Chapter 98: The Survival Exam on the Deserted Island Begins

On the first day aboard the cruise ship, Kanda Shuichi had a good rest. Even though the bed wasn't familiar, he didn't have trouble sleeping, which was a good sign for someone like him with weak stamina.

The next morning, during breakfast, Kanda Shuichi confirmed his physical condition, despite Horikita Suzune's displeased expression.

It's good, I should be fine.

Not long after breakfast, an announcement was heard across the ship.

[Attention all students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We will soon see an island. You are about to witness a very meaningful sight in a short time.]

It's here?

After hearing the announcement, most students chose to gather on the first deck, as it probably offered the best view.

However, Kanda Shuichi returned to the place he had visited yesterday, the second deck, with Horikita choosing to follow.

Within a few minutes, the shadow of the island became visible, but it was too far away to determine its size.

Soon, cheers from the students below echoed up to them.

The crowd surged forward, and the students from Class D, who had been occupying the best observation spots, were quickly pushed aside. At the front was Katsuragi's subordinate, Totsuka Yahiko.

Seeing Totsuka Yahiko's actions, Katsuragi didn't stop him, merely watching the island ahead quietly.

As expected, it's hard to change someone's nature. Even after being taught a lesson by me, this guy hasn't learned a thing. Katsuragi, you deserve to lose badly.

Or maybe, was this intentional?

If it was intentional, then Katsuragi, you may look simple and honest, but that's clearly not the case.

Kanda wasn't concerned with what was happening below. He simply waited quietly for the ship to dock.

Once the island appeared on the horizon, it gradually went from a blurry image to a solid shape. In just a few minutes, they could already see the dense jungle on the island.

As the ship neared the port, Kanda Shuichi stood up to gather his things, but the ship, instead of docking directly at the port ahead, unexpectedly changed direction and began sailing around the island.

The ship didn't slow down as it sailed around the island, and as it picked up speed, it splashed water high into the air.

This is definitely not the kind of speed one would expect for sightseeing. Did they forget to slow down? No, that can't be it.

So, does this mean the special exam starts now?

The huge ship can't get too close, or it might run aground, so even with Kanda Shuichi's vision, he could only make out a rough view of the island.

At the highest point, there's a small hill with a cave on the front. This is near the center of the island, slightly towards the north, with the cave facing south.

Nearby, there's also a watchtower, though Kanda Shuichi thinks it looks more like a signal tower.

Next, Kanda Shuichi noticed a river flowing out of the forest.

After going around half the island, Kanda Shuichi spotted a beach that would be perfect for playing, along with other spots suitable for camping. There was even one place that clearly showed signs of being used before.

It seems like these are the areas prepared for the different classes, all good spots for setting up camp.

After circling the island, the ship finally docked at the port.

[We are about to land on the isolated island owned by the school. Students, please change into your sportswear within 30 minutes. After confirming your bags and luggage, bring your phones to the deck for the gathering. All other personal items should be left in your rooms. You can still use the restrooms, so please take care of your needs before then.]

The announcement was a clear final notice—30 minutes, and the exam would officially begin.

"What did you see just now?"

"What do you mean? Isn't it an island? What did you see?"

Kanda Shuichi's sudden question confused Horikita.

Sigh, I knew it wasn't going to work. Or is it just that after being sick, her brain isn't working as well?

"I'll tell you later. Let's pack up first."

Although she wanted to know the answer, Horikita decided to focus on packing, since they only had 30 minutes.

By the time Kanda Shuichi returned to the dorm, Hirata and Miyake were already packed. Kanda Shuichi was ready too; they had all known they'd be boarding the ship, so they packed as soon as they woke up.

Now, it was time to exchange information.

"Find anything?"

Hirata had been busy with class matters, so he didn't have time to observe the island's terrain. That task had been left to Kanda Shuichi and Miyake Akito.

"Yeah, first of all, just like we thought, there are no buildings on the island, which means no villas for us to stay in."

"There are plenty of places to camp, though."

"Yeah, I can see three with my own eyes. The cave at the highest point, a flat area with signs of human presence, and the beach to the south. Also, there's a small river. It probably wouldn't work near the coast, but if you follow it upstream, there might be a good spot."

Kanda Shuichi and Miyake Akito shared their information, and Hirata nodded. So far, it matched their expectations.

"I'm a bit concerned about that white lookout tower near the cave," Miyake suddenly said, bringing up the structure they had seen earlier, which looked more like a signal tower.

"Yeah, if we get there first, we should be able to see the whole island and figure out the best camping spots."

Kanda Shuichi nodded, realizing how important the lookout tower might be. "Right, we could try to get a head start. What do you think, Akito? Are you confident?"

"Well, not really, but it's worth a shot," Miyake replied.

"I see. Don't push yourself too hard. Let's see what the school has planned. If they've already assigned camping sites, there's nothing we can do about it anyway."

Kanda Shuichi's words immediately put the two of them at ease.

Yeah, no matter what, it still depends on the school's mood.

Once it was almost time, the three of them put on their sportswear and backpacks and headed for the deck.

As soon as they stepped outside, they immediately felt the heat. It wasn't too bad at first with just short sleeves, but since they were required to wear sportswear, the heat quickly hit after walking just a few steps.

When they reached the deck, many students were already there. However, everyone was standing neatly, not scattered all over the place like dumplings.

But students from Class D were especially out of place, whispering to each other, slouching, and some even squatting down to block the sun. It was really embarrassing.

On the other hand, students from the other classes weren't talking at all. At most, they frowned in discontent or wiped their sweat with their sleeves. 

You could tell just by looking that there was a clear difference between the classes. The ones who were a mess were, well, a mess.

Kanda Shuichi and the others quickly joined the back of the line, waiting for the thirty-minute mark.

When they reached the last row, it was a bit of a coincidence that Kanda Shuichi ended up next to Ibuki Mio, the girl with the blue-and-white striped shirt he had seen yesterday.

But seeing her annoyed expression, Kanda Shuichi didn't feel like starting a conversation. The weather was too hot for that, and he wasn't in the mood to talk.

Once he noticed that everyone had arrived, Kanda Shuichi saw that Chabashira-sensei wasn't wearing her usual gray suit but had instead put on sportswear like the students. 

Even though she was almost thirty, Chabashira-sensei could easily blend in with the students if she wanted to.

For some reason, Kanda Shuichi had a strange thought: since Chabashira-sensei wears the same clothes every day at school, maybe she can't afford to buy new ones. After all, she gives me ten thousand yen a month for allowance—it's kind of pitiful. 

No, I have to find a way to send her a few sets of clothes, and I'll pay for it from the allowance she gave me.

"Next, students from Class A will disembark. Also, no phones are allowed on the island. Please hand them over to your class leaders before getting off the ship."

Under the teacher's announcement through a loudspeaker, the students started walking down the stairs of the ship in order.

"So hot. Hurry up––even though my clothes are thin, I'm still sweating a lot."

What a joke. Aren't you still going to be in the sun after you get off the ship? Is the sun outside different from the sun on the ship?

The heat was making Kanda Shuichi's temper flare up a little.

As each student went down, it was finally Class D's turn. Horikita took the opportunity to come over to Kanda Shuichi's side.

"What did you see?"

"There aren't any buildings to live in on the island, just some spots for camping." He briefly shared the key information with Horikita Suzune. He was too hot to say much more.

"I see. So we're supposed to live like campers on the island?"

She seemed to be thinking clearly. Kanda Shuichi glanced at her and then waited to get off the ship.

Seeing that Kanda Shuichi didn't want to talk, Horikita closed her mouth. There was plenty of time later.

Actually, the reason Kanda Shuichi wasn't talking was because he had already figured out the information, and there wasn't much more to say. He didn't know anything beyond that.

But now that it was August 1st, he wondered why the system hadn't released the technology yet. Looking at the items that were still pending from June and July, Kanda Shuichi felt a bit confused.

"Now we will call the roll for Class D. Please answer when your name is called."

Chabashira-sensei's tone was different from her usual indifferent one, and after speaking, she took out her clipboard and began to call the roll.

"Inogashira Kokoro."

"Here!"

...

The students whose names were called were the first to disembark, but as they passed by Chabashira-sensei, they had to hand over their phones and take a wristband from her.

To demonstrate how to use the wristbands, Chabashira-sensei personally showed the students.

After about half an hour, all the first-year students had disembarked the cruise and arrived on the island.

Next, after being asked to line up, the homeroom teacher of Class A, the first-year English teacher Mashima Tomonari, came out holding a regular-sized loudspeaker.

"I am the homeroom teacher of Class A, Mashima. First of all, I'm happy to see that everyone has arrived safely. However, on a more unfortunate note, although there is only one student missing, it is regretful that someone could not join due to illness."

Ah, Sakayanagi, even though you're not here, there are still people thinking about you.

While Mashima-sensei was saying this, work had already begun on the beach, setting up tents and bringing out tables to assemble computers.

"Now, let's start the first special exam of this year."

"Huh? A special exam? What's going on?"

As expected, the students in Class D immediately caused an uproar.

Other classes, though some were confused and even felt uneasy, quickly calmed down. Only Class D students kept on talking non-stop.

"Weren't we told this was a vacation? Why is there a special exam?"

The harsh memory of needing to pass the final exam to avoid expulsion still lingered in the students' minds, so when they heard about the special exam, panic quickly set in.

However, Mashima, the teacher, wasn't going to feel sorry for them. He just wanted to quickly announce the rules and then escape to the shade.

"The exam period will last for one week, starting now and ending at noon on August 7th. You will spend this week living in a group on this deserted island. That is the content of the exam."

"The theme of the exam is freedom. During this week, everything will be up to you. If you don't want to participate, you can withdraw without any problem."

Mashima-sensei's continuous talking left most of the students in shock. It wasn't just the Class D students—most of the B and C class students, and even a few from Class A, were confused.

"Can we really quit the exam?" 

"No way, that would be too strange, right?" 

"Does quitting the exam mean expulsion or something?" 

"What kind of hellish joke is this?"

But the chaos was short-lived and soon died down.

"To help you survive on the island for the week, the school will provide some necessary supplies."

As if on cue, staff members immediately began bringing out the supplies provided by the school.

Each class received two tents, two flashlights, a box of matches, and a simple toilet.

In addition, there was an unlimited supply of sunscreen, one tube of toothpaste per person, and, for the girls, an unlimited supply of sanitary products, considering their menstrual cycles.

Seeing these items, Kanda Shuichi realized that they wouldn't be enough to support the needs of forty people. Not to mention food—was the plan to find enough food for 159 people for seven days on this small island? Even thinking about it seemed impossible.

So, let's see what else they have up their sleeves!

"Next, each class will be given an initial 300 points. These points can be used to buy supplies, and you'll receive a catalog of available items. With these, surviving for seven days should be quite easy."

"Finally, any points left at the end of the exam will be added to your class's total points. If anyone withdraws from the exam, either voluntarily or due to unavoidable circumstances, 30 points will be deducted from the initial points. For example, if one person from Class A is absent, 30 points will be deducted. The minimum points for this exam is 0 points, and that's final."

Mashima-sensei finished his speech. Although there were many more questions, those would be handled by the homeroom teachers of each class. He also had to look after his own students in Class A.

300 points... Kanda Shuichi sighed and recalled the point differences between the classes.

Class A: 822 points, Class B: 759 points, Class C: 553 points, Class D: 140 points.

The gap between the biggest differences, Classes C and D, is only 413 points, and right now, the gap between Class A and B is just 83 points. If they can seize this opportunity, surpassing Class A definitely isn't a problem.

So, it looks like Classes B and A will be going all out against each other.

This situation is perfect for people like Ryuen and Kanda Shuichi, who can take advantage of the chaos and play both sides to their benefit.

Although Kanda Shuichi doesn't plan to do something that dirty, Ryuen will definitely not miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

The students of Class D were also very excited when they heard the last sentence.

"So, if we hold out for a week… our pocket money will increase a lot starting next month, right?"

Hold out? Unfortunately, Kanda Shuichi really hates being patient.

After Mashima-sensei finished speaking, Chabashira-sensei came over to read out the additional rules for the exam.

"You all start with 300 points. If you manage your points well, you can earn even more."

"Are there ways to earn more points?"

Horikita immediately latched onto this hope. She also thought that this exam might be a good chance to close the gap between Class D and the other classes.

"That's right. The island has designated points set up by the school. These points are usually located in caves, streams, flat areas, or places with food. They're all perfect for camping.

Each point is equipped with a card reader. If you swipe this card, you get the right to use the point. Each swipe gives you access for eight hours and grants one temporary point."

Everyone looked at the green card Chabashira-sensei was holding. It was the size of a bank card.

Listening to Chabashira-sensei talk on and on, Kanda Shuichi felt like he was about to melt from the heat. But even so, he had no intention of taking off his jacket. Instead, he just unzipped his tracksuit a little to cool down.

"But there's one thing to keep in mind. Only the class leader can use this card. So, before using the card, you need to elect a class leader.

Also, once a point is occupied by someone else, using or damaging the supplies there will result in a deduction of 50 initial points."

"Finally, at the end of the exam, there will be a trial where you guess the identities of the other class leaders. If you guess correctly, the other class will lose 50 initial points and all their temporary points will be invalid.

Also, once a leader's identity is confirmed, it cannot be changed unless there's a special reason."

With that, the rules were finally explained.

So, this exam is basically a spy game?

The class that finds the other class's leader first will have the upper hand!

Interesting. Kanda Shuichi smiled, already thinking about how he would approach this exam.

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