[Ahhhh! Help! This upright ape is terrifying! Is he lusting after me?!]
Saiki clearly heard the boar's screams.
*'Maybe I shouldn't interfere.'*
Saiki thought, preparing to move on.
But just then, Yukimura, walking ahead of Saiki, stopped and said,
"We need to get Kōenji back. If a group member doesn't return on time, we might lose points. We have to bring him back."
"True."
Hashimoto nodded in agreement.
"I'll go get Kōenji."
Saiki replied.
For him, this was a rare chance to slack off.
"Thanks... I know it's not easy to convince Kōenji."
Yukimura grimaced, knowing how difficult Kōenji could be.
"No problem."
Saiki nodded, changed direction, and headed toward where Kōenji had been.
He entered the forest, and after ensuring no one was around, used his teleportation to return home for a snack.
Given their slow pace, Saiki doubted they'd make it back before lunch. So, he grabbed a quick bite, knowing Kōenji couldn't have gone far in the mountains.
A few minutes later, Saiki used his powers again. First, he used clairvoyance to locate Kōenji, then returned to the mountain path.
[Ahhhh!]
As soon as he reappeared, Saiki heard the boar's familiar screams.
*'Still chasing? Impressive. First time I've seen someone chase a wild boar. But I can't let Kōenji go too far.'*
Saiki thought, then used psychokinesis to freeze the boar in place.
[What's happening?! I can't move!]
"Finally caught up?"
From behind the frozen boar, Kōenji emerged, smiling casually as he approached.
"Kōenji."
Saiki called from behind him.
"Oh, it's Glasses Boy. This isn't the regular route, is it?"
"If you don't return with us, there might be consequences—why did you come this way?"
"I saw a wild boar and got curious, so I've been chasing it!"
Kōenji laughed, pointing at the immobilized boar.
"Looks like my kingly aura finally intimidated it!"
*'Actually, I froze it with psychokinesis. It has nothing to do with you. To the boar, you're just a terrifying upright ape.'*
Saiki thought but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he asked,
"When are you heading back?"
"Since we've caught the wild boar, I don't mind heading back with you now."
Hearing Rokusuke Kōenji's words, Kusuo Saiki's eyebrows twitched slightly. He had only come to warn Kōenji, not expecting him to actually agree to return together.
*'Wait, I just wanted to slack off, but Kōenji agreed? He's usually so contrary. Why now?'*
Kusuo realized that if Kōenji agreed, they'd have to spend a long time together.
*Absolutely not!*
Kusuo didn't want to spend that much time with Kōenji. Thinking this, he released his telekinetic hold on the boar, setting it free.
"Huh? It got away!"
Kōenji turned, surprised.
*'See? It's gone. Go chase it! Just go!'*
Kusuo urged in his mind, hoping Kōenji would continue the chase. But Kōenji stood still, then turned to Kusuo.
"Let's go."
"You're not chasing the boar?"
Kusuo was confused by Kōenji's unexpected move.
"I chased it because I was curious, but now that I've seen it up close, I'm not interested anymore."
Kōenji smiled.
*'Seriously?'*
Kusuo's eyebrows twitched. *'So my effort was pointless?'*
"If something else catches my interest, maybe I'll look around more. Like, if I see animals I've never seen before."
Kōenji thought of rhinos, zebras, lions...
*'Those won't show up here!'*
Kusuo thought. *'How can I distract him? A gorilla, maybe?'*
"Glasses Boy, you don't seem eager to return with me."
"No, I just worry you won't come back. You're so unpredictable."
Kusuo had no choice but to say this.
"Hahaha, true. But now I'm curious about the surroundings. Let's explore a bit before heading back."
Kōenji smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be back within thirty minutes."
As he spoke, Kōenji stepped forward and grabbed Kusuo's hand.
"What are you doing?"
Kusuo pulled away and stepped back. *'Does he even think before acting? I almost used my powers on him...'*
"Ah, I see."
Kōenji looked at his hands thoughtfully.
*'Just as I suspected.'*
"What?"
"The person keeping Dragon Boy in line—just as I thought."
"Dragon... what?"
"The troublemaker named Ryūen."
"Why would Ryūen be connected to me?"
Kusuo's expression remained blank, but his gaze sharpened.
"You're good at playing dumb, and I can't sense any ulterior motive."
"I don't understand how you reached that conclusion."
"From the heat I felt when you touched my arm."
"My apologies, a huge misunderstanding."
Kusuo replied. *'Heat? That makes no sense.'*
"Really? From how your classmates look at you, your behavior, and the reactions around you, it's clear."
Kōenji smiled. "And the former student council president seems to favor you."
"You're overthinking."
"During the island exam, I noticed you. Your stamina and speed are far above others. And finding me so easily—you're exceptional for a normal person."
Kōenji said slowly.
*'Kōenji knows so much about me?'*
Kusuo looked at Kōenji, lips pressed together. Another person knew part of his secret.
"Hahaha, don't worry. I won't expose you. Even if you're outstanding, to me, you're just another boring person. As long as I don't say anything, it's fine, right?"
"Yeah..."
Kusuo nodded. Using telepathy, he knew Kōenji wouldn't change his mind once decided. At least Kōenji promised not to reveal anything.
"Then I'll head back."
"Wait, Glasses Boy. One more question."
"What?"
"Did you make the student council president lose at cards in the first-year dorm?"
"No, just bad luck, I guess."
Kusuo replied quickly. Some things he did with his powers couldn't be explained normally, and admitting it would cause more trouble.
"Just bad luck? Interesting. I'll have to reevaluate you—slightly."
Kōenji smiled, turned, and walked into the forest. "See you at the finish line."
...
That evening, at dinner.
Kusuo's group rushed to the cafeteria. Due to the slow morning journey, they missed lunch, just as Kusuo predicted. But he was prepared, so it didn't affect him.
After dinner, Kusuo headed back to his room—
But then, he heard a strange sound, hid himself, and went to a rarely used room in the school.
"You should've told me sooner."
Manabu Horikita's voice came from inside, urgent.
He was talking to Akane Tachibana.
Akane's voice was choked, clearly under immense pressure.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't want to trouble you..."
Akane's eyes were red, her body trembling from recent tears.
"We're classmates. We'll graduate as Class A together."
"Our classmates keep holding us back... We've lost so many points, even personal points—you've sacrificed so much to protect us. We're only 300 points ahead of Class B..."
*'So Class A relies solely on Horikita?'*
Kusuo thought, hidden. Horikita was remarkable for keeping his class in Class A.
*'Our group's order is collapsing. Almost everyone is loyal to Nagumo. From the start, we fell into his trap... If this continues, our results will be terrible. Though I'm not the leader, he can use the mechanism to expel me... I don't want to trouble Horikita, but if sacrificing me keeps us ahead of Class B... But Horikita found out.'*
"If I hadn't spoken to you, you wouldn't have said anything."
Horikita adjusted his glasses, expression unchanged.
"I'm sorry... I don't want to hold you back..."
"This isn't holding me back."
Horikita shook his head. "Follow my instructions..."
He quickly shared his plan to help Akane.
*'Just as Kusuo said, Nagumo never intended a fair competition. His target is Tachibana...'*
"But... how did you figure this out? You don't interact with the girls much."
Akane asked, confused.
"Kusuo—the first-year—told me."
Horikita replied.