"Ahem. I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Nanase Tsubasa from Class 1-D, and this is my teammate, Amasawa Ichika."
Tsubasa introduced herself politely. They had been talking for a while, yet she still did not know the names of Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki.
"I'm Morishita Ai."
Ai's response was brief. She examined Tsubasa curiously.
"You called Mitoma Kaoru 'President' earlier. Are you also in the Student Council?"
"Yes. I'm currently learning under the President."
Tsubasa felt there was something odd about this girl. She addressed not only Tsubasa, but even Kaoru by his full name without hesitation.
Ai hummed quietly, folded one arm beneath the other, and stared straight at Tsubasa, making the latter feel even more uncomfortable.
"And what about this senpai?"
Ichika smiled brightly at Miki.
Why was that man always surrounded by cute girls?
"Um... I'm Yamamura Miki. We're... in the same class."
Miki spoke so quietly that it would have been easy to miss her voice entirely.
"So you're Yamamura-senpai. By 'the same class,' do you mean all of you are Class A students?"
Perhaps because Ichika was unusually enthusiastic, she stepped a little closer.
"Y-yes. We're in the same class."
Miki hurriedly took a small step back and hid behind Kaoru.
She was terrible at dealing with overly familiar people like Ichika.
Ichika blinked and experimentally moved forward.
Miki retreated.
Ichika took another step.
Miki moved again.
The two of them looked as though they were performing some strange synchronized dance.
In that instant, a powerful urge to bully Miki surged through Ichika.
This senpai looked far too easy to tease.
Since Kaoru was standing nearby, Ichika casually shifted her attention toward Kitō Hayato instead.
"Kitō Hayato."
His introduction was even shorter.
"Oh? Your name and face both sound rather intimidating. I've wanted to ask this since earlier, Kitō-senpai. Do you usually eat children?"
Ichika immediately began speaking nonsense.
To be fair, Hayato's presence really did resemble that of some terrifying man capable of swallowing two children in a single bite.
Hayato merely stared at her without saying a word.
"That won't do, Kitō-senpai. Staying silent and acting cool is outdated these days."
Ichika adopted a solemn, instructive expression, as though following her advice would immediately help him find a girlfriend.
"You need to respond properly when a girl talks to you. Otherwise, you might discourage her."
"Can anyone really discourage someone as shameless as you?"
Kaoru gave her a sideways glance.
She was the one person he could not afford to treat too politely. She would immediately take advantage of it.
"Hey, I'm still a girl! Mitoma-senpai doesn't understand a girl's feelings at all!"
Ichika glared at him with faint dissatisfaction and pouted.
"At times like this, my fragile heart is wounded by the horrible Mitoma-senpai. I might genuinely start crying soon."
"Tell me when you actually cry."
Kaoru changed the subject.
"What are you two planning to do next? Move early toward the next possible area, or check out some tasks?"
"Aren't we traveling together?"
Ichika's eyes sparkled, and her playful smile gave her a strong sense of youthful charm.
"Hehe. I'd love to stay beside Mitoma-senpai and spend a wonderful summer with you."
She tossed the question back at Kaoru, clearly implying that wherever he went, she intended to follow.
"Even if we travel together, what do we do about the early-arrival rewards? Our rankings will be different, which means the rewards will differ too."
Kaoru asked.
"Senpai can go ahead, and I'll follow behind."
Ichika blinked.
"Whatever you say, I'll obey."
Kaoru could only look toward Tsubasa.
Her opinion was the only one remaining.
"We're a two-person group. It's only Amasawa-san and me."
Tsubasa suppressed the emotions rising inside her.
"We never intended to compete for the top three arrival bonuses. If President is willing to let us travel with him, we would already be grateful. If any disagreement arises over rewards, we'll follow President's decision."
"Exactly, little Nanase!"
Ichika smiled.
"So, will Mitoma-senpai take us in?"
To be honest, traveling with them would be inconvenient.
Kaoru had never intended to bring anyone with him in the first place.
However, Ichika was being so persistent, and they followed the same route. If she truly decided to trail him, shaking her off would not be easy.
"What do you think, Morishita-san?"
Kaoru turned toward the two girls.
"I should be happy, but now I'm slightly annoyed."
Ai snorted.
"It feels as though finding two cute younger students benefits only Mitoma Kaoru."
Kaoru fell silent.
Had she not been the one who invited them to camp together in the first place?
"Don't worry, Morishita-senpai. I won't let Mitoma-senpai succeed!"
Ichika covered her chest with a determined expression.
"My greatest skills are preventing fires, preventing theft, and preventing senpai!"
Kaoru's face became blank.
Even though he had no intentions toward her at the moment, her words inevitably reminded him of their previous encounter, making him want to tease her again.
"The more you say things like that, the easier you are to deceive."
Ai sighed.
"Amasawa Ichika, paying too much attention to one boy is not a good thing."
"Eh? Do I pay a lot of attention to Mitoma-senpai?"
Ichika tilted her head.
"You do."
Ai spoke with complete seriousness.
"My eyes can see through anyone's thoughts. Your gaze, nose, face, and entire posture are all telling me that you care deeply about Mitoma Kaoru."
"Ever since you arrived, your eyes have remained on him. No matter what expression he makes, you notice it immediately, don't you?"
Ichika's expression stiffened slightly.
Ai, however, became increasingly enthusiastic.
"You know perfectly well that Mitoma Kaoru has many girlfriends. Why didn't you keep your distance? Why did you approach him instead?"
"Nanase Tsubasa can at least explain it through her Student Council connection. Coming over to greet him would be natural for her."
"Oh dear, Morishita-senpai is taking this rather seriously."
Ichika smiled lightly.
"I simply have a good relationship with Mitoma-senpai. And I won't deny that I like boys like him."
"That's strange. Why would you like someone with a harem? Don't you find it disgusting?"
"Come on. I don't mean romantic love."
Ichika waved it away.
"I'm simply interested in Mitoma-senpai. Interested enough that I want to learn everything about him and witness his strength with my own eyes. That's all."
"I see. But the fact that Mitoma Kaoru would—"
Before Ai could finish, Ichika forcibly interrupted her.
"Hey, Morishita-senpai, why are you so concerned about my relationship with Mitoma-senpai?"
She suddenly turned the question around.
"Are you declaring your ownership as the official girlfriend?"
Ai was caught off guard and stared blankly for a moment.
"I am not his girlfriend."
She seemed deeply concerned about correcting that point.
"Did something I said earlier cause a misunderstanding? I apologize, Amasawa Ichika."
She then bowed slightly toward Ichika.
Ichika froze.
A moment later, she smiled.
"Oh, I understand. There's no need to apologize so seriously, Morishita-senpai. A senior bowing to a junior would make other people think I'm rude."
"Since you have accepted my apology, there is no longer any misunderstanding between us, correct?"
"Probably?"
"Then may we return to the main topic? I'm very interested in how the two of you met Mitoma Kaoru. Could you explain the entire process in detail?"
"?"
At that moment, Tsubasa moved closer to Kaoru and whispered, "Is Morishita-senpai always like this in your class?"
"Always."
Kaoru's expression did not change.
"Just treat her like an idiot driven entirely by curiosity. Also, whenever she asks you to eat or do something, stay cautious. She enjoys messing with people."
Tsubasa nodded.
Then she happened to meet Miki's gaze and instinctively offered her the kind of gentle smile one would use with a small animal.
"Wh-what does Mitoma-kun think?"
Miki avoided her smile and lightly held Kaoru's sleeve.
"Are we... going together?"
"Yamamura-san doesn't want to?"
Kaoru had already considered it.
Since avoiding Ichika and Tsubasa would be difficult, he might as well keep them nearby where he could watch them.
"Y-you decide."
Miki answered honestly.
Kaoru thought for a moment, then looked toward Hayato, who had remained silent all this time.
"The tasks have refreshed."
Hayato said.
The implication was obvious.
'I'll follow your decision. I'm only responsible for earning points.'
...
Fortunately, the first task Kaoru encountered appeared in Zone E7, very close to their current location.
Unfortunately, because it was so close, a large number of students rushed over to register.
The moment Kaoru entered E7, he saw equipment and tents set up by the school. Two teachers were serving as supervisors and entering student information.
"So this is what a task site looks like. It's surprisingly basic."
Ichika looked eager.
"Let's go take a look. Maybe we can steal one or two points!"
Although several students had already arrived, Kaoru's group had started from E8 and held a positional advantage. There should still be space to register.
Some groups following the same route had chosen not to contest this task and instead headed toward more distant task sites.
They were probably assuming that the farther away a task was, the fewer groups would compete for it.
Seeing Ichika eagerly approach the site, Kaoru followed, with everyone else close behind.
The task in E7 was an English examination.
It belonged to the academic category.
Each group could send two students, and their combined scores would determine the ranking. The specific test content differed according to year level, though the overall difficulty was adjusted accordingly.
First place received five points.
Second place received three.
Third place received one.
"Eight groups have registered so far. We have space for two more. Would you like to participate?"
The teacher overseeing the task looked toward Kaoru and the others.
There were two spots remaining, but they represented three different groups.
Almost instantly, all the girls looked toward Kaoru.
"I won't participate. I'm acting alone, so an exam based on combined scores puts me at too much of a disadvantage."
Kaoru shook his head.
If two people could participate, then naturally their scores would be added together. There was no realistic way for him to compete alone.
"Then I'll gladly accept the opportunity. Senpai can sit quietly nearby and admire my performance!"
Ichika theatrically rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pale, delicate arms.
Rather than looking intimidating, she merely looked soft enough to poke.
"Wasn't there also a geography test earlier?"
Tsubasa asked, sounding slightly regretful.
In truth, geography was only one of many.
Fourteen task sites had appeared at once. Aside from E7, tasks had refreshed in D7, D8, C6, G3, and several other zones.
"That one is in D8."
Kaoru thought about the routes involved.
"There are probably already plenty of students gathered there."
"This one doesn't suit you, but there will be another."
Ai clicked her tongue.
"I think Mitoma Kaoru should have entered the fire-starting task earlier. It would've been effortless for him."
"The first thing I'd set on fire would be you."
Kaoru's face remained expressionless.
Once he won that task, she would inevitably pressure him into starting their campfire later. He would end up becoming her personal firekeeper.
"I feel as though you don't trust me."
Ai looked slightly dissatisfied.
She was capable of starting a fire herself.
It would simply take a very long time.
"My trust in you is equal to your trust in me."
Kaoru offered her encouragement.
"Do your best on the exam. I'll rest nearby."
After saying that, he turned and found a place to sit.
Ai pouted before registering for the task with the others.
Kaoru was about to take out his tablet when Hayato silently sat down beside him.
He had nearly forgotten.
Hayato was not skilled in academics, so the English task naturally had to be handled by Ai and Miki.
"Can I ask you something?"
The moment Kaoru spoke, Hayato turned to look at him.
Kaoru organized his thoughts.
"I remember you're one of Arisu's people. Why do you follow her?"
Kitō Hayato, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kamuro Masumi, and several others had always been Arisu's trusted supporters.
Even when the Sakayanagi faction suffered setbacks, none of them abandoned her.
Kaoru knew Masayoshi and Masumi quite well, but he had barely interacted with Hayato. The boy was almost always silent in class.
At first, Kaoru had assumed Hayato's intimidating appearance was simply why nobody approached him.
Hayato's answer consisted of one sentence.
"Sakayanagi can lead Class A."
He really did speak very little.
Kaoru found it difficult to understand what he was thinking.
"What about now? Arisu isn't the only one leading the class anymore, yet everything remains stable."
Hayato looked at Kaoru strangely, as though staring at an idiot praising himself.
"You do not belong here. Only Sakayanagi can lead us to the end."
After saying something so abrupt, Hayato fell silent again.
Kaoru was quiet for a moment before answering.
"I admit Arisu has that ability, but she still isn't entirely suited for it."
Arisu had always viewed herself as a chess player.
She would never claim to hold affection for the pieces. She played the game because it interested her.
Once she lost interest, she would actively search for another board rather than remain attached to the current one.
Honami, by comparison, cared deeply about everyone around her.
But because she cared too much, whether she played the game well was not especially important to her.
As long as everyone was happy, that was enough.
Ryūen and Suzune were probably the most motivated players.
Ryūen wanted to defeat everyone standing above him and dominate the entire year.
Suzune wanted to prove her own ability.
Without Kaoru's interference, he suspected Honami would have been the first of the four leaders to fall.
That innocent, idealistic girl was not suited to this school.
However, Kaoru had never told anyone his evaluations of the four classes and their leaders.
Especially not Honami.
He understood his girlfriend's weaknesses.
But understanding them did not mean he needed to mock her for being naive or force her to change.
Even if hardship helped people grow, Kaoru would never deliberately create hardship for his own girlfriend.
He was the safeguard waiting beneath her whenever she fell.
Since Hayato did not respond, Kaoru stopped speaking as well.
The two sat in silence and watched the girls take the test.
Before long, the English task ended.
Ichika and Tsubasa's group took first place.
Ai and Miki placed third.
A third-year group claimed second.
"Celebrate my victory, Mitoma-senpai! Kitō-senpai!"
Ichika bounced happily.
"First place was nothing at all!"
'Of course it was nothing,' Kaoru thought speechlessly.
She was a White Room student.
The knowledge ordinary students learned during high school had probably been drilled into her during elementary or middle school.
A top-ranked player had entered a beginner lobby purely to crush everyone.
Did all White Room students share this kind of terrible hobby?