Class B's Point Usage Strategy

When Shimiya Kuki and Ichinose Honami emerged from the forest carrying dry firewood, they found Class B gathered with Hoshinomiya-sensei, all watching a few staff members in uniforms expertly assembling a small, comfortable-looking prefabricated house nearby—clearly Hoshinomiya-sensei's "temporary base" for the next seven days.

Hoshinomiya-sensei's sharp eyes spotted the returning pair first. She immediately spun around, her face lighting up with that signature, mischievous, gossip-hungry grin, hands clasped behind her back as she bounced a few steps closer.

"Oh my, oh my, look who's back? It's our little leader and little Honami!" She deliberately drew out her words, eyes curving into crescent moons, teasing, "Teacher heard all about it from the students, you know! Little Shimiya, did you use your 'leader privilege' to take our cute Honami into the woods for a 'secret rendezvous'? Hehehe! (#^.^#) How youthful~"

Shimiya Kuki's expression didn't change, not even a flicker in his eyes. From his understanding of this scatterbrained, chaos-loving teacher, any rebuttal or explanation would only fuel her teasing further. He chose to completely ignore her, his gaze skipping past her to the other students.

Ichinose Honami, however, clearly didn't know the teacher well enough yet. At Hoshinomiya-sensei's jab, her cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, and she frantically waved her hands in explanation: "H-Hoshinomiya-sensei! What... what are you saying! It's... it's not a secret rendezvous! We just went to collect firewood for tonight's campfire! It's serious business!" She stepped perfectly into the trap Hoshinomiya-sensei had set.

"Ara ara~ Explanations are just cover-ups!" Hoshinomiya-sensei laughed even more gleefully, covering her mouth with her hand and making an "I know, I know" expression. "But teacher here is very open-minded and democratic! And everyone really is at that age where they start liking the opposite sex, so no need to be shy! I'll let you in on a little secret—in teacher's heart, you two are my favorite CP!" She even winked at Shimiya. "Looks like little Shimiya really took teacher's advice to heart, huh? Knowing he has to make an effort—that's wonderful! Teacher is so moved!" She exaggeratedly wiped at nonexistent tears at the corner of her eyes.

The surrounding students couldn't help but let out a few good-natured chuckles. Shiratori Chihiro, in particular, clasped her hands in front of her chest, eyes sparkling as if witnessing something beautiful, muttering under her breath, "Setzuki faction victory...!" Ever since her indirect confession to Ichinose failed, she seemed to have swiftly transformed into a staunch supporter of the "Setzuki CP," constantly trying to create (what she thought were) opportunities or atmospheres for the two (though the parties involved almost never noticed).

"So," Shimiya Kuki spoke calmly, his voice not loud but effectively cutting through Hoshinomiya-sensei's ongoing teasing and the relaxed atmosphere, steering the conversation back on track, "Did everyone's earlier discussion yield any results? Regarding the plan for using points."

As the representative, Kanzaki Ryuji stepped forward and handed Shimiya a sheet of paper covered in writing. His expression, as always, was cool and precise as he began explaining clearly: "This is the preliminary plan we arrived at after comprehensive discussion. We plan to spend a total of 150 exam points."

He pointed to the entries on the paper: "First, on top of the two tents issued by the school, we plan to spend 20 points to purchase two additional tents. This way, each tent can comfortably hold seven people without crowding, and the remaining students have agreed to spend 5 points on hammocks to solve the sleeping issue."

"For food, the simple meal set provided by the school costs 6 points per meal when ordered by class. Considering today is the first day and the seventh is the last, we might only need one meal each for those, with two meals per day for the five days in between, totaling 72 points. Additionally, we noticed the pool beneath the waterfall seems to have fish, so we suggest spending 3 points on fishing rods (1 point each) to try fishing, while also searching the forest for edible fruit. If we get results, we can reduce the meal set orders with fruit and grilled fish to save points."

"For daily needs, considering the girls' requirements, we recommend spending 20 points on a portable toilet booth. The simple toilet with a lightweight tent issued by the school will be used exclusively for the girls'... um, cleaning and changing clothes." Kanzaki paused slightly here, as if finding it a bit awkward, but continued calmly, "The boys can shower directly at the waterfall, or... use the lightweight tent after the girls are done."

"The remaining points will go toward basic tools like lanterns, with a portion reserved as an emergency fund. In summary, without considering special exam content (like Base Capture), our goal is to retain at least 150 points."

"Also," Kanzaki added, "because the base you chose, Shimiya, has such a good environment with the waterfall and beach, everyone discussed and decided we don't need to spend extra points on recreational facilities."

Shimiya Kuki's gaze dropped, focusing intently on the listed expenses on the paper as he listened to Kanzaki's clear explanation, his mind racing. His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on a few items.

After about five minutes, he looked up. Instead of commenting on the students' plan first, he turned to Hoshinomiya-sensei, who was watching them with a smile, and asked a confirming question: "Sensei, when you explained earlier, you mentioned that items like plastic bags and absorbent cloths can be provided free of charge in unlimited quantities, correct?"

"That's right, little Shimiya~ As long as you don't waste excessively, there's plenty to go around!" Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded affirmatively.

Upon receiving this definite answer, Shimiya Kuki seemed to complete all his calculations in an instant. He picked up a pen and quickly marked up and revised the paper Kanzaki had handed him.

"Here's my optimized plan." After a moment, he showed the revised version to everyone.

The students curiously gathered around, seeing that the original "additional tents" and "hammocks" items had been crossed out, replaced by "large quantities of dark waterproof tarps" and "rope"; the "portable toilet" was kept, but "outdoor shower" was added beside it; the "simple meal set" was entirely struck through and changed to "Day 1: ten-person deluxe meal set for the whole class," with "cooking utensil set" and "two gas canisters" added below; even a digital camera, beach recreation set (volleyball, etc.), and board game set (checkers, playing cards, etc.) were included, along with some simple tool kits and miscellaneous items (lanterns, etc.). The final total cost was clearly written as 100 points.

"Tarps and rope?"

"Cooking utensils?"

"Deluxe meal set?!"

"And recreational facilities?!"

A flurry of surprised questions erupted from the students.

Shimiya began explaining calmly: "First, the shelter issue. The terrain here is open with many tall, sturdy trees. Using waterproof tarps and rope, along with suitable slender tree trunks collected from the forest as frames, we can build temporary shelters that are more spacious, better ventilated, and more stable than tents—superior to tents in every way."

"Second, food. This island isn't a true deserted island; it's an exam venue modified by the school. While collecting firewood earlier, I noticed traces of artificially planted or scattered vegetables and fruit in several spots in the forest. We can use the cooking utensils, combined with fish from the pool and ingredients we forage ourselves, to handle most of our meals independently. Since the first day requires a lot of work and time is short, we'll go with the deluxe meal set. It'll fill everyone up, and the deluxe meal set's containers can be separated and used as bowls and plates for serving dishes afterward. The gas canisters will power both the outdoor shower and the cooking utensils. On the evening of the fourth day, we'll swap them to balance usage, letting the shower's canister run out first before we have to carry it back and forth."

"Third, hygiene. The outdoor shower uses gas heating—just pour in cold water manually, and it provides hot water in a minute. The two tents issued by the school can serve as shower rooms for boys and girls respectively; we just move the shower over. Multiple people can use it in rotation at once, far more efficient than a single portable toilet, ensuring everyone can enjoy a comfortable hot shower. As for the portable toilet and simple toilet, we can use tarps to build a simple restroom structure. The lightweight tent will be set up at the base to store everyone's luggage."

He looked up at the stunned students: "What does everyone think?" As for the recreational facilities, he had already ignored them outright.

The expressions of Class B at that moment were almost uniform—jaw-dropped astonishment (￣口￣)!!

This level of optimization... it was a dimensionality reduction strike! They'd gone straight from survival mode to a comfortable vacation with a wilderness experience! And they'd saved even more points!

"N-no problem!"

"Amazing! Shimiya-kun!"

"What's there to object to! Totally agree!"

Snapping out of their shock, the students voiced their approval excitedly, their gazes at Shimiya filled with admiration.

"Then I'll submit the order request to Hoshinomiya-sensei based on this plan," Shimiya concluded, then swept his gaze over everyone and calmly announced a decision.

"Also, I'd like to serve as our class's 'leader,' handling all decisions and actions related to the special exam. Everyone, for the next week, please try to relax and enjoy this different kind of 'vacation.'"

In response, the students nodded vigorously like chicks pecking at grain, their eyes brimming with complete trust.