There's No Point Panicking

As for the rule 'Outposts occupied by other classes may not be used without permission'...

Hey, he just happened to be passing by and happened to leave the leader's keycard here.

What did he use? He didn't use anything, so how can it be considered a violation?

Even if he held onto the terminal screen tightly to block it, he couldn't buy much time except for making a fool of himself for a while.

Ryuen Kakeru was well aware of this, and he also knew that Asakusa Toru would probably figure it out very quickly.

That's why he needs to 'bluff'.

"Is that so?" Asakusa Toru Tetsu's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unconcerned about Ryuen Kakeru taking over the stronghold.

"Then you can have it." He gave Ryuen Kakeru a deep look, and in the final few seconds of the countdown, as if he had been successfully threatened by Ryuen Kakeru, he abandoned the stronghold and turned to run off in another direction.

Staring intently at Asakusa Toru's departure, Ryuen Kakeru waited for the countdown behind him to end.

With little time remaining, Asakusa Toru, who had already fled, clearly had no chance of turning back.

Therefore, he won.

This is the first stronghold we've captured, but it certainly won't be the last.

Asakusa Toru needs to proceed to the next stronghold he has occupied in chronological order to continue checking in, so he won't waste time on himself. He needs to guard against Class B making a move, so threats are the only way to be effective.

Similarly, all I need to do is skip the next few strongholds he recaptures and take a shortcut to the weaker strongholds—that way I can seize another stronghold.

A confident smile curved Ryuen Kakeru's lips.

However, the corners of his mouth, which had been raised, quickly turned down in the opposite direction.

Because he suddenly realized a very crucial issue.

After an afternoon of investigation, the order in which Asakusa Toru occupied the different strongholds could be easily calculated using the time difference of the countdown.

In other words, he was able to easily grasp Asakusa Toru's course of action.

Logically speaking, even if he skipped the stronghold he was in charge of, he should still head in the original direction so that he could capture the stronghold just in time for the countdown to end.

Why didn't he go around me, but instead ran towards the direction of the forest?

"..."

There is only one answer.

His goals have changed at this moment.

That direction is not the direction the next stronghold should be in, but the direction of the stronghold occupied by First-Year Class C.

"!"

The moment he realized this, Ryuen Kakeru's face turned extremely ugly.

He knew what Asakusa Toru was going to do.

He, Ryuen Kakeru, is the leader of Class C, and he also holds the key card.

This means that when the countdown to the base where Class C is located ends, and Ryuen Kakeru is not present, no one in the class will be able to continue the occupation.

If, at that moment, Asakusa Toru went there and casually swiped his key card at their class's hideout in the same 'just happened to be passing by' manner...

That means their current base will be converted into Class A's base at this moment.

This means that another rule violation—'Use of outposts occupied by other classes without permission'—will immediately take effect.

At that moment, all members of Class C would be deemed to be illegally using Class A's base.

First-Year Class C will be instantly eliminated!

Of course, this couldn't be done during the day; as long as forty students from the class were blocking the way, there would be no need to worry about this happening.

If someone tries to force their way through, they will naturally be met with violence.

But it's four in the morning!

Everyone except him and Yamada Albert had gone to sleep!

Who can stop this guy?

Will Yamada be able to react?

How much time is left until your class's stronghold refreshes?

Should I chase after them?

Can I catch up with him?

A series of questions suddenly popped into Ryuen Kakeru's mind, but he quickly forgot about them.

Whether it's possible or not, let's just go for it first!

Even though he was only seconds away from taking over the stronghold, Ryuen Kakeru couldn't care less; he couldn't wait those few seconds!

If we lose a base camp outpost, even capturing ten such outposts would be a net loss!

Gritting his teeth, Ryuen Kakeru began his longest sprint since enrolling in school.

"Grass--ni--ma--sho--grass--tetsu--"

Chasing after him, Ryuen Kakeru, still breathing with all his might, roared out insults.

Swearing is not prohibited Uninhabited Island Exam.

"Stop it, employers and employees!"

This was not a sign of losing control of his emotions; on the contrary, it was part of Ryuen Kakeru's strategy.

Thugs are best at using foul language to provoke others, getting their targets to attack first so they can gain the upper hand in a counterattack.

Although Ryuen Kakeru became the leader of Class C, he carried a slight burden of leadership.

But this does not mean he has lost the ability to verbally attack.

The sound echoed through the silent, empty, dark forest. The light representing Asakusa Toru moved swiftly through the dim forest, so fast that Ryuen Kakeru wondered if he wasn't afraid of tripping over vines or something.

However, with Asakusa Toru leading the way, he didn't need to worry too much about any dangers along the way.

Unexpectedly, after running for a short while, Asakusa Toru slowed down considerably, and even stopped, as if he had called him back.

If it weren't for him clearing the way ahead and slowing down, even if Ryuen Kakeru tried his best, he probably wouldn't have been able to catch up with this guy.

... Just what kind of speed monster is this guy?

"Huff, huff, huff, huff--" Breathing rapidly, Ryuen Kakeru wiped his mouth, which had been brushed by leaves, bent over, and looked straight at Asakusa Toru, who had stopped running. "What, not planning to keep running?"

"Because there's no need for it anymore." Asakusa Toru said, his breath coming in gasps as he looked at the suddenly open and bright surroundings.

The noise subsided a bit, and finally, different sounds could be heard from those around them.

Without a doubt, Class C's camp is not far ahead.

Ryuen Kakeru: "?"

What do you mean by "it's unnecessary"?

He was puzzled, but it was a good thing that Asakusa Toru stopped. At least at this distance, after resting for a while, he might not be able to outrun this guy, but if he pounced on him and grabbed his leg, it wouldn't be a problem.

He, Ryuen Kakeru, is capable of doing such a thing.

However, despite thinking this, Ryuen Kakeru only kept an eye on Asakusa Toru's actions, and incidentally turned his gaze to the direction Asakusa Toru was looking at.

... that was their class's campsite.

Pushing aside the bushes and passing Asakusa Toru, I held my breath and walked forward, and there was the familiar classroom camp in front of me.

But the difference is that when he left, only Yamada Albert was awake in the camp, but now...

"Report, teacher! Search complete! More than twenty illegally carried 'personal items' were found in Ryuen Kakeru's package!" the man shouted loudly, raising his hand like a lackey.

Ryuen Kakeru was completely stunned.

"... ha?"

"I can use my Private Points as collateral."

The moment Sakayanagi Arisu on the other end of the walkie-talkie uttered those words, Mashima Tomoya knew he had no reason to refuse.

Although he was a little resentful about having to work overtime until 4 a. m., he had long been used to it after being Advanced Nurturing tutor for so many years.

As a mature and stable member of society, working overtime is unavoidable.

During summer vacation, I need to work overtime to prepare for Special Exam, and after the Special Exam, I need to work overtime to prepare lesson plans for the start of the new semester.

Although the teaching profession may seem to have fixed vacation time like students, it is essentially closer to working year-round without a break.

Especially at Advanced Nurturing, a school that doesn't even let summer vacation pass by.

Fortunately, he's surprisingly good at working overtime.

In short, since it's a report, you should report it to the school first.

He, as a single teacher, couldn't possibly manage the situation.

Thus, the investigation, based on a Private Points vouched for by Sakayanagi Arisu, began.

Where is your class leader?

The first thing to do, of course, is to find the leader himself in order to maintain order.

It's not a good thing to conduct searches on students in the middle of the night, but they have no choice when it comes to the fairness of the exam.

"..."

Unfortunately, the student on night watch in Class C seemed to be a Black man who wasn't very talkative.

But it's okay, as long as someone's here.

"Never mind, anyway, we received a report that Class C brought 'personal belongings' into the exam in violation of regulations."

"Anyway, let's wake everyone up first. We need to resume the search and check the list of supplies you redeemed with your reward points."

"If there are any discrepancies, I'm sorry, but you will be punished as a class unit."

Mashima Tomoya's voice echoed clearly all around.

As the search operation began, the students of Class C, despite being fast asleep, were forced to get out of their tents.

Without a doubt, they were full of resentment.

"What are you doing, so late at night...?"

"What kind of lunatic is this? Reporting someone? Which lunatic did this?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I've never heard of reporting this!!"

"How could someone report this? How could it be a report? How could someone report this?"

"... Hey, we're not really going to get caught, are we? What will happen if we do?"

The resentment of being woken up, a little bit of morning grumpiness, followed by a sudden realization of the more crucial issue after fully waking up.

First-Year Class C started to panic.

Chapter 211 Panic is Useless

Security checks resumed, a chaotic scene unfolded, with no leader in place and little preparation for unforeseen circumstances.

The comparison between the supplies and the exchange list was completed almost effortlessly.

Although students, even those who report others, are not allowed to interfere in the search, it is tacitly permitted for them to stand by and watch.

That's why, when the teacher found Ryuen Kakeru's package, Hashimoto Masayoshi's eyes lit up immediately.

He's going to be a super lackey!

Therefore, Hashimoto Masayoshi raised his hand without hesitation:

"Reporting, teacher! Search complete!"

His words echoed clearly throughout Class C's camp, reaching Ryuen Kakeru's ears.

"... I... I was reported?" Ryuen Kakeru was completely dumbfounded.

He had considered the possibility of being beaten up by Asakusa Toru, and whether he should bring Albert along to try to seize the stronghold. He also considered that his calculations might fall short, and that he might fail to threaten Asakusa Toru and instead be defeated. He also considered that the other party might use some unexpected methods to deal with him, and he would deal with them as they came.