“I see... so that's what he meant...!”
Then came the turn for Group 5, the final group, which included both Yugo and Ryuga.
Inside the Third Practice Ground—a simulated urban cityscape—Yugo was supposed to be in the middle of a frantic battle to prove his worth. In reality, he was doing nothing of the sort.
Perched on the edge of a roof atop a tall, building-like structure, he sat with his arms crossed, his combat mode completely switched off as he grumbled to himself.
He wasn't wearing his Blaster, nor was he scouring the area for enemies. He was simply watching the other students fight. Finally grasping the true meaning of Ryuga’s earlier warning, he flopped onto his back right there on the roof.
“So this is what Ryuga was talking about. I can't even argue with it.”
Staring up at the ceiling of the practice ground, Yugo let out a low groan before sitting up again to look toward the most boisterous section of the city.
There, he saw Cyan and Egos battling monsters alongside several other students.
They were barking orders to their subordinates, efficiently cornering their prey, and delivering the finishing blows with their own hands.
Their teamwork is actually decent, Yugo admitted to himself. But then he remembered they’d been using that same coordination for a very different purpose just minutes ago, and he let out a heavy sigh.
“Well now, you look pretty miserable. Something happen?”
“Whoa—Ryuga. Is it really okay for you to be slacking off here? Aren't the teacher and the Warrior Shrine Maidens watching?”
“I don't mind. Besides, you've surely realized by now that there’s no point in running around even if they are watching, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Yugo sighed again after exchanging words with Ryuga, who had appeared while he was muttering to himself.
Sensing that the other boy had likely suffered the same treatment, Yugo spoke up.
“I get what you meant now. This exam started before we even set foot in the practice ground. These guys had already formed their teams before the clock even started.”
“That's about the size of it. And those who formed those cliques aren't just working together to kill monsters; they’re cooperating to sabotage the other students. Just like they did to us a moment ago.”
Ryuga's words made Yugo reflect on the treatment he had just endured.
Even looking back now, it had been a disaster.
The second they had entered the area, he’d been shoved back from the starting line, forced into a late start.
Even when he’d tried to run through the city to find an enemy, someone would inevitably interfere the moment he engaged, or they would swoop in to steal the kill while he was distracted.
To make matters worse, some of them were “accidentally” aiming their attacks at the monsters while he was still in range. He’d nearly been caught in the crossfire several times.
Recalling that Cyan and Egos, both assigned to Group 5, had been at the center of the crowd obstructing him, Yugo scowled.
“Those bastards... they really took the chance to get their revenge! I know having a lot of cronies is a weapon in itself, and it’s not technically against the rules, but being messed with by them makes me incredibly pissed off!”
Yugo, whose only real friend was Melt, let out a groan tinged with a bit of envy.
He knew he could have teamed up with Ryuga if he’d wanted to, and since he was the one who had rejected that advantage, it was arguably hypocritical to be angry. Still, as he grumbled about how being sabotaged by Egos and his gang irritated him more than it should, the composed Ryuga spoke up.
“I suspect it’s no coincidence that they were able to form a clique with people they can coordinate with so well. It was rigged this way from the start.”
“Huh...?”
“Cyan and Egos, was it? Look closely at the faces of the students fighting alongside them. Don't you notice anything?”
Prompted by the suggestion, Yugo scrutinized the two boys and their followers. He realized that the faces in that crowd were the exact same students who had shown him hostility whenever he’d been confronted by the duo in the past.
For two entire social circles to be assigned to the same group was too much of a coincidence. Yugo realized that someone had intentionally manipulated the group assignments.
“Is this the work of that teacher, Lamy Neila? She said she was handling everything regarding the exchange students, so she’s the one in charge of the exam, right?”
“Most likely. You seemed too busy cheering for Epee-san to notice, Yugo, but since Group 1, every group has been set up so that the 'leader' students and their cronies are in the same block. In other words, this exam is a fixed match designed to make the 'Hero Candidates' that teacher wants to promote look good in front of the exchange students.”
“Haa... So it’s not just the students who give them special treatment because they're 'Hero Candidates.' Even the teachers are in on the push...”
Zenon, Isaac, and now Cyan and Egos... Yugo had seen more than enough of what the people called Hero Candidates were capable of. He couldn't help but doubt the morality of Lamy's backroom dealings to facilitate their interaction with the exchange students.
Ryuga, who had been given a vivid demonstration of the Hero Candidates' ugly side on his very first day as an exchange student, gave a wry smile.
“Are you frustrated? It’s an unpleasant feeling, being forced to watch them succeed while you’re prevented from showing your own strength due to a conspiracy.”
“There’s that, too... but looking at that, I can't help but think that this just isn't right...”
Ryuga had assumed Yugo was angry about being sidelined by the Hero Candidates and Lamy’s schemes, but it seemed Yugo had something else weighing more heavily on his mind.
Ryuga followed the direction of Yugo’s finger, his gaze landing on the scene below as he pressed for an answer.