The Hunting Ground in the Rain

Monday morning, 5:47 AM.

The rain hadn't stopped; it had been pouring for three days straight, soaking the entire mountain behind the school until it felt like a waterlogged sponge. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves.

At the entrance to the special exercise area, students from eight classes huddled under a makeshift canopy like a flock of drenched quails. No one spoke; there was only the patter of rain against the plastic tarp and the sound of suppressed breathing.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the very edge of the Class D formation, looking at the black wristband on his arm—the identification device for the exam, equipped with built-in GPS and vital sign monitoring. Two lines of text appeared on the screen:

Class: Year 1, Class D

Special Identity: Traitor (To be revealed after 01:00:00)

Fifty-nine minutes remained on the countdown.

"Nervous?" Kei Karuizawa leaned in. She was wearing a waterproof windbreaker today, her ponytail pulled tight. Her face was expressionless, but her fingertips were pale.

"I'm fine," Ayanokoji said. "Are you ready on your end?"

"Yeah," Kei lowered her voice. "Sakura and Manabe are in the Class B formation, acting according to plan. As for Ichinose... there hasn't been any movement yet."

She paused, glancing at the Year 2, Class C formation in the distance. "Atsushi Ryuen is watching you."

Ayanokoji followed her gaze.

Through the curtain of rain, Atsushi Ryuen stood at the front of the Year 2, Class C group. He wore no raincoat, just a black jacket, with rainwater dripping down his hair. He had been speaking to Hiyori Shiina beside him, but suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with Ayanokoji.

He smiled, raised his hand to mimic a pistol, and his lips moved:

"Bang."

A childish provocation.

But effective—several Class D students nearby visibly flinched.

"Damn that bastard..." Ken Sudo started to charge forward, but Hirata grabbed him firmly, holding him back.

"Stay calm," Hirata's voice was strained. "The exam hasn't even started yet."

At 7:00 AM sharp, the broadcast sounded from outside the canopy.

"Attention, everyone. The VIP Exam begins now. Each class will enter the exercise area according to their assigned routes. In one hour, the identities of the traitors will be announced on each team's internal channel. I repeat, the announcement will be made in one hour."

The crowd began to move.

Class D and Year 2, Class C were assigned to the east entrance. The two groups walked into the rainforest one after the other, maintaining a distance of less than twenty meters, yet no one spoke. The atmosphere was as stiff as frozen mud.

The mountain path was slippery, littered with sludge and broken branches. Less than ten minutes in, Kei tripped, her knee slamming into a rock, and blood immediately began to seep through.

"Are you okay?" Ayanokoji helped her up.

"I'm fine," Kei gritted her teeth, pulling a bandage from her bag to wrap it haphazardly. "Let's keep moving."

A scoff came from ahead.

It was a boy from Year 2, Class C with dyed yellow hair. He looked back at Kei's disheveled state, grinning. "Yo, the little princess of the first years is already wounded? Want big brother to carry you?"

"Mind your own business," Suzune Horikita said coldly.

The yellow-haired boy wanted to retort, but Hiyori Shiina pulled him back. She adjusted her glasses, her voice flat. "Ryuen said not to waste time."

The group continued forward.

At 7:30 AM, they reached the first campsite—a relatively flat clearing in the woods with a few dilapidated tents and rusted iron barrels.

"Rest here for thirty minutes," Atsushi Ryuen's voice came from the front. "Class leaders, come here for a meeting."

When Ayanokoji walked over, the other leaders had already arrived. For Year 2, Class C, it was Atsushi Ryuen and Hiyori Shiina; for Class D, it was him and Hirata.

"The map." Atsushi Ryuen spread a waterproof map over an overturned iron barrel. "The exercise area has a diameter of five kilometers with four resource points located in the southeast, west, and north. Each resource point has food, water, medical kits, and the possibility of 'special items' spawning."

He paused, looking at Ayanokoji. "According to standard tactics, we should split our forces to occupy two resource points and establish bases. But..."

He smiled. "But there is a traitor in our team. So, I suggest we all move together and monitor each other until the traitor's identity is revealed in an hour."

"That's too inefficient," Suzune Horikita's voice suddenly cut in; she had walked over at some point. "Splitting forces is necessary. We can divide into two groups, each containing members from both sides to keep each other in check."

Atsushi Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you propose we split?"

"You and Ayanokoji in one group with half the people," Horikita said. "Hiyori and I in the other group with the rest. That way, no matter who the traitor is, they can be kept in check by the other side."

A reasonable proposal.

But Atsushi Ryuen shook his head. "No. I want to be in a group with Ayanokoji. The others can be divided however."

His gaze locked onto Ayanokoji. "Do you agree?"

"Agreed," Ayanokoji said. "But I want to bring three people—Kei, Sudo, and Hirata."

"Fine," Atsushi Ryuen agreed readily. "Then our group will head to the north resource point. The other group will head to the south. Any problems?"

No one objected.

The grouping was completed quickly. On Ayanokoji's side were the four from Class D, plus Atsushi Ryuen and three other Year 2, Class C boys—the yellow-haired one, a tall, thin one, and a burly man with a scar on his face.

The other group, led by Horikita and Hiyori Shiina, headed south.

Before they parted, Ayanokoji looked at Horikita. She nodded slightly, signaling that the plan remained unchanged.

At 7:50 AM, the two groups set off in different directions.

The northern resource point was about two kilometers from the campsite, and the path was even more treacherous. The rain grew heavier, reducing visibility to less than twenty meters. The group moved slowly, no one speaking, save for the squelching sound of boots sinking into the mud.

At 8:20, the wristbands vibrated.

All wristbands emitted a simultaneous "beep," and the screens lit up:

The traitor's identity has been revealed.

Current team traitor: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Class D, First Year)

Traitor's objective: Prevent this team from seizing the VIP identity card.

The air froze instantly.

The blond boy and two other second-year students turned almost in unison, surrounding Ayanokoji. The tall, thin one pulled a telescopic baton from his waist, while the scarred, burly man drew a knife.

"You react quite quickly," Ayanokoji said calmly.

"Of course," Ryuen Atsushi stepped forward from the back, a brilliant smile on his face. "I told them in advance. They've been waiting for this moment for exactly fifty-nine minutes."

Karuizawa, Sudo, and Hirata immediately stood by Ayanokoji's side, the four of them standing back-to-back.

"Ryuen, what are you trying to do?" Hirata's voice was tight. "The exam rules don't allow harming fellow students—"

"Who said we were going to harm him?" Ryuen Atsushi spread his hands. "We're just 'controlling' the traitor. After all, the traitor will sabotage the mission; we have to protect the team, right?"

He gave a signal.

The blond boy suddenly lunged, swinging his baton toward Ayanokoji's legs! But Sudo was faster, kicking him squarely in the stomach. The blond boy let out a miserable shriek as he flew backward, crashing into the mud.

The scarred, burly man thrust his knife toward Karuizawa, but Hirata blocked it with his backpack. The blade sank into the bag, stuck for a moment. The tall, thin boy swung his baton toward the back of Ayanokoji's head—

"Clang!"

The sound of metal colliding.

Ayanokoji had somehow produced an iron pipe—a discarded water pipe picked up from the roadside—and blocked the strike. He followed through with a kick to the side of the tall boy's knee, sending him collapsing to the ground in pain.

But there were too many of them.

The blond boy scrambled up, the scarred man pulled his knife free, and with the tall boy joining in, the three of them swarmed him. Sudo and Hirata barely managed to hold off two, while Karuizawa was grabbed by the hair by the blond boy and shoved violently into the mud!

"Karuizawa!" Hirata tried to save her, but was forced back by the scarred man's knife.

Ayanokoji's eyes turned cold.

He tossed the iron pipe aside and charged at the blond boy with his bare hands. The blond boy released Karuizawa and swung his baton horizontally, but Ayanokoji ducked, hooked his right hand around the boy's wrist, and slammed his left elbow into his throat!

"Ugh!" The blond boy clutched his neck and collapsed to his knees.

The scarred man's knife arrived, aimed straight at Ayanokoji's heart. But Ayanokoji moved as if he had eyes in the back of his head, sidestepping the strike, grabbing the man's wrist, and twisting!

"Crack."

The sound of a dislocated wrist. The knife fell to the ground.

The tall, thin boy lunged from behind, attempting a chokehold. Ayanokoji didn't look back, landing a rear kick directly into the man's abdomen, folding him like a shrimp.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

All three second-year students were down.

Ayanokoji caught his breath and turned to face Ryuen Atsushi.

Ryuen Atsushi was clapping.

"Beautiful," he praised, genuinely impressed. "Truly beautiful. My brother losing to you was no injustice."

He walked forward a few steps, stopping three meters from Ayanokoji. "But the game has only just begun. You're the traitor now; the whole team—no, the whole school—will be hunting you down. Tell me, how long do you think you can survive?"

"No need to guess," Ayanokoji said. "I will be the one to survive until the end."

"Is that so?" Ryuen Atsushi laughed. "Then let me give you some good news. That teammate of yours, Horikita, just ran into an ambush by Class A of the second year at the southern resource point. Right about now..."

He glanced at his wristband. "She should have already 'withdrawn'."

Ayanokoji's pupils constricted slightly.

His wristband vibrated, and a system message popped up:

[Notification: Horikita Suzune of Class D, First Year, has been attacked. Vital signs are below the safety threshold. Forced withdrawal.]

Immediately following was a second message:

[Notification: Shiina Hiyori of Class C, Second Year, has been attacked. Vital signs are below the safety threshold. Forced withdrawal.]

Both were out at the same time.

"Did you arrange this?" Ayanokoji asked.

"I just gave Class A of the second year a little information," Ryuen Atsushi shrugged. "Like who would be going to the southern resource point and when they would arrive. The rest was their own choice."

He paused. "Oh, right, care to guess who the leader of the second-year Class A is? She's a confidante of Sakayanagi Arisu. That woman, she's quite interested in you, you know."

A chain of schemes.

Ryuen Atsushi had leaked the traitor's identity in advance to force Ayanokoji into becoming a target for everyone; at the same time, he betrayed his own teammates' locations to use others as a blade to clear obstacles; and he had even dragged in Sakayanagi Arisu's faction to muddy the waters.

"Now," Ryuen Atsushi said, "you only have two choices. First, cooperate with me and help me secure victory in this exam, and I can protect you—at least for the time being. Second, continue being the traitor and be hunted by everyone until you are forced to withdraw."

He extended his hand: "Choose."

The rain continued to fall, drumming against the leaves with a rhythmic patter.

Karuizawa crawled up from the mud, disheveled and wretched, yet her eyes remained fierce: "Ayanokoji, don't trust him!"

Hirata and Sudo also stared at Ayanokoji, waiting for his decision.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the hand Atsushi Ryuen had extended, watching it for a long time.

Then, he smiled.

"I choose the third option," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Third, I continue to act as the traitor," Ayanokoji said. "But I won't run. Instead, I'll drag everyone down with me."

He opened his wristband and switched to the public channel—a channel visible to all examinees, typically reserved only for emergency notifications.

Then, he pressed the record button and spoke into the device:

"Attention everyone, this is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the traitor from Class D, first year. I am now releasing a piece of intelligence: Atsushi Ryuen of Class C, second year, possesses the initial location information for the VIPs of all classes. He purchased this information from someone within the Student Council."

He paused, then added: "I have the evidence. Those who want it can come find me. Location: North Resource Point, coordinates X37, Y82."

Having finished, he turned off the recording and looked at Atsushi Ryuen.

The smile on Atsushi Ryuen's face vanished.

"Are you insane?" his voice turned cold. "By fabricating such intelligence, you'll make yourself a target for everyone—"

"I was already a target," Ayanokoji interrupted him. "But now, so are you."

The wristband began to vibrate frantically.

Countless messages flooded the public channel:

"Is this for real?"

"Ryuen has the VIP locations?"

"Where is Ayanokoji? The North Resource Point?"

"Class C, second year, explain yourselves!"

Atsushi Ryuen's expression turned completely grim.

He stared at Ayanokoji, his gaze sharp enough to tear a person apart.

"Fine," he nodded slowly. "Very well. You want to play big? I'll play along."

He turned to his three subordinates still sprawled on the ground: "Get up. We're leaving."

"Boss, we're just letting him go?" the blonde one asked, unwilling to accept it.

"Letting him go?" Atsushi Ryuen laughed, a sound that sent chills down one's spine. "No, I'm giving him time to prepare. The more the prey struggles, the more interesting the hunt becomes."

He took one last look at Ayanokoji: "Three days, Ayanokoji. I'll give you three days. If you're still standing after three days, you win."

He led his men away.

Only the four members of Class D remained in the rainforest.

Karuizawa sat down on the ground, trembling all over, unable to tell if it was from the cold or the fear.

Hirata wiped the rainwater from his face, his voice hoarse: "What do we do now?"

"Proceed with the plan," Ayanokoji said. "But accelerate it. Ryuen won't give us three days; he'll make his move tonight."

He looked at his wristband; the fake news he had just sent was already fermenting. The public channel was in an uproar, with at least four classes indicating they were heading toward the North Resource Point.

"We need to relocate," Ayanokoji said. "To the West Resource Point. The terrain there is complex, suitable for hiding."

"What about Shiho Manabe and Ichinose?" Karuizawa asked. "Their plan..."

"Stays the same," Ayanokoji said. "But tell them the situation has changed. If they encounter danger, prioritize their own safety."

The four of them packed their gear, preparing to leave.

Before departing, Ayanokoji glanced toward the south.

Horikita was out.

Although this was part of the plan—she had exposed herself intentionally to draw fire and create opportunities for the actions of Shiho Manabe and Ichinose—now that it had actually happened, he still felt a tightness in his chest.

He gripped his wristband, the screen displaying the constantly scrolling messages of the public channel.

Suddenly, a private message popped up.

The sender's ID was a string of garbled characters, but the content was clear:

"Three hundred meters east of the North Resource Point, there is something you need. Beware of Kushida."

There was no signature.

But Ayanokoji guessed who it was.

Shiho Manabe.

Or perhaps... Mio Ibuki?

He turned off the wristband and looked toward the east.

Deep within the curtain of rain, something was waiting for him.

And deeper still, even more hunters were closing in.