The Cruise Ship

Today was the day of the first semester's final exams.

The classroom was filled with an unusual mix of tension and anticipation in the early morning.

Although Chabashira Sae had already made it clear that the exam results wouldn't affect Class Points, the extra reward she'd announced a few days earlier had been like a shot in the arm for Class D.

Chabashira walked calmly to the front of the classroom and swept her gaze over the class. Her clear voice broke the silence. "Let me reiterate: if every student in Class D passes this exam and the final exams in July," she paused slightly, seeing that she had everyone's attention, "then during summer vacation, the school will arrange for our class to visit a Private Island surrounded by blue seas and experience... a dreamlike life."

"Whoa—!" Like a spark landing in a haystack, the classroom burst into flames! The boys gathered at the back of the room, in particular, erupted in deafening cheers almost in unison.

Chabashira's description of "dreamlike life" instantly took shape in their minds: blazing sunshine, golden beaches, and... girls in all kinds of swimsuits frolicking on the sand.

"Long live!"

"An island! Swimsuits!"

"The beach! The sea!"

"A free vacation!"

Excited yells rose up from all sides.

Kanji Ike, Yamauchi Haruki, and the others were the most excited.

Ike pounded his desk, while Yamauchi shot to his feet, thrust his arm into the air, and shouted the slogan he'd clearly prepared in advance with all his might. "Brothers! Our chance has come! For the island of our dreams! Let's give it everything we've got!"

His face was flushed with excitement, as if victory were already within reach.

It wasn't just this group of hormone-fueled boys who were thrilled. The other Class D students, who were used to scraping by on meager points and living frugally, couldn't help imagining summer skies, swaying coconut palms, and a carefree vacation without having to watch every penny.

After all, this might be a rare luxury in their high school lives.

Of course, along with the excitement, small worries were quietly beginning to surface.

A few girls exchanged glances, the corners of their mouths tinged with helplessness.

The school did have swimming lessons, held in its largest Public Pool, and boys and girls shared the class.

But that only made some problems worse. Some boys behaved far too "boldly" at the poolside. Their shameless, naked stares, as if they were trying to pierce right through someone, made most of the girls' skin crawl.

On top of that, some boys privately judged the girls' figures, even making up ridiculous bets like a "Bust Ranking."

As a result, many girls didn't want to wear swimsuits that showed off their figures during swimming lessons, or else they'd come up with all sorts of excuses to skip class.

Except for... Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida, the "Little Angel" everyone adored, always wore a sweet smile and didn't seem to mind those gazes much. She always wore a modest swimsuit and joined the lessons with everyone else.

She was quietly packing up her things now, her lips curled in her usual gentle smile.

But... what about deep down? Perhaps those undisguised, heated stares bothered or even disgusted her, too.

After all, even the best disguise couldn't completely erase one's instinctive feelings.

Thinking of that, many of the boys knew that even if they made it to the island, the girls in their own class probably still wouldn't wear swimsuits.

Ike, Yamauchi, and the likes of them privately speculated that they'd probably have to turn their attention to the more "daringly" dressed girls from other classes...

Chabashira watched the commotion from the front of the classroom. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before she resumed her usual cool expression. She rapped her knuckles firmly on the podium. "Quiet!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried remarkably well.

The uproar in the classroom quickly died down.

"All right." She picked up the exam papers. "Keep your daydreams in your heads. For now, focus all your attention on the exam in front of you. Get ready to begin."

When the final bell rang at the end of the last exam, the last trace of tension hanging over Class D vanished.

The classroom was filled with an almost absolute certainty that everyone would pass.

It wasn't blind optimism, but genuine confidence. Thanks to the recent efforts of Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune, the class had developed a much better atmosphere for studying. They'd also organized special review sessions for the final exams, and everyone was certain: Class D would pass the exams with flying colors.

In the hallway between classes, when Ike bellowed, "See you on the island this summer!" he was met with a wave of knowing smiles and relaxed nods.

The power of studying had given them the key with their own hands.

As Hoshino Kanade packed up her stationery, she gazed out the window, as if she could see the imagined blue sea through the glass.

At last, they'd reached an exam where they could earn points, though the Island Exam wasn't the best opportunity to show what they could do...

The "hard times" of going without Class Points for months and scrimping on everything had left a deep impression on the students.

The shortage of spending money, having to carefully consider every personal purchase, the embarrassment of being unable to repay borrowed points... All these harsh realities stood in stark contrast to the idea of a free vacation on a Private Island, making their longing for the "Paradise Life" ahead burn even brighter.

It was only now, standing on the gleaming deck of a Luxury Cruise Ship far beyond their expectations and breathing in the clean sea air, that the excitement they'd kept in check since the exams ended—the nervous hope that things might not work out—finally burst forth as unbridled joy.

"Whoa! It's real! Chabashira-sensei didn't lie to us!" Shinohara Gatsumi rushed to the railing and excitedly pointed toward the distant Sea Surface, her face lit with pure delight.

"It's at least ten times more luxurious than I imagined!" Karuizawa Kei smiled, finally at ease. "I thought it'd be an ordinary ferry at most... The school's really willing to spend, huh?"

Hirata Yosuke smiled as he looked around at his classmates' excited faces. "Whatever the case, we all worked hard for this. Let's make the most of the next few days!"

"Ha! Enjoy ourselves? Of course we're going to enjoy ourselves!" Even after yelling his signature "This is awesome!" Ike still couldn't calm down. He bounced around the deck, nearly bumping into a server carrying drinks. "This is like a dream! A Private Island! From this moment on, the vacation life of the great Kanji Ike has officially begun!"

It wasn't just the boys. Most of the girls had also shaken off the gloom caused by the awkward circumstances of swimming lessons at school.

Away from that school environment full of judging eyes and surrounded by the boundless sea and sky, they seemed to relax quite a bit.

Swimsuits were still a sensitive subject, but their anticipation of the beach days ahead was genuine and untainted.

Kushida and several other girls gathered around, excitedly pointing out the island in the cruise ship brochure and discussing possible snorkeling and beach barbecue activities. Her sweet smile was as ever.

Although... when she happened to glimpse a few boys in the distance huddled together, pointing and whispering about girls from other classes as they passed, the curve of her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning to its flawless state.

The enormous Luxury Cruise Ship cut steadily through the clear sea, leaving behind a long white wake.

The students gathered in small groups around the deck. Some leaned against the railing, greedily taking in the endless blue. Others explored the facilities on the upper decks, while a few excitedly captured the magnificent ocean view they were seeing for the first time with their cameras.

Their imaginations of life on the island they were about to reach—Beach Volleyball beneath the sun, laughter around a bonfire, wandering through the Coconut Grove, perhaps even a secret adventure—rose and swelled like bubbles in the ship's wake.

Every eye gleamed with anticipation, and the sea breeze had already swept away their physical and mental exhaustion.

The cruise ship carried all of Class D steadily toward that island paradise, full of the unknown and unexpected.

For students who had just come through a tough battle and struggled for so long with material hardship, surely whatever awaited them up ahead wouldn't become another tough battle.

Probably.