Trap

No one answered.

Ayanokoji frowned as he looked down the mountain. Those traps were set up professionally; they were not something an amateur could have pulled off.

"It's Class B." Hiyori Shiina's voice came through again. "I saw them. People from Class B are moving through the woods. They're helping us."

Class B? Honami Ichinose?

A new voice suddenly came over the walkie-talkie—a female voice.

"Ayanokoji-kun, can you hear me?"

It was Honami Ichinose.

"Ichinose-san?" Ayanokoji replied.

"It's us." Ichinose's voice was gentle. "We're in the woods to your south. We were the ones who set those traps earlier."

"Why help us?"

"Because Shiina-san is with you," Ichinose said. "Besides, I believe Class D is worth cooperating with."

Cooperation. Shiina had mentioned this word yesterday, and now Ichinose had said it herself.

"What are the conditions?" Ayanokoji asked directly.

"Simple," Ichinose said. "We help you hold the high ground, and we share the points. Additionally, after the exam, Class D must support a proposal from Class B—the specifics can be discussed later."

Ayanokoji thought quickly. Class B's help was indeed timely, but this favor would have to be repaid later.

"Agreed," he said. "But right now, Class C is still at the foot of the mountain, and Class A is lurking as well."

"I know," Ichinose said. "That's why we need a plan."

She paused. "Ryuen will go all out next; he won't be content with failure. And Katsuragi... he will likely wait until Class C and us have worn each other down before moving in to reap the rewards."

"So?"

"So we need to hurt Class C first." Ichinose's voice remained gentle, but her words were firm. "Hit them until Ryuen is forced to retreat. Then, we can deal with Class A together."

Clear and decisive.

Ayanokoji gained a new perspective on this leader of Class B. Honami Ichinose was not just a pushover; she had a ruthless side as well.

"How exactly?"

"You take your people and feign an attack from the west to draw Class C's attention," Ichinose said. "My people will circle around from the east and ambush their rear. A pincer attack—quick and decisive."

A classic tactic.

"How long do you need?"

"Fifteen minutes to prepare," Ichinose said. "We act simultaneously in fifteen minutes."

"Fine."

The call ended.

Ayanokoji relayed the plan to the others. Sudo and Horikita both agreed; although cooperating with Class B was unexpected, in the current situation, having one more ally was better than having one more enemy.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly.

"Move out."

Ayanokoji led Sudo and two others down from the high ground, slowly approaching Class C's temporary camp.

Class C spotted them immediately.

"Class D is coming down!" someone shouted.

Ryuen stood up, looked in Ayanokoji's direction, and bared his teeth in a grin. "Finally stopped acting like cowards? Come on then!"

Class C gathered on the west side, preparing for battle.

But just then, the sounds of fighting erupted from the east.

"The back! There are people in the back!" Class C's rear flank fell into chaos.

Eight people from Class B charged out of the woods, diving straight into Class C's back. They had clearly trained for coordination; their movements were synchronized, and they shattered Class C's formation in an instant.

"It's Class B!" Daichi Ishizaki exclaimed. "They've teamed up with Class D!"

Caught in a pincer attack, Class C was instantly forced onto the defensive.

Ryuen's expression turned incredibly ugly. He hadn't expected Class B to intervene, and he certainly hadn't expected them to choose to cooperate with the weakest class, Class D.

The battle lasted less than ten minutes. Although Class C had the numerical advantage, they were being attacked from both sides, and their morale quickly collapsed.

"Retreat!" Ryuen gritted his teeth and ordered. "Fall back!"

The members of Class C covered each other as they retreated deep into the woods. They left behind three injured people, who lay on the ground unable to move.

The members of Class B and Class D converged.

Honami Ichinose walked over. She was a girl with brown hair, wearing a gentle smile, but her eyes were sharp.

"Pleasure working with you, Ayanokoji-kun."

"Pleasure working with you," Ayanokoji nodded. "Though Class A is still watching."

Indeed, the people from Class A had been observing from a distance the entire time and did not intervene in the battle that just took place.

Kohei Katsuragi walked over, his expression calm.

"Ichinose, you chose to cooperate with Class D," he said. "That is quite interesting."

"Katsuragi-kun could also choose to cooperate," Ichinose said with a smile. "The rules allow two classes to form an alliance, and there is still one spot left."

"With Class D?" Katsuragi shook his head. "Class A will not form an alliance with the lowest-ranked class; it is a matter of dignity."

Typical Class A thinking.

"Then it cannot be helped," Ichinose shrugged. "From here on out, it will be our Class B and Class D against your Class A."

"Two against one, that isn't fair, is it?" Katsuragi said.

"Whatever the rules allow is fair," Ichinose replied with a smile.

The atmosphere grew tense once again. But this time, it was Class A pitted against the alliance of Class B and Class D.

Katsuragi checked the time; it was eleven o'clock in the morning. There were twenty-one hours left until the mission ended.

"We will not launch a frontal assault," Katsuragi decided. "But you cannot go twenty-four hours without sleep. We will wait until you are exhausted."

Having said that, he led the people from Class A to a distance away and began setting up their own observation point.

Clearly, Class A intended to fight a war of attrition.

"This is troublesome," Ichinose frowned. "They want to wear us down."

Ayanokoji agreed. Guarding for twenty-four hours, the hardest part was actually the night. People always needed to sleep, while Class A could take shifts resting and be ready to launch a sneak attack at any time.

"We need to split the watch," he said. "Our two classes can take turns resting so that someone is always awake."

"That is the only way," Ichinose nodded. "Then Class B will take the first half of the night, and we will leave the second half to you in Class D?"

"Fine."

With the details of the cooperation finalized, what followed was a long period of guarding.

The afternoon was very quiet. Class A did not attack, and Class C did not appear again. But everyone knew that this calm was merely the prelude to a storm.

The night would be the true test.

The sky gradually darkened.

The people from Class B took over the defense, and the people from Class D went down to the temporary camp below the highland to rest.

Ayanokoji did not sleep; he and Ichinose sat by the campfire, looking at the map.

"Ryuen will not let this go," Ichinose said. "He must be planning something."

"I know," Ayanokoji nodded. "But all we can do for now is wait."

"What are you worried about?"

"Many things," Ayanokoji admitted. "I'm worried about a sneak attack from Class C, worried about Class A's plan, and also worried about... the stability within our own ranks."

"Internal?"

"Class D is not a monolith," Ayanokoji said. "Some people are only obeying temporarily; once the pressure becomes too great, they might collapse."

Ichinose fell silent. After a while, she said, "Class B has similar problems. Everyone wants to win, but everyone's definition of 'winning' is different."

The two looked at each other, both seeing understanding in the other's eyes.

In this school where ability is everything, everyone carries different burdens.

At eleven o'clock in the middle of the night, it was time to change shifts.

The people from Class D returned to the highland to relieve Class B.

The jungle at night was very dark, with only moonlight and sporadic flashlight beams. There was the sound of the wind, the chirping of insects, and the sound of waves in the distance.

Ayanokoji stood at the edge of the woods on the south side, keeping watch with full concentration.

Time passed second by second.

Two o'clock in the morning, the time when sleepiness was at its peak.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from the east side.

It sounded like a branch being snapped.

"Someone is there," Ayanokoji became alert immediately.

He turned on his walkie-talkie and whispered, "Everyone, pay attention. There is movement on the east side."

The people on the highland all woke up and gripped their weapons tightly.

But after waiting for a few minutes, nothing happened.

"Did you hear wrong?" Sudo asked.

"Impossible," Ayanokoji was certain.

A few minutes later, a sound came from the west side as well.

This time it was more distinct—it was the sound of footsteps.

"Both sides?" Horikita frowned.

"A feint to the east to attack in the west." Ayanokoji understood. "They want to divert our attention and then break through at the weakest point."

The weakest point... was the north side. Only one person was guarding it.

"Sudo, go support the north side," Ayanokoji ordered. "Horikita, you guard the west. Leave the south to me."

With the assignments made, everyone moved to their positions.

But strangely, the sounds vanished again.

The jungle returned to silence, as if everything that had just happened were a hallucination.

"What's going on..." Sudo said over the walkie-talkie. "There's nothing here on my end."

"Same here," Horikita replied.

Ayanokoji frowned. No, this was too strange.

Suddenly, he realized something.

"It's a trap!" he shouted into the walkie-talkie. "Their target isn't the high ground!"

"What?"

"It's the camp!" Ayanokoji turned and sprinted down the mountain. "They've gone to raid our camp!"

But it was already too late.

Screams drifted up from the foot of the mountain—the voices of girls.

Then came the glow of fire—thick smoke was rising from the direction of the camp.

Ryuen hadn't launched a frontal assault on the high ground; he had chosen a more vicious tactic: attacking the Class D camp and burning their supplies.

This way, even if Class D held the high ground, they wouldn't be able to last without their provisions.

"Ryuen..." Ayanokoji gritted his teeth and charged down the slope.

When he arrived at the camp, he was met with a scene of chaos.

Tents had been set on fire, and supplies were scattered everywhere. Several girls were screaming, and the boys were attempting to put out the flames.

Yosuke Hirata had a bruise on his face, clearly the result of a scuffle. Kei Karuizawa was organizing everyone to salvage the supplies that hadn't yet burned.

"Where are the people from Class C?" Ayanokoji asked.

"They ran," Hirata panted. "Seven or eight of them came, set the fire, and bolted. We couldn't stop them."

Ayanokoji looked at the burning tents and the scattered supplies, his heart sinking.

Half the food was burned, and a significant amount of water had been spilled. Most importantly, the medical supplies and tools had suffered heavy losses.

At this rate, let alone holding the position for twenty-four hours, even basic survival would be a problem.

Ichinose's voice came over the walkie-talkie: "Ayanokoji-kun, do you need support on the high ground?"

"No need," Ayanokoji said. "You keep guarding the high ground. As for the camp... we can handle it."

That was what he said, but the reality was dire.

After returning to the high ground, Ayanokoji informed the others of the situation.

"Damn it!" Sudo punched a tree. "That bastard Ryuen!"

"What do we do now?" Horikita asked. "We don't have enough supplies to last until tomorrow morning."

It was true; there was only enough food for tonight, and only half the water remained. Without medicine, if someone were to get injured, the consequences would be even more severe.

Ayanokoji remained silent, his brain racing.

Just then, the system's notification sound suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Host detected in a predicament. Emergency choice triggered.]

[Option 1: Abandon the high ground to preserve remaining supplies. Reward: Team survival rate increased.]

[Option 2: Hold the high ground and search for alternative resources. Reward: If successful, class cohesion significantly increased.]

[Option 3: Negotiate with Class A and trade a portion of points for supplies. Reward: Diplomatic ability increased.]

Three choices, three paths.

Ayanokoji looked toward the direction of the Class A camp at the foot of the mountain, then back at his exhausted companions on the high ground.

He knew this choice would determine the fate of Class D in this exam.

And he had to make a decision.