Playing Along with Their Plan

"It's coming," he said into the radio.

"Copy that," the defenders at each position replied.

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

[ Ding! The host is about to face a joint attack. Limited-time mission triggered: Hold the Line.]

[ Mission objective: Hold Lookout Hill for the next three hours of attacks.]

[ Mission rewards: Tactical Command experience and Class Unity points, based on defensive performance.]

[ Special notice: The enemy appears to be testing you. Proceed with caution.]

Testing them? Ayanokoji understood. Classes A and C wanted to find out whether they had access to surveillance.

If they adjusted their defenses in advance, they'd give themselves away. But if they didn't, they might not be able to hold the hill.

They were caught between a rock and a hard place.

He thought quickly, then made his decision.

"Listen up," he said into the radio. "The enemy may attack from the west and south at the same time. But we can't adjust our defenses in advance."

"Why not?" Ken Sudō asked.

"They're testing us," Ayanokoji explained. "If we make changes now, that'll prove we know their plan. And then they'll attack even harder."

"So what do we do?"

"We play along," Ayanokoji said. "Once they actually attack, we'll adjust based on the situation. But we have to make it look like we're reacting on the spot, not like we were prepared."

It was a delicate balance. They had to hold the hill without looking like they'd planned for the attack.

"Understood."

Time ticked by, second by second.

At exactly two in the afternoon, the attack began.

The western slope.

Ken Sudō crouched behind a rock, watching a Class C squad charge up from below. There were six of them, led by Daichi Ishizaki.

"So they really came..." He tightened his grip on his wooden club.

Following Ayanokoji's instructions, he hadn't reinforced the defenses in advance. It was still just him and two others stationed here.

Three against six. They were clearly outnumbered.

But Sudō wasn't afraid. He shouted over his shoulder, "Get ready!"

The Class C students charged closer and closer. Twenty meters. Fifteen. Ten...

"Now!"

Sudō charged out first, swinging his club straight at Daichi Ishizaki.

Ishizaki was ready and dodged to the side. The two of them clashed at once.

The other two Class D students rushed forward as well, but their numerical disadvantage soon showed. Two Class C students tied them up, while the other three ran right past and continued up the hill.

"Stop them!" Sudō tried to turn back, but Ishizaki kept him pinned down.

The three were about to break through the line—

"Over here!"

Suddenly, two students burst out from the side. They were from Class B, lying in wait nearby for exactly this moment.

Three against three. The odds were even.

The western line held, for now.

The southern woods.

Ayanokoji was facing an attack from Class A. There were five students, led by Kohei Katsuragi himself.

Class A fought very differently. They didn't rush in; instead, they advanced steadily, step by step. Using the trees for cover, they gradually squeezed the defenders' space.

"This is a pain," Ayanokoji muttered, frowning.

This approach took time, but it was reliable. Class A clearly wasn't in a hurry. They were watching, testing.

Ayanokoji only had two others with him. They couldn't afford a direct clash.

He made a hand signal, and his two teammates understood. They began to retreat.

It wasn't a rout, but a tactical withdrawal. They used the terrain, fighting as they fell back and drawing Class A deeper into the dense woods.

Katsuragi followed, just as expected, but moved slowly, keeping his formation intact.

A few minutes later, Class A had advanced about fifty meters into the woods. Then, suddenly, something changed.

Shrill whistles rang out all around them, overlapping one another.

"An ambush?" Katsuragi immediately became wary.

But no one charged out. There were only whistles, as if a large group surrounded them, though no one was in sight.

The Class A students nervously scanned their surroundings, and their formation wavered slightly.

Now!

Ayanokoji suddenly burst out from behind a tree and charged straight at Katsuragi.

Katsuragi reacted quickly, raising his club to block. But he wasn't Ayanokoji's real target. After a feint, Ayanokoji abruptly changed direction and swung at the student beside Katsuragi.

The student didn't react in time. The club struck his shoulder, and he cried out in pain as he stumbled back.

Class A's formation fell apart.

Ayanokoji didn't press the attack. The moment he landed a hit, he retreated and disappeared into the woods again.

"Don't chase him!" Katsuragi stopped the students who wanted to pursue. "He's trying to lure us into splitting up."

He looked around at the woods, his expression troubled.

Those whistles had clearly suggested an ambush. But why hadn't anyone appeared? Were there too few of them, or...

Katsuragi suddenly understood.

"Fall back," he ordered.

"Fall back? We've only just—"

"It's a trap," Katsuragi said. "They're testing us, and we're testing them. The test is over."

Class A began a disciplined retreat.

Ayanokoji watched them leave from the woods and breathed a sigh of relief.

There had only been three people making those whistles: Karuizawa and two Class B girls. They'd spread out and whistled from different positions to make it sound as if a large force was waiting nearby.

Fortunately, Katsuragi was cautious and didn't investigate further. If they'd actually fought, the deception would have been exposed in no time.

Karuizawa's voice came over the radio. "Class A has retreated."

"Okay. What about the west?"

"Class C retreated too. Sudō's side has a few minor injuries, but nothing serious."

They'd held against the first wave.

And they hadn't exposed their surveillance access.

Three in the afternoon, Class C's camp.

Ryuen listened to Ishizaki's report, his expression sour.

"So Class D didn't adjust their defenses in advance?"

"No," Ishizaki said. "When we charged, they were clearly caught off guard. If Class B hadn't been lying in wait nearby, we would've broken through the western line."

"What about the south?"

"Katsuragi said they ran into an ambush, but he suspects it was a bluff."

Ryuen was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"Interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"If Class D really has access to surveillance, why weren't they prepared?" Ryuen reasoned. "There are two possibilities. First, they really don't have access, and we guessed wrong."

"What's the second?"

"Second, they figured out we were testing them, so they deliberately acted unprepared." Ryuen's gaze sharpened. "If that's the case... then Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is a frightening opponent."

"So what do we do now?"

"Wait until dark." Ryuen looked toward the sun, now sinking in the west. "Night fighting is our specialty."

Four in the afternoon, atop Lookout Hill.

Four hours remained until the mission ended.

The students from Classes D and B were exhausted, but they kept going. Those with minor injuries had their wounds quickly bandaged before returning to their posts. They counted their supplies again to make sure they had enough to last.

Ayanokoji sat at the edge of the hill, looking down below.

So far, things had gone fairly well. But they'd paid a price: several people were injured, their stamina was running low, and they'd been tense for hours.

If another fierce attack came, they might not be able to hold out.

"Ayanokoji." Hirata came over and handed him half a ration bar. "Have something to eat."

"Thanks."

They ate in silence. After a while, Hirata spoke. "What are you thinking about?"

"What Ryuen will do next," Ayanokoji said. "He definitely won't wait until the mission ends. There'll be another attack before nightfall."

"Can we hold out?"

"I don't know," Ayanokoji said honestly. "But we have to."

Hirata looked at him, then suddenly asked, "Why are you pushing yourself so hard? For the Class Points? Or..."

"To win," Ayanokoji said. "Everything at this school is built around 'ability.' If we lose this time, it'll prove Class D really is defective and can never turn things around."

"But if we win?"

"Then we can change some things." Ayanokoji looked at the others in the camp. "We can change how people see us, and how we see ourselves."

Hirata was silent for a long time, then nodded. "I understand. I'll fight alongside everyone until the very end."

After Hirata left, Ayanokoji sat alone.

The system's notification chime rang out.

[ Ding! The host is about to face the final test. Hidden mission triggered: Declaration of Reversal.]

[ Mission objective: Before the mission ends, publicly declare to at least two classes that "Class D will not lose."]

[ Mission rewards: Leadership points and class reputation, based on the impact of the declaration.]

[ Failure penalty: None.]

[ Note: This mission may trigger unpredictable chain reactions. Choose your timing carefully.]

A public declaration? At a moment like this?

But the system rarely issued meaningless missions. Perhaps there was more to this one than met the eye.

Ayanokoji considered it, and gradually, a plan took shape.

A crazy plan.