To their surprise, the approaching team looked over from afar, saw only a teacher and Yukio with one SUV, and without a second thought turned and left. They walked away like Yukio and Chabashira were some terrifying monster waiting to swallow them whole.
Chabashira blinked. "W-what was that?" Puzzled, she instinctively looked to Yukio. For Chabashira, if there was a problem she couldn't solve, she could ask this little man—she'd already come to trust and rely on him most of all.
Yukio thought, putting it together with previous incidents where students from other grades had deliberately blocked his car to slow him down, and had a realization. "They must be other-grade students teaming up to stop us from scoring."
"Probably planned it early. If they meet an SUV at an outdoor task point and the team is small, they just leave so the task can't form enough teams and the slot's lost. That way our class can't do the task and gets no points or supplies."
"If the people at the point are close to enough numbers, then they have to try and do the task. It's a gamble."
"Those people are cunning."
Yukio almost laughed at the strategy. This island special test gives moving points and task points only. These people, rather than letting Yukio's class score, were abandoning tasks to sabotage everyone's scoring efficiency.
After all, other classes need to participate in tasks too to get points. If they don't get points, they and Yukio both fail to score. But they did it anyway—hurt others while also harming themselves. Pretty ruthless.
Chabashira understood too; her sharp brows knit with concern. "Are you okay? If this keeps up, won't your classmates keep missing out on points?"
"Want to? Or team up with some second-years?"
Chabashira wasn't just offering empty comfort—she soothed him while suggesting they cooperate with the second-years. There were plenty of second-year students; everyone could group together and start a project. It wouldn't be hard. It wasn't like losing a first- or third-year would stop a project.
Chabashira also knew Yukio's class had deliberately avoided cooperating with any other classes this time—they wanted to hog the points—so the other three second-year classes were, subtly or not, trying to curb Yukio's class. But switching to cooperate now wasn't too late.
Yukio waved one hand casually. "It's fine. If they see the SUV and walk away, can they really leave after signing up for a project?"
"I'm going to find them."
There was a risk to teaming with the first- and third-years: students still had to sign up for projects. Chabashira figured that when Yukio drove off, he planned to wait for them to reach the next project site and register before following—then there'd be no worrying about people running off.
Chabashira agreed—Yukio was always decisive—so after a little more talk he drove off toward the nearby project site.
They soon found the "Push-up Project" site, a fitness event Yukio's class excelled at. The supervising teacher was a somewhat unfamiliar third-year. Fortunately four teams had already signed up and were waiting; Yukio's class arrived as the fifth team, needing only one more to officially start.
When the other students saw Yukio, they all froze. There was no escaping now—once sign-ups were complete, nobody could leave until the project finished. They exchanged glances and sighed; this probably meant Yukio would score again.
Suddenly, a defiant girl with flowing white hair appeared and immediately zeroed in on Yukio. "Finally caught you, junior. You were a pain to find."
It was Kiryuin. Seeing her alone, Yukio understood she was, like him, a solo entry. "Senpai."
"Hmm." Kiryuin scanned the area without caring about the other teams, her gaze to the third-years saying plainly. "These guys teamed up to trick you."
Yukio paused, then understood: the third-years must have told Kiryuin about their plan. She was probably supposed to stop Yukio's SUV on the island roads and force him to slow down—or, if she saw him at a project site, warn him if it was crowded or not. Her "took me a while to find you" meant she'd been looking specifically to tip him off.
That warmed Yukio a bit despite having already suspected the other grades' obstruction. He returned Kiryuin's blunt smile. "Thanks for the heads-up, senpai."
They laughed together; the third-years were furious. Someone glared accusingly at Kiryuin as if she'd betrayed them.
But Kiryuin wasn't delicate. She gave a haughty smile, flicked her hair, and her crimson eyes radiated pressure. "What? You schemed against an underclassman and you're not ashamed?"
The third-year student bristled under that glare, the looks from the other teams making him embarrassed. He could only scold Kiryuin, "Kiryuin! Remember you're one of our third-years too!"
"Remember what?" Kiryuin smiled cockily, dismissive. "If you're unhappy, stop whining."
"Perfect timing—this is the push-up project. Want to train? I'll make it one-handed for you. Single-arm push-ups!"
Pressed by a girl like that, the third-year had no face to refuse and had to nod.
Yukio watched, impressed. Senpai was tough.