Chapter 055 These Three Are Too Lucky! / Uninhabited Island Special Exam Final Results!
5:30 PM.
The Uninhabited Island Special Exam had officially concluded.
Shimizu Akira, Horikita Suzune, and Karuizawa Kei packed their luggage and began moving toward the island's starting point, preparing to return to the ship. Shimizu Akira took charge of carrying the heavy items like the tent, while Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune handled the lighter belongings.
Along the way, they encountered many classmates. Everyone looked relatively relaxed; after all, they had finally endured it. Once they were back on the luxury cruise ship, they could finally unwind and rest properly.
As they walked, Horikita Suzune instinctively brought up their group's score. "Our group score is 230 points. It probably won't get us into the top three, but since there are only three of us, it's quite good overall. Good work, everyone."
"I wouldn't say it was hard work... actually, wasn't it mostly you two doing the heavy lifting?" Karuizawa Kei felt strangely embarrassed. She wasn't an overachiever in physical stamina like Shimizu Akira, nor was she as versatile as Horikita Suzune. Her contribution to the group was 30 or 40 points at most.
To be honest, she hadn't planned on fighting for the top three from the start. Her main goal for this exam was simply to grow closer to Shimizu Akira. From the results, that step had gone very smoothly.
However, she suddenly remembered something and looked at Horikita Suzune with a strange expression. "Wait! Horikita Suzune, the special exam is completely over. Regarding that matter, why aren't you ready yet?"
Horikita Suzune's body stiffened, and she let out a light cough. "There's no rush." She knew Karuizawa Kei was referring to the intimacy between her and Shimizu Akira.
"No rush?! We're about to go back to the ship! Tonight, Kushida Kikyo or Ichinose Honami might head straight to Akira's room! Not to mention Hasabe Haruka and Sakura Airi, who practically deliver themselves to his door from time to time. What chance will you have left later?!"
In truth, Horikita Suzune had been mostly ready during the latter half of the exam. The problem was that Karuizawa Kei was always right there! She could accept taking the final step with Shimizu Akira, but she absolutely could not do it in front of someone else. On the penultimate day, she had even considered using sleeping pills on Karuizawa Kei, but after thinking it over, she decided against it.
And so, plagued by indecision, the exam ended before she knew it. Being Horikita Suzune, she certainly wouldn't say such things out loud. She crossed her arms and replied with feigned coldness: "My business is not for you to worry about."
"Hmph... I don't want to worry about you! But during this exam, you were constantly restricting my closeness with Akira, right? Since you don't have the desire to deepen the relationship yourself, and the exam is over, you can't control me anymore. If you're not coming, then I'll just go find Akira tonight, okay?" Karuizawa Kei huffed, then ran to the back and grabbed Shimizu Akira, who had been pretending to be a bystander.
"I think..." Before Shimizu Akira could finish, Horikita Suzune's gaze shot toward him like a knife. However, realizing she was being awkward, she quickly looked away.
Horikita Suzune felt incredibly conflicted. On one hand, she was conservative; on the other, she couldn't stand the thought of Shimizu Akira spending the night with another girl.
Shimizu Akira remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Alright, the exam just ended. I've seen you yawning since you woke up today, and you haven't had a decent meal. Go back to the dorm, take a good bath, and rest. Take care of your body first; it won't be too late to see me after that."
"Oh, I see!" Karuizawa Kei thought about it and found it quite logical. Her boyfriend wasn't going anywhere, after all.
Horikita Suzune instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
After walking for another ten minutes, the three finally reached the assembly point at the shore. Karuizawa Kei saw Matsushita Chiaki and the others, separated from the two for a moment, and ran over to greet them.
Shimizu Akira thought for a moment, leaned into Horikita Suzune's ear, and whispered, "The luxury cruise ship provides rooms for couples. Come find me tonight."
"? What are you saying? Didn't you just say rest—"
"Karuizawa Kei's physical condition isn't great; she needs rest. But you're different. Your physical stat is B+, I don't have to worry about you at all."
"..."
Seeing Horikita Suzune looking for another excuse, Shimizu Akira rare-handedly became assertive: "If you don't come, I'll go to your dorm to find you."
Shimizu Akira didn't want to be so blunt, but Horikita Suzune was simply too awkward. The exam was over. Everything else was settled; Horikita Suzune was the only one left. If he missed this chance, who knows how long he'd have to wait? It had already been dragged out too long.
He realized that for a cold, aloof character like her, the direct approach was best. Since her affection meter was already maxed out, he should just go for it. He was prepared for her to flip out on the spot.
"...Understood."
To his surprise, after several seconds of silence, Horikita Suzune didn't get angry but replied in a low voice.
"So obedient?"
"Before my brother left, he told me to listen to you. Besides, I lost to you in last year's partner exam and promised you one request that must be fulfilled. And during this island exam, you earned 20 points every day... I promised to reward you, so I really have no right to refuse you this time."
"Good."
Shimizu Akira finally smiled. Indeed, he had laid enough groundwork.
After walking a few more steps, Horikita Suzune thought about it and asked softly, "...Where do I buy 'small umbrellas'?"
Shimizu Akira was stunned for a moment. "Don't worry about it, I'll go buy them."
"I'll buy them. Karuizawa Kei took the initiative to buy them too." Horikita Suzune was oddly persistent.
"Fine." Shimizu Akira figured since they were at the final step, he'd just follow her lead. "On the cruise ship, they're probably sold on Floor X. Just buy three packs."
"? Didn't Karuizawa Kei only use one pack that day?"
"Is your constitution the same as Karuizawa Kei's?"
"..."
If she had known he'd say that, she wouldn't have asked so specifically.
"Angry?"
"No!"
"Then, are you coming?"
"..."
Through this, Shimizu Akira felt he had finally mastered the "User Manual" for Horikita Suzune.
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At exactly 6:00 PM, everyone began boarding the ship in class order. About ten minutes later, Shimizu Akira returned to his dorm. The priority was to take a shower first. He had barely gone back to the start to wash during these few days, and his skin felt itchy and uncomfortable.
After showering for about twenty minutes, Shimizu Akira stepped out and changed into clean clothes, feeling instantly refreshed. Just then, the door card beeped. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had also returned.
Incidentally, Ike Kanji was injured and still in the infirmary; Sudo Ken had an injured wrist and was likely there as well. Shimizu Akira took out the phone the school had returned upon boarding and messaged them. They both said not to worry and told Shimizu Akira and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to go eat first.
Shimizu Akira and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had just fought Tsukishiro and Shiba at noon and hadn't eaten lunch. By evening, they were starving. Seeing it was almost 7:00 PM, they decided to visit the injured in a few days and headed to the cafeteria first.
When they arrived, it was already crowded. Students from all years sat in small groups, chatting as they ate. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than during the exam. Some were complaining about how they survived the fourteen days, others were discussing the cruise and vacation plans, and some just ate in silence.
Shimizu Akira sat by the window with a set meal. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sat opposite him with the same tray.
To be honest, Shimizu Akira was also relieved. Not just because the exam was over—after this, Chairman Sakayanagi would be returning, and Tsukishiro would likely leave the school soon as Acting Chairman. Yagami Takuya was temporarily incapacitated, and Amasawa Ichika had joined their side, meaning the White Room threat was essentially settled.
However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed to recall something. "Shimizu, on the thirteenth day, the group of twenty that attacked us—Yagami Takuya probably wasn't the only one behind them. There was also Utomiya Riku; he came to attack me."
"You're right. Actually, Tsubaki Sakurako was also behind the scenes."
"Those two do act together often. But how are you so certain?"
"Because Nanase Tsubasa messaged me," Shimizu Akira said. "She said their goal was to get the White Room assassins, including you and Amasawa Ichika, expelled. They seem to have a big grievance against you specifically. Seriously, after coming to this school, did you indirectly hurt this Tsubaki Sakurako's childhood friend or something?"
"I'm not sure. But it's unlikely there's another childhood friend... the probability is too low."
Shimizu Akira twitched his lips. Given this guy's personality when he first entered the school, it was indeed easy for him to hurt others unintentionally. It was only natural for people to seek revenge.
However, that didn't explain why they targeted Amasawa Ichika. Tsubaki Sakurako seemed to have a grudge against the White Room itself as well. But in reality, some White Room children had no choice; many were forced in by their parents. Like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Amasawa Ichika. Unless they were irreredeemable scum like Yagami Takuya who actively caused trouble, there was no need to target every White Room assassin.
Of course, even if he told Tsubaki Sakurako this, she wouldn't necessarily listen. Their experiences and personalities were completely different, and she didn't seem like the type to take advice.
As they chatted, the cafeteria suddenly went quiet. Many were staring toward the entrance. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Shimizu Akira stopped talking and followed the gaze, seeing Nagumo Miyabi entering with Kiriyama Ikuto and a few other third-year students.
"It's President Nagumo! As of 10:00 AM, he had a 30-point lead in first place!"
"So he's probably the winner of this island exam, right?"
"I think so too! Koenji Rokusuke was quite a pity though."
To maintain suspense, the school had disabled the ranking function for the top three and personal groups from 10:00 AM onwards. Of course, the bottom ten were still visible to keep the lower groups motivated.
Nagumo Miyabi smiled with absolute confidence. "The first place is me, of course! To those of you who bet your 'Free Ride' cards on me, you're about to make a fortune!"
From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, there were seven full hours. Although Koenji Rokusuke had escaped him at the end, Nagumo Miyabi didn't believe the other could surpass him. How could a 30-point gap be bridged so easily? Even if points were doubled on the last day, and Koenji Rokusuke got double points for tasks, wasn't Nagumo Miyabi doing the same?
"What a shame! My card wasn't a Free Ride card!"
"Exactly! Otherwise, I really would have made a small profit!"
The atmosphere in the cafeteria heated up due to Nagumo Miyabi's arrival. Many third-year students swarmed him, offering congratulations. Nagumo Miyabi naturally enjoyed the spotlight. His gaze swept the room, lingering for a moment on Shimizu Akira and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka before moving away nonchalantly.
Truthfully, he had thought about checking those two's GPS locations this morning to have a showdown in physical strength during the exam. However, since noon, those two had inexplicably moved to a beach very far from him, so far that he couldn't have reached them in
time. And that arrogant kouhai Yagami Takuya—he had planned to teach him a lesson, but the guy had unexpectedly retired yesterday.
My, my, those three were quite lucky. Otherwise, had they encountered him, they would have likely retired or ended up in the infirmary instead of sitting here laughing over dinner.
At that moment, the other party involved, Koenji Rokusuke, made his appearance. Upon returning to the cruise ship, he had somehow found two upperclassmen sisters who were now clinging to his arms as they walked into the cafeteria.
Koenji Rokusuke was his usual self, smiling leisurely, while the two girls were the ones comforting him. "Koenji-kun, don't be sad! Getting second place by yourself is already amazing!"
"Exactly! You're much better than those groups of six who didn't even place!"
Unexpectedly, Koenji Rokusuke sat down and said confidently, "Who said I lost? Without a doubt, I will definitely take first place in this exam."
Nagumo Miyabi found this amusing and stood up. "You think you can beat me?"
"Beat you? You're not quite accurate. Because I never regarded you as an opponent."
"You're just a second-year kouhai! You dare look down on me?"
"Why wouldn't I? From the first day, you used the free-group people to occupy spots and snatch tasks for you. In the final days, you even sent people to intercept me. Eighteen people surrounded me, yet I still escaped. And now, you sit in the cafeteria telling people you'll win? President Nagumo, do you have some misunderstanding about your own strength? In my eyes, you are merely an ordinary person! Forget me, Akira-boy, or Ayanokouji-boy! You can't even beat Amasawa-girl!
If you didn't have people holding spots, intercepting me, or providing logistics, how many points do you think you'd get alone? 200? Or 100?" Koenji Rokusuke laughed. "I won't judge your ability, but I am certain of one thing: you never dared to try taking an exam alone. Because you are afraid to lose. You fear that if you lose, your persona as the 'all-powerful Student Council President' will collapse."
"..."
"As for me," Koenji Rokusuke pointed to himself, "From the first day to the last, I was alone. No one held spots for me, no one brought me food, no one intercepted my opponents. If I win, it's my strength; if I lose, it's my incompetence. That is the difference between you and me."
Nagumo Miyabi stood there, his expression shifting through several emotions before settling into a cold smile. "You're quite the talker, just like Shimizu-Kouhai. The results aren't out yet; the winner is yet to be decided."
Koenji Rokusuke didn't bother with him further and continued chatting with the two girls.
Shimizu Akira didn't know how a guy like Nagumo Miyabi could even bring him up. He had completely forgotten about Nagumo Miyabi over the last two days. He had been too busy—how could he care about him? Had he become inexplicably confident?
Koenji Rokusuke had truly gone all out this time. No one would be in a good mood after being continuously blocked for days by a dozen third-years.
Just then, the faculty began to gather, and the microphone was turned on as the 8:00 PM signal hit.
"Everyone, please pause your meal." The voice of the Guidance Office came over the speakers. "First of all, to everyone involved in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam: good work."
"The bottom five groups will be expelled according to the rules. The following is the expulsion list for this exam... Muto of 3-D, Kawakami of 3-D, Katsumata of 3-C, Shinonome of 3-C, and Yagami Takuya of 1-B. These five groups total fifteen people."
Among the bottom five, four were from the third year and one was from the first year, all three-person groups. It seemed this was the price of Nagumo Miyabi utilizing the free groups. On the final day, Horikita Suzune mentioned that some third-years had been attacked, which was likely related, though he didn't know who did it.
"Next, following school judgment, only Yagami Takuya utilized remedial measures. The remaining fourteen will be expelled immediately."
"What?! Nagumo! What the hell is going on?!"
"Didn't we agree you'd transfer personal points to save us as soon as we got back to the ship?!"
"You didn't do it?!"
"Sorry, everyone." Nagumo Miyabi put on a seemingly regretful expression. "I just remembered that according to the rules, only points transferred before the start of the island exam are valid for saves. I tried to transfer them, but it didn't work."
'Give me a break' Nagumo Miyabi thought to himself. Four groups would require 24 million points. With his current funds—after the bet with Shimizu Akira and the points used to replenish Ryuen Kakeru—it wasn't that easy to come up with. He never intended to save the free-group members from the start.
"You bastard! Nagumo! You broke your word!"
"I really listened to your lies and followed you for three years!"
"I'll kill you!"
The expelled students, realizing they were leaving immediately, lost all appetite and charged at Nagumo Miyabi. However, school staff quickly intervened and held them back.
"Stop!"
"No fighting here!"
"You who are expelled, pack your bags immediately. You will leave on a prepared small boat at 9:00 PM tonight."
The teachers then announced the specific expulsion procedure. Everyone's face paled. They had almost forgotten that this school was inherently a cruel place. Those fourteen people didn't even have the right to go back to the school campus; they had to leave directly from the ship.
However, Shimizu Akira was more concerned about Yagami Takuya's result. He was saved. Was it Tsukishiro's doing?
After the staff handled the expelled students, the speakers crackled again: "Now, let us announce the top three groups of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam."
"Third place, 2-A, Sakayanagi Arisu's group, with a total of 261 points."
Third place was indeed the Sakayanagi Arisu group. This was roughly the rank seen this morning. After all, they had seven people in their group.
Before Shimizu Akira could say anything, a person appeared in front of him. It was Ryuen Kakeru, the one who had caught the pinky-sized fish last time. He glared at Shimizu Akira as if he wanted to eat him alive.
"Shimizu Akira, I won't let you get away with what you did! Just you wait!"
Shimizu Akira was confused. "What kind of fit are you throwing now?"
Ryuen Kakeru's face was twisted in anger. Was this guy doing it on purpose or by accident? He bit his thumb. "Wasn't it you who deliberately called Yamada Albert from our group away, making him lose his eligibility? You made it impossible for us to get more points with the double multiplier on the last day, causing us to lose to Sakayanagi Arisu completely."
"Uh..." Shimizu Akira was stunned and speechless. It was true that Yamada Albert's withdrawal had a significant impact on Ryuen Kakeru's group.
"You're overthinking it. It was just a coincidence!"
"Did it but won't admit it, huh? You just wait!" Ryuen Kakeru clenched his fist and left the cafeteria with the trembling Ishizaki Daichi, not even caring to hear the top two results.
"Classic you," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remarked.
"I really didn't do it on purpose!" Seeing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's skeptical look, Shimizu Akira gave up on explaining. Fine, if people thought he did it on purpose, so be it. He'd have to check on Yamada Albert another day. As for Ryuen Kakeru, ignore him; let him suffer. It did benefit Sakayanagi Arisu, though. Hopefully, she wouldn't misunderstand that he did it for her...
The broadcast was silent for a moment before slowly reading out the second-place rank.
"Second place, the 3rd-year Nagumo Miyabi group, 358 points."
"How is that possible?!"
"Wasn't President Nagumo leading the whole time?"
"A 30-point lead! How was he overtaken?"
Nagumo Miyabi whipped his head toward the speaker, his face full of shock. "How can this be! I used so much manpower, bought so many cards in advance, and even abandoned those fourteen people, yet I only got second place?!"
"Then who is first?"
"Who else could it be!"
Nagumo Miyabi couldn't help but look toward Koenji Rokusuke. The other didn't even look at him, continuing to play with the two third-year girls, naturally accepting their hand-feeding.
The next second, the broadcast announced first place.
"First place, the 2nd-year Koenji Rokusuke group, 365 points."
"Kouhai, you're first!"
"He really took first place alone? Koenji-kun is amazing! How did you do it?"
"I just got a little serious," Koenji Rokusuke laughed. "Alright, sisters, I've finished eating. Shall we go up and rest?"
"Oh! Sure!"
"Mm-hmm!"
With that, he walked out with his arms around the two girls. Nagumo Miyabi stood there, staring at the closed door, almost grinding his teeth to dust.
"President..." someone spoke cautiously.
"Shut up! It's all your fault! Why didn't you block him properly? Otherwise, it would have been impossible for me to lose!" Nagumo Miyabi turned sharply, pushed back his chair, and stomped toward the exit on the other side of the cafeteria.
The third-year students looked at each other, none daring to follow. Kiriyama Ikuto sighed, adjusted his glasses, and followed silently.
"Koenji... is too much of a beast..."
"He's the first one to talk to President Nagumo like that."
"But he's right. President Nagumo was relying on help... and Koenji really beat him alone!"
"Shh! Lower your voice!"
Shimizu Akira and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka slowly withdrew their gazes. "Koenji Rokusuke is still as strong as ever. If I remember correctly, his and Nagumo Miyabi's scores from the seventh day were 288 and 278 respectively. Meaning he earned nearly 90 points alone on the last day."
"Koenji Rokusuke took first place this time. Since he's alone, our 2nd-year Class B also received 300 Class Points. The Sakayanagi Arisu group got third, but only received a 100-point reward. After the summer break, Class B will be promoted directly to Class A."
"Hahaha! Great!"
"We aren't maggots! We are Class A!"
"We are the most excellent class in the second year!"
The 2nd-year Class B students, finally processing the news, shouted in excitement.
"Hmm? You don't seem very excited about the class being promoted to Class A?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka noticed that Shimizu Akira's expression wasn't great after hearing the news.
"..."
Shimizu Akira felt that Chabashira Sae-sensei would be the happiest person to hear this. Since Koenji Rokusuke was the one who did it, she probably wouldn't "reward" him for anything this time.
Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei, on the other hand, would be the last person wanting to hear this. She had approached him during the island exam. Hopefully, she wouldn't think the class was promoted because of him!
He hoped that, like Chabashira Sae-sensei, she wouldn't do anything unnecessary.
Just thinking about those two gave Shimizu Akira a headache.
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