As Sakagami waved his hand and departed without so much as a goodbye, he left behind Yukio's class members with no shortage of colorful complaints on their lips. This class wasn't exactly known for refined manners – practically everyone came off like a delinquent. The choice words flying around in response to Sakagami were downright family‑unfriendly.
"All right, let's at least go check out the terrain." Yukio clapped his hands and motioned for the class to head out. Sakagami had laid it out pretty clearly: each student had to run part of the distance, so it made sense to assign the gentler stretches to classmates with lower stamina and the tougher ones to the stronger kids.
They set off. Along the way, the students produced even more choice remarks.
"You gotta be kidding! We've got an uphill stretch in that one‑kilometer run?! Let the school staff try running this themselves!"
"Man, c'mon – that slope is only a short stretch. Maybe we won't face an entire kilometer of uphill."
"Yukio-san said we just need to assign it smartly. We'll have to run out and back anyway. Let me do the uphill; let Kaneda handle the easy part."
Kaneda, the class's academic type who'd once tutored classmates at Yukio's request back in May, adjusted his glasses. "If that's the plan, sure, let me take the downhill. My physical ability's pretty weak."
"No reason not to have Shiina do that," Yukio decided. The downhill portion looked easiest by far, with only a mild slope that didn't seem likely to send you stumbling.
Shiina blinked, about to turn down the offer. Even if she was dating Yukio now, and it was perfectly natural for him to look after her, she worried about being unfair to other weaker classmates. But before she could speak, Ibuki grabbed her arm.
"You take that section, Shiina. Everyone knows how capable you are," Ibuki said. "If not for you, every midterm or final might've cost us someone to expulsion. So don't start refusing now."
"Yeah, that's right," another girl chimed in – one of Shiina's tutees, apparently. "Just go for it, Shiina! Don't worry about us. We'll handle the rest!"
"For real, I may not be great academically, but I'm in the track club. I'm not about to lose to anybody in running," said yet another classmate.
"You guys…" Shiina murmured, touched by how her classmates and Yukio were all looking out for her. The warmth in her heart practically melted away the January chill. Even though it was winter, the breeze didn't feel cold at all. It felt more like the warmth of mid‑summer, stirring up an inner glow.
She remembered the time she was all alone, a slight figure lugging around big stacks of books to share with others – no one cared. Now they fussed over her. They might not care much for reading themselves, but it didn't matter. This was what friends must be like.
If Shiina was a book, then Yukio was that book's main protagonist, but you couldn't leave out all the friendly supporting characters in each page, either.
So Shiina didn't try to refuse any further. She smiled – a soft, winter-sunlight kind of smile that seemed all the more radiant against the chilly air. "Then let me handle tomorrow's academic sessions. If anybody has trouble with anything, ask me. I promise I can help! I'll also do post‑lesson reviews, so everyone can pass the Day 8 written exam with high scores!"
"Awesome!" The group of girls around her cheered, raising their hands in celebration. "We'll be counting on you, Shiina!"
"Haha, phew, that's a relief," one said, "because when we heard the teacher explain four different categories back on the bus, I was sure I'd drag everybody down in the academic part!"
"Same here! Thank goodness for you!"
Not to be outdone, Kaneda turned to the boys with a resolute air. "I'll top off whatever Shiina does for studying. I've already self‑studied the entire high school curriculum!"
Right away, Ishizaki and Albert lifted him off his feet, tossing him into the air and catching him again. "That's the spirit, Kaneda!"
"Exactly, man! Who cares if you're not strong – you got your brains! That's how a man does it!"
Hearing that raucous cheering, Class D – which was also out exploring the terrain about 50 meters away – glanced over. They could see each other just fine at that distance.
Horikita let out a sigh. "So that Physical Ability category… Ryuen proposed that originally, right? Judging by how happy Yukio's class looks, do they really think they've already got it in the bag?"
Matsushita gave Horikita a wry glance. "Hmm, I don't think they're cheering because of the physical category at all… But, obviously, they do have that advantage. They were impressive at the Sports Festival. A real threat."
Scowling, Horikita recalled just how far behind her class had fallen in track events. She particularly remembered going up against Kinoshita from Yukio's class, who left her in the dust. If you tallied up the categories – academic, physical, plus that team unity thing – Class D really wasn't well off. Academics and stamina were both lacking, not to mention their cohesion was practically zero. The fiasco on the bus earlier just proved it.
Over in Ichinose's group, also surveying the path, she took the chance to rally them. "They seem so confident – well then, everyone, let's not lose, okay?"
"Yeah!" came her class's enthusiastic response, pumping them up before they marched onward.
Farther away, in Sakayanagi's class – right next to Ichinose's – it was slightly awkward. Sakayanagi herself was absent from the physical tasks due to health reasons. The school had granted her an exemption from the stamina test. Some classmates couldn't help being envious, though none of them grasped Sakayanagi's relationship with the Headmaster. With Katsuragi also missing, the class wasn't sure what to do, so they just scouted the terrain for now, figuring she'd assign them roles later. Like Class D, they lacked excitement.
Watching Kaneda, Shiina, and everyone else, Yukio felt perfectly satisfied. With this level of unity, even that team unity category of the exam shouldn't worry him much.
After the uproar quieted down, they resumed checking the ground. It was indeed complicated, but standard for the wilderness. Apart from the last stretch, it wasn't too grueling. The final section, though, was real mountain-forest territory – steep slopes and massive trees. Running one kilometer of that could take an ordinary person over ten minutes.
But Yukio thought it was no big deal. He could swing from tree branches and vines easily, traveling much faster than normal. "I'll handle this part. You guys use the plan we agreed on for your sections."
"And if you get tired, just head back," he reminded them. "Balancing rest and effort is important. We've got eight days in this forest school, so it's about managing our own pacing. Going all out on day one, then being too sore to move on day two? That's no good. Just get enough practice to be comfortable with your route."
No one argued. They trusted his judgment. Off they went to their assigned stretches, not slacking or strolling around but giving real effort to memorize the area. They were determined to be ready, each wanting to do their part for the class…