Chapter 025: Cruise Ship Day One / Dog Eat Dog / A Chance Encounter with the "Centurion" Girl
July 19th, Sunny. A perfect day for travel. In the morning, the students lined up by grade level, luggage in hand, and boarded buses heading for the nearby port to embark.
Shimizu Akira leaned back in his seat, mentally reviewing the rules for the items allowed for this uninhabited island exam. It was essentially the same as last year: no extra items permitted, only a week's worth of change of underwear. For girls, sanitary products were allowed as an extra. As for electronics, phones were allowed, but they would be collected by the school once they reached the island.
Over the past few days, he had brushed up on last year's "Uninhabited Island Survival Guide." After all, this island was much larger than the previous one; it never hurt to be over-prepared. Unlike last year, when he was a lone wolf, he now had multiple girlfriends to consider. He even packed two bottles of motion sickness medicine—just in case one of them felt unwell.
Two hours later, the buses arrived at the port. Students disembarked and boarded a massive, luxury cruise ship in order of their classes. According to the flyers on the bus, the ship was the St. Venus, a twelve-deck vessel capable of holding over seven hundred passengers—the third-largest cruise ship in Japan.
From the fifth floor up, it was packed with amenities: cinemas, swimming pools, gyms, cafes, restaurants, scenic baths, and gaming areas. Below the fifth floor were the accommodation zones—their dormitories.
"Due to the large number of students, we will once again have four people per room," Chabashira, the lead teacher, explained. "To help you adjust quickly, the room assignments are the same as last year. Come up and collect your key cards when your name is called."
"Same as last year? Doesn't that mean I have to stay with those same guys again...?"
"It's fine! At least they're classmates!"
Chabashira soon called his name. "Shimizu Akira, Room 401. Roommates: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji."
Identical to last year.
He glanced at them; they all looked relatively relaxed. To Akira, this combination was acceptable—none of them ground their teeth, snored loudly, or stayed up late making a ruckus.
After the keys were distributed, Chabashira continued: "With three grades on board, we need staggered meal times. First-years start at 11:00 AM, second-years at 12:00 PM. At 1:00 PM, everyone will gather in the cinema on the upper deck for a formal explanation of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam rules. It should take about an hour.
So, drop your luggage in your rooms first. You can wander the ship, but make sure you are on time."
The crowd dispersed, dragging their luggage toward their rooms. Akira took the elevator to Room 401. Pushing the door open, a cool breeze smelling of seawater blew in from the half-open window. The room was decently sized, with four beds—two on each side—and a fixed desk in the center. Outside was the endless, sapphire sea.
Ayanokouji, Sudo, and Ike filed in and set down their bags. The bed configuration showed the upgrade from last year: instead of bunk beds, they now had independent single beds. Akira claimed the innermost bed by the window. Ayanokouji took the one next to him, Ike was by the door, and Sudo was next to Ike.
Once settled, they didn't linger. It was only 10:30 AM, and everyone was curious about the luxury ship's facilities.
"Let's go, let's check it out," Sudo said, heading out.
"Wait for me!" Ike followed immediately. Ayanokouji followed at a leisurely pace, and Akira was the last to leave, pulling the door shut behind him.
The St. Venus was bigger than expected. The hallways were lined with closed doors, with the occasional student from another class popping out. A small crowd had already gathered at the elevators, mostly familiar faces from the second year.
"So many people..." Ike peeked at the floor indicator.
"How long is this going to take?"
"Let's take the stairs," Akira said, heading for the stairwell. Sudo followed.
"Right, we're only going to the sixth floor. Stairs are faster than waiting."
As they climbed and rounded a corner, they heard high-pitched giggling from above.
"President, let's go see the pool!"
"Yeah, President, the game area looks good too!"
Two sweet female voices spoke simultaneously. Akira looked up to see two third-year girls clinging to Nagumo Miyabi's arms, acting affectionately.
"If it isn't Shimizu-kouhai and Ayanokouji-kouhai," Nagumo greeted them with a smile.
Akira gave him a flat look. "Oh, it's you."
Compared to Horikita Manabu, this guy was miles behind; there was no need to be polite.
Nagumo didn't get angry; he was used to Akira's coldness.
"Haha, Shimizu-kun is as full of personality as ever." He let go of the girls' arms and stepped forward, eyeing Akira and Ayanokouji.
"I noticed on the OAA—you two aren't grouped together?
Especially you, Ayanokouji-kun. You're actually alone. Is it because you drew a Trial Card? In that case, I'll offer 2 million Private Points to buy that card from you to give to a second-year I know. How about it?"
Though group applications were closed, the rules didn't forbid card trading. Even on the ship, business was open.
Ayanokouji shook his head slightly. "No thank you. I've already promised my class I wouldn't sell it."
"Oh?" Nagumo looked thoughtful. "Is that your class strategy? Trial Cards are only meaningful if you're aiming for a top rank. If your class doesn't plan to climb the rankings, holding that card is a waste."
He turned back to Akira. "Shimizu-kun always aims for the top in special exams; this time should be no exception. It seems the three of us will be rivals this time."
Akira spoke up bluntly: "I heard you collected over twenty Free Ride Cards, spending over four million? You seem quite confident in your own strength."
Nagumo smiled faintly. He wasn't surprised Akira knew. OAA data was public; anyone could calculate the third-year holdings. Free Ride Cards were 200,000 a piece, so twenty cards was indeed four million.
Not only that, he had bought More People Cards from other classes, plus several Lead and Additional Cards. He had probably sunk seven or eight million into this.
"There's no one in the first year worth fighting, and the third-years are all my people," Nagumo said casually. "Only you two are even a slight threat."
He didn't care about the first-years.
Ryuen, Ichinose, Sakayanagi—none of them mattered. If Tsukishiro hadn't specifically warned him that Ayanokouji was a heavy hitter, Akira would have been his only true opponent.
Just as he said that, a voice came from behind. "President Nagumo is certainly confident. However, I think it would be best if you didn't underestimate us first-years too much."
The group turned to see Yagami Takuya from Year 1 Class B walking over. His baby face wore a polite smile. "Our initial first-year four-person groups, combined with a More People Card, can form a five-person team from the start. That advantage might not lose out to the President's three-person group."
Nagumo sneered. "Yagami, was it? A five-person group sounds nice, but you should realize that a two-year gap in experience can't be closed just by adding two more people." He sized Yagami up, his gaze lingering on the fact that Yagami only reached his shoulder. "At this age,
the physical difference between eighteen and sixteen is night and day. Yagami, I let you into the Student Council, but you should watch that arrogance."
Yagami continued to smile innocently. "The President is right to lecture me. However, you might have misunderstood; I'm not being arrogant, just stating facts. Height and age have never been the sole factors in determining victory. Be careful not to suffer a major loss, President."
Nagumo's smile stiffened for a moment. He stared at the freshman for several seconds. "Interesting. Well then, I'll see what you're made of on the island. If you embarrass yourself in front of me, you can leave the Student Council. Not even Tsukishiro will be able to protect you—I'll see to that."
With that, he put his arms around the two girls and left. He could tolerate Akira's disrespect because the guy was a genius. But who was Yagami Takuya? A freshman he let into the council on a whim, and now he was talking back?
Once Nagumo was out of earshot, Yagami turned to Akira and Ayanokouji and bowed slightly. "Shimizu-senpai, Ayanokouji-senpai, sorry for that display."
Akira looked at him without greeting him. Ayanokouji simply nodded.
Yagami didn't mind. "I hope to have the chance to face you both in this exam. By the way, I've always admired Kushida-senpai. Shimizu-senpai, I hope you won't hold that against me and target me during the special exam."
"Alright, drop the act," Akira said, tired of the pleasantries. "I know you're from the White Room. You have zero interest in Kikyo; the only one you're interested in is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Though, I am curious—why did you talk back to Nagumo just now?"
Yagami looked confused. "I don't know what you mean, Senpai. What's a White Room? Kushida-senpai is indeed someone I admire, and I wasn't talking back to the President. I was just telling the truth." He bowed politely.
"Well then, see you later."
He turned and left. Sudo and Ike looked at each other, completely lost.
"What's that guy's deal?" Sudo scratched his head.
"He talks weird. One second he's respectful, the next he's provocative."
"How is that not talking back?" Ike looked speechless.
"Freshmen these days are too cocky! Akira, you're cocky because you have the skills and you're not in the Student Council. But that kid just joined and he's talking back to his own President? Isn't that a death wish?" Sudo flexed his muscles.
"With a shrimp like him, I could take him down with one hand."
Akira almost laughed. The guy was an assassin from the White Room; he wasn't going down that easily.
He leaned over and whispered to Ayanokouji: "What's the situation? This Yagami doesn't look like he just wants to finish a mission; he seems to have a grudge against Nagumo. Aren't you White Room people supposed to be emotionless and focused on the task?"
"Hard to say," Ayanokouji pondered. "White Room students have emotions too. Maybe Nagumo was being too overbearing in the Student Council. Yagami probably thinks Nagumo is just an average person and wants to show him up during this exam."
After all, the people training them in the White Room were top-tier instructors in every field.
A student council president of an ordinary high school? In their eyes, he was nothing.
Yagami was still a sixteen-year-old kid—no matter how talented, he couldn't escape the temperament of his age.
"If you put it that way, aren't we about to see a good show?" Akira's eyes lit up. Yagami vs. Nagumo? It was pure dog-eat-dog.
This was going to be fun.
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1:00 PM. It was the second-years' turn for the rule briefing.
After lunch, Akira followed Ayanokouji and the others to the cinema, bumping into the first-years who were filing out. The hallways were packed. The school hadn't mandated class seating, so students could sit wherever. By the time Akira got inside, most seats were taken. He couldn't even sit with Ayanokouji and had to settle for an empty seat near the back.
As he sat down, a pleasant fragrance wafted toward him. He turned to see an unfamiliar girl to his left. She had long, straight blonde hair, a slender frame, a quiet aura, and cute features. Most notable was the distinct beauty mark (tear mole) on her face.
Akira blinked. This was the first time he'd seen a girl with a beauty mark at this school. Moreover, she felt strangely familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before.
As he was trying to place her, an average-looking boy walked up to him. The boy saw Akira's face, swallowed whatever he was about to say, and turned tail. The blonde girl visibly sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing.
Akira finally remembered who she was. Year 2 Class A, the rumored "Centurion" (100-men slayer) carnivorous girl—Shiraishi Asuka.
From the look of it, that boy had been harassing her. Akira looked away without saying anything. He didn't know her, so talking to her out of the blue would be weird.
However, Shiraishi Asuka looked at him and spoke first. "Thank you, Shimizu-kun."
Akira turned. "Thank me for what?"
"That boy, Yoshida Kenta. He's my classmate," she whispered. "He didn't dare come over once he saw you. He's been pestering me lately, and it's been a bit of a problem."
"No need to thank me, I just found a random seat." Akira didn't expect to help indirectly. "But you know my name? Do you know me?"
"Mhm!" Asuka nodded. "During last year's uninhabited island exam, I shared a tent with Kamuro-san. Those snacks you gave her—she couldn't finish them all, so she gave a few bags to me and Nishikawa." She lowered her head slightly.
"So I actually should have thanked you for that a long time ago."
"Well, no need to thank me for that either. I gave them to Masumi; she's the one who shared them with you," Akira smiled.
"Thanking her is enough."
So this was the second time he'd helped her indirectly. If not for that, given her quiet demeanor, she probably wouldn't have approached him.
He sat up a bit straighter. "I'm Shimizu Akira from Year 2 Class B. Forgot to say that."
"Hello," she said softly. "I'm Shiraishi Asuka from Year 2 Class A."
Akira felt that this girl spoke with a very professional, soft, and melodic cadence—almost like a professional voice actress. The only other girl who gave him that feeling was Shiina Hiyori.
After their brief exchange, silence fell. Fortunately, it wasn't awkward for long. At 1:10 PM, the briefing began.
Mashima Tomonari cleared his throat on stage, and the cinema went quiet.
"I will now begin explaining the specific rules for this Uninhabited Island Special Exam.
This exam will last fourteen days. All students will be divided into groups of three or fewer to survive and compete on the island. After the exam starts, groups can merge into larger 'Great Groups' of up to six people based on specific conditions. If every member of your group retires, you are disqualified and your rank is finalized.
The school will have the groups compete in trials to collect scores that determine rankings."
The giant screen lit up, displaying the exam summary.
Uninhabited Island Special Exam Summary:
Format: A field survival exam where all groups compete for points over a two-week period. Disqualification: During the exam, if an entire group drops out due to retirement, that group is immediately disqualified (all collected points become invalid, and their rank is finalized on the spot).
The map of the island they would land on tomorrow appeared, divided into a dense grid.
"There are two ways to collect points. The first is 'Basic Movement'," Mashima explained. "The island is divided into a hundred specific areas. At set intervals, the school will instruct groups to head to a certain area to earn points."
He gave an example: "If the starting point is Port Area D9, and Area C8 is designated. Groups that arrive early will receive an 'Arrival Order Reward'—1st place gets 10 points, 2nd gets 5, 3rd gets 3. Additionally, everyone who arrives within the time limit receives 1 'Arrival Bonus' point. If a three-person group takes 1st place, they get 10 points for order plus 3 points for arrival, totaling 13. A two-person group would only get 2 arrival points, totaling 12."
It was a "check-in" system. It sounded similar to last year's leader card swiping, but you didn't have to stay at a spot; you had to keep moving across areas. Simply put, the fast and agile had a huge advantage.
"Shibata-kun! This is your time to shine!"
"Yeah! Everyone, and Ichinose-san, leave it to me! I'll definitely be useful this time!" Nearby, students from Year 2 Class D began whispering excitedly.
Akira glanced at Shiraishi Asuka. She was frowning slightly.
Was she not confident in her physical stamina for this kind of activity?
"Basic Movement locations will be announced three times on the first and last days, and four times a day for the remaining twelve days. Arrival times are 7:00–9:00 AM and 9:00–11:00 AM. After a two-hour break, the afternoon sessions are 1:00–3:00 PM and 3:00–5:00 PM.
Regarding group penalty rules: ignoring three consecutive movement instructions results in a 1-point deduction. Four consecutive ignores result in 2 points, five in 3 points... the penalty increases with consecutive ignores. However, as long as you complete one movement, the counter resets.
Regarding ignoring movement: as long as one member of a group reaches the area, it is considered a success for the group. In other words, the whole team doesn't need to be there. However, the Arrival Bonus only applies to the people actually present."
It seemed the school was being somewhat merciful; check-ins were only during the day, and they could rest after 6:00 PM. But if they missed check-ins, the group points would suffer. A strategy of simply staying in one spot would not work.
"There are areas on the map that cannot be designated, such as B1, C1, F10, G10, etc., as these are entirely in the sea." The map on the screen showed these areas in red.
"The designated areas follow a certain logic. Out of the four daily announcements, three will be centered around the last designated area of that day, moving within a range of two squares horizontally/vertically or one square diagonally."
There was a pattern. Moving two squares or one diagonal square within two hours wasn't too difficult. With four announcements a day—three of which followed this logic—the school was hinting that students should camp near their last check-in to make the next day's movements easier.
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