Desperate Situation

"The Chang Shui Jing Special Exam has ended. You have thirty minutes to report to your homeroom teacher and withdraw. Anyone who misses the deadline will be expelled."

A mechanical announcement rang out over the camp's loudspeakers.

"You're wondering why I can use Devour Permission, right?"

"I don't mind telling you. I used Line to hide a Virus File in the bonfire party plans. Everyone in the class downloaded it."

"Do you remember Sotomura? I specifically asked him to write the virus program."

"While everyone was caught up in the joy of the party, no one noticed that time was passing more slowly."

Ayanokoji explained. Why could Ayanokoji use Devour? That was the first thought that crossed Nagami's mind. Various possibilities flashed through his head, but Ayanokoji simply gave him the answer.

"That's strange. What do you stand to gain from doing this, Ayanokoji?"

Nagami was still confused.

"Why? Sorry, I can't tell you yet."

A sudden betrayal was bound to throw the class into turmoil. Was it really worth doing for a few tens of thousands of points? Besides, it wouldn't be easy to get away with this. Everyone would label him a traitor.

Now that the permission on his phone had been confiscated, he couldn't send any messages. He could only wait until after the exam to explain.

Explain after the Special Exam...

Explain? Nagami seemed to be trapped in a loop, muttering over and over, "Explain, explain, explain..."

Silence filled the area. The only sound was Nagami talking to himself.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Without warning, Nagami burst into laughter, like a patient who'd suddenly escaped from a mental hospital.

"Have you gone mad?"

Ayanokoji looked at the laughing Nagami in confusion.

"How interesting! Absolutely fascinating! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"I knew I was right about you, Ayanokoji."

"You're gambling! You're betting that I'll never be able to explain myself to my classmates again, aren't you?"

Unless no one suspected Ayanokoji of betraying the class, the suspect's motive would hold up!

Then, if my guess was right, Ayanokoji hadn't acted on impulse. He'd been plotting this for a long time. Ayanokoji had completely outmaneuvered me.

There was no time for violence. Should he go explain things to Class D? But after explaining, who could guarantee he'd make it to the homeroom teacher's office in time?

What's more, Ayanokoji, the mastermind, had already taken charge of a large amount of Trust Points. Gathering four million points was impossible.

Ayanokoji wouldn't stop me from going to the Class D camp or to the homeroom teacher's office. No matter which route I chose, my expulsion was already a foregone conclusion.

If I was destined to be expelled, would I sacrifice myself to get the message to everyone in the class? Was Nagami really the kind of side character you'd find in a hot-blooded manga?

A cold sweat broke out across Nagami's back. That's right, Ayanokoji had bet correctly. Nagami was absolutely not the kind of selfless person who'd do that.

"You're right. For now, I'm willing to answer most of your questions."

Ayanokoji looked at Nagami with a complicated expression.

Think, think fast! The longer this took, the more it favored Ayanokoji! Nagami tried desperately to find a way out, and his gaze drifted toward the machine at the camp.

The loudspeaker. Couldn't the people in Class D hear it?

"Hey, you didn't forget that withdrawing from the exam would be announced to everyone, did you?"

"Don't worry. I've taken care of all the loudspeakers near the Class D camp. No one in Class D knows that Nagami has withdrawn from the exam."

Ayanokoji continued explaining patiently.

Nagami took a deep breath. "Hoo..."

Was this a dead end? He'd faced more desperate situations than he could count in his life.

His thoughts drifted back to the time before he'd crossed over.

"Hey, Coach. Your weight-loss method works great!"

"Of course. Follow my method, and you're guaranteed to win the featherweight match."

That was the result of Coach Onoe Dantu being bribed to tamper with the scale.

The coach had been Nagami's mentor and friend. Ever since Nagami first started boxing at the gym, he'd been by his side.

Nagami remembered all those days spent sweating it out at the training grounds. He'd never once doubted his coach—not until the weigh-in.

"Nagami, you're half a pound overweight."

At the weigh-in, Nagami's mind went blank. He couldn't remember how he'd even walked away.

"Coach, what the hell is this? Wasn't the scale at the gym certified?"

Nagami glared furiously at his coach.

"Calm down, Nagami."

"You can't win this match. Your opponent will knock you out in just three rounds. Can't you just accept defeat like a sensible person?"

"Bastard!"

Nagami and his coach grappled until the others pulled them apart.

"I'm sorry, Nagami. I have a family."

"Hey! Where are you going, Nagami?"

"Leave me alone!"

By the time his coach found him, he'd already had 200 milliliters of blood drawn.

"Are you crazy? Drawing blood? This isn't weight loss anymore—it's suicide!"

The coach rushed over and snatched the syringe away.

"This is enough."

"Hey, Nagami. It's just one match. You're young—do you really need to push yourself this hard? At this rate, you won't even have the strength to step into the ring."

"Then tell me, what other choice do I have?!"

Nagami roared, glaring at his coach with bloodshot eyes.

The match arrived as scheduled. The coach had been wrong. Nagami hadn't even lasted three rounds before he'd been knocked into a parallel world. What a ridiculous life.

Under the moonlight, Ayanokoji raised his phone and continued using his permission.

"Activate: Take half the points for myself."

Perhaps out of reluctance to part ways, Ayanokoji still told Nagami some of his reasons.

"Because you're here, I can't control Class D."

"That's the simple reason. I know you can't understand it."

"That's what I thought too."

Ayanokoji answered every question. Nagami's unease reached its peak. He had to do something in the little time he had left—just twenty-two minutes! The less time he had, the worse things were for him.

41, 43, 47. Let's think of prime numbers. No one can divide them. Yet they're filled with sorrow, as if forever alone on an endless journey, searching for some kind of truth.

Suddenly, Nagami thought of the only solution—the least reliable one. Without hesitation, he sprinted off in one direction.

(If this works, it'll be the only way to turn things around.)

Ayanokoji didn't stop Nagami, because he wasn't heading toward Class D. He also knew that after the Special Exam, Nagami would never appear in class again. He wouldn't give Nagami a chance to explain himself.

The bonfire blazed, its flames dancing and lighting up the night sky.

The scent of burning wood hung in the air beneath the firelight. The students gradually gathered amid laughter, forming a large circle.

As the music started, its lively melody drifted through the night breeze, as if calling everyone to join in.

Hand in hand, everyone began to dance in a circle around the bonfire.

Their steps were a little clumsy at first, but they soon fell into the rhythm. Some hummed softly; others laughed out loud. The atmosphere grew more and more lively.

"Shinohara, will you be my girlfriend?"

Ike's sudden public confession stunned everyone!

"Uh, there are too many people! This is so embarrassing!"

Shinohara covered her face, which had turned bright red, as if she'd been drinking strong liquor.

"Get together! Get together..."

Everyone started chanting.

"You're impossible! Fine, I accept."

"Woohoo!"

Ike shouted in celebration. As of today, he could finally shed the label of someone who'd been single since birth.

"Kiss! Kiss..."

Someone else started chanting, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Shinohara dragged Ike away from the scene of their public embarrassment, drawing a chorus of boos.

The flames continued to burn, illuminating the rosy faces and lingering laughter all around.

"Have you seen Ayanokoji?"

Karuizawa asked one person after another.