You Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Year-End Bonus, Would You?

That afternoon, Ayanokoji woke Hirata, who had been sleeping soundly in the tent. He planned to find someone to help him support Hirata as they went to the cruise ship.

He poked his head out of the tent and glanced around.

Uh...

You'll do, Ike!

You look like a man whose talents have gone unrecognized. Let me enlighten you a little.

So Ayanokoji called over Ike, who was squatting by the stream, looking dejected.

Then the two of them helped support the injured Hirata as they headed toward the cruise ship.

"Don't you think Ayanokoji and Ike have been spending a lot of time together lately?"

Yamauchi suddenly asked Sudo beside him.

"Yeah, I noticed a while ago. Is that guy tired of hanging out with us?"

There was a hint of resentment in Sudo's voice.

"Well, kids have to leave their parents eventually, right?"

"? Then I should be the father, shouldn't I?"

"You're the mom."

"..."

After that, the girls called the two slackers back to help build the bathhouse.

With Horikita supervising nearby, Sudo worked especially hard today.

"Sudo, were you born in the Year of the Ox?"

Wang Meiyu, who was from the Dragon Kingdom, couldn't help asking as she watched him work up a sweat.

"What do you mean, 'born in the Year of the Ox'?"

Sudo looked puzzled.

"...I mean, you're really... good at working."

Wang Meiyu was momentarily surprised. She'd once happened to talk with Ayanokoji and discovered that he knew about the Chinese zodiac. She'd assumed everyone in Japan knew about it.

"Oh... Oh, thanks."

Sudo said awkwardly, sneaking another glance at Horikita's profile when he got the chance.

Wang Meiyu caught the moment, and a look crossed her face as if she'd just stumbled upon some juicy gossip.

In the forest, Ayanokoji walked alongside Ike, with the injured Hirata between them, his left foot supported by the two of them.

"Sorry, Ike. My class is going to lose thirty points because of me."

"Well, I wasn't expecting us to have many points left anyway."

Ike sounded a little resentful.

He'd thought his wilderness survival skills would come in handy during the exam, helping the class save some points and letting him show off for once.

He hadn't expected them to end up spending so many points on food, water, and a temporary toilet.

They'd all agreed on those expenses, but he still couldn't help feeling regretful and frustrated.

" Sigh."

He let out a quiet sigh. If only the others in class could understand how he felt.

They could try to earn more points in this exam, and, ideally, that would take care of next month's living expenses...

Ayanokoji walked along in silence on the other side. He'd noticed that Ike had been down these past two days because he hadn't been able to show what he could do.

He already had an idea in mind, and Ike's current mood suited him perfectly.

Who said you couldn't have your cake and eat it too?

Before long, they reached the shore where the cruise ship was docked.

The beach was a mess, covered in the filth Ryuen had left behind.

Since breaking the rules wouldn't cost any points once a class had reached zero, Ryuen's beach party could be said to have been utterly unrestrained.

The three of them crossed the beach and went beneath the cruise ship.

They could faintly hear Class C having fun on board.

"Tch. They sure don't have a care in the world."

Ike spoke as if taking out some of his frustration on them.

Hirata smiled at him, then reached out and pressed the help button on his wristband.

Before long, Chabashira Sae came down from the cruise ship.

"Just as I expected. Congratulations—you're the first class to have someone withdraw."

Do you have to make everything sound so sarcastic?

Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Chabashira with a weary expression.

"Teacher, Hirata is the leader."

"I remember that, in special circumstances, the leader can be changed. Is that right?"

"Oh? That's correct."

Chabashira replied with interest.

"Have you decided who the new leader will be? If so, bring the key card and come with me. We need to update the information to name the next leader."

She tilted her head toward an office on the beach.

"Yeah."

Ayanokoji took Hirata's key card from his pocket and nodded.

"I'll go with you. Ike, help Hirata onto the ship."

"...Okay."

Ike answered, then helped Hirata up onto the cruise ship, one step at a time.

Ayanokoji followed Chabashira to the office.

"Oh? You've decided on him?"

Chabashira asked Ayanokoji for confirmation a second time.

"Yeah."

After receiving his definite answer, Chabashira looked a little confused.

"Ayanokoji, you remember what I told you before, right?"

A glint of sharpness flashed in her eyes.

Ayanokoji glanced at the staff member nearby, blinked slowly, and said coldly,

"I told you. I'll only act according to my own wishes."

Chabashira looked into his empty eyes, her expression growing serious.

"By the way, I'd like to buy something..."

The next moment, Ayanokoji changed the subject and showed her the key card with its information newly updated.

After hearing what he wanted to buy, Chabashira's expression grew even more serious.

"Ayanokoji, the ship doesn't have absolutely everything!"

She said helplessly.

"Uh... The rules say it's available, though..."

"Teacher, you wouldn't want to be punished for breaking the rules, would you? I hear the school is pretty strict about its year-end bonus evaluations."

"You..." Chabashira's expression darkened further. She was clearly getting anxious.

"I'll do my best to find it, but you'd better not disappoint me either."

"That remains to be seen."

Ayanokoji replied mildly.

Chabashira snorted, deducted two private points from the key card, and returned it to him.

A few minutes later, she handed Ayanokoji the item he'd asked for.

"Hmm, you're pretty efficient after all."

Ayanokoji teased her one last time, unlocking a new look of displeasure on his homeroom teacher's face. Then he left the school's office, satisfied.

While waiting for Ike to return, he went over to a base on the beach that he'd noticed earlier.

He tentatively pressed his key card against it.

As expected, someone who wasn't the leader couldn't claim the base.

He laid the card flat on a reef, took out the can of paint and paintbrush he'd just bought from Chabashira—the paint was the same color as the key card—and dipped the brush in. Then he completely painted over the name on the card.

Once he'd painted it neatly, he examined it closely for a while.

...It looked a little off, but it wasn't a big problem.

Only someone like him, who'd seen the key card in full, would notice anything odd about it. Someone who hadn't examined it closely would never figure out the trick.

Given how important the key cards were, cautious Hirata had barely ever taken his out in front of anyone. So, apart from Ayanokoji, no one in Class D had ever gotten a close look at it.

Uh... Not bad.

It had a real artistic flair.

Ayanokoji gave his "masterpiece" a glowing review.

Since Horikita wanted to be extra safe, he'd give her double the security.

Watching Ike walk slowly toward him from a distance, looking dejected,

Ayanokoji's mind churned.

The entire plan had already taken shape in his mind.