"Take a look too, Aoyama." After handing the only Guidebook for each class to Katsuragi, Mashima turned to Aoyama, who stood at the end of the line.
"Coming, coming."
Aoyama didn't refuse and went over to Katsuragi. At the same time, Sakayanagi squeezed in with Nishikawa Ryoko supporting her.
As Katsuragi flipped through the pages, the three of them got a closer look at the exam rules.
The first thing they saw was the list of penalties.
[If a student withdraws from the exam due to illness, their class loses thirty points] [Polluting the environment costs twenty points] [Homeroom teachers will take attendance at eight in the morning and eight in the evening every day. Each absent student costs their class five points] [Using violence against other classes or destroying or stealing their resources will result in the entire class losing eligibility for the exam, and all their exam points will be wiped]
Under those rules, Kanji Ike's plan to turn the whole class into Robinson Crusoes was completely out of the question.
If ten students withdrew due to illness, their exam points would be reduced to zero.
"Alright, next are the additional rules."
Once Aoyama and the others had finished reading the Guidebook, their homeroom teacher, Mashima, continued.
On this artificial Uninhabited Island, there were locations known as Bases. Machines for checking in had been set up at their centers.
Any class that checked in at a Base could claim it for eight hours. During that time, all the resources and open space at the Base belonged to the class that checked in.
Each time a class checked in at a Base, it also earned one exam point.
However, points earned from checking in couldn't be used to buy resources. They would only be tallied at the very end of the exam.
"Then the most important thing right now is choosing who'll hold the Key Card." Sakayanagi glanced at Aoyama before turning her gaze to Katsuragi.
Not just anyone could check in.
First, checking in required something called a Key Card. Once its holder was chosen, they couldn't be replaced without a valid reason.
And each class had only one Key Card.
"I'm not getting involved, and don't even think about telling me who's holding the Key Card."
Before Katsuragi could speak, Aoyama made a remark that put a grim look on his face.
"I trust you, Aoyama."
"But you shouldn't. I'll be looking into who's leading Class A. Once I find out, I'll sell the information for a good price."
Aoyama didn't lower his voice at all, even with the Class A students watching him closely.
He openly declared that he wouldn't help with the Special Exam and that he'd be their hidden enemy.
With each check-in earning one exam point, a class that claimed around three Bases could earn just fifty points over the six-day exam.
The benefits were substantial, but the risks were just as significant.
If another class found out who held a Key Card and told the school on the last day of the exam, the points the discovered class had earned from checking in would be wiped out, and they'd lose fifty of their remaining exam points.
For every additional class that found out, they'd lose another fifty points.
"Are you even a Class A student? How can you have no sense of belonging?" Kito Hayato's icy comment earned nods from the other Class A students.
However you looked at it, Aoyama's behavior was going too far from the class's perspective.
As far as Class A was concerned, he wasn't much better than the Three Idiots from Class D.
"I've never thought of myself as a Class A student. Of course, I've never thought of myself as a student from Classes B, C, or D, either."
"I see an opportunity to earn millions of personal points in this Special Exam."
Aoyama replied to Kito in a calm voice, without the slightest hint of anger.
Since the Class A students still hoped he'd come around, he didn't mind spelling it out a little more clearly.
"Let me make this clear: I won't order Yamamura or Kamuro to betray Class A. Believe me or don't."
"From now on, I'll generally only show up at the Class A Base for attendance."
At the very least, Aoyama was willing to help keep Class A from losing points.
The students who'd remembered that absences during roll call cost points looked a little less worried.
"Then please leave for now, Aoyama." Katsuragi furrowed his brow. "We need to discuss who'll hold the Key Card and go to the Base."
Now that he knew Aoyama intended to offer only minimal cooperation, he didn't try to talk him around.
As Class A's leader, Katsuragi understood what needed to be done most urgently.
At Katsuragi's urging, Aoyama smiled meaningfully. "There's no rush. I'll make sure the students from the other classes stay on the beach too, so you won't miss your chance."
With all the class leaders here, it was time to put the plundering plan he'd devised for the Uninhabited Island Exam into action.
Naturally, the first person he'd stab in the back was Horikita Suzune, the cute girl who doted on her older brother and had even received his portrait today.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm planning to auction off Class D's exam points. If you're interested, wait here." Aoyama spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "This isn't like what happened with Hashimoto. This is a genuinely good deal."
Without giving Katsuragi a chance to ask more, Aoyama walked unhurriedly toward the Class B students.
When they saw a Class A student approaching, the Class B students' conversation gradually quieted until it stopped altogether.
"Sorry, I'm a little busy right now, Aoyama."
Ichinose Honami stepped out from among the Class B students with a cheerful smile. Her loose tracksuit couldn't hide her stunning figure.
Her pink hair, which had usually cascaded down her back to her waist, was now partly gathered into two large buns atop her head. She'd changed her hairstyle to twin buns.
"Your new hairstyle is cute." Aoyama complimented her, then continued, "I'm going to auction off Class D's exam points in a little while. Please stay on the beach for now. We'll start soon."
"Thank—an auction for Class D's exam points!?"
Ichinose first looked shy, then quickly switched to shock.
"Right. I'm going to notify Class C now, so I won't keep you."
Without explaining further, Aoyama set off again.
Ichinose's twin tails looked lovely, and he was itching to give them a ruffle. But with the Class B students watching, he didn't dare get carried away.
Besides, the adorable Shiranami would definitely get flustered.
"What brings the Student Council Vice President here?"
Before Aoyama could reach the Class C students, Ryuen came over with a cocky grin.
The muscles bulging beneath his sleeves suggested he was in excellent shape. It was no wonder he'd risen to become Class C's leader.
"I'm planning to auction off Class D's exam points, and I'd like to invite Class C to participate."
"The more classes competing, the more personal points I can sell them for."
Under Ryuen's sharp scrutiny, Aoyama calmly explained why he'd come.
He was abandoning Horikita Suzune's trust this time, and he wasn't going to hold back. The more he could get, the better.
That meant all three classes had to bid against each other.
"Did Horikita Suzune betray her own class?" Ryuen narrowed his eyes, watching Aoyama's expression.
"I have a way to control her. That's all."
"Ho-ho. So that idiot Horikita's dancing in the palm of your hand. How hilarious."
Ryuen laughed like a villain, still studying Aoyama's expression.
Only after he couldn't tell whether Aoyama felt guilty or anything else did Ryuen slowly stop laughing.
"I'd love to see Horikita's face when you stab her in the back."
"I'm looking forward to seeing the expression on that cute face of hers, too." Aoyama's expression finally stopped being so calm, and the corner of his mouth curled up.
He'd spent months eating and chatting with Horikita Suzune.
She'd never said it outright, but he'd gradually sensed that she trusted him. Unless what he said was too outrageous, she wouldn't question whether it was true.
That wouldn't do. Your brother wouldn't be pleased with you like this, Suzune.
Looking over at Horikita Suzune, surrounded by the Class D students, Aoyama's thoughts churned.
I'm doing this to help you earn your brother's approval. Remember, you don't need to thank me.
"Why's a Class A student here? Don't tell me you're trying to steal Class D's strategy."
Before Aoyama had reached the Class D group, Yamauchi Haruki—one of the Three Idiots—leapt out and pointed at him without a shred of courtesy.
With his unruly short hair and unremarkable looks, Yamauchi had a somewhat unsettling gaze.
"Yeah, yeah! Class A students aren't welcome here." His friend, Kanji Ike, chimed in.
Most of the Class D boys didn't seem happy to see Aoyama.
The classes were enemies, sure, but the fact that Aoyama was always hanging around with Horikita Suzune, the cutest girl in their class, made them feel as if an outsider were trying to steal something precious from them.
"Sorry for making you think I'd care about your feelings. That was my mistake." Aoyama strode forward, unfazed by their accusations. "But you can't blame me. You haven't done anything to get my attention."
"Simply put, garbage belongs in the trash. Don't come out and make fools of yourselves."
His words hit hard. Yamauchi and Ike, who'd just spoken, flushed red with anger, and the other Class D boys looked even more hostile.
Aoyama didn't care, though. What could a few dirty looks do to him?
"Who're you calling garbage? I was the ace pitcher on my middle school baseball team."
"If I hadn't gotten injured halfway through the Koshien tournament, I could've led the team to the finals."
Yamauchi shouted with a red face, his gaze darting toward the girls' group.
He was probably hoping to see the girls looking impressed.
Aoyama was left speechless. He regretted even bothering to speak to someone like that.
Koshien was a tournament exclusively for high school students.
Practically every high school student in Japan knew that.
"Hope you recover soon." After offering his well wishes, Aoyama looked at Horikita, who still hadn't realized what was about to happen.
"Suzune, come with me for a moment. Kushida, Karuizawa, you too. I need to talk to you."
After calling out to Horikita Suzune, Aoyama also beckoned over two of the cute girls from Class D.
As the Three Idiots watched jealously, the four of them headed to a stretch of beach away from the students.
"Did you think of something we should be concerned about?" Horikita Suzune asked as usual.
"I'm planning to take 250 of Class D's exam points and auction them off to the three classes in two lots: one for 100 and one for 150. I have my own use for the remaining fifty."
Without giving the three of them time to prepare, Aoyama laid out his plan to sell off Class D's assets.
Selling the points separately would surely bring in a higher price. And with careful budgeting, the necessary supplies to keep a class alive on the island for six days would cost no more than 150 exam points.
"You said you'd help Class D win!"
Understanding what Aoyama had said, Horikita Suzune couldn't help shouting at him. Her delicate, lovely face was now full of panic.
She looked nothing like the cool, icy girl she usually was.
"I absolutely won't agree to this. You're the one breaking our agreement."
Seeing Horikita Suzune so panicked and uncomposed—a side of her that only appeared because of her older brother, Horikita Manabu—gave Aoyama a sense of satisfaction.
Beside him, Kushida had been pretending to look disbelieving, but she was having trouble holding back a smile.
Karuizawa still looked troubled, lost in her own thoughts.
"I only said I'd help Class D win. I never said it had to come in first." Aoyama smiled faintly. "For Class D, which ranks last overall, not finishing last is already a win."
If they correctly guessed which students in the other classes held their Key Cards, they'd gain fifty exam points.
If they guessed wrong, they'd lose fifty points instead.
Add the points earned by claiming Bases, and if things went well, Class D might still avoid coming in last—even with its exam points reduced to zero.
Before you continue