Arriving on deck, Hiyori Shiina's attention was immediately drawn to the bow of the ship, which offered the best view.
However, it seemed a conflict was brewing there between students from Class A and Class D. She could see the Class A boys surrounding Katsuragi, pushing several Class D students aside while deliberately spouting harsh words:
"Hey, you're in the way. Scram, you defective products."
"Defective products should know their place. Class D doesn't have any human rights. We're Class A."
The words were incredibly rude. It looked like Sudō from Class D was about to start a fight, but he was held back by Hirata and Kushida. The group left resentfully.
Seeing that Class A had occupied the best spot, Hiyori had no intention of going over and instead walked to the railing on the side of the ship facing the island.
There, Ichinose and Ryūen were standing together, each holding a pair of binoculars and looking toward the island.
Noticing the girl's footsteps, Ryūen glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and casually handed her the binoculars, speaking in a calm tone, "So you're here."
Beside him, Ichinose heard Ryūen's words, lowered her binoculars, and waved with a smile. "Shiina, long time no see."
"Mm-hmm."
Hiyori responded with a smile, taking the binoculars with a composed expression. She turned her gaze to the island and said inwardly, "It seems Ryūen-kun has teamed up with Ichinose."
"Class B is indeed the best choice. I just wonder how much he made off it," Symon replied casually, following the girl's line of sight toward the island—
The cruise ship seemed to be circling the island, likely to allow the students to observe it in advance. Through the binoculars, the island's features were crystal clear.
The coastline was steep, but there were two small, scattered beaches. The forest was dense, but trails had been cleared.
The island's terrain was far from flat. The most prominent feature was a small hill with a watchtower built on top. On one side of the hill, a man-made cave was visible, while the other side was a seaside cliff, with a small wooden cabin visible at its base.
After a quick look, confirming that there were no major discrepancies with the map, Hiyori handed the binoculars back to Ryūen and stood by the railing, enjoying the sea breeze.
Unlike Ryūen, who reveled in stirring up trouble, the girl had a more easygoing personality. She held no particular expectations of gaining anything from this exam; doing her part was enough.
As she thought this, the cruise ship began to approach the shore, and a school announcement once again echoed from the ship's broadcast system—
"We will soon be disembarking on the deserted island owned by our school. All students are to change into their gym clothes within the next thirty minutes. After confirming you have the designated bags and luggage, please assemble on deck with your mobile phones. All other personal belongings are to be left in your rooms. The restrooms are still available for use, so please take care of any needs beforehand."
"Hmph!"
After the broadcast, Ryūen let out a sneer. He turned to look at Hiyori and said calmly, "Let's proceed as planned."
Ichinose leaned in, a bright smile on her face, and whispered in a low voice, "Shiina, we'll be setting up camp in the stream area. You should come by and see it if you have time."
Hearing this, Symon was amused. "Not bad. He even sold the map. Ryūen must be desperate for points."
Hiyori blinked as well, replying with a gentle smile, "I understand. I'll visit when I have the chance."
...
A short while later, all the first-year students had changed into their gym clothes and were once again assembled on deck.
"Now then, please begin disembarking, starting with Class A. Additionally, mobile phones are prohibited on the island. Please hand them over to your homeroom teachers and then disembark."
At the command of a teacher holding a megaphone, the Class A students chatted leisurely as they descended the cruise ship's gangway in an orderly fashion.
On the deck under the scorching sun, students from the other classes endured the harsh sunlight, muttering complaints as they waited their turn to disembark:
"It's so hot. Why can't they move faster?"
"Seriously. Even with these thin clothes, I'm still sweating like crazy."
Amidst these complaints, it took several minutes for everyone to finally disembark. Under the direction of their homeroom teachers, they began to line up on the beach for a roll call.
Meanwhile, staff members began setting up tents and arranging tables and chairs on the beach.
Before long, Class A's Mr. Mashima walked to the front of the formation, stepped onto a newly prepared white podium, and spoke into a megaphone in a serious tone: "Now then—we will commence this year's first special exam."
"A special exam? You've got to be kidding!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Wasn't this supposed to be a summer vacation trip? They tricked us into coming here again."
Such murmurs rose from the Class D ranks.
Including the deliberate concealment of the rules at the start of the school year, this was the second time the students had been deceived by the school. Such skepticism was not surprising.
Mr. Mashima paid no mind to the students' chatter, continuing to speak into the megaphone: "The exam period will be for one week, starting now and ending at noon on August 7th. You will spend the next week living as a group on this uninhabited island. That is the content of the exam."
"Returning to the ship during the exam is not permitted without a valid reason. Your life on this island, from finding a place to sleep to preparing food, must all be figured out by yourselves."
"At the start, the school will provide each class with two tents, two flashlights, and one box of matches. Furthermore, there is no limit on sunscreen, and each of you will be allocated a set of toiletries. As a special exception, female students are permitted unlimited use of feminine hygiene products. Please make your requests to your respective homeroom teachers. That is all."
As he finished, Kanji Ike from the Class D group loudly voiced his objection for all to hear: "What do you mean, 'that is all'?! I've never heard of anything this ridiculous!"
"Heh, just what you'd expect from a Class D runt. How unsightly..."
At the front of the formation, Ryūen sneered with those words, ignoring the glares coming from their direction. He raised his hand. "Teacher, we understand the situation. Can we begin now?"
"If that's the case." Mr. Mashima did not refuse the request and announced loudly: "Now—each class will seek supplementary explanations from their homeroom teachers. Dismissed!"
At his word, the students dispersed, separating on the beach by some distance to find their respective homeroom teachers.
In the Class C area, Kazuma Sakagami stood beside a long table where allocated supplies like tents were placed. Looking at the reassembled group, he spoke calmly: "You should all be clear on the rules of the exam, so I won't repeat them."
"Before the exam begins, everyone please come and collect a safety watch. The watch has an emergency help function and a satellite positioning system. It can monitor vital signs, and a helicopter will be on standby on the ship. Please ensure your safety and do not remove it without reason."
Meanwhile, Ryūen turned to look at Hiyori beside him and handed her the guidebook he was holding. "I'm leaving the rest to you," he said calmly. "Don't disappoint me."
Hiyori Shiina accepted it with both hands and nodded. "Please rest assured."
Satisfied with her reply, Ryūen nodded, left the group to grab a safety bracelet from the long table, and then pulled Kazuma Sakagami aside. "I need to redeem some items. When can I get them?"
"If you want them now, it can be done very quickly."
"Get me seven micro-cameras and a communication device that can read the video via Bluetooth."
Kazuma Sakagami closed the guidebook in his hand and pushed up his glasses. "Including the 200 points from your advance trade with Class B, after deducting the cost of these items, you'll only have 80 temporary points left. Are you sure?"
"Heh, you have to have faith in that woman Shiina."
"Ryūen... do you think Shiina is omnipotent?"
"Teacher, you're talking too much."
...
——————————————
On the other side, in the Class C group, Hiyori Shiina turned to the others who were looking at her expectantly and said with a gentle smile, "Alright everyone, could a few people come help me distribute the toiletries and safety bracelets?"
"Ooh~!!!" —That was the boys.
"Yay~!!!" —That was the girls.
For the first time, the members of Class C were temporarily free from the grasp of the "Tyrant," ready to receive the grace of the "Angel"—a truly joyous occasion.
Ten minutes later, led by Shiina and Ichinose, Class C and Class B entered the forest, taking different paths.
In the Class A ranks, Katsuragi, who had just finished listening to the exam rules, saw this and gradually furrowed his brow.
In the Class D ranks, Ayanokōji watched Chabashira, who was still demonstrating how to use the simple toilet for the students, and his gaze swept over the Class C group—
The boys were in the front, the girls in the back, and everyone already had their safety bracelets on their wrists.
The boys stood at the front to clear the path, their hands empty, with only a few of the more well-built ones carrying the tents and the simple toilets packed in cardboard boxes, apparently planning to take turns.
Correspondingly, each of the girls carried two school-issued luggage bags, bulging with their respective clothes and toiletries. While not overly heavy, they too were shouldering their share of the responsibility.
Such organizational efficiency and speed are truly astounding, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji thought to himself.
Beside him, Horikita was sitting on the ground. She frowned and said coldly, "Aren't those two classes moving a bit too fast?"
"They probably knew the rules of the special exam in advance... just like with the previous behavioral standards exam and the midterms."
Ayanokōji withdrew his gaze and stated the facts calmly: "In the end, if you pool the entire class's private points, collecting 50,000 points per month for four months, you'd probably have a class fund of around 8 million points. Just buying the exam rules shouldn't cost that much."
Horikita: "So these are the 'allies' you were talking about..."
"You know it perfectly well—alone, you can't accomplish anything."
"..."
Seeing her fall silent, Ayanokōji glanced at the girl, whose expression was complicated yet still stubborn, and returned his gaze to Class C.
In his line of sight, Ryūen took something from his homeroom teacher's hands and then disappeared into the dense forest, all by himself.
Is that direction... the cave?
_____
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