Yagami Takuya felt a hint of surprise. According to common sense, Kushida Kikyo should have a strong desire to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki. But why did Kushida Kikyo seem so indifferent now?
Could it be that this was all an act by Kushida Kikyo?
Or... did Kushida Kikyo genuinely not want to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka or Saiki?
Yagami Takuya wasn't sure about Kushida Kikyo's true intentions, so he continued speaking:
"Senpai, there's no need to say such things to me. Didn't we agree to work together to help you deal with your troubles?"
Yagami Takuya wanted to further probe Kushida Kikyo's attitude.
"Did you misunderstand something? You told me you were here to 'help me solve my troubles,' but that's different from expelling others, right? And because of you, more and more people are learning about my past, aren't they?"
Kushida Kikyo's words were rushed, and she sounded impatient. Her patience with Yagami Takuya had reached its limit.
[I absolutely cannot accept people knowing my secrets and living nearby...]
[But I don't know why, even though Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki both know about my past, as well as Horikita Suzune, I trust that they won't reveal my secrets. They pose no threat to me.]
[To be honest... I don't know why I feel this way. Based on my past self... I would definitely try to expel them... Yamauchi was expelled, but the others weren't.]
Kushida Kikyo herself couldn't quite understand her own behavior at school. Even though the situations were similar, she had a higher tolerance for certain students.
In reality, this was all Saiki's doing.
"Are you saying, senpai, that you don't want to expel Ayanokoji-senpai and the others?"
"They pose no threat to me. Compared to them, you're the ones who truly affect me."
"Hey, hey, senpai, even if Ayanokoji-senpai might reveal your secrets in the future, you wouldn't care?"
Yagami Takuya's tone was urgent. He felt like nothing was going smoothly today.
Based on what he had learned in the White Room, Yagami Takuya's analysis of Kushida Kikyo's personality should have been spot on. Someone like Kushida Kikyo should have been willing to eliminate anyone who knew her secrets, regardless of the consequences. This was why Yagami Takuya had targeted Kushida Kikyo, hoping to turn her into his tool.
But Yagami Takuya never expected Kushida Kikyo's reaction to be completely different from what he had imagined.
"That's enough, Yagami-kun. If you still want to do something, you should stop now. My patience with you has reached its limit."
Kushida Kikyo spoke in a cold tone.
[Yagami, I will definitely expel you.]
"Don't force me to do something to make my underclassman leave this school..."
[If you can do it, then try!]
Meanwhile, Yagami Takuya thought to himself, his gaze also turning cold.
At this moment, Yagami Takuya was no longer planning to continue his act. He was prepared to use force to make Kushida Kikyo submit.
All his actions were based on the assumption that Kushida Kikyo would become his tool. If she refused to be controlled, she might instead become an obstacle.
Violence was a last resort, and in this exam, violence was somewhat permissible.
But just as Yagami Takuya was about to step forward and grab Kushida Kikyo, he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Saiki standing there.
"Saiki-senpai, what are you doing here?"
Yagami Takuya immediately put on a warm smile and looked at Saiki.
"Saiki-kun, is your designated area nearby?"
Kushida Kikyo also quickly switched back to her usual demeanor, smiling at Saiki.
"Yeah."
Saiki looked at the two of them and nodded, but inwardly, he sighed.
'Yare yare, people from the White Room are really trouble-makers.'
After finishing the exam earlier, Saiki had been moving toward his designated area while using his clairvoyance to observe his surroundings.
After all, when he was traveling with Kiryuin Fuka yesterday, he had learned from her thoughts that the timing and locations of the daily competition tasks were predictable. He could use this pattern to reach the locations early and secure supplies.
Although with his psychic abilities, Saiki could easily obtain what he needed even without food or water at home, he had set a personal limit for himself. Moreover, he wasn't sure if Saiki Kusuke had other tricks up his sleeve to sabotage him. So, for now, following the exam rules was the best course of action.
Just moments ago, Saiki had used his clairvoyance to see what was happening between Kushida Kikyo and Yagami Takuya. To avoid any unexpected incidents, and since his designated area was nearby, Saiki had no choice but to use his teleportation ability to appear at this location.
Of course, he also modified the GPS signal on his watch to avoid alerting the teachers to his sudden movement.
At this moment, Yagami Takuya looked at Saiki, but there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.
[Did he hear what we were saying? At this distance... it's unlikely, but it's not impossible.]
[But what bothers me the most is that I didn't sense his presence at all earlier.]
[My observational skills should far surpass others. Even if someone were following me from a distance, I would notice... But I didn't detect Saiki's presence at all earlier... This guy is definitely not ordinary.]
'Well, I teleported here, so of course you wouldn't notice.'
Saiki thought to himself.
[But my disguise should be flawless. If Ayanokoji-senpai couldn't see through it, Saiki definitely can't either.]
Yagami Takuya thought to himself.
'To be honest, I figured it out the moment we met.'
Saiki inwardly complained, then spoke up.
"My next area is up ahead, L3. What about you?"
"Not me, I'm heading the other way."
"Then I'll get going."
After saying this, Saiki left.
Watching Saiki's retreating figure, Yagami Takuya couldn't help but purse his lips.
[The higher-ups in the White Room told me to avoid unnecessary contact with Saiki. Who exactly is this guy that they're so concerned about—even more than Ayanokoji-senpai... This makes me curious. I want to know more about who Saiki really is.]
...
Before they knew it, it was already the fourth day of the exam.
On this day, the scores of the top and bottom ten groups would be made public.
At this moment, Saiki was resting in his tent, looking at the students' scores on his tablet.
The bottom seven groups were all from Class 3-B to Class 3-D. The last place was a trio from Class 3-D, with a total score of 21 points. They only had 5 points from tasks and 16 points from reaching designated areas. It seemed they had been forced to withdraw from the exam on the first day due to some circumstances.
This was likely Nagumo Miyabi's doing.
The remaining three groups were all first-years.
In fact, one of the bottom ten groups might be the one with Miyake Akito—since Sakura Airi was in that group.
For them, even the basic arrival points were difficult to obtain, as Sakura Airi's physical abilities were quite poor. This exam was simply too harsh for her.
However, Saiki had secretly helped them, such as using a bit of telekinesis to save their stamina and his restoration ability to keep them in good condition. This allowed their group to temporarily avoid the dangerous bottom ten.
As for Karuizawa Kei and Sato Maya, their groups were not at risk for now.
In the top ten, the first place was undoubtedly Nagumo Miyabi's group, followed by Kiriyama Ikuto's group in second place. Koenji Rokusuke was in fourth place—with Kiryuin Fuka close behind.
Saiki was currently in eleventh place with 52 points, just outside the top ten.
After resting, Saiki got up and headed toward his next designated area.
When he arrived, he noticed a task appearing at the summit of Area C5.
The task was a one-on-one tug-of-war, lasting only forty minutes. The number of participants was limited to two males and two females. The conditions seemed strict, but simply participating would earn 5 points, and winning would grant an additional 10 points, totaling 15 points.
'I need to reach the summit quickly. Not many students should be able to make it.'
Saiki used his clairvoyance to observe the area and saw that there weren't many students nearby. He thought this was a good opportunity.
If everything went smoothly, he could secure 15 points without any competition!
This was an opportunity Saiki couldn't miss.
Saiki used a bit of his psychic ability to quickly reach the target location. After ensuring that his fake GPS signal matched his actual location, he arrived at the task site.
A teacher had already set up the task area. After registering, Saiki looked around and saw no other students had arrived.
'Looks like I can get the points without any pressure—'
[I'm so handsome.]
At that moment, Saiki heard a familiar voice. Then, Koenji Rokusuke appeared in front of him.
"Ah! I'm such a devastatingly handsome man. It seems my strength has improved even more than a year ago."
Koenji Rokusuke held a bottle of water, took a sip, and then poured the rest over himself.
"It seems I'm undoubtedly the number one—Glasses Boy?"
Koenji Rokusuke finally noticed Saiki's presence, and the latter could only awkwardly nod in acknowledgment.
Koenji Rokusuke believed he was undoubtedly the best and hadn't expected Saiki to arrive before him.
"It seems you're not an ordinary student after all, Glasses Boy."
Koenji Rokusuke's gaze fell on Saiki.
A few minutes later, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Nanase Tsubasa also arrived, but they hadn't expected Saiki and Koenji Rokusuke to be there already.
"Looks like we're a step late."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said calmly. Since only two males and two females could participate in this task, and Saiki and Koenji Rokusuke had already signed up, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't join. Nanase Tsubasa, however, won by default.
"It seems my opponent is you, Saiki Boy."
Koenji Rokusuke's nickname for Saiki changed from "Glasses Boy" to "Saiki Boy."
"Yeah..."
Saiki felt a bit helpless. He had originally thought he could easily secure the points, but he hadn't expected these guys to actually make it on time.
'At this point, I'll just have to intentionally lose to Koenji. Five points are still points.'
Saiki thought to himself, then walked over and grabbed the rope.
The exam was still long, and it would be best to secure first place later.
For now, losing intentionally was the best option—
But at that moment, Saiki noticed a message appear on his electronic watch.
Saiki Kusuke: You need to get first place in this round~ Otherwise, I might blow up a certain part of the island~
Saiki Kusuke: If you win, I'll arrange for cake to be the reward in the next competition task.
"Are you ready, Saiki Boy? Based on your way of thinking, you'd go for the most efficient method, right? Giving the points to me, who's in fourth place, would be better for the class and save time. I understand, but that's absurd. After all, you only thought of such a useless idea because you believe you can win against me in this task. No matter who participates, I'll be the one to win."
At the same time, Koenji Rokusuke said this.