Luxury Cruise Ship

Today was the day of the first semester's final exams.

The classroom was filled with an unusual atmosphere, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Although Chabashira Sae had made it clear that the results of this exam wouldn't affect Class Points, the extra reward she'd announced a few days earlier had injected a much-needed boost into Class D.

Chabashira-sensei calmly walked to the front of the classroom and swept her gaze over the class. Her clear voice broke the silence. "Let me reiterate: if every student in Class D passes this exam and the final exams in July," she paused, seeing that everyone's attention was on her, "then during summer vacation, the school will organize a trip for our class to a private island surrounded by blue seas, where you'll experience... a dreamlike life."

"Whoo!" Like a spark falling into a haystack, the classroom burst into flames! The boys gathered at the back erupted into deafening cheers almost in unison.

Chabashira-sensei's description of a "dreamlike life" immediately took shape in their minds: blazing sunshine, golden beaches, and... girls in colorful swimsuits frolicking on the sand.

"Long live!"

"An island! Swimsuits!"

"The beach! The sea!"

"A free vacation!"

Excited shouts and strange cries rose and fell.

Kanji Ike, Yamauchi Haruki, and the others were the most excited.

Ike pounded on his desk in excitement, while Yamauchi shot to his feet, raised an arm, and shouted the slogan he'd clearly prepared in advance with all his might. "Brothers! Our chance has come! For the island of our dreams! Let's give it everything we've got!"

His face flushed with excitement, as if victory were already within reach.

It wasn't just this group of hormone-crazed boys who were thrilled. Even the other Class D students, who were used to scraping by on a limited number of points, couldn't help imagining summer skies, palm trees, and a relaxing vacation without having to watch every penny.

After all, this might be a rare chance to enjoy a little luxury during their high school years.

Of course, along with the excitement, a few minor worries were quietly taking root.

A few girls exchanged glances, their mouths twisting with helplessness.

As a matter of fact, the school did have swimming classes, held in its largest public pool, and boys and girls attended together.

But that only made certain problems worse. Some boys' behavior at the pool was simply too "obvious." Their undisguised, naked stares, as if they could pierce right through someone, made most of the girls feel sick.

On top of that, some boys privately judged the girls' appearances and even made stupid bets like a "bust-size ranking."

As a result, during swimming classes, many girls were unwilling to wear swimsuits that showed off their figures, or else they'd call in sick for one reason or another.

Except for... Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida, the universally beloved "little angel," always wore a sweet smile and seemed not to mind those stares. She always attended class in a modest swimsuit.

She was quietly packing her things now, her usual gentle smile on her lips.

But what about deep down? Perhaps she, too, was troubled or even disgusted by those shamelessly intense stares.

After all, no matter how good the disguise, it was hard to completely suppress one's instincts.

Thinking of that, many of the boys knew that even if they made it to the island, the girls in their class probably still wouldn't wear swimsuits.

People like Ike and Yamauchi privately speculated that they'd probably have to turn their attention to girls from other classes who dressed more "boldly"...

Watching the chaos from the front of the classroom, Chabashira Sae's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She quickly returned to her usual cool expression and rapped her knuckles hard on the podium. "Quiet!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried remarkably well.

The clamor in the classroom quickly died down.

"Good," she said, picking up the exam papers. "Keep your fantasies in your heads. Now, focus all your attention on the exam in front of you. Let's begin."

When the final exam bell rang, the last trace of nervousness weighing on Class D vanished.

There was an air of near certainty in the classroom when it came to passing.

This wasn't blind optimism. They had good reason to feel confident. Thanks to the recent efforts of Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune, the class had developed a much better study atmosphere. They'd also organized special review sessions for the final exams, and everyone was sure that Class D passing the exams with flying colors was a foregone conclusion.

In the hallway between classes, when Kanji Ike boisterously shouted, "See you on the island this summer!" a sea of knowing smiles and relaxed nods answered him.

The "power of studying" was the key they'd won for themselves.

As Hoshino Kanade tidied up her stationery, she gazed out the window, as if she could see the imaginary blue sea beyond the glass.

At last, they were taking an exam that could earn them points, but the island exam wouldn't be easy to do well on...

The "hard days" of making do with less, after their Class Points had been taken away for months, had left a deep impression on the students.

The lack of spending money, having to carefully consider every personal purchase, the embarrassment of not being able to repay borrowed points... The reality of these difficulties was thrown into stark relief by the prospect of a "free vacation on a private island," making them yearn all the more intensely for the "paradise" awaiting them.

It was only now, as they stood on the gleaming deck of a luxurious cruise ship far beyond their expectations, breathing in the clear sea air, that the excitement they'd been suppressing since the end of the exams—tinged with a little worry that things might not work out—finally burst forth as genuine, unbridled joy.

"Whoa! This is real! Chabashira-sensei wasn't lying to us!" Shinohara Koto rushed to the railing, excitedly pointing at the distant horizon. Her face shone with pure delight.

"This is at least ten times more luxurious than I imagined!" Karuizawa Kei said, smiling in relief, her voice full of amazement. "I thought we'd be taking a regular ferry at most... The school really spared no expense, huh?"

Hirata Yosuke smiled as he looked around at his classmates, who were jumping for joy. "No matter what, this is the result of everyone's hard work. For the next few days, let's enjoy ourselves!"

"Ha! Enjoy ourselves? Of course we're going to enjoy ourselves!" Even after letting out his trademark "This is amazing!" Kanji Ike still couldn't contain himself. He hopped around on the deck and nearly bumped into a server carrying drinks. "This is like a dream! A private island! From this moment on, Ike's vacation officially begins!"

It wasn't just the boys. Most of the girls had also shaken off the gloom they'd felt during swimming classes at school, when they'd found themselves in awkward situations.

Away from the school environment, where they'd been subjected to people's judgmental stares, and surrounded by the wide-open sky and sea, they seemed to have relaxed a lot.

The subject of swimsuits was still sensitive, but their anticipation of the beach days ahead was genuine and untainted.

Kushida Kikyo and a few other girls gathered around, excitedly pointing at pictures of the island in the cruise ship's brochure and discussing possible snorkeling and beach barbecue activities. Her sweet smile was as bright as ever.

Still... When she happened to catch sight of a few boys in the distance huddled together, pointing and whispering about girls from other classes who passed by, the curve of her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning to its flawless form.

The enormous luxury ship steadily cut through the clear sea, leaving a long white wake behind it.

The students gathered in small groups at different spots on deck. Some leaned on the railing, greedily taking in the boundless blue; some curiously explored the facilities on the upper decks; others took out their cameras and excitedly recorded the magnificent ocean view they were seeing for the first time.

Their imaginings of life on the island—the beach volleyball under the sun, the laughter around a bonfire, the strolls among the palm trees, and even the possibility of a secret adventure... These thoughts were like the bubbles churning in the ship's wake, growing and rising.

Every eye shone with anticipation, and the sea breeze had already swept away their physical and mental fatigue.

The cruise ship carried all of Class D steadily toward that island paradise, full of the unknown and surprises.

For students who'd just finished a hard-fought battle and had struggled for so long with scarce resources, surely whatever awaited them wouldn't turn into another hard-fought battle.

Probably.