"What? How is that possible? How did Saiki jump to 10th place?"
Ikuto's eyes widened in shock.
According to his predictions, Saiki's rank should have dropped, maybe even below 20th—
But now, Saiki was in the top ten?
How?
Ikuto's mind raced, calculating how many points Saiki needed to reach the top ten—
He realized something alarming.
Yesterday alone, Saiki likely scored more points than Nagumo or Koenji.
"This... how is this possible? What did he do? How could he earn so many points in such a short time?!"
"...It's rare for Nagumo to misjudge. Is he blinded by some invisible constraint?"
Mikitani, unaware of Ikuto's shock, continued discussing Nagumo.
"Nagumo..."
"Nagumo's worries might not be wrong."
"Huh?"
"The real threat to us might not just be Koenji."
"What?"
Mikitani looked baffled.
...
Meanwhile, Saiki was heading to the next designated area.
The exam was in its latter half, so he needed to step up his game.
With his psychic powers, he could predict the locations of future designated areas, allowing him to move directly without lingering. Not only that, he could also foresee tasks and register for them in advance.
After Hoshinomiya Chie and Yagami Takuya withdrew, first-year students stopped targeting Saiki.
However, third-year students became more aggressive.
Academic tasks were manageable, but physical or group tasks were tougher. Saiki could feel third-year students constantly targeting him.
But for a psychic, this was no threat.
Saiki still broke through obstacles, climbing the ranks. His powers let him participate in more tasks than average students.
By the morning of the 10th day, Saiki was already 7th, leaving other students stunned.
"Saiki? The second-year Saiki Kusuo?"
"How did he jump to 7th so quickly?"
"How many points did he earn this morning?!"
Almost everyone was shocked by Saiki's point surge.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, watching Saiki's progress, realized something.
"Saiki, are you aiming for first place this time?"
Meanwhile, Ikuto was restless.
Initially, he thought Saiki challenging Nagumo was absurd—
But now, Ikuto felt a strong sense of crisis.
Koenji was already a big threat. If they fell behind a second-year group, it would impact them greatly...
And now, Saiki emerged.
At this rate, Saiki could break into the top three in a few days.
By then...
Ikuto might not even secure a top-three spot.
Compared to Koenji, Saiki was a bigger threat.
After all, Saiki was acknowledged by Horikita Manabu.
Though Ikuto now supported Nagumo's strategy, he still admired Horikita.
And Saiki, acknowledged by Horikita, was a force to reckon with.
Ikuto urgently wanted to act.
By the end of the 10th day, Saiki was 4th, right behind Ikuto. Their scores were almost tied.
Ikuto was ready to move.
After all, tomorrow was the last day to check others' scores. After today, he couldn't track their points accurately.
After dealing with Saiki, they could focus on Koenji.
Ikuto led nearly twenty students, including Mikitani, toward Saiki's GPS location.
Though it was late, Ikuto couldn't waste a second.
"Where are we going today?"
Mikitani asked.
"We'll get as close as possible. I know nighttime movement is risky, but we need to be within one grid of Saiki by 7 a.m."
"With two days, stopping him should be easy. With six from Kiriyama's team, we're seven groups, 18 people total."
"Don't underestimate him. In dense forests, he could easily escape."
Ikuto spoke seriously,
"We must be cautious. Treat him as our greatest enemy."
"Greatest enemy? Forget Koenji in second place. Do we really need to target Saiki, who's only fourth? Sure, his score's rising fast, but Koenji's the bigger threat."
Hearing Mikitani's doubt, Ikuto shook his head slightly, saying nothing.
"Can't trust someone like Mikitani with this. Since Saiki's our target, we must ensure he can't recover. If we're not thorough, we'll suffer backlash and lose our standing."
"Only I, caught between Nagumo and Horikita, know how big a threat Saiki is."
"Acknowledged by both student council presidents, he's no ordinary foe."
....
The next morning, around 6:30 a.m. on the 11th day.
Ikuto's team and six others, including Mikitani, surrounded Saiki.
They stayed hidden near Saiki's tent.
"What's the situation?"
"No movement inside. He's probably sleeping. If he sleeps all day due to exhaustion, our job's easier."
Third-year students whispered plans to deal with Saiki.
"Why not surround him before he leaves? If he can't pack up, he can't move, right?"
"Good idea. Delaying him slows his progress. But what if others see us? We can't get caught breaking rules..."
"Just run a GPS scan. We have points to spare. GPS shows if other students are nearby."
"GPS doesn't detect teachers, and scans can be inaccurate. Stick to the plan: act when Saiki's ready to move. If we encounter other students or teachers, keep two meters away from Saiki."
Ikuto spoke, his gaze fixed on Saiki's tent—
"Saiki probably doesn't know we're here yet."
'...Hard not to notice.'
Unbeknownst to Ikuto, Saiki was actually behind him, invisible.
Saiki had sensed their movements and followed using his invisibility.
He'd chosen a quiet spot to rest, but these students ruined it.
'Yare yare, Ikuto's teamed up with Nagumo, huh?'
Saiki thought,
'Now what?'
Normally, Saiki wouldn't care, but this situation was tricky.
If he didn't secure first place, the island might sink.
He couldn't waste time with them.
But how to break free?
With GPS tracking, he couldn't just use his powers to leave.
Even faking GPS signals would raise suspicions if others noticed.
Should he just rush out?
That would cause trouble.
What to do?
Saiki rubbed his chin, pondering.
He looked at the damp ground, an idea forming...
...
"Is he still sleeping?"
It was nearly 7 a.m., and Saiki showed no signs of moving, puzzling Ikuto.
Such laziness was unusual for a student.
But then, Ikuto heard rustling footsteps.
"What?"
Surprised, Ikuto signaled his classmates to hide. He checked his tablet for GPS signals, wondering who was nearby.
Finding no GPS signals, Ikuto knew it was a teacher.
Several staff members arrived in the area and immediately began setting up the equipment.
"Teacher, you actually assigned the area here?"
Kiriyama Ikuto's eyes widened, a hint of surprise in his gaze.
*"Is the designated area over here? Saiki happens to be camping right here... Is this just a coincidence? Or did... Saiki predict the location of the designated area and camp here on purpose?"*
Considering a possibility, Kiriyama Ikuto shook his head vigorously.
*"No, no, no, even if the designated area appears, it might not be Saiki's target location. Besides, the assignment of designated areas should be completely random. I haven't seen any pattern, so how could he predict it?"*
Kiriyama Ikuto refused to believe this possibility.
*"Well, in a way, it's not really a coincidence,"* Saiki Kusuo thought, responding to the other's words from inside his tent.
The assignment of designated areas was randomly generated by the school's computer every day. Once the areas were determined, they were assigned to teachers and staff, who then set up the locations. The same process applied to the tasks. Only after everything was set up were the locations assigned to students.
It all seemed random.
But in reality, the school could manipulate these assignments.
And Saiki Kusuo had exploited this. He used his psychic powers to directly control the school's computer.
This way, the so-called randomness had no effect on Saiki Kusuo.
This was why Saiki Kusuo could effortlessly earn massive points.
Not only did he secure top arrival scores, but he also controlled which tasks appeared near him.
In a sense, Saiki Kusuo was setting his own exam questions.
By placing the designated area near him, Saiki Kusuo could easily score high.
With teachers present, Kiriyama Ikuto and his group couldn't take any drastic actions. Saiki Kusuo had also assigned their group's designated area elsewhere.
This ensured Saiki Kusuo could safely navigate the final exam stage.
Soon, the teachers finished setting up the equipment. Almost simultaneously, Saiki Kusuo received a message from the school, informing him of his designated area—
It was right nearby.
Saiki Kusuo emerged from his tent, packed his belongings, and headed to the designated area. Due to the proximity, he immediately secured first place and earned points.
Kiriyama Ikuto and his group were nearby, but their designated area wasn't there, so they couldn't score.