Love Doesn't Need Tragedy

This is already a remarkable number. If it weren't for Kitagawa Ryo's meddling, allowing Class D to compete fairly in the Uninhabited Island survival challenge, the united Class B should have been the class that saved the most points.

Kitagawa Ryo turned his gaze to Ichinose Honami, who looked somewhat disappointed, but quickly cheered up and took the initiative to comfort the other members of Class B.

[If you guess correctly, you get 100 points for Class D; if Class D guess correctly together, you lose 150 points, for a total of 140 points.]

"Finally, first place."

The teacher paused deliberately, something he probably hadn't seen in his more than ten years of teaching:

"Class 1-C, Grade 1, has 181 points."

"Looks like you actually managed to farm an extra 31 points of territory, Ryuen."

Kitagawa Ryo had originally planned to pat Ryuen Kakeru on the shoulder as usual, but his hand fell naturally halfway through the swing.

"Whispering sound."

Noticing his friend's subtle movement, Ryuen Kakeru snorted irritably.

"If I hadn't been chased so closely in the last two days and missed a few roll calls, losing twenty points, I could have gotten even more."

"It's okay, we're already in first place anyway."

Kitagawa Ryo comforted him with a smile, saying that Class C not only got first place this time, but also reached an agreement with Class D, and temporarily eliminated the potential threat of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. This was the biggest gain from this exam.

"After this special exam, the Class Points for each class are as follows:"

"Class 1-A, Grade 1: 1004 points"

"Class 1-B: 823 points"

"Class 1-C: 837 points"

"Class 1-D: 187 points."

"Since Class 1-C's points have surpassed those of Class 1-B, Class B will be downgraded to Class C, and Class C will be promoted to Class B. Please be aware of this."

After announcing the results of the Special Exam, the homeroom teacher of Class A added a final sentence:

"The ship will depart in two hours. You can choose to board or continue enjoying the beach for a while longer."

As soon as he finished speaking, the students of Class C, who had already rushed off the cruise ship, cheered and surged down.

Ryuen Kakeru, standing to the side, watched the surging crowd and was about to reach out to greet the cheers of his classmates when, unexpectedly, a strong smell emanated from his armpit as soon as he raised his arm. After five days of solo survival on Uninhabited Island, Ryuen had been thoroughly pickled.

So Ishizaki Daichi, who was originally in the lead, braked suddenly, Yamada Albert drifted and swerved sharply, Ibuki Mio dodged to the side, Shiina Hiyori reacted well, simply passing by indifferently.

"Boss Beichuan is awesome!"

"We are the champions!"

"Class B, haha, we're in Class B after just one semester, only a little over a hundred points away from Class A."

"Those guys in Class A always think they're so high and mighty, but they ended up with a zero. It's hilarious!"

Before Kitagawa Ryo could react, he was lifted high by Ishizaki Daichi. He was too lazy to resist, after all, he had gotten first place in the Special Exam and had been promoted to Class B. It was good for them to vent their frustrations.

However, after lifting him a couple of times, Kitagawa Ryo felt a little dizzy and quickly gestured for Yamada to put him down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Shiina Hiyori came over:

"Are you exhausted? Are you alright?"

Ryuen Kakeru stood to the side, wiping his body with a towel while typing a question mark.

Could he tell us that Kitagawa Ryo has been eating and drinking for free in Class B for the past few days, and that Karuizawa Kei has been feeding him?

"It's alright."

Kitagawa Ryo responded with a smile, saying that although he looked relaxed, he had been on edge for the past seven days, and now that he had finally Matsushita, he felt a little heavier than usual.

"Let me help you up."

Shiina Hiyori, still worried, held onto Kitagawa Ryo's arm and walked step by step toward the cruise ship.

Ryuen Kakeru looked around and saw Yamada, who had lost at rock-paper-scissors and was looking miserable, coming over and extending his large, fan-like hand as if to help him up.

"..."

"I'll walk by myself."

Ryuen had shouldered everything alone, stubbornly walked towards the cruise ship, with the students of Class C forming a protective formation behind him. If there hadn't been a distance of about two meters between them, Ryuen Kakeru would probably have been even more moved.

After a brief period of low spirits, Class B gradually recovered thanks to Ichinose Honami's encouragement. Although they didn't know why the Leader's information had been leaked, Class B was still second in the exam, and even though they were temporarily surpassed by Class C, the gap wasn't large.

What's even more commendable is that, with Class A finishing at midnight, Class B managed to close the gap with Class A in one fell swoop.

The atmosphere in Class B is generally optimistic, and they are not discouraged by temporary setbacks.

"Anyway, the exams are over. Everyone, go back to the cruise ship and enjoy your summer vacation."

Finally Ichinose Honami concluded the Special Exam with her remarks.

Unlike the relaxed and playful atmosphere in Classes Class B and Class C, Katsuragi Kohei of Class A became the target of everyone's anger. After all, no one could accept the reality of midnight. The members of the Sakayanagi Faction didn't even need to fan the flames; all the students in Class A, except for Totsuka Yahiko, pointed their fingers directly at Katsuragi Kohei.

"Ge Cheng, what's going on?"

"And we still have to pay a million every month, ugh, I can't stand it."

"If Classmate Sakayanagi were here, this would never have happened!"

Katsuragi Kohei bit his lip so hard it almost bled. He couldn't say anything anymore. Ever since the Uninhabited Island Exam, Class A had been like puppets dancing in the palms of Class C and Class D. This feeling of frustration and powerlessness made him want to vomit.

"I'm so sorry, I'm really so sorry."

"I will investigate the truth behind the exam, at least to ensure that Class A doesn't suffer the same fate next time. This is the last thing I can do."

Katsuragi Kohei bowed with a sour face. He knew in his heart that after this Special Exam, he had basically lost his qualification to compete for the Leader Class A.

Meanwhile, in Class D, Horikita Suzune was also being blamed by the entire class. Although they didn't know why she only had 100 points, when in doubt, they just let Horikita Suzune take the blame. After all, she jumped out last night to say she would guess Class C. Based on the fact that Class C had extra points, it was deduced that Class C 'Leader had not been guessed at all.

That means Horikita Suzune caused the class to lose seventy points for nothing!

Upon realizing this fact, Horikita Suzune seemed to have lost her soul.

It hurts so much... it hurts so much... it hurts so much.

My body suddenly felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

It was as if the gravity in this area had doubled, making it unbearably uncomfortable. I desperately looked away, pretending not to care as my eyes swayed as I stared at my toes. My head naturally lowered, and my bloodless lips began to open and close in an inorganic way, as if I wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word.

"... sorry."

As she apologized in a low voice and struggled to keep her body upright, Horikita Suzune would probably have collapsed to the ground immediately if she hadn't used her willpower to keep her body straight.

My mind is filled with noise and jumbled thoughts; I can't even be sure where I am.

Is it morning, afternoon, or already evening?

I couldn't even tell what time it was. Although I felt it was morning, I seemed to have lost my sense of time.

The sounds coming into my ears from the surroundings were ambiguous and indistinct, making it impossible to glean any information from them.

So, what exactly are they talking about?

The moment I looked up, my body jolted.

In the next instant, the whole world rotated ninety degrees.

Her mind, unable to function, pondered this, but the hard, cold touch on her cheek finally made Horikita Suzune understand one thing.

She fell to the ground.

At the very end of the view, there was Shiina Hiyori Kitagawa Ryo as they climbed to the top of the stairs.

He boarded the cruise ship without looking back.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Love Does Not Need Tragedy

On the afternoon and evening of the day the Uninhabited Island Special Exam ended, the students in the other three classes basically repeated the same routine: first, they would go to the restaurant for a big meal, and then they would go back to their rooms and fall asleep immediately. After all, unlike Class C, who returned to the ship early, they had actually spent seven days on the Uninhabited Island. Once their mental state relaxed, they naturally felt sleepy.

Since the specific procedures for promotion and demotion can only be completed after the start of the second semester, everyone is still used to calling each other by their original class names, after all, a semester has become a habit.

While the students in Class D were resting, the students in Class C took the opportunity to book the entire restaurant for a celebration banquet. Having already explored all the facilities on the cruise ship in the past few days Class C ordered food with ease. When Kitagawa Ryo returned to his room after showering and changing, a sumptuous dinner was already laid out on the huge round table. Ryuen Kakeru was already eating heartily without any restraint. However, considering that Ryuen had indeed carried the burden of everything in this exam, everyone not only did not mind but also actively recommended dishes to him.

Of course, this might also be because Ryuen Kakeru spent a full hour and a half scrubbing himself in the bathroom after returning to the ship, almost peeling off a layer of skin.

"Brother Ryuen, this lobster is amazing! I ate three in one go the other day when I first tried it."

Ishizaki Daichi hurriedly peeled the lobster meat for Ryuen Kakeru and placed it in his bowl. When he looked up and saw Kitagawa Ryo, he quickly pulled out a chair.

"Boss, sit here!"

The other students from Class C also gradually gathered around, but because there were too many people, they had to be divided into several tables. However, everyone still tacitly came over to greet Kitagawa Ryo one by one before returning to their seats.

"Don't be so reserved. Since it's a celebration party, let's have some fun."

Kitagawa Ryo sat down in the seat that Ishizaki Daichi had prepared for him, and patted Ryuen Kakeru on the shoulder next to him:

"But first we still need to thank our class's biggest hero, Ishizaki. While you were eating lobster, Ryuen was still playing Tarzan and fighting mosquitoes."

"Whispering sound."

Ryuen Kakeru looked up from the plate and casually wiped his mouth. If he hadn't seen Shiina Hiyori sit down, he would have already announced to everyone how Kitagawa Ryo had been enjoying his romantic days. Kitagawa Ryo had said on the third day that he would bring him food if he had the chance, but by the seventh day, when the exam was over, he still hadn't received any more food from Kitagawa Ryo.

What's even more infuriating is that he was worried that something might have happened to Kitagawa Ryo.

One night, when he sneaked into Class B's camp to find Kitagawa Ryo, he happened to see this shameless guy lying in a hammock with Ichinose Honami from Class B, all lovey-dovey. While he was being bitten to death by mosquitoes that night, there was a mosquito-repelling sachet hanging next to her bed.

However, speaking of sachets...

Ryuen Kakeru subconsciously glanced at Kitagawa Ryo. Kitagawa Ryo, who had just changed into a set of casual clothes, seemed to have nowhere to hide anything. He wondered if Kitagawa Ryo had brought anything back or not, since it was a rather exquisite little gadget.

"What are you looking at?"

Kitagawa Ryo unceremoniously picked up a piece of lobster meat from Ryuen Kakeru's plate, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it, earning him a glare in return.

"I didn't see anything, I'll just peel it myself."

Ryuen Kakeru disgustedly gathered up his plate, then turned his head and saw Shiina Hiyori smilingly peeling lobster for Kitagawa Ryo. Looking at Ishizaki Daichi peeling lobster for him, he suddenly felt that the meat in his mouth didn't taste so good anymore.

However, he didn't do anything like snatching the meat from Kitagawa Ryo's plate. After all, if Shiina went on strike when she was in a rage, the management of all the girls in Class C would be paralyzed. With that in mind, Ryuen Kakeru could only tilt his head back and gulp down the iced plum juice that had been poured for him.

After Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru's banter, the atmosphere in Class C immediately became lively, and everyone asked the two about Class C's strategy for this mission.

After all, apart from Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru, who were responsible for implementing the plan, the other students in Class C simply played freely for a day before boarding the ship together. They went to the shore to pick up people at the end, and then inexplicably got first place in the exam. Surprised as they were, everyone was still very curious about how they did it.

Perhaps spurred on by Kitagawa Ryo, Ryuen Kakeru started talking with great enthusiasm, his tone becoming increasingly animated despite not being drinking alcohol:

"I'm always in C in Class C!"

"I laugh at Katsuragi's lack of strategy, Horikita's lack of wisdom, Ichinose Class B? They're nothing but withered bones in a tomb."

It must be said that Ryuen's eloquence is quite impressive. Class C's plan on the Uninhabited Island was indeed brilliant. When he got to the part, he drew repeated exclamations from the Class C members, who listened with great interest.

Just as the students of Class C surrounded Ryuen Kakeru to listen to his story, Kitagawa Ryo managed to slip away. He wasn't really in the mood to eat anyway, since he wasn't Ryuen Kakeru had genuinely gone hungry for days on the island.

Holding a glass of chilled plum juice, Kitagawa Ryo slipped out of the restaurant when no one was looking, went up to the deck alone, and leaned on the railing to gaze at the moonlight.

However, this tranquility did not last long. Half a minute later, the sound of footsteps came from behind Kitagawa Ryo, and a fresh and natural scent approached him.

"Liang is alone again."

"Maybe I'm just used to it. Maybe I'm really not used to that kind of lively atmosphere."

Kitagawa Ryo turned to look at Shiina Hiyori, who stood behind him, her white skirt swaying in the sea breeze, the fluttering hem drawing white arcs in the air, like a brand new world.

"Shall we go shopping together?"

He shook the drink in his hand and extended an invitation to the girl.

In the height of summer, plum soup is served in a white porcelain bowl, with crushed ice clattering against the sides.

"This is truly a Hiyori- style place."

Kitagawa Ryo looked at the theater sign in front of him and couldn't help but sigh. The Luxury Cruise Ship chartered by the school had all kinds of facilities, and the theater was no exception. Shiina Hiyori seemed to be quite familiar with the place, or rather, her destination was very clear from the beginning:

"Because other places are too noisy, and the rooms feel a bit small, I come here when I have nothing else to do."

Shiina Hiyori said this, but thinking about it, it makes sense. Looking at the entire Class C, there probably isn't another student who would actively go to the theater. Perhaps some people think that theater is similar to movies and come here with only a three-minute enthusiasm, but they will probably leave with a frown soon. After all, for these restless high school students, a theatrical performance that lasts for several hours will only make them feel bored and dull.

"So for the past few days, I've had the whole place to myself."

Shiina Hiyori scanned the audience seats inside the theater, and sure enough, they were empty again. She glanced at the program list on the wall and said with a hint of surprise:

"There's a Macbeth performance in five minutes. Have you seen that one, Liang?"