After Kiyotaka Ayanokōji left, Sae Chabashira sat alone in the theater, silent for a long time. She took out a cigarette, lit it, and after a deep drag, blew out a ring of smoke.
'Haaah...'
Ayanokōji was right; she was indeed unworthy of being called a teacher. Or perhaps—her motives for returning to this school to teach were impure from the start.
Recalling the past, she had once been a student in Class D of the Advanced Nurturing High School. Her class had been just one step away from reaching Class A, but unfortunately, due to her own selfish desires, they had failed at the last moment. She had returned here with the thought of making up for that regret.
If they could just get to Class A, if only they could reach Class A and end this nightmare of hers, then things like threatening students... she could accept that.
...
————————————
Meanwhile—
At the public pool, 'Hiyori Shiina' had been leisurely soaking by the edge for some time before Mio Ibuki, who had rushed to meet her, finally arrived.
Crouching in the water, Symon looked up, sizing her up from bottom to top. His gaze gradually turned peculiar as he stared at the two characters for 'Ibuki' emblazoned on the girl's chest.
It had to be said, although her face looked rather young, Ibuki was actually a bit taller than Hiyori. Her figure wasn't bad either—her legs were long and straight, and her abs were clearly defined. Aside from a lack of curves up front, she had no real flaws.
Unfortunately, the girl was quite unconcerned with details. She had come out on vacation wearing a school swimsuit, not even bothering to remove the name tag pinned to it. In a pool where girls competed for attention, she was a true eccentric. Not a single guy under the sunshades spared her a glance—it was quite the sight.
Symon laughed and said, 'If I'd known the school swimsuit had this much power, I definitely would've changed into one myself.'
'I already knew what these guys were like!' Ibuki shot a cold glance at the boys by the poolside. Seeing no one was looking at her, she crouched and slid into the water, handing her the earplugs she had prepared. She took off her swimming ring and said, 'Time is short. I'll teach you the breaststroke today. Have you studied swimming theory?'
Symon was shocked. 'Wait, you mean... that stuff is actually useful?'
Ibuki asked, bewildered, 'Otherwise?'
Hiyori Shiina: 'Pfft~'
...
At the same time—
Following the signs, Kakeru Ryūen navigated the massive cruise ship, found his homeroom teacher's cabin, and knocked on the door.
Kazuma Sakagami opened the door and asked casually, 'Oh, Ryūen... what can I do for you right now?'
With his hands in his pockets, Ryūen said calmly, 'I want to know about the deserted island in advance, as well as the rules and procedures for the special exam.'
Across from him, Kazuma Sakagami was clearly a little surprised. After a moment's thought, he smiled. 'You've realized the special nature of this trip ahead of time and are taking early action. To be honest, I'm quite pleased. However, the school has issued a strict gag order...'
'Cut the crap,' Ryūen interrupted the pointless drivel. He took out his terminal from his pocket and asked coldly, 'How many points?'
Just as Hiyori Shiina had said—even with advance information about the exam, it wasn't certain one could establish a first-mover advantage. It was possible to lose everything.
However, what the girl hadn't said was this—once a first-mover advantage was established, you could at the very least make a handsome profit. And if that advantage snowballed, the earnings would be immense.
It was a pure gamble, and if he didn't even have the courage to bet, he wouldn't be Kakeru Ryūen.
'...'
Seeing that he had clearly made up his mind, Kazuma Sakagami didn't try to dissuade him. He pushed up his glasses, a faint smile on his face. 'As for the price, it's the same as the rules for the Behavioral Standards Exam: 2 million points.'
He had come to work at this school to make money in the first place. Now that there was an opportunity to earn a quarter's salary with minimal effort, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
Ding-dong~! —Points received.
After glancing at the freshly deposited 2 million points, the smile on Kazuma Sakagami's face was no longer hidden. He went back into his room, grabbed a map, and handed over a thick 'Deserted Island Special Exam Guidebook'. After a moment's thought, he added a word of advice:
'The cruise ship is scheduled to arrive at its destination at noon on August 1st. This advance information is valid for two days. This map will only be distributed to the homeroom teachers of each class, so consider it my support for you.'
Ryūen was somewhat surprised to hear this. He reached out, took the items, and unfolded the map for a look.
The map was a sturdy sheet of A2-sized paper (42cm wide, 59cm long) with a scale of 1:2000. Printed on it was a crystal-clear aerial photograph of a natural island.
The island was covered in dense vegetation, mostly a vast, thick forest, though there were also some artificially cleared open spaces and roads.
Eight locations on the map were deliberately marked with red circles, with bold text written beside them: Pond, Stream, Well, Waterfall, Beach, Cave, Observation Tower, Safe House. Some other areas like cornfields and vegetable gardens were also circled, but not specifically labeled.
'Heh, my sincerest thanks. Do you need me to bring it back to you?' Ryūen said with a smile as he put the map away—though his smiles always looked more like sneers.
Kazuma Sakagami smiled and shook his head. 'No need. With the transaction record, I can apply for a replacement perfectly legally.'
'...'
The smile on Ryūen's face vanished. So this thing was supposed to be mine eventually anyway, and you, you old geezer, are using my own stuff to act like you're doing me a favor, huh.
With that thought, Ryūen snorted coldly. He wasted no more words on the black-hearted homeroom teacher, turning to leave and prepare to study the massive rulebook for the exam.
As he passed the ship's reading room, Ryūen's eyes met with Kōhei Katsuragi from Class A, who was standing at the entrance. He then noticed the book in the other's hand—'Wilderness Survival 101'.
After a single glance, Ryūen walked past him, having no interest in conversation.
The school's special exams were never much of a secret, so it wasn't surprising that Katsuragi had figured it out and was preparing in advance. However, if the theme of this exam was truly survival, then with the map in his possession, he was in a virtually unbeatable position. Unfortunately, judging by the abundance of resource spots on the island, things were definitely not going to be that simple.
Watching Ryūen depart, Katsuragi turned back to look at a few boys searching the bookshelves inside the reading room and called out, 'Yahiko, have you found anything?'
'Sorry, we're still looking.' Yahiko scratched his head and said hesitantly, 'But for now, aside from a surprisingly large amount of material on exploration, survival, and camping, we haven't found anything else.'
'In that case, tell everyone in the Class A chatroom that the exam is likely survival-themed. They should look over related materials if they have time.'
'Got it!'
...
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