After repelling the third-year group led by Mikitani, we raced at full speed toward the newly designated area.
Securing second place in arrival order, we claid the reward before imdiately parting ways—Ryuuen and I split up to tackle separate tasks.
Our group consisted of just two. Sticking together like larger groups would only widen the point gap. To close it, we had to divide and conquer, clearing two tasks simultaneously. Of course, we didn't abandon basic movent; when a new area was announced, we'd regroup to compete for arrival rewards.
With our numbers already against us, this was the only way to aim for the top.
"Current standings..."
Unsurprisingly, Nagumo's group still held first place. In second was Kōenji, continuing his relentless climb.
"Seems we've cracked third."
We'd overtaken Kiriyama's group, previously entrenched in fourth, and now sat in third—likely thanks to our last sprint.
But settling here wasn't an option. Third place wasn't the goal.
"Well, if it isn't Hikigaya."
A voice called out just as I neared the next task location.
Glancing ahead, I saw Kiryūin, a senior, standing idle right in front of the task site.
"Here for the task too, Kiryūin-senpai?"
"That was the plan."
She raised both hands in exasperation, her gaze shifting toward the task area.
"Full already?"
"Precisely. Nagumo's doing, no doubt."
The task I'd aid for—Chemistry Test—had a capacity of eight groups, yet it was already underway. This wasn't bad luck.
"Your rise to third likely triggered this. Every participant here is one of Nagumo's pawns. They're preemptively stifling your point gains."
"Seems that way."
A strategy only possible for Nagumo, who commanded the third-years. Overwhelming tasks and designated areas through sheer numbers—a ruthlessly efficient tactic.
"Sorry, Senpai. My fault you got locked out."
Kiryūin, who refused to bow to Nagumo, had been collateral damage. Yet she showed no frustration—if anything, her lips curled upward.
"A task or two ans nothing to . If anything, running into you here is fortunate."
She closed the distance between us, her mature, striking features now uncomfortably close as she smirked.
"Though I am slightly disappointed. I'd hoped to gauge your skills in that test."
"I can't imagine beating you, Senpai."
"Heh. Hard to believe that's coming from a current top-three contender."
Being this scrutinized by soone I barely knew was... unexpected. And awkward.
"Incidentally, I crossed paths with Nagumo's group earlier. Saw sothing amusing."
"Amusing?"
If she brought it up, it likely involved .
"Asahina. She was practically floating on air. When I pressed her, she admitted you'd asked her on a date."
A date? True, I'd invited Asahina, but had she been that visibly elated?
"I knew you had a thing for older won, but this is fast."
"Don't make sound like so playboy. Asking soone out isn't weird."
"And yet, here you stand before a lovely older girl... Does that an I'm not your type?"
Joke or not, the question left flustered. Testing the waters, I studied Kiryūin properly.
Tall, impeccably proportioned, with refined features that easily placed her in the beauty category. An older, stunning woman.
...She might just be my ideal. In looks and deanor. A fact I was reluctantly aware of.
"Heh. A tough question, was it?"
Seemingly satisfied by my silence, she smiled faintly.
"Let's change topics. Nagumo—no, the third-years—will keep obstructing you. Do you have a plan?"
"I'm not unprepared. Being targeted wasn't unforeseen."
"Good. I'll be watching to see how you outmaneuver him."
"I'll strive not to disappoint."
As the conversation lulled, I stood, ready to leave—
—Only for Kiryūin to suddenly leap onto my back, arms looping around my neck.
"...What is this?"
"Consider it an advance."
Her lips brushed my ear as she clung to , her breath warm.
"I've decided. If you secure a top-three finish, I'll reward you."
"...Reward?"
"One request. Anything you want. Anything."
Was this... incentive? A carrot dangled to spur on?
After a few seconds, she detached, looking suprely pleased.
"That offer doesn't benefit you, Senpai."
"It does. I told you before—I'm intrigued by you. This is mutually fruitful."
Such a bold declaration left no room to retort.
"...Guess I've got another reason to climb now."
"Glad to hear it."
With that, she shouldered her backpack and turned away, waving breezily before striding off toward her next task.
"Anything, huh?"
Not that I'm so easily motivated. I was already aiming for the top—this was just a bonus.
["The hell? You called just for that?"] Ryuuen's voice crackled through the transceiver.
"Listen. We are finishing in the top three. No exceptions. Act like your life depends on it."
["...The fuck's gotten into you? Creepy bastard."]
Ignoring Ryuuen's disgust, I felt sothing fiery surging within .
.......
After all that, the imdiate problem still remained unresolved.
After parting ways with Kiryūin, I headed toward the next task location—but if things continued like this, history would repeat itself. I'd be blocked before even participating.
Of course, we weren't unprepared. Ryuuen and I had already devised counterasures.
"Ryuuen, how's it on your end?"
["Heh. Just as expected. Third-years are camped out at every task site. They've preempted us completely."]
Just like , Ryuuen was being obstructed.
"Then we'll proceed with the original plan—the aggressive approach."
["No other choice. Let's move fast. Delay only hurts us."]
"I know."
I ended the call and checked the GPS.
"They haven't pinpointed my next target yet. They've scattered their pieces, waiting to intercept after I move."
Three groups were positioned nearby. Others were visible in different areas, but those weren't a concern. The real issue was the group stationed at my intended task location.
I initiated another call.
"You there, Tokitō?"
["Yeah, loud and clear."]
The call wasn't just for Tokitō—it was for his entire group.
"No ti to explain. Just follow my instructions."
["...Got it. What do you need?"]
I was slightly surprised by his imdiate compliance.
"I'm the one asking, but... you're fine with this? I figured you'd resist taking orders."
["Only from that bastard Ryuuen. If it gets us closer to winning, I don't give a shit. Besides..."]
He paused briefly, then continued.
["Never mind. Just tell what to do."]
"Right. Here's the plan—"
...
"What... is the aning of this...?"
Kiryama's voice trembled with disbelief.
There had been no flaws in the strategy. After Mikitani's blunder, the counterasures against the Ryuuen Group should have been flawless.
Kiryama's plan was simple and foolproof:
Deploy the entire third-year force to obstruct point acquisition. Monitor the Ryuuen Group's movents via GPS, then intercept and dismantle their attempts at tasks and designated areas before they could act.
It should have been a perfect strategy.
"Why...? Why are Ryuuen and Hikigaya completing tasks...?!"
The reality defied all expectations. Despite mobilizing multiple groups to preemptively block them, the GPS told a different story.
As Kiriyama stood frozen in shock, his transceiver crackled to life—an incoming call from the group assigned to obstruct Hikigaya.
"Hey, what the hell is going on? Why haven't you neutralized the task?"
"N-No, listen, Kiriyama! We did exactly what you said—we moved to intercept! But we ran into unexpected interference—"
"Oi! The hell you doin' on the phone?! If you bump into soone, you apologize first, damn it!!"
"S-Stop—!"
The sounds of a scuffle erupted through the transceiver. Kiriyama's skin prickled as the situation spiraled further out of control.
......
"『Interfere with the third-years?』"
"『Yeah. I want you to stall the third-year group I specify.』"
"『How the hell am I supposed to do that?』"
"『The reason doesn't matter. A bumped shoulder, a dirty look—make up any excuse to keep them in place.』"
"『...Sounds like Ryūen's tactics.』"
"『Right now, that's the most effective approach. But don't let it escalate into violence. Keep it at the level of "students ssing around."』"
Tokitoki recalled his conversation with Hachiman and turned his back on the opposing third-year group as if to say it was ti to back off.
"...My bad, senpai. Guess I was wrong about the shoulder bump."
"Hah!? You're seriously wasting our ti like this and then—!?"
"Want to call a teacher? That'll take even longer."
"Tch!? Forget it! Damn it!"
The third-years disappeared deeper into the forest, visibly seething with frustration.
For about ten minutes, Tokitoki's group had stalled them—just as Hachiman instructed, keeping it to an argunt without letting it turn into a fight.
"Hey, Tokitoki!! Why the hell are you helping Hachiman!? Just screw that guy!"
"Shut it, Okabe. Like it or not, Hachiman's one of our key players. Quit whining like a damn kid."
With a dismissive tone, Tokitoki brushed off Okabe's complaints.
Even as Okabe kept yelling like an idiot, Tokitoki's mind was fixed on one clear thought.
"(Yeah... Hachiman might just—)"
Hachiman's actions during this exam had sparked an idea in Tokitoki's mind.
...
Ti: 5:00 PM. The 11th day's designated area has ended.
At the final designated area, Ryūen and I regrouped and checked our current rankings again.
"We've managed to close the gap with 1st and 2nd place quite a bit."
"Kuku. All that running around paid off."
We were still in 3rd place, but the distance between us and 1st-place Kōenji and 2nd-place Nagumo had significantly narrowed. Depending on tomorrow's luck, overtaking them might just be possible.
"Our strategy worked better than expected. Things are moving along nicely."
When we repelled Mikitani's third-year faction earlier, we had our classmates surround them.
We then used those sa classmates to intercept and stall upperclassn lying in wait at various locations.
...But that aside, I now had a very troubleso task ahead of .
"Kukuku. Well then, take care of my tent too."
"Fine, just hurry up and go."
Ryūen flashed a triumphant grin and headed toward the shower room at the starting point.
The final designated area for Day 11 was D9. Being near the port ant we could take showers.
Since we'd earned a large number of points today, we'd burned through a lot of stamina and worked up a serious sweat. I wanted to take a bath imdiately—but I wasn't the only one. Ryūen felt the sa.
Flashback:
『Alright, rock-paper-scissors. The loser sets up both tents. The winner gets to shower first.』
『Fine by , Ryūen. Just know I won't go easy on you.』
『Heh, too bad—I'm gonna make you taste defeat.』
『That's my line. There's no way I'd lose. I will win.』
『Then let's settle this. Here I go, Hikigayaaa—!!』
『Bring it, Ryūeeen—!!』
End flashback.
And so, after a thoroughly fair discussion, I ended up with the unfortunate duty of setting up both tents.
"Tch... If only I'd gone with paper..."
Grumbling to myself, I searched for a shaded spot.
Venturing deeper into the forest, I found an ideal location where the trees intertwined, allowing a cool breeze to pass through. It wouldn't be too stuffy to sleep here.
"Hm? Soone's already here."
Just as I was about to start setting up, I noticed another tent already pitched nearby. Since we'd be spending the night close to each other, I figured I should at least greet them.
"! ...What are you doing here?"
The "guest" turned out to be an unexpected face—Horikita Suzune from Class 2-D.
The mont she noticed , her eyes narrowed warily.
"Pure coincidence. The designated area was D9. I was planning to set up my tent here—mind if I do?"
"You don't need my permission. It's not like I own this spot, so do as you please."
"I'll be setting up Ryūen's tent here too. That fine with you?"
"...I'll tolerate it."
Her expression soured the mont I ntioned Ryūen's na. Well, given all the trouble he's caused her, I can't bla her.
With her permission secured, I figured I'd get the tents set up quickly. But—
"..."
Horikita was also in the middle of setting up her own tent, but sothing seed off.
"Horikita, can I ask you sothing?"
"...What is it?"
Just calling out to her made her shoot a guarded look.
"Hold still—"
Before she could react, I swiftly grabbed her wrist, not giving her a chance to pull away.
"!? ...What do you think you're doing?!"
She tried to shake free, but I held firm, observing her pulse and complexion for a few seconds.
"Your pulse is too fast."
"What are you talking about? More importantly, I'd appreciate it if you let go of my arm right now."
"You noticed it yourself, didn't you? Your mouth is dry, and your lips are chapped. Classic dehydration symptoms."
At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if her warning alarm went off soon. And if she kept trying to set up her tent like this, it'd only get worse.
"How long has it been since you drank water?"
"...That's none of your concern."
"How long?"
This ti, I pressed with a sharper glare. Unable to resist, Horikita reluctantly answered in a small voice.
"...Since around 10 AM."
"Couldn't you have regrouped with your classmates to get so?"
"I didn't run into them. Besides, I planned to buy water at the starting point after setting up this tent."
While it was possible to buy or drink water at the starting point, the trip would drain her even more in this state. Given how she looked, she must've had bad luck with the tasks today, too.
I reached into my backpack and pulled out two 500ml water bottles I'd obtained from today's tasks, then held them out to her.
"Drink."
"...What's your angle?"
"An exchange. I've got two tents to set up due to... circumstances. I'll give you these if you help ."
The bottles were still slightly chilled, the water cool and refreshing.
"Do you even hear yourself? Trading water for sothing so trivial is—"
"It's an equal trade. I've got water to spare, and I'm exhausted right now."
"You..."
My reasoning was flimsy, but I needed her to accept it sohow.
Horikita fell silent for a mont, then seed to reach a decision. She reached into her own backpack and pulled sothing out.
"...I didn't get any water from today's tasks, but I have plenty of food. How about we trade this for your water, and we both help set up the tents?"
"Sounds like a fair deal to ."
She'd found a compromise that worked for both of us. Honestly, I was grateful.
And so, Horikita and I traded our respective water and food supplies.
.....
"Ngh... ngh... haah."
Once the trade was settled, Horikita twisted open the bottle cap and gulped down nearly half in one go. She'd been on the verge of dehydration—right now, the more water she drank, the better.
"...I'll pay you back for this. Without fail."
Her throat now moistened and her condition recovering, Horikita spoke those words with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
"Pay back? I told you, it was an equal trade."
"No, that wouldn't satisfy . Once the exam is over, I will repay this debt. That's final."
"Stubborn as always. Just like your brother."
Well, if she couldn't accept it as a fair deal, she could think of it however she wanted. Given enough ti, she'd probably forget about it anyway.
Horikita seed intrigued by my remark, her gaze sharpening with interest.
"I've been aning to ask... what exactly is your relationship with my brother? You two seem unusually close."
"It's strictly a senior-junior dynamic. That's all there is to it. We just ended up talking more because of... certain circumstances."
"And those certain circumstances are what I want to know about."
"I'll tell you after the exam's over."
Horikita was tackling this test alone. The more reasons she had to keep fighting, the better. And she clearly had a lot of questions about her brother.
"You'd better an that. I won't forget those words—so don't you dare go back on them."
She narrowed her eyes as she stared at .
For so reason, an inexplicable chill ran down my spine. Was it just ?
Oblivious to my discomfort, Horikita—now seemingly recovered—turned her attention back to the tent.
"Let's get these set up. You have two to assemble, correct?"
"Yeah. It'll go faster if we work together."
Once the tents were up and Ryūen returned, I could finally head for the showers.
"...Hey."
As we prepared, Horikita lightly tapped my back.
I turned to face her, and our eyes t—only for her to avert her gaze slightly, as if embarrassed.
"...I forgot to say it earlier. Honestly, you really saved back there. So... thank you."
"..."
"What's with that look...?"
"Nothing. Just seeing you like that reminded of the perfect word. Let think..."
I racked my brain, digging up a term I'd stumbled upon online recently.
"Ah, got it. Tsundere. Fits you to a tee—OOF!?"
The mont the word left my mouth, Horikita's karate chop struck my ribs with pinpoint accuracy.
=================================
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