Two weeks of summer vacation, in the vast expanse of the ocean, aboard the luxury cruise liner, Speranza.
It sounded too good to be true. There must be a catch.
Since Midterms were over, the school was going into summer break, and had decided to give its first year students a rather overkill summer trip aboard the Speranza, the school's personal luxury cruise liner. Chabashira-sensei came into homeroom and had announced that all classes in the first year will be taken on a completely school-sponsored trip, which meant that no Private Points would be required for using the facilities aboard the ship. This had come as a lifesaver for most of the students of Class 1-D, who had spent their entire budget in the first month itself. I had quite a few points left over when I last checked, at around 73,000.
The salty ocean wind hit me on the face as I pushed these thoughts away. The deck on the cruise liner was my favorite way to spend time. The ocean air was refreshing, and the sun was beating down on my back. The weather was truly splendid.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see 2 girls chattering among themselves excitedly, while glancing in my direction every now and then. I caught one of them looking at me, and she immediately was taken aback. Nevertheless, they meekly approached me and joined me on the deck.
"Ano, Takeyama-kun? We were hoping if you could j-join us at the bar on the South Side now? If you're fr-free, of course! No pressure!"
I was free, and I didn't really have anything to do on the deck. I casually agreed to join them, and they jumped in joy at my confirmation.
Wait, is this what they call a double date? No, if I remember correctly, a double date means 2 couples, but here there's one guy and 2 females. What does this even come under?
From our back and forth conversation, I learnt that both these girls were from Class A, Nishi Haruka and Ryoko Nishikawa. I wasn't sure whether there was an ulterior motive in inviting me to the bar, perhaps to gain information about Class D. But I did not sense any malicious intent from either of the 2 girls. Maybe I was overthinking. I should enjoy my time on the cruise while it lasts, I guess.
I took this as an opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of Class A. Out of all the classes in our year, Class A and Class C were the ones I had least information on. I at least knew that Class C had some sort of dictator ruler at its helm. My suspicions were confirmed during my time with Ishizaki from Class C, when he said, 'but he'll screw us all'. This led me to conclude that Sudo's incident was in fact instigated by someone behind the scenes, and this person was mostly the dictator of the class. To have such absolute control over the class within just 2 months of school was surprising, but also very interesting. I wonder how this person managed to do it.
From the time I spent with the 2 girls, I had come to learn that there was some sort of civil war going on within Class A, and this piqued my interest. Apparently, the class was split into 2 factions — the Katsuragi Faction and the Sakayanagi Faction. While Katsuragi believed in solid defensive strategies with low risks, the Sakayanagi Faction was more open, and incorporated many methods into their strategies, underhanded methods included. Sakayanagi had a weak physical constitution, so she is unable to take part in any physical activities.
I could not gather any more information from them, since me poking around anymore would spark suspicion among the 2 girls, and they would find out that I only accepted their invitation to spy on Class A. I could not allow that to happen. I had to maintain my good image among the girls. Believe it or not, they're the best sources of information.
I walked both the girls and to their respective rooms, and 'promised' them I would definitely hang out with them again.
After this ordeal, I headed back to the deck to mesmerize and immerse myself in the fresh air once again, but I was rudely pulled back behind the stairwell of the ship by Ike. He had a livid look in his eyes, and was accompanied by Yamauchi, Sudo and Ayanokoji.
"Takeyama-kun, you can't be doing this!", Ike started, "you can't keep hanging out with the girls! You and Hirata have already gathered over half of Class D! And now you think that's not enough, and you're frolicking with girls from Class A as well! Come on man, leave a few for us as well!"
I could see Yamauchi furiously nodding at at Ike's statement, while Ayanokoji just watched the scene unfold. I didn't have an answer to Ike's request. I mean, what kind of a question is that? What is the right answer to such a question?
"Hey, leave the guy alone. If you wanna be popular, stop acting like perverts and actually do something that will make the girls like you, for once", Sudo said, supporting my cause and sparing me from speaking. Sudo and I had gotten a bit closer ever since the Class C incident, and we'd even had lunch together on more than one occasion.
"Wait, you too Ken!", Yamauchi cried out, "I thought you would be on my side! Aren't you worried a bit?"
The 2 exchanged light banter, which ended with Sudo putting Yamauchi on a choke hold.
"Ahh-ahh, holy shit, ok, I give, I give!" Sudo released Yamauchi. "Goddamn it Ken, you're most probably gonna kill Kanji or I before we graduate!"
The mood significantly lightened, and Ike gave a low whistle.
"Hot property at 12 o'clock!"
We turned to look, and there she was, in all her cute and cuddly beauty, the Class Angel Kikyo Kushida, in a dazzling swimsuit. Both Ayanokoji and I kept our mouths shut throughout Ike's praise speech on Kushida, and Yamauchi joined into the speech as well, adding a few points of his own.
"Hey, Takeyama, give me some tips. I've made an important decision. I'm gonna go and ask Kushida-chan if I can call her by her first name, and whether she would be ok to use mine! What do I need to do to make it work?", Ike asked, getting himself ready to head out.
I looked at him dumbfounded. Tips? What tips? Does it look like I know what I'm doing? It's not like I go and try picking up girls. They come to me. There's a difference.
"You really think I know what I'm doing? It's not like I'm trying, Ike-kun. Just go ahead and normally ask her. It's not that big of a deal, is it?"
"Of course it's that big of a deal! What do you mean it isn't!?", Ike stared into my soul, "you need to understand how hard it is for guys like us to actually get the chance to speak with girls this way! You wouldn't understand, would you though?"
I let out a sigh, and I pushed Ike out onto the deck.
"!?"
Ike stumbled out onto the deck, and it caught Kushida's attention.
"Oh, Ike-kun! What're you doing here?", she asked in a fairy like voice.
"Damn bro, you played him dirty", Yamauchi whispered into my ear. I just snickered to myself.
"Oh Kushida-chan! It's um.....it's nothing! Don't worry about it!", Ike said, trying to come up with some excuse. Grow a pair, Ike. You'll never get girls like this.
"It's alright, Ike-kun! You don't have to hesitate to tell me! I'm listening, honest!"
"Well, uhm, I-I was just wondering if I co-could possibly call yo-you by your first name, Kushida-chan, and if you're ok with using mine?"
There. He had said it. The fate of his love life now rested in Kushida's hands. If he gets rejected now, there's no going back.
"Sure, no problem, you can call me Kikyo! And I have no issues calling you Kanji!". she chirped admirably.
"Wait, really!? You're the best, KIKYO-CHAN!", Ike screamed at the top of his lungs, before running off with Yamauchi to celebrate his newfound victory. Well, good for him, I guess.
"Psst, Ayanokoji?", Sudo whispered, "you're close to Horikita right? Do you know her first name? I think I might have fallen for her. You too aren't too close, right? I'll kill you if you're both dating."
"No, we're not dating. It's nothing like that.", Ayanokoji replied monotonously.
"You're not? Cool. So, what is her first name?"
"I think it's Suzune."
"Suzune, uh? Alright, I'm gonna go on a mission again, then!". Saying so, Sudo stood up and prepared to walk towards Horikita, but I tugged his sleeve and pulled him back down.
"Wha--? Hey, Takeyama, what's the deal?!", Sudo bellowed.
"You really think someone like Horikita will allow you to call her by her first name? Instead of going ahead and destroying your already low reputation in class, wait for a chance to redeem yourself and then go ahead. You'll just irk her and screw up future chances with her if you go right now."
Sudo stared at me incredulously, trying to figure out the meaning behind my words. "I guess that does make sense. Thanks, Takeyama. So, when do you reckon I should go?"
"Wait for an opportunity", I replied, "it'll present itself soon enough. Don't be hasty. Help out the class in all its exams to rake in points, and try to stay out of trouble. It's the only way you can get into Horikita's good books."
The usual boisterous Sudo had become calm and collected, and he quietly nodded along with my explanation.
"So this is why the girls like you, uh? You're pretty darn clever along with those looks", Sudo commented.
I decided to not answer that question.
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The ship slowly cruised forward, towards an island that I had spotted not too long back. From the speed and direction that we were heading, I could deduce that we were indeed moving towards the island, and we would probably reach there in another hour or two.
I made my way back to my room, and decided to pack things up. It looked like we were gonna be heading out soon.
The ship sailed onto the island, and anchored shortly after. We were all asked to disembark, and most of the students were confused as to what was going on. I had a fair idea of what it might be, but again, you can never be 100% sure about anything.
The classes descended the ship in an orderly fashion, with Class A first, then B, followed by C, and finally Class D. I got off the ship along with Yosuke and Chiaki, who were both wondering the purpose behind this island visit.
All classes lined up on the sandy beach of the deserted island, and the homeroom teacher of Class A, Tomonari Mashima, stood up on a podium that had been just got together on the island. He held a loudspeaker in his hands, and looked like he was going to announcing something that was related to all the classes present.
"Damn, I wanna go to the beach already! It's like right there!", Ike muttered under his breath.
Mashima-sensei surveyed the crowd, and began speaking.
"Well, it looks like all classes are here. So, we will now officially commence the current academic year's first special exam."
Special exam? Murmurs began to arise from the crowd, and many students from Class B and C voiced their concerns regarding this exam.
"From today until the 7th of this month, you will all be living on this deserted island, to check whether you can all survive as a class, and a group. No student will be permitted to board the ship unless the situation demands so."
"Wait, so we've gotta stay on a deserted island for a week, and not board the ship!? What the hell! And I thought this was a summer vacation!", Ike wailed loud enough for everyone to hear.
"There are several organizations and worker associations that openly promote deserted survival tactics. Think of this as an exposure and learning experience for the future.", Mashima-sensei continued, as though he had never heard Ike speak.
"However, do not fret. There are several ways in which you can continue to enjoy your time on this survival island. Campfires, barbecues and fireworks, just to name a few. The main essence and theme of this exam is 'Freedom', after all."
Freedom? That sounded fishy. Why call it freedom? If this really was an exam, there was definitely some way or the other in which we would be tested, right?
"As a major part of this special exam, each class will receive 300 Points. If you use your Points well, you'll be able to enjoy your stay on this island to the fullest."
This part irked me. Enjoy the island to the fullest? The class was getting 300 Points. Since Mashima-sensei said use your points well, that would mean that there is a way to save points? Does that mean.......?
"When this special test is over, each class's remaining points will be added to the Class Points. Your total point change will reflect over the summer."
I knew it. This was an exam that had been set up with one objective: to give lower classes a chance to actually rise up in the rankings. Most of the point gaining procedures that we were aware of till now were solely academic based, which highly favored Classes A and B. This special exam would mean that there would not be much gap in skill levels between all the classes.
"Wait, that means we can increase our monthly allowance by leaps if we manage to remain stringent during this exam. As long as we don't spend a single point, we'll get 30,000 extra Private Points per month!", Ike exclaimed. Others had come to the same conclusion as well. But that was unlikely. If all you had to do was not spend a single point, then this exam was too easy. You could easily just gain 300 Class Points this way.
Chabashira-sensei confirmed my suspicions, as she distributed a manual a few dozen pages thick, which contained a list of all the things that were purchasable with points on the island, and several rules were listed at the back as well.
#1. Anyone deemed unable to continue the test due to poor health or serious injury will be penalized 30 points. That student will then retire.
#2. In the event that a student has polluted the environment, he or she will be penalized 20 points.
#3. In the event a student is absent during the 8am or 8pm roll call, 5 points will be taken for each student absent.
#4. In the event a student is found guilty of an act of violence towards another class, robbing another class, or causing damage to another class's property etc., the offending student's class will be immediately disqualified, and the individual will forfeit all of his or her Private Points.
Rule #1 seemed to be the one that answered my questions. It explained how spending some amount of points would be inevitable, since we cannot risk our classmates falling sick on this island. It would bring us more harm than good if we purposely played stingy during the beginning, and lost out on points at the end because of drop-outs.
It seemed that the rules were same throughout all the classes. All these rules were indicative of a contest of restraint; since we had roll call in the morning and evening, it was impossible for a student to sleep his way through the exam. The other 3 rules were to monitor individual student actions, like littering and other careless behavior. They were all very reasonable.
Mashima-sensei then announced on the speaker that Class A specifically would be starting out at 270 Points, since Sakayanagi Arisu had already retired. So we already had a headstart over Class A? It was essential we use this to our advantage.
I flipped through the manual to look at all the things we could buy using our points. There were some very basic things that were definitely required, like tents and cooking-ware. There were also means of gathering our own food via fishing rods and baits, which were available for purchase for 5 points per rod. Barbecues, packaged meat, coal, fireworks, hammocks, nets, digital cameras, walkie talkies....... a porta-potty costed 20 points? It looked expensive to me. Using the restroom is something that all of have to do. Since we're not allowed to relieve ourselves on the island itself (Rule #2), it would be an almost necessary expenditure. The manual was very detailed.
Chabashira-sensei walked over to us. "Gather around class. I'll be explaining the rest of the rules now." So there were more, uh? However, before Chabashira-sensei could start explaining, a loud voice echoed in the background.
"Yoo-hoo~~!"
The owner of the voice came crashing onto Chabashira-sensei, who somehow managed to stay upright.
"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you go and start explaining the rest of the rules to your class?", Chabashira-sensei grunted.
"Can I not be friendly? I just came to say hi!", Hoshinomiya-sensei said lovingly, and she latched onto Chabashira-sensei's arm.
"Just go back to your class, already."
"Aww~~ok..... Hello Takeyama-kun, Ayanokoji-kun!", Hoshinomiya-sensei said. Both Ayanokoji and I bowed in return.
"Now, now , Takeyama-kun, I saw you with some girls on the ship eh........ which one is the lucky girl?"
"Just acquaintances, sensei, nothing else."
"Acquaintances, eh? I see you've been friendzoni- OW!", Hoshinomiya-sensei clasped her head as Chabashira-sensei hit her with a clipboard yet again.
"Please don't harass my students, Chie. Maybe you should go back and actually do something with your class."
"Alright, alright", Hoshinomiya mumbled, " 'k then, see you later, Takeyama and Ayanokoji!", with that, she headed back to her Class B. I wonder how they keep up with such a teacher.
"I think I'll start with the rules once again", Chabashira-sensei started after she regained her composure, "there are several designated 'spots' on the island. In these spots, there is what's referred to as the right of exclusive possession, and only the class that occupies that spot may exercise those rights. The class that obtains those rights is entirely free to determine how they wish to exercise them. However, rights of exclusive possession are only valid for a period of 8 hours after being invoked, after which they are automatically revoked. That means another class acquire those rights at that time. Also, you gain one bonus point if you occupy a spot once. However, that point is provisional, and cannot be used during the testing period. Therefore, bonus points are calculated and added after the test has ended. Because the school is constantly monitoring you, there is no room for fraud. Please be aware of this fact. The rest of the rules are written in detail in the manual."
I went through the manual again.
A specialized keycard is required to occupy a spot.
You can earn one point by occupying a spot each time. Occupied spots can be used freely.
You will lose 50 Points if you use a spot occupied by another class without permission.
Only a designated leader can use a keycard.
It is impossible to change the leader without suitable justification.
It seemed to be a very simple approach exam. Whoever gets more spots would be on the top. If a class managed to hold onto 3 different spots continuously for 7 days, they would stand to gain 63 Points from spot occupation alone. The early bird gets the worm, in a sense.
But that was impossible, because of the final rule written in the manual.
On the seventh day, the last day of the test, each class would be allowed to take a guess at who the other classes' leader might be. If they get their guess right, then 50 Points would be awarded to the class, while the other class whose leader was guessed would be forced to pay 50 Points as compensation. So you cannot freely move around with the keycard. It was high risk, high reward.
However, these guesses also come with risks. In case the class incorrectly guesses the leader of the other class, then you would suffer a 50 Point penalty for an incorrect guess. Also, the class whose leader has been guessed would lose out on all the bonus points that they had accumulated throughout the entire stay. This would definitely force defensive strategies to prevail in this exam, as well.
"It is mandatory for a class to have a leader. Discuss amongst yourselves who you want to appoint as the leader. I'll give you a keycard stamped with their name. In the event that you do not decide, the school will decide for you. That is all."
I looked at the cruise ship one last time, and turned towards the foliage that stretched before me.
The Deserted Island Survival Exam was already underway.
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A/N's:
Hello! We've officially reached 3K reads on this story! Thank you for continuing to support this fic! The next few chapters will be based on the island exam, and I'm planning to change quite a few things in this arc.
Cheers.
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