Holiday Illusion on the Cruise Ship? Special Exam on a Deserted Island Descends

As the summer break drew to a close and the second semester began, every first-year student at Advanced Nurturing High School unexpectedly boarded a luxury cruise ship.

There was no prior notice, no explanation of an exam, and no tense atmosphere.

The school provided only a single reason:

"Special Summer Residual Vacation: Luxury Cruise."

Spacious decks, clear seas, buffet restaurants, leisure areas, and free time...

Everything looked like a genuine vacation.

The students were in an uproar, their nerves, tightened over the past few days, instantly relaxing.

Class D was particularly rowdy, with Kanji Ike and the others having long since cast the incident regarding the hidden camera to the back of their minds.

Yoshikage Kira sat by the window in the cabin, a plain drink placed before him, his gaze sweeping calmly across the room.

An overly perfect vacation.

No reason, no advance notice, no cost.

There is no such thing as "free enjoyment" at Advanced Nurturing High School.

A facade.

He felt no ripples in his heart; he had even anticipated the unfolding of events.

This so-called vacation was merely a disguised prelude to a special exam.

Honami Ichinose walked lightly to his side, sitting down with just the right amount of gentleness.

"Classmate Kira, aren't you going outside to take a look? The sea view is beautiful."

Kira lifted his eyes faintly: "No need. It is quiet here."

"I just feel... it's all going a bit too smoothly," Honami Ichinose lowered her voice slightly. "This school shouldn't suddenly give us such good treatment."

Kira's tone was calm: "Just enjoy the present. The truth will arrive soon."

The cruise ship slowly sailed into the waters of an isolated island in the open sea. Just as the entire cabin remained immersed in the relaxed atmosphere of the vacation, the ship's broadcast suddenly sounded, its tone peaceful yet carrying an unmistakable seriousness.

"Students, please come to the deck now. The scenery you are about to see is of great significance to you; please be sure to observe it carefully."

The confused students swarmed onto the deck, looking toward the vast and desolate uninhabited island on the distant sea—the island was covered in dense vegetation, its coastline winding, and one could vaguely see several higher elevations, exuding a primitive and mysterious aura.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, the school's second notification followed immediately.

The entire student body was urgently summoned to the main hall.

The homeroom teachers stood at the front, all gentleness stripped from their expressions, as they formally announced the true face of this vacation.

"Everyone, the pleasant vacation ends here."

"Now announcing the first-year second semester—Special Exam: Uninhabited Island Survival Battle."

The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence, followed by a violent commotion. "Uninhabited Island Survival Battle?" "What does that mean? How long are we staying on that island?" "Is there food and water?" "Will there be danger?" The students' discussions rose one after another, their tones filled with unease and panic.

Sae Chabashira ignored the students' agitation, continuing to read the exam rules in a flat, clear tone, every word and sentence strictly adhering to the settings of the original fourth volume: "Please be quiet and listen carefully to the exam rules. The rules will directly determine your exam results."

The hall quieted down instantly, all students holding their breath, listening intently to Sae Chabashira's words.

"First, this exam uses special exam points, with each class initially issued 300 points. All additions and subtractions of points are calculated within these 300 points and do not affect the original class points. The upper limit is 300 points, and the lower limit is 0 points; it is impossible to exceed this range."

"Second, during the exam, roll calls will be held daily at 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Each absence will result in a deduction of 10 exam points. If you accumulate three or more absences, a total of 50 points will be deducted, and the student will be considered to have abandoned the exam."

"Third, supplies such as food, water, tents, portable toilets, and first-aid medicine can be exchanged using exam points. The exchange prices are set uniformly by the school and will be adjusted appropriately each day based on changes in the island's environment."

"Fourth, any member of a class has the right to contact their homeroom teacher individually to exchange exam points for supplies, without the need for the consent of other members or the leader."

"Fifth, the exam lasts for seven days. After seven days, the cruise ship will return to the island's shore to pick up all students and return them to school. After the exam, rankings will be based on the remaining exam points of each class. The higher the ranking, the more class reward points obtained; the lower the ranking, the more class reward points deducted."

"Sixth, this exam adds a base occupation rule: there are 10 capturable bases distributed on the uninhabited island. Each class can send members to occupy them. After successfully occupying a base, you can obtain 15 exam points daily. Bases can be seized by other classes. After a successful seizure, the original occupying class stops receiving points, and the new occupying class begins to accumulate points."

"Seventh, this exam does not set a dropout penalty. Regardless of the ranking, no students will be expelled."

After the rules were read, Sae Chabashira paused for a moment and added several key pieces of information, her tone remaining serious: "Supplementing the first point, Class A will start with a deduction of 30 exam points because Classmate Arisu Sakayanagi is unwell and unable to participate in this exam, leaving them with an initial 270 points."

A look of gravity instantly appeared on the faces of the Class A students. Kohei Katsuragi's brows furrowed slightly, and he felt a sense of foreboding in his heart. The absence of Arisu Sakayanagi had already had a significant impact on Class A, and now, starting with a 30-point deduction undoubtedly put Class A in a passive position. He instinctively reached up to adjust his glasses, his gaze sweeping quickly over his classmates as he instructed in a low voice: "Everyone, stay calm. With Classmate Sakayanagi absent, we must be even more steady and cannot afford mistakes." Masumi Kamuro and the others nodded, their expressions serious; they all knew that every step over the next seven days would be crucial.

"Supplementing the second point, each class must designate a leader. The identity of the leader is strictly prohibited from being exposed. If the leader's identity is exposed, the class will have 50 points deducted directly and will lose the qualification to guess the leaders of other classes. The leader cannot be changed without a valid reason."

"Supplementing the third point, on the evening of the sixth day of the exam, each class can submit one 'leader guess,' where they can guess the leader of any one or more classes. Guessing one correctly will allow you to seize 50 exam points from that class; guessing one incorrectly will result in a deduction of 50 points from your own class."

All the rules were read, and the hall fell into a complex silence once again. Some breathed a sigh of relief because there was no expulsion penalty; others became even more nervous because the increase or decrease of points was directly related to the class ranking and rewards; still others had already begun to calculate how to use the rules to win more points for their class, especially the base occupation rule, which caused calculating glints to appear in the eyes of many.