Classroom of the Elite, I Also Want to Be a Good Person

If it costs one million private points to buy from the school, surely it wouldn't be that expensive to buy from a teacher.

"Except for employment, teachers are strictly prohibited from engaging in transactions with students."

"Don't worry, I won't let the school find any evidence."

Realizing the method was feasible, Aoyama scanned the other three homeroom teachers, who each wore different expressions.

Aside from Class C's Sakagami Kazuma, who was difficult to negotiate with, Class B's Hoshinomiya and Class D's Chabashira were both eggs with cracks—and those cracks were quite significant.

"I wasn't warning you not to get caught... never mind." Mashima felt a headache coming on. He had plenty more to say, but seeing the number of students gathering in the lobby, he gave up.

"Keep my luggage for now; I'll come get it in seven days."

Tossing his luggage to Hashimoto and glancing at the expressionless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Aoyama headed straight for the elevator.

Upon reaching the top deck, there was, as expected, not a single student in sight.

Under the azure sky and vast blue sea, Aoyama claimed the bow for himself, stretching his arms out before the beautiful scenery and lifting his head to enjoy the sea breeze, which grew more intense as the ship accelerated.

"Refreshing."

"Screw you, God!"

After shouting that it was refreshing, Aoyama felt that a single word wasn't enough to express the relief in his heart.

Thinking that perhaps there was nothing more cathartic than cursing out loud, he simply let it out.

After shouting, he felt incredibly satisfied.

Thinking that lying on the deck looking up at the sky felt like something out of an anime, and that it would offer a different perspective, Aoyama simply fell backward, sprawling out in a star shape.

Then, besides the blue sky, his field of vision was filled with a panicked face.

Judging by the girl's movements, she had likely been trying to sneak away.

"Cough, cough, it's Amikura. Why are you on the deck so soon?" Standing up from the deck without a sound, Aoyama pretended that nothing had happened.

Who the hell could tell him why Amikura Mako had come up to the deck so quickly, and why she had the twisted sense of humor to sneak up on him without making a sound?

She must have wanted to give him a scare.

"Um, yes, I was just a bit interested in the ocean view."

Nodding stiffly, Amikura's gaze wandered involuntarily; she didn't dare look at Aoyama's face.

She hadn't expected Aoyama to have such a goofy side.

Although he liked to tease others from time to time, in her heart, Aoyama's image was that of a mature and steady person—someone who was witty and capable.

"I've seen enough, so I'll leave this spot with the best view to you." Nodding to himself, Aoyama left the deck with a deadpan expression before Amikura could even reply.

Only when he had walked far enough away from the equally embarrassed Amikura did his expression finally collapse.

So much for my reputation.

With a silent, bitter smile, he headed to the western-style restaurant, which also offered a view of the sea.

In a few hours, when the cruise ship docked, the Uninhabited Island Special Exam would begin.

Thinking that he wouldn't be able to eat cake whenever he wanted once that happened, Aoyama decisively ordered a double portion of cake from the waiter, along with some lemonade to cleanse his palate.

After blissfully finishing the cake, he toured the cruise ship from top to bottom, exploring every area accessible to students and leaving no secluded corner unchecked.

Finally, he went to the floor where the teachers were staying.

The wavy-haired Class B homeroom teacher Hoshinomiya Chie and the long-haired, straight-black-haired Class D homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae were both graduates of Kouiku, and they had even been in the same class during their time there.

Due to an incident before their graduation in their third year, the internal clocks of these two women had remained "stuck" at that decisive special exam before graduation.

"Open up, it's the meter reader, Hoshinomiya-sensei." In the hallway of their rooms, Aoyama chose to knock on Hoshinomiya's door.

The biggest winner he had predicted for the Uninhabited Island was Class B, so collecting a little "consultation fee" from their homeroom teacher wasn't asking too much.

If she didn't pay? Well, that would be difficult.

"Oh, it's Aoyama-kun. I won't give in to you, you know."

After Hoshinomiya opened the door wearing a pink, form-fitting short-sleeved shirt, she immediately stated that she wouldn't trade the usage rights to her room.

Although she didn't have much respect for school rules, Aoyama had just made some wild claims in front of Mashima, and she didn't want to be targeted by that stick-in-the-mud.

"That's not up to you, Hoshinomiya-sensei."

Pushing the door open firmly, Aoyama walked straight into the room and sat down.

Although it was a single room, the facilities were complete, and it wasn't exactly small.

"Don't let my easygoing appearance fool you; I can be quite scary when I get angry, you know."

"Since when are women easygoing? Don't joke with me." Pouring himself some tea, Aoyama maintained his firm stance. "I was the one who provided the intel that Class B knew about the special exam in advance. It's not unreasonable for a homeroom teacher to help a student return a favor."

"As the Student Council vice president, you should know that homeroom teachers are forbidden from interfering in student competition. Bribery is prohibited."

Hoshinomiya sat down opposite Aoyama, showing no intention of agreeing, her tone casual yet firm.

She was satisfied with Class B under Ichinose's leadership, but that was all—she had no intention of violating school rules to intervene.

If she were caught and reported to the school, she would be out of a job.

"If I don't take the money, doesn't that mean it isn't a bribe?" Aoyama took a sip of tea. "If you don't give me this room, I'll have no choice but to go next door. I imagine that for the sake of reaching Class A, Chabashira-sensei would be more than willing to buy me off."

As two people who graduated from the same class in the same year, Hoshinomiya and Chabashira appeared to get along well, but in reality, they harbored irreconcilable conflicts.

The core of this conflict was that Chabashira desperately wanted to elevate Class D to Class A to prove a point, while Hoshinomiya had sworn to prevent Chabashira's class from ever reaching the top.

The hatred that had been born during that special exam at the end of their third year—the one that determined whether they were qualified to promote to Class A—had persisted to this very day.

Of course, Hoshinomiya, who was essentially a bystander caught in the crossfire, certainly had her own reasons to resent Chabashira.

"Is there anything else you know?" Hoshinomiya could no longer force a smile.

"I only know what I need to know."

Pointing toward the door, Aoyama's intent was clear and easy to understand.

Chapter 68: Portrait, Landing on the Island

[Attention all students: please make your way to the deck when you have a moment. We are about to see the island where we will be vacationing; I trust you will find the scenery quite meaningful.]

The cruise ship's intercom suddenly crackled to life. Aoyama, who had been occupying Hoshinomiya's room to rest, also left to head toward the deck.

By the time he stepped onto the deck, it was already bustling with over a hundred students.

Judging by the grave expressions on most of their faces, they all knew that what awaited them was certainly not the pleasant vacation the broadcast had promised.

"Hey, you're in the way, you defective products."

Just as Aoyama walked into the crowd, he saw the boys from Class A forcefully shoving the Class D students away from the best viewing spots.

The most arrogant among them was none other than that green-haired lackey.

Totsuka Yahiko delivered a direct shoulder check to Ayanokoji, the hidden boss of Class D.

A single hit sent him stumbling; had he not grabbed the deck railing, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to end up on the floor.

Ayanokoji, you really are a hell of an actor.

You're walking down a narrow path, brother Totsuka.

Recalling the record of Ayanokoji single-handedly taking down over a dozen adults and winning before he was even an adult, Aoyama clicked his tongue.

Is that kind of record even possible for a normal person?

"Apologize." Horikita Suzune walked up to Totsuka, holding her phone. "Your bullying behavior just now has been recorded. I believe the Student Council will not ignore this."

"Totsuka, apologize to this student. Do not do anything that would disgrace your status as a student of Class A."

Horikita Suzune's voice was loud enough to quickly attract the attention of students from other classes, and many eyes turned toward them.

Seeing this, Katsuragi didn't bother to debate whether Horikita had actually recorded it or not; he simply ordered Totsuka to apologize and end the matter.

The minor incident concluded, and Class D managed to keep their prime spot at the bow of the ship.

As the ship drew closer to the island, the noise on the deck gradually faded. The students who were conscious of the situation were all observing the island's terrain.

"Aoyama-kun, your drawing skills are truly impressive." Shiraishi Asuka, a student from Class A, walked up to Aoyama's side.

Unlike the elites from the various classes who were focused entirely on observing the island, Aoyama was currently sketching.

A girl, cute to the point of being unfair, was gradually coming to life on the paper.

As the pencil lines accumulated, Shiraishi recognized the girl in the drawing.

"It's just so-so."

Glancing up at Horikita Suzune, who stood at the bow with her black hair caught in the sea breeze, staring intently ahead, Aoyama replied to Shiraishi calmly.

After drawing the drawing skill from a purple card, he had originally intended to sketch a map of the island to test the waters.

But after seeing Horikita Suzune standing proudly at the bow, blending into the scenery, he changed his mind.

[We are about to dock at the pier. Students, please change into your gym clothes in thirty minutes, bring your required luggage, and bring your phones to the deck. Disembark the ship in an orderly fashion by class.]

As Aoyama finished the final stroke, the school's announcement broadcast echoed through the ship once more.

The cruise ship, which had been circling the island at high speed, gradually began to slow down.

"Shiraishi-san, you look like you have some free time. Please, do me a favor and give this drawing to Suzune." With an attitude that brooked no refusal, Aoyama shoved the drawing into Shiraishi's hands.

Then, amidst Shiraishi's helpless smile, he disappeared into the crowd on the deck.

"Honestly, he's just too overbearing, Aoyama-kun."

But, considering his voice is so pleasant to listen to, I suppose I'll help you out this once.

Murmuring softly to herself, Shiraishi Asuka took a closer look at the portrait in her hand before heading toward Horikita, who was still standing at the bow.

Gathering on the deck, lining up.

One by one, students opened their luggage bags and showed them to the teachers to verify there were no prohibited personal items before receiving permission to disembark.

And as they stepped onto land, there was a teacher specifically assigned to collect the students' phones.

By the time all the students had disembarked, more than half an hour had passed since the initial assembly.

"First of all, I am pleased that everyone has arrived here safely."

The students from each class lined up in their respective groups once again, and Mashima stood at the prepared white podium, still holding a megaphone in his hand.

Just like the students below the stage, he was wearing a red tracksuit, as were the other three homeroom teachers.

"Now then, we will begin this year's first special exam." Speaking again, Mashima dropped what would normally be explosive and unbelievable news to the students.

However, the students below were all incredibly calm, as if they had already known about it.

"It seems you are all prepared for the current situation, so I won't need to explain too much."

With no objections raised, Mashima revealed a faint smile and began to announce the rules of the exam.

The Uninhabited Island Special Exam begins now on the first, and the end time is noon on August 7th, lasting a little over six days.

The free supplies provided to each class at the start consist of only two tents, plus two flashlights and one box of matches, which is clearly insufficient for forty people to survive on an uninhabited island for six days.

The main event is something called exam points; each class will be allocated three hundred points at the start, and these three hundred exam points can be used to exchange with the school for portable toilets, tents, food, and other camping essentials.

There is also an abundance of recreational items available.

If they spend it all, a class of students could finish the Uninhabited Island Special Exam as if they were on vacation.

"The remaining exam points can be converted into class points!!"

"Then if we don't spend a single point, won't we each get an extra thirty thousand private points next month?"

Hearing that exam points could be converted into class points, Ike Kanji shouted out, his remark perfectly matching his level of intelligence.

If they didn't spend a single cent, they would truly be living out Robinson Crusoe.

Someone like Sakayanagi Arisu, with her frail body, could just be buried right there to avoid being a burden.

"Now, I am going to distribute a watch to each of you. Removing it without permission will result in severe penalties. This is a watch with GPS tracking and physical condition monitoring functions. If the emergency button on it is pressed, we will send people to search for and rescue you."

Ignoring Ike Kanji's disruption, Mashima directed the staff to distribute the watches to every student.

Once the watches were all distributed, he, like the homeroom teachers of the other classes, took a small notebook and went to the front of his class's line.