The Coming Summer Vacation

"Neither the third graders nor I can withstand any more hardship."

"Leading a grade is really tiring. No decision can satisfy everyone, and Class A is the one we have to take care of."

"Didn't Kiryuin help?"

"She's been acting all mysterious lately, and Liang knows her personality all too well. She might come to help when she's in the mood, but otherwise she's practically impossible to find."

"Hey, what do you mean you can't find them? I'm still holding the position of class Leader for Class 2-B because of you two. I would have quit long ago."

Speak of the devil, and he appears Kiryuin Fuka, seemingly out of nowhere, casually pulled over a chair from the side and forcefully placed herself between Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna.

Still with that carefree attitude, he didn't even bother to order. Instead, he casually draped his arms over the table, taking up most of it, and then lazily rested his head on them, turning his head to the side and complaining with a hint of dissatisfaction:

"You guys were talking about Ayanokoji, right? I've been annoyed with him lately too."

"Hmm? When did Ayanokoji become someone who bothers you?"

Ignoring Asahina Nazuna's question, Kiryuin Fuka first looked towards Kitagawa Ryo:

"Hey, you know what Ayanokoji has been up to lately, right?"

"You know part of it, but only part of it. After all, you know my stance and his position."

Kiryuin Fuka clearly didn't completely believe Kitagawa Ryo's explanation, and smiled with a hint of amusement.

"Positions can always be changed. After all, many fathers and sons, brothers can turn against each other and fight each other for interests. Besides, there is no real conflict between you and Ayanokoji. To put it bluntly, it's all a matter between the older generation."

"But then again, don't you two actually have no real feelings for your so-called biological father?"

"Huh?... Eh!"

Completely out of sync with the conversation, Asahina Nazuna could only instinctively let out a surprised exclamation, feeling as if she had suddenly jumped from a youthful school drama into some kind of family drama. She even felt that, given how the plot was developing, she should ask Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka if they were half-brothers, since this kind of plot was quite common.

"But my approach differs from his because our circumstances are fundamentally different."

Not wanting to continue arguing with Kiryuin Fuka on this topic, Kitagawa Ryo took the initiative and asked her:

"I'd be more interested in your family's reaction."

"I don't know. I can only tell you my personal opinion, which is disgusting. Of course, if someone in my family actually did something like that, I would apply that same assessment to them as well, although I've felt that way for a long time."

"Actually, Ayanokoji didn't necessarily want to involve you, senpai. It's just that during that three-way meeting, he only had a few suitable candidates to choose from."

The fully enclosed management model of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School undoubtedly had both advantages and disadvantages for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. It can only be said that from this perspective, he did inherit some of the Ayanokoji Atsuomi, knowing how to market himself as a commodity at the most opportune moment.

"I don't deny that. At least Grandpa had a very good opinion of him. Or maybe his personality and behavior are just naturally appealing to certain types of people."

After uttering these cryptic words, Kiryuin Fuka brought up the Special Exam that Unanimous Vote upon again, with a deeper meaning:

"All four third-year classes chose Tokyo for the Summer Special Exam. Including your class, that's five votes. We should have a high probability of getting a majority."

"Does the senior not like this option?"

"No, it's more like I really like it. After all, I can't stay in this high school forever. If this Summer Special Exam is indeed in that direction, it'll be a good test to see if I can survive on my own... Anyway, I definitely won't go home after graduation."

"Then good luck!"

Having seemingly come all this way just to say these words, and then decisively getting up and leaving, Kiryuin Kitagawa Ryo waved goodbye. Only then did he turn his gaze back to Asahina Nazuna, who seemed still somewhat bewildered by the jumbled but impressive information, and gently nudged her cup with his drink.

"Hey, senior, wake up!"

"... Then next time, don't suddenly start talking about things I know nothing about in front of me. I can't get a word in edgewise."

Asahina Nazuna bit down hard on the straw, her tone somewhat resentful:

"After knowing them for so long, I almost forgot that Ryo and Kiryuin are actually the same—both are very mysterious people."

"But in front of you, senior, I'm just a junior who enjoys sitting here with you, having drinks and chatting. That will never change. Oh, and I forgot to thank you for letting the third-year students choose Tokyo this time."

"That's alright... Anyway, it seems most people are thinking of going to Tokyo, so it's not a particularly difficult request."

Asahina Nazuna unconsciously shifted her gaze slightly, withdrawing her hand from the cold glass and pressing it against her cheek as if to physically cool it down.

"After all, Uninhabited Island is a place that we third-year students would never want to go back to, in any way."

"By the way, what exactly is 'that kind of direction' that Kiryuin mentioned earlier regarding this Summer Special Exam?"

"Social internships, I think you third-year graduating students will focus on this direction."

"... ha?"

"She seems to have a complete lack of desire to work."

"After all, suddenly hearing such terms will unconsciously make people think of words that make them feel old, like adulthood, graduation, and being a corporate slave."

Asahina Nazuna shamelessly clutched her head.

"Don't tell me so bluntly that I'm about to graduate and enter the workforce."

"Actually, you can also choose to continue your studies."

"Heh, just another way to avoid employment."

"His eyes are completely dead."

Seeing Asahina Nazuna behaving so unlike a typical upperclassman in front of him, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle.

"To be honest, I actually started working when I was just a few years old."

"That's just doing what you like... right?"

"I don't really like theater that much, and even if you love something a lot, once it becomes your daily job, your enthusiasm will quickly fade."

"... Can I stay in ANHS indefinitely without graduating?"

"Regarding this matter, Senior Kiryuin has thought about it and tried many times before, but the answer is no. Face reality, Senior. High school life is almost over. Let's take this Special Exam as an opportunity to gradually accept and adapt to it."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was comforting his senior like a child, his phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly vibrated.

It was a text message from Xue. The content was quite simple, summed up in just one sentence:

V me 50... no, it should be V me 3 million Private Points.

P. S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter 62: The Approaching Summer Vacation

Compared to the smooth sailing of Class 2-A and the third-year students, the First Year students undoubtedly encountered the biggest setback in this Unanimous Special Exam. If the two Special Exam in April and May were just appetizers, and there was basically no punishment unless you completely gave up, then this Special Exam truly taught everyone a good lesson.

As if to deliberately give them a hard time, unlike the second year, the concept of Protection Point appeared in the first lesson, and the price that the First Year students had to pay was half of the class's Private Points.

However, unlike the second-year students, they don't have to lose half of their Private Points for six consecutive months. The only price they pay is the Private Points they currently have.

Even so, it's definitely not a small amount.

After all, the second-year students in this year's class were all considered cheaters. After the first month, even the bottom-ranked Class 1-D had saved up nearly 700 Class Points. In addition, some students received rewards in the Club Special Exam in May, so Xue's Class 1-D had more than 780 Class Points at this time.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, not counting the income from the two Special Exam and other means, just considering the income from Class Points, it is now mid-June, and Class 1-D has received Class Points payments three times. Each student has about 240,000 to 250,000 Private Points, and the total for the whole class is nearly 10 million points.

Of course, this is based on the perfect premise that all students have not spent a single Private Points since entering the school. In reality, how could First Year students possibly achieve this? Although some class Leader have been advocating that Private Points may play an important role in future Special Exam, and encouraging everyone to save as many Private Points as possible for unforeseen circumstances, it can only be said that the effect has been poor.

Even so, it's only the third month since they started school, and most First Year students still have a lot of Private Points left to use, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. They're somewhat unwilling to suddenly spend half of them just to protect their class Leader.

As I said before, anonymous voting can indeed embolden people in many situations. Even in Class D, which has the highest level of control over the class, Xue couldn't get the students to obey.

With both supervisors present, she naturally couldn't resort to force in public or forcibly monitor whether each student chose to agree. So, in the end, only the option of exchanging benefits and promising conditions remained.

After a simple calculation, the total Private Points remaining for all students in Class 1-D was approximately 4.6 million, half of which was 2.3 million. In order to avoid any unforeseen complications, Xue ultimately chose to directly bear this cost.

Simply put, she openly stated that she was willing to pay a flat price of 2.3 million Private Points to buy this Protection Point.

As for the doubts of the other students in the class about whether she could afford such a huge sum of money, Xue remained silent and simply emphasized her relationship with Kitagawa Ryo.

It can only be said that in the past, Kitagawa Ryo was always the one being teased by Ryuen Kakeru for being a kept man, even though he could easily scrape together Twenty Million Personal Points from his girlfriends who weren't even rumored to be dating. Now, it's the other way around, with Yuki taking a bite out of his kept man first.

But you know what, it actually works pretty well.

After all, the topic of who has the most Private Points at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School is brought up and discussed on the forum every now and then. Although there is still no conclusion, Kitagawa Ryo is always one of the candidates with the most votes. After all, whether it is the rewards he received for his club achievements or the rewards he received after winning so many Special Exam, he must have accumulated an astonishing amount of wealth in the past year or so.

Moreover, this guy didn't even pay for the class transfer himself.

It was precisely because of this, with Kitagawa Ryo's endorsement, that the students of Class 1-D passed Yuki's proposal.

Although some students tried to raise the price, saying that just making up for the losses wasn't enough and they wanted more as compensation, they were immediately shut down by Xue's clean and decisive remark, "Then let's never Unanimous Vote wait until the exam fails and we lose 300 Class Points."

So, that's how it is.

After transferring the three million Private Points, Kitagawa Ryo also received a call from Yuki.

Where is Liang now?

" At Keyaki Mall, I had a drink with my senior."

"Oh, I need to go grab some food first... This exam is too torture! It starts at 8 o'clock and lasts for five hours. If I really take it all, it won't be until 1 p. m. Okay, I'll hang up now."

"Okay, I'll come find you after you've finished eating and rested."

"Okay, come to my dorm. Anyway, the whole class knows about our relationship today, so we shouldn't have to be sneaky like before."

"Knew."

After hanging up with Yuki, Kitagawa Ryo sat back down in front of Asahina Nazuna. Half of the ice in her glass had melted, and the fruit drink now had a slightly diluted taste.

It is currently 11:35 a. m., and there is still about an hour and a half until the final deadline of the Unanimous Special Exam. However, judging from the fact that the school has not yet announced the end of the exam, there are still classes working hard.

"It seems to be Class 2-B and Class D in the second year, as well as the three classes in the First Year excluding Class D. There are still nearly half of the classes that haven't finished."

Noticing Kitagawa Ryo checking the time, Asahina Nazuna also stopped browsing the forum and waved her phone at him.

"Although we can't go into the teaching building, we can tell from the posts on the forum that the students in these classes haven't shown up yet."

"Speaking of which, it's surprising that the First Year students have been stuck for so long. Ryo was probably on the phone with Tsubaki from Class 1-D just now, right? Did they run into some kind of problem with their project?"

"Topic 1 is to exchange half of the class's Private Points for one designated person's Protection Point; topic 2 is club-related issues; topic 3 is related to the expansion of facilities at the Keyaki Mall; topic 4 is the selection of the location for the Summer Special Exam; and topic 5 is for students to choose their own opponents for the Summer Special Exam."

Having obtained all the information from Yuki, Kitagawa Ryo casually informed Asahina Nazuna about the First Year curriculum:

"The more difficult ones are actually Project 1 and Project 5."

"Compared to you guys, our third-grade topics seem pretty simple and not so difficult."

"It's mainly because most third-year students have gotten used to it. After all, for a long time, the most crucial things like Class Points and Private Points weren't really in their hands. As long as it didn't involve dropping out, they basically did whatever they wanted."

For the third-year students who had already been thoroughly tested by Miyabi Nagumo, this Special Exam with Unanimous Vote was practically a free pass, especially since Miyabi Nagumo and Kiriyama Ikuto, who were closely watching each other, were behaving themselves.

"But if the Summer Special Exam really goes as Ryo says, then the entire third grade is doomed—"

Without the advantage of collective teamwork to exploit school rules, the third-year students' fighting strength can only be described as pathetic. The most recent example was the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam at the beginning of the year, where they couldn't beat the older third-year students who hadn't graduated yet, and they couldn't beat the First Year who hadn't been promoted yet. They were truly incredibly weak.

There's no way around it; as long as you follow orders, you can earn Private Points every month to make ends meet, and you even have a chance to enter Class A in a lottery upon graduation. Under these circumstances, it would be strange if third-year students could still have any initiative. During every Special Exam, they would basically just purse their heads and purse their lips, saying, "Nagumo- kun/ Asahina Nazuna- nee, how are we going to win this round?"

Of course, if you really lose, the blame will still fall on you.

"Well, all I can say is good luck. But looking at it from another angle, maybe it's a good thing for all the upperclassmen?"

"I hope so, after all, I'm barely able to take care of myself."

Is it really that exaggerated?

"Okay, actually not really. And sometimes I'm too lazy to deal with all this mess of third-grade stuff. It's really good that everyone has to rely on their own abilities. How about I start adapting for a while and save money..."

"Senior, this drink in front of you costs 2,500 Private Points. The minimum hourly wage for high school students in Tokyo is currently around 1,100 yen. By the way, this drink of mine was also yours, so that makes 5,000 Private Points in total, which is equivalent to..."

"Stop, stop, stop! We can't exactly go to a vending machine on the street to buy ourselves a drink next time, can we?"

"I don't really care. After all, it feels like a youthful, light novel vibe. Ah, but I don't like super sweet Max coffee. I prefer something with a bit more cocoa. In the summer, I'll just have a regular fruit drink."

"They actually started talking about it."

"Because I keep feeling like Matoba similar will really happen in Tokyo two months from now, like I'll run into my senior who's just finished working at the convenience store."

"What's this? Two people drinking from a vending machine at the back door of a supermarket? And why did it turn into a convenience store? If it's a social internship, it should at least be a proper company, hey."

"We can only say we don't know yet, since we have no other information besides the location."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the new message that had just arrived on his phone.

"Ah, it seems all the First Year exams are over. Let me see, it seems that apart from Class D, only Class A Unanimous Vote agreed to give the Protection Point to Ishigami Kyo, Nanase said it was because the other side used an off-site method."

"Off the field?"

"Yes, it's the same trick Ayanokoji used before, promising to compensate the class members for their losses with yen that wasn't earned through Private Points. His dad is the president of a trading company, not quite a zaibatsu, but definitely one of the wealthiest families."

"It seems that both Class B and Class C failed in the end, and the opponents chosen by each of the four classes were all different, so it seems that the school randomly assigned opponents on the day of the exam."

"What about second grade? Are Class B and Class C still taking exams?"