---
I sat just outside the tent, fiddling with a few rocks, pretending I was stargazing. In truth, I was watching the forest line, thinking. Waiting.
Kei, Haruto, Satoshi, and Kaito had been gone for over an hour. I had to cover for them until they got back.
The night was quiet—until a voice startled me.
"What are you doing up?"
I jolted. Ayame. Crap.
I straightened up, trying to look casual. "Oh, nothing. Just chilling. I think you should go back to bed."
She hesitated. "I guess you're right."
But then she looked to the side. Her eyes narrowed.
"What happened to some of our supplies?"
I followed her gaze—my heart sank. She noticed. The missing pepper spray. The water.
Think fast, Shuto.
"I, uh… used the spray. Bugs were everywhere," I said, throwing on my best poker face. "And I was thirsty, so I drank some water."
*Shit.* I knew how bad that sounded the moment it left my mouth.
She frowned. "That's impossible. There were three cans of spray. You couldn't have used them all. And eight bottles of water? Seriously?"
I tried to stay calm, but my brain was racing.
*Damn it. Kei, Haruto, Satoshi, and Kaito each took two bottles… That's eight total. There's no way I drank all of it myself. She's not going to buy this.*
"You okay?" Ayame said, narrowing her eyes. "You keep pausing every time I speak."
"I—yeah, I drank eight bottles of water. Now *please* go to bed," I said, a little too firmly.
She didn't believe me. I could see it in her eyes. That quiet look people give when they're already piecing the truth together.
She turned to walk away. For a second, I thought I dodged it.
Then she stopped and pointed. "What are those footprints?"
*Oh no.*
I looked down. Four pairs of them. Clear as day. I recognized Kei's immediately—and from Ayame's expression, so did she.
"That's Kei's shoe print, isn't it?" she asked.
I didn't respond. Just stood there sweating.
"He left, didn't he?" she said. "And so did… these others. Who are they?"
Before I could say anything, she darted back to the tents.
"Ayame—wait!"
Too late. She yanked open each flap. Her face paled.
"Haruto. Satoshi. Kaito. They're all gone."
She stormed back toward me. "Where the hell are they, Shuto?"
"I don't know—it's a mystery," I blurted.
She froze. Then the color drained from her face completely.
"A mystery… Then that means… they're in the *mysterious side of the island*!?"
I cursed under my breath. "Damn it."
She didn't wait. She ran to Mei's tent and started shaking her awake.
"Kei is missing," she said, voice sharp but worried.
Mei groaned. "What…? I'm tired…"
"I don't care. Come on," Ayame said, hoisting her up and carrying her piggyback.
"Where the hell are you going?" I asked.
She turned to me, determination burning in her eyes. "To find my friend."
And just like that, she marched into the night.
I was left standing alone.
*Kei… you owe me big time.*
(Aoi Fushimiya perspective)
---
The moonlight sliced through the treetops like a blade, casting fractured shadows across the forest floor. I moved silently, almost like a phantom, weaving through the branches and brush with practiced ease. I knew they'd come eventually. Curiosity always kills the naive.
Sure enough, I saw her. Ayame. Rushing headlong through the woods, Mei slumped against her back. She was desperate, panicked. Not smart.
I stepped out just enough to let my silhouette be seen.
"Don't do it."
She froze, eyes wide like a cornered animal. She clutched a stick like it was a sword, trembling. Then recognition hit her.
"You're that guy… what's your name… Aoi Fushimiya?"
I nodded. "Trust me. Whatever you do, don't go to the mysterious side of the island."
Mei lifted her tired head from Ayame's shoulder. "Why are you here? You're just that 19-year-old proctor guy. You aren't even supposed to be here."
I smirked. "I know. But let's just say… I have a different clearance than most. I'm here to observe—closely. And if you go one step further, you'll get yourself hurt. Do you even realize where you're going? There are traps. Ambushes. And do you know who's on the other side?"
Ayame's eyes burned with defiance. "My friend. Kei is there."
*Friend.* The word almost made me laugh.
"Friend?" I echoed, stepping closer. "As if Kei would ever consider a girl like you a friend."
Her voice cracked with confusion and anger. "Who the hell even are you? Do you even *know* Kei?"
I kept my tone calm. Cold. "You've got the question backwards. The real question is: *do you* even know who Kei is?"
She looked ready to scream. Mei groaned from her back, irritated. "Just leave us alone…"
I ignored the brat and pressed forward. "You realize Class A is there, right? This isn't some camping trip. And let's not forget—you're the same pathetic girl who cried when Reika tore into you, weren't you? You needed your entire class to shield you."
Ayame's fists clenched. Her voice was shaky, but stubborn. "I… I *have* to become better. I will protect Class C. I'll make sure Kei, Haruto, and Mei are safe."
I stopped. For a moment, I simply looked at her. She reminded me of a spark trying to stand against a storm.
Then I said it.
"Remember this: Kei is Class C's *solitary hero*."
He doesn't need you. He never has. That's what I didn't say.
I turned and stepped back into the trees, vanishing into the blackness like I was never there.
They could chase shadows if they wanted.
But they'd learn soon enough—this island doesn't care about feelings.
(Kei's perspective)
Kaito and I had been tailing Kenji in complete silence, weaving through the shadows of the dense jungle that covered the mysterious side of the island. The deeper we went, the more it became clear that this was no ordinary part of the exam—this area was laced with danger.
Then we saw it.
Strings. Dozens of them. Hundreds, maybe. Nearly invisible, crisscrossing the trees like spiderwebs, forming an intricate web. It wasn't random—this was precision. Calculated. A perimeter.
Kaito muttered behind me, "These Class A students really are careful."
I narrowed my eyes. "They seem to be very prepared. Almost like they knew this would happen."
But then I noticed it—Kaito shifted his foot ever so slightly forward. My eyes darted to a thin glimmer along the forest floor.
"Kaito—NO!"
Too late.
*Snap.*
A string had been tripped. The mechanism behind it activated in a flash—an explosion of movement. I dove left and rolled behind a tree, instinct taking over. Kaito wasn't so lucky. He tried to jump back, but a large weighted net sprung up and slammed him to the ground with crushing force.
Then I heard it.
A slow, calculated turn. Kenji's boots pivoting against the soil. When his face emerged from the shadows, it was twisted in the most grotesquely triumphant grin I'd ever seen.
"There you are… Kei," he said with sickening glee. "I've been waiting to play a game with you again."
"Damn it," I hissed under my breath.
Kenji took a few deliberate steps forward, his knife glinting in his hand. "You should've thought this through more deeply. You realize we knew four of you were coming, right? The strings told us everything. Just by how they moved, we could tell."
He pointed toward the trees behind me. "Big impact—had to be one of your muscleheads. Happened twice—meant two of them. Satoshi and Kaito, obviously. And you? You always come when it matters. And based on the spacing and pacing… the other one is Haruto, isn't it?"
I stayed silent, but I could feel sweat forming on my brow.
Kenji's grin widened. "Thought so. So, here's what we're going to do—we kidnap Kaito, Satoshi, and Haruto. Keep them out of the game. That should effectively neuter Team X. And you…"
I kept my voice cold. "Let me ask you a question, Kenji. Why do you think I brought them?"
He scoffed. "Because they're strong. Intelligent. Obvious."
I shook my head. "No. I brought them because I needed to use my best chess pieces to make way for the real game."
Kenji blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"
I pulled out my pocket knife and stared him down. "Go ahead and try to kidnap me too. But I'm not going quietly."
His lips curled into a savage grin as he drew his own blade. "So be it then."
But then, it happened.
*Another string moved.*
Kenji and I both snapped our heads in the same direction.
"Huh?" we said in unison.
Kenji turned to me, confusion breaking through his bravado. "So you brought two other people too, huh Kei?"
"I didn't bring anyone else."
"Don't lie. Two new movements. Light and fragile. Females."
My stomach dropped.
No. It couldn't be.
Kenji studied my expression, and then he knew. "That look—so it *wasn't* part of your plan. That means they came for you on their own. You didn't even know. Judging by the movement… Ayame and Mei?"
I clenched my teeth. "Well aren't you a smartass."
Kenji let out a laugh and then charged me, blade raised high and gleaming.
I squared my stance, adrenaline flooding through me as I held my ground.
"Let's finish this," I growled.
And the trap-filled jungle became our battleground.