Chapter 6 Part 4

I had crossed the border to I2, but there was no sign on my watch that I had arrived. Normally, I would have suspected it was a GPS error, but this time it was unlikely. So I had to move as close to the center of the zone as possible to compensate for the error of my watch.  

Ofcourse I had not experienced such a situation in the last two weeks, and it was probably an unavoidable factor, including the fact that the tip of Island I2 was close to the center. It was designed so that even if Ichinose hadn't come to me, I would have gone to the place. 

I walk slowly along the path that does not allow me to escape. 

After less than ten minutes of walking, the deep forest gradually began to absorb the light, and I could see the blue sea and blue sky stretching beyond my vision. 

Although I had made it this far, my watch was showing no sign. Instead, there were two adults standing on the small beach in front of me, staring at me. 

One is a man I know well, Tsukishiro, the Acting Director. He was wearing a sweater, which made him look somewhat out of place. And the other one is Shiba-sensei, the teacher from the freshman class D. 

It's a strange combination, but apparently it is. 

"You have decided to take a very strong approach, Acting Director Tsukishiro." 

I said as I walked to the beach 

 “I can't seem to do anything about it. This is the best option I can do. " 

I look back and saw the last 14 days of this special test. It became clear that Tsukishiro's final trap was luring me to I2. But it is not without its drawbacks. 

Since there are no designated or assigned zones around this northeast zone, there would be no other students coming here. But at the same time, there must have been a future where he left the designated area and would have gone for the task. Or a future where he was working with Nanase or someone else in the same box. 

It's just a matter of luck, and there's no way Tsukishiro has prepared this final event. It means that long before, my arrival here was already a "predestined" future. 

Nanase's defeat to me and going our separate ways. He wanted to act just to make a plan to hide around 11th place targeting higher ranks. The timing and details of the first year's attack I think it's safe to say that the whole thing was planned by Tsukishiro's side from the beginning. 

 "So what will happen to me after this?" 

The small boat in the corner of my field of vision is anchored, rocked by the waves with the engine running. 

This means we were ready to go at any time. 

 "If possible, we would like you to follow our instructions and come on board with us. It would be a way to declare a voluntary withdrawal of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, it would fit perfectly ”. 

I'm sure you'll be glad to hear it, "he added. 

 "Do you think I would choose to go voluntarily to the ship?" 

 "Certainly. If you're honest, you didn't have to come to an uninhabited island." 

“Not that he had any particular connection to Shiba-sensei at school, but it means that he was on the side of Acting Headmaster Tsukishiro. " 

Due to the fact that he had no contact with us, perhaps he was an Amasawa watchdog. 

Now that that need is gone, it seems like he no longer intends to hide. I'm sure it's a bit suspicious being in the northeast where there is no one, but Ichinose and Nagumo could also be seen around here. In that sense, it works well as a camouflage. 

No, either way, it's safe to assume that the people who are monitoring us are on Tsukishiro's side. 

But he doesn't appear to be wearing anything visibly dangerous. 

 “If I used a weapon or something like that, it would be easy to take control here, but unfortunately, you are a valuable commodity. It is my duty to bring you back safe and sound, so I have decided that what I need is only my fists. " 

Standing on the sandy beach, Tsukishiro smiles fearlessly and spreads his hands slightly. So, to resist until the last moment in this place, I have to fight with Tsukishiro. Unlike what happened with Nanase, I don't think my method of evading attacks is going to work. 

 "So the only way to avoid expulsion is to take it." 

 "That is what is going to happen" 

 “ I'm not saying that violence is a bad way to solve a problem, but I am a student at this school. By normal rules, this is a 'foul'. ” 

 “That may be true. However, Ayanokouji-kun, you are a successful example who has accomplished something special in the White Room. Even if you fight within the limited rules, you will have no enemies. Don't you think it's silly to compete with others in this school? Or have you come to take pleasure in being the king of the mountain? " 

“If so, is it an evolution ...... or a regression that would disappoint that man? “ 

“No, no, it's not like that, is it? The desire of the White Room is to take over Japan and, by extension, the world. If you, the successful body, feel that way, then the growing body will eventually take over the world and enjoy it. " 

From a small Japanese institute, the story stretches to take control of the world. If someone heard of such a fantasy, they would most likely laugh. Probably Tsukishiro himself, who is in front of me, must be very incredulous about how realistic it is. Just trying to do his duty faithfully and without hesitation. 

 "Well, to tell the truth, I didn't think this school was much." 

 "I guess so. Because for you, this school level is a path that you went through in your childhood”. 

 “It is only limited to the curriculum. I finally start to have an idea of where I want to be and what I want to do in this school. I know I'm going to have a lot of fun until I graduate, and there are a lot of good people outside of the White Room. "  

In fact, I'd say it's a pool of talent that the White Room could never produce. 

 “I do not intend to denigrate the students of Advanced Nurturing High School. As you say, there are always talented people around the world. Sometimes you are outperformed in sports, sometimes in studies. But the important thing is not that part, but the people who can excel in all situations and lead others. " 

Acting Director Tsukishiro gives Shiba a light look. 

 "What happened to Nagumo-kun and Ichinose-san?" 

 "Nagumo has stopped moving, and Ichinose has already moved away, so there is nothing to worry about." 

I'm sure he must have calculated that I would stop Nagumo and Ichinose. 

 "So, regarding unplanned actions, Amasawa seems to be blocking the movement." 

Unplanned actions? There are no designated zones or problems around this zone. 

Was someone other than Ichinose and Nagumo getting closer? 

If an unrelated student showed up here, it would be a nuisance to Tsukishiro. 

It seems that Amasawa is the one delaying that irregular existence. 

 "She has been educated in her own way, hasn't she?" 

 "It did not seem that Amasawa ally with Acting Director Tsukishiro." 

 "She is, simply," a traitor. " She was the one chosen to bring you back, but she never intended to bring you back. " 

As if to say that the useless talk is over, Tsukishiro takes a step forward. 

He didn't want to waste time with others. He was reducing the distance between us little by little. 

But we were still five or six meters apart from each other. 

Shiba-sensei slowly walks behind me to make sure I don't run away. 

 “You wouldn't call it unfair a two against one, right? After all, you are the best in the 

White Room. I'm even a little nervous about this. "  

That said, there was an overwhelming amount of space for Tsukishiro. 

I can sense that he was convinced that he could compete well in a one-on-one, and that he had chosen to have me fight alone against the two of them. 

There is no pride in it. It's a rock solid position. I shifted my gaze to the ship waiting on the shore. 

From what I can see, the only member of the crew is the pilot. 

Which means that if they are launched, I will only have to eliminate a maximum of three enemies. 

 "Do not worry. It’s only Shiba and I who will fight against you. " 

I'm not the type of person who would take your word for it. 

He may be carrying a concealed weapon, though he's empty-handed from the way he just spoke. 

As I face two adults with unknown abilities, both at agent level, I will have to fight in a cautious manner for the presence of weapons, reinforcements, and other uncertain factors. 

Normally doing multiple actions at once would burn my brain, but I don't have to be mentally upset. 

Fighting in absurd and disadvantageous situations has been instilled in me repeatedly since I was a child. 

It is the same as the process of unconscious breathing that is essential for human life.  "You have a look that says you don't think for a minute that you're going to lose." 

 "Do you think I have that look?" 

There were no visible results of my face anywhere. The only way to open the future is for me to take it here. 

I had a situation where I had them in front and back, and waiting to see what will happen. 

Normally, I would be inclined to take the first step, but it is not a good idea. 

They are not students, the people in front of and behind me are from the school. If I am the only one raising my hand, I will be at a disadvantage in situations other than fighting. 

“Although I know that I will have an advantage, I cannot start it myself. As well as you” Tsukishiro, who has a detailed knowledge of education policy regarding the White Room, discusses it. 

 "So, let's start at once, Shiba-sensei" 

As soon as he said his name, the two adults started walking towards me at the same time. Both were not in a hurry and calmly approach closing the distance as if they were advancing the Shōgi pieces. (It's Japanese chess) 

Shiba's presence and footsteps disappeared at the same time as I turned backwards. The distance between Tsukishiro and me, who is walking in front of me, is 7 steps, 6 steps, 5 steps, 4 steps .... 

Shiba's two hands came to grab my face from behind, and I ducked a little to avoid them. The first thing he will do is come from behind. 

In the middle of the evasive movement, Tsukishiro extends his arm and comes to grab me like Shiba did. I evaded it while rolling down the beach, and made the effort to get up and run at the same time to escape the chase. 

The dust danced in the sea breeze. The two adults did not rush to chase me and look at me silently, I am aware of them, as they are of me. 

They are trying to measure my ability through concrete movements, from the data that they could not count. 

My feet sink into the sand. I guess I should have taken my shoes off earlier if this was going to happen. 

Under the hot sun, the two of them go out to close the distance they had parted again. 

Observing the face and body of the two, I keep a distance backing up at the same pace. 

With my back to the sea, I am going to move away from the soft sand and secure myself towards a foothold, while avoiding being turned over. 

 "It's a good idea, but I'm not sure it's the correct solution Ayanokouji-kun." 

They won't be able to take my back, but they will narrow my escape route. If I go lower, the waves will hit my legs, and that's where Tsukishiro and Shiba will come in.  

The outstretched arm keeps trying to grab my body. They still don't mean to hurt me with their blows. 

 "You're good at running away." 

They both move very fast, and the space to avoid them is suddenly taken from me. 

After dropping to the very edge of the water, I couldn't take it anymore and ran away. 

 "Oh? Have you given up on the sea protecting your back?" 

It's easier to provoke your opponent to make mistakes if he's in a hurry. While I was thinking about it, Shiba and Tsukishiro were kicking the sand and heading towards me. 

Now that it's two against one, and if any of them catch me, then it's game over. Four arms are extended in each other's place, and if you show the slightest gap, the situation will end. 

I started running and trying to distance myself, but they weren't going to let me go and started chasing me. 

Running in a place like this will only continue to drain my stamina. 

It is clear that they intend to take away the resistance with the heat and the bad points of support. 

I had to make a choice. I abandoned my flight movement in the middle of the day, and making the most of my body's spring, I stepped forward with my left foot, stepped on the sand, and turned to attack Shiba, who was right behind me. 

"Mwah !? 

Shiba's movement stiffened slightly due to my movement, which showed an unexpected trajectory. 

I feinted with the left fist aiming for the chest on the right, but sensing the danger, Shiba didn't panic and kept his distance. 

It's a sign that he's more concerned with avoiding me rather than catching me. 

 "Well ...... you've been doing an excellent job facing the two of us, Ayanokouji-kun." 

He tried to defend me, dodging attacks from both sides, but I can't get a clean hit. 

 "But human strength is limited. Isn't it time you started to catch your breath?" 

 "Acting Director Tsukishiro, is a difficult opponent to fight." 

 "My job is to take the initiative and do what people don't want to do." 

There is nothing clean or dirty, just a fighting style that aims to capture me and take me home. 

But he wasn't wasting stamina for nothing, either. What I have won so far. There seems to be a slight combat ability between Tsukishiro and Shiba. 

Tsukishiro is said to have a score of 4 while Shiba has a score of 6, and I have learned that Shiba has better movement. My intuition tells me that Tsukishiro is above.  Anyway, the balance to be attentive is slightly changed from 5 to 5 (It refers to the score of 10 put as half and half). 

He had always thought that he left his back at least capable, that is, Shiba, but it was the other way around. This is their way of fighting. 

It's tempting to start with the least capable, Tsukishiro, but even so, his ability is far from the truth. 

It is in a higher dimension, it is not easy to end it. In fact, if he realizes that I have completed my analysis, there is a possibility that Tsukishiro will become aware of his defenses. 

I'll take down Shiba in one hit, without letting him realize that I have noticed the difference in his abilities. 

In simple terms, a shot is fired in one shot with the intention of hitting the other. The other side hasn't thought of hitting me yet, so now is my chance. If I am lucky it will be the only thing that can inflict one-sided damage. 

And after neutralizing Shiba, I'll quickly deal with Tsukishiro in a one-on-one I have a second to think. While they both attack me at the same speed. 

But the fist that looked like it was going to grab him clenched and turned into a blow. It was read. 

The aim of the damage exchange is to be read, if I keep shooting like this, they will both eat me. Even so, I'm going to have to get over them. 

I tried to turn my consciousness to trade damage with Shiba behind me, but something unexpected happened. I felt a cold mark on my neck and was forced to interrupt the counterattack. 

I don't know how many times I've had to take evasive action to get away from Tsukishiro 

The sound of Shiba's fist, balanced with a slight delay, reaches my ears dryly. If I wasn't good at damage exchange, it could have stopped me in my tracks. Shiba's strike definitely has the same power as mine. 

It is not more than that…. 

I looked at Tsukishiro's movements, which should be inferior to Shiba's, but they were both faster than I had expected. 

 "...... You are still a complicated person, Acting Director Tsukishiro." 

I avoided it just in time, and for the first time in years, I break out in a cold sweat in a fight. 

If I hadn't trusted my instincts, I don't know what I would have done. Not only would I have been hit by Shiba's blow, but I could have been left unprotected by Tsukishiro's attack. 

Tsukishiro's reading that it is 4, and Shiba 6 is itself false information created by the other party. 

They intentionally save their abilities and then attack above your alert level. 

 "I would have killed you now, but your reaction time is not normal." 

Perhaps, it is convenient not to rule out that possibility. 

It is not natural that the Tsukishiro in front of me is inferior in skill to Shiba. I'd say that was the only thing that helped raise my guard to the limit. 

They are both cautious and do not risk as much as they can, but they do not hesitate to take risks if they think it will be to their advantage. 

I guess the situation is a bit disadvantageous for me. 

Even if you try to crush one of them first, it's going to cover at the perfect time, making it difficult for me to hit them with a proper attack. It's hard to believe that they got together overnight. 

 “How is your analysis going? Ayanokouji-kun " 

The fight has only lasted a little over two minutes. I have already tried several different patterns, but none of them are convincing. 

 “It would have been easier if it was like a children's fight, purely fighting and fighting only with our strength and power. But we adults do not hesitate to take the best measures not to lose, even if it is something dirty, and it is not something well seen. " 

Tsukishiro has also read 99% of my thoughts. It is a very accurate way to fight without hesitation, but at the same time, it does not allow you to read your own thoughts. I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea. Anyway, in the current situation, a decisive blow is missing. It seems that I will also have to risk a lot if I want to stay in the game. 

 "Acting Director Tsukishiro" 

The one who broke the silence was Shiba, who had kept his mouth shut until that moment. Immediately after his name was spoken, Tsukishiro seemed to have noticed a strange change. 

It was something that no one here had expected. 

 “I wonder what the Acting Director and the classroom teacher do with a student in such a deserted place. What are they doing? I would love to hear about it”. 

She was an unwelcome visitor. 

 "I'm pretty sure you are…." 

 “She is Kiryuuin Fuka from Third year group B ”. 

Why the hell was she here? I thought I was the only one that had this I2 designated as a designated zone. 

 "You don't look like a lost kitten. What can I do for you?" 

After abandoning his fighting stance, Tsukishiro asks in his usual tone. 

“Actually, I've been watching you from behind the big tree for a while, but I couldn't take the two-on-one situation. That is why I have appeared here. " 

Of course, it was impossible that Tsukishiro and Shiba hadn't seen the GPS signal. 

“Could this be the cause? It seems that an accident caused my watch to fail.” 

Kiryuuin laughs and shows a watch that has been smashed on the surface. 

 “Let me ask you this, since we have people from the school in front of us, there is nothing wrong with it, right? Even if my watch breaks, only the scoring function will be disabled. I am free to go wherever I want ”. 

 "No problem, Anyway, it is a test in which the clocks are constantly breaking."  

Tsukishiro doesn't seem to be bothered by the irregular existence in this place. Normally you should withdraw if a student sees you in these kinds of situations. However, Tsukishiro understands that this is the last place he can do it, so he won't back down. Kiryuuin was likely listed for elimination. 

 "Ayanokouji, were my actions unnecessary?" 

If you have seen the distorted battle between teachers and a student, there is no point in repairing it. 

I prefer to make the most of this accident that has occurred. 

“That depends on what happens next. Am I correct in assuming that you will give me a hand? " 

 "Of course. As your senpai, shouldn't it be normal for me to protect my kouhai? " She said that and stood next to me, and laughed. 

 "But how did you get here?" 

 “Yesterday, you were running away from the first-year students. I was curious and wanted to ask you, but I figured you'd rather run away. " 

“So you went to the trouble of breaking your watch so it wouldn't know you were coming.” 

 "I am glad that you have piqued my curiosity. For this reason, I have been invited to a very interesting development." 

Well, it is not a development that would normally be possible. 

 "Shiba-sensei, I'll let you take care of her." 

 “From what I see, the abilities of the Acting Director and Shiba-sensei are at a ridiculous level. I don't know how much I can help, but it probably won't be much.” Kiryuuin happily held her fist at my side. 

 "If you can attract them for 1 second or 2 seconds, you are welcome." 

 "I'll tell you. I'll hold them for a minute or two at least. But Ayanokouji, can't you show me more?" 

 "Show me more?" 

 “You don't look very good with that scruffy expression on your face. Keep your fists up and try to create an atmosphere of tension. "