Summer Special Exam

Dawn.

Cool sea breezes swept by, carrying the fresh scent of the ocean.

A crimson sun rose slowly above the sea, filling the scene with vibrant energy.

Zhuge Linghao was sleeping soundly when a broadcast suddenly woke him.

"Good morning, students. We'll be able to see the island very soon."

"By now, you should all be able to see a unique and meaningful sight, right?"

Zhuge Linghao couldn't have cared less. He pulled the covers over his head and went right back to sleep.

At ten in the morning, all the first-year students lined up on deck in their autumn sports uniforms.

Chabashira-sensei stood before them and said, "Before we go ashore, there are a few things I need to remind you about. Until then, wait here."

Quite a few students in Class D were already complaining. They had no discipline at all.

"It's so hot. Can't we hurry up?"

"Long sleeves and pants in summer? What a joke!"

"Idiot. We're about to set foot on the island, so we need to cover up to protect ourselves from insect bites!"

The students from the other classes were speechless as they listened to Class D's conversation. As expected of a class full of defective rejects—they didn't even know the most basic things.

Yawning, Zhuge Linghao looked at Horikita Suzune. "Suzune-chan, I haven't seen you these past few days. Where have you been?"

Horikita Suzune rubbed her right arm. "I've been reading in my room. Why?"

Zhuge Linghao grinned. "A day apart feels like three autumns. I missed you a little!"

Horikita Suzune replied in a hoarse, icy voice, "Get lost."

Zhuge Linghao turned to Ayanokoji. "Ayanokoji, did you bring any personal belongings?"

Ayanokoji's lips twitched. "No. Didn't the school just tell us we weren't allowed to?"

Zhuge Linghao shrugged. "Oh!"

At that moment, Chabashira-sensei continued, "All student phones will be confiscated. You'll each be given one of these watches with a location-tracking function. Anyone who removes their watch without permission will be punished."

After hearing Chabashira-sensei's announcement, Horikita Suzune calmly analyzed the situation. "That's strange. Rather than telling us to be especially careful, it feels more like they're on guard against something."

Ayanokoji spoke up. "Exactly. They wouldn't go to these lengths if we were simply here to enjoy the beach."

The other students were discussing it among themselves, too.

Next, a middle-aged man stepped onto the platform and spoke through a megaphone.

"I'm Mashima Tomoya, Class A's homeroom teacher. First, I'm glad you've all arrived safely, though it's unfortunate that one student can't participate due to health reasons."

"Now we'll begin this year's first Special Exam. It'll last seven days, and you'll live together on this Uninhabited Island. From this moment on, you'll have to make your own decisions about everything."

"The survival game has begun. Prepare yourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the students below erupted.

"Huh? What do you mean? The exam's already starting?"

"Summer Special Exam? What's that supposed to be?"

"What's going on? This makes no sense!"

"What do you mean, living together? I hope the school isn't planning anything crazy!"

Ayanokoji sighed. The vacation was over.

The students disembarked from the Luxury Cruise Ship one after another.

The first thing they did after getting off was go to the supply station, where each student received a backpack containing toiletries.

The school provided each class with four eight-person tents, four flashlights, two boxes of matches, several portable toilets, sunscreen that both boys and girls could use, and other supplies.

Clearly, these supplies weren't enough for an entire class to survive for a week.

The students of Class D gathered by the beach. Hirata Yosuke and a few others studied a supply guide, trying to come up with a plan.

Meanwhile, Katsuragi of Class A and Ryuen of Class C met secretly in a wooded area.

They seemed to have reached some sort of agreement.

"Hmph. We'll do it the way we discussed," Ryuen said.

Katsuragi nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, Ryuen wore a mocking expression. "Katsuragi, you didn't get into the Student Council! How pathetic. Looks like the Sakayanagi Faction is stronger after all. You'd better make good use of this chance to work with us!"

Katsuragi clenched his teeth but said nothing. As the leader of the conservative faction, he often clashed with Sakayanagi and the other prominent members of the reformist faction.

Zhuge Linghao's current assessment of each class was:

[Class A: Two tigers can't share one mountain. Katsuragi is a little tiger.]

[Class B: United and ambitious. Ichinose is a little angel.]

[Class C: Oppressive rule. One powerhouse and a bunch of weaklings.]

[Class D: A shelter for defective rejects. A free-for-all between vocational school students.]

Back with Class D, Hirata Yosuke studied the handbook and murmured to himself, "Do we need to be self-sufficient for food on the island, or can we buy it here? Do we have to survive on this uninhabited island until noon on the seventh day?"

Yamauchi jumped in. "The teacher already said we're free to catch fish in the river and have a barbecue."

Hirata Yosuke nodded. "That's right. We can use each class's 300 S-Points to buy things like barbecue grills, and there's a wide range of supplies available!"

"Also, any S-Points left over when the exam ends will be added to our Class Points!"

At that, Zhuge Linghao's eyes immediately reflected the shape of gold coins. "Then if we save up more S-Points, doesn't that mean we'll end up with more Private Points?"

Kanji Ike and the others all cried out excitedly.

But Hirata Yosuke also emphasized some penalties:

[Leaving due to illness or serious injury: -30 SP!

Polluting the environment: -20 SP!

Attendance will be taken at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day. Each absence: -5 SP, and so on!

Of course, any student who uses violence against another class, steals from them, or damages their property will cause their class to be disqualified, and all that student's Private Points will be confiscated.]

Then Karuizawa Kei asked, "Are there any ways to earn points, besides the penalties?"

"There are," Hirata Yosuke replied. "There are many checkpoints on the island. Each time we occupy one, we'll receive a reward!"

Ayanokoji spoke up from beside them. "What a freewheeling Special Exam."

Horikita Suzune nodded with her eyes closed. "Yes. If we make good use of it, we might be able to catch up with the upper-ranked classes in one go!"

Karuizawa Kei kept coaxing him. "Hirata-kun, we can spend a few S-Points, right?"

Yukimura Teruhiko stepped forward and firmly objected. "No. We should endure unless it's absolutely necessary!"

Karuizawa Kei frowned. "That's too strict!"

The girls looked at the packaging for the portable toilets and voiced their objections one after another.

"If I could, I'd put up with it too, but..."

"I'd die!"

"No, it's too dirty!"

"There's no way I can use that!"

Zhuge Linghao analyzed the situation:

[Portable toilets can be used without water. Waste is contained in an absorbent cloth, and they can be reused. But for most girls, who are particular about cleanliness, they're certainly hard to tolerate!]

On the boys' side, Kanji Ike argued that they should save their S-Points. Pointing at the portable toilet, he said, "I think this one's good enough!"

Karuizawa Kei folded her arms and said forcefully, "We came to talk to you because some of the girls can't accept using those!"

Hirata Yosuke flipped through the guide. "We can buy regular toilets here, too!"

Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses and said coldly, "If we're going to spend points, shouldn't we at least get the approval of more than half the class?"

Quite a few boys agreed with Yukimura Teruhiko.

Kanji Ike stood his ground. "This is a great chance to increase our Class Points. I don't think we should buy them!"

Yukimura Teruhiko walked over to Hirata and spoke bluntly. "Are you planning to satisfy every unreasonable demand from girls who let their emotions get the better of them? What's the point of taking an exam, then?"

Karuizawa Kei snapped, "What's that supposed to mean? Have you even considered how we girls feel?"

Kanji Ike shouted, "Why can't you just use these toilets? I really don't understand what goes through girls' heads!"

At this point, even Zhuge Linghao couldn't help laughing at how blunt Kanji Ike and Yukimura Teruhiko were!

Seeing this, Hirata's sunny expression faded. He tried desperately to stop the argument. "Everyone, calm down. Please don't fight..."

But the two sides kept arguing, each as heated as the other!

Watching the headache-inducing scene, Horikita shook her head. "This exam seems even more complicated and difficult than I expected."

Zhuge Linghao sighed.

[If it weren't for the 100,000 points Chabashira-sensei promised me, I wouldn't bother getting involved.

And you, Hirata—you're trying to please both sides, but neither is happy. Can't you just make a firm, decisive call? Grow a backbone!]

So in this kind of situation, Zhuge Linghao's approach was to take one side and find a way to make the other side accept it, too!

Zhuge Linghao suddenly started running circles around the crowd, singing loudly as he went. "Good luck is here to bring you good luck! Good luck brings happiness and love! Good luck is here, good luck is here! May good fortune bring prosperity and carry you far and wide..."

The arguing stopped dead.

[No, seriously! They're in the middle of an argument, and you're running around them singing. What's that supposed to mean?]

After two laps, Zhuge Linghao planted himself firmly beside Karuizawa Kei and pointed at Yukimura Teruhiko, Kanji Ike, and the others, berating them. "Hey, hey, hey! What the hell are you guys doing?"

With his nose in the air and his eyes full of disdain, Zhuge Linghao said, "Do you expect the girls who refuse to use portable toilets to keep holding it in? That's inhumane!"

"Or do you want them to use the toilet out in the wilderness, surrounded by mosquitoes?"

"Or maybe you expect them to swallow their pride and borrow another class's toilet?"

"We can't afford that kind of humiliation!"

"So take my advice and let the girls buy one. I'll figure out a way to earn back the points we lose!"

Zhuge Linghao wore a crazed grin. "If I can't earn them back, I'll drop out voluntarily. How does that sound? Happy now?"

In an instant, Zhuge Linghao was condemned by everyone!