Chapter 55: Satonaka Satoshi
Following the streets extending from the city center, turning, and driving for two and a half hours, the buses carrying the students finally stopped at a pier in Tokyo Bay.
During the bus ride, Hikigaya had taken out his phone to check and tried calling home, but it showed no signal. It seemed the school-issued phones were set to a special restricted mode to ensure students couldn't contact the outside world.
It was understandable, actually.
The rules of this school are completely different from other schools. They even gave a "first lesson" like the Student Conduct Exam in April, so there were naturally no loopholes to exploit.
Hikigaya shook his head, throwing off the idea of immediately running away to see Komachi after getting off the bus. He took his luggage from the rack and followed the Class A students as they descended from the bus.
A fresh, cool, moist sea breeze, accompanied by the scent and sound of the ocean, washed over them. What came into view was the boundless sea and the enormous luxury cruise ship docked at the shore. The white hull reflected the sunlight, and the lavish decorations resembled a palace floating on the water. Somewhat surprisingly, a helicopter was parked at the stern of the ship.
Filled with astonishment and delight, the crowd quickly boarded the cruise ship. Besides its beautiful exterior, the ship was also fully equipped. It boasted numerous comfortable staterooms, a first-class famous restaurant, a theater for enjoying plays, a swimming pool, and a high-end massage spa—the entertainment facilities were quite comprehensive.
Hikigaya had only ever seen this kind of extravagantly luxurious cruise ship in movies; under normal circumstances, it would definitely be out of reach for an ordinary high school student like him. If it were for a personal trip, even during the off-season, it would probably cost hundreds of thousands [of yen]. Calculating in points, chartering this cruise ship for two weeks would cost an estimated over ten million points.
Not long after, accompanied by a long blast of the ship's whistle, the luxury cruise ship sailed out of the pier.
"It's so beautiful!"
"It really feels like a dream..."
"What a fantastic view! I'm truly touched!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is amazing!"
A group of high school boys gathered on the deck of the luxury cruise ship, raising their hands, their excited shouts echoing all around. Meanwhile, the girls clustered together, smiling as they gazed out at the sea, loudly chatting and laughing with their companions.
"Even though I was mentally prepared and knew there would be a special exam, the school chartered the entire cruise ship just for a group of high school students... Is it really okay to provide such exceptional treatment?" Kamuro couldn't help but ask.
Yukinoshita looked back at Hikigaya, who was carrying several bags of luggage and following behind her and Kamuro-san, and said in an icy tone: "Yes... I really don't know what the school board is thinking to let certain students enjoy such luxury."
"I told you, Yukinoshita, it's a vacation. Don't be such a grump," Kamuro spoke up for Hikigaya with solidarity. Hikigaya was almost touched, if only she hadn't been the one who first squeezed up against him earlier.
"It's all because of what you did, Kamuro-san. Could you occasionally pay attention to the difference between men and women?" Looking at Kamuro's nonchalant expression, Yukinoshita sighed deeply, then turned to Hikigaya and spoke as if giving up: "Forget it. Getting angry at you is foolish. There won't be a next time."
"I am truly grateful for your generosity..."
The group walked up to the elevator. The elevators here were even more luxurious than the ones at school. Not only did the elevator doors sparkle, but the elevator car was also quite spacious and even had a sofa. To Hikigaya, the elevator car was almost bigger than his living room at home.
A guide advertisement board was posted on the elevator wall, clearly depicting the ship's map. Although it was just a map, it was framed in gold. Very much in line with what one would expect from a luxury cruise ship. The ship was divided into a total of nine floors plus the roof, consisting of five floors above ground and four floors below ground. The first floor was for lounges or banquets, and the roof had the swimming pool and a cafe, among other things.
According to Mashima-sensei, floors three through five were where the staterooms were located. Third floor for boys, fourth floor for girls. Including the teachers, the boys and girls were clearly separated. However, there were no specific restrictions on movement between the boys' and girls' floors, so it was fine for boys to go to the girls' floor and vice versa. The only restriction, if you could call it that, was a ban on staying or entering after midnight.
Places that could be used 24 hours a day, like the lounges, could be accessed freely even late at night. Incidentally, other floors, such as the first to third basement floors, had various entertainment facilities like a cinema and a theater. The bottommost floor, the fourth basement, seemed to house the switchboard room and other machinery, which could be considered completely unrelated to the students. The school had also sent out an advance notice asking students to avoid the fourth basement floor.
The elevator quickly reached the third floor. Hikigaya returned the luggage that didn't belong to him to Kamuro and Yukinoshita, then got off the elevator with his cloth bag and walked to the stateroom that Mashima-sensei had assigned in advance.
The students' accommodation was three people per stateroom. The room's decor was exquisite, elegant yet tasteful, and the layout was perfect, creating a clean and incredibly comfortable environment.
Sharing a room with Hikigaya were Satonaka Satoshi, who won first place in the first-year boys' handsome ranking, and a boy named Shimizu Naoki. Right now, there was only one person in the room: the handsome normie Hikigaya remembered as Satonaka Satoshi.
He was leisurely lying on the bed playing with his phone, swiping the screen with his finger, showcasing the charm of a beautiful man with graceful, stylish movements.
Hikigaya didn't know if those guys who acted cool with high-tech devices thought they were great, but the greatness belonged to the device, not them. He hoped they would realize that fact soon.
Noticing Hikigaya's gaze, he gave Hikigaya a cheerful smile and greeted him: "Hello, Hikigaya-kun. We'll be roommates for this vacation. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, oh. Nice to meet you."
After making eye contact with Hikigaya, Satonaka Satoshi smiled faintly again. Hikigaya couldn't help but force a fawning smile in response.
'He's a handsome guy who makes my instincts bow down. To be honest, I was momentarily overjoyed when I realized he remembered my name. The mere fact that a normie handsome guy like Satonaka Satoshi knows my name is enough to regain one's dignity.'
After putting down his luggage, Hikigaya dragged his slow, weary steps and naturally chose the bed deepest in the room against the wall. Because his usual routine had been disrupted and he had been on the bus for a long time, Hikigaya suppressed the urge to yawn and slowly tidied his bed.
"Hikigaya-kun, you look very tired," Satonaka Satoshi spoke to Hikigaya again.
"Ah, y-yes, a little," Hikigaya replied haltingly.
"It must be because of the long bus ride. That's rough," Satonaka Satoshi's tone was gentle.
Under the light, Satonaka Satoshi looked dazzling, as if a refreshing scent of negative ions emanated from him.
Hearing the other person's gentle voice, Hikigaya almost couldn't help but answer: "You, you too."
'What a casual display of concern... Hey, no way! This guy is seriously a good person. Forget the girls, even I'm almost charmed by him.'
While Hikigaya was feeling somewhat flustered, a boy walked in carrying a cloth bag, looking curiously around the room. He must be the boy named Shimizu Naoki. He wasn't particularly good-looking and was somewhat thin.
He scanned the room, ignored Hikigaya, and greeted Satonaka Satoshi: "Yo, Satonaka, I didn't expect us to be put in the same room."
Satonaka Satoshi also smiled, sat up on the bed, and started chatting with Shimizu Naoki.
"Guess I'll go get some air..."
Seeing the two of them chatting intimately, Hikigaya, knowing he wouldn't be able to rest, muttered to himself and walked out of the room.
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