Cruise Ship Arc

"We've arrived! Everyone, wake up!"

At Chabashira-sensei's voice, the students dozing on the bus rubbed their eyes and sluggishly filed off.

But the next moment, everyone's eyes went wide.

"Whoa, that thing's huge!"

Ike shouted excitedly. Even I was stunned by the sight before us—a gigantic luxury cruise ship was docked at the port.

With the first semester over, we were about to spend two weeks here on a "Special Exam." We'd left school at five in the morning, and now we'd arrived at the port in Tokyo Bay.

Most of my classmates were beaming, but I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. This "vacation" was probably just another exam in disguise. On top of that, I had to deal with the mission Arisu had given me: "crush the Katsuragi Faction." It was hard to relax.

As I thought about all that, the crowd began moving toward the ship. I deliberately adjusted my pace to blend in around the middle of the group. Leading the way would draw too much attention, and that wasn't my style.

Just then—

"Hachiman-kun."

I looked toward the voice and saw Arisu approaching from a distance, leaning on her cane. I hurried over to her so she wouldn't have to walk any farther.

But that little gesture had unexpectedly landed me in the middle of the Class A faction. All around us, people stared with divided expressions: about half looked curious, while the rest seemed hostile. The curious ones were probably the Sakanayanagi Faction, and the hostile ones must have been the Katsuragi Faction.

"I can't come along, but I wanted to see you and the others off."

That was right. Because of her poor health, the school had forbidden Arisu from joining this trip. That only made me more certain the event would involve some kind of physical challenge. Otherwise, the school would have had no reason to keep her from participating.

"If the mission turns out to be too much trouble, you don't have to push yourself, okay?"

"I'll do what I can. By the way, could you do a little cleaning in my room while I'm gone?"

I couldn't stand the thought of leaving dust to gather in my room for two weeks.

"Of course. Also..."

Arisu suddenly blushed, which was unlike her. While I stood there, caught off guard, she rose onto her toes and slipped her arms around my neck—

Mwah.

A kiss on the cheek, so close it nearly touched my lips.

In an instant—

"Whaaaaaat?!"

"Eeeeeek!"

"You bastard!"

The port erupted with screams and roars. Hold on! What the hell was she doing all of a sudden?

Before I could react, Arisu pulled away and murmured, tilting her head, "Hashimoto-kun taught me. He said this would cheer Hachiman-kun up when you were going to be apart for a long time. Good luck."

Then she turned and went back to the bus. So it was Hashimoto's stupid idea!

I turned to find the culprit and, sure enough, saw him grinning and giving me a thumbs-up. The last thread of my reason snapped.

Crack!

By the time I realized what I was doing, I was already sprinting toward Hashimoto. He reacted just as quickly and bolted onto the ship. The whole thing ended with him boarding first and me right behind him—a ridiculous scene that drew plenty of attention. But catching that bastard was my top priority right now.

"Tch... D-Class trash."

"He's gotten full of himself just because Sakanayanagi favors him."

"I don't get what Sakanayanagi sees in him. He even dares to go against Senior Katsuragi."

As I chased Hashimoto into the ship, the Class A members of the Katsuragi Faction didn't bother hiding their jeers. That elite class had always looked down on everyone else, especially the bottom-ranked D Class.

Only Masumi watched in silence.

Naive... Once Hikigaya gets serious... No, they've never seen what he can do. I suppose this reaction is only natural.

In her eyes, I was "a smart guy who couldn't be bothered to try." Since she'd seen me take action while helping Arisu with her mission before, she was sure I'd go after the Katsuragi Faction this time.

Thinking about the deal that involved wearing a maid outfit, Masumi suddenly flushed bright red.

That pervert... He's usually so lazy, but the moment he sees me in a maid outfit, he's suddenly full of energy? What's that about?!

She suppressed her embarrassment and boarded the ship as well.

Several hours after we set sail—

I sat on a deck bench, staring blankly out at the sea. Kamuro had stopped me when I tried to throw Hashimoto overboard earlier, so now all I could do was sulk at the waves.

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

"Yeah... Now it finally feels like we're at sea."

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

I'd run into Hiyori while wandering around the ship after taking my luggage back to my room. She'd said she wanted to spend time with me, and that was how we'd ended up like this.

Hiyori rested her head on my shoulder, fully in cuddle mode. I was used to it by now, but I'd never get tired of the feeling.

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

I'd stayed in my uniform because changing seemed like a hassle, but I hadn't expected Hiyori to keep wearing her school uniform too.

"It's not that hot, after all. Besides, I'd feel more embarrassed in a swimsuit than in casual clothes..."

As she spoke, Hiyori glanced at the luxurious pool, a common feature on the deck, where plenty of boys and girls were playing around.

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

Before she could finish, she snuggled closer into my arms again. How could she be this cute? I couldn't help ruffling her hair, and Hiyori immediately narrowed her eyes and giggled at the ticklish feeling.

Just as her cuteness was hitting me like a direct blow, my stomach growled. I guess I was hungry.

"Hiyori, want to get something to eat?"

"Sure, let's go."

As soon as she nodded, I started to get up, but Hiyori immediately clung to my arm and pressed herself against me. This level of cuteness had to be against the rules.

"Everyone's so excited about this trip, but I can't bring myself to be happy."

"? Is it because there might be a Special Exam?"

"That's one reason, but mostly it's because I'll have to go two weeks without sleeping with Hikki..."

I see... That made sense. The trip would last two weeks, but we were supposed to stick with our classes, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there was no chance of Hiyori and me sharing a room.

To be honest, ever since Hiyori had started staying over in my room two months ago, even I had begun to feel lonely without her. And Arisu, who usually stayed over three days a week, wasn't on the trip either.

"Hang in there. I'll make it up to you twice over when the trip's over."

"You promise~"

We chatted as we walked into the restaurant, where a waiter showed us to our seats. The fancy restaurant was full of students, and they all turned to look at us. I recognized a few of them, including Hashimoto, whom I'd nearly thrown into the sea, and Kamuro, who always turned away the moment she met my gaze.

I could sense some hostility, but as long as no one actually tried anything, I couldn't be bothered to care. It was too early to deal with the Katsuragi Faction.

I'd expected Ichinose to be with a bunch of her classmates and Ryuen to show up with his lackeys, but neither seemed to be there. I didn't mind the former, but I was grateful the latter was absent.

As I thought about that and opened the menu, every dish seemed expensive. If I ate this kind of food at school, it'd probably cost over ten thousand points.

Just then—

"Hey!"

I looked toward the voice. A boy sitting beside Katsuragi was calling out to me. His mocking gaze made it instantly obvious what he was about to say.

I could've ignored him, but I decided to respond in case it helped with Arisu's request.

"What?"

"Get out of here. This isn't D Class territory. Trash like you doesn't belong here. Scum like you should go eat garbage."

So that was what he wanted to say. I'd heard from Arisu, Hashimoto, and Kamuro that a lot of people in Class A believed in elitism, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

But Katsuragi, their leader, doesn't seem to be stopping them. Looks like they're even more elitist than the Sakanayanagi Faction. Should I make a move?

I'd thought it was too early to go after the Katsuragi Faction, but maybe this was a chance to deal them a blow as a group.

As I considered that—

"Um... Excuse me."

Hiyori suddenly called over a nearby server.

"Are you ready to order?"

"No. I was wondering if there are any restrictions on entering this restaurant. Someone just told me my companion isn't allowed in..."

Hiyori's natural-born bomb went off! Her counterattack was way beyond anything I'd expected, and the people around us froze. The boy who'd provoked us looked especially petrified.

"No, we don't have any restrictions on who can enter."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for interrupting your work."

Hiyori bowed apologetically, and the server left. Then she turned to the boy who'd taunted us.

"...It seems there aren't any restrictions?"

"W-What?!"

The boy turned red as a monkey's backside. Snickers broke out around us, and Hashimoto was laughing so hard his whole body shook.

Hiyori's innocent attacks were terrifying. Even Arisu and Kamuro were often caught off guard by them. In a way, maybe the final boss of the first year wasn't Arisu—it was Hiyori.

Anyway, since Hiyori had already humiliated him in front of everyone, stepping in now would've been overkill—

"Hah! You don't even know the unwritten rules? Figures. C Class and D Class are cut from the same cloth."

...Scratch that. It was time.

But wasn't that kind of insult a little weak? Let me show you what real provocation looks like—

"Huh? You're talking about unwritten rules in a place you've never been before? That's hilarious. You bald lackey—no, Katsuragi's lapdog."

That's how you do it. Now I'll show you the true art of trash talk.

And I'll make you pay in Private Points, Katsuragi Faction—