Chapter 129
"No, it's not... Is it my fault... It's all Aragaki-kun's fault..."
Feeling the pressure coming from behind, Yamamura Miki half-covered her lips with her palm, but still couldn't stop her involuntary panting.
As the newest comrades-in-arms to join this family, Wang Meiyu and Shiranami Chihiro are, to some extent, a little too loyal.
Because she was a newcomer, they initially got to know each other through self-introductions.
The two thoughtfully entrusted her with the rest of the cruise and wished her a wonderful date.
Initially, she was naturally grateful and very fortunate, but after experiencing it firsthand, the girl realized that she had been completely fooled.
No matter how clingy she was, after three whole days of torture, the girl gained a profound understanding of her boyfriend's abilities.
As expected, we still need to plan our time according to Chihiro's experience. Aragaki is just too strong; no matter how hard they try, they can't outlast her.
This is such a happy problem; no wonder Chihiro and Xiao Mei didn't say anything about her joining them.
While letting her mind wander, she tried to feel the sea breeze on her face until she closed her eyes, feeling drowsy, and let her lover tease her as he pleased.
"That does seem a bit excessive..."
Wiping the sweat from Miki's face, and seeing her tired yet satisfied expression, Aragaki Shun smiled smugly.
It's obvious the boy did it on purpose.
Having already made up his mind to build a harem, he naturally had to make his lovers understand his resolve.
Instead of using sweet talk, which he wasn't good at, he felt it was better to use a more honest way of communicating.
He at least needs to prove that he absolutely has the strength to crush them all together.
This is absolutely fundamental. If you can't even do this but want more, being ridiculed is a minor matter; the real danger is that you might end up with nothing, or even face a fatal blow.
With these random thoughts in mind, and seeing that Miki was indeed out of energy, Aragaki Shun decided not to continue teasing her. Instead, he put his arm around the girl's waist and quietly admired the blue sky and the sea.
"This stern deck is where Miki and I first met. Now, returning to this place, do I feel a sense of peace and openness?"
Hearing such teasing, Yamamura Miki playfully punched the bad man with her little fist.
It's one thing to make a connection in a place, but why do this kind of thing in broad daylight when it's supposed to be a return to an old haunt?
Even if normal people can't see them, this is still absurd!
"Haha~ Miki seems to be enjoying it too, doesn't this make up for not being able to eat you here that night?"
"Aragaki -kun, please don't bully me..."
Amidst their playful banter, the two leisurely enjoyed the sea breeze, whispering sweet nothings to each other at the stern of the boat, appearing relaxed and carefree.
Until one point, when it seemed the right time had come, the school launched another surprise attack.
Aragaki Shun and Yamamura Miki's phones suddenly rang at the same time.
It was a sharp, high-pitched sound.
At the beginning of the school year, the Hoshinomiya made an explanation.
According to her, these sounds are instructions from the school; when there are changes to an event, the school sends these email ringtones to all students as a reminder.
Even when the phone is on vibrate mode, it will still make a sound, which shows how important it is.
That's what I said, but in reality, I haven't received a single important email throughout my entire first year.
I never imagined my first time would be during summer vacation.
"What happened?"
Yamamura Miki looked a little nervous; she wasn't currently in Class B's activity area.
If something happens and we need to gather the class together, I don't know if we'll make it in time.
"Don't worry, the school sent this reminder so hastily, they'll definitely give us enough time to prepare."
As Aragaki Shun's comforting words faded, almost simultaneously, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker inside the ship.
[This is to inform all students: The school has just sent out an email with contact information for all students. Please check your mobile phone and follow the instructions.]
[Additionally, if you haven't received the email, please request assistance from a nearby faculty member. The information is very important, so please ensure you don't miss anything during the verification process. To reiterate...]
After the broadcast was repeated twice, Aragaki Shun and Yamamura Miki exchanged a glance, then took out their respective phones and began opening the emails that had been sent to them.
The following content was written on it:
[Special Exam is about to begin. Students are requested to assemble in their designated rooms at the designated time. Those who are more than ten minutes late will be punished.]
[Please assemble at Room 24 on the second floor before 7 PM tonight. The meeting time is approximately twenty minutes. Please use the restroom and other facilities, and turn your phone to vibrate or off before coming to the meeting point.]
As expected, it was a notification for the second Special Exam.
I wonder if the school has made any changes to this anticipated second exam because of the situation with the Uninhabited Island Exam.
After all, his Personal Panel also showed that he had completed an achievement called [The Beginning of Change].
The notice stated that, due to his performance, the school had decided to revise the future competition format.
But normally, change can't happen too quickly; it certainly can't be completed in three days.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the rules for the upcoming Special Exam should remain largely unchanged; at most, the rewards and punishments may have been slightly modified.
For example, how does one change from generous rewards to severe punishments?
In this way, regardless of who wins or loses the class competition, the first grade as a whole will definitely have a large number of evaluation points deducted.
Hopefully, the school won't be that stingy, since they won't be able to collect their rewards for the Uninhabited Island Exam until next month.
"It's Special Exam?" Yamamura Miki couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
She's been so engrossed in playing these past few days that she hasn't thought about any of these things at all.
The girl then turned her gaze to the Leader of Class A.
"Aragaki -san, what should I do?"
According to Aragaki, he will be transferred to Class A when summer vacation ends and the next semester begins.
But she's still in Class B, so why is she facing another Special Exam?
"Give me your phone, let me check if there are any differences between the two emails."
The message the school sent him only specified the time and place to meet, without providing any further details about the exam rules.
I wonder if other people received the same email.
Yamamura Miki naturally didn't hesitate and handed over her phone. Aragaki Shun saw that the information on it was basically the same, but the specified time and place were completely different from his.
"What role do these two elements play in different times and places?"
With this question in mind, and in order to obtain more information, Aragaki Shun decisively issued an announcement in the Class A internal group chat, asking everyone to copy the email they received, and finally Kanzaki Ryuji to register the time and location.
After arranging things within Class A, he assigned similar tasks to Kamuro Masumi in Class B, Ibuki Mio in Class C, and Karuizawa Kei in Class D, asking them to try their best to figure out the contents of the emails received by their classmates.
"During the Uninhabited Island Exam, the school gathered all the first-year students together before announcing the exam rules."
"But this time, the time and place are different. I don't know what the school means by doing this."
After thinking for Aragaki Shun decided to have Yamamura Miki return to Class B as soon as possible.
"Just stay with Kamuro Masumi, Morishita Ai, Kito Hayato. They'll join Class A with you after summer vacation."
While giving instructions, the two of them left the stern deck area together.
Soon after, Kanzaki Ryuji sent over the registered information.
As expected, the school grouped the students of Class A into groups of three or four, placing them at different times and locations.
In other words, this Special Exam requires isolating students and imposing restrictions from the outset before announcing the exam rules.
I don't understand the meaning behind playing these tricks. Are they trying to turn class competition into clique infighting?
With this question lingering in her mind, after receiving the class lists from Kamuro, Ibuki, and Karuizawa, it seemed that her guess was becoming more likely to come true.
Let me see what the school's plans are.
199. The exam has just begun; victory is already assured.
After giving instructions to the members of Class A, Aragaki Shun went to the designated room as required by the email.
The students who accompanied him included Hamaguchi Tetsuya and Beppu Ryota.
It seems that the three of them were teammates in the same group during this Special Exam.
Upon arriving at the location, Hamaguchi Tetsuya took the initiative to knock on the door and received a quick response.
"Come in."
After receiving permission, the three of them entered the room together.
Only Class B's homeroom teacher Mashima Tomoya, was inside. He was sitting in a chair, and when he saw Aragaki Shun enter, his gaze changed subtly.
According to the tacit understanding between the class teachers, under normal circumstances, this Leader of Class A, who is recognized as the strongest in the first year, should not have appeared in this group.
"The feuds between women..."
After inwardly sighing over the farce between Hoshinomiya and Chabashira, Mashima Tomoya straightened his expression and gestured for the three of them to find empty chairs and sit down.
"You are Aragaki, Hamaguchi, and Beppu from Class A, right? Now, I will explain the Special Exam."
This point was mentioned in the email, and since they were in the same group as Aragaki Shun, both Hamaguchi Tetsuya and Beppu Ryota were already confident of an easy win, so their expressions didn't change at all.
Seeing this, even when facing the current Class A out of the league, Mashima Tomoya, the former Class A's homeroom teacher, still showed a hint of satisfaction.
God knows how painful it was for me to face students from Class C and Class D, constantly being interrupted and having to answer their stupid questions.
"For this Special Exam, the school has divided all first-year students into twelve groups, using the Chinese sexagenary cycle as a metaphor. We will hold exams within those larger groups to test their thinking abilities."
Is it metaphorically represented by the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, divided into twelve groups?
Does that mean dividing all first-grade students into twelve groups and naming each group according to the twelve Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches?
If you're not familiar with the twelve Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, you can use the twelve Chinese zodiac animals to remember them.
The twelve earthly branches are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
All Chinese zodiac animals are composed of the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch preceding them and the animal image following them.
Then the ability tested is "Thinking".
In other words, it means the ability to think deeply and reflect deeply.
"The basic skills required of adults can be roughly divided into three categories: Action, Thinking, and Teamwork. Only those who possess these skills are qualified to become outstanding adults."
"The previous Uninhabited Island Exam focused heavily on teamwork."
At this point, Mashima Tomoya glanced specifically at Aragaki Shun.
Based on past observations, Class A's teamwork ability is undoubtedly the strongest in the entire first grade.
However, the reason they were able to achieve such excellent results during the Uninhabited Island Exam was because the cohesion of the other three classes was completely destroyed by the Leader of Class A.
Who would have thought that on the first day of the exam, Class D' s supplies would be openly and brazenly sent out by an insider?
"This VIP Exam will be one that requires critical thinking skills."
"Thinking ability, in other words, is the ability to analyze the current situation and clarify the issue; the ability to understand the process of solving a problem and then prepare accordingly; and the ability to unleash creativity and create new value—these will become very important to you in the future."
Undoubtedly, this was a deliberate hint from the school, intended to guide students in this direction.
While this is just a suggestion, whether or not to follow the school's procedures during the actual exam is up to the class leader to decide.
Is there any problem getting here?
After saying that, Mashima Tomoya stopped, clearly leaving time specifically for students to ask questions.
Hamaguchi Tetsuya and Beppu Ryota turned their gazes toward Aragaki Shun.
"Then I'd like to ask, if the exam simply divides the first-year students into twelve large groups, wouldn't it be better to just gather all the members within each large group and then explain the rules?"
"Why continue to break down the school into groups of three, four, or even five? Isn't this a complete waste of the school's resources?"
Mashima Tomoya somewhat surprised by Aragaki Shun's question. He had figured out the number of people in each group so quickly. Did he even have the rosters for all the groups?
Considering his control over the other three classes during the Uninhabited Island Exam, this conjecture might just be reality.
Deep down, the Class B teacher already had a premonition that Class B would suffer another crushing defeat in this exam, but on the surface, he simply and calmly uttered a single sentence:
"There's no other reason; it's just that the large group isn't made up of a single class, but rather consists of about three to five people from each class. If this wasn't explained beforehand, it could easily cause chaos later."
In other words, each large group consists of smaller groups from the four classes.