It had been more than two hours since they had left the ship.
"Woohoo! This is awesome!"
"Hey! Ishizaki, it's dangerous over there."
"A private beach, girls in swimsuits, hehehehe~"
Aboard the Giant Luxury Cruise Ship headed for the Deserted Island, Class C was enjoying this brief moment of happiness.
Quite a few students from every class had gathered on the cruise ship's front deck, constantly snapping all kinds of photos with their Student Terminals.
Tennoji Kaede leaned comfortably against the railing on the upper deck. The damp, salty sea breeze ruffled his bangs, carrying with it a hint of freedom and openness.
Ibuki and Hiyori approached, each holding an Extra Large Drink. Kaede took the one meant for him.
"This cruise ship is unbelievably huge. I just finished walking around, and this place is practically a Large Commercial Street. It has restaurants and Therapy Places, and there's even an opera house at the stern..." She took a sip of her fizzy drink.
Even now, Ibuki Mio was still stunned. It was just a trip—how much had the School Administration spent on this?
Hiyori spoke in her gentle voice. "This cruise ship isn't open to the general public. If an ordinary person paid for a trip aboard it on their own, it might cost hundreds of thousands of yen."
Ibuki clicked her tongue in amazement.
Kaede smiled. He'd even spotted a helicopter.
"Our school has plenty of resources, after all. It's backed by the government, so it has quite a wide network."
"Ahh~ I'm sleepy."
Ibuki rubbed her eyes. Getting up at five was just too early, but most people were excited.
"I think I'll go back to my room and rest for a bit. What about you, Hiyori?"
Hiyori shook her head.
Kaede cut in. "I'm afraid you won't be able to go back either. Look over there—the Deserted Island is almost here."
As if in response to Kaede's words, the cruise ship sounded its horn.
Then a strange announcement came over the loudspeakers.
Kaede raised a finger to his lips, signaling them to listen.
"Attention, First Year students.
"Our ship is now approaching its destination, the Deserted Island.
"Please gather on deck if you have time.
"You will soon be treated to a sight of great significance.
"I repeat..."
After the announcement ended, Kaede headed for the deck first, with the two girls following close behind.
"So we're almost there... All right, I'm not sleepy anymore, anyway," Ibuki said helplessly.
"That announcement just now seemed to imply something..." Hiyori mused, trying to alert the two of them to this.
"We'll find out once we get to the deck and grab a good spot."
The three took their places. In the distance, they could now see the whole of the Deserted Island, which was about 0.5 square kilometers in area.
"Eh? Why did the ship pass the pier? Aren't we supposed to dock?" Ibuki exclaimed quietly.
The Luxury Cruise Ship deliberately sailed around the island. Some of the people nearby looked puzzled, while others were excited.
"Look carefully," Kaede said. "We can see the shape of the whole island now... Some of the scenery doesn't look natural."
Hiyori held down her silver hair as it fluttered in the wind. "That's true. It's like we're admiring a carefully crafted model of an island."
After circling the island, the cruise ship stopped not far from the pier.
The announcement sounded again, telling all First Year students to change into their Sports Uniforms immediately and gather on deck in half an hour with only simple luggage and their Student Terminals.
Interestingly, the announcement specifically reminded everyone once more to use the restrooms on the cruise ship if they needed to go.
This time, Hiyori was certain something was up.
"From the looks of it, we're not going to spend the day at a Private Beach. It seems more like... a group tour? And then we'll spend the night on the cruise ship?"
Kaede took out the Student Terminal he carried with him and sent a few messages. "We're probably about to have a Special Exam."
Ibuki's face fell. She nearly let out an "Ah," but managed to hold it in.
"Tennoji Kaede → Ryuen Kakeru: Nine times out of ten, this is going to be a Special Exam. As soon as you have time, find somewhere on the island so we can discuss it privately."
After each class had assembled, the students of Class C slowly made their way down the gangplank and boarded a medium-sized yacht.
Following the order of the classes, they sailed in turn to a vast beach and temporarily came ashore.
After a strict inspection, the School Administration collected every student's Student Terminal and other communication devices.
The four classes stood in neat square formations, with each class's homeroom teacher standing at the front.
Most students from Class D were unfazed, but the others looked somewhat tense.
Just then, Majima Tomoya, the familiar Class A Homeroom Teacher to Kaede, stepped onto a white podium that had been prepared in advance.
With Kanji Ike from Class D grumbling in the background, Majima slowly announced all the rules and details of this Deserted Island Special Exam.
A little while later, the First Year students split up by class to discuss things on the beach.
Sakagami Kazuma from Class C walked over.
After adding a few special points to the rules that they needed to pay attention to, Sakagami-sensei said:
"Ryuen, take this guidebook. Make sure everyone puts on their Special Distress Watches, and after that, you can run this exam however you like."
"I'll be stationed near the Base Camp that Class C chooses. In principle, I won't provide any extra help with your Deserted Island Exam. Come find me if anything important comes up."
After speaking, Sakagami smiled as he adjusted his glasses, glanced toward Kaede, and left.
Kaede understood. The homeroom teachers weren't kept in the dark about the points each student held.
Although Sakagami had noticed something unusual about him and even suspected Kaede's true abilities, he still wouldn't interfere without reason.
That said, the Class C Homeroom Teacher did have a few issues with his character.
After all, he completely let Ryuen do whatever he wanted in Class C. Kaede felt the homeroom teachers from Classes A and B were more normal.
Ryuen took the guidebook and read it carefully.
Class C fell completely silent as everyone quietly fiddled with the Special Watches on their wrists.
"Hmph! That's about it."
"Tennoji, come with me to find a base first."
"Ishizaki, take the guys in our class and get all this stuff ready. Stay behind us for now."
"Yes, Ryuen," Ishizaki said, immediately doing as he was told.
Class C was operating at full efficiency, while Class D was making a racket in the distance.
Kaede nodded and followed Ryuen into a nearby grove.
Ryuen stopped and stared at Kaede.
He got straight to the point. "We don't have much time. I have an idea... But first, I want to hear what you think of this exam."
Kaede waved away a few irritating bugs and said gravely, "The key to this Deserted Island Exam is the Leader Guessing Battle on the seventh day. For now, I'm planning to... attack Classes A and D."
Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why skip B? Their defenses might be tight, but if we infiltrate them and break them down from within, it should be easy enough to score points off those bleeding hearts."
"There's no need to rush into dealing with Class B. The key to this exam is the leader, but there's a trap here... Anyway, tell me your idea."
A trap?
For a moment, Ryuen couldn't figure out what that meant.
He thought his own strategy was already unbeatable.
"My idea is the 'Zero Point Tactic'!"
Before you continue