Chapter 37
I sprint through the corridors, kick off the walls, and freely alter my trajectory as I race through the interior of the labyrinth.
Slipping between the people ahead of me—sometimes vaulting over them—I dash through the narrow passages in every direction, closing in on my target.
I follow the optimal route, out-manoeuvre those who are already trying to attack a target ahead of me, and destroy it first as I pass by.
Leaving behind the shouts of protest echoing from behind, I never slow down, never hesitate at branching paths, choosing my route without a second thought.
“Seven so far, huh. The pace isn’t bad.”
Still, there were places where I had no choice but to wait for targets to respawn.
Everyone stood there like they were camping, weapons at the ready, waiting impatiently. I ended up forcefully snatching targets—rushing in from behind, leaping up, and striking from above as I passed them.
What’s more, almost everyone in both my group and the group before us was from the advanced classes, so naturally, most of the students still left in the labyrinth were advanced-class students too.
At this point, couldn’t you say I was completely fighting on enemy ground?
“…So you found me and chased me down, huh.”
“!”
I spoke toward the presence I felt around the corner behind me.
Since direct combat between participants is prohibited in this labyrinth exam, no one would normally try to attack another person, no matter how much they were having their targets stolen.
But from the unmistakable hostility I felt, I could already guess who was waiting beyond the corner.
“Come out, Nanjou. You’ve got something you want from me, don’t you?”
“…What are you?”
“Just Higashiyama Akira, attendance number seventeen from Class A of the regular course. If I had to add anything—ridiculously strong.”
As expected, it was Nanjou—the same guy who had fought me at the academy’s training facility before, gotten taken down instantly, and hadn’t come anywhere near me since.
Looks like his distrust of me, and doubts about my strength, finally pushed him to confront me.
“See you later, Nanjou. I’m moving on.”
“Damn it… if only you hadn’t shown up…!”
“Well, I do feel a little bad. You probably would’ve graduated as top student otherwise.”
But for whatever reason, I was brought back to this world—this timeline.
Don’t hate me. Hate the world. Hate whatever will lies sleeping in the dungeon.
I burst forward again, destroying the remaining targets with precision as I go.
And then, just as I was down to my very last target, it happened.
I spotted the final one ahead and dashed forward to destroy it—only for it to suddenly freeze solid right before my eyes and get destroyed first.
Which meant… a thirty-second wait.
“…An ice pillar from the floor to destroy it, huh. Nishizaki-san, are you in the next corridor over?”
I raised my voice slightly toward the wall beside me, the adjacent passage.
Then—
“Oh, that’s Akira-kun’s voice. Did I steal it from you by accident? Sorry!”
“Yeah! If I miss my target time because of this, I’ll seriously hold a grudge! And if we ever face off in PvP later, I’ll go all out tormenting you before I beat you!”
“Hiee!”
Just kidding. It’s fine to tease people from time to time.
I waited patiently for the target to respawn.
Soon, the defeated target—a mechanical doll—reactivated and stood up.
Just as I moved to attack, I instinctively thrust out my free hand—the one not holding my dagger, my right hand—and clenched my fist tightly, relying on my senses.
“…Caught.”
Sure enough, there was an arrow firmly grasped in my hand.
Someone had tried to snipe it and steal the kill. Though honestly—how did I even notice and catch that?
“No way!?”
“That voice—Kasumi? Too bad. Wait your thirty seconds.”
I stabbed the arrow I’d caught into the target, earning the final destruction confirmation.
When I turned around, Kasumi was there, bow still raised, frozen in shock.
“I knew you were insanely strong, Akira… but you can do stuff like that too?”
“I surprised myself, honestly. Anyway, that was my last one, so I’m heading out.”
“Already!? I still have four left!”
—No, seriously, aren’t you amazing too? Are you kidding me… you’re this good at practical skills as well?
No wonder Nishizaki-san sees you as a rival…
Leaving Kasumi behind, I sprint toward the maze’s exit.
The route to the goal is already engraved in my mind, so I run straight through without hesitation and escape.
Then—the timer on the device we’re carrying stops, and my clear time is displayed.
“…So? How is it…?”
Did I manage to beat my target time of fifteen minutes…?
“…Safe!”
My clear time was 13:54. I made it with over a full minute to spare.
“H-Hey… wasn’t he in the last group…?”
“Did he skip the targets and come straight out…?”
“Even so, that’s way too fast… it hasn’t even been twenty minutes since the announcement!”
At the goal area, students who had already cleared the maze were gathered.
Naturally, they seemed suspicious of how quickly I’d emerged.
…Man, this is uncomfortable. I move to the corner of the waiting area at the goal and pop my usual glucose tablet into my mouth to soothe my overworked brain.
“Phew… really hits the brain…”
Now all that’s left is to wait for everyone still inside the labyrinth to finish.
Sorry, this is Higashiyama speaking… is it still going to take a while?
About forty more minutes passed before the final student finally emerged from the labyrinth.
Even students from the advanced classes sometimes took nearly an hour.
Honestly, this exam demands so many abilities—sense of direction, instantaneous memory, running speed, and more—that failing to shine here doesn’t necessarily mean a student is inferior.
“…And to think the second-fastest in my group was you, Kasumi.”
“Well, yeah. I guess you could call it a strategy win? One wrong move and I would’ve hit another person and gotten penalized, though.”
I spoke to Kasumi, who was sitting next to me.
Yeah… this girl was second in my group.
What is with you… were you really this well-rounded, both academically and practically?
“Then, with this, the practical examination is concluded! Once you’ve changed, return to your respective classrooms.”
The teacher acting as the examiner made the closing announcement, and just as we were about to leave, I noticed Nanjou heading toward the teacher.
What was that about? Did he have some complaint—an objection?
Well, I figured it had nothing to do with me anymore, so I brushed it aside, headed for the changing room, and afterward returned to class.
“Phew… so now all that’s left is the advancement exam in January, huh… I wanna take it easy for a while.”
“Good work. You’ve been saying you’ve had headaches a lot lately—aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Honestly, yeah, probably. I crammed way too much into my head. I don’t want to think about anything for a while…”
Back in the classroom, I slump forward onto my desk in the warmly heated room.
The entire classroom is filled with the smell of antiperspirant spray, to the point it almost makes me choke.
Yeah, makes sense—everyone was sprinting at full speed through the labyrinth.
There are way too few shower rooms, after all. That’s why so many students just give up, change quickly, and come back to the classroom like this.
“Maybe I’ll go to a super sento on the way home today. It’s been a while.”
“That might be a good idea. Refresh yourself and get some rest.”
“Yeah, I will. I’ll at least let my sister know—”
Just as I pulled out my phone, our homeroom teacher entered the classroom—
“Higashiyama, could you come to the infirmary right away?”
Out of nowhere, I was summoned to the infirmary.
What…? If it were the staff room, I’d understand, but why the infirmary…?
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, see you.”
I started heading toward the teacher—but then they added one more thing:
“Bring all your bags with you, too.”
Now I really didn’t get it… what on earth was going on?
On the way to the infirmary, I tried asking the teacher what this was about, but they didn’t answer at all.
I could sense a tense, almost prickly atmosphere about them.
Had something unexpected happened? Or maybe…
When we arrived at the infirmary, not only was the school nurse there, but also an unfamiliar person in a white coat—and, for some reason, even police officers.
What… what is all this?
“You’re Higashiyama Akira, correct?”
“Yes, I am, but…”
The man in the white coat confirmed my name.
But when I heard what he said next, I was utterly bewildered.
“You are suspected of doping through the use of illegal substances. You will comply with our examination voluntarily, won’t you?”
“Huh!?”
Just what in the world was happening…?