Portraits, Landing on the Island

Buying one from the school costs a million Private Points, so surely it wouldn't cost that much to get one from a teacher.

"Teachers are prohibited from engaging in transactions with students, except for hiring them."

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

Aoyama understood that the approach could work. He glanced at the other three homeroom teachers, each with a different expression.

Aside from Sakagami Kazuma of Class C, who wouldn't be easy to deal with, both Hoshinomiya of Class B and Chabashira of Class D had openings—and not small ones, either.

"I'm not warning you not to get caught... Never mind." Mashima rubbed his temples. There was a lot he wanted to say, but the hall was full of students, so he gave up.

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

Aoyama tossed his luggage to Hashimoto, glanced at the expressionless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, then headed straight for the elevator.

He went up to the top deck, where, as expected, there wasn't a single student.

With the brilliant blue sky and deep-blue sea before him, Aoyama spread his arms at the bow and raised his head, enjoying the sea breeze that grew stronger as the ship picked up speed.

"Awesome."

"Fuck you, heavens!"

After shouting that he felt awesome, Aoyama decided a single word didn't quite capture how good he felt.

He figured there probably wasn't anything more satisfying than cursing right then, so he let loose.

Once he'd yelled it out, he felt absolutely fantastic.

Thinking that lying on the deck and looking up at the sky would feel like a scene from an anime—and let him see the view from a different angle—Aoyama simply fell backward and sprawled out.

Then, in addition to the blue sky, his eyes landed on a startled face.

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

"Ahem. Amikura, what brings you to the deck so soon?" Aoyama silently got to his feet and pretended nothing had happened.

Could someone please tell him why Amikura Mako had come up to the deck so quickly, then crept up on him in silence like some kind of prank?

She'd probably wanted to scare him.

"Um, I was a little interested in the view of the ocean."

Amikura nodded stiffly, her gaze wandering. She didn't dare look Aoyama in the face.

She hadn't expected Aoyama to have such an uninhibited side.

He liked teasing people sometimes, but she'd always thought of him as mature and level-headed—a witty, capable person.

"I've seen enough. You can have the best spot now." Aoyama nodded to himself, then left the deck with a wooden expression before Amikura could answer.

Only after he'd gone far enough that Amikura, who was just as embarrassed, was out of sight did his expression crumple.

There went my reputation.

With a silent, rueful smile, he headed to the western restaurant, where he could still enjoy the ocean view.

The ship would reach shore in a few hours, and the Uninhabited Island Special Exam would begin then.

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to eat cake whenever he wanted after that, Aoyama promptly ordered a double portion, along with some lemonade to cut the sweetness.

After happily polishing off the cake, he explored every area of the ship that students were allowed to enter, from top to bottom, making sure not to skip even the secluded corners.

At last, he went to the teachers' accommodations.

Hoshinomiya Chie, Class B's homeroom teacher with short, wavy hair, and Chabashira Sae, Class D's homeroom teacher with long, straight black hair tied in a ponytail, had both graduated from Kouiku in the same class and year.

Because of an incident before their third-year graduation, the two of them had remained stuck in the past, back at the decisive Special Exam that had taken place before graduation.

"Open up! Meter reading!" Aoyama chose to knock on Hoshinomiya's door.

He'd picked Class B as the biggest winner on the island. It was only fair to collect a little compensation from their homeroom teacher.

If she refused? Well, that would be a problem.

"Oh, it's you, Aoyama. I'm not giving you my room."

As soon as Hoshinomiya opened the door, dressed in a fitted pink T-shirt, she made it clear that she wouldn't trade away the right to use her room.

She didn't have much respect for the school rules, but Aoyama had just been running his mouth in front of Mashima. She didn't want that stiff-necked man keeping an eye on her.

"You don't get to decide that, Hoshinomiya-sensei."

Aoyama pushed the door open and walked in, then sat down.

It was a single room, but it had all the necessary amenities and was fairly spacious.

"Don't let my easygoing appearance fool you. I can be terrifying when I get angry."

"Women are never easygoing. Don't joke with me." Aoyama poured himself some tea and held his ground. "I gave Class B advance information about the Special Exam. It wouldn't be unreasonable for you, as their homeroom teacher, to repay the favor on your students' behalf."

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

Hoshinomiya sat across from Aoyama. Her tone was casual but firm, and she showed no sign of agreeing.

She was very pleased with the Class B led by Ichinose, but that was all. She had no intention of breaking the rules to get involved.

If the school found out and reported her, she'd be out of a job.

"If I don't give you any money, then it's not bribery, right?" Aoyama took a sip of tea. "If you won't give me this room, I'll just go next door. I'm sure Chabashira-sensei would buy me off to get Class D into Class A."

Though they were classmates who had graduated in the same year, Hoshinomiya and Chabashira seemed to get along well. In truth, they had an irreconcilable conflict.

Chabashira wanted to get Class D into Class A to prove something, while Hoshinomiya had sworn to stop Chabashira's class from rising to Class A.

The resentment born from the Special Exam at the end of their third year—the one that determined whether they qualified to rise to Class A—had continued to this day.

Of course, Hoshinomiya, who had mostly been caught in the crossfire, did have reason to resent Chabashira.

"What else do you know?" Hoshinomiya's smile faded.

"I know what I need to know."

Aoyama pointed at the door, making his meaning obvious.

Chapter 68: Portraits, Landing on the Island

[Attention, students. Please gather on deck when you have time. We're about to catch sight of the island where you'll be vacationing. I'm sure you'll find the scenery meaningful.]

The ship's announcement suddenly came over the speakers. Aoyama, who had been relaxing alone in Hoshinomiya's room, left and headed for the deck.

By the time he got there, well over a hundred students had gathered in a lively crowd.

Judging by the solemn expressions on most of their faces, they all knew that what awaited them wasn't the pleasant vacation described in the announcement.

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

As soon as Aoyama entered the crowd, he saw the boys from Class A force the Class D students away from the best viewing spot.

The most obnoxious of them was some green-haired lackey.

Right in front of Class D's hidden ace, Ayanokoji, Totsuka Yahiko went straight in with a shoulder charge.

The impact made him stagger. If he hadn't grabbed the deck railing, he might well have fallen on his backside.

You're really good at pretending, Ayanokoji.

You've gone too far, Totsuka.

Remembering Ayanokoji's record of taking on more than a dozen adults and winning before he'd even come of age, Aoyama clicked his tongue.

Could an ordinary person pull off a feat like that?

"Apologize." Horikita Suzune walked up to Totsuka with her phone raised. "I recorded your bullying just now. I'm sure the Student Council will handle it."

"Totsuka, apologize to her. Don't do something that disgraces your status as a Class A student."

Horikita's voice carried, quickly drawing the attention of students from the other classes. Quite a few of them turned to look.

Seeing that, Katsuragi didn't bother arguing over whether Horikita had actually recorded it. He simply ordered Totsuka to apologize and be done with it.

With the little incident over, Class D kept the best spot at the bow.

As the ship drew closer to the island, the noise on deck died down. Students who were paying attention began studying the island's terrain.

"Your drawing skills are quite good, Aoyama." Shiraishi Asuka, a Class A student, walked up to him.

Unlike the top students from each class, who were carefully watching the island, Aoyama was busy drawing.

A girl so cute she seemed almost unfair was gradually taking shape on the page.

As more pencil strokes appeared, Shiraishi recognized the girl in the drawing.

"It's all right."

Aoyama glanced up at Horikita Suzune, standing at the bow with her black hair blowing in the sea breeze, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Then he answered Shiraishi calmly.

After drawing the purple card's art skill, he'd meant to try his hand at sketching a map of the island.

But when he saw Horikita standing proudly at the bow, blending into the scenery, he changed his mind.

[We'll be docking shortly. All students must change into their sports uniforms and gather on deck in thirty minutes, carrying only the required luggage. Please disembark in an orderly manner by class.]

Aoyama finished the last stroke just as the school's announcement sounded throughout the ship.

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

"You look like you have time on your hands, Shiraishi. Please give this drawing to Suzune for me." Aoyama thrust the picture into Shiraishi's hands with an air that left no room for refusal.

Then, as Shiraishi gave him a helpless smile, he disappeared into the crowd on deck.

"Honestly, Aoyama, you're so pushy."

Still, since you asked so nicely, I'll do you this favor.

Shiraishi Asuka murmured softly, took a closer look at the portrait in her hands, then walked toward Horikita, who was still standing at the bow.

The students assembled on deck and lined up.

One by one, they opened their luggage bags and showed the teachers that they had no personal belongings. Only then were they allowed to disembark.

As they stepped off the ship and onto land, a teacher would collect each student's phone.

By the time every student had disembarked, more than half an hour had passed since the gathering.

"First of all, I'm glad you've all arrived safely."

The students lined up again by class. Mashima stood behind the white podium that had been set up, still holding the loudspeaker.

Like the students below him, he was wearing a red sports uniform. The other three homeroom teachers were dressed the same way.

"Now, we'll begin this year's first Special Exam." Mashima continued, announcing what should have been explosive, unbelievable news to the students.

But every student below looked remarkably calm, as though they'd all known about it already.

"It seems you're all prepared for the situation. In that case, there's no need for me to explain at length."

With no one objecting, Mashima gave a faint smile and began explaining the exam rules.

The Uninhabited Island Special Exam would begin now, on the first, and end at noon on August seventh. It would last a little over six days.

The free supplies each class received at the start amounted to only two tents, two flashlights, and a box of matches—clearly not enough for forty people to survive on an uninhabited island for six days.

The main attraction was something called Exam Points. Each class would start with three hundred points, which they could use to obtain basic camping necessities from the school, such as simple toilets, tents, and food.

There were all kinds of recreational items, too.

If they spent all their points, the students in that class could finish the Uninhabited Island Special Exam like they were on vacation.

"Any Exam Points left over can be converted into Class Points!"

"If we don't spend a single point, won't each of us get thirty thousand more Private Points next month?"

When he heard that Exam Points could be converted into Class Points, Kanji Ike shouted. His comment was just as sensible as he was.

If they didn't spend a single coin, they'd really be reenacting Robinson Crusoe.

They might as well bury someone physically weak like Sakayanagi Arisu, too, so she wouldn't slow them down.

"Now, I'm going to give each of you a wristwatch. Removing it without permission will result in severe punishment. This watch can track your location via GPS and monitor your physical condition. If you press the emergency button, we'll send someone to find you and provide assistance."

Ignoring Kanji Ike's interruption, Mashima directed the staff to hand out watches to every student.

Once all the watches had been distributed, he, like the other homeroom teachers, took a small notebook and went to stand in front of his class.