"With only ten catchers, it'll be hard to find many people in such a large area in the back mountain, right?"
"Of course. Even if it's fenced off, two hours is definitely not enough for ten people to search it."
"Should we find a place to rest for a while? I secretly brought playing cards."
"Ah, Toyosaki, you really think of everything. Let's find a place and start. It'll probably take them some time to find us."
Three male students from Shuchiin stopped, then sat around a large rock and took out the playing cards.
....
Uchiha Ryo: "Found them... Southwest direction, distance about 90 meters—should be three people!"
Just as they sat down and were about to deal the cards, the three students suddenly heard a rustling sound from the nearby forest.
"Wind?"
"No! Someone's coming, let's go!"
Toyosaki Saburo stood up, forgetting to even put away the cards, and ran deeper into the forest with the other two.
"This place is too hard to walk in, isn't it?"
"Damn it, so many big rocks and broken logs. But the pursuers will probably have a hard time moving too."
Hongo Hayato, who was at the front, let out a long breath. "Did we lose them? Should we go east and meet up with the main force of the second-year senpais?"
Uchiha Ryo: "Is that so? The second-year main force is to the east...."
Hongo Hayato: "Eh?!"
A rubber kunai soaked in red dye swiped across the back of their necks. Uchiha Ryo passed several people in a short time and stood at the very front.
"You guys... are under arrest."
Kose Erica: [Oh!! Let's turn our attention to the big screen. Uchiha-kun, the exchange student from Shuchiin representing Toyogasaki, has already caught three people within five minutes of the start! And it was a close-range capture!]
Kino Karen: [We can see that after catching three people, Uchiha-kun continues to run towards the other hiders. Let's take a look at the hiders' perspective in that direction.]
About four or five hundred meters away from Uchiha Ryo, a student sitting under a tree was still on the phone.
Toyosaki Saburo: [I'm not lying to you. We're already out and heading to the entrance. We were really caught in an instant.]
Tanuma Tsubasa: "Huh? Toyosaki, you're not joking, are you? Instakilled before you could even react? This isn't a movie."
The voice on the phone was a little urgent. [Forget about that, run! He seemed to be heading in your direction when he left! He might already be near you!]
Tanuma Tsubasa stood up. "Okay, okay, honestly.... Ahhhhh!"
[Tanuma? Tanuma!]
In the main force of the hiders, Shirogane Miyuki stood at the front, surrounded by more than thirty students from Class 1-A and 1-B participating in the game.
Shirogane Miyuki: "Listen up. Once we encounter the police, scatter immediately. We have an absolute advantage in numbers. As long as we all scatter, they will inevitably only chase one or two people, and the rest can find a chance to meet up later."
Fujiwara Chika: "Shirogane-kun, that's so boring. It feels like a field trip, there's no sense of urgency at all."
Shirogane Miyuki's expression was serious. "Fujiwara-san, this game is not that simple. You've already seen it on your phone. Four people were eliminated in just six minutes. The rate of elimination will only get faster from here."
This is no longer a game. Shirogane Miyuki takes every... war seriously! Whether it's studying or the sports festival, since I can't beat you in academics, let's settle this in the sports festival, Uchiha Ryo!
Shirogane Miyuki took out his phone and opened the [Robber] chat group. "This is Shirogane Squad, located due north. What's the situation with the other teams?"
Kojima Souji: "Kojima in the northeast. My forty people are resting here. No sign of the police. Heh, with my counter-reconnaissance skills, they won't find me."
The young master of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department smirked. Never mind students, he was confident he could hide from a real police search.
Kondo Sawa: "Kondo Squad in the northwest. No abnormalities here. We've occupied the highest point in the back mountain encirclement and can act as an observation team."
Hayama Hayato: "....Huff huff— This is Hayama Squad in the center. We encountered the police advance party, a total of six people! Hayama Squad has been scattered, but we only lost five people. The remaining 35 escaped successfully."
Shirogane Miyuki: "What about second-year Kazeno-senpai? I think the second years have a large force of 100 people, right?"
After a long while, there was finally movement from the second years.
Kazeno: "The second-year hundred-man force was scattered by Uchiha Ryo alone. Everyone is currently scattered. Currently... currently 29 people have been eliminated!"
In the dense forest, Uchiha Ryo's figure was constantly shuttling back and forth. Occasionally, he would directly cut a person's neck with a dagger. If he saw more than three people running separately, he would quickly throw kunai to shoot them from a distance.
It was a pity that this was the modern world, and it was being broadcast live. Uchiha Ryo couldn't use ninjutsu, otherwise these guys would have "died" much faster.
But he remembered that the broadcast on the school's big screen switched randomly between over a hundred drones. The only ones watching him specifically were probably Aunt Touko, Hayasaka Ai, Bocchi-chan, and the others.
Uchiha Ryo turned his head to look at the drone closely following him. What he didn't know was that thousands of spectators on the Shuchiin sports field were watching Uchiha Ryo's hunting journey.
Ten minutes into the game, Uchiha Ryo's capture count: 33.
Yukinoshita Yukino gently touched her forehead. "He... is this strong? Sorry, I underestimated him."
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't believe it. "Is this guy really human!"
Hayasaka Ai: "Hmph hmph~"
Although Chitanda Eru knew she had guessed wrong, she was very happy watching.
"Amazing—it's like watching a movie. Keep going, Uchiha-kun!"
Amakusa Shino: "Well, he is on Toyogasaki's side.... But Uchiha-kun's combat power is actually this terrifying. If he gets a partner in the future, she'll probably have a hard time...."
Hayasaka Ai: "!!!"
On the other side, the Kessoku Band was cheering for Uchiha Ryo with all their might. Although he was from Shuchiin, he was currently on Toyogasaki's team!
Gotou Hitori: "Ab... absolutely cannot provoke him. I'll be killed....."
In the northern part of the back mountain encirclement, Shirogane Miyuki punched a tree trunk forcefully, then clutched his hand in pain.
"Damn it, Uchiha is like a monster. No, we can't sit still and wait for death. With his speed, he'll search over here sooner or later."
The phone suddenly beeped a few times, transmitting Hayama Hayato's last message.
"The first-year Hayama Squad has met up with the second-year senpais. The main force is retreating to the rear. I'll hold off Uchiha-kun temporarily!"
The voice was cut off. Shirogane Miyuki didn't know what happened next, but stopping Uchiha Ryo was not something a mere ordinary person could do.
The constantly changing scenery on the big screen finally stopped, because Uchiha Ryo had finally halted his hunt.
Uchiha Ryo: "Hayama... Hayato? You're staying here alone, for what? Want to turn yourself in?"