Sometimes What You See Is Just What the Enemy Wants You to See

The fourth day of the special exam.

At sunset that evening, Chiba Yu, who had been preparing to rest, was dragged out by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

He claimed it was to explore the area and get some light exercise for digestion after dinner, but as for his true intentions, who could say.

Chiba Yu hadn't wanted to agree at first, but after a moment of thought, he realized there was nothing to do at the campsite anyway, and he might even get roped into some other chore if he stayed behind to slack off. With that in mind, he decided it was better to head out with Ayanokoji.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky gradually stained into a soft amber, as if the earth were draped in golden silk.

Ayanokoji and Chiba Yu wandered through the woods without a destination, neither of them having the slightest idea where they were headed.

Seeing that Ayanokoji remained silent, Chiba Yu naturally wouldn't be the first to speak, much like two children playing a game of chicken where the first to talk loses.

"How do you think the results of this exam will turn out?" Faced with Ayanokoji breaking the silence first, Chiba Yu paused for a moment before speaking slowly:

"...You lose."

???

Ayanokoji continued to look at him with that same deadpan expression, yet Chiba Yu felt as if he could see confusion and bewilderment etched onto that face.

"Is this some new way of chatting?"

"...Never mind, just pretend I'm losing my mind."

"We won't know the results of this exam for another two days, will we? We've worked so hard this time, and with the help of Hirata and the others, it shouldn't turn out too badly, right?"

Ayanokoji listened to his words quietly without refuting them, only to say once more: "Horikita-san's situation seems a bit off lately. Do you have any idea why?"

"Horikita has been with you the whole time, hasn't she? If you don't know, there's even less chance that I would."

"But hearing you say that, you seem quite concerned about her. It reminds me of one of the rumors going around the class."

"It's said that you and Horikita are secretly seeing each other. Given how strong-willed she is, it must be tough for you."

"That's not true. If anything, you're just as bad. There are plenty of rumors about you and Karuizawa, too."

Had the robot actually learned how to counterattack?

Chiba Yu shrugged. "It doesn't bother me; it's just gossip within the class. As for you, I've heard it's not just our class—the whole grade seems to know that a 'tag-along' is constantly refreshing at Horikita's side. Care to guess who they're talking about?"

"I'm only being forced by Horikita. If I had a choice, I wouldn't want this either."

"I get it, I get it. 'Forced love,' right? That's how it's always written in novels."

"Do you have any thoughts on how Sudo's accusation was resolved last time?"

Is he trying to probe me? Or just trying to change the subject? Chiba Yu leaned toward the former.

"You mean the time Sudo got into a fight? Wasn't that already resolved by Horikita-san? Or is Ryuen up to something again?"

"...No, Horikita did resolve it perfectly. I was just wondering what your take on the matter was."

"My take? I look at it with my eyes. If I hadn't been dragged along to help, I probably wouldn't have cared at all, though I didn't really contribute much anyway."

The two chatted aimlessly like this until the sun had almost completely vanished behind the mountains, and they finally emerged from the forest.

Chiba Yu looked around, a sense of familiarity washing over him.

"This is Class C's campsite, isn't it? Even though they've cleared everything out, you can still tell if you look closely."

Hearing Ayanokoji's words, Chiba Yu realized the same thing. Suddenly, he looked toward the distance and said, "Look, aren't there people over there?"

Ayanokoji looked in the direction Chiba Yu pointed and saw two familiar figures in the distance.

In an instant, the two people standing not far away noticed them as well.

As they turned and waved in their direction, Chiba Yu recognized who they were.

"That looks like Ichinose and Kanzaki, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it's them."

As they approached, Ichinose greeted them with a smile, and the two returned the gesture. As for Kanzaki, he simply gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Are you two here to scout as well?" Kanzaki asked, hands on his hips, as a formality.

"No, we were just exploring the forest and happened to end up here," Ayanokoji replied.

"I have to say, you've really changed a lot. At least since you arrived at this school."

"...If you don't have anything nice to say, you don't have to say anything at all, thanks."

"It seems Kanzaki-kun and Chiba-kun are quite close. Has Chiba-kun considered transferring to our class?" Ichinose asked with a smile, posing a question that was clearly impossible to agree to.

Chiba Yu shook his head. "No, I'm doing quite well in Class D for now. I'm not considering a transfer."

"Besides, if I had the choice, transferring to Class A would be my preference. After all, I just want to live a peaceful life, and for someone like me, Class A is the most logical choice, isn't it?"

"Eh~? So, if the opportunity arose, Chiba-kun would actually consider transferring? Is that how I should understand it?"

As soon as those words left her lips, even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned his gaze toward him, causing Chiba Yu to shudder.

"...If I were actually capable of it, I might consider it. But for now, I don't have the points, so I'm just blowing hot air. I still have a strong sense of class spirit."

At Chiba Yu's response, Ichinose merely smiled and said nothing more. As for Kanzaki, he had gone quiet the moment Chiba Yu mentioned the possibility of transferring, his expression turning strange as if he were contemplating something unsettling.

"...Let's just discuss the situation with Class C for now." Chiba Yu only wanted to change the subject; he had always kept his distance from being the center of attention.

"Sigh, what a pity. I was actually looking forward to guessing who the leader of Class C was," Ichinose said, squatting on the ground with her hands pressed against her cheeks as she let out a sigh.

"The goal of this exam is to continuously accumulate points. The moment Ryuen gave up on accumulating points, he had already lost." Kanzaki crouched down to pick up an empty bottle near his feet, brushed it off, and placed it on the table to the side.

No, sometimes what you see is merely what the enemy wants you to see. Just like this exam, perhaps in a corner unknown to anyone, a lone lion is secretly gathering its strength, waiting until the very end to emerge and deliver a vicious bite.

This is the way of a lion hunting a rabbit—using its full strength regardless. But then, who exactly is the true lion?

Watching Ayanokoji Kiyotaka chat with Ichinose about intelligence on Class A, Chiba Yu thought to himself...