By the time I had returned to our room, it was already 7pm. When I entered, I wasn't expecting to see everyone in our room inside.

Kouji and Kishida were sitting on the edge of their beds, while Yamamoto and Nakajima were laying on theirs. Yamamoto was fast asleep while Nakajima was faced away from everyone else.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Seeing me enter, Kouji lifted his head and greeted me.

"Takanori-san... yo. Kishida-san pressed the give up button, so we were eliminated."

I glanced at Kishida. He looked at me, scratching his cheek and nodding with a weak smile.

"Sorry... I couldn't hold out any longer. I was starving and I couldn't get in contact with Shimada-san, so..."

Considering he broke his watch to fight me, it makes sense. I couldn't blame Kishida for choosing to do what he did.

"What about you? What the hell happened to your face?" Kouji said.

"I fell down a cliff. It doesn't hurt, so don't worry it."

Kouji and the others gave me a strange glance, but didn't question any further. I sat down on my bed, joining them.

The atmosphere was really awkward since no one was making any conversation. Since they hadn't brought up Shimada being missing yet, I thought it'd be a good chance to mention it to the others.

"So, about Shimada-san..."

However, before I could, Nakajima turned to the rest of us and interrupted me.

"He's been retired from this special exam."

Both Kouji and Kishida raised their eyebrows.

"What? Since when?!"

"I thought he was just late coming back... has he really been retired?"

"Yes. As of this evening."

As Nakajima scanned us with his eyes, he held his gaze on me for a few seconds longer than everyone else.

"When we came back to the school, Mikazuchi-sensei explained the situation to me. Due to an injury he suffered, Shimada-san was forced to retire. With him gone, we're now going to have to choose a new leader between the five of us before tomorrow's challenge begins."

"Damn, even Shimada-san can get hurt, huh...? I never thought I'd see the day."

Even though Kouji said that as a joke, his eyes flickered towards me, or more specifically, the injuries on my face.

"Even the great Achilles had a weakness. As strong as Shimada-san is, he's not invincible. He's just as susceptible to a nasty fall like anyone else."

"Guess he came tumbling down. Literally."

"But that's besides the point... the more important matter right now is figuring out who's going to be our leader moving forward. As much as I'd like to have Yamamoto-san be involved in this discussion, seeing as we're all from the lower classes, I think we can all agree that making an A Class student our leader would be detrimental to us. Especially since our group is in the lead."

"Yeah. Considering how many challenges we've won so far, our group is definitely at least in the top three. If we're going to get the most out of those leader bonuses, someone from the bottom rungs is better off taking the role." Kishida said.

"Sure, I agree with all the above. I just have one request." Kouji said.

"What is it?" Nakajima said.

"I don't have any interest in the role, and I sure as hell don't want to risk being sent to E Class, so consider me out of the running. One of you three can be leader instead."

"Alright, that's not a problem. Takanori-san, what do you think?"

Nakajima turned to me.

"...I don't mind either way. As long as we remain in the top three, anyone can be the leader for all I care. Even Yamamoto-san."

"I see. Personally, I don't think either you or Kouji-san should be leaders, since your class will be getting double the rewards compared to me and Kishida-san since there are two of you here."

"That's fair. I agree that it should probably be between you two."

"What he said." Kouji said.

Nakajima and Kishida stared at each other.

"The problem is..."

"...neither of us are really suited to be leaders either."

That was the problem our group was facing right now. Out of the five of us, the most leader-like figures are either me or Yamamoto.

However, since me, him, and Kouji were out, this left the two most anti-social members in our group to be our only candidates, and neither of them were a good fit for the role.

Both Nakajima and Kishida had the same preference, that being to stay in the background and blend in with everyone else. Taking on such a huge responsibility and being thrusted to the forefront was something neither of them were equipped to deal with.

Despite this, I thought there was one very clear winner for who should be our leader.

And that was Nakajima.

"I mean, I don't mind playing rock-paper-scissors for it..."

"If we left it up to chance like that, it'd be nothing but a meaningless decision. We should try to at least find some justification for who becomes leader."

"If that's the case, then aren't you the perfect candidate?"

Using that as my opening, I planted my suggestion of Nakajima as our leader in everyone's head.

"What are you talking about..."

"You're a boisterous delinquent. Between you and Kishida-san, I'd feel more threatened if you were leading a group. No offence, of course."

"None taken. I'm actually relieved you think I'm so approachable."

"Me being a delinquent could never compare to the pressure someone like Shimada exerted. Everyone in our year is terrified of him. Look at him funny? He'll punt you in the face. Say something to him? He'll kick you in the nuts. No matter who replaces him, they won't ever beat him in terms of sheer fear."

"I suppose that's true. Then, let's think about it from Shimada-san's perspective. If he was retired, who do you think he'd want to take up the leader position?"

All at once, everyone pointed at Yamamoto.

"Right, he's the obvious choice since he's also in A Class. But actually, I think there's someone else Shimada-san would pick over Yamamoto-san."

When I said that, I could see Nakajima narrow his eyes at me.

"Don't forget that this group wasn't just Shimada-san's idea. It was Nakajima-san's too. He has just as much control over us as he does. For that reason, I think Shimada-san would choose Nakajima-san to be his successor."

"Honestly... I kind of agree." Kishida said.

"Yeah, I didn't forget about that either." Kouji said.

"Hold on, don't you guys think this suggestion is weird coming from Takanori-san? My class is the one literally under his, yet he's okay with handing the leader role to me. We're guaranteed a spot in the top three, so why would you be willing give my class such a huge advantage?"

"Because you guys need it more than us."

Kouji choked on his laughter.

"...holy crap Takanori-san, you didn't have to go so hard on them."

I could see how unamused Nakajima was at my jab to his class. I guess even he cares about E Class's success, huh?

"All jokes aside, it's safest play to make you our leader. I'm aware of the risk I'm taking, but it's also impossible for any of us to be sent to E Class if we somehow end up in 8th place. It'd take tumbling to 9th for the rest of us to be put in danger, but I don't think that's going to happen."

"You're scared of falling to 8th place, but not 9th place? What kind of logic is that? If you're so sure we're going to lose our top spot, then the chance of us falling to dead last is just as high."

"I'm suggesting this not because I'm scared, but because I'd rather play it safe. The next challenge has so many points up for offer that even the groups below could overtake us if we're not careful. As for why I'm certain we won't end up in 9th place... there's another group that's currently doing their best to race to the bottom ahead of everyone else right now."

"Do you mean Yamaguchi-san's group...?"

"Yeah. They've been tanking their score on purpose ever since Shigeru-san left. Even in the worst case scenario, we won't go any lower than them, I'm sure of it."

I looked directly at Nakajima.

"In any case, isn't it more strange that you don't want to be leader? I'm practically handing your class free points here, but you don't seem to want to take them. At the very least, since you're partially responsible for creating this group, you should see us through to the end no matter what outcome happens. There's no risk to you anyways."

"I agree with Takanori-san. I think you'd be the best choice for our new leader, Nakajima-san." Kouji said.

"Me too." Kishida nodded.

Seeing all of us turn towards him like this, Nakajima grit his teeth. There wasn't much he could do to avoid the outcome of this situation.

In the first place, he couldn't even turn to Yamamoto for help, since it was his idea to exclude him from this discussion in the first place. Even if he could, and Yamamoto sided with him, we'd still outnumber them three to two.

Regardless of his own feelings on the matter, Nakajima would be forced to take up the mantle.

Honestly, it was a fitting outcome for him. He had sowed his own fate from the very beginning by agreeing to work with Shimada. As much as he wanted to stay behind the scenes and work in the shadows of someone else, I wouldn't let him have his way.

I was going to force him into the spotlight and have him experience what it's like to put yourself out there and face others with your entire being, weaknesses and imperfections included. I wanted Nakajima to squirm in discomfort under the pressure of it all.

It wasn't much, but it's the least he can do for me after I saved his life. After everything I've been through, I think I deserve to retreat to the background for a little while.

"...fine. I understand. If you guys want me to be leader, then I'll do it. But don't blame me if we lose miserably in tomorrow's challenge. Go blame Shimada-san for putting us down to five people. That's what's going to screw us over."

Nakajima left to go report this to Mikazuchi-sensei. From his words, I could deduce that not even Shimada told him about what the final challenge was, since we were actually put in an advantage by having less people.

"Kouji-san, go with him to make sure Nakajima-san doesn't pull a fast one on us and make Kishida-san the leader."

"Crap, he's sneaky enough to do something like that isn't he...?"

Kouji muttered before running after Nakajima, shouting at him to wait up. Now it was just me, Kishida, and a sleeping Yamamoto. Seeing as I didn't have any business here, I decided to go take a shower. However, before I could, Kishida spoke up.

"This is the first time we've gotten a chance to speak one-on-one isn't it, Takanori-san?"

"...yeah.I guess it is."

To be honest, I wasn't expecting Kishida to talk to me. In the first place, I didn't know what kind of person he was, even within C Class. Neither Suzune or Ikeda knew much about him, except that he had no friends and didn't speak a word in class.

At first, I thought he joined this group because no one else would take him in, but earlier during the special exam, Shimada said he had "figured out" what Kishida's deal was. He never ended up telling me though, so I've been keeping a close eye on him.

Despite that, I never found anything unusual with his movements or behaviour. He was just like how Suzune and Ikeda described him. Maybe it was my own sympathies as a fellow loner, but I wasn't able to see what Shimada meant with his words.

"I haven't really introduced myself to you properly yet, but... it's nice to meet you. I'm Kishida Sui."

"I know who you are, don't worry. Did you want something from me?"

"Ah... not really. I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you...? For what? I don't recall helping you."

"You helped all of us by getting Shimada-san out."

I turned away from Kishida. How did he know that I was the one behind it?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"There's no need to be humble. It's obvious you're the one who made Shimada-san retire. Otherwise, why else would your face look so beat up?"

"...is that really how you know I fought him?"

"Well, it's more of a hypothesis than anything... but it would make the most logical sense, in my opinion."

"I see. By the way, I'm curious about something."

"What is it?"

"Where was your hiding spot anyways?"

Kishida raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Why do you want to know? The game is already over."

"Wherever Shimada-san told you to hide, it must have been a pretty damn good hiding spot. I was unable to find you at all as well."

"Ha ha ha... it's not actually that impressive. Do you know about the waterfall?"

"I do."

"Behind it, there's a small cave. Shimada-san instructed me to enter inside it and hide there for the rest of the challenge."

I snatched a closer look at Kishida. Despite what he's saying, both his hair and clothes were dry. There were no signs they had gotten wet at all.

"...it sounds like everything's worked out for you then."

"Yeah, kind of... but not really. As cool of a hiding spot as it was, the entrance to the cave was a little too well hidden by the waterfall. Not even I realised there was some kind of hollow behind it."

If this is true, I wouldn't be surprised. Shimada always had a sharp eye for small details like this. Likewise, it'd be one of the best hiding spots on the island, since the waterfall inherently camouflages it.

Of course, it would also be bad for our group, since it meant we couldn't easily bring any food or water to Kishida. However, since Shimada kept this hiding spot a secret from us, it didn't really end up affecting us since it was an impossible task to begin with.

"If you don't believe me, I'd be happy to show you."

"No, it's fine. I was going to take a shower and head to bed. I'm exhausted after today."

"Ah, alright. Thank you once again for all your help, Takanori-san."

"No problem. See you around."

I walked away and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Even now, I still don't understand what Shimada saw in Kishida... just what exactly is his deal here?

I sighed. There was no point investigating further without any additional leads or evidence. I'll just have to ask Shimada directly about this once he wakes up.

After my shower, we went to have dinner before doing our daily votes and waiting for the results. However, before they arrived, at around 10:30pm, the teachers made an announcement over the speaker planted in our room.

"Today's challenge of hide-and-seek has been concluded. All students please gather in the main hall to receive the results. I repeat, today's challenge of hide-and-seem has been concluded..."

"That was fast..." Nakajima said.

"Someone managed to win the game without it going late into the night, huh?" Kouji said.

Yamamoto, who had been stirred awake from this announcement, sat up in his bed groggily.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Kishida said.

"...oh, it's you guys."

Rubbing his eyes, Yamamoto yawned before getting out of bed.

"Give it to me straight... did we win?"

"...we didn't. Unless, you want to count Shimada-san being retired from the special exam as a victory?" Nakajima said.

"What...?"

"I'll explain it to you while we walk over to the hall."

Yamamoto nodded, and together we left.

Almost all at once, each and every group was flooding into the main hall. The first thing I noticed was that nearly everyone was in their nightwear. Those who still wore their jerseys, like Akihiro's group, stood out amongst the crowd.

It was an interesting sight, if only to see how everyone dressed for nighttime. Most people wore pyjamas, but some boys (in particular, the delinquents) were either shirtless or boldly in their underwear.

The girls were definitely most uncomfortable by this sight. Even I was grossed out by the sight of Ritaka in just his pants. However, some girls took this chance to also gawk at Ikeda's well toned and muscular body since he was shirtless.

"Man, if only the girls went to sleep the same way we did... we could've seen some bras and panties for free, damn it!"

From behind me, I could hear Mitsuba complain to his group that the girls weren't as naked as the boys. Honestly, even if they did go to sleep in their underwear, they probably had the common sense to wear some clothes since we were all asked to gather here.

"It could be worse, brother. The boys could also be just as covered up. Be glad you get to gaze on such beautiful muscles."

It sounds like Mikitaka was looking on the bright side. Mitsuba groaned.

"That's the last thing I'm trying to see here, Mikitaka-san! Let me see boobies! Let me see camel toe! Let me see— ow! Fudou-kun!"

Yukimura had slapped Mitsuba over the head.

"Dude... cut it out. The girls are staring at us."

In the distance, a group of A Class girls were drilling the most disgusted of looks into Mitsuba's group. Feeling the burn of their repulsion, Mitsuba clutched his heart and went down on one knee.

"Ow... the pain... the misery... the suffering...! But somehow, it also feels good...!"

I'm starting to think he might secretly be a masochist.

"Are you sure they're not just staring at you, Yukimura-san? You've got some wonderful muscles too."

I glanced behind me, seeing that Yukimura was also shirtless. Since he was wearing just shorts, he also got to show off his very powerful legs too.

"Heh, thanks. But I don't think they are, judging by this gremlin's reaction..."

"Ha ha ha, that's true! Takayuki-san, why don't you join Yukimura-san?"

"W-what do you mean by that, Mikitaka-san...?"

"I'm saying you should show off your muscles to everyone else too!"

"But I don't have any...? A-and in the first place, I'd rather..."

"Ah, what are you saying? You're a man, you have muscles too! Even if they're not well defined, they're still worth showing off!"

"M-Mikitaka-san! S-stop!"

Just from the sounds Nora was making alone, I couldn't resist the urge to turn around and see for myself what was happening. If what Mikitaka is implying is true, then that means...!

The sight that had been burnt into my retinas and yet to leave my memory from the time we entered the hot springs together came into my mind's eye.

To my disappointment, it was just Mikitaka trying to make Nora take off his nightgown by tearing it off. Firstly, he looked adorable in it. Secondly, I don't think it's a good idea to make him take that off, unless he wants to make Nora show off everything...

"Don't think I didn't notice you giving Takayuki-chan the side eye."

To my left, I jittered back from the person who whispered into my ear.

"...Shouko-san, you scared me."

"Oops, sorry. Funny bumping into you here though!"

"Yeah, same... is your nose okay?"

"Eh?"

"...it's bleeding."

Shouko's face froze up and she covered her nose, looking away.

"O-oh, I have no clue what you're talking about! My nose isn't bleeding! N-not at all!"

"...if you need a handkerchief, I have one."

"...yes please, it would be appreciated."

The handkerchief Shimizu gave me has been coming in handy a lot recently.

"Do you get nosebleeds a lot, Shouko-san?"

"Not really... I have no clue why it started suddenly..."

"I guess the summer days are getting hotter and hotter."

"Right? Even with this crop top and skirt, I'm still sweating so much... thanks."

She handed me back the handkerchief.

"Yeah, I get how you feel. Under my bangs, my forehead feels all sticky from the sweat. I think I might start parting it for the summer..."

"That might be a good idea. Speaking of your face, what the heck happened to it? Did you get in a fight or something?"

"...it's a long story, don't worry about it."

"I won't, but I bet Kazuraba-chan will, even if you tell her that. If she sees you like that, I think she'll die from shock."

"I can't exactly avoid her though, can I?"

"Hm, that's true. I guess that means us girls are just going to have to distract her until your face is all better."

"...would you really go that far for me?"

"Of course! Consider it me repaying you back for all the times you helped me out."

I looked away slightly.

"...thank you, Shouko-san."

"Heh, just leave it to me. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She's over there."

"Oh, tha—"

Both me and Shouko froze up seeing who approached me next.

It was Zyriot.

"Ah... sorry Yuu-yuu. I'm gonna dip. Stay safe, yeah?"

Sensing the danger that came from two class leaders talking to each other, Shouko pat me on the shoulder and ran off. Zyriot watched as she scurried off towards Yukina before closing the distance between us.

"Takanori-san."

"...Zyriot-san."

I couldn't tell what he was thinking in those sharp eyes of his. The frown on his face didn't help much to decipher his emotions either.

"...I have a lot of questions, but first, I just want to say thank you for saving Rokurou."

Zyriot held out his fist to me. I responded with a fist bump.

"No problem. I'm glad I could help."

I was worried about what questions he was going to ask, but it looked like Zyriot was also hesitant to speak about it. After awhile, he managed to spit out what he wanted to say.

"When I asked Rokurou about why Shimada-san was trying to kill him, he told me... no, he warned me that I shouldn't try digging for answers behind what happened today. I can understand if he doesn't want me prying into his life, but after seeing everything that went down... I can't help but be curious. That's why... I want to know if there's anything you can tell me."

I guess even Nakajima's trust of Zyriot only went so far. It makes sense why he told him to back off like this though. In fact, it's probably what I would've done as well.

"...before I answer, I'd like to also ask something."

"What is it?"

"When I called Ryouta-san, were you also listening into the call?"

Zyriot paused before answering.

"I was."

"...I see. In that case, there's nothing else I can really add then."

For a split second, he narrowed his eyes at me before sighing.

"You're still holding out on me, aren't you?"

"I'm not. And even if I was, this isn't a matter that concerns you anymore. As the person who dragged you into this, I only brought you in here because one of your classmates was in danger. Now that he isn't, I'm telling you to wash your hands of this situation and stay back."

Zyriot looked like he wanted to rebuke my words, but he tightened his fists and closed his eyes.

"...I see. Thank you for your time. Good luck on tomorrow's challenge."

"You too."

As I watched his back walk away from me, I had an uneasy premonition that this wasn't going to be the end of this.

Seeing that I was alone again, Shouko snuck her way back towards where I was.

"What was that about?"

"Who knows."

"Zyriot-san looked really scary there... you sure he didn't threaten you or anything?"

"I know I look like a pushover, but you don't think I'm actually that weak-willed, do you...?"

"If the way Kazuraba-chan talks about you is any indication... totally!"

I sighed. Changing topics, we made light conversation about how our groups did in the challenge before Toujou-sensei made her way up on stage. Since she was carrying a microphone, it looked like she was going to present the results.

"Hello everyone, and congratulations on making it through another day of the Mixed Outdoors Bootcamp special exam! You only have one more day to go now, so keep up the hard work! The finishing line is just beyond the horizon!"

As usual, Toujou-sensei's upbeat personality was enough to lighten up the entire crowd. Even though we were all tired and exhausted form today's challenge, her smile was like a ray of light piercing through and reinvigorating our bodies.

"Before I announce the results of each group, I also want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your efforts today! This challenge was made significantly harder due to the unexpected bad weather, so we appreciate that everyone persevered through it regardless! With that out of the way, let's begin, shall we?"

The crowd of students began cheering, as much as their exhausted bodies could at least.

"Alright, I like that energy! Then let's rip off the bandaid and start from the bottom to the top! In eighteenth place, it's Yamaguchi-san's group with 0 points!"

Since I knew this already from my conversation with Ayano, I glanced over at them to see how they were doing. As expected, they seemed unfazed by the announcement. If anything, they looked happy to come in last place.

"In seventeenth place, it's Yoneda-san's group with 2 points! In sixteenth place, it's Hasebe-san's group with 3 points! In fifteenth place, it's Handa-san's group with 10 points!"

Even though they were eliminated early on, Handa looked happy that his group managed to get so many cumulative points from this challenge. Without Yamaguchi's help, they'd be earning only 4 points.

"In fourteenth place, it's Amanda-san's group with 5 points! In thirteenth place, it's Fujimura-san's group with 6 points! In twelfth place, it's Minamoto-san's group with 7 points!"

More than half the groups on the girl's side were in the bottom half. I don't understand, was there someone hunting them down or something? Or was there some sort of hidden strategy I had yet to see? Either way, it was really unlucky for them.

"Damn it, we were eliminated that early...?"

I heard Shouko dejectedly mutter to herself. It looked like she felt bad over how low her group placed in the rankings. To reassure her, I pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't mind it. As long as your group isn't in the bottom three, that's enough."

Even though I tried to encourage her to keep her head up, Shouko still looked uncomfortable. She gave a light nod and forced a faint smile.

"Y-yeah... you're right. Sorry, I just wanted to do better... for like, the sake of the class, of course."

Her words didn't really sound all that believable, and I felt that something was wrong, so instead of putting more pressure on her, I just nodded in response.

"In eleventh place, it's Koishi-san's group with 11 points! In tenth place, it's Kirishima-san's group with 9 points! In ninth place, it's Nakajima-san's group with 9 points!"

I wonder if anyone noticed that Shimada wasn't our leader anymore. In the distance, I could feel Ryouta looking at me as well.

"Yuu-yuu, your group only got ninth place?!"

After hearing our placement, Shouko turned to me in surprise.

"Yeah. One of our hiders pressed the give up button. Without it, we'd be getting 13 points instead of 9."

"That must be rough... I really thought you guys would be higher on the list!"

"Me too. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

All things considered, it could be much worse. We were far ahead enough for this low ranking to not matter anyways.

"In eighth place is Ryouta-san's group with 14 points! In seventh place is Kamuro-san's group with 8 points! In sixth place is Sakigamiya-san's group with 16 points!"

Another huge upset came in the form of Ryouta's group being out in eighth. Considering they came after us, and the amount of points they got, it's safe to assume their group also pressed the give up button. Same with Kamuro's group.

In a pleasant twist, Alice's group was able to find at least one person, bumping the 13 points they would've gotten up to 16. Looking at their group, they seemed ecstatic about the result as they were all giving each other high-fives.

When my eyes crossed paths with Yogen, she smiled coyly at me and gave a wink before turning to the rest of her group. I guess she must've played a large role in their success in particular.

Now, only five groups remained. Yahagi's group, Akihiro's group, and Mitsuba's group on the boy's side, and Ichinose's group and Kai's group on the girl's side. Ideally, I would want Mitsuba's group to win, but I wouldn't mind if Ichinose's group did instead.

Either way, D Class would gain a lot of points from either of their successes, so I'm hoping for the best.

"In fifth place, with 15 points... it's Mitsuba-san's group!"

I could hear the groans of pain from Mitsuba's group as they crashed and burned out in fifth place. It was still really good to end on, but they were incredibly close to coming in third place, so it must've been frustrating for them.

"Agh! I'm so sorry guys... if only I had found a better hiding spot...! Then maybe, maybe Yahagi-san wouldn't have found me...!"

In a rare display of care, Mitsuba seemed particularly beat up over this. From the sounds of it, Nora had been found before him, so they were relying on him to carry their team to the top. Unfortunately, it looks like Yahagi himself had dashed their hopes.

I glanced over at the Yahagi group, only to find Yahagi smirking surreptitiously at Mitsuba's agony alongside the other A Class students. As cocky as they were, they were able to justify this arrogance due to how many high level students they had.

"In fourth place, with 19 points... it's Kai-san's group! In third place, with 29 points... it's Ichinose-san's group!"

The whole hall erupted into whispers after hearing how many points Ichinose's group had managed to earn, and for good reason.

Third place would only earn 17 points normally, so to earn the additional 12 points, they would need to have found four people, the most any group has found so far.

Reverberating in the hall was Ichinose's cat-like laugh as she celebrated the outcome of this challenge with her group. I don't think any group on the girl's side can even come close to beating them now. They've practically secured first place from their consistent wins across all these challenges.

"And in second place, with a total of 24 points...!"

Now only two groups remained, both on the boy's side. The majority A Class group, Yahagi's group, and the underdog E Class-C Class hybrid group, Akihiro's group. Both of them had talents extremely suited for this challenge.

On Yahagi's side, they had the athleticism of Kurase, Takizawa, and Mitsumori to cover loads of ground, and the slender builds of Keisaki and Nashimoto to fit in obscure cramped spaces for hiding.

On Akihiro's side, they had the logistics of Shirogane to efficiently scan the mountain, the strong stamina of Fujita and Kajiyama to go searching for long periods of time without rest, and most importantly, their strongest trump card in this challenge—

Imaishi Reo, the invisible man.

This hide and seek challenge was the perfect place for Imaishi to excel in and show off his unique skillset.

He could blend into the background and become forgotten so easily, it there should've been absolutely no chance of anyone finding him during this entire challenge. The possibility of that happening was practically zero.

However—

"...it's Ishima-san's group!"

...even that wasn't enough.

"Meaning that the winner of today's challenge, with a grand total of 29 points.. it's Yahagi-san's group!"

Things had turned out much differently from what everyone had imagined.

The hall was stunned by this upset victory, engulfed in the bombastic cheers of Yahagi's group was they claimed victory over the group that, in theory, should've won this challenge by a landslide.

In the corner, you could see Akihiro's group collapse to the floor in exhaustion, knowing that this outcome was inevitable. Akihiro had his head lowered and Imaishi was staring up at the ceiling emptily. Both of them looked extremely defeated, despite the excellent result their group had produced.

"Poor Aki-kun... his group was so close to winning as well..."

Feeling sympathy towards her former classmate, Shouko gave the Yahagi group a nasty side eye from their excessive cheering. She genuinely seemed to feel bad for what had happened to him, even though their group had no affiliation to our class.

"They needed it more than Yahagi-san's group... that's for sure."

With the conclusion of today's challenge, this is what everyone's scores now looked like:
1st) Yahagi's group - 72 Cu
2nd) Ishima's group - 52 Cu
3rd) Nakajima's group - 50 Cu
4th) Ryouta's group - 49 Cu
5th) Mitsuba's group - 46 Cu
6th) Koishi's group - 44 Cu
7th) Kirishima's group - 20 Cu
8th) Handa's group - 17 Cu
9th) Yamaguchi's group - 14 Cu

Immediately, Zyriot went over to his classmates to give them a hug and try to cheer them up.

"You guys did amazing today, Akihiro, Tetsuya, Reo. I'm proud of each of you for getting second place. Don't let the loss to A Class students discourage you. Keep your heads up, because you all did great out there."

"Zy..."

Akihiro grit his teeth and pushed his head down on Zyriot's shoulder to hide his face. Zyriot put a hand on Akihiro's head.

"It can't be helped. Let's get back at them next time."

"Yeah... yeah, we will...!"

Akihiro spat fragile words out of his strained throat. Shirogane also buried his face on Zyriot's shoulder the same way. Imaishi was hidden between the cracks, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.

Just what did Yahagi do to find out where Imaishi was hiding...? By all accounts, finding him should've been impossible. Even I had no clue where Imaishi was.

And what the hell did they do to break their group like this so much? Even though they came in second place, their spirits looked like they'd been thoroughly crushed from this loss.

I glanced back at Yahagi, who caught me staring at him in his line of sight.

When our eyes met, his smirk dropped.

And in its place, a wide smile appeared instead.

"You're next, Takanori."

Even though he didn't say anything, I swear that was the words he mouthed to me before he and his group left the hall.

"...it looks like Ryouta-san and Shimada-san aren't the only ones I have to look out for in A Class."

I muttered these words to myself before making my exit as well.

Tomorrow would be the final day.

I had to make it count.