like how Katsuragi-kun transferred to Class 2-B, Ayanokōji-kun can transfer over to my class! How 'bout it?"
This wasn't revolutionary at all. It was the kind of idea that even the likes of Ishizaki could come up with.
"I was wondering where you were going with this. You've really put forward something outlandish, haven't you?"
"You'll aim for Class A together with us, right? Right?"
She reached out for my arm again as she spoke. Her movements were those of a woman who saw physical contact with the opposite sex as her own personal weapon, but just before she touched my wrist, she faltered.
Having recalled my earlier warning, she pulled back her hand and shook her head a few times so as to keep herself in check.
"I wouldn't be able to come up with 20 million points even if I saved up until the day I graduate. Furthermore, as things are now, even if I found a way to prepare such a large number of points, there's no way to tell which class will be Class A in the end. So don't you think it would be wiser to wait until the final moment and see how things play out instead?"
Not to mention, you'd be hard-pressed to find students interested in transferring to her class given that it had just recently dropped down to Class C.
"Y-you don't have to say it so impartially…"
If you somehow managed to secure the right to transfer classes, it went without saying that you wouldn't use it until you were right on the verge of graduating.
That is, unless you happened to get poached free-of-charge by one of the other classes like Katsuragi. Although… virtually none of the worthwhile students would jump at the opportunity to demote to one of the lower classes, so that was bound to end up failing as well. Even on the off chance that someone agreed to go through with it, whether or not that single person would be enough to raise the class all the way to Class A was yet another matter.
All of a sudden, the various groups of students in front of us began to swell with excitement as a new first-place result came in.
Oshio, having apparently just been knocked down to second place, had a disgruntled expression on his face.
"Sudō-kun has changed an awful lot, don'tcha think? I wonder who's responsible."
"Just for the record, it wasn't me."
While I might have played a key part in it, Sudō's growth could be predominantly attributed to Horikita.
Shortly afterward, everyone finished having their grip measured, but in the end, nobody was able to beat Sudō's first-place score.
And with that, Sudō's group earned five additional points, for a likely total of eight. Compared to the measly one point I had earned in the same time frame, the difference was worlds apart.
As soon as the competition came to an end, the various students began to disperse; No doubt headed from Task to Task like a flock of migratory birds.
"Then, I should get going as well."
Since she had lost her excuse to keep me here, Hoshinomiya relented and sent me on my way.
"There are two weeks until the end of the exam. I'm prolly gonna get sent around the island a lot, so maybe we'll meet each other again~."
I didn't want to see her again if at all possible. With that thought in mind, I left the Task site.
3
Afterward, I made my way to two other new Task sites that showed up, but in both cases, other groups had already registered for all the spots before I arrived, so I ultimately never got a chance to participate. When the clock struck 1:00 PM, I went to my second designated area, B7, earning nothing but the one-point Arrival Bonus. Come 3:00 PM, my third was announced as D7 once again, the same as my first. I had arrived there not too long ago now, once again earning nothing but the Arrival Bonus.
I had traveled back and forth and received 2 whole points for my efforts. However, with a cumulative total of only 3 points for the first day, I felt pretty confident that I was one of the lowest-ranked groups out there.
Even so, there was absolutely no reason to be discouraged. It was only the first day of the exam and the various groups hadn't spread all throughout the island just yet. As such, competition was going to be fierce no matter what. Even if I forced myself to pick up the pace, that didn't change the fact that it was difficult to rack up points on my own and the drain on my supply of drinking water would be intense as well.
The day's three Basic Movement intervals were over, and now it was time to prepare for tomorrow.
"Senpai."
I ran into Nanase a second time, the two of us crossing paths in a place similar to the one she and I had met at this morning.
"Second time today huh?"
"Indeed. What a coincidence."
She seemed to be taking action on her own again as there was no sign of Hōsen or Amasawa anywhere.
"How did it go for you today?"
"I did what I could and earned 3 points. You?"
"Well, when it comes to designated areas, the three of us earned 8 points. I didn't manage to make it to the second area in time, but I took first place in a Task instead, so we're at 13 points altogether."
"Sounds like you're off to a good start."
She hadn't arrived at one of the designated areas, but that wasn't a very big deal. In groups of two or more, as long as somebody stepped foot in the designated area, it wouldn't count as a 'miss'. At the end of the day, if you're scoring a large number of points for the time you spend elsewhere, just as Nanase did, you'd still come out ahead.
"Well then, Senpai, if you'll excuse me."
After a brief conversation that almost felt closer to a status report, the two of us parted ways.
It was just before 5:00 PM. I began to walk through the forest, looking to decide where I'd be camping for the night. If I pitched my tent somewhere in the sunlight, the temperature inside would increase rapidly.
Even after the sun goes down, there'd still be a chance that the heat hadn't dissipated yet.
As such, it was probably best to try and find a place that wasn't under direct sunlight.
I went east, eventually stopping somewhere near the edge of E7.
Between all the students, school faculty members, and exam managerial staff, there should be over 500 people on the island. But without designated areas or Tasks, you never really ran into other people all that often. In a way, that served as proof for just how dense the forest truly was.
Because of the heat and humidity, I chose to set up camp in a relatively open area. I took my two liter bottle out of my backpack and poured the water into a paper cup. Drinking straight from the bottle would do nothing to prevent the bacteria inside my mouth from contaminating the rest of the water. With high temperatures like these, letting the bacteria grow from inside the bottle could lead to serious health hazards. There was just no reason to put your health on the line because of something so trivial. Having said that, once opened, bottled water didn't have that long of a shelf life anyway. If I wanted to drink the water while it was still in its best condition, I'd have to get through it all by the end of the day today. Though, that wasn't really an option here with the future as uncertain as it was.
For the first day or two, it shouldn't be that difficult to get by with all the food and water you bought at the start of the exam. But once your food reserves ran dry, the situation would gradually start to deteriorate. Of course, there was always the option of registering for Tasks for the participation rewards that you would get regardless of whether you won or not. However, from what I had seen on my tablet, there weren't very many Tasks that fit under that category. Furthermore, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the ones that did would be far more contested than usual.
I turned on my tablet to reflect on this. There had been a total 68 Tasks held throughout the day today.
While I had no idea if students actually managed to participate in them, there were 14 Tasks that provided all participants with a certain amount of mineral water.
At a rate of roughly one in five Tasks overall, this was by no means a reliable number of opportunities.
The interesting thing about all of this, however, were the Tasks that were essentially just competitions disguised as student relief measures.
The order in which students arrived at these competitive relief Tasks was directly related to the amount of relief they'd receive, with the student that arrived first receiving 2 liters of water, the second 1.5 liters, and the third 1 liter. Everyone else from fourth to thirtieth would receive 500ml.
That being said, they wouldn't receive very many points, with first place earning 3 points, second place 2 points, and third place 1 point.
But even so, they were still extremely important, providing students with a reliable, unbiased supply of water.
And─ it was certainly worth noting that these competitive relief Tasks accounted for 8 of the 14 Tasks that provided students with water. So on the first day, not only were there 8 Tasks with identical terms and conditions, but their physical locations and registration timeframes had all been very evenly distributed as well. If these Tasks continued to show up from the second day onward, then…
Well, as long as you could consistently get there in time, you shouldn't have to worry very much about water.
After finishing off one of my portable meals, brushing my teeth, and going to the restroom, I decided to go lie down inside my tent to avoid wasting energy and prepare for the day ahead.
Starting tomorrow, I'd get serious, redoubling my efforts to earn points and essential resources.
4
I went to bed early, but I woke up in the middle of the night and sat myself up.
From what I could see through the gap in the mesh fabric of my tent, the world outside was veiled in total darkness, so much so that you couldn't even see an inch in front of you.
The only things I could hear were the buzzing of insects and the occasional sound of something running through the grass.
When it came to camping deep within the forest, the entire experience was a battle against solitude.
It was probably a fairly harsh environment for a lone girl like Horikita or Ibuki.
Just to go to the bathroom, they'd have to dedicate time and effort to assemble an improvised toilet outside somewhere.
I sat in my tent, quietly holding my breath.
For me, the harshest thing about this was that… Acting Director Tsukishiro would undoubtedly come after me at some point, looking to have me expelled from the school.
If his plan was to come at me head-on, he would need to have me drop down to the bottom five groups somehow.
However, that strategy would be far too unrealistic.
The student was in nearly complete control over whether they'd earn points or not. Even though everyone was doing what they could to survive, I probably wouldn't have to worry about placing in the bottom five as long as I stayed diligent about my area movements and Tasks. With that being the case, the Acting Director would most likely come at me with a different, more indirect strategy.
There was a chance he might try to make me lose out on points by making my watch break or malfunction, but an approach like that didn't seem very practical. Though, it was also possible that he might have put some sort of system in place to prevent me from scoring points altogether. If both my watch and tablet had been tampered with, then I'd have to consider the possibility that the points currently reflected on my tablet might not really be there at all.
Of course, if the discrepancy between my watch and the school's internal logs was large enough, I'd voice the issue with the school, and I don't exactly think that's something Tsukishiro would want. Hypothetically speaking, even if he had me lose out on three day's worth of points, I would still be able to recover from it. If his plan was that careless, Mashima-sensei and other involved parties would start to suspect something. Instead of carrying out such a half-assed strategy, it made more sense that he'd try coming at me from another angle.
So, looking at it from Tsukishiro's point of view, what would be the best way to get me expelled from the school?
Well, if I could make use of the White Room student, then I'd probably have them force my retirement through illness or injury. After all, with something serious like a broken arm, the school would instantly deem you unfit to continue with the exam.
In other words, I'd have them launch an attack on me here in the vast, unmonitored forest.
It would be a straightforward, surefire way to get me expelled.
It would be difficult for the school to tell whether or not my injuries had been caused by another human.
As someone from the White Room myself, I felt pretty confident that the enforcer had the skills to make it all seem like an accident.
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