"The designated area is right next to this guy? He's so lucky!"
Mikiya glared at Saiki Kusuo, who had reached the area and earned points with the teacher's help, his brow furrowed.
"It's very likely... not a coincidence."
Kiriyama Ikuto could only press his lips together.
Though reluctant to admit it, he had to believe his earlier suspicion.
Saiki Kusuo had likely figured out the pattern of designated area assignments.
Saiki Kusuo's choice of campsite was already strange. It wasn't an ideal location, yet he'd chosen it, which was odd.
And now, Saiki Kusuo had directly signed in at the designated area nearby, further confirming this.
The designated area had appeared right next to Saiki Kusuo—
And it was exactly his target.
There were no such coincidences in the world.
This made Kiriyama Ikuto even more wary of Saiki Kusuo.
"Do you think Saiki predicted the designated area's location? That's impossible, right?"
"Theoretically, yes, but he's someone even Nanase Tsubasa fears. So, if he's acting strangely, it's not unexpected."
Kiriyama Ikuto pressed his lips together and said.
"What do we do now?"
Mikiya was anxious, especially with teachers always around, leaving them no chance to act.
"Let's observe for now and see if we can find his weakness."
...
A few hours passed quickly.
Kiriyama Ikuto and his group couldn't take any action...
Since the tasks Saiki Kusuo participated in were near his location, he didn't need to move much to complete them.
With the proximity, teachers were always nearby, leaving Kiriyama Ikuto's group unable to act.
To hide their intentions, Kiriyama Ikuto even missed several tasks. Realizing he couldn't avoid participating any longer, he reluctantly joined the same tasks as Saiki Kusuo.
However, he couldn't outperform Saiki Kusuo.
Time was wasted, and Kiriyama Ikuto could only watch as Saiki Kusuo's score surpassed his own.
After completing the final task, Saiki Kusuo rose to third place, just behind Nanase Tsubasa and Kōenji Rokusuke.
"Damn, we've wasted so much time."
Mikiya complained,
"Who the hell is this Saiki guy?!"
Saiki Kusuo's rapid rise to the top three baffled the third-year students.
"Didn't Kiryūin Fūka seem to value this Saiki Kusuo earlier?"
"Yes..."
Kiriyama Ikuto frowned, frustrated. He hadn't expected Saiki Kusuo to be so formidable.
He'd completely misjudged Saiki Kusuo's abilities.
Saiki Kusuo was likely the most hidden monster in the second year.
Kiriyama Ikuto finally understood why Horikita Manabu and Nanase Tsubasa were so concerned about Saiki Kusuo.
"What do we do now?"
Mikiya asked anxiously.
"We'll have to use more aggressive methods."
Kiriyama Ikuto said through gritted teeth.
Their plan to restrict Saiki Kusuo's movements had failed, as had their attempt to suppress his task scores.
Kiriyama Ikuto was running out of options and had to resort to extreme measures.
For instance, forcing Saiki Kusuo to quit the exam.
If that failed, they could offer him something to convince him to give up.
Otherwise, they'd have to take drastic action.
"Let's confront him directly tonight."
Kiriyama Ikuto said, looking up at the darkening sky.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Just then, a deep voice sounded nearby.
"Ah?!"
Kiriyama Ikuto jumped, startled. He hadn't noticed anyone approaching.
It was Tsukishiro.
*"Why is Chairman Tsukishiro here?!"*
Kiriyama Ikuto was tense, having not sensed Tsukishiro's presence.
"You're Kiriyama from Class B, the student council vice president... I'm not mistaken, right? I've noticed you and your group of eighteen lurking around here all day. Saiki is nearby too. What are you planning? Some of your groups even missed their designated areas, didn't they?"
Tsukishiro smiled meaningfully at the group.
"We... thought this area had a higher chance of task success, so we stayed here..."
Kiriyama Ikuto replied quickly.
However, his true intentions were transparent to Tsukishiro.
*"These kids want to force Saiki to quit the exam, don't they?"*
*"But I can't let them succeed."*
*"We can't let Saiki be unhappy."*
For Tsukishiro, the purpose of the Uninhabited Island Exam had shifted.
Initially, it was to bring Ayanokōji Kiyotaka back, but now, it was to avoid upsetting Saiki Kusuo.
After all, Yagami Takuya had likely caused trouble for Saiki Kusuo earlier, which was a grave mistake. Tsukishiro had also sensed the fear in Ayanokōji Professor's tone.
If this continued, retaliation from other factions against Shirō and his group would be disastrous.
Tsukishiro wasn't willing to sacrifice his future so easily.
He also considered switching allegiances to Saiki Kusuo for a new path.
So, Tsukishiro decided to ingratiate himself with Saiki Kusuo.
"Chairman Tsukishiro, why are you here?"
Kiriyama Ikuto asked immediately.
"I saw your situation and wanted to check it out personally~"
Tsukishiro's explanation didn't convince Kiriyama Ikuto.
*"The chairman wouldn't come here for this reason. Our alarms didn't go off, and if something serious happened, class teachers or medical teams should be here, not just the chairman... It doesn't make sense. Could it be... the chairman is connected to Saiki too?"*
Kiriyama Ikuto's brow twitched, his curiosity about Saiki Kusuo growing.
Tsukishiro noticed the subtle change in Kiriyama Ikuto's expression, reading his thoughts clearly.
It was time to assert his authority as the acting chairman.
"While I'm not sure of your intentions, let me remind you: I've allowed some leeway for student conflicts, but forcibly entering someone's camp and coercing them to quit the exam is unacceptable."
Tsukishiro said immediately.
A heavy pressure weighed on Kiriyama Ikuto and his group. Tsukishiro's message was clear.
Any drastic actions could result in disqualification from the exam.
Kiriyama Ikuto didn't want to risk it. Disqualification would be a severe loss.
But this also meant they couldn't act against Saiki Kusuo.
*"Damn... What's going on?"*
*"Has Chairman Tsukishiro seen through our plan? Earlier, he hinted that students could take aggressive actions, but now he's stopping us."*
*"Could it be... Saiki Kusuo has even influenced the teachers?!"*
A terrifying thought crossed Kiriyama Ikuto's mind.
If true, Saiki Kusuo would be a monster surpassing even Horikita Manabu and Nanase Tsubasa.
"We... understand. We'll move our campsite immediately."
Saying this, Kiriyama Ikuto led his group away.
As they left, Tsukishiro quickly walked toward Saiki's tent.
"Saiki, are you free right now?"
Tsukishiro's voice was extremely respectful, as if he were speaking to someone of higher status.
"What's the matter?"
Saiki stepped out of the tent.
He had been wondering how to deal with Kiriyama and the others later that night.
Now that Tsukishiro was here, it solved some of his problems.
Tsukishiro's attitude seemed completely different from before, so Saiki thought he might use him to avoid more trouble.
Of course, this would likely lead to more misunderstandings about Saiki.
He'd inexplicably have to take first place in the exam and was supposedly 'behind some scheme.'
"Saiki, how's the exam going?"
"Fine."
"Alright... I'll be straightforward. Did Yagami do anything inappropriate to you?"
Tsukishiro wanted to get closer to Saiki and also find out what happened with Yagami Takuya that day.
*'He tried to kill me,'* Saiki thought, but he hesitated to reveal the truth. Meanwhile, Tsukishiro wondered why Saiki paused for a second.
*'Saiki didn't answer immediately... I see. He's checking if I'm wearing a wire. How thorough. It's hard to believe he's just a high schooler.'*
*'I wasn't thinking that deeply...'* Saiki felt helpless as Tsukishiro spoke up.
"Don't worry, Saiki. I'm not wearing any recording devices. As the acting chairman, being here is risky. I won't leak any information. You know Yagami is a White Room assassin, but he doesn't follow my orders. I told him not to bother you, but he still acted... I need to know what he did."
"Of course, Yagami deserved it. He disobeyed orders and is now a traitor to the White Room!"
"I'm worried he might cause you trouble, so I'm asking."
"..."
Saiki felt helpless after Tsukishiro's long explanation.
He planned to keep pretending he knew nothing, but now Tsukishiro had said too much. Saiki couldn't act clueless anymore.
It was pointless anyway.
Saiki couldn't pretend to be an ordinary person anymore.
His best option was to act like Ayanokōji—as long as he didn't reveal his powers, it would be acceptable.
"I had some conflicts with Yagami and Hōsen, but I've resolved them."
Saiki replied.
Usually, Saiki was careful when dealing with ordinary people.
But this time, Yagami tried to kill him—and not just him, but anyone nearby.
So Saiki gave him what he deserved.
If Saiki hadn't been there, things could've been much worse.
"I see..."
Tsukishiro pressed his lips together, recalling Yagami's state. He must've suffered something severe, despite no visible injuries. What did Saiki do?
Yagami was sent back to the White Room, and his fate was unknown.
But it only proved Saiki was even more terrifying.