Dormitory Talk, What the Strong Consider Boring

The dormitory area of the cruise ship had shed the bustle of the day; warm, amber wall lamps cast a soft glow over the cramped space. The sea breeze drifted through the half-open porthole, carrying a faint, briny scent that gently stirred the edges of the curtains.

When Yosuke Hirata pushed the door open and entered, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was leaning against his desk, his fingertips idly scrolling across his student terminal. Teruhiko Yukimura sat at the desk opposite, pushing up his glasses as he held a notebook, head bowed as he organized scattered clues from the first round of the exam, his brows slightly furrowed in deep concentration. Only Rokusuke Koenji remained, reclining on his own bed with his hands clasped behind his head, humming an off-key tune while occasionally lifting his arm to admire his own physique in the sunlight, muttering praises to his perfectly sculpted muscles.

Hirata gently pulled the door shut behind him, his face showing a hint of fatigue, yet he maintained his gentle expression. He walked to the small table in the center of the room and sat down. His gaze swept over Koenji first, a flash of helplessness crossing his eyes, before he turned to Ayanokoji and Yukimura. He spoke in a steady tone: "Since everyone is here, it's a perfect opportunity for us to exchange the information we've gathered and discuss strategies for the upcoming exam. After all, even though the first round ended abruptly, the second round will begin soon. We cannot continue to fight on our own; we must prepare in advance."

Upon hearing this, Yukimura stopped what he was doing and looked up at Hirata, his eyes filled with agreement. "That's right, Hirata. Many of our plans were disrupted, and we truly need to sort things out. I've organized the movement logs and text message clues of the Class D members in my group. Although it's not yet complete, it might provide some reference for the investigation in the second round." As he spoke, he pushed his notebook to the center of the table. The handwriting was neat and tidy, densely packed with various details, revealing his rigor and meticulousness. Yukimura had always valued class honor; since spending time with his classmates, he had gradually shed his former coldness and become increasingly concerned for the class. This earnestness brought a sense of quiet relief to Hirata.

Ayanokoji glanced at the notebook, then slowly looked away, his tone flat. "I don't have any special clues on my end. However, I think Class B might be willing to cooperate. Suzune Horikita has a plan, but we didn't have time to discuss it further."

Hirata nodded gently, keeping their words in mind, then shifted the topic, his gaze falling on the still self-absorbed Koenji. He took a deep breath, his tone as gentle as possible, carrying a hint of persuasion. "Koenji-kun, there is something I would like to discuss with you. The first round of the exam is over. For the upcoming second round, I hope you can cooperate with the class arrangements and not leave the group or withdraw on your own like you did during the Uninhabited Island Exam."

At the mention of the Uninhabited Island Exam, the atmosphere in the dormitory instantly grew heavy. Everyone knew clearly that during the last exam, Koenji had withdrawn on his own after only the first day, citing physical discomfort, which caused Class D to be penalized 30 class points by the school. This made the already precarious class ranking even worse. That incident not only placed immense pressure on Hirata but also left Yukimura and the others filled with resentment toward Koenji, though they had never confronted him directly for the sake of class harmony.

Hirata looked at Koenji and continued to persuade him patiently: "I know you are very capable and perhaps feel that this exam is effortless for you, but the honor of the class requires us all to protect it together. 30 class points are vital to our Class D. If there is another instance of leaving the group without authorization or violating rules, our class will likely be left far behind and face even greater risks. Even if you don't care about these things, please consider the other students and don't let your personal whims affect the fate of the entire class."

Koenji finally stopped his humming, slowly opened his eyes, and glanced at Hirata with a look of disdain and lethargy. "Class honor? I have no interest in such boring things. Withdrawing from the last exam was simply because I felt the Uninhabited Island Exam was too tedious and a waste of my time. As for the class points, if they're deducted, so be it. To me, it makes no difference whether we have them or not." His tone was light and airy, as if the 30 crucial class points were nothing more than a trivial matter. This indifferent attitude instantly ignited the anger Yukimura had been suppressing for a long time.

Yukimura stood up abruptly, slamming his hands onto the table, staring sharply at Koenji with eyes full of rage and accusation. "You've gone too far! Rokusuke Koenji! Do you think class points just appear out of thin air? They are earned through the hard work of all of us! When you withdrew on your own last time and caused us to lose 30 points, we didn't blame you—that was already us being benevolent—and now you have the nerve to say something like that!"

"It's one thing that you don't contribute anything to the class, but all you do is admire yourself and praise your muscles all day, as if you're the only one in the world who matters. We are here seriously discussing strategies for the exam, yet you're disrupting the order, humming tunes, and showing no regard for us or the fate of the class!" The more Yukimura spoke, the more agitated he became; the dissatisfaction and resentment buried in his heart erupted at this moment. "You are the cancer of our Class D! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this position today, and we wouldn't have lost so many points because of your selfishness!"

Hirata quickly stepped forward and gently pressed his hand on Yukimura's shoulder, signaling him to calm down. "Yukimura, don't get agitated. Let's talk this through; we are here to discuss strategy, not to argue." He knew Yukimura's anger was not without reason; Koenji's self-centeredness had indeed caused many problems for the class, but arguing now would be of no help and would only affect the harmony of the dormitory and delay the upcoming plans.

Yukimura took a deep breath, suppressing the fire in his heart, but he still stared fixedly at Koenji, his dissatisfaction undiminished. Ayanokoji remained seated to the side, watching everything with a calm expression. He neither persuaded Yukimura nor criticized Koenji, as if the argument had nothing to do with him, merely observing everyone's reactions with a flicker of imperceptible thought in his eyes.

Koenji, however, was completely unaffected by Yukimura's anger. He slowly stood up, stretched, and meticulously straightened his clothes, his tone remaining lazy and disdainful. "Cancer? Say whatever you want. In any case, this exam is just a boring game to me, and there is no point in continuing to play it. It's just finding a few hidden VIPs; such a simple puzzle isn't worth wasting my time on."

As soon as he finished speaking, Koenji picked up the student terminal on his bedside, his fingertips sliding across the screen with quick, decisive movements, without a moment's hesitation. In an instant, he put the terminal away and walked toward the dormitory door with a carefree stride, not looking back at the three people behind him, as if the argument and Hirata's persuasion were nothing more than passing smoke.

Just as Koenji pushed the door open and was about to step out, the student terminals of everyone in the room emitted a clear notification sound simultaneously. Immediately following, a global notification message from the school automatically popped up, appearing particularly striking. Hirata, Yukimura, and Ayanokoji picked up their terminals almost at the same time, their eyes falling on the content of the message, their expressions instantly turning grave.

[Global Synchronization Notification: The identity of the VIP in the Monkey Group has been independently verified and locked by members of that group. The answer is compliant and valid; the first round of the exam for the Monkey Group has officially ended. All other groups are to continue the exam. Unauthorized or non-compliant operations are strictly prohibited; violators will have the corresponding class points deducted.]