—

  —

  I had just finished submitting my final team selection to Miss Sarah after double-checking every option when a voice called out behind me.

  “Can we talk?”

  I turned to see Tomiko standing a few feet away, eyes locked on mine.

  “Oh?” I said evenly. “About what?”

  “Not here,” she replied, glancing over her shoulder. “Come on.”

  Curiosity got the better of me, and I followed her down the hallway to the locker room.

  “I want to propose a partnership,” she said without hesitation.

  “A… partnership?” I echoed. “Why me?”

  She didn’t answer right away, and that silence said enough.

  “You’re already hiding something,” I said, folding my arms. “Aren’t partnerships supposed to be based on trust?”

  “Yes,” she replied, leaning against a locker. “But my reasons for teaming up with you shouldn’t matter to you, should they?”

  I exhaled, sitting on the bench. “If you want something from me, I need to know what I’m walking into. Just... get to the point.”

  She studied me before speaking. “Would you believe me if I said I’m doing this because of Marcus?”

  “I would,” I said simply.

  She blinked. “Oh. I thought—never mind.”

  “You thought I wouldn’t catch on,” I said. “Approaching me gets you closer to Marcus. If I make it through this exam safely, he’ll feel indebted to you. You’re trying to earn his favour by proxy.”

  A smirk tugged at her lips. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”

  “Calling me dumb is kind of rude, you know,” I said, standing. “Besides, your plan’s so obvious a child could see through it.”

  She laughed softly, pushing herself off the locker. “Am I really that predictable?”

  “You said it, not me.”

  She paused. “So, since you’ve figured it out—are you still interested in the partnership?”

  I smiled faintly. “No. I’ll manage on my own.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Of course,” I said, turning for the door. “If that’s all, I’ll be going.”

  —

  —

  Tomiko.

  Day two of the exam, and somehow, she had already managed to find me. Definitely not a coincidence. She must’ve used the individual search feature. The question was: why?

  “You know,” she started, “I noticed your personality has shifted since this exam began.”

  “Is that so? Maybe I just decided to take this seriously. You know, avoid expulsion and all that.”

  “No need to be so hostile,” she said lightly. “We are committee members, after all.”

  “Right. And we’re also direct competitors. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not rolling out the red carpet.”

  “There wouldn’t be a need for all this suspicion if we worked together, would there?” she said, finally dropping the act and laying her offer on the table again. Her persistence was starting to border on impressive.

  Before I could answer, a soft ping vibrated from my tablet.

  “A blip has appeared, huh?” Tomiko noted casually.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Clever. She wasn’t carrying her own device, probably leaving it with a teammate. And with her looming over me, I couldn’t send any instructions either. I needed to cut this short.

  “I’ve already given you my answer,” I said flatly, slipping the tablet back into its pouch and turning away. “I’m not teaming up with you.”

  “Diya,” Tomiko called after me, “do you really want to do this alone?”

  I paused briefly, not turning around. “Of course. In fact, instead of trying to cosy up to me, why don’t you focus on getting me expelled? Wouldn’t that serve your class better?”

  I didn’t wait for a response. Once I was sure she wasn’t following, I pulled out the tablet again.

  “S5, huh?” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the coordinates. It was a fair distance, but doable if I pushed myself. I could probably make it in time to nab third place, maybe even second if someone was slacking.

  No time to waste.

  Shaking off the encounter, I set off at a sprint through the underbrush. The forest blurred around me, each step pounding against uneven terrain. My breath came quick and controlled as I dodged branches and leapt over roots, never slowing, even when the path narrowed or the incline steepened.

  Seven minutes later, I broke through the trees at S5, boots skidding as I came to a halt. A soft beep from my tablet confirmed it—third place. Right on cue.

  Before I could catch my breath, another alert pinged. This time, the signal was at D12.

  

“Kamaye, there’s a blip at D12. Head south,” I said into the walkie-talkie.

  “On it,” came her reply.

  I glanced at our current point total and sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Tch… still not enough.”

  Clicking the transmitter again, I said, “Team, listen up. We’re shifting into overdrive. Be ready to move fast.”

  —

  —

  By 9:00 p.m., I had already called everyone back to base earlier than usual. One by one, they emerged from the forest, flashlights bobbing like fireflies as they entered the clearing.

  With extra time on our hands, we gathered around the camp lantern. Its amber glow painted everyone’s faces as we sat in a loose circle.

  Kamaye leaned back on her elbows, grinning as she recalled getting lost during a mountain camping trip with her cousins and stumbling onto a private farm.

  Amara groaned, hugging her knees. “Ugh, camping is the worst. The bugs, the dirt, the zero signal...”

  “Don’t forget the food,” Tylan added. “Powdered eggs from our survival drills still haunt me.”

  Priya, seated beside me, smiled faintly. “I was actually looking forward to this. It’s not a luxury retreat, but it’s… peaceful.”

  Then the topic turned to me and why I picked them. Their eyes waited for some deeply calculated explanation.

  “Because I see something in each of you,” I said. “The rankings don’t tell the whole story. I believe in people, not numbers.”

  They looked surprised.

  Tylan raised a brow. “Then how come you rank so high?”

  I gave a half-smile. “Honestly? I’m not too sure myself.”

  After a while, I stood, stretching. The quiet chatter faded as I decided to take a short walk.

  Footsteps followed, and I turned to find Tylan catching up. “Mind if I join?”

  I nodded. We walked through the dim forest in silence until I asked, “Are you liking the team?”

  He smiled. “Of course. Everyone’s great… and you’re a good leader.”

  I chuckled and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

  “I’m trying my best,” I said. “I know some teams have it easier, but don’t worry, I’m not going to fall behind.”

  Tylan’s cheeks reddened slightly as he looked away.

  “Yeah... I’m really happy to be here,” he said with a small smile.

  We returned to base together just as the clock hit 10:25 p.m. The team gathered around, waiting for the results.

  This time, the announcement started differently. The team in third place was revealed first, which was Savannah’s

  “She dropped?” Amara whispered, grinning as she exchanged looks with the others.

  I allowed myself a faint, knowing smile. My earlier thoughts seemed to be on the right track.

  When our team appeared in second place a few seconds later, cheers erupted. My teammates threw their arms around me, laughing and shouting in celebration.

  I joined in, my eyes drifting to the leaderboard: Tomiko held first place, while Ran, Natsumi, and Ayaka filled fourth through sixth.

  With the points we had accumulated, I started to piece together rough estimates of how close the teams below us might be.

  —

  —

  Day two is in the books, and overall, things are moving along well. We’re starting to find a rhythm, though the pressure is definitely ramping up. As planned, I’ve continued documenting every important detail and update. Here’s today’s full summary:

  LEADERBOARD (10:30 PM Update):

  1st – Team Tomiko

  2nd –

  3rd – Team Savannah

  4th – Team Ran

  5th – Team Natsumi

  6th – Team Ayaka

  We climbed up to second today. Not bad progress. Tomiko is holding the lead, but I’m not too worried yet.

  BLIP DATA (Location – Time Spawned – Points Earned by Us):

  Q2 – 9:10 AM – 20 pts

  D17 – 9:30 AM – 20 pts

  N3 – 9:45 AM – 10 pts

  D9 – 10:55 AM – 5 pts

  A17 – 11:00 AM – 10 pts

  E4 – 11:10 AM – 20 pts

  P9 – 11:20 AM – 15 pts

  O2 – 11:50 AM – 15 pts

  I8 – 11:55 AM – 15 pts

  S5 – 1:00 PM – 10 pts

  D12 – 1:10 PM – 15 pts

  K19 – 1:40 PM – 5 pts

  O10 – 1:45 PM – 20 pts

  I19 – 4:30 PM – 10 pts

  E4 – 4:40 PM – 20 pts

  O20 – 4:45 PM – 5 pts

  E18 – 4:50 PM – 20 pts

  A19 – 6:00 PM – 10 pts

  L15 – 6:05 PM – 5 pts

  O17 – 7:10 PM – 15 pts

  N20 – 7:30 PM – 20 pts

  N12 – 7:40 PM – 20 pts

  O2 – 7:45 PM – 10 pts

  L20 – 7:55 PM – 5 pts

  POINTS SUMMARY:

  

• Blips Collected:
• Totem Captures:
• Bonus Points:

  EXPENSES:

  

• Item Purchased (55 pts):
• Food Packs – 30 pts
• Bottled Water – 25 pts
  
    

Feature Purchased (50 pts):

Entire Map Scan – 20 pts

Location Masking – 30 pts

  

Points Lost from Captured Totem:

Penalties:

  FINAL TALLY:

  

• Total Points Earned:
• Total Spent:
• Overall Total Points: