Saiki looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing before him. He could clearly see what was going on in the other's mind—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wanted to team up with him.
However.
Saiki would absolutely not agree to this request.
After all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was currently the target of those first-year students. If Saiki teamed up with him, then Amasawa Ichika and Yagami Takuya would have a legitimate reason to cause trouble for him.
Saiki didn't want that to happen.
Moreover, this was a rare opportunity for Saiki to spend time alone. He didn't want to be disturbed by others.
"I plan to act alone."
Saiki said, slightly raising his voice so others could hear.
[Saiki wants to act alone, probably because it's more convenient for him. According to my plan, if I team up with Saiki, it would be harder for the people from the White Room to target me. But if Saiki doesn't want to team up, I'll have to find another way.]
"I understand."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded, not pushing the matter further, and left.
Saiki soon left the classroom as well, but a question arose in his mind.
What exactly was Saiki Kusuke planning?
Even with his clairvoyance, Saiki couldn't pinpoint his brother's location.
…
Meanwhile, on an unknown island.
"With this, the stage I've specially prepared for you, Kusuo, is complete."
Saiki Kusuke said with a smile.
In front of him, countless giant robots were constructing various buildings.
Saiki Kusuke also wore a strange helmet-like device on his head.
"I can't wait for our long-awaited competition. Only by coming to this school could I legitimately requisition and modify these islands~"
…
That night, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka returned to his room, but soon, there was a knock at the door.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't know who it was, but when he opened the door, he saw Kushida Kikyo.
The moment he saw her, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka already knew her purpose.
"Ayanokoji-kun, I'm sorry to disturb you so late!"
Kushida Kikyo wore a polite smile, nodding at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. As she entered the room, she closed the door behind her.
"What brings you here, Kushida?"
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka already knew her purpose, he still pretended not to and continued,
"Are you here to discuss forming a team?"
"No, I want to talk to you about Yagami-kun."
Kushida Kikyo said.
Since the start of the school year, Yagami Takuya had been getting closer to Kushida Kikyo, seemingly showing interest in her.
This made Kushida Kikyo feel threatened.
"Oh? He's your junior, right?"
"Exactly. I want him expelled."
Kushida Kikyo's face showed no emotion.
"Your attitude toward him is different from your attitude toward Horikita."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I may dislike Horikita, but I'm fairly certain that neither she nor you will reveal my past."
Kushida Kikyo said slowly,
"But I don't know much about Yagami. To me, he's a huge threat."
"I see. So, your goal is…"
"I want you to help me expel Yagami-kun."
"Our cooperation has already ended, hasn't it?"
"If you don't help me, then from now on, you're my enemy."
"I see. I understand."
Kushida Kikyo's threat didn't stir any emotions in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, but he still nodded in agreement.
After all, Yagami Takuya was likely from the White Room. Expelling him would make Ayanokoji Kiyotaka safer.
And in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind, an idea formed.
[Perhaps I can use this to eliminate him.]
…
In July, the exam period arrived as scheduled.
During this time, several things happened at the school.
The first was that Katsuragi Kohei seemed to have reached an agreement with Ryuen Kakeru. Class C provided points, and in exchange for abandoning their previous contract, Katsuragi transferred from Class B to Class C.
Meanwhile, in Class C, Shiina Hiyori also invited Saiki to form a team—but Saiki ultimately declined.
Not just Shiina Hiyori, but even Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi's invitations were turned down by Saiki.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to be alone.
On the eve of the exam, everyone boarded a luxury cruise ship and headed to the deserted island.
This wasn't the same island as last year, but a completely new one, much larger in size…
It was only natural that the island was bigger…
However, Saiki noticed something unusual.
[This island… it's definitely bigger, but was it this big before?]
Tsukishiro Tokinari, who had just disembarked, wore a puzzled expression.
Long ago, as the acting chairman, Tsukishiro Tokinari had personally inspected this deserted island.
But now, the island seemed… different?
While it was normal for the island to change due to various construction projects, how had it seemingly doubled in size?
'Yare yare, did that guy do something?'
Saiki couldn't help but think this.
Soon, all the students gathered, and Mashima Tomonari, the homeroom teacher of Class B, played the role of the announcer, just like last time. At the gathering point, a huge electronic screen was set up, capable of even displaying 3D projections.
"Starting tomorrow, for two weeks, you will undergo a special exam. Just like last year's deserted island exam, you'll basically be left to live freely on your own—if you suffer a serious injury, fall ill, or commit a major violation during the exam, you'll be forced to withdraw. The school requires you to form groups of up to three people, which I'm sure you all remember. But once the special exam begins, these groups can merge to form larger groups of up to six people. If all members of your group withdraw, you'll be disqualified and your ranking will be determined."
"The exam officially begins tomorrow. Before that, there are some important things to explain. The groups will compete to collect points that determine their rankings."
At the same time, the rules for the exam were displayed on the large screen.
"There are two ways to collect points. The first is 'basic movement.' Students will be divided into a grid of 100 specific squares, and at regular intervals, they'll be instructed to move to a certain area. Points will be awarded based on this—for example, if the starting point is D9 at the port, and C8 is designated as the movement point, the group that arrives first will receive 10 points, the second group will receive 5 points, and the third group will receive 3 points… Additionally, everyone who arrives within the designated time will receive 1 point as an arrival bonus. If a group of three takes first place, they'll receive 10 points for the order of arrival plus 3 points for the arrival bonus, totaling 13 points. For a group of two, the arrival bonus would be 2 points, so the total would be 12 points…"
'It's like a race, huh?'
Saiki thought to himself.
He was in a solo group. If he were to withdraw from the exam due to an accident, he would immediately lose his qualification, and the points he received would be less than others—
But as long as he could use his psychic powers without interference, these exams would be no trouble for Saiki.
No matter the distance, it would only take him an instant to cover it.
"…The school will inform you of the movement points for basic movement. On the first and last days, there will be three movements, but on the remaining twelve days, there will be four movements per day. The arrival times are from 7:00 to 9:00 AM, 9:00 to 11:00 AM, and after a two-hour break, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM and 3:00 to 5:00 PM."
Mashima Tomonari's expression was serious,
"It's important to note that if you ignore the instruction to move to the designated area three times in a row, you'll lose 1 point. If you ignore it four times in a row, you'll lose 2 points at once. Five times in a row, and you'll lose 3 points. As the number of consecutive ignores increases, the penalty will increase by 1 point each time… However, if you successfully arrive at the designated area once, the accumulated penalty will reset to zero, and the penalty will start again at 1 point after three consecutive ignores. Additionally, as long as at least one member of the group arrives at the designated area, the group won't be penalized, but the arrival bonus will only be awarded for one person."
"However, there's an important note: the arrival order rewards for first to third place will only be awarded if no group members have withdrawn and all members of the group arrive at the designated area. The ranking will be based on the record of the last group member to arrive."
"There are also areas on the map that are clearly impossible to designate, such as B1, C1, F10, G10, etc., which are completely in the sea. These areas cannot be chosen as designated points…"
'The rules for this exam are indeed quite special. For ordinary students, this might present a bit of a challenge… But for a psychic like me, it's completely meaningless.'
Saiki thought to himself.
"Before I explain the other way to earn points, I'd like you to take a look at this."
Mashima Tomonari raised his hand, showing a small object to everyone,
"Starting today, until the exam ends, all students must wear this watch. Additionally, you'll be given a tablet that syncs with the watch."
"This watch not only tells time but is also a tool for earning points. For example, all points from basic movement will be recorded on this watch—it also has a convenient feature that sends notifications when you enter the designated area within the time limit. Please make sure to check the watch's notifications to confirm whether you've earned points…"
"Moreover, the school can continuously monitor the wearer's body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, sleep time, and stress levels. If any of these exceed the set limits, a warning will sound. If the abnormal condition persists for a long time, an alarm will go off. In such cases, within 24 hours, the student must immediately undergo a health check at the starting point. If ignored or if the student cannot reach the starting point, they may face penalties such as disqualification from the exam. Additionally, the alarm is designed to keep ringing unless manually turned off. If it doesn't stop within five minutes, staff and medical teams will be dispatched to the location based on GPS."
As Mashima Tomonari spoke, the homeroom teacher of Class C and other staff members began distributing the electronic watches to everyone.
"…To prevent cheating, if the watch is damaged, the point-earning function will stop. However, if it's physically damaged due to a strong impact or if the mechanical part malfunctions for some reason within normal usage, the point-earning function will also be disabled. In such cases, please go to the starting point to exchange the watch…"
As Saiki listened to Mashima Tomonari's explanation, he put the watch on his wrist.
At that moment, Saiki saw a line of text appear on the watch's screen.
Saiki Kusuke's face also appeared.
Saiki Kusuke: Kusuo, let's compete!
"Boring."
Saiki shook his head, about to set the watch aside.
But at that moment, another line of text appeared on the watch.
Saiki Kusuke: I might have planted bombs under this island~ If you don't play along, there could be danger~ The entire island might sink~ Aren't you worried about your classmates' safety?
'???'
Saiki thought he must be seeing things.
Planting bombs under the exam island… Although he didn't know if this was true, Saiki was well aware that Saiki Kusuke was fully capable of doing something like this.
Saiki Kusuke: The conditions for the competition are simple. You just have to come in first place in this exam~ Of course, I've made some… adjustments to the exam subjects~
'Tch, what a pointless competition.'
Saiki complained inwardly.
Saiki Kusuke: If you win, I'll treat you to some luxurious desserts on the cruise ship after the vacation!
'In that case, bring it on.'
Saiki responded with unwavering determination.