VIP Exam (1) Cruise Ship Exam Continues

The sea breeze brushed against them as the various classes returned to the Cruise Ship one after another.

While the other classes were filled with resentment and disbelief, Class D was brimming with confidence.

Upon arriving on the ship, Koenji was already wearing his swimming trunks, greeting everyone with enthusiasm.

The students complained to him, then told him that Class D had taken first place.

Koenji looked at Yi Chen and laughed heartily:

"Funny boy, this class is truly magnificent with you in it."

Yi Chen gazed at the shimmering surface of the sea, ripples of doubt rising in the depths of his heart:

"What exactly do I need to do?"

"I took first place, just as expected."

At this moment, the commotion not far away interrupted his thoughts.

It turned out to be Hirata, leading a group of classmates toward him with a beaming smile.

Hirata spoke first, thanking Yi Chen. The other students chimed in one after another, their noisy expressions of gratitude rising and falling.

Sudo Ken threw an arm around Yi Chen:

"Well done, brother. You're worthy of being my, Sudo Ken's, best buddy."

Yi Chen tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing through the crowd as his thoughts drifted far away.

He pondered to himself:

"Although I saw the leaders of the other classes during this exam, to be honest, Ayanokoji could have handled it alone."

"If everything proceeds according to the established plot trajectory,"

"Class D would have risen to Class A with unstoppable momentum anyway."

"What meaning does my existence have?"

"Isn't it the same whether I'm here or not?"

Yi Chen thought of Ichinose:

"I understand now. Ayanokoji and I are destined to have a showdown."

"If I hadn't met Ichinose, perhaps?"

"No, Ichinose is already my girlfriend."

"Since that's the case, I need to start earning class points sooner."

Thinking this, Yi Chen's expression returned to calm, and he nodded at his classmates with a smile.

Yi Chen reflected on how everyone had treated him before.

"Most of the people in Class D are still too pathetic. The so-called gap in ability is severe; they are nothing more than this."

Yi Chen looked at everyone indifferently, thinking to himself:

"If everything plays out according to the plot, Ichinose cannot remain in Class B."

"That guy Ayanokoji always makes a habit of hiding in the shadows, manipulating the big picture."

"Yet he insists on pushing me to the front, making me the center of everyone's attention."

"Since all the credit for the class now falls on my head,"

"Then I might as well go all the way and become the leader of Class D."

"Once I gather enough points to transfer classes, Class D, having lost its backbone, will inevitably fall into chaos and gradually disintegrate."

"Ayanokoji, I'd like to see just how strong you, the original protagonist, really are."

Meanwhile, other corners of the Cruise Ship were far from peaceful.

In Class A, Sakayanagi's supporters were busily planning a class reform.

Their eyes shone with ambition and determination as they attempted to overthrow Katsuragi's leadership in one fell swoop.

Class B also began discussing their future following this exam.

Over in Class C, Ryuen was unusually calm despite the exam failure.

Ryuen ate high-end food with a flat expression:

"Yi Chen, what exactly did you do?"

In contrast, the victorious Class D was immersed in joy, busily preparing for a celebration party.

A day passed, and the Cruise Ship returned to its usual tranquility.

In the evening, Hirata brought Karuizawa over to apologize to Yi Chen; Yi Chen didn't mind and accepted the apology.

The Cruise Ship continued to sail steadily across the vast ocean, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

For these three days, Class D enjoyed the cruise life without rest.

For the past three days, Yi Chen and Ichinose had remained inseparable, while Yi Chen continued to ponder how to acquire points.

Today is Saturday.

A notification from the school shattered the temporary peace--

"A special exam is about to commence."

"The details of the exam have been sent to everyone's email."

Ichinose and Yi Chen were the first to see the exam content.

Yi Chen:

"Arrive at Room 302 by 18:00 today."

"Being 10 minutes late will result in a penalty."

Ichinose received the same message, though their room assignments were different.

The two temporarily parted ways to return to their respective classes to prepare.

At 18:00 in the afternoon, Yi Chen arrived at Room 302 on time.

Most of the people were already there, waiting only for Yi Chen.

The person present was the Class B homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya.

Seeing Yi Chen arrive, Hoshinomiya greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hey, brother, over here."

This line was shouted by Sudo Ken, who was standing nearby.

Sato from Class D.

Airi from Class D.

They also greeted Yi Chen warmly one after another.

Airi:

"That's great, I'm with Yi Chen-kun."

Sato:

"How lucky, with Yi Chen-kun here, we shouldn't have to worry about anything."

After Yi Chen responded to them and sat down, Hoshinomiya began to explain the content of this exam.

"This exam is called the Planet Exam."

"It is also known as the VIP Exam."

"This exam is divided into eight groups, named after the eight planets."

"The groups will be formed by randomly mixing students from the four classes."

Then, Hoshinomiya took out a tablet to show everyone.

Yi Chen and the other three were in the Saturn Group, which also included 3 students from Class A, 3 from Class B, and 4 from Class C.

There were 14 people in total.

"The exam results will depend on the performance of each group."

"The exam lasts for three days, with one day being completely free."

"At 8:00 tomorrow morning, each group will be notified via email of the identity of one VIP."

"The identity of the VIP will remain anonymous."

"The results of this exam will only be released as an increase or decrease in class points for each class."

"Each group will have one opportunity in the afternoon and one in the evening each day to discuss and identify the VIP."

"After the discussion on the final evening, you must email the school with the identity of the VIP within 30 minutes."

"Each person can answer once, but the VIP cannot answer."

"If everyone in the group except for the VIP and their own classmates correctly identifies the VIP, everyone in the group receives 500,000 private points, and the VIP receives 1,000,000."

"Conversely, if even one person fails to identify them, only the VIP receives 500,000 private points."

"Furthermore, if someone identifies a VIP who does not belong to their own class before the exam ends, the sender of the email receives 500,000 points, and their class receives 50 class points."

"The group exam will end early."

"Conversely, 50 class points will be deducted, and the original VIP will receive 500,000 private points and 50 class points."

"The group exam will also end."

"You cannot answer for the VIP of your own class."

The explanation ended.

Everyone understood the exam rules.

Hoshinomiya began to dismiss the group.

Yi Chen began to think about how to handle the situation.

Sudo Ken asked with a look of annoyance:

"Brother Yi Chen, I'm counting on you for this exam; I really can't understand any of it."

Yi Chen nodded silently.

Airi also looked at Yi Chen with adoration:

"Yi Chen-kun, do you have any good ideas?"

Yi Chen looked at Airi helplessly:

"Let's wait until the special treatment details come out tomorrow."

Sato looked at Yi Chen with a casual expression:

"I'm counting on you this time too, Yi Chen-kun."

Yi Chen nodded helplessly.

Sato:

"Yi Chen-kun is truly reliable."

Sudo Ken:

"Then let's go eat together first and discuss it."