'?'
A question mark flashed in Saiki's mind. He had no idea why Kiryūin Fūka suddenly said that.
"I just sped up on purpose. I figured it's a pace no ordinary student could keep up with, not even the student council president for long."
Kiryūin narrowed her eyes, studying Saiki intently.
'Why does this feel so familiar?'
Saiki thought, recalling how Kōenji Rokusuke had noticed something off about him during the uninhabited island incident last year.
His attention had been entirely on his surroundings, so he hadn't noticed Kiryūin's speed. Plus, there was no one else around for comparison, so he had no idea how fast he'd been moving.
"I just have good physical fitness."
Saiki improvised a response.
"Actually, I'm drenched in sweat."
"Such a crude lie. You're not even sweating."
Kiryūin chuckled.
"Oh well, I'm not surprised. Let's keep moving."
"Right…"
Like Kōenji, Kiryūin wasn't the type to blab about others, so Saiki wasn't worried.
---
After another ten minutes, they reached the D7 area. A few students were already there, earning only the basic arrival points. Saiki noticed their surprised expressions.
[Third and second years are here already?]
[We left over half an hour early…]
[What kind of monsters are they?]
The students were first-years, drenched in sweat and looking exhausted, despite it being the first area.
Saiki and Kiryūin arrived fourth or fifth, just missing out on ranking points. In reality, they were only minutes behind the first-years, who had started over half an hour earlier.
Soon, more students arrived, including third-years. They were surprised to see Kiryūin.
[What's that weirdo doing here?!]
Kiryūin ignored them, casually chatting with Saiki.
"Don't you think each area is bigger than expected?"
She smiled at him.
"Yeah."
Saiki nodded, knowing it was due to the island's expansion.
"But you're not surprised?"
"I wasn't sure how big the island was beforehand, so it makes sense."
Saiki replied.
[He seems close to Kiryūin…]
[Another weirdo, probably.]
[Is that the Saiki Nanase was targeting?]
Saiki heard the third-years' thoughts.
'Great, more misunderstandings.'
He sighed inwardly.
Soon, more students arrived, including Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
"You're here already, Saiki?"
Ayanokōji asked flatly.
"Just got here."
Saiki replied, equally expressionless.
[Ayanokōji, I'll make you drop out.]
Saiki heard Nanase Tsubasa's familiar thought.
'Not my problem.'
He refocused on Ayanokōji.
"Next stage should start soon."
Saiki checked the time. The next area would appear soon, but tasks were opening up.
Around 10 AM, the tablets displayed task locations, details, and rewards.
Tasks: 14
Task: Start a Fire
First group to start a fire with provided tools gets 5 points. No rewards for second place or lower.
Location: D7
Task: English Exam
Ranked by scores. 1st: 5 points, 2nd: 3 points, 3rd: 1 point.
Location: D7
Task: Geography Exam
Ranked by scores. 1st: 5 points, 2nd: 3 points, 3rd: 1 point.
Location: D8
…
Saiki scanned the tasks while Kiryūin asked,
"Which task are you doing?"
"I…"
Saiki thought quickly.
'Given our location, D7 tasks make sense. English exam or fire-starting. Most students will choose English, since no one knows how to start a fire. Fire-starting it is!'
'Plus, it doesn't test academics or strength. No one will question my abilities if I win.'
"I'll do the fire-starting task…"
"Ahahahaha!"
Kiryūin burst out laughing before he finished, confusing Saiki.
Her mind-reading resistance made her unpredictable.
Low EQ: She speaks without thinking.
High EQ: She acts on instinct.
This made her the most troublesome for Saiki.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I'm doing the fire-starting task too."
'?'
Saiki was surprised.
"Most students would choose the English exam or physical tasks, but you picked fire-starting. Why?"
"It's closer, and my academics aren't great…"
"Such an obvious lie."
Kiryūin smirked.
"I have a guess. You're doing it because it's interesting."
"?"
Saiki felt uneasy, fearing she'd guessed right.
"The academic and physical tasks are too boring. Winning them is too easy. Fire-starting is new and interesting, so I'm doing it. You too, right?"
"…"
Saiki was speechless, unable to admit he didn't want to win too obviously.
"Are you two doing the fire-starting task?"
Ayanokōji asked, overhearing them.
[Why's Saiki choosing that?]
He didn't question it further.
"I'm doing the grip strength task in C6. Saiki, your grip strength is impressive, right? Why not join?"
"Oh? Saiki's grip strength is impressive?"
Kiryūin grew more interested.
"Yeah, he easily surpasses most guys."
Ayanokōji replied, unintentionally complicating things.
"I knew it."
Kiryūin smiled wider.
"Let's go."
---
Saiki and Kiryūin arrived at the task location, where a few other students were gathered.
[My academics and strength are terrible… I'm just here to try my luck.]
Saiki heard their thoughts. They had no survival skills.
After registration, a teacher distributed materials: a large log, a smaller piece of wood, and dry grass for kindling.
'I've only seen this in movies. How do I actually start a fire? I'll just wing it.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, recalling from memory that characters in movies always started fires by rubbing sticks together, spinning the smaller one to create friction...
"Alright, the exam begins now."
With the teacher's signal, the other students immediately started their fire-starting task.
However, like Saiki, most had no real idea how to start a fire and could only rely on vague impressions—none of them succeeded.
*"Why would a high school exam include a fire-starting task? Is this to prepare us to be human grills for our future bosses?"*
Saiki muttered internally while attempting to start a fire.
He wrapped his hands around the small piece of wood, controlled his strength, and moved his palms in opposite directions, rubbing the stick to make it spin.
*"This should be it, right? It doesn't seem too difficult."*
Saiki repeated the motion dozens of times—
But there was no reaction.
*"Damn, did I remember wrong? Or is it not enough force, not enough speed?"*
Saiki thought, increasing his strength and speed—
But almost instantly, he felt the wood in his hands turn to dust.
"!"
Saiki was at a loss, completely unprepared for this outcome.
What now?!
Saiki's mind raced as he considered his next move.
He looked up at the teacher, who was inspecting each student's progress.
If the teacher saw the wood reduced to powder, there'd be no way to explain it.
*"Do I… have to use that method?"*
As the teacher approached, Saiki had no choice but to activate his psychic powers.
His fingertips heated to over 1,000°C, instantly igniting the wood.
"Success!"
Saiki clenched his fist in triumph, a slight smile on his lips.
But at that moment, the teacher spoke:
"The weather's been damp these past few days, so starting a fire might be tough. If you're struggling, I'll give you fresh wood later…"
The teacher's words trailed off as he noticed the blazing fire in front of Saiki.
*"????????"*
The teacher was baffled, unable to understand how Saiki had produced such intense flames.
*"Wait, shouldn't the fire start with smoke first, then gradually grow? How did this student… create such a massive flame? This is something only fuel could achieve, and the wood's damp…"*
The teacher was completely confused, and all the other students stared in shock, their eyes fixed on Saiki's roaring fire.
Saiki could hear their thoughts but could only stand there silently.
"Well… the exam's over. First place goes to Saiki Kusuo from Class 2-D. Congratulations, you've earned 5 points."