"If we argue here, it's truly over. Everyone, stay calm."

"You say 'stay calm,' but!"

Kobashi spat out, "What good does staying calm do?! In the end, someone has to kill someone else for this to end, right?! Then—"

That was the moment. Gunfire echoed from deep within the forest. Everyone froze. Then, sounds from another direction. Footsteps. Someone was there.

"Get down!"

Before Ichinose could shout, bullets flew from between the trees. Screams. Someone collapsed. Some fled, some froze, some screamed. The group crumbled in an instant. They didn't even know where the shots came from. They couldn't clearly see the enemy's figure. Only the fact that they were being shot at amplified the terror.

"This way!"

Shibata grabbed Ichinose's arm and pulled her behind a nearby rock. Amikura and the others scattered as well. But in that moment, Ichinose saw it. Shiranami trying to stand, then being shot from yet another direction and crumbling. Kobashi running and screaming, then tripping ahead and moving no more. It was only a few dozen seconds in real time. Yet, that alone completely shattered the atmosphere of the class.

Somehow escaping that spot and fleeing into a relatively deep part of the forest were only a few, including Ichinose. Their breathing was ragged. No one spoke. Amikura wasn't there. Shiranami too. Kobashi too. Faces she had been with just moments ago were now gone. And in the eyes of those who remained, the previous trust was no longer there.

"...Why."

One of the girls said in a trembling voice, "Why... this."

Ichinose couldn't answer. She had thought that if she just kept everyone together, something could be done. But reality was different. She couldn't protect them. She couldn't stop it. In fact, being in a group might have made them a target.

Shibata gritted his teeth, "Don't give up yet."

Ichinose looked up, "Shibata-kun..."

"It's not over here. We stick together. Those with weapons go to the front, those without go to the back—"

"It's too late."

Someone spat out. "What 'together'? We get shot, it's over."

"Then go off on your own!"

"I will!"

It crumbled again. The unity vanished once more. Ichinose desperately tried to stop it. But that effort itself was beginning to feel hollow. I want to protect everyone. I don't want anyone to die. If such ideals held any sway, those first twenty people wouldn't be dead. On this island, wishes were weak. Kindness was slow. Goodwill arrived later than a trigger pull.

"Don't give up!"

Shibata said again. "Ichinose, don't make that face! There's still a way. There has to be!"

Hearing those words, Ichinose slowly turned her face toward him. Shibata was serious. Even in this hell, he still believed in his friends, believed that things would work out. She thought it was dazzling. And at the same time—she couldn't bear it. Things would work out? What would? Who would? How? Amikura was gone. Shiranami too. Kobashi too. So many had died. She hadn't been able to protect a single one. And yet, he could still utter such pretty words?

"...Just stop."

Ichinose said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Stop saying things like that."

Shibata's eyes widened. Ichinose continued in a voice so calm it surprised even herself.

"Encouragement won't bring anyone back. Saying 'let's believe' won't stop bullets. We're not the same 'us' we were before."

"Ichinose?"

"Don't you get it?"

She raised her head. It felt as if the voice wasn't her own. "Here, those who can cut ties first are the ones who win."

Silence. No one could respond. Only Shibata shook his head.

"That's wrong."

"..."

"It's wrong, Ichinose. You're not that kind of person—"

That "you're not that kind of person" was the decisive blow. Not that kind of person? Then what kind of person survives on this island? As Honami Ichinose, who wants to protect everyone, how many more deaths must I watch? How many must die before I'm allowed to accept reality?

Before she knew it, her hands were moving. She gripped the supplied axe. Shibata, perhaps not comprehending the meaning for a moment, didn't move.

"Ichinose—"

The axe was brought down onto Shibata's head. A dull sound. That wasn't the end of it. Again. Again. Someone screamed. But to Ichinose, it already sounded distant. When she finally stopped her hands, Shibata lay motionless at her feet.

It was quiet. The surrounding classmates were frozen. The eyes that had looked to Ichinose with expectation just moments ago were now filled with terror. Receiving those gazes, Ichinose slowly exhaled.

"...Now you get it, right."

Her voice was so dry it surprised even herself. "The pretty words are over."

No one argued. They couldn't. In that moment, something inside the girl named Honami Ichinose definitely broke.

* * *

Arisu Sakayanagi was quiet from the start. It wasn't that she lacked fear. But she knew that displaying fear would not improve the situation. When twenty people were killed in the warehouse, she had merely understood that the stage props were real. It was unpleasant. But she wasn't foolish enough to let it halt her thinking.

After landing, those nearby were Masayoshi Hashimoto, Masumi Kamuro, and a few other classmates. The darkness of the island was a fatal disadvantage for Sakayanagi. With her physical handicap, moving long distances alone was unrealistic. So she had decided from the beginning: she would dedicate herself to intellect, and let others carry her feet.

"First, let's secure a base."

At Sakayanagi's suggestion, Hashimoto made a bitter face.

"A base, huh... Is there even any safe place?"

"No."

It was an immediate answer. "But there are relatively better places. We should avoid open areas or beaches where people gather, and head for somewhere with walls and a roof."

"You mean a building."

"Yes. According to the map, there's a facility that looks like an abandoned hospital. Even if it's old, it's far better than camping out."

Kamuro said curtly, "The problem is getting there."

"That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Sakayanagi replied smoothly. Kamuro frowned but didn't deny it. In fact, she had both physical ability and judgment. She was suited to the role of protecting Sakayanagi.

The journey was by no means easy. The forest had poor footing. Darkness. The tension of not knowing who might appear from where or when. Sakayanagi's stride was short, and she couldn't move quickly. Hashimoto, while repeatedly checking their surroundings, said with a hint of irritation, "Do we really have a chance here?"

"We do."

"Where's that confidence come from?"

"It's not confidence; it's calculation."

Sakayanagi answered flatly. "In this exam, the strong don't necessarily win. Rather, what's needed in the end is comprehensive judgment. Who to fight, when to retreat, where to let others exhaust themselves. If we don't err in those decisions, our survival rate increases."

"You really don't change, even at a time like this."

Hashimoto laughed in exasperation. But perhaps there was something about that flippancy that provided a lifeline. In extreme situations, having just one person acting as usual can make it easier to breathe.

Eventually, they reached the abandoned hospital marked on the map. The outer walls were cracked, and some windowpanes were broken. But the structure itself remained intact. At the very least, it would shelter them from the elements and the entrances could be managed.

"We'll make this our base for the time being."

Under Sakayanagi's direction, they first conducted an internal check. Hashimoto took point, and Kamuro moved to shield Sakayanagi. It was quiet. Eerily so. But that very quietness was also a danger. The possibility that someone was already hiding inside. The possibility that others would come later seeking supplies. A building was easy to defend, but once surrounded, escape routes were limited. Still, as a place to spend the night, it wasn't bad.

Sakayanagi sat down against a wall and caught her breath briefly.

"Well then."

"Don't 'well then' me."

Hashimoto shrugged. "What now? You're not seriously planning to wait until there's only one person left, right?"

"Ideally, we would let others wear each other down."

"That's a given."

"But we can't be entirely passive. We need information. The nearby terrain, tendencies of surviving students, types of weapons, and the locations of dangerous individuals."

Sakayanagi paused for a beat and said quietly, "Especially Ryuen-kun and Koenji-kun."

Hashimoto's expression tightened. "Figured it'd be them."

"Yes. Ryuen-kun will adapt to this environment in the most straightforward way. Koenji-kun, on top of that, is even harder to read, with top-tier physical ability and cunning. They are arguably the leading candidates to win this exam."

Kamuro leaned against the wall and spoke. "What about Ichinose?"

"Initially, she's unlikely to become a major threat. However, that changes if she breaks."

Hashimoto let out a light sigh. "Everyone's a pain in the ass."

"That's why it's an exam, isn't it?"

Sakayanagi smiled.

That was when it happened. Something sounded from down the corridor. Footsteps. Multiple. Hashimoto immediately crouched low. Kamuro also stood, readying her weapon.

"Here they come."

Hashimoto whispered. Someone had entered the hospital. Whether students or the organizers, they didn't know. But the latter was unlikely in this situation. Sakayanagi thought in an instant. Fight? Hide? Let them pass?

Before she could reach a conclusion, gunfire rang out. Hashimoto leaped forward, and Kamuro moved in front of Sakayanagi. Shouts from deeper in the corridor. Someone's scream.

"Sakayanagi! Run!"

Hashimoto's shout. From his tone, Sakayanagi understood. They were at a disadvantage. Hashimoto intended to buy time.

And simultaneously, she understood another fact. In this exam—Arisu Sakayanagi's intellect held almost no meaning. In a classroom, it would be different. In an exam focused on points, it would be different. In a world governed by negotiation, information, and psychological warfare, Sakayanagi's thinking could always gain the upper hand. Reading the board, moving the pieces, limiting the opponent's options, constructing a path to victory. That was Arisu Sakayanagi's way of fighting. But here, there was no board. No chessboard, no pieces, no stratagems—none of it held any meaning before this madness. What existed was only—gunfire, explosions, and killing intent.

The disparity in physical ability was mercilessly thrust upon her here. Sakayanagi couldn't run. Couldn't jump. Couldn't fight. Without her cane, she couldn't even walk properly. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be a problem. Physical inferiority could be overturned any number of times through thought. But this exam was different. Opponents didn't necessarily move according to logic. Rather, logic didn't exist from the start. Fear. Hatred. Despair. Driven by such emotions, people pulled the trigger. That alone ended everything. No matter how far ahead she read, no matter what strategy she devised, a single bullet could overturn it all. That was this exam.

Sakayanagi understood. For the first time since this exam began, she was now truly cornered. A chess player thrown off the board. That was Arisu Sakayanagi now. And in this situation, there was only one way to survive. Break. Or adapt. One or the other.

"Kamuro-san."

"I know."

Kamuro said shortly and lifted Sakayanagi onto her back. "Hold on tight!"

Sakayanagi's small body rose. Kamuro dashed toward the back exit. Behind them, more gunfire. Hashimoto's voice echoed once, and then was heard no more. Sakayanagi didn't look back. Not because there was no need to look back. Because looking back wouldn't change anything. Masayoshi Hashimoto was cut off here. That was all.

Kamuro ran through the night forest. With Sakayanagi on her back. Kicking off the unstable ground, avoiding branches, breathing heavily but not stopping. Sakayanagi felt that form against her back. This woman was clumsy. Had a sharp tongue. Lacked docility. But she moved when it counted. That was her value.

"Kamuro-san, left."

"...Don't give orders."

"If we take the wrong path, we both die."

"I know..."

Even as she retorted, Kamuro followed the direction as instructed. Along the way, they encountered other students. They were frightened too. But frightened people have light triggers. Kamuro dealt with them without mercy. One. Two. And several more. To survive. To protect Sakayanagi. Before she knew it, Kamuro herself was injured. Gunshot wounds. Abrasions. Her breathing was ragged, her steps heavy. Still, she didn't stop. As a result, Arisu Sakayanagi continued to be kept alive.

* * *

The night grew deeper. On the same island, afflicted by the same terror, the paths taken diverged decisively. Those who couldn't ride the exam. Those who rode it. Those who pretended to ride it. And those who, from the start, saw others only as resources.

Having finished his selection, Ryuen began moving immediately. Taking Hiyori along, picking up sounds, confirming the terrain, deducing who was fighting where.

"...Ryuen-kun."

Hiyori said quietly.

"What?"

"Are we really... going all the way?"

"If you plan to survive, there's no choice but to go all the way."

"But you could get hurt too."

"So what?"

Hiyori fell silent. Ryuen laughed through his nose.

"You're kind."

"..."

"But you can't survive here by staying kind."

Those words were Ryuen's own truth.

Meanwhile, Ichinose could no longer be the unifying figure. After she had killed Shibata, the remaining students kept their distance. Some fled, some cowered, some pretended to obey. The girl once liked by everyone, more central than anyone else, was being transformed into a different existence in just this one night.

Sakayanagi entrusted her life to Kamuro, cut Hashimoto loose, yet hadn't relinquished the reins of intellect. Even in this extreme situation, she was calculating who to expend and where.

And Ayanokoji and Horikita were also moving. The entire island was gradually converging. The strong devoured the weak, the weak diminished in number, chance encounters called forth the next death. Though it was still only the first night, many students had already fallen. No one could know how many names would remain alive come morning.

Still, the night did not stop. The moon remained unchanged in the sky, the sea returned its waves as if nothing had happened. No matter how many people died, the island itself remained utterly unmoved. That coldness was the essence of this exam. Here, even tragedy was not equal. Deaths with value, and deaths without. Resistance with meaning, and futile expiration. Such cruel distinctions arose as a matter of course.

And as the end of this night approached, most students would come to understand. No one would come, no matter how long they waited for help. Bullets wouldn't stop, no matter how loudly they shouted for righteousness. Kindness alone would not let them survive. What was needed on this island was resolve. Resolve to kill. Resolve to discard. Resolve to break oneself. Those who couldn't muster any of these would quietly disappear.