Patience

The sea breeze brushed gently past, lifting a few loose strands of hair from Kiyona's cheek. She didn't ask for details. Their long-standing understanding and her unconditional trust in Kanade meant her question was concise and direct, right to the heart of the plan:

"What's your final judgment?"

Her tone was calm and natural, as though she were handing him the decision entirely. When it came to analysis and judgment, she had always let Hoshino Kanade take the lead.

Hoshino Kanade's gaze remained steady. Like a precision instrument, his eyes swept over the island's winding coastline and the undulating outline of its jungle, engraving every detail into his memory.

At Kiyona's question, he paused almost imperceptibly before answering, his voice as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner:

"Taking into account our earlier observations, the bias in the broadcast's guidance, and the signs of deliberate human interference on the island... the likeliest conclusion is already clear." He turned to look straight at Kiyona, his deep eyes meeting hers. "It seems this is probably a survival exam."

"So..." He drew out the word on purpose—not because he needed to make sure she understood, but as if he were casually building a little suspense. "If the rules allow it, we'll stick to the original plan and go 'on vacation' with Shiina."

At that, Kiyona's delicate brows lifted ever so slightly. Then a look of "I knew it" dawned in her cool, clear eyes.

The scene of Shiina Hiyori inviting him on the deck, and Hoshino Kanade accepting without hesitation, came back to her at once.

"Did you know from the start?" she asked softly. There was no surprise in her voice, only a matter-of-fact certainty. After all, it was Hoshino Kanade who had made the decision. He could always foresee more moves ahead than ordinary people.

She tilted her head slightly, her clear gaze resting quietly on his face as she waited for him to elaborate.

The corner of Hoshino Kanade's mouth lifted in the faintest, almost imperceptible curve. "I wouldn't say I knew from the start." He honestly rejected that description. "Back then, it was only a vague guess. This judgment is more like the most probable conclusion drawn from limited clues through logical deduction. Or..." He paused, his voice low and assured. "You could call it an 'intuition' built on a foundation of reason."

He skillfully framed it as an objective process, leaving out the deeper truth of his "foresight."

"Heh..." Kiyona let out a laugh that held both understanding and a touch of helplessness.

Once she understood his reasoning, she had no objections.

Then the trace of helplessness faded swiftly, like mist scattered by the wind.

In its place, deep within her clear, cool gaze, a tiny spark quietly caught fire.

She looked toward the island exam site, close at hand and draped in the trappings of paradise.

"An exam... I don't want to waste my energy on one either." She spoke frankly, her tone carrying its usual detachment.

But in the next moment, a subtle note of enthusiasm lifted the end of her sentence. "Still..." She paused slightly, her gaze brushing past Hoshino Kanade, as if passing through him to glimpse the unknown adventure ahead with Shiina. "If I'm going to be working with a 'friend,' then treating it as a special 'survival vacation' in a scenic spot sounds..." The corner of her mouth curved ever so slightly. "Not so bad, I suppose?"

For once, her voice held a hint of something close to ease and curiosity.

Years of training and experience had long since worn away her fear of survival itself. Now, instead, curiosity stirred in her—she wanted to see what new twists this survival game might take on its carefully arranged stage.

Exploring unknown rules and challenges alongside a trusted companion... that did seem to have a unique appeal.

Hoshino Kanade caught the flicker in her eyes and gave a slight nod.

There was no need to say more. They understood each other. The goal remained unchanged; the "vacation" would go on as planned.

Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona turned around at the same time, their gazes returning to the island, growing larger in the twilight.

At last, the Luxury Cruise Ship cut through the blue waves and drew near its destination, an island covered in lush vegetation. Like a massive emerald set in an endless sapphire, its distinct outline sprang into view for all the passengers.

The D Class students were drawn in by the magnificent scenery, too. They crowded toward the best viewing spots at the front of the deck, their excited chatter and exclamations rising one after another. For a moment, the deck was filled with eager anticipation and cheer.

Then the hubbub suddenly changed. Rough shoving and undisguised shouts burst from the back of the crowd:

"Hey, you useless losers blocking the way! Move! You're in the way!"

Several tall, arrogant-looking male students roughly shoved aside the D Class students in their path and forced their way into the best viewing area. The hedgehog-haired boy at their head wore undisguised contempt on his face. He looked around, and when he saw most of the D Class students backing down despite their anger, he fixed on Yamauchi Haruki, who was talking to Kanji Ike up ahead.

"I'm talking to you! What are you standing there for? Get out of the way!" Before the words had even left his mouth, he strode forward and slammed his shoulder into Yamauchi Haruki with deliberate force, humiliating and warning him all at once—a classic case of making an example of one to intimidate the rest.

"Ugh!" Caught off guard, Yamauchi staggered backward from the impact, his back slamming into the cold metal railing along the ship's side. The violent jolt ran up his spine. He grabbed the railing for dear life, barely keeping his balance and avoiding a humiliating fall.

Anger and shock surged through him. Yamauchi whipped around, his face flushed. "What the hell was that for?!"

The hedgehog-haired boy folded his arms and looked down at the disheveled Yamauchi, his mouth twisted in utter disdain. "What was it for? Just teaching a D Class loser who doesn't know his place a lesson."

His gaze swept like a blade across the D Class students, who had fallen silent at the confrontation. Then he raised his voice, brimming with deep-seated superiority. "You still haven't accepted reality, defective rejects? This school believes in nothing but naked meritocracy! A, B, C, D! Each class has its place! You failed rejects were picked out for a reason. You should stay at the bottom like trash and stop getting in the way of the higher-ranked classes!"

His brazen declaration of hierarchy struck the excitement the D Class students had felt about their "vacation" like a venom-tipped icicle, freezing it in an instant.

Lies weren't blades; the truth was the sharpest knife.

Humiliation and resentment fermented in the silence. Many clenched their fists so tightly their knuckles turned white, their hands trembling at their sides as they struggled to endure it.

They had been haunted by this bitter feeling ever since enrolling.

A silent fury burned fiercely through the crowd: Just wait... at the next exam... we'll fight with everything we have to earn Class Points! We'll change this situation once and for all!

"Defective rejects?"

A derisive voice, drawing out the words in mocking imitation, suddenly sliced through the heavy silence.

The very same Yamauchi Haruki who had just been made an example of now straightened his back.

He met the B Class hedgehog-haired boy's contemptuous gaze without flinching, imitating his arrogant tone and deliberately dragging out the words:

"Oh—so you mean the 'noble' B Class that 'accidentally' fell from the glorious heights of A Class in its very first month because it didn't have enough points, and now has to breathe the same air on this deck as us bottom-tier 'defective rejects'?"

He shrugged exaggeratedly and spread his hands in mock realization, his voice brimming with over-the-top ridicule:

"Well, well, my apologies! I really thought you were from A Class, standing at the top of the pyramid. Tsk, tsk. From the looks of it, you're not much better than us after all, are you?"

He paused, then delivered the final blow in an infuriatingly flippant tone:

"You just seem... kinda average to me."

Lies weren't blades; the truth was the sharpest knife.

Yamauchi's full-force sarcasm was like a resounding slap across the faces of the B Class students.

The way he drew out the word "fell," and the utter contempt in "You just seem kinda average to me," might not have done much damage—but the insult was off the charts!

"You... you're dead!" The hedgehog-haired boy and the B Class students behind him instantly flared up, their faces turning livid, veins bulging across their foreheads.

The hedgehog-haired leader was especially furious. He lunged forward, fists cracking as he clenched them, his vicious gaze fixed on Yamauchi. Having a D Class loser expose their most painful wound in front of everyone enraged them far more than a punch could have.

The air stretched taut as a bowstring. The next moment, it seemed ready to be torn apart in a bloodbath!