Since we could call leaders of other groups, I called Ryouta. Thankfully, since this wasn't between group members, Shimada couldn't listen in on his device.

"Hello? Takanori-san? I'm surprised to receive a call from you!"

I could hear Ryouta's cheerful laugh on the other side. In the background, I could also hear Matsushita going "bleh". I guess I'll have to chide him for that later.

"Sorry for bothering you."

"Oh no, I don't mind. What's the matter?"

"I saw on my watch that your group found Yamamoto-san. Do you know where he is now?"

"Oh... yeah, we're helping him get back to the school since he injured his ribs yesterday."

"Is that so? Mind if you let him speak to me over your watch?"

"Ah... okay, sure thing. Zyriot-san, could you bring Yami-san over here please?"

I could hear two sets of footsteps shuffle in the background. Me and Shimizu stared at my watch intently, waiting for Yamamoto's voice on the other side.

"Hello... Takanori-san?"

"Yamamoto-san. I'm glad you're alright."

"Sorry about all this. After our call, Ryouta-san suddenly found me."

"It's fine. Honestly, this works out better for us, since we won't have to make a trip to the outskirts of this place anymore."

It'd be worse if Ryouta's group wasn't helping Yamamoto go back to the school, because we wouldn't be able to contact him through their group members. In a strange, almost poetic way, Shimada's inclination towards violence would be the source of his downfall.

"If possible, can you tell us Kishida-san's location?"

"Yeah. But are you fine with me saying it in front of Hane-san's group?"

"It's fine. I trust Ryouta-san."

"That's a lot of high praise... thank you very much Takanori-san. I'm flattered." Ryouta said.

"Alright. Kishida-san is—"

"Oi, Yami. What do you think you're doing?"

On the other end of the line, Shimada's voice pierced through, startling Ryouta's group.

Did he anticipate I was going to call them to try and contact Yamamoto that way? In the first place, how did he reach over there so quickly? Was he that fast or skilled on traversing mountainous terrain?

"Shimada... san..."

Yamamoto's voice trailed off. Shimizu opened her mouth to speak before closing it. Her eyes waned. Under her breath, she muttered "please be safe".

"You're eliminated. Get out of this place." Shimada said.

"Since when have you been a stickler for the rules?" Yamamoto said.

"And since when did you have the balls to try and betray me?"

Even though Shimada had suddenly appeared, Ryouta kept the call on, letting me hear everything, including Shimada's brazen laugh.

"Shimada-san, what are you doing?" Ryouta said.

"I've come here to collect my teammate, obviously. As leader, I'm taking responsibility and bringing Yami back to the school. You guys don't have to bother yourselves with something as mundane this."

"Sorry, but I can't."

"Huh?"

"We're bringing Yami-san back. He asked us for help. Not you."

"Is that true, Yami?"

There was a short pause before Yamamoto replied.

"Yeah... I can barely walk thanks to these bruises, so I asked Hane-san's group for help."

"If your goal is to go back, then there's no problem if I'm the one doing it. Come on Yami, let's go."

"That's..."

Yamamoto's voice trailed off. As it did, Ryouta inserted his voice.

"Sorry, Shimada-san. I don't believe you."

"Huh?"

"This isn't something you'd normally do. You just want him back so you can hurt him again... isn't that right?"

Shimada laughed.

"Yeah, so?"

"I won't allow it. I won't let one of my classmates get hurt by you. Especially when they're already in this state from your senseless beatings!"

"Ho? You're really going to come at me by taking the moral high ground? This is some kind of joke, right?"

"This isn't about that. This is about protecting Yami-san from you."

"If you wanted to protect Yami, you should've not accepted my intel in the first place, Hane."

"Wait, Shimada-san... did you... did you rat me out?" Yamamoto said.

"I did. After you and Yuuto tried to stage a coupe against me, I sent a message to all the leaders offering to give them your position. You know who was the first one to bite?"

"No way... Hane-san, you took it?"

"Yeah... I did. I'm sorry, Yami-san. But I have my own reasons for doing this. I swear it wasn't to hurt you."

"Just drop innocent act already, Hane. If you're gonna play the good guy, then no amount of reason will ever justify this scummy behaviour."

"Being a "good person" doesn't mean just letting people roll over you either, Shimada-san."

"That's all you've been doing this entire time."

"Then... I'm done with that. We're in a competition. You offered us information that would earn us points. It's only natural I'd take it before someone else does. Besides, isn't scummier for a group leader to sell their own teammate out to someone else? And then beg for that teammate to come back over, just so you can beat them up for failing over a mistake that you caused them? That's called emotional manipulation, Shimada-san."

In that moment, I felt a drop of water fall on my cheek.

"In the end, all you wanted to do was have a reason to hit Yami-san around, so you sold him out to everyone else. Isn't that right?"

Shimizu looked up to the sky, holding her hand out. More drops hit my face.

"Hane... Hane, Hane, Hane. You're smarter than this, aren't you?"

Shimada sighed, sounding severely disappointed in Ryouta right now.

"Answer my question."

The drops of water came harder and faster. Shimizu turned to me, putting her bag over head.

"U-um, T-Takanori-san... i-it's raining..."

"...yeah. Let's go find a place to shelter."

Shimizu nodded. As we rushed to get out of the rain, I continued to listen in on Ryouta's and Shimada's conversation.

"If you think I did this something this elaborate just so I could break his ribs, you're delusional. As long as I'm in the mood for it, I'll break his ribs any time I want."

"I think you're the delusional one for thinking that's okay to do to a person..."

"This time however is different. I actually have a real reason to beat him half to death now, just like I did with Masahiro."

"No reason you give can ever justify such senseless violence... if you're planning to hurt Yami-san, I'll stop you."

"How?"

"I'll jump in front of him. That way, you'll hit me, and your group will be disqualified from this special exam for breaking the rules."

Shimada laughed.

Meanwhile, I was scouring our surroundings for a tree with leaves thick enough we could hide under. If we were closer to a cavern, we could've gone inside it, but being in the forest, we didn't have many choices for shelter.

"Hane-san, you don't have to go so far for me..." Yamamoto said.

"No. I will. If it's to stop Shimada-san from hurting you, my precious friend and classmate... I'd put my life on the line."

"Hane-san... thank you. I don't know what to say."

"You really would put your life on the line for A Class, huh? You couldn't stop me last time, so what makes you think you can stop me this time? Are you an idiot who doesn't understand when to quit?"

"Persistence isn't a sign of weakness. It's the complete opposite, but you wouldn't understand. You've never had to seriously try in your fifteen years of your life, which is why you laugh at other people's effort and look down on them. That's what gives me the confidence I'll beat you one day."

"...you don't know what "trying seriously" actually means either, Hane."

The rain hastened, coming down even harder.

"If bring that optimistic mindset to a casino, you're going to lose all your money. Giving up is a virtue. It's good to know when to stop while you're ahead."

"In other words, I'm taking a risk by going against you again and again?"

"Ahuh. Even if you somehow miraculously win, it'll never mean anything when compared to the millions of losses you'll pile up against me. No... it'd be more accurate to say you won't ever be able to stop me. So step down while you still can, Hane."

"Sorry, but I just can't do that. Not when I don't believe in anything you just said. They're just empty words after all, meaningless without any real merit. If you want to prove your theory, then come at me!"

Shimada sighed, before laughing.

"With pleasure—!"

Shimada roared, charging towards Ryouta.

"Hey, you two. Over here."

In the distance, a female voice called out to us.

"T-Takanori-san, who is that...?"

Due to how far away she was, we couldn't get a clear view of her uniform. All we could make out was a dark outline that almost blended into the foliage.

"I don't know... but they seem to be alone."

"S-should we go over...?"

I took off my sunglasses and squinted my eyes, trying to deduce their figure.

"Are you two going to hurry up? You're going to get extra soaked if you wait even a second longer."

When she spoke again, my eyes widened.

In the depths of my mind, I suddenly recognised who it was from that voice alone.

"—if I was a braindead idiot."

Shimada laughed. It sounded like he enjoyed the reaction of Ryouta's group as he was about to go in for a punch.

"What awful bait. I'm well aware that if I hit you, my group would be eliminated. Not even I'm stupid enough to do something as reckless as that."

It'd definitely also undo all the work he did to stop me and Yamamoto from betraying him.

"It was worth a shot... you're such a flippant person, I thought you might've been willing to risk it all."

"I don't have to risk anything. I have the upper hand against you anyways."

"Shimada-san... open your eyes and take a look around you. Do you still truly believe that?"

Being unable to use his strongest weapon, violence, Shimada's degree of threat had been reduced considerably. That's why Ryouta was able to talk to him so fearlessly.

The rain picked up. It was gradually becoming heavier, and the sky was turning dark as well. Even though I had been walking ahead of Shimizu this entire time, she had started walking ahead of me, heading towards the woman that called out to us.

"Takanori-san, let's hurry... t-they said they were a seeker too."

"...right."

I snapped out of my stupor and followed Shimizu through the thickets. I just hope that person doesn't start berating me the moment she sees my face...

"Of course I do. Instead of telling me to open my eyes, how about you do that instead? You're missing one very important detail." Shimada said.

And as if on cue, the beeping sound of a notification echoed between the watches of Ryouta's group.

"...Ikeda-san was found?"

Ryouta muttered to himself. Even though I wasn't there, I could imagine Shimada smiling at their shocked faces.

"That's right. And it was by Rokurou, someone on my group. Do you get it now, Hane?"

"...you know the location of our other hider too, don't you?"

"Bingo. I know the location of every hider on this mountain. If I wanted to, I could end this entire challenge right here, right now."

Silence sunk in. The only thing I could hear through Ryouta's watch was the sound of the pattering rain. Everyone must've been questioning whether or not this was a baldfaced lie, or a declaration of war.

If anyone else said this, no one would take it seriously. But because it was Shimada, a man capable of pulling it off, there was a real threat behind his words.

"So here's the deal. Either you hand over Yami, or I eliminate your group from this challenge."

This was getting bad, even for me. If Ryouta's group gets eliminated now, then my plan would also fail. I would have to rebuild it from the ground up again, but in a much shorter timespan.

"Ryouta-san... what should we do?" Zyriot said.

"You have ten seconds decide. Rokurou is already there at Kouta's hiding spot, ready to find him."

"Ryouta-san, don't listen to him. I'm sure he's bluffing!" Kawaguchi said.

"Ten. Nine. Eight."

"Ryouta-san, I think it's best if we just hand Yamamoto-san over..." Satou said.

"Seven. Six."

"Ryouta-san, hurry up and make a decision...!" Matsushita said.

"Five. Four."

"Hane-san... it's fine. Just hand me over. Don't get your group eliminated over me." Yamamoto said.

"Three. Two."

Me and Shimizu successfully reached the person who called out to us. We didn't have any time to waste for greetings, so the moment we were all together, the woman quickly guided us down a rocky path that had become muddy from the rain.

"One."

We steadily descended, albeit messily and slipperily, but we managed to reach a small hideaway cave that sat inside a crescent dip surrounded by the mountain's ridged folds.

"Time's up. What's it going to be, Hane?"

"...I..."

"So you cant answer, huh?"

"I..."

"It's time to end this. Oi, Rokurou."

On the other side, I could faintly hear the crackle of Nakajima's voice coming from Shimada's watch.

"What are you listening to?"

As I sat down on the cave floor, the woman who saved us walked over and looked down at me.

"...quiet. It's getting to the good part."

She raised an eyebrow before squatting next to me.

"Aren't you cheeky? Let me listen too."

I didn't know why she was interested, but it's not like I could stop her. The call on my watch was basically being broadcasted like a radio to these two due to the echo inside this dingy little cave.

Plus, since she was the one who saved us from getting soaking wet, I had to show some humility. Besides, it wasn't worth leaving the cave and walking into the pouring rain just so she couldn't hear this conversation.

"W-wait!"

Ryouta's desperate voice leaked out. Shimada sneered.

"What? You're finally giving in?"

"No... I just want you to hear my answer before calling Nakajima-san."

"Then spit it out. We don't have all day."

"I decided."

There was a pause. Then, Shimada grunted.

"I'm not going to hand Yami-san over to you, Shimada-san!"

"Hane-san..." Yamamoto said.

"Rokurou, finish this group."

When Shimada gave that command, everything went silent. All we could hear was the rain.

Then, the crackly voice of Nakajima emerged on the other side.

"Shimada-san... it didn't work."

"What?"

"What's up, you bitch."

Cutting in was a new voice, but like Nakajima, this one was coming from Shimada's watch.

"Think you could beat us like that, huh?"

It was Machida.

"What the... Nakajima-san found Machida-san, but we're not out? How's this happening?" Kawaguchi said.

Shimada sighed, before laughing to himself.

"That's hilarious. You really used that strategy, huh?"

"Shimada-san, do you know what happened?" Zyriot said.

"Yeah. It's a simple trick, but one only the monkeys in our year can pull."

"Who the hell are you calling a monkey, bald man?" Machida said.

"Ryouta-san, can you please explain what's going on? I think me and everyone else here is lost..." Matsushita said.

"While it's true that Machida-san is our hider, he stopped being that the moment Nakajima-san approached him."

"That should be impossible. Nothing in the rules state you can willingly give up your role..." Satou said.

"That's right, but he didn't stop being our hider. Of course, he still is, but as of right now he's temporarily lost that role. And the way he did that was by breaking this."

I could hear Ryouta tap on his smartwatch twice.

"The rules state that if your watch becomes broken, you have to return to the school immediately to get it fixed. This means when Nakajima-san found Machida-san, Machida-san wasn't supposed to be there, since he's meant to be at school getting it repaired."

"In other words, what you found wasn't my real hiding spot. It's a fake, a bluff to trick idiots like you. I've been sitting on this broken watch for at least an hour now." Machida said.

"That being said, these watches are hard to break on purpose. You'd need a lot of strength to do it, which is why we only had Machida-san be the one who enacted this plan. Ikeda-san wouldn't have the power to do it, which is why you were able to find him. Regardless, I hope this has made you reconsider whether or not you truly know the hiding spot of every hider in this game... because you sure didn't know Machida-san's real hiding spot, Shimada-san."

Shimada sighed.

"Rokurou, get out of there. There's no point staying around that braindead monkey anymore."

"I was thinking the same thing." Nakajima said.

"Yeah, why don't you go back to the jungle where you belong, you primitive brained E Class homunculus." Machida said.

"Machida-san, that's not necessary." Ryouta said.

"Piss off, I'm going to rub it in their pathetic faces. They don't get to insult me after being humiliated by my plan."

"You mean our plan, right? I was the one who suggested it..."

"And I executed it. The credit's all mine."

As Ryouta and Machida bantered, the sound of footsteps drew nearer to them. When they stopped, a brand new voice spoke up.

"Excuse the intrusion, but I'm here to pick up Yamamoto-san. It's been over five minutes since he was found, so I came to check to see if he's alright."

It was Hiryuu-sensei.

It was interesting to note that if you were eliminated, a teacher would come to grab you after five minutes, but if your watch was broken, no one would come for at least an hour.

If I had to guess, it was probably because the teachers literally couldn't find that student in such a vast landscape precisely because their GPS is broken. It'd be a fruitless endeavour, so waiting for the student to come to them would make more sense.

Worst case scenario, the faculty could contact their group for help on locating them in case of an emergency. But in that situation, the watch's emergency alert function would kick in, since it's not tied to the digital interface, making it a bit easier to find them.

"Ah... sorry. Here you go."

Ryouta handed Yamamoto over to him.

"Yami-san injured his ribs, so he can't walk on his own. Please take good care of him."

"Noted. Thank you for your cooperation."

After that, Ryouta cut the call with me. It seems everything on their side had been wrapped up and taken care of.

While I'm glad Yamamoto wasn't seriously injured, he wasn't able to tell us about Kishida's location either. This means we would still have difficulty finding hiders for Shimizu, but we can make do, even without that information.

The more pressing matter was the woman who was crouched next to me. When the call ended, she looked at me in the face and laughed a little.

It wasn't a cute happy laugh either. It was a smug laugh, one that seemed like it was looking down on you.

She reached out with her finger and swiped my cheek.

"How did you get mud on your face? Are you really that clumsy, you lucky lecher?"

The person who saved me and Shimizu from the rain was Megami Mizuki. An A Class student, and one of the cheekiest girls I've ever had to deal with running into.