Boarding the Uninhabited Island

After arriving in the room, Qiuyue immediately began his grand endeavor of harvesting points.

At the same time, all four of them received a message on their phones.

[This school wouldn't hold this trip for no reason. It's highly likely the special exam you've been waiting for. I have a map of the uninhabited island here—500,000 pr.]

Hirata Yosuke immediately turned serious.

"We need to discuss this with everyone right away."

Ichinose Honami had been wearing a relaxed, carefree smile, but when she saw this crucial information, the ease vanished from her face.

"Everyone, same as before—let's vote on it."

Katsuragi Kohei also received the message. Without much deliberation, as if he'd already anticipated the upcoming special exam, he directly purchased it from Qiuyue.

Not long after he transferred the points, Qiuyue's message came again.

[This special exam will most likely not allow phones, so I've placed the map in the men's restroom, stall 3, on the first floor of the supermarket. The door is locked—you'll have to figure out how to get it out yourself.

Friendly tip: You can just climb over the door. It's not very high, so it's easy.]

On the other side.

After receiving the message, Ryuen replied dismissively.

"Why should I believe you? How do you know the upcoming special exam is related to the uninhabited island?"

[Believe it or not, that's your problem.]

"Heh, I'm not buying."

Qiuyue: (??? Ryuen's already planning a zero-point strategy? No, he doesn't even know the rules of the special exam yet, so why...)

(Maybe Ryuen also figured out there'd be a special exam soon and already thought up some countermeasures?)

(Could he have already teamed up with Class A? They give him 800,000 pr every month, and no matter what the special exam is, he feeds them information.)

(That's the only way to think about it. Too bad, my 500,000 pr. At least I didn't set the price too low, or I'd worry about recouping that 1,000,000 pr... ah... but I didn't actually spend any points.)

Qiuyue waited in the room for a while, drank two cups of tea, and finally Class B and Class D sent their points over one after another. Qiuyue quickly sent them the locations of the other maps.

After finishing everything, Qiuyue packed up his things in the room. Not long after, a broadcast came through.

"Everyone, gather on the deck. Prepare to board the island. Handle your personal belongings, bring your phones. Private items are prohibited from being taken onto the island."

Qiuyue held his packed belongings.

"Doesn't seem like there's much to bring. I already had some stuff sent over by drone."

"Forget it, I'll head to the deck first."

Then, wearing the gym clothes he'd use for P.E. class, Qiuyue made his way to the deck.

Following the crowd, Qiuyue gathered in a designated area.

Teacher Chabashira walked up to the class, confirmed everyone was present, and said:

"Before we board the island, there are some rules to explain. But first, wait here for a moment."

After Teacher Chabashira left, some students in Class D started complaining. Fair enough—standing under the blazing sun, waiting for the faculty, how could the students be satisfied?

Before long, Teacher Chabashira returned.

"Hand over all your phones. Then put on this wristband. Anyone who removes the wristband without permission will face penalties."

After speaking, she looked toward the central steps, where a teacher holding a megaphone walked up.

"Hello everyone, I'm Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima. It's unfortunate that one student couldn't participate due to illness. Now, let's begin this year's first special exam."

Qiuyue: (...Must be Sakayanagi.)

"Huh?"

"Special exam?"

"The exam lasts one week. The requirement is for you to live collectively on this uninhabited island. From now on, you must make all decisions yourselves. Alright, the exam begins."

"Food has to be self-sufficient. We have to survive under the scorching sun until noon on the seventh day?"

Hirata flipped through the rulebook as he spoke. Karuizawa watched him anxiously from the side, while the others crowded around him.

"But the teachers also said we're free to do whatever we want. That means we can swim in the sea or cook our own meals."

"As long as we use the exam's 300 points, we can buy a lot of things—almost everything. And when the exam ends, the remaining points will all be converted into class points."

"Then... if we just tough it out for these seven days, we'll have 30,000 a month! That's 30,000, guys!"

Ike excitedly held up three fingers and waved them in front of everyone.

"There are also penalty items: physical discomfort or serious injury, obvious environmental pollution, missing morning or evening roll call, and violent behavior toward other classes."

"Can we earn points?"

"There are many bases on the island. Each time you occupy one, you get bonus points. One occupation lasts eight hours, and you get one point per occupation."

So that's how it is. Now I finally understand what those red dots on the map he sold us mean.

Hirata read aloud the guidelines on the rules while pulling a map out from his bag.

Although the school prohibited bringing personal items onto the island, they hadn't conducted any body searches or checked luggage.

Hirata continued:

"To occupy a base, you need a key card. The key card requires selecting one classmate as the leader. Only the leader can use the key card; if anyone else uses it, points will be deducted."

"Occupying another class's base by mistake will incur a penalty of 50 points deducted. Without a valid reason, the leader cannot be changed."

"Those are all the rules. No... it seems there's more below.

At the end of the exam, guessing the leaders of other classes earns 50 points per correct guess.

If your own leader is guessed by another class, the reward points are voided—meaning the points from occupying bases will be canceled, and an additional 50 points will be deducted."

"Huh? That's terrible. We'll have to pick someone who won't easily give themselves away."

"Yeah... why do the rules have to be so troublesome?"

"Everyone, don't rush. Look, the other classes have already started moving. We should choose a base first and then pick the leader."

With that, Hirata spread both the rule guide's map and the map he'd bought from Qiuyue on the ground.

The teachers were busy setting up temporary shelters and pitching tents on the beach, paying no attention to this side.

On the two maps, the rule guide's map had the general terrain and size of the forest inside, but nothing else. Qiuyue's map, on the other hand, was dotted with many red marks but lacked that information—they complemented each other perfectly.

"Before that, hey, Hirata-kun, it's okay to use a few points, right?"

"No, unless it's absolutely necessary, we should hold back."

"But this is too..."

Everyone followed Karuizawa's gaze to what she was looking at—it was the portable toilets issued to them.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

Before boarding the Uninhabited Island, when Qiuyue was selling maps of the island to each class.

On the ship, in the library, only one girl sat there. No one else was around, and the atmosphere was strangely eerie.

Yellow lights all shone toward the center, while the rest was shrouded in darkness.

The girl played chess against herself in the middle, a phone placed beside her.

"Thank you for your report, Masumi-san."

"So, what are you planning to do? What do we do next? If we leave Katsuragi alone, he'll only solidify his position. That information seller is still making moves."

"Indeed he is. Let me see... I've thought of something interesting. I need you to keep an eye on a few people."

"Who? Do I need to tail them?"

"No. Daring to sell maps like that proves there will be an exam soon. Just watch their movements during this test and report them to me. No need to deliberately follow them. Since suspicion has already been established, that itself is the original sin."

"What do you mean?"

"Just stay put in Class A. They'll come to you. Even if my guess is wrong, it doesn't matter. At least he will definitely act. After all, in gambling, there has to be a winner, doesn't there?"

"...No... I mean, I don't understand what you're saying. Was spending points to buy intel from your father a gamble?"

"..."

The girl didn't want to respond to the person on the phone. Her hand moved swiftly across the chessboard, the black pieces devouring the white ones relentlessly. When she finally moved a piece close to the Queen, she smiled.

"Check. How far could it be to Checkmate?"