Chapter 310: Final Day of the Exam, Finding the Injured Morishita Ai
"Splash~!" Koenji Rokusuke whipped off his towel with one hand, standing tall and proud! His numerical value was not at all inferior to Albert's.
"Dammit...!"
"He managed to show off again!" Everyone wore expressions of disbelief, but faced with that arrogant Tyrannosaurus, they were all struck with awe.
"Ayanokouji, it's your turn, hurry up and give me... AH?!" Tokito Hiroya launched a sneak attack from behind, stripping the towel from Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's waist. The onlookers' pupils shrank as they once again fell into a long, profound silence.
"This should be enough, right?" In order to conform to the crowd, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka participated in this Tyrannosaurus competition.
He thought this would bring him closer to the other boys. But looking at it now, it seemed he had backfired.
"Why..."
"Why does a detestable, scheming guy like Ayanokouji possess such a weapon?"
"Heaven is too unfair!!" One by one, they beat their chests and stamped their feet. Finally, someone suddenly turned their spearhead toward Hikigaya, who was watching the scene from the side.
"Hey, Hikigaya!"
"You're a normal value, right?"
"Please! Let us win just once!" Everyone looked at him with gazes bordering on prayer, and some were even muttering curses under their breath.
"Even if you say that, personal talent doesn't change." Hikigaya shrugged with a wordless expression, then gave it a shake on the spot, letting the towel drop.
"YAMERO!!!"
"You Great Demon King!"
"You're actually..."
"Why don't you just wrap it around your waist?"
"Chikusho!"
"This is unfair!!"
"Is this the real reason Hikigaya is so popular with the girls?"
"The girls are way too strong, aren't they?"
The whole place exploded. Envy, jealousy, chagrin, and resentment—all sorts of gazes focused on Hikigaya.
"Hahaha! As expected of Dolphin Boy, you possess a beautiful weapon just like mine." Koenji Rokusuke praised loudly.
"Hey, Koenji, your weapon looks slightly inferior to Hikigaya's.
How about you two get closer and measure it?" Ryuen Kakeru was stoking the fire with a very malicious grin.
"Forget it, I have no hobby for fencing with others." Koenji Rokusuke immersed his body in the pool, covered his face with a towel, and leaned his head back against the edge.
"I am not as good as Hikigaya." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke words that sounded very weak with a poker face. In terms of numerical value, Albert, Koenji, Ayanokouji, and Hikigaya were almost neck-and-neck, though their shapes each had their own characteristics. It was just that Ayanokouji had no need for fame, so he actively chose to yield. As for Albert... he said nothing.
"He actually backed down..."
"It seems the crown of this year's Tyrannosaurus belongs to Hikigaya-kun!" Hashimoto Masayoshi was clearly enjoying the chaos, wanting to make things even bigger.
"Tsk tsk~ No wonder he can go eight times, he's practically an animal." Ryuen Kakeru mocked with sarcasm.
"Hikigaya-kun, in the future, please be a bit more gentle with Ichinose..." Shibata Souta looked ready to cry, pleading with a humble face.
"Sigh~ Can you guys stop talking nonsense?" Listening to everyone's talk get more and more ridiculous, the expression on Hikigaya's face truly couldn't hold. He thought bathing was supposed to soothe the mind and body so everyone could face tomorrow's exam in peak condition.
Why did it feel like everyone's pressure had increased instead? Hikigaya felt like saying: Blame me then!
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Forest School Exam, Day 7.
Upon waking up early in the morning, Hikigaya clearly noticed members of other groups casting strange looks at him. One didn't even need to think to know why. Last night's
Tyrannosaurus showdown had definitely spread. Fortunately, today was the final day of the special exam. Most people were focused on the test and had no time for such gossip.
The first exam: Meditation. Everyone in Hikigaya's group passed smoothly.
The second exam: Dormitory cleaning. Nothing much to say there; everyone passed. It was just a matter of how the final points would be calculated.
The third exam: Mountain Climbing Relay. This was the core of the Forest School Exam! It was said to account for 60% of the final score.
Hikigaya arranged for himself to run the first leg. The uphill section required high levels of stamina and endurance, which were Hikigaya's personal strengths. In contrast, the large-bodied Albert and Katsuragi Kohei had surprisingly weak endurance and were only suited for the downhill sections. Other members were placed in sections they were good at. The only variable was Koenji Rokusuke.
"Koenji, can I ask you to finish your run honestly?"
"Are you teaching me how to do things?"
"@#! ¥%... ***" Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, cursing at him one after another.
"I'll take over Koenji's leg," Kanzaki Ryuji said, prioritizing the big picture and taking on a task that wasn't his.
"Wait, Kanzaki, are you really okay with that?"
"One person running two legs." Ishizaki Daichi expressed concern. Perhaps after several days of mixed-dorm living, even students from different classes had become a bit more friendly.
"It shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm responsible for the downhill section, so the physical drain isn't that great. I'll try my best to finish the whole course." Kanzaki Ryuji had good athletic grades and was quite a reliable person.
"Hey, dead-fish eyes, is this arrangement enough?" Ryuen Kakeru suddenly stared at him with a meaningful look.
"What else? I'm just fulfilling my duty as the person in charge. As for how you guys act, that's your business."
Hikigaya shrugged with an indifferent face. The relay race involved multiple groups running simultaneously, meaning they would encounter other runners along the way.
Interfering with others' running was a viable tactical maneuver. With Ryuen's restless personality, he would almost certainly trip up other groups!
"One must always be wary of others.
During this time, we must also prepare to defend against other groups." Katsuragi Kohei proactively took on the defensive work.
"In short, just do as you see fit." Hikigaya waved his hand casually. Communication between smart people was just that easy. He didn't even need to supervise; under shared interests, everyone would act consciously.
The Mountain Climbing Relay officially began! Hikigaya was in no rush to sprint, maintaining a steady pace. Initially, the lead was taken by Class A's Machida Koji, a member of the soccer club with good stamina. But the uphill section was extremely draining, and soon the runners in front began to slow down one by one. Hikigaya came from behind, overtaking them all, and took the first place for all groups!
"As expected of Hikigaya-kun, I'll take it from here!" After handing the baton to the second runner, Shibata Souta, Hikigaya's part in the exam was over. After resting under the shade of a tree for a while, Hikigaya had nothing to do, so he walked casually along the mountain path.
Along the way, he saw many runners drenched in sweat, gritting their teeth to keep going. He also met a few guys clearly slacking off, walking slowly. There were even some limping after a fall. Hikigaya stepped forward out of kindness to help, but was rejected by the other party with a face full of wariness.
Probably because his reputation as the "Great Demon King" preceded him, and they worried he had ulterior motives.
Hikigaya didn't feel sad about this; instead, he was happy to see it. He helped others purely for "self-satisfaction." The other party rejecting him satisfied his "goodwill" without him having to actually expend effort. It was a win-win, winning twice!
As he walked, Hikigaya saw a girl leaning against a large rock at a corner of the mountainside. Hikigaya remembered her; she seemed to be Morishita Ai from Class A. He saw her blue-purple shoulder-length twin tails, her face slightly dusty, and the thick black tights she wore had several holes torn by branches. She looked a bit disheveled.
"Yo~ Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hello, Morishita Ai."
"..." Morishita Ai had the habit of calling people by their full names, and Hikigaya cooperated with her.
"Need help?"
"...Not particularly."
"Okay, goodbye."
"Wait! Don't... I was just symbolically declining!"
Morishita Ai quickly called him back, complaining peevishly: "You, the Great Demon King, aren't as good at coaxing girls as the rumors say, are you? No... could you be playing hard to get?"
"So, do you need help or not?" Hikigaya's lips curled. He loved teaching a lesson to women who wanted to be difficult!
"Is this the way of the Tyrannosaurus? It's indeed very overbearing." Morishita Ai sighed helplessly.
'Endure it! Must endure it!'
Hikigaya pretended not to understand: "What Tyrannosaurus? The strongest land creature of the late Cretaceous period?"
Morishita Ai stared at him intently: "Stop pretending. Early this morning, the rumors about you boys reached our girls' dormitory."
Hikigaya's brow twitched, his expression almost failing to hold: "I say, you girls discussing boys' private matters in public... isn't that inappropriate?"
"It's a puberty-related topic, it's normal. Also, the topics discussed in the girls' dorm are much more explicit than you imagine~" Morishita Ai nonchalantly spilled the beans about the girls' dorm.
"Fine, let's skip these sensitive topics." Hikigaya extended his palm toward her.
"Thanks." Morishita Ai didn't act polite this time. With the help of his hand, she stood up. But her leg was a bit numb; she couldn't stand steadily and fell toward Hikigaya.
"Eee~ This 'tripping on flat ground' is quite a characteristic of a manga girl," Morishita Ai said, feigning composure.
Using sarcasm to cover the embarrassment in her heart? This kid is quite stubborn.
"Is that so? I thought you were doing it on purpose, throwing yourself into my arms," Hikigaya glanced sideways, teasing her verbally.
"Completely impossible...! I'm not Sakayanagi Arisu." To refute him, Morishita Ai unhesitatingly used her "master" as a shield.
"Can that bratty loli's body really handle this exam?" Hikigaya expressed great doubt. "No need to worry. Sakayanagi Arisu ran the first leg."
Uphill? Really? But Hikigaya quickly reacted.
"How many centimeters did she run?" Hikigaya asked. "That's too much; she at least ran 2.5 meters." Morishita Ai emphasized with a straight face.
'Are you sure you aren't trolling her?'
"Then that's very impressive." Hikigaya's lip couldn't help but twitch. The mountain climbing relay exam didn't specify the distance for each leg; each group could arrange it freely. If you were capable enough, running the whole course alone was no problem.
"Running the distance of two people by myself, I really am flyingly strong!!" Morishita Ai boasted with a proud face. "Quite strong indeed, one of your shoes even flew away." Hikigaya looked down. The sneaker on Morishita Ai's left foot was nowhere to be seen. Likely the laces weren't tied tight, and it accidentally got scraped off while going downhill, falling into a place where it was hard to retrieve.
"Hmph, are you a foot fetishist? You noticed even that." Morishita Ai retracted her left foot, hiding it behind her right foot—no different from an ostrich.
"I think anyone with normal vision would notice what it looks like to be missing a shoe," Hikigaya countered.
"Liar. You're clearly attracted to my feet wrapped in black tights. No doubt in your mind right now, you're imagining the sight of me taking off the stockings and being barefoot. You even fantasize about smelling and touching them. As a classmate of the same grade, it's time to distance myself from you." Morishita Ai spoke a long string of words with great fervor, and the imagery was quite vivid.
"What on earth are you rambling about? Well, rest assured, you aren't among the candidates in my dreams." Hikigaya told the truth.
"That's what you say, but males are almost equivalent to beasts. As the old saying goes: 'It is a man's shame not to eat what is served to his mouth.' You're attempting to adapt that saying for the modern age, aren't you?" Morishita Ai's words were sharp.
"..." Hikigaya remained silent.
"Why aren't you talking? Is it because I hit the truth... Ouch?!" Morishita Ai won the verbal battle and momentarily got carried away, failing to notice her footing and accidentally stepping on a protruding sharp rock. As luck would have it, it was the shoeless left foot!
"Misfortune comes from the mouth. See, you said the wrong thing, didn't you?" Though Hikigaya spoke words of schadenfreude, he still supported her and helped her sit down slowly.
"Hiss~It hurts... It's just a superficial wound, completely insignificant..." Morishita Ai was still being stubborn.
"If you're going to act cool, at least don't cry out in pain." Hikigaya rolled his eyes and crouched down: "Lift your foot, let me see."
"Hikigaya Hachiman, do you want to see the sole of my foot that badly?" Morishita Ai closed one eye, looking bashful.
"Lift it up!" Hikigaya urged peevishly. "Oh." Morishita Ai nodded obediently but couldn't help playing a bit, lifting her right foot. "The other one!"
Hikigaya's face was full of black lines. He didn't indulge her, directly reaching out to grab her left foot. A few drops of dark red blood were visible through the black tights; she was indeed injured.
"Take off the sock. Let's check how deep the wound is." Hikigaya's expression was serious.
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