The Hunting Ground in the Rain

Monday morning, 5:47.

The rain still hadn't stopped. It had been falling for three days straight, soaking the entire back mountain until it was like a sponge saturated with water. The air reeked of damp earth and rotting leaves.

At the entrance to the Special Exercise Area, students from eight classes crowded under a makeshift shelter, like a flock of drenched quail. No one spoke. The only sounds were the patter of rain against the plastic sheeting and their restrained breathing.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the edge of Class D's line, looking at the black wristband in his hand. It was an ID tag for the exam, equipped with GPS and vital-sign monitoring. Two lines of text appeared on its screen:

Class: Class 1-D

Special Identity: Traitor (public in 01:00:00)

Fifty-nine minutes remained on the countdown.

"Nervous?" Kei Karuizawa came over. She wore a waterproof jacket today, her ponytail pulled tight. Her expression was blank, but her fingertips were a little pale.

"I'm fine," Ayanokoji said. "Is your side ready?"

"Yeah." Karuizawa lowered her voice. "Sakura and Manabe are in the Class B line. They'll act according to plan. Ichinose's side... nothing yet."

She paused and glanced toward the Class 2-C line in the distance. "Atsushi Ryuen is watching you."

Ayanokoji followed her gaze.

Through the rain, Atsushi Ryuen stood at the front of Class 2-C. He wasn't wearing a raincoat, just a black jacket, and rainwater dripped from his hair. He was saying something to Hiyori Shiina beside him when he suddenly turned and met Ayanokoji's gaze.

He grinned and raised his hand in a finger-gun gesture, mouthing:

"Bang."

A childish taunt.

But it worked. Several Class D students around them visibly flinched.

"Damn that bastard..." Ken Sudō tried to charge over, but Hirata held him back.

"Calm down." Hirata's voice was tense, too. "The exam hasn't started yet."

At seven o'clock, the loudspeaker sounded outside the shelter.

"Attention, everyone. The VIP Exam begins now. Each class will enter the exercise area along its assigned route. In one hour, the traitor's identity will be announced on each team's internal channel. Repeat: the announcement will be made in one hour."

The crowd began to move.

Class D and Class 2-C had been assigned the eastern entrance. The two groups entered the rain-soaked forest one after the other, less than twenty meters apart. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was as stiff as frozen mud.

The mountain trail was slippery, littered with mud and broken branches. Less than ten minutes into the walk, Karuizawa slipped and fell, banging her knee against a rock. Blood immediately welled up.

"Are you okay?" Ayanokoji helped her up.

"I'm fine." Karuizawa gritted her teeth, pulled a bandage from her bag, and wrapped it around her knee hastily. "Let's keep going."

A snicker came from up ahead.

It was a blond-haired boy from Class 2-C. He looked back at Karuizawa's disheveled state and grinned. "Hey, the little princess from the first years is already hurt? Want big brother to carry you?"

"Worry about yourself," Suzune Horikita said coldly.

The blond-haired boy was about to say something else, but Hiyori Shiina stopped him. She pushed up her glasses and spoke calmly. "Ryuen said not to waste time."

The group continued onward.

At 7:30, they reached the first campsite: a relatively flat clearing in the woods, with a few worn-out tents and rusty metal barrels.

"Take a thirty-minute break here," Atsushi Ryuen called from the front. "Class leaders, come over for a meeting."

By the time Ayanokoji walked over, the other leaders had already arrived. Class 2-C was represented by Atsushi Ryuen and Hiyori Shiina; Class D by him and Hirata.

"Here's the map." Ryuen spread a waterproof map over an overturned metal barrel. "The exercise area is five kilometers in diameter. There are four resource points, one in each direction—north, south, east, and west. Each has food, water, and medical kits. There's also a chance of finding a 'special item.'"

He paused and looked at Ayanokoji. "The standard strategy would be to split up, occupy two resource points, and establish bases. But..."

He grinned. "But there's a traitor on our team. So I suggest we all move together and keep an eye on one another until the traitor's identity is announced in an hour."

"That would be too inefficient." Suzune Horikita's voice suddenly cut in. She had walked over at some point. "Splitting up is necessary. We can make two groups, each with members from both classes, so they can keep each other in check."

Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How would you split us up?"

"You and Ayanokoji in one group, with half the people," Horikita said. "Shiina and I will lead the other half. That way, whichever side the traitor is on, the other can keep them in check."

It was a reasonable suggestion.

But Atsushi Ryuen shook his head. "No. I want to be in the same group as Ayanokoji. The others can go wherever."

His gaze fixed on Ayanokoji. "Do you agree?"

"I agree," Ayanokoji said. "But I want to bring three people: Karuizawa, Sudō, and Hirata."

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

No one objected.

They split up quickly. Ayanokoji's group consisted of the four Class D students, Atsushi Ryuen, and three other boys from Class 2-C: the blond-haired one, a lanky one, and a burly one with a scar on his face.

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

Before they parted, Ayanokoji glanced at Horikita. She gave him a slight nod, signaling that the plan remained unchanged.

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

The northern resource point was about two kilometers from the campsite, and the path was rougher. The rain grew heavier, reducing visibility to less than twenty meters. The group moved slowly. No one spoke; the only sound was the squelch of their feet in the mud.

At 8:20, their wristbands vibrated.

All the wristbands beeped at once, and their screens lit up:

Traitor identity revealed.

Traitor in current team: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Class 1-D)

Traitor mission: Prevent this team from obtaining the VIP identity card.

The air froze instantly.

The blond-haired boy and the other two second-year students turned around almost at the same time, surrounding Ayanokoji. The lanky one pulled a baton from his waist, while the scar-faced brute took out a knife.

"Quick reaction," Ayanokoji said calmly.

"Of course." Atsushi Ryuen walked up from behind, his smile bright. "I told them in advance. They've been waiting for this moment for fifty-nine minutes."

Karuizawa, Sudō, and Hirata immediately moved to Ayanokoji's side, the four of them standing back-to-back.

"Ryuen, what are you planning to do?" Hirata's voice was strained. "The exam rules forbid us from hurting other students—"

"Who said we were going to hurt him?" Atsushi Ryuen spread his hands. "We're only going to 'restrain' the traitor. He might sabotage our mission, so we have to protect the team, right?"

He gave them a signal.

The blond-haired boy suddenly struck, swinging his baton at Ayanokoji's leg! But Sudō was faster. He kicked the boy in the stomach, and with a scream, the blond-haired boy went flying and crashed into the mud.

The scar-faced brute thrust his knife at Karuizawa, but Hirata blocked it with his backpack. The knife sank into the bag and got stuck. The lanky boy swung his baton at the back of Ayanokoji's head—

"Clang!"

Metal struck metal.

Ayanokoji somehow had an iron pipe in his hand. He'd picked up a discarded water pipe from the side of the trail and used it to block the blow. He followed up with a kick to the side of the lanky boy's knee, sending him down with a cry of pain.

But there were too many of them.

The blond-haired boy got back up, and the scar-faced man drew his knife again. Along with the lanky boy, the three attacked at once. Sudō and Hirata barely held off two of them, while the blond-haired boy grabbed Karuizawa by the hair and slammed her face into the mud!

"Karuizawa!" Hirata tried to help her, but the scar-faced man's knife forced him back.

Ayanokoji's gaze turned cold.

He dropped the iron pipe and charged at the blond-haired boy with his bare hands. The boy let go of Karuizawa and swung his baton horizontally, but Ayanokoji ducked under it, caught his wrist with his right hand, and drove his left elbow into the boy's throat!

"Gah!" The blond-haired boy clutched his throat and fell to his knees.

The scar-faced man's knife came at him, aimed straight for Ayanokoji's back. But Ayanokoji seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He dodged to the side, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted!

"Crack."

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

The lanky boy charged from behind, trying to put him in a chokehold. Without looking back, Ayanokoji kicked him square in the stomach, doubling him over.

The whole thing took less than ten seconds.

All three second-year boys were sprawled on the ground.

Ayanokoji caught his breath, then turned to look at Atsushi Ryuen.

Ryuen was applauding.

"Beautiful." He praised him sincerely. "Really beautiful. My younger brother had no shame in losing to you."

He walked forward a few steps and stopped three meters from Ayanokoji. "But the game's only just begun. You're the traitor now, so the entire team—no, the whole school—will hunt you down. How long do you think you can survive?"

"No need to guess," Ayanokoji said. "I'll survive until the end."

"Is that so?" Ryuen grinned. "Then let me give you some good news. Your teammate Horikita just ran into an ambush by Class 2-A at the southern resource point. And now..."

He glanced at his wristband. "She's probably already 'out.'"

Ayanokoji's pupils contracted slightly.

His wristband vibrated, and a system message appeared:

[Notice: Suzune Horikita of Class 1-D was attacked. Her vital signs have fallen below the safe threshold. Forced withdrawal.]

[Notice: Hiyori Shiina of Class 2-C was attacked. Her vital signs have fallen below the safe threshold. Forced withdrawal.]

They were both out at the same time.

"Did you arrange it?" Ayanokoji asked.

"I just gave Class 2-A a little information." Atsushi Ryuen shrugged. "For example, who was going to the southern resource point and when they'd arrive. What they did with it was their choice."

He paused. "Oh, right. Guess who's leading Class 2-A? It's a close confidant of Sakayanagi Arisu. That woman's very interested in you."

A double-crossing scheme.

Atsushi Ryuen had revealed the traitor's identity ahead of time, forcing Ayanokoji to become everyone's target. At the same time, he had betrayed his own teammates' location, using others to eliminate obstacles. And, for good measure, he had drawn Sakayanagi Arisu's people into the fray to stir up trouble.

"Now," Atsushi Ryuen said, "you have only two choices. First, work with me to win this exam, and I'll protect you—at least for now. Second, keep acting as a traitor and let everyone hunt you down until you're forced out."

He held out a hand. "Choose."

The rain kept falling, drumming against the leaves.

Karuizawa climbed out of the mud, battered and filthy, but with a fierce look in her eyes. "Ayanokoji, don't trust him!"

Hirata and Sudō were watching Ayanokoji, waiting for his decision.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stared at the hand Atsushi Ryuen held out for a long time.

Then he smiled.

"I choose a third option," he said.

"Hm?"

"Third, I'll keep being the traitor," Ayanokoji said. "But I won't run. I'll drag everyone else into this with me."

He opened his wristband and switched to the public channel, which every participant could see and was usually used only for emergency notices.

Then he pressed the record button and spoke into his wristband:

"Attention, everyone. I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the traitor from Class 1-D. I'm making an announcement: Atsushi Ryuen of Class 2-C has information on the initial locations of every class's VIPs. He bought that information from someone inside the Student Council."

He paused, then added, "I have proof. Anyone who wants it can come find me. Location: northern resource point, coordinates X37, Y82."

After he finished, he stopped recording and looked at Atsushi Ryuen.

The smile vanished from Ryuen's face.

"Are you crazy?" His voice turned cold. "If you fabricate information like that, everyone will make you their target—"

"I was already their target," Ayanokoji interrupted him. "But now you are, too."

His wristband began vibrating wildly.

Countless messages flooded the public channel:

"Is that true?"

"Does Atsushi Ryuen have the VIP locations?"

"Where's Ayanokoji? Northern resource point?"

"Class 2-C, care to explain?"

Atsushi Ryuen's face darkened completely.

He looked at Ayanokoji as if he wanted to tear him apart.

"Fine." He nodded slowly. "Very good. You want to play rough? I'll play along."

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

"Boss, you're just going to let him go?" the blond-haired boy asked reluctantly.

"Let him go?" Atsushi Ryuen laughed, sending a chill down their spines. "No. I'm giving him time to get ready. The more the prey struggles, the more fun the hunt is."

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

He left with his men.

Only the four Class D students remained in the forest.

Karuizawa plopped down on the ground, trembling all over. It was hard to tell whether she was cold or scared.

Hirata wiped the rain from his face. His voice was hoarse. "What do we do now?"

"Proceed with the plan," Ayanokoji said. "But speed it up. Atsushi Ryuen won't give us three days. He'll make his move tonight."

He looked at his wristband. The false message he'd sent was already spreading. The public channel was in an uproar, and at least four classes had said they were heading for the northern resource point.

"We need to relocate," Ayanokoji said. "Head to the western resource point. The terrain there is complicated, so it's a good place to hide."

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

"Keep it as planned," Ayanokoji said. "But tell them the situation has changed. If they run into trouble, they should prioritize protecting themselves."

The four of them gathered their things and prepared to leave.

Before they set off, Ayanokoji glanced south.

Horikita was out.

Although it was part of the plan—she had deliberately exposed herself to draw fire and create an opportunity for Manabe and Ichinose to act—the moment had come, and he still felt a little weighed down.

He tightened his grip on the wristband. Messages continued to scroll across the screen in the public channel.

Suddenly, a private message appeared.

The sender's ID was a string of gibberish, but the message was clear:

"Three hundred meters east of the northern resource point. There's something you're looking for there. Watch out for Kushida."

There was no signature.

But Ayanokoji guessed who it was.

Shiho Manabe.

Or... Mio Ibuki?

He turned off his wristband and looked east.

Something was waiting for him in the depths of the rain.

And farther still, more hunters were closing in.