Book 14: Chapter 3: Travel Companion, Part 3
Later, at around 5:30 PM, Nanase and I were waiting together on the beach when Sudō’s group finally showed up, coming from the direction of their designated area.
“How’d it go?”
“Ehhh… Not so great. After we split, a buncha new Tasks popped up so we ended up goin’ for three of ‘em. We took third place in one, but the other two had so many people that we couldn’t even register.”
Sudō clicked his tongue in frustration, slightly short on breath. Nanase and I hadn’t made it to our Tasks in time to register either, so there were clearly quite a few students still in the surrounding area.
“The second day only just ended, so don’t overwork yourselves.”
Although they had been racking up points like crazy, there was no denying that they were moving a little too quickly, something that Sudō had even admitted himself. It was commendable that Sudō, brimming with confidence in his power and stamina, was able to drag Ike along given his ambitionless, sullen demeanor, but they probably wouldn’t be able to maintain that pace forever.
Hondō, in particular, was gasping for air as if he had just braved his way through the depths of hell. There was no way that he was okay with something so strenuous, but from the fact that he hadn’t vented even a single complaint, it was probably safe to assume that he had simply resigned himself, devoting whatever energy he could to follow along instead.
“First things first, let’s find a place to camp. How ‘bout it, Kanji?”
Sudō looked to Ike for a suggestion, prompting the absentminded boy to point off toward the forest.