Classroom of the Elite: The 100 Elites Who Really, Really Love Him

by legalinmybooks

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has been cursed (blessed) by The God of Love who accidentally linked Ayanokouji and 100 different girls/women. They are to become soulmates bounded by love and fate. If their relationship with Ayanokouji fails, the girls are fated to die in an accident. It's a matter of life or death. Will Ayanokouji survive ANHS with 100 potential soulmates waiting for him? Wil

20. Chapter 19: Deserted Island

Ayanokouji is standing on the deck of the cruise ship as the ship is traveling through the waves. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of the salty ocean and there was a faint mist as the water and warm breeze mixed together. Ayanokouji could see the endless blue sea with an equally blue sky.

"Whoa! This is the best!" shouted Ike, with both hands raised high in the air. His voice echoed across the deck of the luxury liner.

"This view is incredible! I'm honestly super moved right now!" said Karuizawa, walking out of the ship's cabin with her friends. Shinohara and Azuma both gave Ayanokouji a warm greeting and looked out towards the expansive ocean.

"Seriously, the scenery here is just amazing!" said Kushida, walking up to Karuizawa's group.

"Wow, Ken, you must be happy you didn't get expelled. I mean, if this were a normal trip, it would've been impossible for us to go. Hey, how did it feel to be on the verge of expulsion, since you had the lowest score on the final? Come on, tell me. How did it feel?" asked Yamauchi, taunting and insulting Sudou.

Luckily, Sudou was in a good mood, and he howled with laughter in response, sounding more like the baying of a lone wolf than a high schooler.

"With my skills, there was nothing to worry about. Didn't I tell you I'd prove myself, and it'd be easy?" said Sudou.

"I never dreamed that high schoolers could go on such a luxurious cruise. And it's for two whole weeks. Two weeks! When my mom and dad hear about this, they're gonna be so shocked they'll wet themselves!" said Ike, excitedly.

'This was certainly no ordinary trip. At our government-sponsored school, there was absolutely no need for us to pay for tuition or other miscellaneous expenses—which, of course, included this trip. We received the best of special treatment. The cruise liner and its facilities were of the highest possible quality. This ship was fully equipped with everything from prestigious restaurants to a theater, and even an upscale spa. On my own, this would probably have cost me about 100,000 yen, even in the off season. Our trip, which promised the pinnacle of luxury, had finally started today. According to the schedule, we would spend our first week staying at a fancy summer lodge on a deserted island. After that, we would enjoy the cruise ship for another week. Apparently, it's going to take about a day for us to arrive at the deserted island.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Ayanokouji-dono! Let's go!" said Sotomura, gesturing to him. Okitani and Ijuin were with him, and they waved at Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji nodded and followed them. The group decided to explore some of the places on the cruise ship. They walked onto the ship and found a variety of places such as recreation centers, arcades, and other places that students can go, free of charge.

"Whoa! Look how big this is!" said Okitani, looking around excitedly.

"Dude! I heard there's an anime floor for us weebs! Let's find it!" said Ijuin. The group stopped in front of a sign that had the floors of the cruise ship labeled and they could see where everything was mapped and labeled. Apparently, the anime section that Ijuin was talking about is on the 4th floor which also has games there too. They decided to go there first and went to the elevator to call it. The group made their way to the 4th floor and the first thing that Ayanokouji saw after leaving the elevator was a bunny girl. A cardboard cutout of an anime girl with long black hair, dressed in a black bunny girl costume with fish-net stockings.

"Hey, It's Mai." said Ijuin, studying the cardboard cutout. "My waifu!"

"Very good choice." said Sotomura, nodding his head in approval. "You have no idea, do you Ayanokouji-dono?"

"Yeah." said Ayanokouji, looking at the cardboard cutout.

"It's an anime about quantum physics." said Okitani.

"Really?" asked Ayanokouji, looking at the cardboard cutout and didn't believe it. "Are you sure we're looking at the right thing?"

"Yeah. Its Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai." said Okitani.

"I'll give you my copy of the anime when we get back, Ayanokouji-dono. Make sure to remind me." said Sotomura.

"Okay." replied Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji is confused on how a bunny girl is related and something to do with a serious topic like quantum physics but decided to ask any further questions.

The group began walking around the floor to explore what the 4th floor is in store for them. They found a few anime cafes and after the group decided to go to a Quintessential Quintuplets anime themed cafe since everyone in the group has either watched the anime or read the manga. They sat down and looked at the menu. There were various items such as salted fish, different types of pancakes, matcha items, orange, meat dishes, and various drinks.

"It's all of their favorite's dishes and drinks!" said Sotomura, happily looking at the menu. Apparently, all of these dishes were heavily inspired by the quintuplets' favorite food and drinks.

"I'm going to support my favorite girl!" said Okitani.

The group ordered their food and drinks and waited. They began talking about the anime that this cafe is based on and they started with the most obvious topic: who's the best girl?

"Team Nino." said Sotomura. "No question asked. You're wrong if you think otherwise."

"No! Team Ichika is better." said Okitani.

"You just like the older sister types. Miku all the way. It's not even close." said Ijuin.

"What do you mean? She's ass!"

"No, you are! Who wants a bitch that backstabs her own sister?"

"It's called dedication. What else do you want from a girl?!"

"Maybe not a backstabber!"

"Better than Itsuki." said Sotomura.

"Better than Itsuki?! C'mon man! At least she got goals and a dream instead of being something lame like being a bride!" said Okitani.

"Well, yeah but..." said Ijuin.

"No wonder you like Istuki more than Ichika because you both eat a lot."

"Hey! That's uncalled for!"

It seemed that it got a little heated between Sotomura, Okitani, and Ijuin as they began talking trash together. Ayanokouji wondered if that's what normal guy talks are like. Then, all 3 boys turned their attention back to Ayanokouji.

"Hey, Ayanokouji. Who do you think is better: Ichika or Miku?" asked Okitani. It seemed that Okitani wanted Ayanokouji to settle his dispute with Ijuin. Ijuim also looked eager and nodded at him.

"Wait! How about we ask Ayanokouji-dono his rankings on the 5 girls?" asked Sotomura. "Top to worst."

'Stop it, Sotomura. You're making it first. No matter what happens, I don't think I can agree with at least 2 of you guys.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Here's my rankings: Nino, Ichika, Yotsuba, Miku, Itsuki." said Ayanokouji. As soon as Ayanokouji said that, he realized that he had a type of girls that he liked: the genki type of girls as Nino, Yotsuba, and Ichika were the most outgoing out of the 5 sisters.

*A/N: Not my rankings, just thought about what Ayanokouji would like.*

Sotomura whistled and clapped in excitement while Ijuin looked disappointed and Okitani gave him a victorious look.

"Looks like I won. Told you Ichika is better." said Okitani.

"That's cap! You're messing with me, right Ayanokouji?" said Ijuin.

"No. That's my personal opinion." said Ayanokouji.

"Then, your opinion is garbage. Nino is the best for you? I mean she's good, but not top-tier."

"Wait. Ayanokouji, do you like tsunderes?" asked Okitani.

"Ayanokouji-dono is a man of culture!" said Sotomura, pushing the glasses upwards.

"Tsunderes? Is it that thing where a girl doesn't seem into you, sometimes borderline hating you, but secretly likes you?" asked Ayanokouji, trying to refresh his anime terminology.

"Yeah, basically." said Ijuin.

"That's basically Nino in a nutshell!" said Okitani.

"I knew you were the man of culture after all, Ayanokouji-dono." said Sotomura.

The group started talking about the manga and it seemed that everyone here finished reading the manga. After a few minutes of talking, the waitress came back with the food and drinks that everyone ordered. Ayanokouji ordered Itsuki's hamburger steak, Nino's dorayaki, Miku's iced matcha latte, and Yotsuba's orange ice cream parfait. Sotomura ordered Ichika's grilled mackerel, Itsuki's grilled squid skewers, Miku's matcha ice cream, and Nino's pink drink which contains grapefruit, dragon fruit, and orange. Okitani ordered Ichika's salt-grilled pacific saury, Itsuki yakotori, and Yotsuba orange drink which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ijuin ordered Nino's okonomiyaki, Miku's matcha pudding and cheesecake, and Itsuki's curry drink. Apparently, this drink is not actually curry, but cider with cream inside and different fruits inside. The cream has been dyed dark brown to look like curry and the little chunks of fruits were supposed to represent potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables inside curry. Each drink order came with a random custom-made coaster of one of the 5 sisters and Ayanokouji got Nino. Sotomura and Okitani traded their coasters before everyone began to eat.

"Itadakimasu." said the group before picking up their utensils.

Ayanokouji decided to try everything first before eating his main course, the hamburger steak. Ayanokouji cut a piece of the hamburger steak and he could taste the beef, onions, and the sweet yet savory sauce that the staff added. There was also a small bed of rice along with some grilled vegetables and a small salad on the side. Then, he tried the dorayaki which has a subtle sweet red bean paste and some red beans in between the fluffy pancakes. The iced matcha latte is not too sweet and it seemed that there wasn't too much milk added, but Ayanokouji could taste, and he could actually taste the matcha. Lastly, Ayanokouji tried the orange ice cream parfait which he found on the sweeter side with an artificial orange flavoring along with some grated orange peel on the top of the ice cream which provides a slight citrus tang to the ice cream.

The group resumed their conversation and their topics changed from anime to more trivial things.

"Hey, Okitani. How's the tennis club?" asked Ijuin.

"Same as ever. My senpais are really pushing everyone. I'm not the best, but at least I don't have to deal with pressure when entering tournaments." said Okitani.

"Wait. You're not playing?"

"No. I'm just a regular player, so I play against my team and other schools. Just small games, nothing big like a tournament. What about you?"

"I'm a proud member of the go-to-your-dorms-after-school club."

"Same here." said Ayanokouji.

"Well, that's because you're always fooling around with a bunch of girls, Ayanokouji."

'He's not wrong about that' thought Ayanokouji..

"Damn. How do we get your luck?" muttered Okitani.

"Yeah. Share some of your luck with us." said Ijuin.

"You're the main protagonist all right." said Sotomura, with a smirk.

"Damn! I didn't know that you're really into the harem life, Ayanokouji." said Ijuin.

"Coincidences can be freaky. I just happened to be there and ended up with a bunch of girls." said Ayanokouji, in an attempt to downplay it.

"Coincidence? More like a fateful encounter." said Ijuin.

"The power of the protagonist is too strong for background characters like us." said Sotomura. Ijuin and Okitani agreed with Sotomura's statement and they didn't seem too bitter about it. It seemed they accepted that they couldn't win against Ayanokouji and lost all hope.

"Enough about me." said Ayanokouji, changing the topic. Then, the group spent the rest of time eating and talking about trivial things which provided Ayanokouji with a new experience of talking with male acquaintances since he hasn't really interacted with many male students. Then, the group left the cafe and explored the rest of the 4th floor. Ayanokouji saw several game center with various machines that contain various games with different genres. Ayanokouji learned the various genres of games: FPS, strategy, RPG, MMORPG, gacha, and many other types. The group spent about 3 hours, moving to various different machines and game centers, playing various games. Since Ayanokouji really doesn't play any games, Sotomura, Okitani, and Ijuin each taught him how to play and Ayanokouji learned which type of games and what game each of them like. Sotomura like MMOPRG, Okitani liked FPS and RPG, and Ijuin like strategy and gacha. Ayanokouji tried various games and found that he excel on strategy games and a few other games that are not in the category. After a bit, the group reached the end of the floor and decided to go back to the ship's deck to get some fresh air, taking the elevator to the ship's deck.

"Ahh! Fresh air!" said Okitani, taking a deep breath and staring into the fading afternoon sky. The others leaned on the railing and stared at the ocean.

"I'm so glad that I enrolled here. I never thought I would get to go on a cruise." said Ijuin.

"Same here. And we get to go to a beach tomorrow." said Sotomura. This got the other boys excited and as they began talking about their plans tomorrow.

Ayanokouji spent a few more minutes with them before deciding to leave.

"I'm going back to my cabin now. I'll see you guys later." said Ayanokouji.

"Bye, Ayanokouji." said Okitani and Ijuin.

"See you soon, Ayanokouji-dono." said Sotomura.

With that, Ayanokouji left Sotomura, Okitani, and Ijuin at the ship's deck and made his way down towards the 2nd floor. The 1st floor is where all of the girls' cabins are located and the 2nd floor is the boy's cabin. Ayanokouji made his way towards the stairs since he knew that the closest elevator had a huge line. As Ayanokouji made his way along the deck, someone called his name.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Sonoda. He turned around and saw Sonoda and Ishikura waving at him. Ishikura is a girl that Ayanokouji hasn't really interacted with. Ishikura has long, midnight-blue hair that runs down her back with silver hairpins. She has amethyst eyes along with wearing a silver locket.

"Hello Sonoda, Ishikura." said Ayanokouji, greeting them.

"Hey! Sorry if this sounds sudden, but want to have dinner with us." said Sonoda.

"Really? With me?"

"Yeah. Are you busy?"

"I was planning to go back to my room for a bit, but..."

"How about we meet later?"

"I'll be ready in about... 20 minutes."

"Perfect. We'll meet you by the elevator then."

Ayanokouji said his goodbyes and headed down the stairs and arrived at the 2nd floor. He walked to his room, room 204, and opened it with a key card. The school had divided everyone into separate cabins with 3 more people.

Ayanokouji is sharing the cabin with Koenji, Yukimura, and Hirata. As Ayanokouji entered the room, Yukimura was the only one there. Yukimura gave Ayanokouji a glance before returning his attention to his book. Ayanokouji looked into his backpack that he brought with him which had some of his belongings with him. Ayanokouji grabbed a change of clothes that wasn't his

school jersey which the school required everyone to bring along for the trip which made Ayanokouji a little suspicious. He wondered why the school would require something like this for a cruise ship vacation, but they allowed students to bring their own personal items as long as it doesn't break the rules of the cruise ship. Ayanokouji walked into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and changed into a nice, white-collared polo shirt, but kept his school-issued pants. Ayanokouji checked his phone and got a few messages in his soulmates group chat and some of them were talking about meeting up and making plans with each other. It seemed that they were quite excited about eating in some of the first- class restaurants on the deck of the ship. Ayanokouji exited the bathroom and sat down at his bed, thinking about something. He wondered what the school had prepared for them. Two weeks on a luxury cruise ship seems a little too good, especially if it's free of charge. After thinking about it, Ayanokouji decided to stay on his guard for the time being before leaving his room. Ayanokouji took the elevator to the ship's deck and the elevator was packed with people.

Ayanokouji managed to squeeze out of the elevator when it took him to the deck. More people entered the elevator as Ayanokouji exited and he walked around the deck for a few minutes before he spotted Sonoda and Ishikura leaning against the railing, looking out at the sea.

"Sonoda, Ishikura." said Ayanokouji, getting their attention. The 2 girls turned around and greeted Ayanokouji before the trio walked down the deck and into the nearest restaurant. The restaurant's interior was fancy and grand, which is expected from a first-class restaurant. The waiter brought the trio to a table by the window which overlooks the sea. Ayanokouji could see the beautiful sunset as the sun seemed to be sinking into the deep blue water as the sky darkened.

Ayanokouji picked up the menu and saw that the menu is quite complex with fancy dishes. The trio began to talk about the menu and Sonoda noted how fancy it was while Ishikura was glad that it was free since it would've cost a fortune. The waiter came back within a few minutes and the trio placed their orders. Another waiter came by after a minute and brought the trio their drinks that they ordered. The trio gave their cheers and clinked their glasses as they began talking about the cruise ship. It seemed they were excited about the cruise ship and their facilities. Apparently, there's pools and a water park on the cruise ship along with free rental swimsuits.

'I guess Horikita didn't need to buy a swimsuit, but at least she gets to wear it and keep it for the future.' thought Ayanokouji.

After about 5 minutes of talking, the waiter came back with their orders. The waiter placed their appetizers in front of them and told the group that the entree would be here shortly.

"Itadakimasu." said the trio.

Ayanokouji grabbed his knife and fork and began to eat. Immediately, Ayanokouji could taste the difference between the food he's eating and the food he had eaten earlier. It was clear that there was a huge difference in food preparation and recipes as this certainty is worthy of a first class restaurant.

"Wow! So good!" said Sonoda.

"I know right! And this is all for free!" said Ichikura, excitedly. The trio silently ate and kept their conversation to the minimum as they waited for their entrees. If the appetizers were that good, then the entree must be amazing. After a few minutes, the trio's plates were empty and the waiter came back with their entrees. He collected their empty plates and placed their entree in front of them. It was an A5 Wagyu beef and Ayanokouji noticed how easily he cut the beef with his knife. Ayanokouji ordered medium rare and he could see the red in his beef as he picked up a piece with his fork. As the trio enjoyed their entree, they began chatting about trivial topics and one topic that was brought up was something that Ayanokouji got asked a lot especially by girls.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Are you dating Azuma-san?" asked Ichikura. It seemed that almost every girl asked him if he's dating any of his soulmates since Ayanokouji is seen with various girls often which piqued their curiosity.

"No." said Ayanokouji. "Really?"

"Yeah. There's no reason for me to do so."

"I mean... you guys hang out quite a lot..."

"And?"

"How dense can one person be? Do I have to spell it out?" said Ichikura, sighing.

"Nah. It's none of my business."

Of course, Ayanokouji knew what Ichikura was trying to imply, but he already knew that Azuma was in love with him.

"I'm not dating Azuma." said Ayanokouji, confirming it again. "

Sorry for asking you something like this." said Ishikura.

"No worries."

"Hey, Sonoda-san. Are you okay?" asked Ishikura, looking at Sonoda. She looked uncomfortable and she seemed to have something in her mind as she was staring at Ayanokouji.

"U-uhh... I-I'm good. Just..." said Sonoda, snapping out of her trance. "

Don't tell me you have a little crush on Ayanokouji-kun." teased Ishikura.

"N-No! Just a little tired, that's all."

"Hee hee! Sure. I'm going to the bathroom real quick."

Ishikura got up and leaned towards Sonoda, so only she could hear what she was saying and whispered, "Have a nice time with Ayanokouji-kun."

Sonoda rolled her eyes, and her face grew a little red as she waved Ishikura away. Ishikura laughed and walked away from the table.

"Is there something that you want to tell me?" asked Ayanokouji, suspecting that Sonoda had something to say.

"O-Okay. You caught me." said Sonoda. "I don't know how, but for some reason, every time I see you. I'm always more confused."

"Confused?"

"Yeah. You told me that you're dating Hasebe-san and anyone, but I'm not sure. Are you dating Inogashira-san?"

"Inogashira? Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, last night, I was taking a walk and I stumbled onto you and Inogashira-san alone by the water way and heard you say that you like her."

'So, Sonoda stumbled into this by accident yet again. I'm starting to see a pattern. It seems Sonoda is quite unlucky and seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time causing another misunderstanding.' thought Ayanokouji.

"No. You've misheard. I said that I liked Inogashira's knitting." said Ayanokouji, fibbing. He knew that Sonoda accidentally created trouble when she heard about Ayanokouji's first time at the arcade with Mori by contacting Kushida preemptively and Ayanokouji did not want to deal with that again. He immediately shut it down before any doubts began to form.

"Ah. I guess that must've happened. I thought I misheard you for a second." said Sonoda, scratching her cheek. "Man, every time something has to do with you, I always get the wrong idea. Sorry about that, Ayanokouji-kun."

"It's just bad timing. There's nothing to apologize for."

"Hopefully, this doesn't happen again. That's strike two for me."

"Third time's the charm."

Sonoda giggled as she hoped that this won't happen a third time and it seemed that it happens when Ayanokouji is involved. After a minute, Ishikura came back and sat back down at the table. The trio talked more about trivial things and a topic that caught Ayanokouji's interest. Apparently, according to Ishikura and Sonoda, there were private pools that students can use, and it requires the students to sign up in advance to reserve the pool. The girls said that it was better than going to one of the numerous public pools since you and your friends can have the pool to yourselves. The waiter came back to the table, took the empty entree plates away, and brought them their desserts. He asked if they would like a refill for their drinks and the trio agreed. The waiter took their empty glasses and went back to the kitchen to get a refill. The dessert was a beautiful dark chocolate tiramisu. Sonoda and Ichikura muttered excitedly and took a picture of the tiramisu.

"Itadakimasu." said the trio. Ayanokouji uses his knife and fork to get a small piece of the tiramisu and as soon as Ayanokouji took a bite, he realized that he might actually have a sweet tooth or have taken a liking to desserts. Ayanokouji finished his tiramisu in record time and saw that Sonoda had eaten around half of hers and didn't look too interested in it.

"Is everything okay, Sonoda?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I just don't like desserts and sweet things that much." said Sonoda, placing her fork down. "I don't want to waste the food though."

"I can finish it for you if you're not going to have it."

"Eh?! I'm fine with that. Are you sure you can finish it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Go for it."

Sonoda handed Ayanokouji the plate and he began to finish Sonoda's tiramisu by himself. Sonoda gave him a look in amazement and Ichikura, who was still trying to finish her own tiramisu look up as well, was also surprised by it.

"Do you have a sweet tooth, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Sonoda.

"I think I do. I'm not too sure myself, but it's better than wasting food, right?" said Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. Thanks for doing that for me."

"No problem. I'm going to finish this."

After a few minutes, Ayanokouji sat back on his chair with two empty plates now. Ishikura also finished as well and Ayanokouji felt quite satisfied and full after his dinner. The trio decided to leave the restaurant and headed into the cold, dark evening. Ayanokouji took a deep breath and inhaled. The cold, fresh, and salty air-filled Ayanokouji's lungs as he smelled the presence of the ocean. The beautiful blue ocean that Ayanokouji saw a few hours ago is now cold, dark, and voidless. The trio walked along the deck, chatting and after a few minutes, Ayanokouji's phone buzzed. Ayanokouji looked at the phone and it was a message from an unknown person that is unregistered to his phone, but Ayanokouji looked at the message and realized who messaged him. He was tempted to ignore it but knew he shouldn't and it was probably a bad idea.

"Sorry guys. I have plans with someone. Go on without me." said Ayanokouji.

"Ohh! Another date with another girl, I see." said Ishikura, teasing Ayanokouji. "Getting tired of us, aren't you Ayanokouji-kun?" Sonoda looked a little scandalous by it.

"Of course not. I forgot I got somewhere to be with some of my roommates." said Ayanokouji, with a blank face.

"Oh. See you, Ayanokouji-kun." said Sonoda, waving at him.

"See ya around, Ayanokouji-kun." said Isikura.

Ayanokouji made his way to the 5th floor of the ship and entered a dark theater. He was meeting a certain person that interfered with him in the past and Ayanokouji was a little curious on what she wanted for him and why she chose to meet in an isolated place. Ayanokouji made his way down the stairs and found Chabashira-sensei in one of the bottom rows of the theater, sitting in one of the chairs.

"Chabashira-sensei." said Ayanokouji.

"Ayanokouji. You showed up. Have a seat." said Chabashira-sensei, giving him a glance before turning her eyes to the empty stage. Ayanokouji took a seat next to Chabashira-sensei.

"What do you want?"

"Hmm... what makes you think that."

"You never do anything without a purpose. I doubt that you wanted to spend time with me. And you don't have a particular interest in this class's future and its students."

"That's right. But... the truth is different."

Chabashira-sensei paused and looked up to the ceiling, as if she'd just remembered something. Ayanokouji could see that there was a mixture of nostalgia and pain in her eyes as if she remembered the good old days, but it was filled with pain and suffering.

"I was once a student at this school. I was in Class D, just like you." said Chabashira-sensei.

"I must say that's surprising. I would've thought you were more capable, Chabashira-sensei." said Ayanokouji.

"Huh... Well, in my time, the class difference wasn't as extreme. You could say that we were in a four-way battle, not a three-way one. Up until we approached graduation in the third semester of our third year, the difference between A and D wasn't even 100 points. It was a close battle, where even one trivial mistake could knock you off balance."

"I'm guessing someone made a trivial mistake, right?"

"Yes. It happened rather unexpectedly. Class C went to hell because of my mistake. In the end, my goal of reaching Class A and my dreams were shattered."

"I'm not catching your drift. What does this have to do with me?"

"I feel that your presence will be vital to reach Class A."

"What am I supposed to say to that? You're joking, right?"

"A few days ago, a certain man contacted the school directly. He said 'expel Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.'"

'So, he made his move already. That was faster than expected.' thought Ayanokouji.

"He said to expel me? Well, that's nonsense. I don't know who it was, but you ignored his request and won't have me expelled. Right?" said Ayanokouji.

"Of course. We can't just expel someone on a third party's whim. As long as you are a student at this school, you are protected by the rules. However...if you cause any problems, that's a different story. Smoking, bullying, stealing, cheating... If you cause any scandal, expulsion is unavoidable." said Chabashira- sensei.

"I'm sorry, but I don't intend to do anything."

"It has nothing to do with your intentions. If I determine that something seems like an issue, it will become reality."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Here's the deal, Ayanokouji. You are going to aim for Class A for me. I will follow up as extensively as I can in order to protect you. Don't you think that sounds like a good offer?"

Ayanokouji couldn't believe that Chabashira-sensei would stoop so low in blackmailing a student to do her bidding. It was so ridiculous that Ayanokouji almost laughed.

"Can I go now? I won't listen to any more of this." said Ayanokouji, making an attempt to break away from the conversation.

"That's too bad, Ayanokouji. You will be expelled, and once again, Class D won't reach Class A." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Let me ask you once more. Will you aim for Class A? Or be expelled? You choose." said Chabashira-sensei. Ayanokouji realized that Chabashira-sensei was placing her unachieved dreams on his shoulders and was willing to do anything to make that happen even if breaking the rules. Ayanokouji reached over with his left hand and grabbed Chabashira-sensei's collar. Ayanokouji could feel a hint of annoyance and anger as he coldly stared down at Chabashira- sensei.

"It seems that you're willing to do anything to reach Class A." said Ayanokouji, coldly.

"I surprised myself. I realize now that I still haven't given up on reaching Class A." said Chabashira-sensei. Her eyes had gotten slightly misty. Her usual cold indifference was When she grabbed Ayanokouji's left arm, his hand still grasping her collar, Ayanokouji saw the forceful determination had returned to her eyes. It was something that Ayanokouji never saw in Chabashira-sensei's eyes, which are usually filled with cold indifference.

"I'd thought you would lead Class D voluntarily, but we don't have any time to waste. You have to decide here and now. Will you help me or not?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"You'll probably regret trying to use me." said Ayanokouji.

"Relax. My life is already full of regrets."

"On another topic, tomorrow will be a special exam. I would not go into further details, but I will be giving you a heads up. That's the least I can do. The rest is up to you. Prove to me that you have the ability and talent to reach Class A and your safety is ensured."

Ayanokouji didn't say anything and got up from his seat. He began walking away from Chabashira-sensei, but stopped before he could go up the stairs and towards the exit of the theater.

"My safety as a student may not be guaranteed, but remember one thing, Chabashira-sensei: your position as teacher is also not guaranteed." said Ayanokouji.

"It may seem so, but I'm willing to take the risk." said Chabashira-sensei. With that, Ayanokouji walked away from Chabashira-sensei and exited the theater. Ayanokouji's mind began thinking about what Chabashira-sensei said and her warnings about tomorrow. Ayanokouji found it ironic that he's being forced against his will and throwing away his freedom in order to protect it. As Ayanokouji walked to the elevator, he heard someone call his name.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Hoshinomiya-sensei. Ayanokouji's back stiffened and he internally sighed as he realized how much of a trouble Hoshinomiya-sensei could be and he didn't want to deal with another troublesome teacher. Ayanokouji has already had his fill with teachers for the day especially after his talk with Chabashira-sensei.

"Hello, Hoshinomiya-sensei." said Ayanokouji, turning to face her.

"What brings you here at this time? Are you doing something naughty with a girl?~"

"Please don't make baseless assumptions, sensei."

"Is it Honami-chan, Mako-chan, Sayo-chan, Chihiro-chan, or another girl?~"

"Why are you naming girls from your class?"

"Or do you want me?~"

'I hope Sonoda or anyone else isn't around here. Otherwise, this will lead to another misunderstanding. A very big misunderstanding.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Who knows?" said Ayanokouji.

"Ah! Being so hard to get. I like a good hunt." said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Please refrain from doing something scandalous, sensei. Were you following me?"

"Yes, but no. I just happened to spot my favorite student alone~"

As Hoshinomiya-sensei got closer, Ayanokouji could catch the strong scent of alcohol and realized that Hoshinomiya-sensei had been drinking. Judging from her actions, Ayanokouji assumed that she's getting quite tipsy and had a fair amount to drink.

"Are you drunk, sensei?" asked Ayanokouji.

"No! Just had a little to drink. Hee hee~" said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"You should take it easy, sensei."

"I still have a lot to go through before I really get hammered. Maybe you can join me.~"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Bringing a minor to a bar."

"C'mon, Ayanokouji-kun. You're under adult's supervision."

"I don't think you will be considered an adult, sensei."

"How mean! Well, I'm going to go get some drinks."

Hoshinomiya-sensei began to walk away from Ayanokouji, but stopped after a few steps.

"You know, I don't mind a little sass from my students. But, I'll give you a word of advice: do not trust Sae-chan. She's a lot meaner than you." said Hoshinomiya-sensei. Ayanokouji was confused on why Hoshinomiya-sensei brought up Chabashira-sensei since he had never mentioned her before.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Think of it as advice to my favorite student." replied Hoshinomiya-sensei, shooting Ayanokouji a playful wink.

Without any further explanation, Hoshinomiya-sensei walked away and she stumbled a little bit before she disappeared around the corner. Ayanokouji got the feeling that Hoshinomiya-sensei wasn't just teasing Chabashira-sensei, but there was something else deeper. Ayanokouji walked back to the elevator and selected the 2nd floor. Ayanokouji had a feeling that this upcoming special exam is going to push Class D to their limits.

*Timeskip (next morning)*

Ayanokouji woke up and got dressed before leaving the cabin. He noticed that Koenji was already gone and Hirata was starting to wake up.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun." said Hirata.

"Morning, Hirata." said Ayanokouji.

"Do you want to join me for breakfast?"

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, Karuizawa won't like that."

"I'm sure if I explain to her, it would be fine."

"If you need to explain to your girlfriend that a classmate is going to join you for breakfast, then the answer is obvious."

Hirata paused and smiled before Ayanokouji said his goodbyes and left the cabin. He wondered what Chabashira-sensei's warnings about an upcoming special exam meant and wondered if it had to do with the deserted island since that's where the ship is heading. Ayanokouji decided to go up to the highest deck and when he did, Ayanokouji caught a beautiful overhead view of the ship and the surrounding ocean. He could see a faint view of the deserted island from his vantage point. There was a cafe on this level and Ayanokouji walked there to get some breakfast. Ayanokouji got some muffins and a coffee before sitting down at an empty table. He enjoyed his breakfast and noticed that there weren't too many people here. After a few more minutes, Ayanokouji tossed away the trash into the nearest bin and walked towards the railing. He watched as the ship got closer to the deserted island and heard someone call his name.

"Ayanokouji!" said Ike, waving at him. Yamauchi and Sudou seemed to be with him. Ayanokouji gave them a nod as they stood next to Ayanokouji, staring at the deserted island.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing. I can't wait to go there." said Ike, excitedly.

"Hell, yeah! We get to see the girls in their swimsuits and party at the beach!" said Yamauchi, happily. It appears that Ike's and Yamauchi's reasoning is different from what Ayanokouji had in mind.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Kushida. Ayanokouji saw that Kushida was with Mii-chan and Ichihashi. Ike's and Yamauchi's faces brightened as they saw Kushida. Kushida greeted Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi as Mii-chan and Ichihashi said their greetings to Ayanokouji. They were talking about beautiful scenery and their plans for the deserted island. As they were talking, the ship's PA systems came online.

"Attention, students. Please assemble on the deck. You will be able to see the island soon. This is a good time to take in some rather significant scenery."

Ayanokouji found the announcement issued from the ship's PA strange. but Kushida and the others didn't seem to mind, looking forward to what was to come. The island got closer on the horizon and became fully in view as the sip got closer and closer. A few minutes after several more students had gathered, Ike let out a gleeful cry. Other students noticed and began assembling on the deck. After a crowd had gathered, a group of boys and girls showed up and began pushing Ayanokouji 's group out of the way in order to get the best position.

"Hey, you're in the way. Move it, you defects." said one of the boys, shoving Ayanokouji's shoulders in an attempt to intimidate me. Ayanokouji quickly grabbed onto the deck's railing to keep from falling. The other students laughed scornfully.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?!" snapped Sudou, immediately trying to intimidate them right back. Kushida, looking worried, came to Ayanokouji's side. Mii-chan and Ichihashi were also by his side and looked worried about this sudden appearance of Class A students.

"You do understand how this school is structured, right? Class D doesn't get any human rights. Defects like you are just that—defective—so you should submit. We're all in Class A over here."

Sudou looked displeased but managed to restrain himself from engaging in a fistfight. The crowd backed away but watched on.

"What's wrong, defect? You know I'm right. Now, out of the way." said the boy. The boy attempted to push back Sudou, who didn't even flinch and was unfazed by it as the boy couldn't push past Sudou.

"Is that all you got?" asked Sudou, looking unimpressed.

The boy growled and some of the Class A boys stepped in and it's Sudou against 4 other boys. The 2 girls from Class A stayed back and called Sudou and the rest of Class D by some unsavory names. Sudou balled his fist and looked like he's ready to start swinging and the crowd noticed that and backed away.

"Oi! What are you doing, Totsuka-kun?" asked Nishi. She came from the crowd along with Tamiya, Tsukaji, and Nishikawa. Totsuka and the rest of Class A students scowled or gave a look of disgust at them. Ayanokouji found it strange since they're classmates. Ayanokouji might have not known some of his classmates well, but he didn't actually hate them, and he wondered if something happened between the 2 groups of Class A students.

"None of your business, Nishi. Just putting some defects in their place." said Totsuka.

"I'm not a big fan of you starting a troublesome situation. How unbefitting of Class A." said Tsukaji, with her usual blank expression.

"Unbefitting my ass! The only thing that is unbefitting is you guys. You should-" said Totsuka, glaring at Tsukaji. One of the boys quickly nudged Totsuka's arms.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Look where we are!" said one of the other boys, gesturing at the crowd. Totsuka looked enraged, but he seemed to understand what's going on.

"Tsk! It's a good thing that Machida stops me." said Totsuka. He seemingly looked annoyed by this, but refrained from saying anything more. Ayanokouji had a feeling that Totsuka almost said something that he shouldn't in front of everyone and Machida managed to stop him, but Ayanokouji had an idea on what Totsuka was trying to hide.

"Wow. Such a good thing. With your big mouth, the entire school probably knows." said Nishikawa, sarcastically. Totsuka glared at the 4 girls and then Tamiya saw Ayanokouji.

"Oh! Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Didn't see you there." said Tamiya, waving at him. Everyone stopped and stared at Ayanokouji and Tamiya except for Nishi, Tsukaji, and Nishikawa. They clearly didn't expect Tamiya to know Ayanokouji. And before anyone could react, Nishi, Tsukaji, and Nishikawa said their greetings to Ayanokouji.

'I feel like you guys are making this worse somehow.' thought Ayanokouji.

This got Ayanokouji more stares and Ayanokouji could feel the stares of Kushida, Mii-chan, and Ichihashi on him. They clearly didn't expect Ayanokouji to know so many girls, especially from other classes.

"Hello, everyone." said Ayanokouji, calmly. He hoped that this little issue of knowing way too many girls will come back to haunt him in the future.

"Wait! You're the guy from before said." said Totsuka, squinting at Ayanokouji. Apparently, he recognized Ayanokouji before.

"Yeah! He's the guy from before." said a girl. It was the girl that Ayanokouji remembered seeing from his previous encounter with Class A. She was the girl that was glaring at him during their last encounter. The girl has shoulder-length wavy blonde hair with pink-colored eyes. She seemed to be quite fashionable and had some light make-up on along with striking pink color on her nails. She seemed to be a fashion gyaru and she gave Ayanokouji one quick look.

"You have a strange taste for boys, Tamiya-san." said the girl, not impressed by Ayanokouji's demeanor.

"W-What are you saying, Koharu-san? I-I'm not into Ayanokouji-kun." stammered Tamiya, a little flustered by this. Ike's and Sudou's eyes widened as they realized that Ayanokouji literally just got rejected in front of everyone.

Yamauchi stifled his laughter and some of the boys in the crowd saluted Ayanokouji's sacrifice. Ayanokouji just blankly stared at them as if he couldn't believe that just happened. He thought something like this only happens in anime, manga, or a work of fiction, but this scene is unfolding right in front of him. Mii-chan, Kushida, and Ichihashi were secretly happy about this.

"Oh. Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. I didn't mean like that." said Tamiya, realizing her mistake.

"All good. I know you didn't mean that." said Ayanokouji. "So... what did Totsuka mean by you guys being unfit?"

Ayanokouji decided to quickly change the topic before it got out of hand. It seemed like it worked and diverted some of the attention away from Ayanokouji. Totsuka seemed flustered by what Ayanokouji said.

"U-Uhh... N-Nothing! Let's get out of here, guys. Don't want to lose all of my brain cells with these defects around." said Totsuka. Machida, Koharu, and the rest of their group left with Totsuka, but before they left, they gave Tamiya and her friends one last look. The crows slowly began to disperse as some of the students left the deck while others went to various spots on the deck to get a better view at the island. Ayanokouji noticed that Totsuka's group seemed to have stopped at the other end of the deck next to a bald man. He saw the bald man talking to Totsuka, who lowered his head.

"Sorry about our classmates." said Tamiya, getting Ayanokouji's attention.

"It's all right." said Ayanokouji.

"See you around, Ayanokouji-kun." said Tamiya. Nishi, Nishikawa, and Tsukaji said their goodbyes and they retreated down the stairs and onto the lower deck. Ayanokouji turned around and saw Mii-chan, Ichihashi, and Kushida staring at him.

"I'm going to have to explain myself, do I?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yep!" said Ichihashi and Mii-chan.

"You sure do know a lot of cute girls, don't you Ayanokouji-kun." said Kushida. "I'm sure you're happy about that."

"Yeah. Who wouldn't?" said Ayanokouji. Mii-chan, Kushida, and Ichihashi were surprised by Ayanokouji's honesty and bluntness.

"You're not supposed to be agreeing!" protested Ichihashi. Mii-chan nodded quickly, but she had a flustered expression. On the other hand, Kushida gave Ayanokouji a smile, but Ayanokouji could sense a dark and cold presence behind that happy, angelic smile.

"I'm always surrounded by cute girls, but nothing can top the 3 of you." said Ayanokouji. As soon as Ayanokouji said that all 3 girls were flabbergasted and was tongue-tied, unable to reply to Ayanokouji's smooth line. Mii-chan's, Ichihashi's, and Kushida's face turned bright red as they got flustered over Ayanokouji's words.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun!" yelped Ichihashi.

"Y-You..." squeaked Mii-chan, unable to continue on.

"Y-You shouldn't say things like that. P-People might get the wrong idea." said Kushida, helping Mii-chan finish her sentence. Mii-chan nodded and averted her eyes.

"I only stated the truth." said Ayanokouji.

"T-That doesn't make it any better. But I'm happy about it though I wish I was the only one you said it to." said Ichihashi, muttering the last part to herself.

Ayanokouji titled his head, and he noticed that Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou were a few feet away, not paying attention to the conversation that Ayanokouji and the girls were having. They were whispering to each other and looked excited and determined for some reason. Ayanokouji was glad that they were listening in

otherwise Ike and Yamauchi might have lost it if they heard what Ayanokouji said to Kushida and the others. Ayanokouji turned his attention back to the island and noticed that the ship would have gone directly to the island, but for some reason, the ship passed the pier and started circling around. Eventually, the boat made a complete pass around the island. The ship continued to circle without changing speed, barely making a splash as it

moved almost unnaturally fast through the water.

'Why are they circling the island? Does the school want us to see how big the island is or is something that's going on? I noticed some interesting landmarks and things when we were circling that island.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Such a mysterious sight! It's so moving! Don't you think so, Ayanokouji-kun?" said Kushida.

"I suppose." said Ayanokouji.

Then, the PA system blared to life making an announcement over the speakers: "We will disembark in thirty minutes. Please assemble it on the deck. All students should have changed into their jerseys. Make sure to check your designated bag and your luggage, and do not forget your cell phone. Please keep all other personal items in your room. There is a possibility that you will not be able to visit the bathroom for some time, so please do so now."

Ike and the others went to change in high spirits. Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Mii-chan, Kushida, and Ichihashi as they went their separate ways.

Ayanokouji started heading toward his cabin where he put on the jersey that was used for gym class, returned to the ship's deck, and waited until the ship reached the island. As the island drew closer and closer, the first years' enthusiasm reached its peak.

"We will disembark now, beginning with the students from Class A. Cell phones are prohibited on the island. Please hand your phone to your homeroom teacher as you leave." said the loudspeaker. Following the loudspeaker's command, the students went down the stairs in an orderly fashion.

"Come on. Hurry up! Even though we're wearing thin clothes, we're all sweating!" protested Ike. Some students from Class D and C were making similar complaints since they had to wait longer than the other class.

There was no place to hide from the sun on the ship's deck. No surprise that people were complaining. The Class D students waited on standby in the heat. Horikita finally joined the class. At first glance, it didn't appear as though anything had changed, but there was a slight difference—something felt out of place. Ayanokouji noticed that the usual Horikita that is so meticulous, was concerned about her appearance with disheveled hair. It was clear that she had been sleeping. She seemed a bit cold, unconsciously rubbing her arms as they waited to disembark and set foot on the island.

"What were you doing until now?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I was just reading a book in my room." said Horikita, rubbing her arms.

Ayanokouji knew enough about Horikita to know that she's lying. He wondered what Horikita's priorities were and found it suspicious that she would shut herself off in her room to read.

"I'm anxious about what's coming, but since we're prohibited from bringing personal items along there's nothing I can really do." said Horikita.

Ayanokouji noticed that disembarking is taking longer than expected and saw that the teachers guarded the students on both sides as they got off the ship and checked their luggage which he found suspicious. Ayanokouji also spotted a helicopter on the stern of the ship.

'Why would they need to search everyone's luggage? This might be a part of the new special exam. And if someone suddenly got ill, the helicopter was there for dispatch. That's probably the purpose of the helicopter.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Hey. Does it seem like they're being strangely cautious right now? On their guard? I mean, they didn't even confiscate our cell phones during the final. They're really cracking down on the personal items." said Ayanokouji, watching the teachers searching the student's luggage.

"It certainly seems that way. I mean, if we're just playing in the ocean, I can't imagine they'd need to go this far." said Horikita, noticing it as well.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, Ayanokouji got off the ship with Horikita along with the rest of Class D. They followed Chabashira-sensei to an empty spot on the beach and stood alongside with the rest of the classes.

"I will now start a roll call for Class D. When you hear your name, please respond loud and clear." said Chabashira-sensei. She started taking attendance, clipboard in hand, while simultaneously instructing everyone to form a line. Chabashira- sensei wore the same kind of jersey as her students.

"Oh, come on! I want my free time already! The sea is right in front of me!" muttered Ike. After Chabashira-sensei finished taking roll, she retreated and stood behind Mashima-sensei. The other 2 teachers stood behind him as Mashima-sensei turned on the megaphone and began to speak through it.

"First, I would like to say that I'm happy you've arrived safely. However, it's unfortunate that one of you was unable to participate due to illness." said Mashima-sensei. Ayanokouji noticed some strange things like the homeroom teachers surveying the students in silence and adults in uniform setting up some kind of special tent nearby along with a computer and other equipment on a long table. It seemed that some of the students noticed it and were just as perplexed as Ayanokouji.

"Well then. We shall commence the current academic year's first special exam." said Mashima-sensei, delivering the bad news that Ayanokouji already knew. He was silently taking note of all of the unusual things that were happening in front of him and behavior.

"Huh? Special exam? What do you mean?"

That was the sentiment of almost everyone in Class D and people from various classes. They were under the assumption that it was just a class trip, only to be hit by this surprise attack.

"The test commences now and lasts for one week, concluding on August 7th at the year's end. This test will determine if you can live on a deserted island together as a group. In addition, I should warn you that this special test is both practical and realistic, designed based on real-world corporate training." said Mashima-sensei.

"Living on a deserted island. Does that mean we're not staying on the boat, but the island?" asked a student from Class B. Some students from Class B and C voiced their obvious concerns.

"You are correct. During the test, you will not be allowed to board the ship without a suitably justifiable reason. It will be necessary for you to fend for yourselves on this island while you are here, from creating a place to sleep to preparing food to eat. Once the test starts, each class will receive two tents, and two flashlights. You will be provided with one box of matches. There is no limit to the amount of sunscreen you can have. Each student will be provided with one toothbrush. As a special case, girls will be allowed to have as many feminine sanitary products as they'd like, without any restrictions. Please ask your respective homeroom teachers for those. That is all." said Mashima-sensei. With a nod, the teachers began distributing the items.

"Huh?! So we have to live like survivors on a deserted island?! I don't want to hear this kind of insanity! This isn't an anime or a manga or something! We can't all sleep together in just two tents! And what are we supposed to do about food in the first place? This is unbelievable!" grumbled Ike, loud enough for everyone to hear.

'Developing skills of self- sufficiency on a deserted island—hunting wild animals, washing in the river, building bedding from tree branches—it certainly was like something you'd see in a movie or read about in a book. Unless someone has prior experience with something like this, no one would have imagined that the school would put us through a test like this.' thought Ayanokouji.

"You may say this is unbelievable, but that's because you've lived a short, superficial life. There is an actual, prominent company that holds training sessions on uninhabited islands." said Mashima-sensei.

"Huh? B-but this...this isn't special at all. Is it? Isn't it too much to ask for us to start living on a deserted island with no warning? No way! This is unreal!" said Ike.

"Keeping on like that would be shameful, Ike, so stop talking. What Mashima- sensei just said is only part of it. There are many companies in the world with many different training activities. There are workplaces where there aren't any chairs in the office, and companies that decide salaries with dice rolls. The world is wider and deeper than you even know." chided Chabashira-sensei. "In other words, you are ill-equipped to distinguish between what is reality and what isn't."

Many of the students appeared unconvinced and wore dissatisfied looks, unconvinced by Mashima-sensei's explanation.

"I assume you're all thinking something like, 'What does this test mean?' Or perhaps some of you doubt the existence of such training programs. However, students who remain at such a base level of thought are unlikely to become anyone promising in the future. What is your basis for determining this to be 'unbelievable' or 'ridiculous'? You're just students. In my opinion, you're all equally worthless. What kind of insignificant person determines that they can criticize a leading company? That's bizarre. Were you a president in charge of one such notable business, then you might have some right to deny our claims. However, there shouldn't be any grounds for someone from your station to be able to do that." said Mashima-sensei.

"But, teacher, isn't this supposed to be our summer vacation? We were brought here under the pretext of going on a relaxing trip. Don't you think that bringing us here and then springing this corporate training on us could be considered unfair?" said one student from Class B. Some of the students in Class D began to protest along these lines.

"I see. I suppose that you're not wrong about that. I can understand why you would be discontented." said Mashima-sensei. There were students who were dissatisfied with the current situation, and those who were dissatisfied with the process as a whole.

"However, please do not worry. It would make sense for you to have complaints if you were being forced into a harsh situation. However, even though we're calling it a special test, there's no need to think about it in such unhappy terms. In the coming week, you can go swimming, or hold a barbecue. It wouldn't be a bad time for you to occasionally have a campfire and chat with friends, either. The theme of this special exam is 'freedom', after all." said Mashima-sensei.

"Huh? Huh? The theme is freedom? We can have a barbecue. Hmm? And this is still called a test? I'm so confused..." muttered Ike, confused on the two contradictory words of test and freedom. Even though this was a test, people were free to play. The contradiction confused the students, and their doubts only increased.

"As a major part of this special test, we've decided to distribute 300 points to each class. By using your points well, you might be able to enjoy this week's special test just as you would a normal trip. We've also prepared a manual just for that purpose." said Mashima-sensei. The other homeroom teachers grabbed a copy of the booklet which seemed to be a few dozen pages thick and walked to their respective classes.

"This manual lists all of the ways you can obtain points. It also explains where to get drinking water and food, as well as essential necessities. If you want to have a barbecue, it explains how to prepare the equipment and ingredients. We also have numerous tools for you to be able to enjoy playing in the ocean to the fullest." said Mashima-sensei. Gradually, the students' grim expressions grew calmer.

"So, we can do whatever we want with the 300 points?" asked one student.

"That's right. It's possible to arrange for anything using your points. Of course, it's necessary for you to use them in a systematic way, but with a solid plan, you can spend your week without any difficulties."

"B-but, teacher. You said this was a test, right? So shouldn't there be some kind of difficulty to it?" asked another student.

"No, there's nothing difficult. It won't even have any adverse effects on your second semester. I guarantee it."

"So it's really okay for us to just have fun for one week?"

"That's right. You're all free to do what you want. Of course, there are some bare minimum rules that you need to abide by as a group, but there shouldn't be anything difficult about that."

'If that were true, then did that mean there really was no risk? In that case, we should ask if he could explain the purpose of this test. Was it linked to some kind of exchange between grade levels? I couldn't understand the school's true intentions... There must be something else going on otherwise Chabashira-sensei wouldn't have blackmailed me and warned me earlier about this exam.' thought Ayanokouji.

"When this special test period is over, each class's remaining points will be added to their total class points. Your point totals will reflect this change once summer vacation is over." said Mashima-sensei. As he spoke, a gust of wind blew across the beach and kicked up a cloud of dust as the 4 classes fell into silence in a mixture of shock and surprise. Ayanokouji's class began to realize that they can start gaining class points now and Ayanokouji knew this was meant to not create a huge gap between each class.

"So if we can endure this for one week, then starting next month we could see a huge increase in our allowance?!" asked Ike. Mashima-sensei nodded before continuing.

"Each class will receive one copy of the manual. If the manual is lost, you may have another copy. However, it will consume points, so please be very careful. Also, the student who was marked absent from this trip was from Class A. According to the rules of this special test, should any student have to leave due to illness, there will be a thirty-point penalty to the class as a whole. Therefore, Class A will be starting with 270 points." said Mashima- sensei.

The students from Class A were visibly trembling, noticing how many points they lost from one absence. The other classes also appeared shocked. As soon as Mashima-sensei had finished speaking, he told everyone to disperse. Another teacher's voice came over the ship's loudspeaker, telling us that each class would receive supplementary instructions from their respective homeroom teachers. Class D gathered around Chabashira-sensei. The four classes had congregated in order to keep some distance from each other.

"Thirty thousand points next month, thirty thousand points next month, thirty thousand points next month. Let's do it!" said Ike. Most of the boys agreed that was their goal and the girls happily discussed what things they would buy. It seemed that Class D's dearest wish, to increase their points, seemed to have united the class together.

"I will now hand out wristwatches to every one of you. You are not to take them off until the end of the test. If you remove your wristwatch without permission, you will be punished. This watch doesn't just tell time. Its sensors also check your body temperature, your pulse, and even your movements. It's equipped with a GPS. Also, in the off chance something bad does happen, this watch comes equipped with the means to notify the school. If you find yourself in an emergency situation, please do not hesitate to push that button." said Chabashira-sensei. Ayanokouji noticed how fancy and expensive the watches are and wondered how much it cost for the school to pay for it.

Each student of Class D was handed a box and inside was the watch that Chabashira-sensei described. Then, everyone was instructed to put it on.

"When you say an emergency, do you mean, like, if a bear shows up?" asked a student.

"Even if that was a joke, the test has already begun. I cannot answer any questions that might possibly influence your results." replied Chabashira-sensei.

"Uh...that's a kinda freaky answer."

"I don't think there are any wild animals here. If one of the students were injured, that would be a big problem. They probably gave us these watches solely to manage our well-being. Don't you agree? We're on an uninhabited island, after all, and the school has to ensure our safety." said Hirata, which seemed to have calmed the fears of some people in the class.

"Is it okay for us to get in the water wearing these?" asked another student.

"There shouldn't be any problem. They're waterproof. However, should they malfunction, immediately report to a test administrator and exchange it for a replacement." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Chabashira-sensei. I understand that we're going to be spending one week on this island, but is it possible to get by without using any points?" asked another student, bringing up a valid concern.

"Hmm. Well, the school isn't involved in the test process at all. That means that you must prepare your own food and water. Thinking of solutions to resolve the issue is part of the test. I don't know of any way of doing so without points." said Chabashira-sensei. That seemed to have put the class's mood into a state of confusion as they realized the tasks that they must complete to ensure that they survive a week on the island.

"Don't worry. If we can catch fish and pick fruit in the forest, then we'll be fine. We can also use leaves and trees to make tents and stuff. And even if you start not feeling great, do your best!" said Ike, seemingly without any worry at all.

"I'm sorry, Ike, but I don't think things will go as you've planned. Open your manual." said Chabashira-sensei. Hirata opened the manual.

"First, I'd like you to read the last page, where the penalties are listed. This is very important information that encapsulates the difficulties of this special test. It will determine whether you live or die." said Chabashira-sensei.

On the last page, a line read, "These penalties will be applied to anyone who falls under the following conditions:"

"Anyone deemed unable to continue the test due to significant deterioration in health or serious injury will be penalized by thirty points. That student will then retire."

"In the event a student has polluted the environment, he or she will be penalized twenty points."

"In the event students are absent during the 8 AM or 8 PM roll call, five points will be taken for each student absent."

"In the event a student is found guilty of an act of violence toward another class, robbing another class, or causing damage to another class' property, etc., the offending student's class will immediately be disqualified, and the individual will forfeit all of his or her private points."

Ayanokouji noticed how strict the rules are and how if a class proceed recklessly, it will ruin their chance of gaining any class points.

"You are free to behave as you wish. However, if ten students fall into poor health, then all your efforts will be for nothing. Once a student has retired from the test, he or she cannot come back." said Chabashira-sensei.

"In other words, using at least some points is unavoidable?" asked Shinohara.

"I disagree with the idea of compromising right away. I think that we ought to persevere for as long as we can." said Ike.

"I understand how you feel, but it'll be bad if our health suffers." said Hirata.

"Come on, Hirata, don't be so discouraging! This is a test of our patience, right?" said Ike.

'The more we understood the rules, the less we could agree on a course of action. Our opinions were divided. At any rate, there were a wide variety of items for purchase in the manual: essential equipment for surviving, like tents and cookware; machines and tools, like digital cameras and wireless transceivers/walkie-talkies; items for amusement, like umbrellas, floaties, stuff for a barbecue, and fireworks; and food and water, the bare essentials. We could prepare for anything with our points. Apparently, anyone could request something, and just report to their homeroom teacher in order to use points to purchase it. How interesting…' thought Ayanokouji.

"Chabashira-sensei, can I ask you something? In the event that someone were to retire after we had already used all 300 points, what would happen?" asked Horikita.

"In that case, all that would increase is the number of people forced to retire. Your points can't be changed any more after reaching zero." said Chabashira- sensei.

"So, in other words, we can't get into negative points during the test?"

Chabashira-sensei nodded before continuing.

"Each one of the supplied tents is large enough to accommodate eight people. The tents weigh close to fifteen kilos, so please be careful when carrying them. Also, the school will not step in to help should your supplied items become lost or damaged. In the event that you need a new tent, remember to use your points." said Chabashira-sensei.

"May I ask something? Where will the roll call be held?" asked Horikita.

"Each class will be accompanied by their respective homeroom teachers until the test is over. If you've decided where you want your base camp to be, report it.

Once the base is set up, I will hold a roll call there. Make sure that you think long and hard about it, because you can't change your base camp location without a justifiable reason once you've decided. The other classes are subject to the same conditions. There are no exceptions."

'Did that mean that Chabashira-sensei was going to spend a week together with Class D, as our supervisor? Of course, she probably wasn't going to help us.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Hey, teacher. I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're talking, but that juice from earlier went right through me. Where's the toilet?" asked Sudou.

"The toilet, huh? I was about to get to that point. If you want to use the bathroom, use this." said Chabashira-sensei, grabbing one of the cardboard boxes from a stacked pile. She peeled off the packing tape and took out some collapsed cardboard.

"Huh? What's that?" asked Sudou.

"It's a basic toilet. Each class will be supplied with one. Please handle it carefully."

The girls were shocked by this revelation.

"Don't tell me we have to use that?!" asked Shinohara, raising her voice in horrified surprise.

"Both the boys and girls will use it. But do not worry, it comes with a single button tent that you can use when you want to change. That way, no one will be able to see you." said Chabashira-sensei.

"That's not the problem! Th-that's just a cardboard box! This is absolutely impossible!"

"It might be a cardboard box, but it's an especially well-made one. It can even be used in a disaster. I'll show you how to use it, so please commit this to memory."

While the girls booed her, Chabashira-sensei assembled the toilet. It seemed she was familiar with setting it up. Then she put a blue vinyl bag on it, and placed what looked to be a white sheet inside.

"This sheet is made of water-absorbing polymer. It covers and solidifies waste. It'll make the waste invisible, and also suppress the smell. After you finish using it, stack another sheet on top. By repeating this process, it's possible to get around five uses with one vinyl bag. These vinyl bags and sheets will be supplied to you in unlimited amounts. You can even change them after every use, if you want." said Chabashira-sensei.

"There's just no way I can do this! Absolutely no way!" protested Shinohara and nearly all of the girls rejected the idea.

"Come on, just deal with it. This isn't the time to fight, Shinohara." said Ike.

"Don't screw around! It probably doesn't matter to you boys. There's no way I can go to the bathroom in a cardboard box."

"The decision is yours. However, you are not permitted to relieve yourselves in the forest, the sea, or rivers. Do not forget that." said Chabashira-sensei, sounding uninterested.

"But, but I definitely can't do it in a cardboard box! Besides, the guys are going to be close, right? That's gross!" said Shinohara.

"What the heck? I don't get why you're treating us like perverts." said Ike.

"It's true though, isn't it? You do seem to be really perverted."

"Huh? Jeez, that hurts! I'm a super gentleman!"

"Don't make me laugh. A gentleman? Get real. You're by far the top contender for biggest pervert."

Sparks flew as Ike and Shinohara got into a heated argument. It seemed that Shinohara had an extreme level of distrust towards Ike, Yamauchi, Sudou, and some of their boys in the class due to their past actions, especially the time where most of the boys were participating in betting on the girls' breast size and attempting to record them in their swimsuits. Although it was about 2 months ago, Shinohara harbored mistrust and suspicion towards them.

"Anyway, it's impossible for me." said Shinohara. It seems that half of the girls agreed with her.

"Well then, what are you going to do? It'd be impossible for you to not use the bathroom for one whole week, right?" said Ike, pointing out the obvious.

"That's—"

"Yoo-hoo!" called out a voice. Chabashira-sensei, who recognized the voice, turned around with a disgusted expression on her face. Hoshinomiya-sensei rushed at Chabashira-sensei and hugged her tightly from behind.

"What are you doing?" grunted Chabashira-sensei.

"What, I can't be friendly? I honestly wanted to see what you'd do." said Hoshinomiya-sensei. She gently caressed Chabashira-sensei's arms. "Whenever I touch your hair, Sae-chan, it's always so smooth!"

"Don't you understand the school's rules at all? Eavesdropping on other classes when they are giving information is inexcusable." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Aw, I'm just an unimportant teacher, though. Even if I did hear something, I'd never tell. But doesn't this feel like fate? I can't believe that we both came to this island together."

'Fate? Another hidden meaning…' thought Ayanokouji.

"Shut up. Just hurry back to Class B." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Ah, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei, noticing him and waving at him. This got the attention of everyone in the class, especially Ayanokouji's soulmates, who stared at him. Ayanokouji gave her a slight bow.

"Summer is the season of love. If you want to confess your feelings to a girl you like, perhaps it'd be more effective while standing before the beautiful ocean?" said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"The ocean may be beautiful, but I can't afford to do that during class." said Ayanokouji.

"You need to be more carefree!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei. "How about you let me take care of your problem?~"

Everyone's eyes widened at what Hoshinomiya-sensei was implying. Some of the boys gave Ayanokouji a jealous look while others muttered curses at him. On the other hand, some of the girls were shocked while Ayanokouji's soulmates were giving a cold and dark look.

'Stop. Stop it, Hoshinomiya-sensei. I actually want to live. It's a shame that I'm on a deserted island where something unfortunate might happen to me if you don't stop.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji felt a hint of embarrassment as everyone in the class was staring at him and Hoshinomiya-sensei. He did not want to be the center of attention and wished that she would disentangle herself from his romantic life.

"Hey. Should I report you to the school authorities for behavioral problems? Besides, I don't have any more time." said Chabashira-sensei. "And I told you to stop bothering my student."

"Ooh, don't glare at me like that. Fine, fine, I get it. See you later!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei, with a pout before walking away with a sad look on her face.

Chabashira-sensei immediately started on a new topic. Ayanokouji could still feel the stares from his soulmates directed at him, but he realized that Chabashira- sensei was changing the subject and diverting the attention from him.

"Well then, allow me to explain some additional rules." said Chabashira-sensei.

"A-additional rules? There's more?" yelped Mori.

"Soon you will be permitted to roam about freely, but there are several designated 'spots' on the island. In these spots, there is what's referred to as the right of exclusive possession, and only the class that occupies that spot may exercise those rights. The class that obtains those rights is entirely free to determine how they wish to exercise them. However, rights of exclusive possession are only valid for a period of eight hours after being invoked, after which they are automatically revoked. That means that another class can acquire those rights at that time. Also, you gain one bonus point if you occupy a spot once. However, that point is provisional, and cannot be used during the testing period. Therefore, bonus points are calculated and added to your total after the test has ended.

Because the school is constantly monitoring you, there is no room for fraud. Please be aware of that fact." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Huh? Huh? Well...wait, isn't that super important, though?! Getting to add a point is awesome! Leave everything to us!" said Ike. "Let's go looking right away!" said Yamauchi. Ayanokouji was not sure how many spots were on the island, but they were clearly important.

"I can understand your impatience, but be aware of the risks. After you take those risks into account, then you have to consider what to do. Everything is written in the manual." said Chabashira-sensei. "A specialized key card is required to occupy a spot. You can earn one point by occupying a spot each time. Occupied spots can be used freely. You will receive a fifty-point penalty if you use a spot occupied by another class without permission. Only a designated leader can use the key card. It is impossible to change the leader without suitable justification."

Ayanokouji noticed some few details such as how the rights of exclusive possession were reset every eight hours; how if a space wasn't occupied, you could take it immediately; how it was okay for the same class to occupy the same space repeatedly, etc.

'So if one class successfully managed to repeatedly hold onto three spots for eight hours at a time, that class could obtain fifty points or more by the end of the test. However, there were big risks associated. With the rules established thus far, it looked like a simple matter of the early bird getting the worm. It seemed like a good system, if you were able to forcibly occupy spots over and over again. But that was impossible. The final rule detailed why.' thought Ayanokouji.

'On the seventh day, the last day of the test, you had the right to guess at the identity of the other class's leader during roll call. If you managed to get it right, then you could obtain fifty points for each correct guess. Conversely, the other class would have to pay fifty points as compensation. If you moved to acquire a spot without caution, and your leader was discovered, then you could lose a great number of points. So, high risk, high reward. However, the guesses couldn't be hazarded without risk. If you happened to be mistaken, you would suffer a fifty-point penalty for being incorrect. In addition, a class whose leader had been found out would lose all of the bonus points they'd saved up until then. This rule made it so if you didn't have much confidence, you would be hesitant to join the battle to occupy spots. There's a lot of strategies and a surprising amount of depth of complexity for this special exam.' thought Ayanokouji.

"One person must be chosen as the leader, no exceptions. However, you are free not to participate. Please tell me once you've selected someone. At that time, I will provide you with a key card stamped with the leader's name. You have until roll call today. In the event that you do not decide by then, we will decide for you. That is all." said Chabashira-sensei, adding this last part after her long explanation.

"We'll have time later to think about who should be the leader. First, where will our base camp be? Do we camp somewhere around here, on the beach? Or do we go into the forest? We need to think carefully about our spot." said Hirata, taking charge immediately.

The manual included a simple map of the island, with only its size and the shape drawn. Things like the total area of the forest and the topography were completely unknown. It was more like a blank sheet of paper with no guidance and information of the island.

"It's good to have a spot near the boat where lots of teachers are, right?" said one student.

"No, I'm not too sure. There may not be anything here." answered another.

"More importantly, I need to use the bathroom. I can't hold it anymore." said Sudou, grabbing the simple toilet that Chabashira-sensei had made. Some of the boys assembled the one-button tent and set it up a short distance away.

Shinohara and the others observed the situation while huddled tightly together. Chabashira-sensei retreated and watched the class from a distance.

"Hey, Hirata-kun. Isn't it better to decide ahead of time what we should do about the toilet?" asked one of the girls.

"Well, we can talk about a decision, but in the end don't we just have to grin and bear it?" said another.

"No, there could be another way." said Hirata, looking at the manual, and then looking back up.

"It says that temporary toilets can be purchased and installed using our points."

Shinohara and the others immediately gathered around the manual. Apparently, the toilet looked like a flushable and regular toilet which seemed to have convinced the girls to agree to buy the toilet. However, the cost is twenty points per toilet.

"We absolutely need it! I mean, I really don't like that we have to spend points... But if we don't, it's just impossible!" said a girl. It seemed a majority of the girls in the class, triggered by Shinohara's remarks, agreed and didn't intend to budge on this issue.

"W-wait a minute here, you guys! Twenty points?! Just for a toilet?!" protested Ike. His desire to be economical and save points was all-consuming. Also, some of the guys could put up with using a cardboard toilet. They probably wanted to refrain from making unnecessary purchases as much as possible.

"Yes, as a toilet, that one's good. But we already have this one! Right? We still have a lot of time left to use our points. It's bad for us to splurge now!" said Karuizawa.

"You don't get to decide that. Hirata-kun is going to consider all of our opinions and decide. Right, Hirata-kun?" asked Shinohara, for support.

"I see. At the very least, having a toilet for the girls would be—" said Hirata.

"You're free to consider everyone's opinions, but that doesn't mean you get to make decisions." said Ike.

"Yes. A toilet is necessary." said Karuizawa, agreeing with the majority of the girls. "I would like to save some class points, but we have to spend what we gotta spend."

Many of the girls followed Karuizawa and agreed with her statement. However, Yukimura suddenly joined the fight.

"It's not as though I don't understand the girls' desire to have a temporary toilet. However, I'm not convinced that we ought to arbitrarily spend our points, whether it's for boys or girls. I suppose if you want the toilet, then I'd like to at least make a decision after collecting a majority

vote." said Yukimura, voicing his opinion.

"I'm just making a natural request for a girl, that's all. It doesn't involve boys at all." said Karuizawa.

"A natural request? Doesn't involve boys? I can't understand that. Isn't that simply a form of discrimination?"

"Discrimination? Give me a break."

"This test is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bridge our point gap with the other classes. We can't use valuable points on things like temporary toilets. I have no intention of being in Class D forever. I would like for us to uniformly decide upon a clear policy."

"Yes, but..."

"Even money can move based purely on instinct. I hate that women argue so emotionally."

"Huh? That doesn't mean that I want to use our points indiscriminately. What I'm saying is that we should have at least the bare minimum. The least we could do is get a toilet for the girls. Do you not understand that?"

"Both of you calm down. Yukimura-kun, I understand what you mean to say, but if you speak so belligerently we're not going to resolve anything, are we? Let's do this calmly." said Hirata.

"Calmly? Don't you agree that we should, under no circumstances, use our points arbitrarily?" asked Yukimura.

"Well..."

Hirata was caught in an increasingly fraught situation. He didn't know what to do, yet frantically tried to mediate while doing his best not to show mounting concern.

"Class D has no leadership, which worries me. Besides, Hirata's a pushover. He can't even make one decision, can he?" muttered Ayanokouji. He began to notice the flaws of Hirata's leadership and his inability to make a decision especially when there are multiple differing opinions.

"It looks like this test is going to be more complex and challenging than we thought..." said Horikita, sighing.

"It's a chance for us to get a lot of points. Are you okay, Horikita?"

"Y-Yes, I am."

"Horikita, what do you think?"

"Like Yukimura-kun says, I would like to get by without using unnecessary points. However, I'm not confident that I can make it through the week without satisfactory equipment. That's just my honest opinion. However, I think that we ought to challenge ourselves, see how much we can endure. What do you say?"

"I think the same. There's too much we don't know and there's too much risk of not getting equipment for everyone to survive for a week."

"Hey, look. Did Class A and Class B perhaps already decide what they're doing?" said one student. Horikita and Ayanokouji turned towards the direction where the student was pointing at. Ayanokouji saw Class A walk into the forest while Class B continued walking east from the beach.

"Ayanokouji! What do you think?" asked Shinohara, asking for his opinion. She spoke to him more softly than Ike and the other boys similarly to when she's speaking to Hirata. "Should we get a toilet or not?"

"Personally, I would not like to spend the points, but objectively speaking, I believe the most logical choice is to buy a toilet. It will provide better sanitation and hygiene for everyone in the class. Having satisfactory equipment like a toilet should be sufficient enough for everyone and will ensure that everyone can remain on the island for the entire week. I believe the benefits outweigh the cost of 20 points. Besides, we can also gain points from guessing the leaders correctly. It's too unrealistic for us to think we can survive on the island without spending any points. Just remember, just because you can survive doesn't mean others can." said Ayanokouji, stating his honest truth. He also doesn't want to listen to the class argue about toilets any longer and saw the argument as pointless.

Ayanokouji's opinion seemed to have steeled the resolve of the girls as they

nodded in agreement. Some of the boys also agreed to what Ayanokouji said. On the other hand, more stubborn boys like Yukimura and Ike that wanted to save as many points as possible seemed to have scoffed at Ayanokouji and disagreed with him.

"That's right!" said Shinohara.

"Well said, I couldn't agree more." said Karuizawa.

"Let's take a vote. The majority decides whether or not we get a toilet." said Ayanokouji, getting right up to the issue and forcing the class to decide.

"Y-Yes. Let's do that." said Hirata. "All in favor of getting a toilet?"

A majority of the girls including Horikita, Ayanokouji, and some of the boys raised their hands. Hirata counted the number of hands before asking.

"All in favor of not getting a toilet?" asked Hirata. It was already clear on what the class decided, but Hirata still asked for the opposing opinion. Ike, Yukimura, Yamauchi, Sudou, and about half of the boys raised their hands while Hirata counted their hands.

"It's been decided. We are getting a toilet." said Hirata. With that news, most of the girls cheered while the boys from the opposing side just scowled and remained silent. They did not seem happy about the purchase. Ayanokouji heard a laugh from a distance and saw Class C walking to the ship which puzzled Ayanokouji.

"Ah, damn it! This isn't the time for a long, leisurely chat about toilets! I'll go look for camp areas and spots. Yukimura, Shinohara, and the rest of you, don't start spending any more points." said Ike, looking towards the forest.

"Got it. We don't intend to." said Yukimura, agreeing with Ike's notion of not spending any more points.

"Wait a minute, Ike-kun. It's dangerous to go into the forest without a plan." said Hirata.

"Will staying here and worrying solve anything? It won't." replied Ike. Some of the other boys nodded and went with Ike.

"I'll come back once I find a spot we can use. Then, after everyone moves there, we can talk. A simple plan, right?" said Ike.

"Are you going too, Ayanokouji?" asked Sudou.

Ayanokouji shook his head.

"I don't want you three to ever do anything alone. If you get lost, it'll be trouble." said Hirata.

"We get it. All right, we'll look for lots of stuff!"

"It'd be really tough to try building our campsite here."

Some of Ayanokouji's classmates began whining about the intense heat on the beach and some even started sweating. The beach does not seem like an ideal spot for a camp.

"For the time being, how about we find a place in the shade? We can talk while we move." said Hirata, taking the initiative and starting carrying the tent. The other guys followed suit and helped carry the tent. Then, Class D set into the forest. As they walked into the forest, some of the boys began to talk about the exam and how they can survive for a week. The girls were talking about how reliable Hirata is and Ayanokouji got some stares from his soulmates as he walked alongside Horikita. After about 20 minutes of walking, there was a shout of excitement coming from the front of the group.

"Hey! Look at the river over there!" said Ike, excitedly. Before anyone could say anything, Ike ran towards it to check it out. Some of the class followed him and Ayanokouji decided to check it out. There was a river alongside a cave where there's a mechanism embedded into the wall, but here at the river's edge, the equipment was installed on an unnaturally placed boulder. Hirata and his team started setting up the tents and other necessities for camp near the river.

"Okay. The water is beautiful, and there's shade that blocks the sunlight. The terrain is level. This might be the ideal place for our base camp here. Amazing, Ike-kun!" said Hirata.

The river was about ten meters wide, and the water flowed gently. It was amazing. Deep forests and sandy roads surrounded the river, but this place

looked as if it had been maintained. The river was pretty wide, and flowed downstream for quite a ways. At first glance, our flat piece of land was surrounded on all sides by the trees. There may not have been another favorable location like this, but it did seem like this was a natural entranceway to the area. Ayanokouji doubted this location was so naturally perfect and believed that the school had likely set it up for this purpose. The afternoon sun was humid, but at least there was shade in the campsite that protected them from the heat and the direct sunlight.

"So how do we show that this is ours now?" asked Sudou Ayanokouji, who had a sneaking suspicion about the river and walked along the river toward the forest. Horikita tagged along as the duo approached the forest. In the middle of the path, a signboard was affixed to a tree. A message read that the river was a designated spot, and that unauthorized use was prohibited. After casually looking around the area, the duo returned to the others. They reported what they saw to Hirata.

"So if we make this spot our base camp, the problem is whether or not we can occupy it." said Horikita.

"We already decided that this would be it! If we don't choose this spot, what'll we do?" asked Karuizawa.

"We have other choices. If we claim this place, there are obvious merits; we can monopolize the river, for one. Also, we can gain some points by holding this area. However, that requires us to update it once every eight hours, and since the designated leader is the only one who can handle that operation, it'll be serious trouble if he or she is seen. We still don't know if someone might be watching."

This spot was surrounded by forest on all sides. The class couldn't notice a spy in the brushwood and watching them from afar.

"Hmm, so if we stay hidden and protected, it'll be fine, right? We can keep the area surrounded." said Hirata.

'If we made our base camp in this area, there was no way to pin us down. If students from another class took this place, it would become impossible to use the river. It's our best option.' thought Ayanokouji.

Both guys and girls agreed with this idea and another pressing issue is being

presented after the class decided where they should camp.

"Okay. Well, the next question is, who will be the leader?" asked Shinohara. Kushida asked everyone to form a circle where they can discuss this issue.

"I thought a lot of things over. I have to say, Hirata-san and Karuizawa-san just stand out too much, like it or not. However, a leader's no food unless that person has a sense of responsibility, right? I think that Horikita-san meets that criteria. But, what do you think?" said Kushida. Horikita looked like she hadn't expected such a recommendation, but her expression didn't change.

"I agree with Kushida-san. That is to say, I also think that Horikita-san would be a good leader. So long as Horikita-san is okay with it, then I think it'd be good for her to take over. What do you think?" said Hirata.

With everyone's eyes fixed on her, it didn't appear that Horikita was going to refuse.

"I understand. I accept." said Horikita. Hirata handed the card and entrusted it to Horikita.

"We should make a system where every time Horikita-san needs to renew our spot. There should be 8 to 10 people with her when she does it. Form a wall to block her from doing it and everyone needs to touch the device to hide Horikita- san's identity." said Hirata. It seems that he's quite worried about Horikita's identity being discovered.

"Okay, so we've resolved the problems of bathing and drinking water! Right?" said Ike.

"Huh? Drink from the river? Are you insane?" protested Shinohara and some other girls agreed with her.

"Well, it'd be great for swimming, but...to drink from?"

"What the heck? It's perfectly fine. The water's clean and pure, right?"

"Well, yeah. It certainly seems like you can drink it, but..."

"Hey, Hirata-kun. Is it really okay? It's not normal to drink from a river, is it?" asked a girl. Several uneasy girls gathered around Hirata to ask his advice.

"I don't think we can drink from that. Look how inviting the water is. How it flows. It's like perfectly natural spring water!" said Ike, clearly frustrated.

Even though the water didn't look muddy or cloudy, the girls were not the only ones to hesitate. The boys also looked unsure.

"What the heck, you guys? What's wrong with you? There's no reason not to use the river after going through all the trouble of finding it." said Ike.

"Then you drink it, as an experiment." replied Shinohara.

"Huh? Well, fine, whatever..."

Pressured, Ike scooped up some water with his hands and drank.

"Ah! Whew, that's ice cold. It feels great! It's damn good!" said Ike.

"What the hell?! You actually did it?!" exclaimed Shinohara. She couldn't believe Ike would do it and thought he would not do it at all.

"Well, I know what I know. And I know that the water is good and safe to drink."

"Calm down, Shinohara-san, and Ike-kun. I will try next." said Hirata, scooping up some water and taking a sip. The girls audibly gasped and widened their eyes to Hirata's actions. After a moment, Hirata smiled.

"The water seems fine, everyone." said Hirata. "It's safe to drink."

"Why did you do that, Hirata-kun?"

"That was dangerous."

"Yeah. What if Ike-kun was lying?!"

"Don't worry, everyone. I trust Ike-kun's judgement. It's natural to trust your own classmate, right? Let's do our best to trust each other." said Hirata, with his usual smile. That seemed to have convinced some of the girls that the water was safe. Shinohara and a couple of girls were unsure and a little more skeptical.

"If you are any more convincing, you can boil the water to sterilize it and get rid of all of those germs that you're all scared about." said Ike.

"You're being surprisingly helpful." said Shinohara, sarcastically.

"Hey! I don't want to spend more points than we have to."

"So do I, but how do we know that the water is 100% safe?"

"Well..."

"Let's try breaking apart for a bit. We still have some time. It's not necessary to decide things in a panic." said Hirata. "We will deal with the water issue later."

Hirata went over to Chabashira-sensei to request the temporary toilet. Ike, unable to contain his anger at Shinohara, just kept biting his lip in frustration.

"Damn it! What the hell is Shinohara's deal? It's like she won't even try." grumbled Ike. Upset, Ike skipped a pebble across the river. He got five or six good skips before it effortlessly hit the other bank.

"Hey, you're surprisingly really good at outdoorsy stuff." said Sudou.

"Hmm? Oh, I wouldn't really say that. It's just that I used to go camping together with my family back when I was little. I'm not opposed to drinking river water. I can tell if the water source is clean just by looking." said Ike, honestly.

"Well then, wouldn't it have been a good idea to tell us about your camping experience from the beginning? If you'd gained people's trust, things might've gone more smoothly." said Ayanokouji.

"If I'd been in the Boy Scouts, I'd have legitimate bragging rights. But just going camping isn't anything to brag about. Even if I said anything, it would've been pointless, anyway." replied Ike. "Ahh... it's pointless to be talking about it, but... it seems like it's everyone's first time camping out. I thought that everyone had at least a little experience. I guess the stuff I said was probably a little unreasonable."

It seemed that Ike realized he made a mistake. That was the first time Ike had ever expressed regret.

"Sorry. I gotta think of how to take care of this. I'm gonna go for a swim in the river." said Ike, walking away from the group. Yamauchi and Sudou both walked away and went towards the trees, looking for shade and a way out of the scorching sun.

"What's your strategy, Horikita?" asked Ayanokouji.

"It would be pivotal to keep this spot at all times. This is the perfect camp for us. For the most part, we'll have to establish a routine to keep food." said Horikita. "This exam is quite puzzling and is beyond ordinary for a regular exam. With Kushida-san and Hirata-kun, everything should be running smoothly. We will have to keep the points spending to a minimum. However, it's possible that Ike- kun's knowledge will prove useful. He might be instrumental to Class D. In addition to his outdoor knowledge, he seems to know his way around the forest. Also, since Koenji-kun is basically useless, the class will need Ike to pull them forward."

Ayanokouji eyes Koenji who seemed to be by himself and doing his own things.

"You don't think you can persuade him yourself?" said Ayanokouji, nodding at Koenji.

"Me? Persuade him? You think I can?" asked Horikita.

"Yeah. He doesn't listen to people."

"Then, there's your answer. However, as long as it doesn't prove to be a hindrance to the class, then he's free to do whatever he wants."

The duo fell into a quiet and tranquil silence before Hirata made an announcement.

"Everyone! The toilet is here and being set up!" said Hirata. The girls cheered as 2 staff members wheeled over a porta-potty. They began setting it up as Chabashira-sensei directed where to place it. After a few minutes, the toilet was set up and the staff members left.

"Okay. We should have groups of people scout the forest and the surrounding area." said Hirata. "Are there any volunteers?"

A few people raised their hands, but it seemed that a majority of them wanted to stay at camp. Surprisingly, Koenji volunteered to go, which shocked the majority of the students. Ayanokouji decided to volunteer since there's nothing to do at the camp and he also wants to see what the island has in store.

"Ah! Ayanokouji-kun!" said Hirata, noticing his hands. "Is there anyone else?"

"I-I'll go!" said Sakura, raising her hand shyly. Ayanokouji was surprised that Sakura was taking action and Hirata gave her a gentle smile, thanking her for helping.

"M-Me too." said Inogashira.

"Thank you, Inogashira-san." said Hirata. Ayanokouji approached Hirata and pulled him off to the side, telling him of Ike's experience with camping and the outdoors. Hirata acknowledged it and said he's going to find him and convince him to help out the class. Then, he wished Ayanokouji luck before walking towards the river to find Ike.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Inogashira, shyly approaching him. Ayanokouji could see that Sakura was eyeing them and it seemed that she's trying to find an opportunity to join Ayanokouji.

"Hello, Inogashira. Shall we go together?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Y-yeah." said Inogashira.

"Do you mind if someone else joins us?"

"N-No! Everything is fine. But, I wish that I'm alone with you." said Inogashira, muttering the last part to herself.

"Sakura. Do you want to join us?" asked Ayanokouji, looking directly at Sakura. Sakura nodded quickly and he gestured to her to join him and Inogashira. Sakura shyly joined the group and the trio headed towards the forest. Horikita caught Ayanokouji's eyes and she gave him a nod. It seemed that Horikita seemed to be staying at camp and she took a seat on the ground, next to a tree. Shinohara, Azuma, and Ichihashi gave Ayanokouji a look before they went to their respective groups.

The forest was lush and vibrant with the tall and towering trees stretching up to the sky, providing a dense canopy which provided shade from the hot sun and filtered the sunlight. Everything is a lush green and there were different types of trees and plants grown in the forest. The only saving grace was a gentle breeze that ran down the path as the group continued walking.

"Oho! This is magnificent! As I stand here amongst such vast nature, with an air of composure, I really am too beautiful. The pinnacle of beauty!" said Koenji, loudly. He was on top of one of the tree's highest branches and seemed to be looking off in the west direction. Before Ayanokouji could say anything, Koenji leapt off and began moving rapidly towards the west. Ayanokouji gave Inogashira and Sakura a look before they nodded and followed him. Koenji moves swiftly towards the west and Ayanokouji notices that Sakura is quickly falling behind due to her weak stamina. Sakura tried to catch up, but her foot got caught on a large tree root before she fell backwards. Ayanokouji lunged and tried to grab her, but failed. Sakura landed directly on her back which caused Ayanokouji and Inogashira to stop.

"Are you okay, Sakura-san?" asked Inogashira.

"Ouch. Y-Yeah." said Sakura.

"You'll get hurt if you're not careful in the forest. Here, take my hand." said Ayanokouji, reaching out his hand.

"Th-thank you."

Sakura sheepishly reached for Ayanokouji, but then noticed that her hands were dirty and quickly withdrew. Ayanokouji didn't care that her hands were dirty, though, so he grabbed Sakura's and helped pull her up.

"S-sorry." said Sakura.

"You don't need to apologize." replied Ayanokouji. He brushed the dirt off Sakura's hands and noticed that Koenji was getting farther away from them.

"Koenji. Don't you think it's a bad idea to rush forward like this? We will get lost." said Ayanokouji.

"I am a perfect human being. I would never foolishly lose my way in a forest. If any problem occurs, it would most likely be because you three lost sight of me. When that happens, you should give up."

With a laugh, Koenji sprinted away and disappeared into the forest, leaving Ayanokouji, Inogashira, and Sakura alone.

"We might as well go on our own for a bit before going back to camp." said Ayanokouji. Inogashira and Sakura nodded and they headed off. Ayanokouji and Inogashira slowed their pace down to compensate for Sakura's lack of stamina and slower pace.

"S-Sorry about this. I-I'm too slow." said Sakura, panting. Ayanokouji noticed that she had slowed down significantly.

"Don't worry about it. Take it slow." said Inogashira. "We don't want you to get too tired."

"Yes. It's not like we're in a hurry." said Ayanokouji. Sakura thanked them as they continued through the forest. After about 15 minutes of walking, they approached a clearing towards a mountainside. It appeared to be a large hole in the mountainside: an entrance into a cave. At first glance it appeared to be a natural cave, but upon closer inspection the inside appeared properly reinforced and Ayanokouji wondered if it's man made.

"Could this possibly be...a spot?" said Sakura, noticing the cave.

"Maybe." replied Ayanokouji.

"Let's go get a closer look." said Inogashira, stepping out of the forest.

Suddenly, Ayanokouji heard someone coming out of the cave and quickly grabbed Inogashira's arm and pulled her back into the forest. Inogashira yelped in surprise as Sakura's eyes widened and Ayanokouji clamped Sakura's mouth shut with his other hand to prevent her from making any noise. Inogashira looked like she wanted to say something, but he gestured to her to keep quiet. Inogashira's eyes widened and nodded in realization to what's happening. The two figures were Totsuka and a bald man. Totsuka stood there by the entrance and quietly looked to the southwest for about a minute. The bald man was tightly holding onto what looked to be some kind of card. and stopped next to the Totsuka.

"In a cave this size, we should have enough room for two tents, Katsuragi-san. We sure were lucky. We secured a spot really quickly." said Totsuka.

"Luck? What are you talking about? I figured that there was a cave here even before we landed. Finding it was inevitable. Be mindful of what you say and do. We don't know if anyone is out there listening to us. As the leader, I have a responsibility. Be sure you don't make even the slightest mistake." said Katsuragi sternly.

"S-sorry. But when you say 'since before we landed', what do you mean?"

"Before the ship docked at the pier, it had already taken a trip around the island as a detour for some reason. That was probably a deliberate move by the school to give the students some hints. From the ship's deck, I noticed a path that cut through the forest. All I had to do was take the shortest route from the pier after we'd landed on the path."

"B-but it might've been just a chance for us to enjoy the scenery."

"That was far too long of a roundabout for sightseeing. Besides, the announcement was strange, too."

"I didn't notice anything at all, and yet... Katsuragi-san, you managed to see the school's true intentions. Because of that, you understood there was a cave here. Just as we'd expect from you!"

"Let's go to the next one, Yahiko. It's pointless to linger here after we've claimed the spot. There's a path to two other places that I noticed from the ship. There should be some kind of facility up ahead."

"Y-yeah! If we leave it like this, Sakayanagi will have no choice but to be quiet!"

"If you only look straight ahead, you might overlook things."

"You say that, but isn't it enough just to be cautious of Class B? I mean, Class D is just an assortment of failures, right? They're defective. Considering the point difference, it's probably fine to ignore them, right?"

"That's enough chit-chat. Let's go, Yahiko."

Ayanokouji waited until he could no longer hear their voices or footsteps, and then waited two minutes more. Then, Ayanokouji felt a tug on both of his arms and he turned to look at Sakura and Inogashira. Ayanokouji had wrapped his arms around them and pulled them closer towards him instinctively. Inogashira and Sakura went both blushing heavily as they were so close to Ayanokouji and he could feel their increased heartbeats as their bodies were pressed against each other. Ayanokouji let them go and they took deep breaths.

"D-Did they go?" whispered Sakura.

Ayanokouji looked around and strained his ears hoping to hear them, but Ayanokouji didn't see or hear them.

"I think we're good now. Sorry about that, Sakura, Inogashira." said Ayanokouji, apologizing for his actions.

"I-It's o-okay..." said Sakura.

"E-Everything is fine. All good!" said Inogashira.

Their faces turned so red that Ayanokouji was afraid steam was going to start rising from their body and ears. Sakura sat weakly right down while Inogashira averted her eyes from Ayanokouji.

"Ah, ah, ah... I-I thought I was going to die. My heart stopped..." said Sakur. Ayanokouji hoped that it was an exaggeration.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun is so forceful, huh?" said Inogashira, shifting uncomfortably. Sakura nodded her head and Ayanokouji decided to give them some time. Sakura's breathing stabilized as she adjusted her glasses and their faces seemed to be less red.

"Those two guys seemed like they were from Class A, based on what they were saying." said Ayanokouji. "Let's have a look."

"W-What if they're still there or coming back?" asked Inogashira.

"Don't worry. We can leave if we get caught."

With no one here keeping watch, this spot could be intercepted. After about a minute of waiting, the trio approached the cave entrance and heard or saw anyone. Inside the cave, some kind of terminal device with a monitor was embedded into the wall. The words "Class A" were displayed on the screen, along with a countdown timer that showed seven hours and 55 minutes remaining.

"He said he'd noticed something even before we landed on the island..." said Inogashira. "That could be trouble."

"H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Could that person from before have been... the leader?" asked Sakura.

'She was right. This incident had proved to be a fatal mistake. Class A had to use their key card in order to maintain rights of exclusive ownership to the cave. They had clearly made their leader known to us. Of course, he probably hadn't considered that someone from another class could be watching him, but that had been careless of them.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Wh-wh-what should we do? We just found out an incredible secret!" said Sakura.

"Yeah! We now know whose Class A leader is." said Inogashira, excitedly.

"I'll report it to Hirata later." replied Ayanokouji. With that, the trio quickly made their way back to the camp and luckily, no one saw them leave the cave.

*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji, Sakura, and Inogashira entered Class D's camp and noticed a few changes in the campsite. The two tents were already set up and it seemed that a majority of the boys were sitting on the ground or on logs doing something. As they got closer, Ayanokouji realized that they were using the free waste bags that the school gave out in an unlimited amount for students to collect their trash and they were stuffing the bags with leaves, moss, grass, and other various plant materials. The school wanted to prevent students from polluting the island, so waste bags were provided for the students to store their trash for the week. Ike was instructing them on what to do and based on what Ayanokouji heard, Ike was teaching them how to make makeshift pillows. Ayanokouji could see a few girls and guys carrying sticks to the campsite. Inogashira said her goodbyes to

Ayanokouji and Sakura before rejoining her group. Sakura gave Ayanokouji one last look and a goodbye before leaving and disappearing into the crowd.

Ayanokouji located Hirata who seemed to be setting up a bonfire. "Ayanokouji-kun! You're back." said Hirata.

"Yeah. I got some news, Hirata." said Ayanokouji. He explained what he saw during his scouting mission and his encounter with Class A.

"That's great news! Do you know who he is?" "I think so, but I'll consult with Horikita later."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything else from me."

"What are you doing? Starting a fire?"

"Yeah. The class agreed to buy a box of matches, 4 flashlights, 2 fishing rods, and a pack of 6 rolls of toilet paper, 2 pots and 2 pans."

"How much did you spend?"

"18 points total."

"Did everyone agree to it?"

Hirata's face darkened before he hesitantly said, "Not everyone. Yukimura-kun and a few others wanted to not spend any points, but Ike-kun seems to have agreed."

"Agreed? What changed his mind?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I've talked to him about his experience with camping and I asked if he could help the class out. At first, he didn't want to, but he changed his mind suddenly after I had a little heart-to-heart with him."

"I see."

Ayanokouji wasn't surprised by Hirata's ability to socialize and he managed to convince Ike to help the class even though Ike didn't like Hirata because of Hirata's abilities to do the one thing that Ike couldn't do: get the girls.

"Ike-kun said he could fish from the river, and he seemed quite confident in his abilities. So, I trusted him and bought 2 fishing rods and pots and pans.

Hopefully that can help our food problem." said Hirata.

"Nice work. Where's Horikita?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Horikita-san? She's with Ibuki-san."

"Ibuki?"

Hirata pointed towards the east and Ayanokouji saw Horikita standing nearby a girl with short blue hair with a single strand sticking up. The girl had purple eyes, and she was sitting down with her back against the tree. Ibuki seemed to be staring at the ground and didn't not look interested in anything. Ayanokouji recognized her from earlier in the past weeks as the girl that was following Nishino and Ibuki must be a part of Class C. Ayanokouji wondered why she was here and if the leader of Class C, Ryuuen, had sent her there to spy on them and got caught.

"What is a member of Class C doing here?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yamauchi-kun and a few others found her alone on a path and bruised her. Apparently, she has gotten beaten up by Ryuuen-kun, kicked out of the class, and left to fend for herself." said Hirata. He looked appalled and almost enraged that Ryuuen would do something like that to her classmates.

"That's unfortunate. Is Ibuki staying with us?" asked Ayanokouji.

"That's what we are going to talk about when we get the fire started."

"Here you go, Hirata-kun." said Satou, dropping off some sticks and branches. A few other girls with Satou dropped off their sticks and branches. Hirata smiled and thanked them for the help before calling Ike over.

"Ike-kun, can you please start a fire?" asked Hirata. "I would like to start to get ready before it's evening."

It was late in the afternoon and Hirata was a little concerned about the nighttime and figured a fire would help light up the campsite.

"Leave it to me." said Ike, grabbing a box of matches before effortlessly striking the match and began trying to set the fire. Ike grabbed a bundle of dry grass and made a small pile for the matches. He cupped his hand over the pile and began to blow gently and after a few moments, smoke began coming out and a small fire erupted from the small pile of dry grass. Some of the girls nearby gasped when they saw Ike's skills and Ike began to add small sticks to add more fuel to the fire, increasing the fire's size. After that, Ike increased the number of branches and after a few minutes, the fire grew bigger and was a sustainable and impressive size. The smoke is really building up and can be used as a signal for any lost students.

"Good job, Ike-kun!" said Hirata, pleased by this.

"Hirata-kun!" called out Karuizawa. She was walking back with a couple of girls including Shinohara and they were carrying some waste bags.

"We've found some berries and fruits. We're not sure if they are good to eat." said Karuizawa, showing off the fruits they picked. Ayanokouji saw little red, light-blue, and purple-grayish colored fruits, grapes, kiwis, and a few other little fruits and berries.

"Let me see..." said Ike, looking inside the bag. He took a few fruits and berries out. "Those are not safe to eat, and you can get a bad case of stomachache, but the rest should be fine."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Shinohara, a little skeptical.

"Yeah. I've eaten it before when I went camping in the mountains. Ahh... the good old days." said Ile, sounding genuine, which seemed to have surprised Shinohara and the other girls. Normally, Ike would try to appear cool and show-off, but he had a content and nostalgic smile as he ate some of the fruits. Seeing that, Hirata tried them as well. This got some of the girls to gasp in shock and horror as Hirata literally did a leap of faith, placing his trust in Ike.

"You're right, Ike-kun. They taste really sweet." said Hirata. He turned his attention back towards the girls. "Can you girls bring back more of them for our dinner?"

"I can show them which ones to pick." said Ike. Hirata nodded and thanked him. Ike began explaining and showing the Karuizawa's group on which berries and fruits are safe to eat and ones to pick. After a few minutes of explaining, Karuizawa's group headed back into the forest and Ike began gathering more branches and tinder for the fire.

"Ayanokouji-kun... I was meaning to ask you this, but where's Koenji-kun?" asked Hirata, concerned about Koenji's disappearance.

"Yeah, about that... Koenji ran off during our scouting mission and I haven't been able to find him." said Ayanokouji.

"I hope he's doing okay. Maybe we should send some scout parties."

"I don't think that's a good idea. We could get lost trying to find Koenji and knowing him, he probably makes his way back eventually. Koenji is always doing his own thing."

"I suppose."

Hirata was clearly worried about Koenji but agreed to what Ayanokouji said. Koenji was a mystery, and it was clear that he had a high level of academic and physical abilities.

"I'm going to go around and tell everyone that we're getting dinner and having a meeting by the bonfire in about half an hour." said Hirata, excusing himself. It seemed that Hirata had taken the leadership role and seemed to be keeping the class running smoothly. By the looks of it, Kushida was also doing a similar thing and she and Hirata were the glue that kept the class together. Ayanokouji watched as Hirata moved to various groups and interacted with them with smiles and greetings being exchanged. Then, Ayanokouji looked at Ibuki, who was sitting by herself. Ayanokouji had an uneasy feeling that this special exam is going to change Class D and something big and unexpected is going to happen as Ayanokouji developed a precognition of a bad feeling. It was a feeling that this is the calm before the storm.

Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! I've finished earlier than expected and am publishing it now. Thank you for 400 followers. Another milestone reached. I'm setting an ambitious goal. Can we hit 1k followers before July 5, 2024? That would be my 1st year of writing. I know it sounds crazy, but at my pace, we can hit that goal by then.

This chapter is meant to explain and build up the deserted island special exam. Most of the things I would keep the same in the LN, but only a few minor changes. It will be shown in the next chapter, but think of this as an

introduction.

I want to get this entire summer section over, so I can start working on mini special exams and new special exams for this universe. But, I don't want to rush it otherwise I might ruin the relationship between our boy, Ayanokouji, and his soulmates. I do have some ideas on how to make this summer interesting for our boy (Summer of Love). Stay tuned for that.

Until next time, my dear readers.