Collaboration Anthology 2 — Idiots, Staircase and Summoned Beasts

The distance looked to be about 200m when viewed directly. \nKanba Yukihiro sighed as he looked up at this building in front of him. He looked slowly at both left and right side, and there were 12 students, including Yukihiro, standing in front of the terminal that was placed quite some distance away. Their uniforms were of the male and female variety, of different styles. One of them was the uniform Tenguihama Academy’s Yukihiro was wearing, while the other… \n“…Feels just like a date.” \nThe boy had been muttering sternly since just now. He was wearing the same uniform as Yoshii Akihisa’s Fumitzuki Academy. The ratio in numbers between Tenguihama and Fumitzuki was 1 is to 1. In other words, there were 6 people on both sides. \n“You ready? We’re going to begin.” \nThe boy beside Akihisa said. This boy had an athletic frame, sharp eyes and short hair that gave a deep impression. His name was Sakamoto Yuuji, and like Akihisa, he was a second year of Fumitzuki Academy. On a side note, the people on Fumitzuki Academy’s side were all second years. \n“Yeah, yeah, let’s hurry up then!” \nAn energetic petite girl’s voice answered Sakamoto impatiently as the girl jumped around. \nThe girl was Kokonoe Yuuko, and her round cat-like eyes were rolling. She was a third year from Tenguihama. Behind her, a delinquent-looking boy then said, “Then, let’s begin!” His name was Izutsu Ken, a student from Tenguihama, and like Yukihiro, he was a first year. \n“Pl, please take care of me.” \nThe one who asked politely was a beauty with nice flowing long hair. She was a student of Fumitzuki Academy, Himeji Mizuki. \n“Please take care of me too.” \nOn hearing Himeji’s greeting, a lanky girl with nice flowing black hair bowed. Also, a bespectacled boy bowed lightly too. The girl’s name was Amagasaki Izumi, and the boy was Saegusa Souji. Both of them were second years in Tenguihama. \n“Please take care of me!” \nA confident-looking ponytailed girl waved her hand, and a boy with nondescript appearance nodded. The ponytailed-girl was called Shimada Minami, and the nondescript boy was called Tsuchiya Kouta. Both of them were students from Fumitzuki Academy. \n“This atmosphere sure feels comfortable.” \nThe last person from Fumitzuki Academy who said this was a pretty girl with a rather unique choice of words. He, Kinosh*ta Hideyoshi, was a student who looked like a pretty girl, albeit sounding rather old-fashioned. \n“Is everyone ready? We can begin.” \nThe last person from Tenguihama said. This handsome looking boy who gave off a sharp and primitive vibe looked around at everyone. He was a 3rd year of Tenguihama, Kariya Kengo. Everyone nodded after hearing his words, took a slight breath, and call out. \n“““SUMMON!””” \n

Everything started from a mere moment of inspiration from Kokonoe. \n“This is the one. The people from the school everyone’s talking about is here!” \nThe club president Kokonoe suddenly called out in the ‘club room’ of the staircase club Yukihiro belonged to, the roof of Tenguihama’s first sports hall. She waved a piece of A4 paper, and Yukihiro took a piece of paper from her. \n“Is this ‘test summoning system’ Fumitzuki Academy a famous school?” \nThe paper had a brief introduction of Fumitzuki Academy, which used the ‘test summoning system’, and a rough explanation of the activities that would be held the next day. The place was not too far away from here, but Yukihiro did not understand the content on the paper. \n“You haven’t heard of Fumitzuki Academy, Badge?[2] It’s very famous.” \nKokonoe widened her eyes in shock as she asked. Yukihiro shook his head and asked Izutsu beside him, \n“Do you know?” \n“What do you mean? I did hear of Fumitzuki Academy before. It’s that high school that assigns classes according to test scores, right?” \n“Fumitzuki Academy, is it?” \nSaegusa helped elaborate on the vague explanation Izutsu gave. \n“They sort the students according to their grades starting from the second year, and imported a world-leading system, the ‘test summoning system’, where they could call out summoned beasts whose strength is based on the test results.” \n“Summoned beasts, huh? Sounds like a video game.” \nYukihiro muttered. Saegusa’s eyes lit up as he nudged his glasses up, saying, \n“Yeah, that’s a kind of game. Besides, the students in the class had to use the summoned beasts for battle.” \n“Ah, battle?” \n“Yeah. I just said that they sort classes based on the scores. As for the class facilities, the highest ranked A class differ greatly from the lowest ranked F class. If they wanted to study in a good environment, they would need to work hard to enter the better class. Thus, students would have to fight using battles to decide who’s better. The strength of the summoned beasts are proportional to their scores, so if they want to have a better classroom, they would have to work hard to get better scores. In that case, the students would work harder on their own to get better scores. This was the aim of the school.” \n“Sounds really hot-blooded.” \nIzutsu sighed out as he said. However, Yukihiro was still puzzled. \n“But the normal test scores are 100 at maximum, right? There has to be a limit no matter what, so how can they pull this gap?” \n“Most of the schools are as such. However, Fumitzuki Academy’s test scoring system doesn’t have an upper limit, only a time limit, and there is an unlimited number of questions. In other words, they are to answer as many questions as possible within a given time. There’s no concept of full marks there, and it’s said that someone got 500 points in a single subject.” \n“Wow…” \nIzutsu called out. \n“How is it? It’s nice, right? The Fumitzuki Academy system introduction talk will begin tomorrow. I got a piece of this paper from the staff’s office printer.” \nKokonoe happily took the piece of paper from Yukihiro. \n“Is this really fine?” \nYukihiro asked. \n“There’s still more.” \nKokonoe answered nonchalantly. \n“Then, how about everyone go take a look during the next rest period?” \nAmagasaki, who had been listening silently, cautiously raised her hand to raise her opinion, but Kokonoe shook her head and said. \n“What are you saying, Izumi-chan? Why should we wait for so long? Let’s go now! They already printed the promotional poster beforehand, so that means that there’s some form of preparation for the event going on, and the people involved are going over there to play. Isn’t this too sneaky? I feel we have the right to take part too.” \n“Such a lame argument.” \nYukihiro sighed as he looked around for help. At this moment, Kariya, who did not show much in this conversation, stepped forward to say. \n“I don’t care about any preparations beforehand, but we’re not people involved in this, so we have no rights to take part. Let’s begin club activity today.” \nKariya interrupted the conversation skillfully, but Kokonoe would not give up. \n“What are you saying? We’re related personnel here. Look!” \nKokonoe put the piece of paper in front of Kariya, and pointed at the words on it. Kariya merely answered with an ‘oh’. \n“The event is sponsored by Izumi’s family company, Tenma Corporation.” \nKariya looked over at Amagasaki, who responded shyly with a ‘yes’. \n“But I don’t have too much involvement—” \n“That’s how it is. As Izumi-chan’s friend, everyone in the staircase club have the right to take part in this activity beforehand. Let’s get going!” \n“But there’s a problem with whether there’s a preparatory event before hand—” \n“Well, I’m not too certain actually—” \n“Okay okay. Everyone, let’s get ready. There’s not much time left.” \n

At Kokonoe’s insistence, Yukihiro and the rest had to be there. \nEveryone managed to get there successfully. Of course, the preparatory event did not happen. Just like that, Kokonoe happily looked around, saying that there would be something interesting. \nThere were no guards assigned at the entrance, and as there were many office vehicles entering and leaving, the gates were wide open. They knew that it would be bad to enter on their own, so Kokonoe could only stand at the entrance and look inside. \n“There’s nothing special here. Let’s hurry back, prez.” \nKariya said from behind Kokonoe. Yukihiro and the gang were at the Amagasaki Conference plaza that would be used for the briefing the next day. This place belonged to the Tenma Corporation, and was loaned to Fumitzuki Academy for this activity. \nIt seemed that both sides were planning some event together, but Amagasaki herself did not know the details. \n“Oi, are you done?” \nKariya wanted to grab Kokonoe by the collar, but she cried out. \n“The kid’s moving the podium.” \nKokonoe was not saying anything really shocking. However, her round eyes got even rounder. She looked back at Yukihiro and the rest and waved at them. The gang could only move over. \n“What is it, Kokonoe-sempai? Is there anything shocking here—” \nThat was a podium that would be used for an orchestra, taller than a human, yet the kid was able to move it easily. \n“…” \nKariya was speechless. The kid that was moving the large podium with his back facing Yukihiro and the gang was walking and soon vanished behind the building. \n“…Let’s start chasing after it.” \nSuddenly, Kokonoe charged out before anyone could stop her. Izutsu followed her, and then, Kariya, Amagasaki, Yukihiro, and Saegusa followed suit. \nThere seemed to be a tail behind the kid that was moving the podium, and its ears seemed to be sharp. Even if it was a kid, its body proportions were weird. The limbs were unnaturally short, and the head was very big. If its size were of an ordinary person’s, it might even be seen as a puppet. However, as it was less than 1m tall, that would be impossible. \n“Don’t you find that kid strange?” \nYukihiro asked Saegusa behind him, and Saegusa merely curled his lips without answering. At this moment, they heard a gruff voice from the front. \n“Yoshii, put this on the stage. The workers will be here soon.” \nYukihiro got over to Kokonoe and the rest who were hiding in the shadows of the building and looked over. That kid put the podium on the stage, and there were a few adults who looked like workers. Not too far away from them was a man who looked like a sports teacher. He was dressed in shorts and pants, seemingly showing off his tan muscles as he instructed the boy beside him. \nThat boy was Yoshii Akihisa. He, who was wearing the uniform of Fumitzuki Academy, was looking tired as he stared at the podium. \n“Se, sensei, I’ll be grateful here if you let me rest.” \nOn hearing Akihisa’s words, the teacher folded his arms. \n“What? How useless you are, Yoshii. You can’t take it after a mere 5 hours of manual labor?” \n“No…I’m a human compared to you, Iro…no, Nishimura-sensei.” \n“Oh really? You’re saying as if I’m not human.” \n“Ah, no. I guess you can be considered a human, Nishimura-sensei.”[3] \n“Yoshii, grit your teeth and keep working.” \n“Huh? Why?” \nThat sport teacher-looking man (it seemed that he was called Nishimura-sensei) had a manzai[4]-like conversation with Akihisa. Soon, the teacher relented. \n“…Never mind. I’ll let you rest for a while.” \n“Thanks. How long do I need to rest?” \n“Hm. 3 seconds will do.” \n“Don’t I even have a minute? Is it even legal to have rest periods in single-digit seconds?” \n“Just kidding. Just rest whenever you want when I’m not calling you.”[5] \nThe man said that as he moved towards the stage, and Akihisa sat down relaxed. The kid that moved the podium ran to him. \n“Really, you can’t just boss me around like that even if it’s punishment…” \nAkihisa muttered as he looked over at the kid. The kid suddenly vanished. \n“Ah, no way!” \nKokonoe called out, and Akihisa, who heard that voice, immediately lifted his head. Both their stares met each other, and Kokonoe ran to Akihisa before shouting loudly. \n“Where’s the kid? Where did you hide him? Spill it!” \n“Ah? You’re mistaken right? I didn’t kidnap any kid.”[6] \n“Fess up if you don’t want to suffer. I have evidence here!” \nKokonoe continued pressing on, and Akihisa lowered his head. Yukihiro and the rest came out from the shadows, and they had to stop Kokonoe from going out of control. At this moment, they saw three people walk towards Kokonoe and Akihisa. \n“I saw it for myself. You abducted the kid and did terrible things to him.” \nKokonoe forcefully interrogated Akihisa, and Akihisa was unable to process what was going on perhaps due to things happening too suddenly. He muttered, \n“…What should I do? Should I admit it?”[7] \n“So that’s how it is, Akihisa. You finally did it in the end. I knew you’ll end up going down this path sooner or later…”[8] \n“I didn’t expect you to abduct a kid, a boy at that, you pervert! You definitely have that kind of perverted preference!”[9] \n“There’s still time to repent. Reflect and repent on your actions, Akihisa.”[10] \nThe trio walking towards Akihisa said with serious expressions. Just when everyone thought that Akihisa would cry out “I’m sorry, everyone, I’m guilt.”, he suddenly stood up. \n“WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SPOUTING! DON’T CALL OTHERS A CRIMINAL LIKE THAT! ALSO, WHY ARE YOU HERE ANYWAY, YUUJI, MINAMI, HIDEYOSHI!? I THOUGHT I’M THE ONLY ONE BROUGHT HERE FOR PUNISHMENT!?” \nAkihisa asked the students who suddenly appeared. \n“Quick thinking there.” \n“So so.” \nSakamoto Yuuji and Shimada Minami whispered. Sakamoto then answered. \n“That’s because you interesting…situation worries us. That’s why we came here.” \n“Did you just say ‘interesting’?” \n“I said that ‘you’re interesting’. Besides, you’re an interesting guy no matter when.” \n“Yeah yeah. You’re the most interesting guy in school.”[11] \n“The way you come up with excuses when you’re late is a classic. You actually unabashedly said to Ironman that ‘the traffic lights didn’t turn green’ there.” \n“It’s nothing impressive…” \n“Akihisa, you’re really an idiot.” \n“Weren’t you praising me just now, Yuuji?” \n“Yeah, just treat it as such. Speaking of which, is it really fine to leave those guys over there?” \nAt this moment, Yukihiro and the rest could finally join in the conversation. \n“I apologize for this idiot’s actions. I’m a 3rd year from Tengurihama Academy nearby, Kariya Kengo. This person here is Kokonoe Yuuko. Sorry for intruding, but we just came to scout the place.” \n“You’re Tengurihama students?” \nKariya quickly stepped forward to press on Kokonoe’s head as he introduced himself. Sakamoto patted Akihisa on the shoulder too, and said, \n“I want to apologize for this idiot’s rude actions. I’m Sakamoto Yuuji, and this guy is—” \nWhile talking, he turned to look at Akihisa, and said in a puzzled manner, \n“Who’s this guy?” \n“Ah? What’s with you, Yuuji? You suddenly lost your memory?” \n“Speaking of which, who’re you?” \n“Never met you before.” \nShimada and Kinosh*ta Hideyoshi showed puzzled expressions after Sakamoto. In this situation, Akihisa was shocked. \n“…Who, who am I?” \n“Didn’t they call you ‘Akihisa’?” \nYukihiro said. \n“Someone even called you Yoshii just now. I guess your name is Yoshii Akihisa, right?” \nSaegusa added. At this moment, Sakamoto and the rest gave looks for regret. \n“Seriously, they saw through it so quickly.” \n“How rude. I nearly forgot who I am there.” \nAkihisa heaved a sigh of relief as he grumbled to Sakamoto and the rest. \n“I think you’re really amazing to forget who you are just because of a little problem.” \nShimada sighed as she shook her head. Akihisa stared at her with a hurt expression as he said. \n“Wha, what? You’re saying it as if I’m an idiot.” \n“You’re obviously one.” \nSakamoto then left these words, and then said to Yukihiro and the rest. \n“His idiocy is at this level, Yoshii Akihisa, the most symbolic idiot amongst our second year, no, amongst our entire school.” \n“…Really?” \nOn hearing Sakamoto’s introduction, Yukihiro could only answer back vaguely. \n“Wow, so this is a summoned beast. How cute.” \nAfter the introductions, Kokonoe looked at Akihisa’s summoned beast and said this happily. \nAccording to Akihisa, he was called here to help with the preparations as a punishment. Sakamoto and the rest were his friends, and they came to watch him. \n“The other schools will probably find this interesting. Try training this guy. This guy likes having other people train it.” \nSakamoto said to Kokonoe, who giggles as she said, \n“Really? Let me try.” \nKokonoe then reached her hand out. \n“Ah? Hold on. What’s going on?” \nAkihisa did not understand. Sakamoto whispered to him, \n“Akihisa, show her our school’s specialty. You might get your punishment reduced.” \n“Really?” \n“Yeah, I can guarantee it?’ \n“Got it! Kokonoe-sempai, you can train it all you want.” \nBefore Kokonoe could even start teasing, Akihisa’s summoned beast was kicked away by Shimada. \n“Is that even possible? How can you even let yourself get tricked by Sakamoto like that?” \n“Because he’s an idiot.” \n“He’s an idiot.” \nSakamoto, and Kinosh*ta Hideyoshi nodded. As of this point, Akihisa was kneeling on the ground, painfully clutching his stomach. \n“Minami…there’s no need to kick me when you remind me, right?” \n“Sorry, I just came back from overseas. I don’t really understand Japanese well.” \n“YOU’RE LYING, YOU’RE DEFINITELY LYING THERE!” \n“Let’s not talk about this for now.” \nKokonoe interrupted Akihisa’s grumbling and started talking about the summoned beasts. \n“Normally, summoned beasts can’t be called out without a teacher present. However, this plaza has a summoning boundary set all over this place, so we can call out summoned beasts like this guy.” \n“Then, you can call out your summoned beast too, right, Sakamoto-kun?” \n“Of course.” \nWith Kokonoe’s request, “Summon!” Sakamoto shouted. An 80cm tall summoned beast then appeared at Sakamoto’s feet. Kokonoe happily reached for the summoned beast. \n“Huh?” \nHowever, she could not touch it. Her outstretched hand went through the summoned beast’s body. \n“Normally, summoned beasts can’t be touched. Only summoned beasts can touch each other. However, this guy’s summoned beast is special, and you can step on it like this.” \nYuuji said as he kept stamping on Akihisa’s summoned beast. \n“WAIT, YUUJI! IT FEELS WEIRD WHEN YOU’RE STEPPING ON MY SUMMONED BEAST LIKE THIS!” \nAkihisa cried out on agony on the floor. \n“That means it’s fine when it’s Himeji?” \n“…”[12] \n“You hesitated!? Your tastes aren’t ordinary!” \nShimada took two steps back, and Akihisa hurriedly tried to defend himself. \n“No, that’s not it. I wasn’t hesitating! Just imagining!” \n“YOU BIG PERVERT!!” \nThis time, Shimada didn’t aim for the summoned beast, but sent a kick right at Akihisa’s stomach. \n“Speaking of which, where did Himeji and Muttsurini go?” \nSakamoto easily changed the topic as he looked around. \n“I don’t know about Mizuki, but I’m not sure about Tsuchiya either…” \nShimada answered. At this moment, Akihisa quickly got up. \n“What? Don’t tell me Himeji-san and Muttsurini are together, Minami?” \n“No, Tsuchiya just disappeared out of a sudden.” \n“This is bad. I hope Muttsurini won’t do anything rash.”[13] \n“We might end up having to call the cops soon.” \nKinosh*ta and Sakamoto said with serious expressions. On a side note, despite looking seriously, Sakamoto’s foot was still stepping on Akihisa’s summoned beast. \n“Excuse me…” \nJust when Yukihiro was about to ask about Tsuchiya, Kariya behind him raised his hand. \n“Is the student you call Tsuchiya this guy?” \nEveryone looked back and saw that Tsuchiya Kouta was tied up by Kariya and Izutsu, shaking his head continuously for some reason. \n“This guy was basically sprawled on the floor trying to peep at the upskirt of Izumi-chan, and we suppressed him…” \nTsuchiya shook his head. \n“Really? Sorry to trouble you guys.” \nSakamoto got Tsuchiya over, and Tsuchiya shook his head harder with Akihisa and the rest looking at him. \n“Let’s see what ideas you have, Muttsurini.” \n“Why were you crawling?” \nSakamoto and Shimada questioned, and Tsuchiya whispered. \n“…Observing ants.”[14] \n“Seriously, do you think you’re a primary school kid?” \nSakamoto seemed somewhat lethargic, and Yukihiro felt the same as well. \n“Ah, Akihisa-kun, everyone’s here.” \nAt this moment, a pretty girl with nice flowing hair and slender body came running over. She was Himeji Mizuki. \n“It’s great that you’re alright!” \nAkihisa happily went over, and got tripped by Shimada. \n“Wha, what’s going on? Are you alright, Akihisa-kun?” \nHimeji showed a puzzled expression, and Shimada muttered that it was nothing as she stepped onto Akihisa, keeping Himeji behind her. \n“…Why do I feel that I had been stamped on ever since just now? It hurts!” \nAkihisa was suddenly rolling on the floor, and Shimada could only move her foot away and ask, “What’s with you?” Akihisa stared at his summoned beast. \n“Eh? Will the owner feel pain when the summoned beast is grabbed?” \nKokonoe continued to tease Akihisa’s summoned beast. \n“Of, of course it will. When my summoned beast takes damage, some of the feedback will be reflected back on the owner…” \n“Oh! is that so?” \nKokonoe answered as she started grabbing the summoned beast’s arms and play with them like dolls. Akihisa started rolling around in pain. \n“Please stop.” \n“…Amazing. I totally respect you for being able to even do this.” \nSakamoto showed his fear and admiration for Kokonoe. \n“Stop it, Yuuko.” \nKariya grabbed the summoned beast from Kokonoe’s demonic clutches. Akihisa finally got release as he laid on the floor, panting heavily. \nKokonoe looked unhappy as her toy (?) was taken away. Sakamoto and the rest looked at each other, and Saegusa took out his laptop and said, \n“Normally, the summoned beasts aren’t used for playing for this particular reason. But as this is an event ground, anyone can summon as long as they take the tests. The activity starts tomorrow, but the system is set up, right?” \n“That old hag..old principal does things very quickly, so I guess she already got things set up.” \nSakamoto answered. The eyes hidden behind Saegusa’s glasses showed a glint. \n“Then, can you bring us to where the terminal is? I may be able to activate it in this case.” \nYukihiro and the rest head towards the arena where the terminal for the ‘test summoning system’ was. Saegusa plugged the laptop into the terminal, hacked into the system, and activated the system that was on standby. \n“Then, let’s look at everyone’s abilities. The teachers in charge of the subjects will normally be the ones deciding the subject for the summoned beasts use. However, everyone can summon using their favorite subject, so go ahead and test yourself with your best subject.” \n“Okay.” \nKokonoe was the first one to run over, and Yukihiro was the next, running enthusiastically forward to try this. Yukihiro chose maths as his subject, since he was often forced to study maths as his older sister was a maths teacher. He had most confidence in this subject. \n“The time limit is one hour. Get ready…” \nYukihiro put his watch on the table and started answering the questions. \n

An hour later, Yukihiro and the rest got their summoned beasts. \n“Wah! How cute! They’re really cute! Everyone, check out my summoned beast!” \nKokonoe danced around excitedly once she saw her summoned beast. The mini Kokonoe-chan started dancing with her movements. It was a girl with tiger ears and tail. \n“Kokonoe-sempai, your summoned beast’s movements are really refined.” \nYukihiro looked at his summoned beast as he said. His summoned beast could only do simple movements as he was not used to controlling them. Izutsu and the rest were the same. \n“Ah, everyone, look at Izumi-chan’s summoned beast. It’s pretty. I want a bracelet too!” \nKokonoe, who was letting her summoned beast jump, squealed after seeing Amagasaki’s summoned beast. Amagasaki’s summoned beast was wearing a bracelet, and had small black wings on its back. \n“If it’s wearing a bracelet, it means that it has high points. Amazing, Amagasaki-san.” \nHimeji called out in amazement. Kariya and Saegusa whispered, “Oh.” \n“I have one too.” \n“Me too. Though I have less than 500 points.” \n“…” \nYukihiro looked at his summoned beast unhappily. His summoned best did not have the bracelet like theirs. He thought that his scores would not be high, but still passable. Thus, he felt somewhat unhappy. \n“Next, let’s fight using our summoned beast, everyone.” \nKokonoe’s summoned beast danced around like the owner, not showing any signs of authority. \n“But how do we fight when our summoned beasts don’t have any weapons? Sumo?” \n

Akihisa explained that the summoned beasts would normally have weapons. But, after considering the safety issue for this arena, they redesigned the summoned beasts such that they would not have any weapons. \n“Fufufu. Just what I want. I don’t need any weapons or sorts, because the upcoming battle is—” \nKokonoe showed a nonchalant smile. \n“We’ll be running up the stairs using summoned beasts!” \nAkihisa was so surprised that his eyes became dots. \nA race up the stairs. \nIt was a match where the participants would have to run up the stairs in the school and cause havoc for others. Kokonoe’s proposal was to use the summoned beasts to run inside the plaza. \n“…This is a little too…” \nSakamoto immediately shook his head after hearing Kokonoe’s words. He revealed a shocked expression. \n“What’s bad about it? it’s very interesting.” \n“Well, to us, that’s…” \nSakamoto opposed strongly. This was a normal reaction, and Yukihiro heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that he was a reasonable person. \n“Ah, how about this then?” \nKokonoe clapped and said, \n“The first place can get a reward. Helping the first place get a wish is something we can definitely do with all we have.” \n“I’ll take part then.” \nSakamoto immediately decided.[15] \n“Huh!? Wasn’t your attitude just now so adamant?” \nYukihiro could not help but exclaim. Everyone’s reaction was the same as Sakamoto scratched his head and said. \n“This is just taking a step back.” \n“You have no intent on denying your filthy intent, do you?” \nAkihisa muttered softly. \n“In that case, you don’t intend to take part, do you?” \n“Please let me take part, Sakamoto-kun! No, Sakamoto-sama!” \nAkihisa immediately knelt down to beg without hesitation. \n“…Akihisa, has your pride been eaten by a dog?” \nSakamoto’s stare showed a pitiful look. \n“Alright then, let’s decide the course.” \nKokonoe looked around, finally pointed at a building, and said, \n“Over there then. The flag on the roof. Whoever reaches there will be the winner.” \nYukihiro looked over at that building. The roof of the building had a pole with a raised flag. \n“The one to reach the top will be the winner.” \n“Alright, it’s decided. But what about the rest?” \nSakamoto looked around at the other Fumitzuki students. \n“I’m in.” \n“…(nods)” \nKinosh*ta and Tsuchiya decided to take part too. \n“Ye, yeah…” \n“Well…” \nShimada and Himeji looked at Akihisa, who noticed Shimada’s stare as he asked. \n“Is there anything, Minami?” \n“It, it’s nothing! I’m just thinking that I can beat you up if I win.” \n“Wait a moment. I think it’ll be a problem if you take part, Minami.” \n“We all have different wishes.” \n“Everyone’s different anyway.” \nSakamoto and Kokonoe immediately denied Akihisa’s proposition. \n“I’ll take part too.” \nAt this moment, Himeji said with a firm tone. \n“I won’t let Minami-chan beat Akihisa-kun, so I…” \nHimeji realized that she spoke too much at one go, and blushed as she lowered her head. \n“…Ah? So…? So what about me? Do you want to beat me up, Himeji-san?” \nHimeji did not answer, and Akihisa was very shocked. \n“It’s decided then, Mizuki.” \n“You’re in trouble, Akihisa.” \n“Huh? No, I don’t mean this.” \n“…But it might be good if Himeji-san herself did it.” \n“Idiot.” \nAmidst the chaos, Akihisa’s face took a direct punch from Shimada. \nEither way, the preparations were complete. \nNormally, the summoned beasts could only be with them. However, the entire venue was set up with the boundary, so the summoned beast could move on their own at any place they wanted. Also, as this activity involved a summoned beast race, there was a monitor set up in the plaza, and the participants could see where their summoned beasts were. They could see where all their summoned beasts were on the largest screen, and there were multi-direction helmets[16] placed in the terminals that were placed some distance away. Saegusa took one of them up and started explaining. \n“What’s the name of this kind of helmet? Well, nevermind. Anyway, it’s developed to send the signals throughout the entire venue. By putting it on, you can see things from the summoned beast’s perspective. There’s a mic in it, so it’s possible to hear the summoned beasts’ conversations.” \n“You sure do understand this. We’re seeing this for the first time ourselves.” \nOn hearing Sakamoto say this, Saegusa merely answered softly, “I did some investigations.” \n“The route is completely freestyle, but as the summoned beasts can’t grab things or pass through walls and floors, they can’t enter the building without an open door. If you want to get to the roof, you can only by the outer wall.” \nSaegusa explained calmly. The target building in question was a 20 storey building. As of this point, there was no one around, so it was fine to have this tournament. However, even if the summoned beasts were the ones running, it was scary to climb up a 20 storey build. \n“Then…everyone, on your marks…” \nSaegusa gave the signal, and all the participants scattered. The terminals were set up set that 4 people could use one. Yukihiro walked towards one before someone grabbed him by the shoulder. \n“You’re Kanba, right? Can I have some time from you?” \nIt was Sakamoto. He had Akihisa and Kinosh*ta beside him. Yukihiro felt nervous as he was surrounded by the trio. \n“Is, is there anything? Why call me out of a sudden?” \n“Don’t be scared. We have something to discuss with you.” \nSakamoto put his hand on Yukihiro’s back and whispered. \n“Let’s work together.” \n“Huh?” \n“Let’s work to win this, I, Akihisa, Hideyoshi, and you Kanba.” \n“…This is a personal race, you know.” \nYukihiro frowned. Sakamoto nodded and said, \n“Of course, this is a personal race no one will have any grumbles about no matter who wins. But if this keeps up, those with the bracelets will end up leading the pack.” \n“The ones with the bracelets?” \n“The guys with the summoned beasts equipped with bracelets. You have Kariya, Saegusa, and Amagasaki, right? Our school has Himeji and Muttsurini. Their summoned beasts’ base stats are very high, so it’s impossible to beat them one on one.” \nKinosh*ta finished. Sakamoto said with a stern expression. \n“…We have to unite in order to beat them, understand?” \n“…Yeah, but why me? Izutsu and Kokonoe-sempai don’t have bracelets either.” \n“That’s because I feel that it’s easiest to bri…no, pull you in.” \nSakamoto patted Yukihiro on the shoulder had. Yukihiro felt that they were suspicious, but he agreed as it seemed to be interesting if they did so. \n“Alright, let’s win, the 4 of us.” \nSakamoto raised his fist, and Yukihiro followed him. \n

The match finally began as everyone put on their helmets and wait for Kokonoe’s command. \n“Everyone ready!” \nKokonoe called out with a loud voice. \n“Get ready, start!” \nOn the mark, the 12 summoned beasts rushed out and pulled some distance away from each other. Running first was Himeji, Kariya, Saegusa, Amagasaki, and Tsuchiya. Kokonoe, Izutsu, and Shimada followed behind, and the last ones where Yukihiro and the rest. \n“…Well, is it really alright to have such a large gap?” \nYukihiro asked Akihisa, who snorted back as he chuckled. \n“Of course. We got a plan for it.” \nHe answered confidently. Then, he looked at Yuuji and said. \n“Yuuji thought of it.” \n“WHY DID YOU FORCE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE PLANNING ENTIRELY!?” \nYukihiro could not help but shout out. Sakamoto looked behind and gave a definite answer. \n“I already thought of more than 300 ways to mess with Akihisa.” \n“Wait, Yuuji! What are you thinking?” \n“Well, obviously, to make you suffer.” \n“You didn’t say that just now!” \nInfighting began as Yukihiro looked over worriedly at each other. Kinosh*ta said to him. \n“Relax, they’re always like this as they’re in love anyway.”[17] \n“DON’T SPOUT NONSENSE THERE, HIDEYOSHI!!” \nAkihisa shouted at Kinosh*ta, who reluctantly shrugged with his arms wide. His summoned beast itself gave a ‘pretty expression’, and Yukihiro seemed to look at little lost there. \n“Let’s stop arguing and put our plan into action.” \nSakamoto suddenly looked serious. Yukihiro lifted his head to look at the main screen, and saw that the other summoned beasts had already pulled quite some distance away from them. \n“Just as planned.” \nSakamoto too looked at the main screen and smirked ominously. The largest screen showed the locations of all the summoned beasts. From the summoned beasts’ viewpoints, the image on the screen looked like they were floating in the air. The front-most group were moving down their own roads, Himeji, Kariya, Saegusa and Amagasaki. Running down the shortest path, away from them was Tsuchiya’s summoned beast. \n“Everyone sure is fast. We won’t be able to catch up if this keeps up.” \nYukihiro whispered. Akihisa nodded and prompted Yuuji. \n“Wait, let’s set the traps.” \nSakamoto stopped once he said that. Yukihiro and the rest stopped running too. \n“What are we going to do?” \n“We’ll leave this to Akihisa. Where’s that thing?” \n“No problems. I have it here.” \nAkihisa answered Sakamoto as he showed something on his hand. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like this was a photo. \n“But will that Muttsurini really bite on it? We bought this from him, you know?” \n“No problems! I have confidence.” \n“Yeah, that guy’s a guy too, so he’ll definitely be baited” \nSakamoto said definitely. Suddenly, he stopped. Kinosh*ta stood around too. Yukihiro took off his helmet as he heard some soft whispers, and looked over at Sakamoto. \n“Hideyoshi, before everything’s ready, change into this.” \n

“Why? What does changing costumes have to do with this contest?” \n“You probably don’t know, but there’s a huge factor. Hurry up and change!” \nWith Sakamoto’s prompting, Kinosh*ta went to a shaded area to change and let out some thoughts, \n“In that case—” \nAs Yukihiro pricked his eyes to hear the content of the plan. \nSwoosh. \nSomething rushed over with a gust of wind. It was so fast that Yukihiro’s eyes could not catch up. As he looked around, he heard Kinosh*ta’s voice. \n“What are you doing, Muttsurini? This…this is embarrassing?” \nThe sounds of the shutter being pressed and the flashes came from the shade of the trees. Yukihiro stared at Sakamoto speechlessly. \n“Now we got ourselves some time. You ready, Akihisa?” \n“Yeah. This is my perfect trap. It’s definitely foolproof.” \nYukihiro heard Akihisa’s unreliable words as he put on the helmet. He saw what was obviously a trap. \n“…I say. Don’t you often see this in mangas or something?” \nThere were many twigs and grass laid on the ground, basically declaring that there was a hole there. It looked unnatural even for a dirt path. \nAlso, there were several photos amongst the twigs in the middle of the trap. That would most likely be the ‘trap’. Anyone who rush forward to get the photos would definitely fall into the traps. \n“It’s about 5m deep. I really find myself amazing for being able to do this in such a short time.” \n“Yeah.” \nSakamoto answered Akihisa, who was gleefully indulging in self-praise, coldly, and continued— \n“Ah, oi. What shots are you taking…no, no. There’s nothing much to see.” \n“…” \nThe weird lewd laughter and ridiculously fast shutter pressing could be heard from the shadows. \n…Is it really alright to work with these guys? \nAt this moment, Yukihiro had a bigger doubt. \nThe direct distance would be around 200m if they move forward, but moving down the path to the destination would take at least 3 times the distance. As they were not used to controlling the summoned beasts, Kariya and the rest could not move down the path. Himeji herself though kept moving through, perhaps because she was serious. \nKokonoe was unexpectedly adept at controlling her summoned beast, but she did not take the shortest path, but just went around running curiously. Izutsu was trying to follow her from behind. Shimada was close to them, but she was running an independent route. \nYukihiro was not used to controlling them, but managed to move down the shortest path with Sakamoto and Akihisa’s lead. Akihisa’s summoned beast carried Kinosh*ta’s summoned beast as it continued to run, and he was able to do this because the summoned beast could touch physical objects. Not too far away from where Yukihiro and the rest progressed, there was a tall wall that appeared in front of them. Everyone felt that they had to move around, but Sakamoto told them, \n“It’s fine. Let’s keep moving.” \n“Yuuji, I’ve changed.” \nAs Yukihiro kept running, Kinosh*ta had finished changing. The sounds of the shutter arrived at the same time. Yukihiro took off his helmet and looked back, flabbergasted. \n“I’d say, why am I dressed like this?” \nKinosh*ta was dressed in a cheongsam. \n“Ah, it’s actually nothing. Just everyone’s request.” \n“What do you mean?” \nOn hearing Sakamoto’s answer, Kinosh*ta asked. Tsuchiya’s fingers continued to press the shutter, and it was so fast that there were afterimages. Also, the photos were taken from all directions. \n“…(Oh)” \nTsuchiya did not say anything as he merely gave a thumbs up. It was unknown what that was about. \n“I say, what are you doing…” \nOn hearing Yukihiro’s words, Tsuchiya quickly fished out 5 photos. Yukihiro saw the photos, and immediately blushed. \n“Huh? These? What for?” \n“…300 yen for a set.” \n“…No, that’s not it. I’m just saying that it, it feels a little wrong, in many aspects.” \n“What are you saying? There’s nothing wrong about this as a man!” \nAkihisa stood beside the flustered Yukihiro, rummaging through his wallet. He then lowered his dejected shoulders and said. \n“…I can only drink white sugar water for this month.” \n“Drink? White sugar water?” \nTo Yukihiro, these words were a vague combination to him. \n“Muttsurini, you should be heading back to the match.” \nSakamoto said to Tsuchiya, who was still lying prone the fall, taking photos. He heard Sakamoto’s words, and— \n“…It’ll be fine.” \nHe answered. \n“…If anything happens, I’ll accelerate immediately.” \n“Really? But what about these?” \nSakamoto handed his helmet over to Tsuchiya. The helmet showed that trap. \n“!?” \nTsuchiya’s eyes dazzled as he went back to his terminal with the roar of the wind. It was really an astonishing speed. As Yukihiro again put on the helmet, Tsuchiya’s summoned beast had already returned to the course. They did not see it a moment ago, and that was really speedy as Tsuchiya’s summoned beast quickly got to the place the photos were laid. \n“Ah.” \nYukihiro could not help but exclaim. Tsuchiya’s defenceless summoned beast fell into that simple trap. \n…Huh? Wait, I remember that besides Yoshii-kun’s summoned beast— \nThe other summoned beasts could not touch physical objects. Yukihiro took off his helmet and went towards Tsuchiya’s terminal. As expected, Tsuchiya himself was not there. He must have ran to the scene himself. \n“He got away.” \n“Now Muttsurini’s out. One opponent down.” \nSakamoto smirked ominously like a yakuza boss, causing Yukihiro to feel a chill down his spine. \n“Let’s hurry too, Kanba. How’s the rest doing?” \n“The forward group including Kariya-sempai has finished half the course. We’re definitely closer in terms of distance, but the wall in front of us…” \nYukihiro, who was overwhelmed by Sakamoto’s presence, answered honestly. Sakamoto and Akihisa gave smirks of ill intent. \n“It’s perfect, Yuuji.” \n“That’s right. We got the win.” \n“…May I ask, what are we going to do next?” \nYukihiro put on the helmet again as he asked. Akihisa stared at the wall in front of him and answered. \n“We’ll do this.” \nAkihisa said. His summoned beast threw Kinosh*ta’s summoned beast off its back, towards the wall. Kinosh*ta’s summoned beast passed through the wall and landed on the other side. \n“How rough of you.” \nKinosh*ta exclaimed. \n“It won’t hurt, Kanba. You can pass through too.” \nAkihisa’s summoned beast threw Yukihiro’s summoned beast before he could even respond. Yukihiro’s summoned beast passed through the wall in the same way and landed. Sakamoto’s summoned beast then flew over. \n“Didn’t expect that from you, Yoshii-kun.” \nYukihiro praised Akihisa, who, after he heard that— \n“Are you praising me?’ \nAkihisa exclaimed in shock. Yukihiro nodded. \n“…Kanba-kun, you’re really a good guy.” \nA touched voice could be heard from the other side of the wall. \nIt’s just a little praising. Is there a need to be so ridiculous? \n“Akihisa actually got praised by someone. There should be blood raining tomorrow.”[18] \n“The end of the world may be here.”[19] \nSakamoto and Kinosh*ta showed shocked expressions too, and Yukihiro himself did not know how to respond. \n“My turn next! How do I get over, Yuuji?” \nAkihisa asked Sakamoto happily, but— \n“Through will.” \nSakamoto merely made up a ridiculous answer as he suggested back. \n“Huh? Haven’t you thought of anything!?” \n“Then, we’ll be on our way.” \n“Wait, don’t leave me!” \n“Take care of yourself, Akihisa. I’ll have your share of happiness as well.”[20] \n“DAMN YOU, YUUJI. DOUBLE-CROSSING ME LIKE THAT!” \nAkihisa roared angrily. Sakamoto and Kinosh*ta’s summoned beasts continued on. The end point was right in front of them. \n“Damn it. Just wait and see how I break this mere wall—”[21] \n“Well, Yoshii-kun—” \nYukihiro said to Akihisa who said these vicious words. \n“Can’t you just something at the side to support? Your summoned beasts can move things anyway.” \n“…” \nAkihisa, who was preparing to destroy the wall, finally calmed down. After a while, \n“…I had this intention in the first place.”[22] \nHe grinned as he said this. Akihisa moved something over, and quickly got over the wall. \n“Alright, let’s go, Kanba-kun. Let’s send that bastard Yuuji into his grave.” \n“…Why are you saying such things? Aren’t you friends?’ \n“Who do you say are friends here?” \n“…Just pretend I never said anything.” \nYukihiro saw Akihisa’s ferocious attitude and swallowed back his words. \nThud… \nEveryone looked up after hearing the sound of something landing. Tsuchiya himself fell into the hole.[23] \n…Someone actually fell into such a trap. \nYukihiro saw Tsuchiya at the bottom of the hole, clutching his precious photos and looking really gracious. \nIn some aspects, that guy was rather amazing. \n“Oi, Yuuji, we’ll have to settle this.” \n“What? How did you get over, Akihisa!?” \n“Humph, I used the car nearby as a stepping stone to climb over.” \n“Impossible! How is your stupid brain able to think of such a method, Akihisa! You don’t even know how to take down a banana dangling from the ceiling.” \n“It’d seemed like it’s Kanba’s suggestion. That Akihisa can’t even think of using a stepping stone to take down a banana.” \n“Do we have to even ask? We’re right, aren’t we? Shouldn’t we be sad for ourselves?” \n“You’re right, but I’d say, wouldn’t be it better to omit the part about the banana?” \nYukihiro and Akihisa caught up to Sakamoto and Kinosh*ta who ran off first. Both of them were at the wall of the building. Their summoned beasts could not open the door with their hands, so they could only climb by the outer wall and to the roof. Akihisa looked at both of them, that were about to reach the 3rd level, and said. \n“…I think that’s it.” \n“Still too early to give up. Let’s climb.” \n“But if we fall, the damage will hit my body. I don’t know how painful it’ll be if I fall down from such a high place…” \n“Then…” \nYukihiro looked at the side door in front of him, and said to the pale looking Akihisa. \n“We’ll go in by there.” \n“How?” \n“…Your summoned beast can open the door, Yoshii-kun.” \n“…Of, of course. I intended to do so anyway.”[24] \nAkihisa was sweating in beads on his forehead as he smiled and said this. He then opened the door and entered. Yukihiro then followed in. \n“Alright, we’ve reversed the situation now. Let’s get rid of Yuuji.” \nAkihisa climbed the stairs as he yelled. Yukihiro himself did not know what he wanted to do. Akihisa got to the corridor of the 4th level and stood near the window. The window was a little open, but such an opening was enough for the small summoned beast. \n“Yuuji! I’ll send you to your grave today!” \nAkihisa said this as his summoned beast raised its fist at Sakamoto’s summoned beast that was climbing up the wall. Then— \n“Shut up.” \nSakamoto launched a beautiful counter first. \n“Oh yeah, Akihisa’s summoned beast can open doors. Tch, this guy still has some use.” \nAkihisa fell back. Sakamoto and Kinosh*ta climbed into the building too.” \n“Oh yeah, did you close the door on the 1st level?” \n“…Huh? Isn’t that an automatic door?” \nYukihiro recalled that he did not close the door when he entered. \n“This is bad. Himeji and the rest can enter.” \nKinosh*ta looked at the main screen as he said this. Yukihiro and the rest looked over, and saw Kariya and the other 3 enter the building through the open door. \n“Akihisa, we’ll have a ceasefire here. Let’s build a blockade.” \n“Go, got it! But why do I feel that I’m the one being hurt?” \n“Let me say this. You’re the one in charge of building it.” \n“WHAT!?” \n“Shut up.” \nSakamoto again sent Akihisa sprawling on the floor. \n“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YUUJI!” \n“Alright, hurry up and drag those chairs over or anything to create a blockade. I have to win here.” \n“You’re rather motivated.” \nKinosh*ta looked at Sakamoto, who had bloodshot eyes, and said this. Sakamoto let out what sounded like a scream. \n“OF COURSE! I MUST GET BACK MY WEDDING CERTIFICATE FROM SHOUKO WITHIN A YEAR! YOU GUYS HAVE TO HELP ME. NO, I DEFINITELY NEED YOUR HELP HERE!” \n“Forget about it and get married with Kirishima. Won’t that be fine? I’m really envious here.”[25] \nAkihisa mocked the enraged Sakamoto as if it did not concern him. Sakamoto grabbed him on the collar and shock him. \n“You bastard.” \n“Well, sorry to interrupt…” \nYukihiro said to them. \n“They’re here.” \nWith Kariya leading, the pack of 4 reached the corner to the 3rd lever. Sakamoto and Akihisa immediately got on their guard. \n“A truce for the time being, Yuuji.” \n“Didn’t I just say this?” \n““Alright, it’s all yours here.”” \nBoth of them said in unison. \n““YOU’RE AT THIS AGAIN!!?”” \nBoth of them shouted out in unison, such that even their breathing was in unison. \n“You two look rather happy, but I’ll be off first, sorry.” \nKariya ran up the stairs. However, he was not running forward as he was not used to the controls. Yukihiro and the rest hurried up the stairs too. \n“The stats of those with the bracelets are higher. We’ll get caught up if we run like this. Got to find a way first.” \n“But we don’t have enough time to seal up the place.” \nSakamoto and Akihisa exchanged words while Yukihiro kept running. In terms of summoned beast’s speed, Yukihiro was faster, but there was some distance in summoned beast control. Kariya and the rest had this issue, and the one right behind Yukihiro was Himeji. However, from the looks of her summoned beast panting, it seemed that it was not good at sports like its owner. \n“Can’t be helped, Akihisa. We’ll use this sure-kill move then.” \n“Yeah, looks like we can only use that.” \nBoth of them were about to reach the 6th level when they suddenly turn around. As Yukihiro got by them, Akihisa asked, \n“But what’s that?” \n“THIS!” \nSakamoto grabbed Akihisa on the collar and forcefully threw him out. \n“AKIHISA ATTACK!” \n“DAMN IT, THIS MOVE!” \n“KYAHH!!” \nHimeji instinctively ducked, and Akihisa’s summoned beast landed right on Kariya behind her. Saegusa and Amagasaki were at the back as they were implicated as well. The 4 of them landed at the corner. \n“Akihisa, your sacrifice won’t be in vain.” \nAfter saying that, Sakamoto rushed up the stairs.” \n“Damn Yuuji…no wonder there’s a bad feeling about it…” \n“Are you alright, Akihisa-kun?” \nHimeji frantically ran towards Akihisa, hugging him as he was dizzily trying to get up. \n“Hang in there.” \n“…Ah, how soft.” \n“What?” \n“WAH! IT, IT’S NOTHING, HIMEJI-SAN.” \nAkihisa hurriedly got up and left Himeji. Himeji showed a look of some regret. \n“Ack, those guys can really pull such things.” \nSaegusa got up and nudged his glasses. \n“That scared me.” \n“Didn’t expect him to throw the summoned beast over.” \nAmagasaki and Kariya got up to. Yukihiro saw that everyone was alright and left. He felt sorry for Akihisa, but he decided at this point not to let Sakamoto lead on his own. \nAh, speaking of which, where did Kinosh*ta go? \nYukihiro suddenly thought about this as he ran up the stairs. Kinosh*ta suddenly vanished. Maybe he too ran off to the end secretly. \n“WHERE ARE YOU? COME ON OUT, SHOUKO!!” \nFor some reason, Sakamoto was shouting at some random direction. Yukihiro pricked his ears and vaguely heard another voice. \n“…Welcome back, Yuuji. Do you want dinner? A shower? Or—” \n“WAHHHHH!! NONONONONONO!! NOTHING!!! DON’T DO THIS LIKE WE’RE MARRIED…” \n“…My dear, your face has a grain of rice on it…” \n“OIOIOIOI!! THIS OLD-FASHIONED SCENE DOESN’T HAPPEN IN REALITY! I DENY IT! ABSOLUTELY DENY IT!!” \n“…I bought a baby pram too.” \n“WAIT! THIS ISN’T THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT HAVING KIDS, RIGHT!?” \n“…I want 3.” \n“3 WHAT!? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL!” \n“…There must be a ‘Yu’ from Yuuji.” \n“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, SHOUKO!? YOU HAD ENOUGH! YOU’RE HAPPY, RIGHT!? I’LL PRETEND THAT I NEVER HEARD IT!!” \n“…You’re really a tsundere, Yuuji.”[26] \n“TO HECK WITH THAT!!” \nSakamoto screamed as he ran away. Then, Yukihiro heard a heavy impact sound from around the corner. Sakamoto collapsed on the floor weakly. \n“Such a pitiful guy, Yuuji.” \n“!?” \nKinosh*ta poked his head out from the corner, should a smile. \n“You don’t have to suffer so much if you were a little more honest.” \n“…Was that your doing, Kinosh*ta?” \nYukihiro widened his eyes in shock. As a guy, Kinosh*ta had a ‘moving’ face that was bewitching charming. \n“I’m from the drama club. Voice mimicry is just something trivial. That mimicry just now was the voice of Yuuji’s childhood friend Kirishima Shouko.” \nAfter saying that, he chuckled happily. \nIs Kirishima Shouko so scary that she can cause Sakamoto to panic like this? …No, what I should be thinking about is this person in front of me. \nYukihiro felt a huge chill strike his back, and could not help but hold his breath. \n“Are you the real secret boss?” \nI thought that Sakamoto had accounted for everyone. Perhaps I am wrong here. \nYukihiro sized up this boy who looked as sexy as a girl. \n“Huh?” \nHe actually answered. \n“…I’d see. Now that you mention, this seemed to be the case.” \nKinosh*ta immediately nodded and did a cape flipping move. \n“Ahahaha! You’re right, warrior! But do you think that you can beat me?”[27] \n“…Ah, no. if I’m wrong, just tell me—” \n“Relax, I, Kinosh*ta Hideyoshi will bet on the pride of the drama club. I’ll definitely perform the ‘secret boss’ role with exquisite acting.” \n“Huh? This is too messed up…” \n“What’s going on, Kanba-kun?” \nAt this moment, Akihisa caught up. He stared at Kinosh*ta who gave an evil look, and frowned. \n“What’s with…Hideyoshi?” \n“Don’t be shocked after hearing this Akihisa, for I, I am the real final boss.” \n“WHA, WHAT DID YOU SAY!?” \nAkihisa’s knees weakened with shock. Kinosh*ta laughed as he stood on the corridor. \n“AHAHAHAHAHAHA! YUUJI’S REALLY TRAGIC HERE! HOW WOULD I NOT HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OF REVENGE AFTER PUTTING ON THE CHEONGSAM OBEDIENTLY!?” \n“AHHHH! YUUJI, YUUJI!!” \nAkihisa cried out in anguish as he saw his collapsed friend on the corridor. \n“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” \n“YUUUUJJJJJIIIIIII!!” \n“…” \nIdiots. These guys are all idiots.[28] \nAt this moment, the lingering thought within awoke. \n“Come! This is the final battle!” \nKinosh*ta said as he climbed up the stairs and rushed up the stairs with unprecedented speed. He looked just like a secret boss in a video game, showing off his real ability at this moment. \n“WAIT FOR IT, HIDEYOSHI! I’LL TAKE REVENGE FOR YUUJI!!” \nAkihisa shed tears as he chased after. Yukihiro felt that his head hurt somewhat, but still followed after him. \n“Speaking of which, where are the rest?” \nYukihiro asked as he ran up the stairs. \nAkihisa turned around and answered. \n“Are you asking about Kokonoe-sempai’s summoned beast? It rushed through and is fighting with the guys downstairs. I’m not boasting here, but I managed to get away first because I’m very skilled in controlling my summoned beast.” \n“…Wow, I can imagine how it looks downstairs.” \nYukihiro shook his head reluctantly. \n“Move aside move aside move aside!” \nThe person they mentioned was catching up from the back, ignoring the stairs and wall as it continued to dash up. \n“Wow, how did you do that!?” \nYukihiro exclaimed. Kokonoe answered in a satisfied manner. \n“Through guts, guts. Guts’ the most important thing at this moment.” \n“You’re definitely lying.” \n“I’m going to overtake you.” \n“Damn it! In that case, we can only use that sure-kill technique, Kanba-kun!” \nAkihisa stared at Yukihiro and said. \n“I’m not doing that.” \n“Don’t say that.” \n“Since it’s an Akihisa attack, please fly off yourself.” \n“Yeah, I see…wait, why am I the one being punished?” \n“Why not? Who else is going to do that?” \nAs both of them were arguing, Kokonoe— \nDid not catch up. \nThat’s weird? \nBoth of them turned back to look, and saw that Kokonoe’s summoned beast was far behind them. \n“Wait, you two! Slow down!” \nSo that’s how it is. \nYukihiro understood. In this summoned beast match, the exams scores determine the strengths of the summoned beasts. \nIn other words, the points determine the speed of the summoned beast. As much as Kokonoe was good at controlling her summoned beast, she was just climbing up the stairs, and it was obvious to see which one was faster. \n“…Looks like Kokonoe-sempai’s scores aren’t too high.” \n“I got quite a decent score this time, and I’m used to controlling it. So I believe I can win this direct battle.” \nAkihisa said confidently. Yukihiro really wanted to ask why he was like this, but he held back and said. \n“I got 214 points for maths. How about you, Yoshii?” \n“…I feel that in this world, points can’t determine everything.” \n“…Can you please not stray from the topic? How many points do you have—” \nTheir distance increased as Yukihiro said. Akihisa, who was at the back, answered sadly. \n“It’s 3 digits, okay?” \n“Yoshii-kun!? Yoshii-kun!?” \nOh, looks like he definitely got a double digit score… \nYukihiro thought as he looked back at Akihisa. \n“Oh? That’s unexpectedly fast.” \nAfter climbing till the 15th level, Yukihiro saw Kinosh*ta, who had obviously slowed down, almost at the speed right at the beginning.” \n“Kinosh*ta-kun, it’s now a showdown.” \n“Interesting. Bring it.” \n“…You really can say such things, huh?” \nYukihiro chased after the laughing Kinosh*ta through the 16th, 17th, and 18th levels. The distance was closing, but Yukihiro could not overtake. I really can’t underestimate Kinosh*ta here. Both of them rushed through the 19th and 20th levels. \n“Now, I’ll just need to reach the roof. I’ll win, warrior!” \n“Don’t call me a warrior here!” \nBoth of them climbed the stairs and dashed to the door. At this moment, Kinosh*ta was still leading by two steps. \n“Ugh…is this going to end like this?” \nYukihiro muttered, but Kinosh*ta did not mind as he charged right at the door. \n“I won.” \nThud— \nThe blunt impact sound could be heard. \n“…As expected, our summoned beasts can’t touch physical objects if we think about it. The only one that can open the door is Yoshii’s summoned beast.” \n“…My, my bad.” \nKinosh*ta collapsed onto the floor, and Yukihiro gave an awkward expression as he looked around.[29] \n“Got to find a way to get in…” \nAs Yukihiro was thinking about this, some footsteps could be heard. \n“Yuuji, I’m going to use the Yuuji attack.” \n“Shut up! Use Japanese to talk here!” \n“Ah? Did I just use a foreign language?” \n“Don’t worry, I can understand Akihisa-kun’s Japanese.” \n“You’re nice to me as ever, Himeji-san.” \n“Danke sch? Ön, danke sch?”[30] \n“Yuuko, don’t mess up on the German.” \nThe revived Sakamoto, Akihisa, Kariya, Himeji, Kokonoe, Saegusa, and Amagasaki all caught up. Yukihiro blocked the door, getting ready to stop everyone. \n“Please wait! None of us can open this door—” \n“Of course.” \nSakamoto let out a flying kick before he finished. Akihisa and Kokonoe leapt up. \n“WAHHH!” \nYukihiro hurriedly dodged. Akihisa got to the door handle, while Sakamoto and Kokonoe kicked the door down. Kariya and the rest got to the roof. \n“How rough of you guys…” \nYukihiro stepped through the door. Everyone was gathered around it. \n“I win—” \nAkihisa stepped forward to reach for the flag pole. Suddenly— \n“YOU!” \nShimada climbed over the fencing of the roof and suddenly attacked Akihisa. The powerful hit sent Akihisa flying out of the roof. \n“AHHH!? WHY!!???” \nYukihiro’s mouth widened with shock. Shimada, who landed on the roof, said. \n“Oh my, this is bad. I accidentally took action.” \nShe then playfully stuck her tongue out to give a cute look. \n“Alright!” \nWith Shimada’s appearance, Sakamoto and the rest stopped. At this moment— \nIzutsu climbed over the fence too. He too seemed to have climbed from the outer wall. Izutsu was the first to run to the flag pole, while Sakamoto recovered to charge immediately. \n“I MUST RELEASE MYSELF FROM SHOUKO’S BIND!” \n“I WON’T LOSE!” \nKokonoe ran forward, and the rest followed suit. \n“ME TOO. NO WAY WILL THINGS END LIKE THIS!” \nAt this moment, the revived Kinosh*ta ran over, leapt and used Sakamoto, who was grabbing onto the flag pole, as a stepping stone to leap up high. \n“What!? Using me as a stepping stone?” \nSakamoto was so shocked that his eyes were nearly popping out. Kinosh*ta leapt onto a position higher than Izutsu. \n“I WON’T LET YOU!” \nIzutsu did not back down as he climbed frantically. Sakamoto and Kokonoe were behind, while Kariya, Amagasaki, Saegusa, and Shimada were trying their best to climb up. \n“…Acceleration complete.” \nAt this moment, Tsuchiya suddenly appeared on the roof. Yukihiro wondered if he was hallucinating, as just a second ago, there was no sight of this guy. \n“Damn it. So you revived too, Muttsurini! It’s because you have the acceleration ability that I decided to get rid of you first. You actually appeared.” \nSakamoto gritted his teeth as he said. Tsuchiya looked at the flag pole and said softly. \n“…Accelerate.” \nThe winner was decided. \nEveryone thought that Tsuchiya had the victory. \nHowever, he was nowhere to be seen near the top of the flag pole. \nBut at the bottom. \n“…” \nAnd it was lying down, looking up. \n“…” \n“…” \n“Tsuchiya, what are you doing?” \nShimada asked. Tsuchiya answered seriously. \n“…Looking up at the sky.” \n“YOU LIAR!” \nShimada leapt off the flag pole and mercilessly stepped on Tsuchiya’s face. \n“…Don’t tell me you accelerated because of that?” \nYukihiro felt the terror of this person in more ways than one.[31] \n“Where did Akihisa-kun go to?” \nRight beside Yukihiro was Himeji, who was the only one worried about Akihisa. She continued to look below the fence for Akihisa, but did not see him. \n“He should be beside the building if we look at the main screen, but I can’t see him on the ground.” \nHimeji’s lips shuddered slightly. \n“The person himself is beside me, so it’s fine.” \nYukihiro took off his helmet and saw Akihisa with his helmet on. Since he was not knocked out by the fall, it should be alright. \n“Oi oi oi, move aside.” \n“Admit defeat, Yuuji!” \n“I must get first, and then, with prez…” \nOn the pole, Sakamoto, Kinosh*ta, and Izutsu formed a standoff. The trio were desperately reaching their arms out to see who could reach the top first. \n“I’m not done yet! My summoned beast is still alive!” \nAkihisa leapt over the fence and got on the roof. \n“Akihisa-kun!” \n“Aki!” \nHimeji and Shimada cried out in shock and relief. Akihisa, with his back against the sun, looked as dazzling as ever. \n“Looks like it’s time to show what I’m made of.” \nSakamoto and the rest looked behind, and saw Akihisa raise his left hand. \n“Take this! Golden left!”[32] \nAfter saying this, Akihisa charged forward and used the left hand to push the pole. The summoned beast’s force caused the pole to shake hard. \n“WAH!” \n“ARGH!” \n“HOW CAN THIS BE!” \n“Heh!” \nIzutsu and the rest who took the impact fell off. Sakamoto was the only one clinging onto the flag pole. \n“AKIHISA!!!” \nSakamoto roared. Akihisa grabbed onto the pole and yelled. \n“YUUJI! GO REST AT THE ENDS OF THE WORLD!!” \nThen, the sound of metal breaking could be heard. Akihisa actually broke the pole from the base as he dragged Sakamoto, \n“OWWAAAHHH!!!” \nAnd sent him flying like a baseball. “YOU BETTER REMEMBER THIS!!” Sakamoto yelled as he vanished on the other end of the sky. \n“…This Yuuji got a payback as to be expected of an antagonistic. I hope my ending is the same as well.” \nFor some reason, Kinosh*ta looked to be somewhat sad. \n“…Yuuji, rest in place.” \nAkihisa carried the flag pole and closed his eyes slightly as tears of conscience flowed down his cheeks. \n“…” \nYukihiro could not say anything as he could only stare at Akihisa’s back. \n“…So I win, right?” \nAkihisa said to everyone. \n“So that’s how it is. You’re the one doing this, right?” \nThe one who spoke was Ironman Nishimura. \n“I thought you ran off somewhere and went around searching for you. What did you call out our summoned beast for? And you actually broke the flag pole. You sure have guts there.” \nNishimura’s temples were popping out veins. \n“…Ni, Nishimura-sensei, I have a gift for you. Pl, please take this.” \nAkihisa broke out cold sweat as he stammered. \n“Oh? What?” \n“This. Please accept this.” \nAkihisa put the flag pole in Nishimura’s hands. \n“Hm? YOU BRAT! YOSHII!” \n“I’ll be going first then.” \nAkihisa’s summoned beast quickly escaped the roof. \n“DAMN IT! RUN!” \nSakamoto tossed the helmet aside and yelled. Yukihiro and the rest started running towards the exit too. \n“EVERYONE, WAIT FOR ME! WHERE’S MY PRIZE!?” \nSakamoto answered coldly, \n“I don’t care.” \n“WHY!? I EVEN BROKE THE FLAG POLE!” \n“Honestly, that’s overboard! You’re really an idiot, Akihisa.” \n“Akihisa-kun, I’ll go apologize with you.” \n“Mizuki, it’ll be bad if he gets used to bad behavior if you’re too kind on him.” \nEveryone chatted as they ran towards the exit. Nishimura’s roar could be heard from afar. \n“STOP RIGHT THERE, YOSHII. YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO’LL DEFINITELY NOT RUN AWAY!” \n“WHY ALWAYS ME!?”[33] \nAkihisa screamed. \n“Then, bye.” \nKokonoe waved her hand happily as she stepped outside. \n“Sorry for intruding.” \nKariya lowered his head, while Yukihiro apologized with him. \n“Bye.” \nThe Fumitzuki Academy people waved their hands as they ran off in a different direction from Yukihiro’s group. The last one was Akihisa, who was tripped by something as he fell onto the floor. \n“Yoshii, you bastard. No matter where you run to—” \n“NOO, PERVERT-SENSEI’S GOING TO ATTACK ME!!” \n“You’re itching for some punishment, don’t you? To think you dare say such things.” \nYukihiro and the rest heard the scream behind and escaped from the scene. \n

“Ahh, that was interesting.” \nOn the way back, Kokonoe beamed as she said. Kariya looked really unhappy. \n“But it’s a pity that we can’t give Yoshii-kun a prize. We even saw quite a scene from him. I really want to help him fulfill a wish…” \n“Ah, I know what he wants.” \nAmagasaki clasped her hand and said to Kokonoe. Yukihiro too looked over. \n“Himeji-san and I discussed about this during the race. It seems that Yoshii-kun has some difficulty with meals, so he probably wants to eat something if he wins.” \n“Now that you mention it, I think I heard him say this before about how he can only have sugar water for the month…” \nYukihiro reported what he heard exactly, and Izutsu beside him felt really suspicious. \n“Then, let’s send something edible to Yoshii-kun. Let’s do this!” \nKokonoe grinned as she made this decision. \n

Off-topic. \nThe flag pole that was broken by Akihisa was said to be repaired through the Amagasaki family’s finances. \nYukihiro’s group and Akihisa’s group were told off by their respective schools. \nAlso, Akihisa’s house got some barbecued meat[34] sent through the mail. \n—END— \n

Author’s Notes \nTo the readers reading my work for the first time, nice to meet you, and please take care of me. To the readers familiar with me, hello. I am Kaima Takaaki. This time, I am the one in charge of writing this collaborative work with «Baka to Tesuto to Shoukanjuu». \nIt is really great! What? You are asking what is great? Of course, it is the feeling of being involved in «Baka to Tesuto to Shoukanjuu». I was really happy when writing this story, and this collaboration really feels meaningful to me, someone I can say to be ‘completely stress-free’. However, my sense of humor is not as great as Inoue-san, so I often worried about whether I could properly bring out the characters of Akihisa and the rest Inoue-san lent me. The original work is one of the most well-known comedy light novel, so if there are any readers who have not read it, please run to the nearest bookstore and shout ‘GIVE ME A BOOK OF BAKA!’. If the shop attendants do not understand, add on with ‘INOUE-SAN’S WORK!’, and remember to shout it out loud. You must shout it such that the attendants and even the other customers can hear. If they still do not understand, please use the last resort. The attendants will definitely understand. \nInoue Kenji is an idiot. \n…Alright, that will be enough for jokes. Inoue-san here is the special prize winner of the ‘Entame’, a junior who entered a year after me. He is younger than me, and his work sells rather well. Thus, there is no need to worry about making such jokes. Ahh, this is just the true thoughts of a burned out senior. \nThen, let us talk about «Baka to Tesuto to Shoukanjuu». Everyone, do not underestimate this work. This work is a famed work made through deliberate calculations and skillful planning. Inoue-san vomited blood while framing the backbone of the story, groaning painfully as he tapped every word, went through countless struggles and edits to make sure the text is foolproof, and finally created this easy-to-read work that can be read like a manga. \nI suppose so, but in fact, I do not know about the actual situation. \nThen, let us meet next time if we have the chance. \nKaima Takaaki \n

Original Author’s Comments \n‘12’. \nDoes everyone know the meaning behind this number? \nIn fact, this is the number of characters used by Takaaki-san when working on this collaborative work. \nLeaving aside a long-runner, it is really impressive to have so many characters in such a short story and such a small stage. To be honest, I can only say ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t write this’ when I am asked to write using so many characters. \nHowever, Takaaki-san’s skill is not ordinary as he managed to complete a story where everyone can appear. I can never compare to such skill. Takaaki-san managed to write a story, and also give me an exciting demonstration. Takaaki-san, and Amahuku-san, who designed such beautiful illustrations for this story, I earnestly thank you two. \nSpeaking of which, I really will not know how to begin writing if the honor to write the collaboration between Takaaki-san’s «Gakkou no Kaidan» and Baka Test is tasked to me. Takaaki-san gave me a demonstration, but I now still feel that I do not have the ability to bring the lie out of 12 characters in the story. I cannot even think of a clear thought in my mind, let alone write it out. \nI will also like to introduce the important characters to everyone. However, I do not have the ability to use all the characters. I will not say anything and tie in the important characters then. \nSaegusa Souji (Genius Line Maker) and Tsuchiya Kouta (Muttsurini) – Genius pervert Maker. \nAh, please wait. Do not close the book yet. I am simply not on form yet. I will definitely think of interesting characters when I show off my real ability. \nKariya Kengo (Sure-kill V-turn) and Shimada Minami (Airplane Runway)[35] –Sure-kill runaway. \nIzutsu Ken (Moonlight Dancing Step) and Yoshii Akihisa (Idiot kid) — Moonlight Dancing Idiot. \nKokonoe Yuuko (Silent Bullet) and Yoshii Akihisa (Idiot kid) — Shizu-chan. \nNow, you can close the book. \nInoue Kenji

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