Of Course I Like Her

Eito smiled slightly and joked,

"Eh... I, I didn't... No... I... S-sorry!"

Sakura bowed to him and ran off with her head lowered.

"..."

"Attention, students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We're about to catch sight of an island. I'm sure you'll soon see a truly meaningful sight."

The announcement came over the speakers. After hearing it, students from each class gradually made their way to the deck.

Among them, he spotted a striking girl with pink hair. She had a lovely figure and a soft, sweet face. Even just standing there, she gave off a warm, approachable air.

She was the leader of Class B and the class representative whom her classmates trusted. Half the credit for Class B's unity belonged to her.

If Kikyo had earned her classmates' trust through acting, then this girl had won people over naturally through her own charm.

People who treated others kindly would be treated kindly in return.

That seemed true in most cases, but being too kind also made it easy for others to take advantage of you.

Besides her, he also saw one of Class A's leaders, Katsuragi Kohei.

The glare off his shiny scalp hurt his eyes.

His bald head stood out among the students. He looked like an upright man, and in truth he was—like a hidebound old man, stubbornly clinging to outdated rules.

His gaze shifted to the island they were about to land on.

The island was neither large nor small, covering 0.5 square kilometers, or roughly 750 mu.

Since he already knew the island would serve as the exam site, he had studied it carefully during the tour, committing it to memory until he had formed a rough model of it in his mind.

Still, he wouldn't know the exact terrain until he had walked across the island himself.

"We'll soon be landing on the uninhabited island owned by the school. In thirty minutes, please change into your sports clothes, check that you have the required bags and luggage, and then gather on the deck with your phones. Leave all other personal belongings in your rooms. Since you can still use the restrooms for now, please take care of your needs first."

Just as he had expected, the exam was about to begin.

After the students from all four classes had gathered on the island, a sturdy teacher with a stern gaze stepped onto the platform. He was Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima Tomoya.

"First, I'm glad that you've all arrived here safely today. On the other hand, I regret to say that one student is unable to participate due to illness."

The student he was referring to was Class A's Sakayanagi Arisu.

She was also Class A's other leader.

"Now then—we're about to begin this school year's first Special Exam."

"Huh? A Special Exam? What's going on?"

Almost all the students looked confused.

"The exam will last one week, ending at noon on August seventh. You'll spend the next week living together on this uninhabited island. That's the exam. I'll also say this upfront: the exam was designed with real corporate training programs in mind. It's highly practical and realistic."

"Living on an uninhabited island?... So we're not staying on the ship—we're going to live on this island?"

"That's right. You may not return to the ship during the exam without a valid reason. You'll have to work everything out yourselves, from where to sleep to how to prepare food. At the start, the school will give each class two tents, two flashlights, and a box of matches. Sunscreen is unrestricted. Each of you will receive a toothbrush. As a special exception, the girls may use as many feminine hygiene products as they need. Please make your requests to your homeroom teachers. That's all."

The vacation had been a ruse. Their real purpose was to take an exam.

It was easy to imagine how hard this news hit the first-year students.

Quite a few had already begun to protest.

But Mashima then gave them some good news:

"However, you can relax. If this exam forced you to endure harsh living conditions, criticism would be understandable. But even though this is a Special Exam, you don't need to overthink it. Over the next week, you can swim at the beach or have a barbecue. You can even build a campfire now and then and chat with your friends. The theme of this Special Exam is 'freedom.'"

Freedom.

Each class would receive 300 points, which they could use to exchange for all kinds of items for their vacation.

Tents, for example, or grills, all kinds of food, and various toys and games.

They had even thoughtfully prepared stretchy, disposable silicone products for the students—but no, they hadn't.

As long as they used their points wisely, they could enjoy a perfect vacation.

However.

"At the end of this Special Exam, each class's remaining points will be added to its Class Points, and the result will be reflected when summer vacation ends."

This was undoubtedly a familiar trap, one that had long been used by many people.

Those who fell for it seemed to have the freedom to choose, but in reality, they didn't. After all, these were 300 points, equivalent to 30,000 personal points. Anyone could figure out what to do if all it took was enduring one week to gain an extra 30,000 points every month afterward.

In addition, anyone who withdrew from the exam for personal reasons would lose 30 points. That meant Class A now had only 270 points.

No one in Class A showed any displeasure at Sakayanagi's absence, which made her influence over the class clear.

Chapter 35: Of Course I Like Her

"Now I'm going to give each of you a watch. Don't take it off until the exam ends a week from now, and make sure you wear it properly. Removing the watch without permission will result in a penalty. Besides telling the time, the watch has sensors that can detect your body temperature, pulse, and movements, as well as a satellite positioning system. It's also equipped with a function for alerting the school in an emergency. If an emergency occurs, press this button without hesitation."

After the classes split up, Chabashira handed out the free survival supplies, including tents, watches, and toothbrushes.

For the students' safety, the school had rented several helicopters that could provide assistance at any time. The watches served a similar purpose.

Pressing the button meant withdrawing from the exam, and the points would be deducted accordingly.

The watches were also waterproof.

Although this was an exam, the thought of spending a week on this deserted island made many people look uneasy.

"It'll be fine. We can catch some fish and find fruit in the forest. We can make tents out of leaves and wood. Even if things go as badly as making ourselves sick, I'll do my best."

Ike spoke with confidence.

He seemed to have some experience camping outdoors.

However, those things alone wouldn't be enough to help a group of over thirty people get through the week safely.

They soon clashed over the issue of toilets.

The free toilets the school had provided consisted of disposable plastic bags and cardboard boxes. They contained absorbent cloth to block and contain the smell.

Ike, who was determined to keep all their points and full of confidence, didn't mind.

But the girls had objections.

Shinohara, who was part of Karuizawa's group and had some influence among the girls thanks to her forceful personality, got into an argument with Ike.

These makeshift toilets might have seemed convenient, but the girls found them intolerable. The thought of having to share them with the boys made it even worse.

The school could make a proper toilet for the students, similar to the kind used at home, with all the same features. It would just cost 20 points.

"It's just a toilet. We should put up with it. This isn't worth arguing over, Shinohara."

"Don't be ridiculous. This has nothing to do with the boys, does it? A cardboard-box toilet? I absolutely refuse!"

Chabashira said, "It's your decision. I have nothing to add. But the school won't allow you to relieve yourselves wherever you like in the forest, let alone in the sea or a river. Don't forget that."

"I-I absolutely can't use something like a cardboard box! And the boys will be nearby, won't they? That's gross!"

"What's that supposed to mean? I can't accept you treating us like perverts."

"But you are! And you look like a pervert, too."

"What? Whoa, that really hurts—I'm a perfect gentleman!"

"Give me a break. A gentleman? Seriously? You're the most obvious candidate for pervert."

Ike and Shinohara kept arguing, and most of the girls supported Shinohara.

But there was one person who had remained silent the whole time.

Eito looked at Karuizawa, the girl who was outwardly D Class's female leader, yet hadn't said a word.

She seemed to notice him looking at her. She glared at him, then looked away.

Just then, Kikyo, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward.

"Everyone, why don't we hear what Eito has to say?"

"Hm?"

Meeting Kikyo's sweet smile, he felt his heart sink.

She was trying to set him up again.

Shinohara looked at him, too. "Takeda, you can understand our side, right?"

Shinohara had a certain fondness for him, a boy her friend Sato was always praising, though she didn't like him that much.

Ike said excitedly,

"You're my friend, right? You'll take my side, won't you?"

"Uh, go away."

As far as the boys were concerned, spending those points was unnecessary. Yukimura, another boy in the class, agreed with Ike, and the other boys tacitly accepted Ike's view as well.

They supported Ike.

If he opposed them now, the boys would surely dislike him.

But...

"I think we should buy a toilet," he said.

After all, he couldn't bear to see Suzune and the others use such a crude toilet. He even thought they might as well follow Class C's example and enjoy themselves for once.

That was what true freedom meant.

At his words, Shinohara smiled happily, and the girls looked at him more kindly.

He'd gained that much goodwill with a single sentence. He'd struck gold.

But Ike looked crestfallen.

"Why? We're friends—why would you betray me?"

"...Stop. You're disgusting."

Yukimura adjusted his glasses and stepped forward.

"Can you give me a reason? As a member of the group, I have the right to disagree. If you can't convince me and the others, I'm sure they'll object too, and we'll have even more conflicts in the future."

Yukimura hadn't directly opposed him. Instead, he'd asked for a reason. That meant he probably didn't actually disagree; he just couldn't think of a good reason to agree.

He was a serious person who considered all the factors in terms of benefits. As far as he was concerned, spending points on a toilet wasn't worthwhile.

Eito understood him. He also knew that while this was something the boys could simply endure, the girls found it difficult to put up with.

After all, when interacting with the opposite sex, women tended to care more about their appearance.

He had plenty of reasons he could give, but when he saw Kikyo watching him with a cheerful smile, a sudden idea came to him.

"Um... What about this as a reason? I can't bear to see Kikyo use such a crude toilet."

"Eh?"

His words drew gasps from the class, especially from the girls.

Hearing the whispers behind her, Kikyo smiled awkwardly and shot him a pointed look, as if to say:

[Just you wait.]

"Does that mean—" Yukimura stammered, "you... you like Kushida?"

"Of course," he replied with a smile.

"Ehhhh?"

Quite a few girls covered their mouths.

"Is this a confession?"