"Saiki?"
Kiriyama's face showed confusion.
He didn't understand why both Horikita Manabu and Nagumo were so fixated on Saiki Kusuo.
Kiriyama had investigated Saiki earlier and found him utterly ordinary. He couldn't grasp why anyone would focus so much on such a student.
"Saiki's probably in eleventh place right now," Nagumo said slowly.
Though Saiki's name wasn't on the top ten list displayed on the tablet, Nagumo knew his score well—
almost every third-year student was his informant.
The tenth, twelfth, and thirteenth-ranked students were all his subordinates. With their intel, Nagumo could easily calculate who held eleventh place.
It was Saiki Kusuo.
Losing to Saiki Kûsuke earlier was an insult Nagumo was eager to avenge in this exam.
Saiki Kusuo was his target.
"Oh, the student council president's here~," a cheerful voice called out beside Nagumo.
"Not this woman again..." Nagumo muttered, annoyed. It was Kiryūin Fūka.
Fūka was also in the top ten, but her unpredictable nature meant she posed no threat to Nagumo.
"Kiryūin, what are you doing here?" Nagumo forced a smile.
"I saw a crowd around you, so I came to see what's going on~," Fūka replied with a grin.
She knew Nagumo was using his numbers advantage, a tactic only the student council president could pull off.
With control over the third-year students, he could reach exam locations early and secure victories without conflict.
But Fūka was more interested in something else.
"You're not the type to care about this kind of thing. What's on your mind?" Nagumo narrowed his eyes.
"I heard you and Saiki were close on the first day. Did he tell you something interesting?"
"Spot on, President," Fūka said.
"Oh?"
"Saiki told me this exam is his personal challenge."
"What?"
"He declared he'd beat you in this exam."
Fūka smiled at Nagumo.
"What?" Kiriyama was baffled.
Had Saiki lost his mind? How could he claim to beat Nagumo alone?
But Nagumo's expression turned serious. After a few seconds, he spoke:
"Good. If he's finally stepping up to face me, I won't miss this chance."
His gaze sharpened, as if battle flames ignited within him.
"Looks like the president's getting serious," Fūka said, stepping closer and lowering her voice.
"But I warned you—if you focus too much on the underclassmen, you might lose out~."
Nagumo ignored her and Fūka turned to leave.
"Can't wait to see how this plays out," she said.
Meanwhile, in his tent, Saiki finished his cake, a happy expression on his face.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, an ominous feeling spreading within him.
"What's this chill? What's going on?"
Saiki shook his head, unsure of the strange premonition.
He didn't know what Kûsuke was planning with this bizarre challenge to secure first place.
Strange indeed.
Saiki shook his head and lay down to rest.
Time passed quickly, and the exam reached its sixth evening.
Saiki checked the rankings:
2nd Year Kōenji Group: 168 points, 1st place
3rd Year Nagumo Group: 166 points, 2nd place
3rd Year Kiriyama Group: 150 points, 3rd place
...
3rd Year Kuroe Group: 101 points, 10th place
Saiki had 94 points, 13th place, which didn't surprise him.
Kōenji Rokusuke's lead was temporary; Nagumo could overtake him anytime.
But recent events bothered Saiki.
Over the past two days, he sensed hostility from some students during tasks.
First and third-year students.
"That's Saiki Kusuo? Nagumo told us to monitor him and limit his score."
"A lone second-year like Saiki is easy to isolate."
'Why am I suddenly the enemy?' Saiki thought helplessly.
Both first and third-year students were targeting him.
With his abilities, he could ignore them and win, but to avoid drawing attention, he kept his score low.
But now that he was already a target, it seemed pointless.
'Nagumo's after me, that makes sense—but why the first-years?'
Saiki couldn't understand their motives.
'Whatever.'
He shook his head and headed back to the starting point for supplies.
He'd only bought essentials earlier but heard the shop now sold sweets.
Prices would double once the exam started, but Saiki didn't care; he had plenty of points to spare.
As he walked, he heard voices from the nearby forest.
"What did your investigation find?"
"It's tricky. Teachers are watching us, especially Mashima, who's suspicious. Chabashira Sae checked all the records."
"Mashima aside, Chabashira sees Ayanokōji as a valuable asset, so her actions are expected."
"I altered the records, so we should be safe."
"Good, but Ayanokōji's far from cornered. He hasn't teamed up with teachers or Sakayanagi. He likely sees Saiki as his backup."
"But what's Saiki's role? Do you know?"
"Ah!"
Before the question was finished, the other person gasped—it was Tsukishiro.
Beside him stood Hondō Ryōtarō, the first-year Class D homeroom teacher and White Room employee.
They faced Saiki directly.
An awkward silence fell between them.
'Oh no, I overheard something big. Will this cause trouble? What should I do?'
Saiki's mind raced.
Tsukishiro seemed even more panicked.
"Saiki?! Why's he here?! How's a student here now?!"
'I just came for cake...'
"Is Saiki spying on us? Why no GPS signal? The tablet shows he's far away!"
'I teleported here...'
"Did Saiki hack the watch's GPS? I studied it—its tech's beyond anything I've seen. Even I can't disable it... but Saiki altered his signal. Wait—his brother's the exam's tech support. As siblings, Saiki likely knows the watch's secrets. With his brother's help, he can do anything on this island."
'...Did you know he planted bombs here?'
"He used such methods... No one would've guessed!"
'Me neither.'
"He heard our conversation, right?!"
'If I say I didn't, will you believe me?'
"What do I do?!"
Sweat formed on Tsukishiro's forehead, panic in his eyes.
---
Beside him, Sima Mark stood with a serious expression, staring at Saiki Kusuo.
"What should we do? Should we take him out? Although the higher-ups instructed us to avoid unnecessary contact with Saiki Kusuo, hiding the secrets of the White Room is the top priority, right? To prevent the White Room's secrets from leaking, we must find a way to silence him."
As he thought this, Sima Mark stepped forward, ready to confront Saiki Kusuo.
"Go ahead and try if you want!" Saiki Kusuo said casually.
"Saiki!"
At that moment, Tsukishiro, thinking quickly, shouted Saiki's name and stepped forward, grabbing Sima Mark's arm tightly.
"Don't get me killed, you idiot!"
In the White Room, only Ayano Koji and Tsukishiro knew the true extent of the Saiki family's power. Others didn't understand why Ayano Koji had given such an order.
"Huh?" Sima Mark looked confused.
"Saiki, are you lost?!" Tsukishiro asked with a smile, ignoring Sima's confusion.
"I was just heading back to the starting point to buy some things." Saiki replied, playing along.
"Oh, in that case, just head this way!" Tsukishiro said, sweat dripping from his forehead as he tried to get Saiki away quickly.
"Should I knock him out and make him forget this?" Sima asked, still confused.
"What are you saying?!" Tsukishiro didn't let Sima finish. He punched Sima in the face, knocking him unconscious. Sima hadn't expected such a sudden attack from his teammate.
"You almost got me killed!" Tsukishiro hissed. "The Saiki family is terrifying—even Ayano Koji fears them. We can't just talk about this openly. Don't you feel it, Sima? If we mess with Saiki, I might end up at the bottom of the ocean tomorrow! I'm just here to work, not to die!"
"..."
Saiki was completely baffled by the sudden turn of events.
"Uh, Saiki, I need to discuss something with Sima. You should head back to the starting point," Tsukishiro said, forcing a smile.
"Uh... okay."
"And, have any students been bothering you lately?"
"No."
"Good, good." Tsukishiro sighed in relief. "If anything comes up, contact me immediately!"