COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Another hour of his life had slipped away!

Having bid farewell to Miss Holmes, Fuyuji Mikage, weaving through the forest and producing a series of rustling, crunching sounds, let out a sigh from the very depths of his heart.

Still, recalling the cheerful, buoyant steps with which Shiina Hiyori had departed—as though treading to the cadence of a poem—Fuyuji felt his soul had been ever so slightly healed.

So, honestly, which bastard was it who had placed such an adorable, such a pure and innocent Miss Shiina into that Class C, full to the brim with delinquents on a per-capita basis? It had made him unable to bring himself to ruthlessly crush Class C. If Class C were docked all the way to zero points, wouldn't Miss Shiina have to go eat the mountain vegetable set meal at the cafeteria?

She had never even been to the cafeteria before. She definitely wouldn't be used to it. Something like the mountain vegetable set meal should just be left to Class D—

The rustling, crunching sounds beneath his feet came to an abrupt halt.

"Horikita-san, wait for me, won't you? In a forest like this, having one more person means we can look out for each other."

"Kushida-san, even though you clearly disl—"

Horikita Suzune's voice caught in her throat. She likewise halted her steps and folded her arms, staring warily at Fuyuji, who was passing by.

"You... are you out here on reconnaissance?"

"..." You all don't have to say that every single time, do you? Being seen through at a single glance—give a guy a break, will you?

Fuyuji decided to salvage his persona. Casually picking up a fallen branch from the ground, he brandished it and declared, "Can't you tell? I'm on an outing."

Horikita remained completely unmoved and continued staring at him expressionlessly, clearly putting on an attitude that said, 'I'd believe that, sure, if I were an idiot.'

"Is your Class A really that idle? They didn't even assign you any basic work?"

"Could it not be that I finished my own work and then came out to play? You make it sound like I'm some kind of lazy bum who does nothing at all. My work is... um..." Fuyuji drew a blank and struggled to recall. "Katsuragi doesn't seem to have assigned me any work, actually."

After pondering for a moment, Fuyuji decided to switch from defense to offense.

"What about you two?" Fuyuji glanced at their empty, unburdened hands. "You're probably not out here gathering supplies either, right?"

"I plan to go to Class B's camp to take a look. If possible, after that, I also intend to visit your Class A's camp." Horikita admitted it with absolute, forthright honesty, and simultaneously deployed her World Deletion ultimate technique, directly erasing the existence of Cha-Cha, who was trailing behind her.

Cha-Cha has been licking your boots for so long—even if she has no merit, she has toil. Yet you're so utterly merciless, showing her no consideration at all. At least give her a sliver of hope. No wonder Cha-Cha backstabs you.

Kushida Kikyo, standing behind Horikita, instantly lost her smile. Her big, moe eyes seemed to have lost their light, staring soullessly at the back of Horikita's head. From the look of it, she was deliberating exactly what angle to strike it from for the easiest one-hit kill.

"Hm? Is there something behind me?" Sensing Fuyuji's peculiar gaze, Horikita furrowed her brow and turned to look behind her.

In just a single instant, Kushida's gaze—which had seemed as though she wished to hack someone into a thousand pieces—had, in the very moment Horikita's head began to turn, already switched back to the friendliness of their very first encounter.

At the same time, she also followed suit and glanced around behind her, asking with feigned curiosity, "Eh~ Did something happen?"

"..."

Cha-Cha. That speed—I acknowledge it!

Among all the people I know, when it comes to the speed of changing faces, no one surpasses you! I, Fuyuji Mikage, shall declare you the Strongest!

"Oh, a lizard just ran past behind you two." Fuyuji stated with a perfectly normal expression.

Kushida retreated two steps backward and patted her full, ample bosom—which even the athletic uniform couldn't conceal—letting out an adorable cry. "Thank goodness it didn't crawl up my leg."

Crawl up your leg? You'd just kick it to death in one blow.

At this moment, Fuyuji recalled Kushida's terrifying combat power when she had kicked the school's railing crooked with a single strike. The phantom pain from the last time she had stomped on his toes still lingered.

"Ah, that's right, that's right." Kushida seemed to recall something and swiftly came up before Fuyuji. She cupped Fuyuji's hand in both of hers and deployed her signature move. With a pitiful, wronged expression, she asked, "Does Fuyuji-kun know where Class B's camp is? My classmates said it's somewhere around here, but Horikita-san and I have been searching for a while and still haven't found it."

Fuyuji cast a surprised glance at Kushida.

Cha-Cha knew perfectly well that this kind of move had no effect on him. And as long as she just asked normally, Fuyuji would definitely answer. Yet she still made such a gesture.

Facing Fuyuji's probing gaze, Kushida smiled sweetly, her eyes glimmering and flickering.

Fuyuji appeared thoughtful. Probingly, he opened his mouth and spoke. "I recall it should be southwest of our landing spot on the beach. There's a large, snapped tree there. If you search a little further ahead from there, you should find it."

"In that case, why doesn't Fuyuji-kun come along with us?"

The words had barely landed before Kushida immediately followed up with an enthusiastic invitation. At the same time, the strength of her grip on Fuyuji's hand abruptly intensified.

There was definitely something going on here!

It was far too abrupt... In such a critically important special exam, inviting a student from a rival class to accompany them?

Considering Cha-Cha's prior record... could it be...

Fuyuji tossed a look over.

Kushida appeared not to have received any response. Forcefully pinching the flesh of Fuyuji's palm, she turned her gaze toward Horikita.

"What do you think, Horikita-san?"

Horikita scraped the two of them with an icy-cold glare. After a brief moment of hesitation, she flicked her long hair and continued onward on her own.

"Do as you please."

"..."

In that very instant, Fuyuji's eyes suddenly widened dramatically. He seemed to have discovered a blind spot.

It couldn't really be what he thought it was, could it? Backstabbing once was already enough—was she seriously going to do it a second time?!

"This is truly wonderful. Fuyuji-kun, let's go together."

A warm, sunny voice lingered and curled around Fuyuji's ears. In truth, however, Kushida didn't give him any room to refuse whatsoever. She simply seized his hand and dragged him along.

By this point, even the densest of people should have realized exactly what Kushida was trying to tell him.

The leader of Class D, delivered right to his doorstep just like that?

This was like playing Super Mario—where you clearly need to overcome a thousand hardships and perils before you can defeat the boss and rescue the princess. And yet, you've barely just cleared the first stage when the princess, barehanded, goes and beats the boss to death all by herself.

Was it possible this was a Class D trap? Sending Cha-Cha to trick him, attempting to make Class A lose those fifty points?

Fuyuji silently fixed his gaze on Kushida's pretty face.

At this moment, Kushida's attention was entirely focused on Horikita ahead of her. The corner of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward. Even her fair cheeks were tinged with an excited, exhilarated flush.

"..."

No!

Fuyuji's expression turned stern and grim.

Rather than believing that Cha-Cha would cooperate with Horikita-girl, it was more reliable to believe that Cha-Cha had already been hypnotized by Horikita-girl.

And besides... even if Horikita truly was the leader of Class D, that still didn't necessarily mean anything.

According to the rules, there was a very large loophole in this thing. Fuyuji couldn't be certain that the Class D students were unaware of this loophole.

No matter what, it still needed to be verified.

Having thought it through, Fuyuji called out loudly toward Horikita ahead. "Horikita-san, do you know where our Class A's camp is?"

"No, I don't. Our Class D's camp—follow this river downstream until you reach a stretch of river flat, and you're there."

"You're so kind-hearted, specially telling us where your Class D's camp is?"

"So, in exchange, may I trouble you to tell me where your Class A's camp is?"

"Isn't this just coercive buying and selling?"

"Not at all. I, as a person, consistently emphasize fairness."

...

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