Cruise Ship Arc

"We've arrived, everyone up!"

As the voice of Chabashira echoed, the students who had been dozing off on the bus rubbed their eyes and began to shuffle off the vehicle.

However, the next instant, everyone's eyes went wide.

"Holy crap, this thing is massive!"

Ike shouted in excitement, and even I was stunned by the sight before us—a giant luxury cruise ship was docked at the harbor.

With the first semester over, we were about to embark on a two-week "special vacation" here. We had departed from school at five in the morning and had just arrived at the Tokyo Bay port.

Although most of my classmates were beaming with joy, I didn't feel much enthusiasm. A so-called vacation was likely just another exam in disguise, and on top of that, having to handle the "crush the Katsuragi Faction" mission entrusted to me by Arisu made it hard to relax.

While I was lost in these thoughts, the crowd began to move toward the cruise ship. I deliberately adjusted my pace to blend into the middle of the pack—taking the lead wasn't really my style.

Just then—

"Hachiman-kun."

Following the voice, I saw Arisu walking toward me from a distance, leaning on her cane. I hurried over to meet her, sparing her the extra steps.

This move, however, unexpectedly landed me right in the middle of the Class A camp. Polarized gazes immediately converged on me: half filled with curious probing, the other half radiating hostility. The former were surely the Sakanayanagi Faction, and the latter, the Katsuragi Faction.

"Although I cannot accompany you, I wanted to come and see you and the others off."

That's right, the frail Arisu had been barred by the school from joining this trip. This only confirmed my suspicion: this activity must involve some kind of physical test, otherwise, the school would have no reason to restrict her.

"If the mission is too much trouble, you don't have to push yourself, you know?"

"I'll do what I can. On that note, while I'm away, could you help me tidy up my room a bit?"

Leaving a room to gather dust for two weeks was simply unbearable.

"Understood. Also..."

Arisu's cheeks suddenly flushed in an uncharacteristic way. Before I could process it, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck—

Smooch.

A kiss on the cheek that nearly grazed my lips.

In an instant—

"Whaaaaaaaat!"

"Eeeeeeeek!"

"That bastard!"

The harbor was instantly drowned in a chorus of screams and roars. Wait! What the hell is this girl doing?

Before I could react, Arisu pulled back and tilted her head, whispering, "It's what Hashimoto-kun taught me~ He said doing this when parting for a long time would help Hachiman-kun stay motivated. Good luck."

With that, she turned and headed back to the bus. So it was Hashimoto's lousy idea!

I turned to find the culprit, and sure enough, I saw that guy grinning and giving me a thumbs-up. The string of my sanity snapped.

Snap!

By the time I realized it, I was already sprinting toward Hashimoto. He reacted with lightning speed and bolted into the cruise ship, eventually turning into a ridiculous scene where he was the first to board and I was hot on his heels—though it was incredibly conspicuous, taking that bastard down was my top priority right now.

"Tch... Class D trash."

"Just getting carried away because of Sakanayanagi's favor."

"I don't get what Sakanayanagi sees in him, acting against Katsuragi-senpai like that."

As I chased Hashimoto into the cabin, the Katsuragi Faction of Class A didn't bother to hide their mockery. This elite class always carried an air of superiority, especially when it came to belittling the underdogs of Class D.

Only Masumi watched with cold eyes.

(Naive... just wait until Hikigaya gets serious... no, they haven't seen his true ability, so this reaction is normal, I suppose.)

In her eyes, I was a "smart person who couldn't be bothered to try." Having seen my efficiency during the previous mission for Arisu, she was certain I would definitely make a move against the Katsuragi Faction this time.

Thinking about the condition of wearing a maid outfit for our deal, Masumi suddenly turned bright red.

(That pervert... usually so lazy, but he gets so motivated just seeing me in a maid outfit, what is his deal!)

Suppressing her shame and annoyance, she also boarded the cruise ship.

A few hours after setting sail—

I was staring blankly at the sea from a bench on the deck. I had been stopped by Kamuro when I tried to throw Hashimoto overboard earlier, so now I could only sulk at the waves.

"Look, Hachiman-kun! A flock of seagulls!"

"Ah... finally feels like a real voyage."

I was fully enjoying the soft sensation of Hiyori leaning against my shoulder.

I had just been wandering around the ship after dropping my luggage in my room when I ran into Hiyori, and since she said she wanted to stay with me, we ended up like this.

Hiyori pressed her head against my shoulder, fully entering "spoiled" mode. Although I was long used to it, this feeling was something I would never grow tired of.

"By the way, Hiyori, aren't you going to change your clothes?"

I had stayed in my uniform because it was less of a hassle, but I hadn't expected Hiyori to remain in her school attire as well.

"It's not that hot, you know. Besides, a swimsuit is even more embarrassing than casual clothes..."

As she spoke, Hiyori looked toward the luxurious pool commonly found on the deck, where many men and women were frolicking.

"Besides, as long as I can be with Hikki..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she snuggled closer into my arms. This girl is just too cute. I couldn't help but ruffle her hair, and Hiyori immediately squinted her eyes, letting out a ticklish laugh.

Just as I was being struck by this wave of cuteness, my stomach suddenly growled. It seems I was hungry.

"Hiyori, do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure, let's go."

After confirming her nod, I was just about to stand up when Hiyori immediately hugged my arm and pressed against me. It was cute to the point of being a crime.

"But everyone is so excited for this trip, yet I just can't bring myself to be happy."

"? Is it because there might be a special exam?"

"That's one of the reasons, but mostly it's because I realized I won't be able to sleep with Hikki for two whole weeks..."

I see... that makes sense. Although the trip lasts for two weeks, in principle, we have to act in class units, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the probability of Hiyori and me sharing a room is zero.

To be honest, ever since Hiyori started staying over in my room two months ago, even I had started to feel a sense of loneliness. Not to mention that Arisu, who usually comes to stay three days a week, isn't even participating in this trip.

"Just bear with it for now. I'll make it up to you double when the trip is over."

"It's a promise, okay~"

We chatted like this as we walked into the restaurant and were led to our seats by a waiter. This high-end restaurant was crowded with many students, and everyone turned their gazes toward us in unison. Among them were plenty of acquaintances—Hashimoto, whom I had almost thrown into the sea, and Kamuro, who turned her head away the moment our eyes met.

Although I could sense some hostility, I couldn't be bothered to pay attention as long as there was no actual harm done. It was still too early to deal with the Katsuragi Faction.

I had assumed Ichinose would be with a large group of her classmates and that Ryuen would appear with his lackeys, but it seemed neither was present. Well, leaving the former aside, I was thankful the latter wasn't there.

While thinking about these things, I opened the menu; every dish exuded an expensive aura. If I were to eat this at school, I'd probably spend tens of thousands of points.

Just then—

"Hey!"

Following the sound, a boy sitting at the same table as Katsuragi was calling out to me. The mocking look in his eyes made me instantly guess what he was about to say.

I could have ignored him, but considering it might help with Arisu's request, I decided to respond.

"What?"

"Get lost, quickly. This isn't Class D territory, and it's not a place for trash like you. Scum should go eat junk food."

As expected, he was saying things like that. Since I had heard from Arisu, Hashimoto, and Kamuro that many in Class A held elitist views, it wasn't surprising.

(However, Katsuragi, as the leader, doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping him. It seems they are even more elitist than the Sakanayanagi Faction. Should I make a move?)

Although I felt it was still too early to deal with the Katsuragi Faction, perhaps I could take this opportunity to strike at them as a whole.

Just as I was calculating this—

"Um... excuse me."

Hiyori suddenly called out to a nearby waiter.

"Are you ready to order?"

"No, that's not it. May I ask if this restaurant has any entry restrictions? A guest just said that my companion shouldn't be here..."

Hiyori's natural-born bomb had detonated! This counterattack, which far exceeded expectations, caused the people around us to freeze instantly, especially the provocative boy, who turned to stone.

"No, we do not have any entry restrictions."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you at work."

After Hiyori bowed and apologized, the waiter left. At the same time, she turned to the provocative boy:

"...It seems there are no restrictions?"

"Wh-what?!"

The boy's face instantly flushed red like a monkey's butt. Snickers erupted from all around, and Hashimoto was even shaking with laughter.

Hiyori's natural attacks are truly terrifying. Even Arisu and Kamuro are often caught off guard by them; in a sense, isn't the final boss of the first years Hiyori, not Arisu?

Anyway, since Hiyori had already made him look like a fool in public, making a move now would seem redundant—

"Ha! You don't even know the unwritten rules? As expected, Class C and Class D are cut from the same cloth."

...I take back what I said. It's time.

But this level of verbal abuse is just too weak, isn't it? Let me teach you what a real provocation is—

"Huh? Talking about unwritten rules at a place you're visiting for the first time? You're killing me. Baldy's lackey—no, wait, Katsuragi's lapdog."

Do you understand now? Let me show you the true art of trash talk.

Let's make your Katsuragi Faction's private points the price for this—