Announcement of the Uninhabited Island Exam

He looked at the girl's lowered profile beside him. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her lids, her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were pressed together in a slightly nervous curve.

Sunlight shone over her, edging her outline with a soft golden glow.

Some corner of his heart suddenly softened.

In this cold, fiercely competitive world full of schemes and danger, there was someone willing to share her unease and express her trust.

She had even faintly revealed a little dependence... The feeling was unfamiliar, yet precious.

"The library is a good place.

In the future... if you feel tired, or there's something you can't figure out, you can come discuss it with me. You don't necessarily have to... face it alone." In the end, Yuefeng only said that, his voice unconsciously softening as well.

Hiyori Shiina suddenly raised her head, surprise and disbelief shining in her light brown eyes.

She looked at Yuefeng, as though trying to confirm what he meant. Then a clear, warm smile bloomed across her face, and she nodded hard. "Mm!"

That smile was so pure that it seemed capable of dispersing every shadow.

The two fell silent again, but the atmosphere was gentler than before.

They sat side by side on the bench, watching the clouds drift across the sky and enjoying the rare, undisturbed peace of the final day of break.

Students occasionally passed by and cast curious or friendly looks their way, but neither of them noticed.

Time seemed to stretch out, yet it also seemed to pass swiftly.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun began to dip westward, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed a faint orange-red.

"Looks like... we should head back." Hiyori Shiina looked reluctantly at the sky.

"Mm." Yuefeng stood as well and brushed the bits of grass from his clothes.

They walked side by side toward the dormitories. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, until they met together.

"Yuefeng," Hiyori Shiina suddenly stopped near the intersection where they would part ways. She turned around and looked at Yuefeng with great seriousness.

"For the new term... please take care of me. I'll also... work even harder.

For Class C, and also... so I won't let down the trust you've placed in me." She gave a slight bow. When she raised her head, her face held determination and a trace of shyness.

Yuefeng looked into her clear eyes, which reflected the sunset's glow and his own figure.

"Likewise." He nodded and smiled faintly. "Please take care of me in the new term too, Shiina."

The blush on Hiyori Shiina's face deepened, but this time, she did not avert her gaze. Instead, she returned a small but incomparably sincere smile.

Then she waved, hugged her things to her chest, and headed briskly toward the girls' dormitory.

The last rays of the sun covered her slender back in a warm halo.

Yuefeng stood where he was and watched her leave, until that light-blue figure vanished around the corner of the dormitory building.

He lowered his head and looked at the spot where they had just sat together. It seemed to retain a trace of warmth.

On the final day of break, there had been no earth-shaking event, no thrilling twist.

There had only been a cloud, a breeze, a faint scent of flowers, a quiet companionship, and a girl's shy yet determined smile.

Yet those insignificant, warm fragments were like a seed, quietly falling onto the soil in Yuefeng's heart that had been covered by schemes, vigilance, and cold rules.

Yuefeng raised his head and looked toward the brilliant evening glow on the horizon.

Break was over.

A new term and new challenges were about to arrive.

Yet at this moment, there was less of his usual heaviness in his heart and a tiny, indescribable warmth in its place.

He turned and walked toward the boys' dormitory. His steps seemed steadier than when he had come.

The lazy afterglow of break had not yet fully faded when the first class of the new term began. Class C's classroom carried an atmosphere mixed with weariness, anticipation, and a hint of unease.

The students were still immersed in the relaxed rhythm of the holiday, quietly chatting about what they had done during break and showing off newly bought stationery or snacks.

Yuefeng sat at his desk, seemingly flipping through the newly distributed textbooks, while his mind was already racing as he sorted through the challenges the new term might bring.

The research group's project had entered the crucial stage of data analysis, and his "intellectual game" with Sakayanagi Arisu required even greater caution.

Who knew what new "task" Ryuen would come up with? Ishizaki was behaving himself for now, but he was like an unexploded mine that could be triggered at any moment.

Then there was Father's silent gaze, as well as Kiyotaka's omnipresent "observation" that sent chills down his spine...

Just then, the classroom door opened, and Class C's homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, walked in.

Kazuma Sakagami was a tall, thin middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses. His hair was combed impeccably, he always wore sharply pressed suits, and his expression was stern while his eyes were keen.

He usually did not speak much. His manner held an almost rigid meticulousness, making him a typical administrative teacher. He was not exactly enthusiastic about managing class affairs, but he was never lax either.

In Class C, under Ryuen's high-pressure rule, Kazuma Sakagami did not have much of a presence. Most of the time, he was more like a supervisor and enforcer who followed procedure.

He walked to the podium and placed the folder in his hand on the desk. He did not speak immediately, merely sweeping his sharp gaze slowly across the students below, each wearing a different expression.

The classroom's noise gradually died down. The students seemed to sense something, and all eyes turned toward the podium.

"Quiet." Kazuma Sakagami's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable force. "With the start of the new term, there is an important group activity that must be announced."

He paused, as though choosing his words, or perhaps observing the students' reactions.

"According to the school's annual teaching plan and the board's latest resolution.

All first-year students will head next week to Hope's Peak's affiliated special training base, located roughly one hundred nautical miles from this school, for a week-long 'Comprehensive Wilderness Practice and Teamwork Assessment.'" Kazuma Sakagami adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sweeping across every face below.

"A special training base?" a student muttered softly.

"Wilderness practice? Sounds like a field trip?"

Ignoring the whispers below, Kazuma Sakagami continued in an even tone. "The location of this event is a small island that has not undergone large-scale development. Therefore, this assessment is also internally known as—"

He deliberately paused, making sure every word entered the students' ears clearly:

"The Uninhabited Island Special Exam."

The words "Uninhabited Island Exam" were like a boulder thrown into a still lake, instantly stirring enormous waves in the classroom!

"An uninhabited island?!"

"An exam? On an island?"

"One week? How are we supposed to manage that?"

"Assessment? What are they assessing?"

"What are we supposed to bring? Is there anywhere to stay?"

Cries of surprise, questions, excited discussion, and uneasy whispers instantly filled the entire classroom.

Most of the students' faces were filled with surprise, curiosity, and a touch of confusion.

For these city boys and girls, accustomed to modern campus life and never having experienced real wilderness survival, the combination of "uninhabited island" and "exam" carried both the thrill of the unknown and instinctive unease.

The instant Yuefeng heard "Uninhabited Island Exam," his heart sank sharply!

It was here! The first truly large-scale, high-risk group competition in the original story!

It had come so soon! Earlier than expected! Was it because this "butterfly" had flapped its wings, or had the plot of this world been altered from the start?

He forced himself to remain calm, but his fingers had already unconsciously clenched around the edge of his textbook.

Fragments of information about the original Uninhabited Island Exam flashed through his mind: survival on a deserted island, fighting over resources, occupying bases, class confrontations, designating leaders, the threat of expulsion... Every aspect was filled with uncertainty and danger.

More importantly, this exam was directly tied to massive Class Point rewards and Personal Points. It was a crucial point early on for widening the gap between classes and even deciding certain people's fates!

What would this exam become in Class C? How would Ryuen use this opportunity?

Would Ishizaki take the chance to cause trouble? What would happen to Hiyori Shiina and Ibuki Mio? And Kiyotaka from Class D... what role would he play in this exam?

Sakayanagi Arisu, Katsuragi, Ichinose, Horikita, Hirata... What strategies would the "elites" of the other classes adopt?

Countless questions and worries surged into his mind, making Yuefeng's breathing grow slightly hurried.