The Calm Before the Exam

"One Q!" Hamaguchi slapped a card down on the table in the dorm.

"Five Qs." Ying calmly laid all his cards face down on the table.

"Six-six-six, did you even laugh!? Let's see!" Beppu grinned and flipped over Ying's cards.

Three Qs and two jokers.

"How did you get so lucky!?" everyone exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hahaha, still don't believe me?" Ying picked up the water gun on the table and squirted Beppu.

"Someone here still hasn't won once." Ying stared at Hamaguchi, who could only clutch his head and despair.

"Don't get cocky! I'll win next time!" Hamaguchi declared.

"We've been playing for almost an hour. Don't you want to go out and look around?" Shibata asked as he shuffled the cards.

"Then let's go. I kind of want to try laser tag," Beppu suggested.

"No! I'm not leaving until I win a round!" Hamaguchi shouted, and began dealing.

"This time, I'm definitely winning!" Hamaguchi glanced at his cards and grinned.

"You say that every time... Two Js." Beppu played a card.

"Ying, trust me and call him." Hamaguchi looked at the four Js in his hand.

"Why not? Five Js." Ying laid all his cards on the table again.

"Are you messing with me!? I'm calling you!" Hamaguchi laughed.

Five Js.

"Six-six-six, what's with your cards!?" Hamaguchi grabbed Ying by the collar and shook him.

Then a stack of cards fell out of Ying's clothes...

"You bastard, you were cheating! I'm gonna kill you!" Hamaguchi had finally had enough. He snatched up the water gun and started chasing Ying.

"I'm innocent! I accidentally put them in my clothes when I got dressed!" Ying grabbed a water gun and fired back.

"Do you even believe that excuse yourself?"

"No."

"Die!"

"Ryota, Sata, come save me!" Ying cried for help.

Beppu and Shibata grabbed water guns too and joined the battle.

"Hey, why are you three ganging up on me?" Ying complained, but all he could do was run for it.

"The cruise ship's pool is pretty big," Shibata remarked. After finishing their water-gun fight, they had decided to go for a swim.

"Yeah, it's not just big—it's pretty white, too," Hamaguchi added.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Ying said, exasperated.

"We haven't even gotten to you yet! Are you and Sakayanagi from Class A really just friends?" Beppu pointed a finger at Ying and demanded.

"Don't you know me by now? Sakayanagi and I only just became friends. And forget having a girlfriend—I'd spend the whole day bragging to you single dogs if even one girl started flirting with me." Ying folded his arms and replied with a straight face.

"Trust me, you'll get a love letter tomorrow. And this time, it'll definitely be from a girl." Hamaguchi patted Ying on the shoulder, smirking.

"Hahaha..." Ying didn't reply, just laughed, then walked over to Hamaguchi, put an arm around his neck, and jumped into the pool with him.

"Cough, cough! I—I was joking! Cough, cough!" Hamaguchi spluttered, having swallowed two mouthfuls of pool water that tasted strongly of disinfectant.

"I know. I just wanted to mess with you," Ying replied.

Hamaguchi clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead. He was just about to teach Ying a lesson when he noticed the other boy signaling to him, and understood what he meant.

"Sata, Ryota, get in and join us!" The two of them laughed wickedly as they grabbed Shibata and Ryota by the ankles and pulled them into the pool.

Watching the two of them flounder, Ying and Hamaguchi burst out laughing in perfect unison.

"Hey~! Ying! Come over here and join our group activity~!" The four boys from Class B heard the call and looked over. The three idiots from Class D were splashing around in the pool, while Ayanokoji sat at the edge with a towel draped over his shoulders, watching them.

"Let's play water polo! Ayanokoji can referee, and the winner gets to go on a date with Kikyo!" Ike said, holding a ball.

"I'm in! But if it's a date, why would you be so nice as to add more competition?" Ying asked, rolling his shoulders.

"We're all brothers here. Why make a big deal out of it?" Ike declared righteously.

"Actually, they agreed that everyone except the winner would have to ask Kushida out on a date with the winner," Ayanokoji said flatly, stating the truth.

"Ayanokoji! You traitor, siding with the other team!" Ike turned and scolded him.

After that, they first competed one-on-one to determine the winner, then split into teams for a group match. Ying came in first, but the boys from Class D seemed to deny ever agreeing to anything, saying Ayanokoji had only been trying to liven things up.

"Still, there are a lot of pretty girls at this school," Ike said as they rested.

"Exactly. I've already decided to get some practice in with Sakura," Yamauchi said confidently, making grasping motions in the air with both hands.

Hamaguchi and the others thought he was disgusting and instinctively moved farther away.

"My only goddess will always be Kikyo! Besides, you and Sakura don't even have anything to do with each other, do you?" Ike was also at a loss for words over Yamauchi's comment.

"We will after this cruise. Anyway, Sudo, is there anyone you've got your eye on?" Yamauchi passed the question to Sudo beside him.

"Dating sounds so boring. I'd rather practice basketball than get all lovey-dovey with a girl!" Sudo folded his arms, unimpressed.

"Just say you can't get a girlfriend. Ayanokoji and Horikita seem like they're almost a thing now," Ike teased.

"You!" Sudo was so angry he got angry.

"No, Horikita and I are just ordinary seatmates," Ayanokoji clarified, but nobody there was listening to him.

"Ying, there are a lot of pretty girls in your class too. What's her name again? Ichi...something." Yamauchi began talking about girls from the other classes.

"Ichinose. She's our class representative, so don't get any funny ideas," Hamaguchi said, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah... If you try anything shady, you'll be brutally assassinated by the hit squad under Ichinose's command," Ying warned.

"Seriously...?" Seeing Hamaguchi and the others glaring at him, Yamauchi began to feel uneasy.

"Ying, let's go. I'm getting a little tired after playing all day," Hamaguchi said, fed up with Yamauchi, and got to his feet.

Ying and the others stood up too.

"We're heading out."

"Ying, I'd spend less time with those guys from Class D if I were you." On the way back, Hamaguchi thought of Yamauchi and spoke up.

"I feel the same way," Ying said. His interactions with the three idiots were pretty much limited to the time right before exams.

"By the way, is there anyone you like?" Beppu asked curiously.

"Well... I feel more like friends with everyone in Class B right now. I don't have anyone in mind. What about you, Ryota?" Hamaguchi said.

"I don't have anyone I like right now either. Sata, you're so good at soccer, you must get confessed to all the time. Is there anyone you like?" Beppu tossed the question to Shibata, who was walking at the front.

"Me? I have had a lot of girls confess to me, but I don't think feelings like that can develop overnight. So, no, I don't have anyone I'm in love with right now."

The three of them then turned to Ying at the same time, curious to hear what he had to say.

"Hmph. You're being too picky," Ying said, taking a jab at Shibata's answer before continuing. "First of all, I agree with Sata. But if someone confessed to me, I'd definitely say yes. How else would we know if we're right for each other without giving it a try? Heh heh heh..."

For some reason, Ying started laughing to himself as he spoke. It was hard not to guess what kind of daydream he was having.

"You have to go after your own happiness. Instead of confessing to someone you like, you're just waiting for someone to come to you. If your feelings end up being mutual, great—but what if the girl dumps you? Won't you look like a clown?" Hamaguchi said.

"You've got a point, huh? But if I get rejected, where does that leave my pride? Besides, I don't like anyone right now." Ying began mulling over Hamaguchi's words.

As if you have any pride left... everyone thought.

"Ribbit, ribbit." (Message notification)

Ying took out his phone and saw that the message was from Sakura. He opened it and read.

"Byakuya, are you free right now? Could we meet up?"

"Hehahaha! Looks like I'm about to have a fateful encounter." Ying showed everyone the message and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's about the BD Class."

"Pfft, don't get ahead of yourself," the others laughed after seeing the message that followed.

"No, you don't get it. It's a cover," Ying insisted.

Almost at the same time, an announcement rang out through the ship.

"Attention, students. The school has just sent an email containing important information to all students. Please check your devices and follow the instructions. If you have not received the email, please contact a nearby faculty member. The contents are extremely important, so be sure not to miss anything. Once again—"

"Is it a Special Exam?" Hamaguchi asked.

At his question, the peaceful routine that had only just begun was shattered once more...