As we waited for the rain to pass, Shimizu and Megami were discussing where to look next. I was sitting in the corner, silently listening in on them.

To be honest, I was so fatigued, I considered just sleeping on the spot there. It'd be a safe place to rest, since it'd be just these two girls that are in the cave with me. The worst thing that could happen is Megami draws on my face, or something.

However, I decided it'd probably be a bad idea to leave my guard down, even in front of two seemingly harmless girls, so I just closed my eyes and tried to conserve some energy.

As much as I wanted to put my trust in them, doubts still swirled in my head. For all I know, they could be working under Shimada or Nakajima for one reason or another, especially since Megami and Shimizu share a class with them respectively.

While Shimizu is probably the safe, since I accidentally stumbled upon her, I couldn't help but shake off the feeling there was something unsafe about Megami. She was the one who approached us, after all.

Even if she claims to dislike Shimada, it could be a ruse to falsely put me under the pretence that we share the same stance. Not only that, I found it strange that Megami was so willing to help Shimizu out, despite the fact these two have never interacted before.

It could be that she's using Shimizu as a way to probe me for someone else, whether it be Shimada, or even Ryouta. She is one of the few A Class students who've interacted with me before, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to contact me again.

It was probably unnecessary to doubt her so much, but a level of caution was necessary. It's always the A Class students who are most tricky to deal with, after all.

"...I'm going to be right back."

Now that the rain had become a bit lighter, I announced to the two girls I was leaving the cave for a moment. There was something I wanted to check.

As I stepped outside, my hair began getting drenched to its roots. Even though it had let up a little, the rainfall was still just as horrid as before. I made my way round to the back of the cave and pressed the call function on my watch.

"Yo, Mitsuba-san."

"Eh, Takanori-san? What the heck are you calling me for?"

Instead of being his usual loud self, I could hear Mitsuba whispering into the watch, making the sound of pouring rain in the background a lot more prominent.

"I was just wondering how your group was holding up,"

"Oh... huh, good question. I have no clue either."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I expected him to give me a half-assed answer, but I didn't expect him to be this incompetent of a leader.

"Is anyone in your group keeping track of how everyone is doing?"

"Uh... nope, don't think so. If anyone is paying attention to that sort of nitty gritty stuff, it's probably Nora-chan."

Considering he was a hider, it makes sense if he was in charge of that sort of stationary job.

"I see... can you get him on the line, then?"

Mitsuba went silent. Then, he started laughing awkwardly under his breath.

"Ha ha... uh, about that..."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's the matter? Did your group also split up to seek?"

"No, no, everyone stuck together. It's actually something else..."

Suddenly, I realised why Mitsuba was acting so weirdly over the call.

"...you're a hider, aren't you?"

"A ha ha ha, yep. You're right on the money, Takanori-san!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Well, this was certainly unexpected. I guess it makes sense, since Mitsuba is the next shortest in his group after Nora, so he could hide in many places.

"Oh, but don't actually take my money, 'kay? I need it so I can buy shiny cardboard."

I did think it was strange I could also hear rain in the background. If he was a seeker, he could move elsewhere for shelter to escape it, but if he's a hider, he can't move from his hiding spot at all. So, does that mean he's hiding somewhere in the forest then?

"How are you holding up against the rain?"

"Just about making do... I wanted to jerk it, but then Mother Nature started pissing down on me, so I had to stop."

I pinched my nose even harder to suppress my sigh. Why does he talk like this so often?

"Hm, I see. Where are you right now?"

"Oh, I'm in the forest. Hiding in some bushes, under a tree."

I'm surprised he hasn't been found yet then. Mitsuba must've travelled far from the starting point.

"If you're not found, then it's fine. Do you know where Nora-san is?"

"He's in the forest as well. I'm not sure where though..."

"I see. So there really are people in the forest, somehow..."

"From the sounds of it, I'm guessing you're seeking there too?"

"Yeah. I was going to go elsewhere though, since I wasn't having much luck here."

"Heh, alright. Let me give you a word of advice."

This can't be good. The last time Mitsuba gave me unwanted advice, it was on how to pick up girls. Something or the other about evolution theory and women liking competition... it was weird.

"If you're trying to find people in the forest, you should look down."

"...I'm sorry?"

His advice was even worse than I expected. Looking down? How much more vague can you get?

"Yeah! Most people who I saw in the forest were settling in the bushes. You should try looking down and scrummaging through the foliage!"

I had no words. I pinched the bridge of my nose harder, only to let out a defeated sigh.

"...right. Yeah, sure, I'll keep that in mind..."

"Heh, you'll thank me later. I know you will!"

"One more thing before I end the call. How confident are you in reaching the top three spots by the end of today?"

Mitsuba paused and made a humming sound.

"...honestly? I dunno. I haven't been keeping track of what spot we're in."

"Has no one in your group been keeping count of the points either?"

"It's way too much information for us to juggle, especially since we didn't note anything down from the first two days. Not even Nora-chan knows where we're at."

"I see."

"Do you know, Takanori-san?"

"I do. For what it's worth, you're in the top bracket."

"W-wait, we are?!"

Somehow, Mitsuba sounded shocked by that fact. Considering the drama in their group from yesterday's challenge, it must've been a big morale boost to learn they weren't out of the running just yet.

"Yeah. To be specific, you guys are in 5th place. There's still a chance for your group to crack the top three, which is why I'm asking how confident you are in hitting it. If you don't feel confident, then I can use your group in another way."

Since Mitsuba's group was the only D Class led group in the boy's side, they were also my only weapon in this challenge.

While it's unfortunate I only have one group at my disposal, meaning manoeuvring them was a single use play, it was easy enough to convince Mitsuba to do what I wanted, even if I had do it in a roundabout way.

However, because his group was single use, I had to carefully choose how I would use their group to my advantage. I had committed to helping Ichinose's group win on the girl's side, but was it possible to make his group win on our side?

After all, if Mitsuba's group came in even 3rd place, we'd receive 100 class points. If they move up to 2nd place, we get 175 class points. And in the unlikely scenario they get 1st place, we'd receive 250 class points.

While the numbers seem small compared to what potential bonuses you'd get from a triple multiplier, the fact we would be denying the other classes above us from gaining class points means we'd just be reaping profits. Pure profits.

At the very least, I was confident they'd at least end up in 4th place, so we could snag 25 class points. If they could push up to 3rd... even that much would benefit our class greatly.

"Ugh... damn it, suddenly I'm regretting being a hider. If I was seeking with everyone else, this would make things so much easier..."

"Unfortunately, that's the role you chose when you signed up to be a hider."

In some ways, it was a smart move though. The leader was able to communicate and coordinate their members more effectively from a stationary point. However, that required good organisational skills, something Mitsuba severely lacked.

"To be honest... I dunno if we can do it. Jumping from 5th to 3rd... that seems impossible, especially since our group has found no hiders. At this rate, I don't think we'll make it."

"Well, it's still early in the challenge. This is a long haul, so even if there's no progress now, there can be some later. For now, just prioritise on staying alive, since you can earn cumulative points just from being one of the last groups standing."

"That's true... even if we don't have the chops to find others, as the leader of Team Red Hot Ikemen's Side Hoes and Bitches, I'll make sure I won't be found by anyone else! Me and Nora-chan will survive until daybreak comes!"

Did they seriously agree to that group name...?

"Alright. Just... try to keep the noise down to a minimum, will you? Being a loud hider as leader is really dangerous."

"Ah, right... oops. Good call, Takanori-san!"

Mitsuba started whispering. I was more worried that, if word got out that Mitsuba was a hider, a group might mass call him to try and find him through the sound of his watch going off.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go back to seeking. I'll call you every two hours for an update."

"Yeah, sounds good. Later!"

I ended the call and returned to the cave. As I did, Shimizu and Megami turned to look at me with both concern and exasperation respectively.

"...what? Did something happen?"

Standing up, Megami dug through her rucksack for a small towel, and tossed it onto my head.

"When you said you were going out, we didn't think it meant you were going to stand in the rain for more than five minutes. Get yourself dry before you catch a cold."

"...thanks."

While I didn't like the chiding tone Megami talked to me with, I appreciated her lending me a towel. It reminded me of when Shimizu lent me her handkerchief.

"So, what were you doing out there?"

"Just checking up on a classmate."

"Huh... so you do care about them a little. I'm surprised."

"If I didn't care, I wouldn't be the class rep now, would I?"

"True. Though, your class must be in some dire straits if a guy like you managed to usurp a guy like Matsushita."

"I'm just more charming, what can I say?"

"You have as much charisma as a well-done steak."

"That's oddly specific."

"It means the people who like you probably have bad taste. But I'm sure that flew over your brain."

Ouch. That went from zinger to a full on insult.

"...so what's the plan then?"

"We'll be climbing up the mountainside to try find some more caverns. From what we gathered calling other leaders, most hiders seem to be concentrated there."

"I-it's just like you said, Takanori-san. Although, I'm a little worried other seekers might've already gotten there first and found all the people there..."

Shimizu's concerns were valid. I had the same thought too, considering how far we were now from the slope. Not to mention, the journey up would take awhile too. We'd just be wasting time if there weren't any targets to be found.

"Don't worry. From what I gathered, only a few groups are present there. And even then, there's enough caverns scattered around that not all of them have been explored. We'll manage to nab one or two..."

Megami's voice trailed off before she continued. She glanced outside.

"...only if we make the trek while it's raining."

She sighed, looking back at the two of us. While unfortunate we had to resort to this, I understood why it was necessary.

"E-eh? W-wait, what do you mean by that, M-Megami-san?"

"It's the only way for us to catch up after falling behind. Most groups will probably be like us, waiting for the rain to stop before moving again. However, doing so is wasting a huge chance. We can use this break to catch up with everyone else and perhaps even gain an advantage. The groups brave enough to move, even in this perilous weather, will be the ones more likely to win. No matter the conditions, they'll be concentrated on achieving their goal— finding the hiders."

"Well, I've already been soaked from head to toe, so I'm fine with heading out now."

"Of course you are. As much as I don't want to, a sacrifice has to be made, so I've prepared myself mentally for it. The only thing left now is you, Shimizu-san. Will you join me and Takanori-san in making this long journey through this awful weather?"

Shimizu's eyes widened. Then she nodded resolutely, standing up and grabbing her backpack.

"I'll... I'll try my best not to slow you two down!"

Megami smiled, turning around and raising her hand, flicking it forward.

"Then let's go, you two. Follow me."

Shimizu ran after her. After drying my hair, I grabbed my backpack and stuffed the towel inside.

It seems our makeshift group's first adventure was about to begin.