A Jumpable Chapter

Faced with the students' rising doubts and dismay, Hoshinomiya Chie still wore her signature sweet smile, though her eyes held an unmistakable certainty.

"Yep~ (◍•ᴗ•◍)✧" She clasped her hands together and gave a playful nod. Her cheerful voice rang clearly above the noise.

"During the examination, you can't return to the ship without a valid reason! You'll be settling down on this adorable little island~ From finding a place to sleep to preparing delicious meals, you'll have to use those clever little heads of yours to figure everything out!"

She counted off on her fingers, listing the school's "generous" provisions as if reciting a familiar catalogue.

"The school will give everyone a little help to get started: each class will receive two tents~ two flashlights~ and a box of matches for starting fires and cooking!" She gestured as she spoke.

"As for sunscreen, we'll provide an unlimited supply to protect everyone's delicate skin! (´▽`ʃƪ) Toothbrushes, one per person, so take good care of your teeth~" Her gaze passed over the girls, and her tone grew even more considerate.

"As a special accommodation, feminine hygiene products will also be available to the girls in unlimited quantities! If you need any, just quietly tell your homeroom teacher! And that's all~☆"

Those last words fell lightly, yet landed on everyone's hearts like a boulder. That meant the school wouldn't provide anything else—not even a slice of bread or a drop of water!

"What the hell?!?!" Kanji Ike's shriek tore through the fragile calm on the beach. He sprang up like a cat with its tail stepped on, waving his arms as his face turned bright red.

"Are you kidding me?! Real deserted-island survival? This isn't some shonen manga! Two tents? Who's supposed to sleep in them? What about food? What about water?! This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! I don't believe it!!!" He shouted himself hoarse, as if he could roar this absurd reality away.

The scenes he pictured—hunting wild animals, bathing in a river, making a bed out of wood—were things he'd only ever seen in movies, yet somehow they'd become part of their "examination"? It was utterly absurd!

But the sweet smile on Hoshinomiya's face didn't waver. She showed no sign of "correcting her joke."

"You can't believe it?" She tilted her head, sounding innocently puzzled. "That's only because you haven't walked far enough or seen enough of the world yet~ ヽ(•̀ω•́ )ゝ" She raised a finger and spoke earnestly.

"Actually, there are big companies that throw their employees onto deserted islands for a 'trial by fire'! And they're super-famous companies known all around the world! They train their employees that way!"

"B-but that's completely different!" Ike stammered, his face turning even redder as he tried to argue back. "That's a special case! An exception! This is a school! It's an examination! It's completely unrealistic! It's impossible!"

"That's enough!" A cold rebuke cut off Ike's hysterics.

Chabashira Sae stood with her arms folded, her gaze sharp as a blade. "If you keep this up, you'll only make yourself look worse. What Hoshinomiya-sensei said is only part of reality."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried such force that Ike fell silent at once. "The world is vast, and full of strange things. Offices without chairs, companies that decide salaries with dice... Reality is always broader and more complicated than your impoverished imagination."

Her gaze swept coldly over Ike before settling on his face. Her words fell like a frigid verdict: "You're the one who can't tell the difference between what's real and what isn't."

If their homeroom teacher said so, she had to have a reason. Now they really couldn't tell what was real anymore.

Though Chabashira had silenced him, the students' discontent hadn't vanished. Suppressed murmurs and resentful looks rippled through the crowd.

"Sensei!" A relatively calm voice spoke up. It belonged to a student from another class. "Even for corporate training, companies wouldn't lure people in under the pretense of a 'vacation' and then put them through this, would they? Isn't that fraud?" This argument, grounded in common sense, struck right at the heart of the matter.

"Mhm, you have a very good point! (｀・ω・´)" This time, Hoshinomiya didn't argue. Instead, she nodded in agreement, her expression softening. She understood why the students were angry at having been deceived.

"You're right about that. I completely understand why everyone's upset~"

Ike had lost control because he was terrified for their survival, while this student's question challenged the school's right to act this way—two very different kinds of "discontent."

"But~ don't worry, everyone!" Hoshinomiya changed course, her voice brimming with energy again as she spread her arms wide.

"If this were an examination forcing you all through some hellish training, then of course it would deserve criticism! But—" She drew out the word deliberately and winked. "Even though it's called a 'Special Examination,' you don't have to think of it as something scary or complicated!"

She painted an enticing picture. "For the next week, you can swim and play in the blue sea~ You can hold a delicious barbecue party on the beach~ At night, you can gather around a campfire and share stories and laughter with your friends! (◕‿◕✿)"

She opened her arms as if to embrace the blue sky and sea. "The theme of this Special Examination is—'freedom'! ヾ(●ω●)ノ"

"Huh? Freedom? An examination... freedom?" One student was completely bewildered, his thoughts tying themselves into knots. "We can play? Have a barbecue? Then... is this even an examination? I'm... going to need a bigger brain..."

The clashing ideas of carefree fun and a serious examination left the students more confused than ever.

"That's right!" Hoshinomiya nodded emphatically, her smile radiant. "As your ticket to this Uninhabited Island Adventure, first of all—" She raised her voice.

"Each class will receive three hundred precious Exam Points! If you use them well, you can enjoy this week just like a real Dream Trip! And to help make all your wishes come true, we've thoughtfully prepared a nice, thick guidebook for you~ (ง •̀_•́)ง"

She took the booklet, dozens of pages thick, from a teacher beside her and held it high, giving it a shake.

"This Magic Handbook lists all the treasures you can get in exchange for points! Things you need for daily life, like Drinking Water and delicious food, of course~"

She opened the booklet and quickly ran her finger over the pages. "Want a barbecue? We have a complete grill set and fresh ingredients! Want to play in the water? We have snorkeling gear, surfboards, and all sorts of other things! We've even prepared things for a small Beach Party, if you want to throw one! (◍•ᴗ•◍)✧"

At her tempting description, the tension in the students' faces finally began to crack. Their seriousness gave way to curiosity and a hint of anticipation.

So they really could "buy" anything with points?

"So..." one student asked carefully, "as long as we spend points, we can get anything we want? Like at a resort?"

"Bingo! You got it! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧" Hoshinomiya playfully snapped her fingers. "As long as you plan well and budget carefully, spending a relaxing and enjoyable week here is absolutely possible! Of course, it's still an examination, so you'll have to follow a few basic rules for living together."

She waved a hand, her tone as casual as if she were explaining Game Rules. "But don't worry, they're all easy to follow. Nothing difficult!"

"Then... would it really be okay if we just played for a week?" Another student still couldn't quite believe it.

"Of course—it'd be fine!" Hoshinomiya drew out her cute, sing-song reply. "I told you, it's all about 'freedom'! How you want to spend your time is entirely up to you! (◕‿◕✿)"

Just as the students were nearly convinced by this vision of a "Freedom Vacation" and the atmosphere began to ease, Hoshinomiya abruptly changed course and dropped the real bombshell.

"Oh, right, right! There's one more very important thing I need to tell you all—" Her voice carried a hint of excited secrecy. "When this Special Examination ends, all the points each class has left will be added to your Class Points. Every last one of them!"

She paused deliberately and watched the students hold their breath. "This gift will officially take effect after summer vacation! ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ"

A sudden sea breeze swept across the scorching beach, whipping up grains of sand that stung the students' faces and legs.

Like the gust itself, Hoshinomiya's announcement swept through everyone's minds, delivering the strongest shock of the day!

"Points... added to our Class Points...?" someone murmured after a brief silence.

"So that means... if we can stop ourselves from spending them, or spend very little..." another voice continued, trembling with disbelief.

"Starting next month... our Personal Points... will skyrocket?!" A feverish light blazed in Kanji Ike's eyes. His earlier panic had been replaced by overwhelming greed, and his voice rose to a pitch of excitement.

"Each class gets only one handbook!" Hoshinomiya added, shaking the booklet in her hand. "You can get a replacement if you lose it, but it'll cost you points, so take good care of it as if it were a treasure! (｀・ω・´)"

She paused, her tone tinged with just the right amount of regret. "Also, the student who couldn't come today because they weren't feeling well is from Class B... According to the rules, withdrawing from the examination costs thirty points. So, Class B, you'll have to do your best! Your adventure starts with two hundred and seventy points! (◞‸◟)"