But I Won't Back Down

Asakusa Toru unaware of the variables on Ryuen Kakeru's side; he only briefly checked the time before arriving at the recalculated optimized route for capturing the outpost.

Although Class B's scheme seems to focus mainly on reporting Class C, Sakayanagi Arisu's plan is to use the commotion as an opportunity to sneak into her own base?

Following the principles of all tactical shifters, even if they lose all their base points, capturing a few more strongholds from their own hands would still be a significant gain.

Therefore, Asakusa Toru goes all out.

"Drop."

"Drop."

"Drop."

Green lights appeared one after another, and the strongholds were recaptured.

Unexpectedly, Sakayanagi Arisu's men did not block the way, and the stronghold, whose capture countdown had already ended, was not marked with the name of Class B.

... Could that little dwarf have never considered the possibility of stealing his base like Ryuen did?

Moreover, perhaps because he turned and left too decisively, the stronghold that Ryuen wanted to steal was still untouched when he returned.

To be honest, he had already prepared to give up this base to Ryuen in exchange for the base where his class was staying.

However, what was even more surprising was that the stronghold that Ryuen was keeping an eye on had not been lost. On the contrary, it seemed that Ryuen arrived at another stronghold just as he approached and swiped his key card.

Blinking, Asakusa Toru returned to his class after retracing the entire route of the base's capture.

Welcome back.

With a gentle smile, Ichinose Honami, who was still awake, waved her hand.

"I'm back," she replied casually. Seeing the weariness on her face, Asakusa Toru couldn't help but lecture her, "Kanzaki and Shibata can take turns keeping watch. Why are you wasting your energy here?"

He's a gym graduate with plenty of energy to squander, so he doesn't mind if he has to reduce his sleep time or work at 4 a. m.

But Ichinose Honami is different. Although her physical abilities aren't bad, she's still a beautiful girl after all.

After directing and leading the class in labor all day, and still not sleeping well into the night, are you really planning to die from overwork?

"Go to sleep."

The words of command came from his mouth, but Ichinose Honami felt a slight warmth in her heart.

"Yes, I just wanted to wait for you a little while, then I'll go to sleep." She nodded gently. "So, Che-kun, you should go to sleep early too."

"It will be dawn soon."

"As for keeping watch... just like you said, we can wake up Kanzaki or Shibata- kun."

She made a slightly nasty joke that she would never have said in the past.

"If I get sleepy, I will." With a smile, Asakusa Toru stretched. "But before that, I'll probably take a quick look at the settlement."

He went to bed early after finishing his diary, just so he could get up and work at this hour. He hasn't even had time to check his reward for the day yet.

Having just finished touring the island, I'll take a look at today's rewards.

"Hmm." Ichinose Honami nodded gently, lifted a corner of the tent flap, and her flowing hair disappeared into the falling tent.

Sitting before the burning campfire, Asakusa Toru's thoughts stirred slightly.

As a result, the settlement information that he had ignored reappeared.

[Today's record completed, this record is rated 'B', currently drawing rewards]

[Draw successful! Congratulations on obtaining the item 'Treasure Compass']

[Name: Treasure Compass]

[Category: Items]

[Effect: Scans for nearby 'treasures' and guides you to their location]

[Note: "A very good compass, but its definition of 'treasure' might be a little different from what you think."]

Evaluation and details of rewards.

However, what does it mean that the definition of 'treasure' is different from what I thought?

Let's take a look at the demo animation first.

Maybe then you'll understand?

The compass itself is actually quite simple in appearance, so simple that it has no extra fancy decorations. It looks like one of those cheap, broken compasses you can buy wholesale for a few cents at a two-dollar store. It just has the pointer attached in a rather crude way, making you wonder if it can actually point in the right direction.

Fortunately, it seems that in the demo animation, it still moves according to the changes in position.

The pointer trembled slightly as it pointed in one direction, and I followed its direction, traversing the Uninhabited Island.

Soon, the pointer's direction stabilized as it moved, and as if parting the clouds to reveal the mist, the sound of rushing water seemed to echo in our ears.

A hazy mist rose, and then the girl's figure, blurred like a mosaic, appeared in our eyes.

The moment his gaze settled on the girl's figure, the compass in his hand seemed to have found a so-called 'treasure,' no longer stubbornly pointing forward, but rather spinning aimlessly.

"..."

The demonstration animation has ended.

But Asakusa Toru's expression was quite subtle.

... You call this a treasure?

No, he wholeheartedly agreed that beautiful girls are treasures, a sentiment Asakusa Toru would always express whenever he felt the warmth of their skin.

But, dude, if it's just pointing to a pretty girl, he could use his super weapon radar to search for her even without a compass!

Cough, no.

In short, this thing seems pretty useless...

Just as Asakusa Toru was thinking this, the demo ended, and the compass in his hand seemed to start spinning, pointing in a direction.

Asakusa Toru: "...?"

It's starting to spin now?

After a moment's thought, Asakusa Toru first put away the compass, and then without hesitation, lifted the tent flap of the boy's pants and shook Kanzaki Ryuji.

"Hmm... what's wrong?" Kanzaki Ryuji rubbed his eyes and got up, then caught a glimpse of a faint light coming from outside the tent.

It's probably about time.

Before Asakusa Toru could say anything, he stood up on his own initiative:

"I understand. You can go to sleep now. I'll call you around 8 o'clock for roll call."

It's time for him to take over.

"No, I just need to go out for a little while longer, so I'll leave this place to you for now." Asakusa Toru shook his head.

He doesn't need a little more sleep; he could just change his schedule a bit, finish another round of work around midnight, and then go to sleep.

"... Is that so? Go and come back soon." Kanzaki Ryuji had no objection to this.

It must be said that as long as the class rankings remain stable, Kanzaki Ryuji is indeed an excellent assistant.

He wouldn't ask too many questions, nor would he particularly want to know more.

Just like his birthday not long ago, after leaving quietly, he had no intention of saying a word about whether Asakusa Toru and Ichinose Honami actually got together.

Rather, as long as it doesn't hinder his graduation from Class A, he will completely obey the leader's orders.

Stepping out of the tent, Asakusa Toru reached back and pulled out a compass.

Just as he was about to follow the direction of the pointer to find out what it was pointing to, a faint noise came from the girls' tent next to him.

The curtain was lifted, Shiranami Chihiro's slightly flushed face peeked out from the gap.

... Are you feeling hot?

Although it was nighttime, it could get a little warm inside a relatively 'insulated' tent, especially when there were many people, making it even more stuffy.

Asakusa Toru's gaze met Shiranami Chihiro's at just the right moment, and in that instant, he immediately discerned the hidden meaning in her eyes.

"..."

Then, a slightly strange expression appeared on Asakusa Toru's face. He looked down at the hands, then looked up at Shiranami Chihiro, and then looked back at Kanzaki Ryuji.

Finally, his hand was naturally taken by his girlfriend, and the girl stood on tiptoe in the bushes behind the tent.

On the morning of the vernal equinox, as the sun rose, a slightly excessive dream stirred a ripple in the young girl's heart.

She wanted a kiss, a desperate measure to quench her thirst.

Therefore, the treasure the Treasure Compass seeks is a beautiful girl, but it is more than just a beautiful girl.

It seeks out pretty young girls who are brimming with springtime charm.

Chapter 214 But I will not back down.

Shiranami Chihiro was actually unsatisfied, but she didn't dare to ask for too much.

After all, they're still on Uninhabited Island; they should at least respect the exam.

... Speaking of respecting exams, Asakusa Toru suddenly remembered that there was one thing he hadn't done yet.

'Fortify' the defenses of the stronghold.

Or, to put it another way, just change your base.

Due to the existence of the underhanded tactics used not long ago, anyone who seizes the opponent's main stronghold at the exact time the stronghold refreshes can forcibly deduct a large amount of points from the opponent by using illegal means.

As long as there is no 'protection' around the stronghold, anyone can break into the stronghold and openly rob it.

Compared to relying on a human wall for guard duty, Asakusa Toru felt that slightly reinforcing the defenses would definitely give him more peace of mind.

... For no apparent reason, it felt a bit like protecting the respawn point in Bed Wars of Minecraft.

Respawn point, initial bonus points, bonus points gained from expanding territory occupation points.

Aside from the inability to upgrade equipment and the lack of true resurrection, there are surprisingly many similarities...

Cough.

As I was thinking this, the dim sky gradually began to lighten.

As dawn broke, more and more students, including Shiranami Chihiro, gradually woke up.

It was a survival mission on a deserted island, and although it was supposed to be a good night's sleep after a long day, most people weren't used to sleeping too soundly in the tent.

Rustling, hushed sounds gradually rose in the camp.

Ichinose Honami had only been asleep for a short while, got up again.

"Phew, good morning, Tetsu-kun." She smiled and waved at Asakusa Toru, yawning as she spoke.

Clearly, she hadn't slept enough.

But she needed to get up and briefly maintain order, direct the students, and prepare for the roll call at eight o'clock in the morning.

Asakusa Toru casually replied, his fingertips brushing against his lips and teeth:

Good morning, Honami.

As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the compass in his hand out of the corner of his eye.

The compass, which had been firmly pointing towards Shiranami Chihiro, suddenly seemed to be drawn in by a stronger magnet, pointing directly at Ichinose Honami.

"..." Asakusa Toru blinked, put away the compass, and instead placed his hands on Ichinose Honami's shoulders.

Their eyes met, and he whispered, "Want a morning kiss?"

"Yes." Without hesitation, she stood on tiptoe.

The best way for those with low energy to replenish their vitality is through physical intimacy with loved ones.

The most efficient of them all is obviously Kissing.

As a result, most of the fatigue on Ichinose Honami's face was wiped away, and her eyes regained their clarity.

"It smells like Chihiro." Unblinking her hands, which had been tightly clasped together, Ichinose Honami placed her index finger against Asakusa Toru's chest and said calmly, "I can smell it."

"... Is there?" Asakusa Toru grabbed the collar of his shirt and sniffed it, but he couldn't detect the scent that Ichinose Honami had described.

"Yes." Ichinose Honami nodded slightly, then smiled faintly, "But it's okay since it's Chihiro."