(Minato perspective)
Chapter 27: Wildcard
9:00 A.M.
The bus finally stopped in front of another facility.
Compared to the last one, this place actually had color.
Not much.
Just enough to make it look less like a prison.
I stepped inside and immediately noticed someone sprawled across one of the couches.
Out cold.
"...Who's that?"
Before I could get a better look, a couple of upperclassmen from Class D walked over carrying a bucket filled with water.
Without warning...
Splash.
The entire bucket emptied onto the guy's face.
He shot upright, coughing.
"...Well, that's one way to wake somebody up."
I finally recognized him.
"Oh."
"I've seen you before."
"You're Jun from Class 1-C."
He blinked several times, still trying to wake himself up.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could've sworn people said you disappeared."
"Matter of fact, I heard you weren't even nominated."
Jun looked around in confusion.
"...I don't remember."
"The last thing I remember was crawling through the vents."
"Then..."
"...nothing."
Interesting.
Memory loss?
Or someone made sure he wouldn't remember.
Either way...
Not my problem.
I shrugged.
"Oh well."
Before either of us could continue...
A familiar voice echoed behind us.
"This should be intriguing."
I turned around.
"...You?"
Jun frowned.
"Toma?"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"You weren't nominated."
Toma shrugged as though he couldn't care less.
"After you left through the vents..."
"I intentionally got my puzzle wrong."
I couldn't help laughing.
"So it was you."
"I've heard plenty about you."
"Toma Kirisaki."
"Class 1-A."
"Talented."
"Lazy."
"And apparently allergic to trying."
He smirked.
I continued.
"I kept checking the class rankings during the exam."
"For a while..."
"Class A jumped to 3,290 points."
"Then they suddenly dropped back to 2,890."
"So..."
"You cost your own class four hundred points."
"Why sabotage your own teammates?"
Toma shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Sabotage?"
"I think you're misunderstanding."
"This makes the exam more entertaining."
...
Right.
So he wasn't loyal to his class.
He was loyal to his own amusement.
Jun stared at him.
"What kind of classmate does something like that?"
Toma answered immediately.
"The kind who doesn't need their validation."
Self-centered.
But honest.
I'd take that over fake loyalty any day.
The entrance opened again.
Another student walked inside.
Haruto.
Jun looked surprised.
"What are you doing here?"
I laughed.
"So that's what happened."
"I checked your class too."
"For a while..."
"Class C reached 911 points."
"Then it dropped back to 511."
"So you're the reason."
Haruto didn't even flinch.
"What do you want, Minato?"
I looked him in the eye.
"I expected more from Class C's leader."
Nothing else needed to be said.
The intercom crackled.
"Please select a path."
Everyone looked forward.
Two hallways.
One displayed a ladder.
The other...
A truck.
Toma studied them for a second.
"So..."
"They're splitting us apart."
"Game Five begins here."
Jun immediately made his choice.
"Fine."
"I'll trust my instincts."
He ran toward the hallway marked with the truck.
Then...
Something caught my attention.
"Hold it."
Jun stopped.
"Huh?"
I walked over.
There was a tiny mark on the side of his neck.
Small.
Circular.
Like something had pierced his skin.
"..."
"What?"
Jun asked.
I looked at it one last time.
"...Never mind."
It wasn't worth explaining.
He wouldn't know either.
Jun continued down the truck path.
After he disappeared...
Toma spoke.
"You noticed it too."
I glanced at him.
He continued.
"Trust me."
"Something tells me..."
"You shouldn't dig too deeply into that."
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I scratched the back of my head.
"...Probably."
"It's none of my concern."
"But..."
"Something about this exam feels off."
Far too many coincidences.
Jun disappearing.
Memory loss.
The mark on his neck.
The administration acting strangely.
Nothing lined up cleanly anymore.
Toma started walking toward the ladder.
I followed.
As we entered the hallway...
Bright red spray paint covered the wall.
WILDCARD ROUND
...
I couldn't help grinning.
"Alright."
"Show me what you've got."