Chapter 108
When failure becomes a habit, fighting spirit will be completely exhausted, and the sense of despair brought about by such overwhelming force is too dangerous.
However, Aragaki Shun didn't care about Katsuragi Kohei's thoughts. He simply took the binoculars from Kanzaki and began to focus on observing the scene on the distant island.
As the cruise ship drew closer to the island, a sizable pier soon appeared in front of the excited students.
To everyone's surprise, the ship did not dock directly, but instead bypassed the pier and began circling around the island.
Clearly, this is also a hint that the school hopes they will be able to see "very meaningful scenery" on the island during this process.
As Aragaki Shun pondered, he observed, his already excellent eyesight, combined with the binoculars, allowing him to easily capture the various scenes on the island.
Because the school hadn't announced the exam content yet, he didn't know what was so special about these scenes, but that didn't stop the boy from memorizing them all.
Learn more about "Erudition"!
As the cruise ship slowly completed its circuit and prepared to dock, Aragaki Shun put away his binoculars, about to exchange ideas with Kanzaki beside him, when a noisy voice suddenly rang out:
"Koenji! Why are you walking with those people from Class B?"
176. The Uninhabited Island Exam officially begins; Hoshinomiya is overjoyed.
"Koenji! Why are you walking with those people from Class B?"
"What a foolish question; just hearing it is an insult to my beauty."
Hearing about the renewed conflict between Class D and Class B, Aragaki Shun felt somewhat incredulous.
"Those guys in Class D, surely they don't even know that Koenji has transferred to Class B?"
"It's hard to say..." Kanzaki Ryuji also felt it was particularly subtle, but reality seemed to be just like that. "I guess that's why they're Class D?"
Even if Koenji Rokusuke only transferred to Class B on August 1st, which is today, Katsuragi had contact with him so many times, didn't the people in Class D react at all?
"Forget it, this is none of our business. With Koenji's abilities, those guys in Class D can't do anything to him."
Aragaki Shun made a judgment, and what happened next proved him right.
Amidst the onlookers from other classes, the students from Class D were quickly overwhelmed by Koenji's aura and were forced to slip away within minutes.
Yosuke Hirata came over and chatted with Koenji for a bit, but after learning that Koenji had joined Class B voluntarily, he didn't say anything more.
This behavior seems somewhat contrary to his usual attitude of valuing his classmates.
However, Aragaki Shun gleaned something from it—
Hirata may genuinely value his classmates, but he's probably more concerned with the overall atmosphere of the class.
In other words, what he cares about is not becoming friends with everyone, but rather hoping that his classmates can get along well and not hurt each other.
Therefore, after confirming that Koenji was not separated from Class D because he was isolated or bullied, this kind-hearted man expressed his understanding in a very magnanimous manner and took the initiative to wish Koenji a good future in Class B.
No matter how you look at it, Class B's overall situation is much better than Class D's, Hirata naturally has no reason to stop Koenji from moving on to a better class.
Just then, the cruise ship's announcement came on again—
[Attention students, we are about to land on an isolated island owned by our school.]
[All students are requested to change into their sportswear within 30 minutes and, after confirming that all bags and luggage are in order, bring their mobile phones to the deck for assembly. Please leave all other personal belongings in your rooms.]
[There's still plenty of time; students who need to use the restroom can go now.]
After the broadcast ended, Aragaki Shun, Kanzaki, and Ichinose exchanged glances, all understanding the current situation.
"Let's go change into our sportswear according to the school's requirements first. We'll probably be staying on the island for the next week and won't have a chance to come up here."
Everyone in Class A understood the meaning behind his words, and they all returned to their rooms with solemn expressions.
About twenty minutes later, all the students from the four first-grade classes were ready and assembled on the deck as instructed by the school.
Meanwhile, the cruise ship officially docked at the pier, and the teacher, holding a megaphone, began issuing commands.
[Now, all students, please disembark in order, starting with Class A. ]
[In addition, mobile phones are prohibited from being brought onto the island. Please hand over your mobile phones to your class teacher before disembarking.]
Upon hearing this news, the students of Class A were the first to disembark via the steps, while Chie Hoshinomiya stood beside them, accepting the cell phones handed to her by each person.
After all the first-year students disembarked, the four classes lined up and assembled on the open space on the beach. Then, each class teacher began to take attendance, and finally confirmed that all the first-year students were present except for Sakayanagi Arisu.
"It's so hot, I'm sweating so much. Can this process be sped up?"
Standing in the open space facing the sun, some students, unaware of the truth about the exam, had already begun to complain. They had finally come to this southern island and were looking forward to exploring.
Seeing this Chie Hoshinomiya, seemingly determined to shatter these people's hopes, walked to the front of the line with a charming smile.
To be honest, she was quite excited about it.
After all, explaining the content related to Special Exam to students was traditionally the responsibility of the class advisor for Class A. If it weren't for the support of everyone in the class, she wouldn't have gotten this opportunity.
"Cough cough cough!"
Deliberately casting a glance at Chabashira Sae, Hoshinomiya announced through a megaphone, "Hello everyone, first-year students. I'm Chie Hoshinomiya teacher of Class A and also the teacher in charge of the infirmary. If you're feeling unwell, please come to the infirmary to see me."
"I'm glad everyone arrived safely today. Except for one student who couldn't make it due to special circumstances, we have now confirmed that all first-year students are present."
Everyone knows who this person is, since Sakayanagi Arisu will continue for another month before it is fully lifted.
Of course, even if he weren't suspended from school, given his physical condition, it would be impossible for him to participate in wilderness survival activities.
"Without further ado, I have an announcement to make: everyone is about to face the first Special Exam of the year, and the location is right here on this Uninhabited Island."
Upon hearing this, the students in Class A and Class B didn't react much, but the other two lower-ranked classes erupted in an uproar.
"Wait, why is there Special Exam?"
"Didn't the school say we were here for sightseeing?"
"Could it be that we've been scammed?"
Hoshinomiya wore a sweet smile, seemingly having long anticipated this scene, and turned her gaze toward Class D with great empathy.
"Oh dear, I understand how you feel. The school really is being a bit inhumane." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her mature charm leaving many in Class D mesmerized. "If I could, I'd also like to stay on the ship and enjoy the spa services."
Yamauchi Haruki's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a lovely teacher!"
"Yes! Yes! Much cuter than Chabashira-sensei."
"That's right, I'll definitely go to the infirmary more often from now on. Hoshinomiya-sensei is so kind, she's similar to Kushida, she'll definitely comfort me patiently and considerately."
Seeing Hoshinomiya's troublesome actions, Chabashira Sae's already cool and beautiful face now radiated even more murderous intent.
"You bastard!!!"
"Oh, is Sae Chabashira angry? Sorry, I seem to have been a bit too high-profile and stole Sae Chabashira's popularity."
She made another face-changing gesture, making all the first-year students burst into laughter at the mention of "Sae Chabashira," and Hoshinomiya's smile became even more adorable.
It wasn't until the two homeroom teachers from Class B and Class C began to express their dissatisfaction that she coughed twice and steered the conversation back on track.
"Ahem~ Anyway, that's all. Next, I'm going to explain the specific exam rules. If you don't listen carefully and miss any important information, don't blame me, okay?"
Upon hearing this, the previously noisy Class D fell silent.
In any case, since the exam is already a done deal, they can only suppress their complaints.
"First of all, please be aware that this Special Exam will last for seven days, from August 1st to noon on August 7th."
"In other words, everyone needs to work together and make use of all available resources to spend seven days living together on this island."
Some students asked incredulously, "How can you possibly do wilderness survival? We're just ordinary students, not professionals."
"Wait, if we can't get on the boat, are there any guesthouses or houses on the island? Are we really going to have to sleep in caves?"
Unfortunately, Hoshinomiya shrugged and mercifully rejected everyone's delusions.
"Unfortunately, that's the reality. There's no designated accommodation on the island, and you won't be allowed to board the ship without a valid reason before the exam is over."
"From now on, everything from preparing food to choosing a sleeping Matoba will be up to you. The school will only provide each class with two tents, two flashlights, and a box of matches. You will also each receive a toothbrush."
"The good news is that there's no limit to the amount of sunscreen you can get; if you're worried about sunburn, you can get as much as you like. Also, girls can use menstrual products without limit; students who need them can apply to their respective class advisors. That's all the support the school is offering."
"Is that all?" After seeing Hoshinomiya nod, a large group of students began to find it hard to accept.
"What?! Is this what real Uninhabited Island survival feels like?! I've never heard of such an absurd thing before!"
"This isn't an anime or a comic book, and there are only two tents—not enough to sleep everyone!"
"And what about food and such? It's unbelievable!"
Drinking water, clothing, food, shelter, medicine... there are just too many things to consider when surviving in the wilderness. The school only provides so little help, so it's no wonder that most people are deterred by it.
Aragaki Shun frowned slightly, disliking the noisy environment around Class D, and directly told them to be quiet.
"That's enough. Hoshinomiya-sensei hasn't finished explaining all the rules yet. If you're going to continue wasting time, I suggest the four classes split up and have their respective homeroom teachers explain the rules to their students."
Katsuragi Kohei also stepped forward, looking displeased. "Class D students, could you please be quiet for a moment? If you want to make noise, you can wait until the four classes separate later."
"Hmph!" Ryuen merely snorted coldly, and the somewhat chaotic Class C immediately became serious.
And so, everyone looked toward the last class that was still making a ruckus.
Chabashira's face turned pale and then red. Not wanting to watch his students embarrass themselves any longer, he had no choice but to step forward and restore order.
When Hoshinomiya saw this, he was overjoyed.
With such poor quality, it would be a miracle if the school allowed this group of flawed individuals from Class D to be promoted to Class A.
It's been a whole semester, and the class still hasn't chosen a leader who can unite everyone. It's clearly a complete mess... Oh, this is the situation led by the people in my class, so never mind.
Little Aragaki did a great job! I really love him, teacher!
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, please continue explaining. You haven't covered the Class Evaluation Points and Private Points involved in the exam, or whether there will be penalties for voluntarily withdrawing."
Aragaki Shun calmly offered a reminder, drawing the attention of all the students.
Yes, since this is the first Special Exam, there will definitely be corresponding rewards and punishments, right?
If there are no rewards for participating in the exam and no penalties for withdrawing, then why would anyone stay here and make things difficult for themselves?
"Aragaki -kun, that's a good question. But please don't worry, the theme of this Special Exam is [freedom], so there will be no punishment for anyone."
"For the next week, you are free to choose your preferred lifestyle. Whether it's Swimming at the beach or camping and picnicking, that's fine. If you get tired of it, you can simply leave and go back to the cruise ship without any problems. The school respects all your choices."
"No punishment? No problem quitting?" Clearly, many people were already showing doubt. "But is this really an exam?"
It's a contradiction. If it's such a laissez-faire model, isn't the school afraid that everyone will just disperse?
"So the problem isn't punishment, but the consequences?"
Aragaki Shun understood and asked with great interest, "So, how much benefit does the school intend to give us? Are you really that confident that all four classes will voluntarily stay and suffer?"
"Hehe~ Aragaki -kun is so clever, the school has been exceptionally generous this time."
Chie Hoshinomiya deliberately went to Chabashira Sae's side, ignoring the other's icy face, and took a booklet that was dozens of pages long from her hand.
"To help everyone have a more enjoyable exam experience, the school will provide each class with 300 exam-specific points. You can use these temporary points to redeem various supplies from this booklet."
"Look, it lists many items that can be redeemed with points, such as drinking water, food, barbecue, tents, toilets, and so on. It has everything."
"Got it? As long as we make good use of these 300 temporary points, it will be a breeze for everyone to spend seven days on the island without any problems."
Upon hearing this, everyone's serious expressions immediately Matsushita.
"So that's how it is. I knew the school couldn't have given us so little stuff and made us survive in the wilderness."
"But will things be that simple? This is an exam, you know. If it were that easy to pass, it would be a pure vacation."
"There must be other requirements, like scoring and ranking?"
Hoshinomiya glanced at Class D and felt a little disappointed. After being reprimanded earlier, these people hadn't come out to say anything interesting.
Coming to her senses and seeing everyone's puzzled looks, she stopped being mysterious and directly stated the key point of the exam—
"In short, the school hopes everyone will make good use of these supplies, because after this Special Exam, the remaining temporary points in each class will be added to your original Class Evaluation Points."
"In other words, if a class manages to get through the seven days without scoring a single point, their Class Evaluation Points will increase by 300 points after the summer vacation ends."
A gust of wind carried these words across the summer beach, stirring up dust.
At that moment, everyone present was deeply shocked.
That's 300 points for each class!
It's important to know that the total score for the Midterm Exam is only 100 points, which is the Class Evaluation Points.
If we only look at the Class Evaluation Points, a score as high as 300 is enough for Class B to surpass Class A and Class D to overtake Class C.
Not to mention the Private Points that these scores correspond to.