There's a saying that the closer you are, the more you fight.
Fighting means throwing your true feelings at each other—something you can't do in a hostile relationship—which is why the phrase exists.
So fights usually happen when a relationship is good, but some kind of misunderstanding crops up.
I, Mio Ibuki, don't buy that at all. I've barely ever had friends, yet I've been in plenty of fights.
For example, picking a verbal spat just because someone pissed me off, or throwing punches at a classmate I couldn't stand.
…So what do I do about this?
Right now, two guys are facing off in front of me.
Can this really be called a fight?
"Kamukura, looks like I need to teach you a lesson."
The man with the bizarre hairstyle has his collar seized by another whose forehead is bulging with veins.
The one being grabbed has hair so purely black that no other color could possibly intrude, falling to an almost unreal length.
The one doing the grabbing has black hair mixed with hints of brown—a distinctive style that's a little long for a guy.
"I haven't done anything wrong. This has simply increased the chances of changing the future."
"You might be fine with it, but I'm not. This special exam is a critical battle that decides whether my system survives."
"I'll let it slide—barely—that you raised the difficulty. But who the hell gave you permission to act on your own, you damn seaweed-head?"
The long-haired man—Izuru Kamukura—shifts his gaze to the side.
He's deliberately avoiding the menacing glare from Kakeru Ryuuen.
Ryuuen, for his part, gives Kamukura's collar a light shake.
"You… why are you looking away? Face me when you talk."
The students of Class C tremble in fear at the sight of their "king" displaying genuine anger.
But the people closest to him don't bat an eye.
They've figured it out by now. Instinctively, they know that this level of anger is still just playful roughhousing.
His inner circle—Albert and Ishizaki—understand that perfectly, so they don't intervene.
To an outsider it would look like a huge nuisance, but I've long since stopped caring.
"…Ryuuen, that's enough."
The classes are currently keeping their distance from one another, and we're right in the middle of that arrangement.
Sakagami-sensei urged Ryuuen to stop so he could give the supplementary explanation.
Perhaps wary of a possible point deduction, Ryuuen obediently let go of Kamukura.
"Kamukura, you too. Wouldn't it have been better to ask your questions here instead of in front of every class?"
"That wouldn't be interesting at all."
—Silence.
Sakagami-sensei blinks repeatedly, his face clearly saying he doesn't understand what that means. The other students wear the same expression.
People close to Kamukura would have reacted the same way in the past, but after spending enough time around him, they've pieced together why he chose to ask there.
Most likely, it was groundwork to create unexpected developments—to hand the other classes the clues they would need to make that happen.
"…Sigh. You're that kind of student, aren't you?"
Sakagami-sensei sighs in exasperation.
He's wearing a tracksuit right now, so the gesture makes him look like any ordinary middle-aged man grumbling about life.
"We've gotten off track. Let's move on to the supplementary explanation."
With that introduction, he begins.
"Starting now, we will distribute wristwatches to all of you. You must keep them on at all times until the exam ends one week from now.
Removing a wristwatch without permission will incur a penalty.
These devices do more than tell time—they're equipped with sensors to monitor body temperature, pulse, and movement, as well as GPS.
They also have an emergency feature to notify the school in case of crisis, so press the button if something urgent happens."
Staff members begin removing the electronic devices one by one from heavy-looking cardboard boxes.
"Hold on, Sakagami. Won't these things break if they get submerged in the ocean?"
"You can rest easy on that point—they're fully waterproof. And if one does break, we'll replace it immediately."
Ryuuen clicks his tongue and glares at Kamukura.
Kamukura looks off in a completely unrelated direction, as if he hasn't noticed the stare at all.
The attitude only makes the veins on Ryuuen's forehead stand out more.
"…Of course, this isn't the only supplementary explanation, right? Give us the rest of the details."
"Your polite speech has completely vanished… Well, that's very you."
I'm a little surprised at how lenient Sakagami-sensei is being, but the explanation matters more right now.
He proceeds to carefully lay out every remaining detail.
It's so long that I'll summarize it here.
First, the penalties for this exam.
Severe illness or serious injury: minus 30 points, and the affected student retires.
Environmental pollution, if discovered: minus 20 points.
Absence from either the morning or evening roll call at 8:00: minus 5 points per person.
Violence, looting, or property damage against another class: the entire class is disqualified, and the offending student's private points are confiscated.
These four categories cover the penalties.
My personal impression is that they range from extremely harsh to relatively mild.
I now understand that Class A started with 30 fewer points because they violated one of these rules.
Also worth remembering is each class begins with 300 points, so if ten people retire, the class hits zero.
Next, the most important part is the areas called "spots."
A spot is a defined space centered on a specific device and extending a certain radius around it.
Spots can be occupied, and once occupied, only the occupying class may use it freely—along with receiving certain benefits.
Specifically, each occupation grants 1 point.
However, an occupation only lasts eight hours; the rights expire automatically and must be renewed.
The same spot can be occupied repeatedly, and multiple spots can be held at once.
For example, if a class occupies three spots for five days, that's 3 points per day per spot.
With three possible renewal times per day, a class could earn a total of 9 points daily.
Over five days, that amounts to 45 points, which are added to the class total only when results are announced on the final day.
Of course, there are risks involved.
Those are covered under the special rules, which are clearly listed in the manual.
A key card is required to occupy a spot.
Each occupation earns 1 point.
Using another class's occupied spot without permission: minus 50 points.
Only the designated "leader" may use the key card.
The leader cannot be changed without a valid reason.
Finally, there is a rule designed to counteract the unfairness of the others.
Without it, the exam would be a boring first-come-first-served race where speed alone decides the winner.
That final rule concerns the "leader."
On the morning roll call of the last day—8:00 a.m.—each class has the right to guess the leaders of the other classes.
Correct guesses bring rewards.
Correctly guessing another class's leader: plus 50 points.
Having your own leader guessed: minus 50 points.
Guessing incorrectly: minus 50 points.
It's a high-risk, high-reward mechanic.
The leader is the only one who can occupy spots, but taking too many risks exposing who they are.
Overreach, and you could suffer massive losses on the final day if your leader is identified.
One might think it's safer not to designate a leader at all—but unfortunately, every class is required to name one.
That's the rough outline of the rules.
"And to follow up on the questions Kamukura raised earlier—the first one, I think everyone already understands?"
The first refers to the rule that starting points (300) cannot drop below zero.
It's straightforward and easy to grasp.
"As for the second—the rule about transferring points—it does technically exist, but since no one would ever give away something that benefits their own class, we haven't gone into much detail."
Sakagami-sensei scratches his head as he continues.
"Transfer is only possible with mutual consent between the leaders of both classes involved.
Incidentally, points earned from spots can also be transferred if the leader informs their homeroom teacher…"
The explanation ends, and a meaningful silence falls.
Between the wristwatches and these meticulously detailed rules, the school really leaves nothing to chance.
The watches monitor health and prepare for emergencies—thorough safety management.
Even Kamukura's eccentric question is accounted for in the rules—another sign of meticulous oversight.
It gives me some reassurance that even if someone falls ill, the worst outcomes can be avoided… while also making it clear that rule-breaking is 99% impossible.
"U-um, Sakagami-sensei—and Kamukura—doesn't transferring points have zero benefit?"
Unable to wait any longer, Ishizaki voices the question for both of them.
It's exactly what everyone here—except one person—was thinking, so I silently thank Ishizaki.
I glance at the culprit behind the strange question.
He's standing perfectly straight, utterly motionless.
His eyes are closed; he looks so still I almost worry he's fallen asleep on his feet.
But a few seconds later, his eyelids slowly rise, revealing red eyes far deeper than a sunset. That gaze gradually turns toward Ishizaki.
"There are benefits."
"Then please explain them to everyone, Kamukura."
"That isn't necessary."
He might be lying because he has no solid reason.
It looks like he's just being stubborn and brushing it off.
Yet there's also more than enough chance that he isn't lying at all.
We end up blindly trusting the words of someone overwhelmingly superior.
His abilities are so extraordinary that any reasoning he offers feels valid.
There's probably an entirely different landscape visible only to a genius like him—something the rest of us can't see.
"Sakagami-sensei, is the explanation finished? I have somewhere I need to be."
"…Hey, wait. Where do you think you're going?"
It's Ryuuen, not Sakagami-sensei, who stops him.
As the class's de facto leader, he has every right to demand an explanation for Kamukura's movements.
"I'll leave the rest to you. I already know what you would do in this situation, so there's no need to worry."
"No one gave you permission to go off on your own. Get back here, Kamukura."
"You want to win this exam, don't you? It's important. Then the time to act is now—you of all people should understand what that means."
"I do understand. But like I said earlier, you're my trump card. It's not time to play you yet."
His voice drops, his expression deadly serious.
This is quiet anger—different from the playful banter earlier. The tone makes it clear he's genuinely furious.
I feel it on my skin, and real terror finally begins to spread among the classmates.
"Your reasoning is sound. However… I'm already bored."
"I'll assign you the bare minimum so you won't be."
"…Should I say it plainly?"
Kamukura sighs, injecting the tiniest trace of emotion into his otherwise mechanical voice.
"Kakeru Ryuuen. Aren't you misunderstanding the true nature of your own strength?
The real you would ruthlessly and skillfully use everything—including yourself—to achieve your goals, crawling back up no matter how many times you fall.
And you're calling that version of yourself a trump card? What are you talking about?
At your current level, you don't have any strength worth holding back.
If you truly believe the current version of you is correct… then right now, you areBoring."
Ryuuen's eyes widen at Kamukura's unusually verbose speech.
Insulting Ryuuen's towering pride so openly should make the anger he's been suppressing explode.
Tension ripples through everyone present, including Sakagami-sensei.
"Hah… your mouth's running an awful lot today."
I'm stunned—everyone is.
Because the voice that breaks the silence sounds almost pained.
Ryuuen, who usually wears a constant smirk no matter the situation, is showing an expression that's rare for him... a mix of anger and deep regret.
The bitterness in his tone carries far more regret than rage.
"So you're just going to accept—without a single rebuttal—that your true nature was starting to change without you noticing?"
"Nature changing? …No. I've simply grown—that's all."
"You're right; you've grown. You've changed.
But right now, that growth has ballooned into uncontrollable arrogance and erased everything worthwhile."
"You're saying that massive arrogance made me lose sight of my true nature?"
Kamukura doesn't answer. He simply fixes his red eyes on Ryuuen.
"…Tch. You really are an irritating bastard… But yeah, you're right. That's how it was."
Ryuuen exhales the words toward the beach, heavy with feeling.
Both fists are clenched tightly.
The punches that would normally fly instantly show no sign of moving.
Combined with the atmosphere, it's clear some deep emotion is leaking out.
I'm shocked—because this is Ryuuen, the man obsessively fixated on victory, casually admitting his own mistake.
Then, abruptly, he begins taking deep breaths.
He inhales deeply to steadying his breathing and his heart.
With a powerful gaze, he speaks.
"…Kamukura. This is an order. You know what it is, right?"
The words ring with unshakable conviction, reaching all of our ears.
"Your quota is one class. I'm sure you understand—I only care about results.
Nothing else matters… so don't you dare betray my expectations."
"That was a pointless little performance. If I scored it out of 100, it'd be about 35 points.
Barely avoiding a failing grade. Still, it was very you."
Ryuuen flashes a fearless grin and turns toward his subordinates.
Kamukura, having received his king's command, turns toward the forest.
They move in opposite directions at the exact same moment.
The sea breeze catches Kamukura's hair, sending it flowing.
That unrealistically long hair reaching his waist radiates an otherworldly aura.
The sheer ability he possesses is enough to silence even a "king."
Those red eyes are already fixed deep into the forest.
—I realize in this moment a certain despair.
The despair of this man—who normally stays off the front lines—now moving entirely of his own will.
The chains of patience that once bound him have vanished.
He reached his limit because the boredom became unbearable.
And so he has begun his "pastime."
I can't help but imagine, just a little, the devastation and despair the other classes will suffer as a result.
While the other classes are still huddled in discussion, he walks alone toward the forest.
...
Kamukura vanished into the forest.
One of the two towering figures of Class C—I'm not sure if that's the right way to put it—had left the scene.
In other words, the only person who could confront the ruler, Kakeru Ryuuen, head-on was gone.
Which meant the beginning of true dictatorship.
"Hey, all of you. You already know this, but I'm the leader. Any complaints?"
His gravelly voice echoed across the group.
It instantly silenced the faint murmurs among the classmates.
A single word from the crane, so to speak.
"Silence means yes.
Now, my first order. Discuss the current problems on your own. You've got… about seven minutes.
While you're doing that, I'll think up a strategy to seize victory in this exam.
Kaneda, you're in charge of facilitating. You should be able to handle it.
Sakagami, step in if things get out of hand."
"Understood, Ryuuen."
"Of course—that's only proper for a teacher."
The boy with the mushroom haircut and glasses—looking every bit the stereotypical otaku—and Sakagami-sensei both push their glasses back into place almost in unison as they reply.
True to his word, Ryuuen falls silent.
He stands a little apart from the group, arms folded, deep in thought.
"Time is limited, so let's begin right away. The topic is the current issues.
In other words, we'll discuss and summarize our dissatisfaction and obstacles in this exam. That's the goal. Does anyone have an opinion?"
Kaneda addresses the class politely.
Satoru Kaneda. He's one of the students Ryuuen values for his intellect.
His physical ability is low, but his academic prowess is high.
Aside from the outlier Kamukura, he's the one who could go toe-to-toe with Shiina, the top academic in Class C.
Cunning and cautious to boot—that's probably the main reason Ryuuen favors him.
"There's a huge problem."
The one who raised her hand and spoke was Shiho Manabe.
She's… one of the students who goes along with Ryuuen's violence out of fear.
"The toilet, the toilet! How are we supposed to spend seven days with something made of cardboard?"
A completely valid point.
I summarized Sakagami-sensei's explanation earlier, but I forgot to mention the toilet.
The toilets provided for this exam are apparently made of cardboard—or rather, water-absorbing polymer sheets.
To put it simply, they're portable, foldable temporary toilets.
They're even used in disasters and supposedly quite practical.
"This is already decided. There's no way anyone can use something like that as a toilet!"
When no one clearly stronger than her is around—especially not Ryuuen—she gets this bold.
I really can't stand her. And I have no intention of trying.
"Please calm down, Manabe. This discussion isn't about pushing for decisions. It's to compile what we need to report to Ryuuen."
Kaneda fires a perfectly reasonable response at Manabe, who was starting to get hysterical.
"I-I know that. Just… make sure you properly tell Ryuuen-kun about the toilet issue, okay!"
"Of course. Understood. Anything else?"
Manabe visibly flinches at the mention of Ryuuen's name, her voice turning meek.
After Kaneda resets the discussion, someone else raises a hand and offers an opinion.
"This exam is basically survival, right? So how about we look for people with camping experience?
If there are people used to that kind of thing, wouldn't it make things easier for Ryuuen-kun too?"
"That's a good point… yes, definitely. Could those with camping experience—or anything similar—please raise your hands?"
As soon as Kaneda asks, three students raise their hands.
"Three people… more than I expected. This is lucky."
It really is lucky. It raises the chances we'll be able to strategize without wasting unnecessary points.
"Anything else?"
"No, that's enough, Kaneda. Good work."
Ryuuen, who had returned without anyone noticing, stops Kaneda's facilitation.
We've only been talking for a few minutes, but he's already back.
His thinking must have come together faster than expected.
"Kuku. I've got a lot to say, but that'll wait. All of you, follow me. I've decided on our 'base.'"
No one except Kamukura would dare defy Ryuuen's sinister grin, so everyone silently decides to follow.
I glance at the other classes.
Classes A and B are already heading into the forest, so Class C will enter a little behind them.
Class D is still in discussion.
"U-um, Ryuuen-san."
"What is it, Ishizaki? Got a complaint?"
"N-no, nothing like that. It's just… if we move now, won't Kamukura get lost?"
"Leave him be. Knowing him, he'll come back on his own anyway."
He answers Ishizaki's question with a half-hearted, casual reply.
Is it because he genuinely doesn't care, or because he trusts Kamukura that much?
With that vague impression in mind, I hurry to catch up with the group so I don't fall behind.
A few minutes later, we emerge from the forest and reach our destination.
We arrive at—the beach.
Palm-like trees tower along the shoreline.
There are no other obstacles. The clear blue sea welcomes us.
"Hah?"
I'm so confused by the sight that a stupid sound escapes my lips. It's a little embarrassing.
"The sharp ones are surprised, huh. Kuku, what a bunch of hilarious idiot faces."
Annoyed, I start walking toward Ryuuen to complain.
"Hey, what is this? This place—"
"—has too good a view?"
"…Exactly. I can't imagine you'd do something this stupid without a reason."
"Kuku, Ibuki. You hate me, yet you rate me pretty highly.
Spot on. I didn't choose this place for no reason."
Irritation starts to rise, but I suppress it and step back into the group to hear his real intention.
"Pay attention. I'm about to explain the strategy to clear this special exam."
Everyone moves in perfect unison at his words.
And we wait for the king's proclamation.
"You lot—we're going to enjoy ourselves to the fullest."
—Huh?
What is this guy saying?
Everyone present is stunned.
In the midst of that, the silence is suddenly broken.
"…Ryuuen-kun, does that mean… all the points…"
"Sharp as ever, Hiyori. That's right. I'm going to burn through all 300 points today."
"I knew it. The key is guessing the leaders, isn't it?"
"Kuku, you're truly too valuable to leave on the bench."
The girl with translucent light-blue hair breaks the silence and speaks to Ryuuen almost as an equal.
She's my only female friend at this school—Hiyori Shiina.
The clever girl has already grasped Ryuuen's plan and is simply confirming it.
Wait—did I just hear something outrageous? Or was it my imagination?
"But Hiyori, that's not the whole strategy."
"What… do you mean?"
"Kuku, you'll find out a little later."
Ryuuen ends the conversation with Shiina and sends her back.
"Hey, Ishizaki. Do you want to do survival in this blistering heat?"
"Eh? …N-no, if I can avoid it, I don't."
"Right? But the other classes will probably cooperate and try to increase their points as much as possible."
Ryuuen laughs as he states the obvious.
I had thought that was exactly what the exam demanded, so I inwardly mock him for a fool.
"W-wait, Ryuuen-kun. You're really going to spend all 300 points? If you do that, the gap will shrink…
And isn't the whole point of this exam survival?"
"Relax, Nishino. I said I have a strategy, didn't I? Besides, the essence of this exam isn't 'survival.' Right, Sakagami?"
Sakagami-sensei nods in response to Ryuuen's question.
Confirming the nod, Ryuuen flashes his usual fearless grin and continues.
"The essence of this exam is 'freedom.' So I built this strategy around that. Here's the plan.
—For two days, Class C will play with everything we've got, then retire with a few people left.
By exhausting all 300 points on the first day, we can ignore roll calls and all the penalties that cause deductions."
It wasn't a mishearing.
He's going to interpret the theme of "freedom" and blow every point on day one.
…I don't like it. I really don't like it.
But honestly, this is a strategy us ordinary people would never think of. It's cleverly using the rule that points can't drop below zero.
Still, that doesn't justify accepting a point loss.
We could even end up back in Class D because of reduced points.
"If anyone has objections, speak now. I won't resort to violence right away, so relax."
"I'm against it."
I was going to object whether he threatened violence or not, so I step forward again.
"With your plan, we might have fun now, but it'll hurt later.
Once the 300 points are gone, we can't close the gap with the upper classes.
We could even get overtaken by Class D. I don't want that."
"That's the honor student's opinion. But don't worry, Ibuki—I don't want to fall back to Class D either.
I've already thought of what we need to prevent that.
The key this time is guessing the leaders. If we make them think almost everyone retired, they'll let their guard down and it'll be easier.
Kuku. Even if you diligently scrape together points over seven days, you'd only save about 150. That kind of amount can be made up elsewhere. There are more special exams to come."
I don't know if Ryuuen's calculations—spoken while looking at the manual—are accurate, but 150 points would be substantial.
Yet hearing his confident words, looking ahead to future exams, forces me to recognize that he has a broader view than me or the other students. Maybe it really isn't that much after all.
"Ibuki, tell me the benefit of guessing leaders."
"…For each class, correctly guessing the leader gives plus 50 points. If we get all three classes, that's 150 points."
"Correct. But don't forget—the actual point swing is effectively double that."
"…The class whose leader is guessed loses 50 points."
"Exactly. Suppose we guess Class B's leader. Then Class C gains 50 points, and at the same time Class B loses 50. The gap closed there is 100 points."
"In other words, guessing a leader deals effectively 100 points of damage. Not only do we gain points, we reduce the enemy's."
"It's the fastest way to close the class point gap, right?"
As expected, there was depth to Ryuuen's strategy, and it was convincing.
In short, while the other classes focus on "defense," he focused on "attack."
Instead of bothersome patience, it's a strategy to close the point gap with the upper classes the easy way.
It's worth doing. As long as we avoid total disaster, the gap with other classes won't widen.
If we achieve the major success of gaining 150 points, the gap with the upper classes will shrink considerably.
And disaster—personally, I think it's almost impossible with both Kamukura and Ryuuen working together.
"…I'm convinced. So how exactly are we guessing the leaders?"
"The leader-guessing strategy will be shared only with a select elite."
So there is some kind of plan, at least.
"Any more objections?"
No one raises a hand. Everyone found something convincing in the king's strategy, to some degree.
"Then let the fun begin."
The king, in high spirits, flashes a twisted grin.
He opens the manual again and begins ordering everything we need.
Two temporary toilets separated by gender, tents and lights so everyone can sleep comfortably, three cooler boxes and barbecue sets, sweet drinks and snacks, and everything else needed for fun.
Several dozen minutes after the special exam began, true to his declaration, he had spent every last one of the 300 points.
***
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