At noon, the four first-year classes lined up on the beach.
In the Class A line, Kōhei Katsuragi held a pen and paper, calculating the expected score for this exam. His classmates were lined up behind him, separated by gender, with everyone present except Arisu Sakayanagi.
In the Class B line, Honami Ichinose stood with one hand on her hip, her classmates behind her, their faces full of anticipation.
In the Class C line, Kakeru Ryūen stood with his hands in his pockets, his tracksuit covered in mud. Behind him, Mio Ibuki, Hiyori Shiina, and Nishino, the three girls, stood in a row.
In the Class D line, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji stood alone, his expression calm.
Additionally, on the deck of the cruise ship, a few scattered students were leaning against the railings, watching the scene unfold.
"Hey, little mouse, this is the first time we've officially met during this exam, isn't it?"
From the Class C line, Ryūen met Ayanokōji's gaze and spoke without any courtesy. Ayanokōji's face showed no emotion as he replied calmly, "Even I would probably get angry being called such a disparaging name."
"Shouldn't I be the one who's angry?" Ryūen's eyes glinted coldly as he sneered. "You were the one who started that fire last night, weren't you?"
Ayanokōji looked troubled. "Sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about..."
"Heh." A cold light flickered in Ryūen's eyes. He turned his head and said no more.
—Don't be hasty. This isn't over yet.
Meanwhile, Hiyori was whispering to a certain ghost in her mind: "Looking at Ryūen-kun, it seems the matter of the campfire isn't so simple."
"'Start a fire, burn a mountain, and you'll rot in jail...' Symon remarked with a sigh. "As expected of students, I guess. They really act without considering the consequences."
Fire and water are merciless and uncontrollable. It was only because of the heavy rain yesterday; otherwise, if a forest fire had started, this special exam would most likely have been cancelled.
While the two were chatting in their minds, on a temporary platform, Tomonari Mashima held a red and white megaphone and announced loudly: "I now declare the Uninhabited Island Special Exam concluded. Next, I will announce the results."
"A special announcement—after the exam ends, the school will not entertain any questions regarding the results. We expect you to accept and analyze them on your own, and then apply this experience to the next exam."
Saying this, Tomonari Mashima saw no objections from the students and began the announcement: "First, in last place—
"Class D—0 points.
"Class C—0 points.
The two classes were tied for last place. Neither class showed any surprise, and even the onlookers on the deck raised no questions.
"In second place, Class A—319 points."
In the Class A line, Katsuragi heard this result and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Although he hadn't managed to turn the tables, this outcome was not outside his expectations.
At the same time, Tomonari Mashima also announced the first-place score: "And finally, Class B—341 points."
"This concludes the announcement of the results. Please find your homeroom teachers to receive your personal terminals and belongings. Afterwards, board the ship in an orderly fashion. The cruise ship will remain at sea for a week, giving you ample time to wash away the fatigue of the past week."
With that, Tomonari Mashima put down the megaphone and, paying no more attention to the students below, walked straight off the platform.
Simultaneously, cheers from the Class B students erupted, echoing across the entire area!
In the Class A line, Katsuragi was surrounded by a group of his classmates.
"What happened, Katsuragi? What about that surefire victory method you mentioned?"
Katsuragi sighed softly, showed the expected score calculations in his hand to everyone, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, the point difference was just too large. To play it safe, this was the best I could do."
As he finished speaking, the Class A students took the paper and pen from his hand with some confusion. On it was written:
『Base Points: 300.』
『Deductions: Sakayanagi's retirement -30, Totsuka's retirement -30, supplies -110, shower room -20, smartphone -6.』
『Bonuses: Spot points +85, guessed Class C +50, guessed Class D +50.』
『Final Score: 319 points.』
Seeing this prediction, which matched the actual score perfectly, many of them looked troubled and complained, "Damn it, if Sakayanagi hadn't retired, we would have won."
"Shh, don't say things that undermine our unity."
Hearing this, Katsuragi shook his head and said, "Go back and thank Totsuka. After Ryūen came over that day, he occupied five spots, three times a day. That's where the 85 spot points came from."
"You must have had it rough too, Katsuragi. We always saw you getting up in the middle of the night these past few days."
"It's fine. At least we gained something."
As he said this, Katsuragi glanced at Ayanokōji, who had already boarded the deck ahead of the others.
If Class D hadn't been down to its last person, helping him eliminate all the wrong answers in a single morning, Class A's score wouldn't have looked this good.
As for Class B's side...
When he saw Hiyori Shiina appear in Class B's camp via the video feed, he knew it was a lost cause and immediately abandoned that part of the plan.
Meanwhile—
On the deck of the cruise ship, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji and Horikita met again.
Horikita spoke with some surprise, "So you were still on the island. No wonder I couldn't find you this morning."
Ayanokōji shook his head. "I was planning to try and guess the leaders, but it seems my luck wasn't very good."
Suzune Horikita raised a hand to brush back her hair and said casually, "Relying on something as fickle as luck is not a good habit."
When she saw the rest of Class D appearing on the ship, she already knew the outcome. Although it was a bit hard to accept, she wasn't someone who could be so easily defeated, nor would she place her hopes on others.
While the two were chatting, a few members of Class C had also boarded the ship. Naturally, the ones who came to greet them were Ryūen's faction, led by Ishizaki.
Seeing his underlings, Ryūen casually handed over the terminal he had just received and said calmly, "Take my terminal and send 100,000 to everyone. Consider it a bonus for their hard work."
"Oh yeah!"—This was an ecstatic Ishizaki.
Although he had already heard about this from Hiyori, actually having it confirmed was a different feeling altogether.
On the other side, Hiyori Shiina naturally had someone come to greet her as well—
"Shiina, are you hurt? Did you get burned anywhere?" (in Chinese) Mei-Yu Wang placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and walked around her, carefully checking her condition.
Symon translated it for her in his mind.
Listening to his whisper, Hiyori smiled and gently reassured her, "Please don't worry, I'm perfectly fine~ When the fire broke out, I happened to be visiting Class B, so I managed to avoid it."
Saying this, Hiyori looked towards Airi Sakura, who was watching timidly from a distance, and gave her a smiling wave.
As if encouraged, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, took a few steps forward, and stammered, "Hiyori-san, I... I was very worried about you."
"Mhm, I felt it~"
...
_____
🔥 New releases are live! 🔥
📚 New story: Something is Wrong with Ash's Pokémon Journey
🤪 Generosity Overload: Our calculators glitched and told us to give you 25% off!
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan