After a brief sleep, I turn on the GPS search just as 6:00 AM arrives. If I do this today I should see some unusual activity among top freshmen, including Housen.
There is nothing unusual about the positioning. The only one at the same table, Housen, is in a close position, but everyone else is at least three squares away. There is no indication that they are preparing anything at this time. Itâs hard to imagine being attacked in a public place, so as long as Ishizaki and the others are around, we can assume weâre safe.
Hiyori, Ishizaki and the others began to wake up and prepare for the 12th day of the exam. When everyone was ready, we started walking together.
Ishizaki complained, still groggy from sleep.
It can not be helped. We will lose points if we suddenly step on the designated area.
Ishizaki and Nishino started talking. They must have been talking like this for more than ten days. The rest of the group concentrated on walking, as if they werenât listening.
âAyanokouji-kun, do you ever feel lonely being in the exam?â Hiyori, who was walking beside me, asked me.
âNot especially. I feel more comfortable. â âI think Itâs a bit lonely and scary.â
âScared, huh? I canât imagine Hiyori being scared. â
Since she is always so relaxed, she seems to be insensitive to these issues. Even when psychic phenomena occur, she seems to just clap her hands and say, âThis is amazing!â
âBut Iâm still pretty scared, you know. That is why I am sincerely impressed withAyanokouji-kun. â
I think Horikita and Ibuki are doing better than me.
The longer you struggled with loneliness, the weaker your mental state became, and the more you began to think about things you didnât need to think about.
You begin to feel things that are not there in the sound of the wind or the swaying of the trees.
âSurely ⦠living on an uninhabited island alone is impossible for me.â
Hiyori looked a bit scared when imagining it.
Only through this test of the uninhabited island was I able to see an unusual side of her.
âThey are very close. Donât they?â
Iâm not sure how long he had been walking in front of everyone, but Ishizaki turned around, looked at us, and said so. (You donât need to get involved in anything else)
âWhy donât they go out? They can be couples and thatâs how Ayanokoji comes to our class, right?â
âYouâre thinking about it a lot.â
Nishino throws a strong punch and Ishizaki yells holding his head. âItâs funny, isnât it, Ishizaki-kun?â
With a giggle, Hiyori replies without seeming to care. If I took Ishizakiâs words at face value every time, Iâd be in trouble. I will let it pass.
âOuch, that hurts. If you want to put Ayanokouji in your class, donât you think itâs necessary?â
âI do not think so at all. You are the one who is so obsessed with Ayanokouji-kun. â
For those of other classes, who do not know the details of the situation, that would be more mysterious. Getting a perfect score on an exam can seem like too demanding.
âWell, what can I say? ⦠We are on the same wavelength.â
âI donât think you are on the same wavelength. I donât think anyone is on the same wavelength as you. â
Faced with Nishinoâs harsh response, Ishizaki sought help without hesitation. âThatâs not true. Ishizaki-kun has a determined look.â
Hiyori says as if to continue, but they all bow their heads in unison. âWhat do you mean?â
âIt is what it is. I canât answer any more questions.â
ââ¦So yes. In any case, itâs good that Shiina-san praises you. â
âOh yeah! I donât know what it is, but I donât feel bad about being praised! â
I guess I couldnât think of anything specific to say. There was no way to say something so cruel, so I listened silently.
Later, at seven in the morning, it was announced that the first designated zone was H10. Hiyori and her friends seemed to be in a different designated zone than J9, so it seemed like we werenât going to compete with each other. I appreciate it, because it is not good to compete with other students in the same course.
âThatâs all for now, Ayanokouji. See you later.â
âAh. There are only a few days left, so donât lose your temper. â
Ah. There are only a few days left, so donât lose your temper. â
Ishizaki offered me his fist, which I accepted, and then we started going our separate ways. After a short walk, I thought I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw Ishizaki and Hiyori waving at me. I waved goodbye to them and headed for H10.
I spared no effort to repeat the GPS search every hour this day, but there were no signs of any change in the movements of the freshmen.
The information Nanase had risked so much to tell me about the trick of the 12th was empty. Either Amasawa, who knew of Nanaseâs betrayal, pointed out the information leak. Or the plan was going to go ahead today but was postponed or canceled due to some accident.
In any case, I canât let my guard down tomorrow, the 13th and last day. The third and fourth designated zones of the day had to pass twice due to random zones.
I didnât lose much ground in the rankings, but the searches took a toll on me and I dropped to 16th place.
Tomorrow, I have to step on the designated area at all costs.