When Shimiya Kuki and Ichinose Honami emerged from the woods carrying dry firewood, they saw Class B gathered with Hoshinomiya-sensei, watching several people in staff uniforms skillfully assemble a comfortable-looking little prefabricated house nearby. It was clearly going to be Hoshinomiya-sensei's "Temporary Base" for the next seven days.
Hoshinomiya-sensei had a sharp eye and was the first to spot the returning pair. She immediately turned around, a bright, unmistakably teasing and gossipy smile spreading across her face. With her hands behind her back, she bounced a few steps closer.
"Well, well, look who's back! It's our little leader and little Honami!" she said, drawing out her words. Her eyes curved into crescents as she teased, "The students were just telling me something, you know! Shimiya, did you use your 'leader privileges' to sneak off into the woods for a 'rendezvous' with our adorable little Honami? Heeheehee! (#^.^#) Young love is so sweet~"
Shimiya Kuki didn't so much as bat an eye. He didn't even let his gaze waver. Knowing this teacher's erratic nature and her love of stirring up trouble, he knew that any kind of denial or explanation would only give her more fuel to tease them. He chose to ignore her completely and looked past her at the other students.
Ichinose Honami, however, clearly didn't know the teacher as well. Hoshinomiya-sensei's teasing made her cheeks flush bright red, and she hurriedly waved her hands as she tried to explain. "H-Hoshinomiya-sensei! W-What are you saying? It—it wasn't a rendezvous! We just went to gather firewood for tonight's campfire! It was for a perfectly normal reason!" She had stepped right into the trap Hoshinomiya-sensei had set.
"Oh, come on~ Denying it just makes it sound more true!" Hoshinomiya-sensei laughed even harder, covering her mouth with one hand and putting on an "I know everything" expression. "But I'm very open-minded and democratic, you know! And you're both at the age when you start developing feelings for the opposite sex, so there's no need to be shy! I'll let you in on a little secret: you two are my favorite CP!" She even winked at Shimiya. "Looks like you really listened to what I told you before, Shimiya. You know you have to make an effort to win her over! I'm so happy~ I'm moved to tears!" She pretended to wipe away tears that weren't there.
A few students nearby couldn't help chuckling. Shiratori Chihiro, especially, clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes sparkling as though she'd just witnessed something wonderful. She even murmured, "The Setzuki Faction triumphs...!" Ever since her indirect confession to Ichinose had gone nowhere, she seemed to have quickly become a devoted supporter of the Setzuki CP, constantly trying to create opportunities or set the mood for the two of them—at least as she saw it—even though neither of them ever noticed.
"So," Shimiya Kuki said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it effectively cut off Hoshinomiya-sensei's ongoing teasing and the lighthearted mood around them, bringing the conversation back on track. "Did you reach a decision about what we discussed earlier? The plan for spending our Points?"
Kanzaki Ryuji stepped forward on behalf of the others and handed Shimiya a sheet of paper covered in writing. His expression was as cool and serious as ever as he began to explain in an orderly manner. "This is our initial plan after discussing it together. We're planning to spend a total of 150 Points."
He pointed to the items on the paper. "First, in addition to the two tents provided by the School Administration, we plan to spend 20 Points on two more. That way, each tent can fit seven people without feeling cramped. The remaining students said they'd be willing to spend 5 Points on hammocks to solve the sleeping arrangements."
"As for food, the simple meal package provided by the School Administration costs 6 Points per meal when ordered for the class. Since today is the first day and the seventh day is the last, we might only need one meal on each of those days. For the five days in between, we've budgeted two meals a day, for a total of 72 Points. We also noticed that there seem to be fish in the pool below the waterfall, so we suggest spending 3 Points on fishing rods—one Point each—to try fishing. We can also look for edible fruit in the woods. If we manage to find some, we can cut down on meal-package orders with fruit and grilled fish, saving Points."
"For our other needs, considering the girls' requirements, we suggest spending 20 Points on a temporary toilet booth. The portable toilet with a lightweight tent provided by the school can be used by the girls for... well, cleaning up and changing clothes." Kanzaki paused slightly, as though he found it awkward to say, but continued in his usual cool tone. "The boys can bathe directly under the waterfall, or... use that lightweight tent after the girls are done."
"The remaining Points will go toward basic supplies such as lanterns, with some set aside as a Reserve Fund in case of emergencies. Taking all that into account, and without considering the details of the Special Exam, such as Base Capture, we're aiming to keep at least 150 Points in reserve."
"Also," Kanzaki added, "since the spot Shimiya chose has such a great environment, with a waterfall and a beach, everyone agreed that we don't need to spend extra Points on recreational equipment."
Shimiya Kuki lowered his gaze, focusing on the expenses listed on the paper. As Kanzaki explained them clearly, he thought rapidly, unconsciously tapping his fingers lightly against several items.
About five minutes later, he looked up. Rather than comment on the students' plan, he turned to Hoshinomiya-sensei, who was watching them with a beaming smile, and asked a question to confirm something. "Sensei, when you explained the rules earlier, you mentioned that things like plastic bags and Absorbent Cloth could be provided for free in unlimited quantities. Is that right?"
"That's right, Shimiya~ As long as you don't waste them, you can have as much as you need!" Hoshinomiya-sensei replied with a firm nod.
After receiving her confirmation, Shimiya Kuki seemed to finish all his calculations in an instant. He picked up a pen and quickly began marking up the paper Kanzaki had handed him.
"Here's my revised plan." A moment later, he showed the altered proposal to everyone.
The students gathered around curiously. They saw that "additional tents" and "hammocks" had been crossed out and replaced with "a large quantity of dark waterproof tarpaulins" and "ropes." The "temporary toilet" remained, but "Outdoor Shower" had been added beside it. The "simple meal package" had been crossed out entirely and replaced with "Day One: a deluxe meal package for ten, to be shared by the whole class." Below it were "cooking equipment set" and "two Gas Canisters." He had even added a digital camera, a Beach Recreation Set—volleyball and the like—and a Board Games package—Chinese checkers, Playing Cards, and so on—as well as some Simple Tool Kits and miscellaneous items, such as lanterns. The final total was a mere 100 Points.
"Tarpaulins and ropes?"
"Cooking equipment?"
"A deluxe meal package?!"
"And recreational equipment?!"
The students burst out with a series of astonished questions.
Shimiya began to explain calmly. "First, shelter. This area is open and has plenty of tall, sturdy trees. Using waterproof tarpaulins and ropes, along with suitable slender tree trunks gathered from the woods for frames, we can build temporary shelters that are more spacious, better ventilated, and sturdier than tents. They'll work better than tents."
"Next, food. This island isn't a truly untouched Desert Island. It's an exam site that the school has prepared. While gathering firewood just now, I noticed signs of vegetables and fruit that had been planted or left scattered around the woods. We can use the cooking equipment to prepare fish from the pool and ingredients we find ourselves, taking care of most of our meals. Since there's too much to do on the first day and not enough time, we'll get the deluxe meal package. It'll be enough to fill everyone up, and we can use the meal boxes separately as bowls and serving dishes afterward. The Gas Canisters will fuel the Outdoor Shower and the cooking equipment. On the fourth evening, we'll switch which one uses which canister, so they'll both get equal use. That way, the canister powering the shower will run out first, and we won't have to keep carrying them back and forth."
"Third, hygiene. The Outdoor Shower heats water with gas. As long as we pour in cold water, it can provide hot water in a minute. We can use the two tents provided by the School Administration as separate shower rooms for the boys and girls; we'll only need to move the shower into each one. Several people can take turns using it at once, making it far more efficient than a single portable toilet. Everyone will be able to enjoy a comfortable hot shower. As for the temporary toilet and the simple toilet, we can use tarpaulins to make basic washrooms. We'll set up the lightweight tent at the base and store everyone's luggage inside."
He looked up at the stupefied students. "What does everyone think?" As for the recreational equipment, he'd already ignored it completely.
At that moment, everyone in Class B wore virtually the same expression: dumbfounded (￣口￣)!!
The degree of optimization... It was a complete mismatch! They'd gone from survival mode straight to a comfortable vacation and wilderness adventure! And they'd saved even more Points!
"N-No problem!"
"That's incredible, Shimiya-kun!"
"What is there to object to? I completely agree!"
The students snapped out of their shock and eagerly voiced their approval, looking at Shimiya with admiration.
"Then I'll submit the order to Hoshinomiya-sensei according to this plan," Shimiya concluded. He swept his gaze over everyone and calmly made one more decision.
"Also, I'd like to be our class's 'leader.' Leave all decisions and actions related to the Special Exam to me. For the next week, I want everyone to relax as much as possible and enjoy this unusual 'vacation.'"
In response, the students nodded even more vigorously, like chicks pecking at grain, their eyes filled with complete trust.
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