*Why does Miyabi keep playing rock?*
*He says he'll play rock, but is that all he can do?*
*Just switching it up a bit would've won him the game!*
The other students were bewildered, having no clue what Miyabi was thinking.
Miyabi himself was just as perplexed.
Despite predicting Saiki's every possible move, he still lost.
Just how many steps ahead was Saiki thinking?
*I didn't think that far ahead. I just needed to be one step ahead of you,* Saiki replied in his mind.
"Saiki... why did you keep choosing scissors?" Miyabi finally asked aloud.
He desperately wanted to know why the man he respected would make such a move.
Saiki simply responded, "Because you said you'd keep playing rock, so I chose scissors."
"Huh?" Miyabi was stunned.
After receiving his points from the teacher, Saiki prepared to leave. The teacher in charge had already tallied the results and returned to the starting point.
But as Saiki turned to go, the third-year students quickly surrounded him.
"Saiki, could you wait a moment? We need to talk to you," Kiriyama Ikuto stepped forward, blocking Saiki's path.
*We can't let Saiki leave just like that. Keeping him here is the best chance to limit his score! As long as he stays, we can restrict his points!* Kiriyama thought.
To Saiki, it didn't matter. If he wasted too much time here, Tsukishiro would surely arrive, and Kiriyama wouldn't be able to restrict him anymore.
"You can't leave without our permission..."
"Let him go," Miyabi's voice suddenly cut in from the side.
Adjusting his expression, Miyabi smiled and declared, "Saiki, wherever you go next—whether it's a task or a designated area—is entirely up to you."
"Miyabi, this is a perfect chance to restrict his movements!" Kiriyama protested.
"And Kōenji is still running around too!"
"Kiriyama, are you questioning my orders?" Miyabi narrowed his eyes, his tone heavy with pressure.
"I... I didn't mean that. I just thought..."
"Then stand aside and watch. My patience with you is wearing thin, Kiriyama."
"Understood," Kiriyama nodded, stepping back.
Miyabi turned his attention to Saiki: "Apologies for my vice president's unnecessary actions. Since I promised a decisive match in this exam, I won't go back on my word. The third-years won't restrict your movements. You're free to act—but if I happen to target the same task as you, we might have a rematch."
Miyabi's message was clear: he intended to continue competing with Saiki in the upcoming exams.
For Saiki, this was good news.
If they avoided each other during tasks, both would likely score maximum points, leaving the outcome to depend on task quality, quantity, and completion speed.
But if they competed in the same tasks, their scores would diverge significantly.
For Saiki, this was the fastest way to secure first place.
Miyabi also aimed to widen the gap between them.
---
Saiki quickly moved on to the next tasks, slightly increasing his pace.
The others, including Miyabi, struggled to keep up.
While Miyabi's physical abilities were above average for a third-year, he soon found himself gasping for breath.
*His physical abilities... are this terrifying? I never noticed... They must've held back during the sports festival too!*
*Damn... damn...*
*This guy might be even scarier than Horikita Manabu.*
Saiki could hear their inner complaints but couldn't help it. He couldn't hide his abilities completely anymore.
Still, he'd only revealed less than one percent of his true power.
Yet, it was already enough to leave the others in the dust.
Soon, Saiki and the others arrived at the next task location and began the exam.
---
Hours passed, and several tasks were completed.
Saiki secured first place in all of them, defeating Miyabi.
Miyabi was beginning to question reality.
He knew Saiki was hiding his talents, but he hadn't expected Saiki's true abilities to be this extraordinary.
Whether in academic or physical tasks, Miyabi couldn't compete with Saiki.
With each exam, Miyabi's lead shrank.
Soon, the public rankings updated.
Miyabi still held first place, but Saiki had climbed to second, with a single-digit point difference between them.
Kōenji Rokusuke, in third place, was just two points behind Saiki—a negligible gap to outsiders.
This was partly due to Kiriyama's behind-the-scenes efforts. He'd sent people to limit Kōenji's scoring, though they couldn't restrict his movements. Monopolizing tasks slowed Kōenji's progress.
Miyabi had approved Kiriyama's actions, but he saw Kōenji as no threat. His only rival was Saiki.
Finally, only one task remained for the day:
Wrestling
Type: Greco-Roman Wrestling
Participants: Two
Rules: Score points by executing techniques within the ring.
Scoring:
1 Point:
Takedown opponent from behind, control them, and pin two limbs and one knee (or vice versa). Execute a correct move without putting the opponent in danger (both shoulders touch the mat). Control opponent from behind. Restrain opponent in a back-to-mat position with one or both hands supporting. Opponent commits a foul, but the move succeeds. Opponent flees the ring, avoids grip, refuses starting position, uses fouls, or acts unsportsmanlike.
2 Points:
Execute a kneeling takedown, putting the opponent in danger or momentarily pinning both shoulders. Roll the opponent onto both shoulders. Opponent flees the ring while in a dangerous position.
5 Points:
...
Matches are decided in one round, split into two halves. Each half lasts 3 minutes, with a 30-second break in between.
If the score gap exceeds 10 points, the match ends.
If a participant is deemed unable to continue, the match ends.
---
Saiki stared at the lengthy rules, speechless.
He'd planned to skip this task.
But it was right next to his next designated area, and skipping it would raise suspicions.
Plus, the task offered a hefty 15 points for the winner—nothing for the loser.
Saiki quickly arrived at the task location. Thanks to Miyabi's arrangements, no other students were present. Only Saiki had arrived; Miyabi and the others were still far behind.
The teacher in charge was Chabashira Sae.
"Saiki, you're the first one here..." Chabashira swallowed, eyeing Saiki with a mix of familiarity and surprise.
She'd been keeping an eye on Saiki's progress.
Initially, she hadn't expected Kōenji to take the exam so seriously.
But it was good for her—if Kōenji ranked well, Class 2-A would gain more points.
However, Saiki's sudden rise had surprised her even more.
She never imagined he'd break into the top three in just a few days, nearly overtaking first place.
---
Using the GPS signal, Chabashira Sae learned that Saiki Kusuo and Nagumo Miyabi had crossed paths, guessing they were competing.
Chabashira Sae knew Nagumo Miyabi was an exceptionally special student. In the school's history, Nagumo's abilities ranked among the top.
However, based on scores, Nagumo had lost to Saiki Kusuo many times.
This made Chabashira Sae realize just how formidable Saiki truly was.
Saiki Kusuo was the one being severely underestimated in the class.
"Hm."
Saiki nodded at Chabashira Sae.
He knew she was curious and puzzled about him.
But as long as she didn't ask, he wouldn't say anything.
"Saiki, your abilities are truly shocking. Were you hiding your strength before?"
Finally, after Saiki registered for the challenge, Chabashira Sae couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.
"Hm... in a way, yes."
Saiki thought of a response.
After all, he knew if he took first place in this exam, his hidden strength would be exposed. He wouldn't have a peaceful life anymore.
Not only that, people would question why he'd hidden his abilities earlier.
Though... Saiki was still hiding his true strength now.
Either way, he needed an excuse to convince others.
"In a way?"
Saiki's mind raced, recalling an excuse he'd used before.
When in doubt, blame Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
"Right, Ayanokōji told me to do it."
Saiki replied immediately.
"You know Ayanokōji isn't an ordinary student, right, teacher?"
"Hm..."
This time, Chabashira Sae didn't pretend ignorance but nodded.
"But why did he tell you to hide your strength?"
"To ensure we graduate as Class A. When we were in Class D, he thought our class lacked motivation. If we revealed our strength too early, we'd be targeted by other students..."
Saiki quickly fabricated a lie.
After all, he was the one who truly understood Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's thoughts.
Saiki guessed Ayanokōji's possible reasoning and made up this excuse.
"...So Ayanokōji made me a secret weapon for the class, telling me to hide my strength as much as possible at first."
"But why reveal it now?"
*After all, the island's about to blow up, and this isn't even my full power.*
Saiki thought, but continued answering:
"Ayanokōji said we're now in Class A and have grown over the past year. To ensure we graduate as Class A, we need to widen the point gap with other classes. So I don't need to hide my strength anymore."
"I see..."
Chabashira Sae was skeptical but found the explanation plausible. If it was Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, he might have planned this from the start.
*But if Saiki was really hiding his strength, why was he placed in Class D initially?*
Just as Saiki struggled to keep up the act, footsteps approached nearby.
However, it wasn't Nagumo Miyabi.