He had already ridden on ships several times before.
In the loops of Return by Death.
'I seemed to dislike riding ships in the past.'
Subaru muttered to himself in his heart.
He remembered that he used to be the type easily prone to seasickness. But now, he didn't feel that way at all.
Since when did he stop getting seasick? Subaru wasn't clear on that either.
But it didn't matter.
He didn't care about anything.
The current Subaru was simply waiting for the subsequent Special Exam.
Perhaps Ryuen would make a move.
Let's look forward to it a little bit.
Subaru closed his eyes.
"Ryuen-kun."
Inside the Class C cabin, Hiyori slowly walked up to Ryuen.
"Hiyori?"
Ryuen was somewhat surprised that Hiyori actually took the initiative to seek him out.
"What is it?"
Unlike his high-and-mighty attitude towards others, Ryuen was quite respectful towards Hiyori. Because the other party was an important member of his class, a necessary force for Class C's advancement.
"About the situation," Hiyori's tone was very polite. "Could you please tell me?"
"Fine. It does no harm to tell you anyway, since you all will know very soon."
Ryuen then told Hiyori about the potential existence of the Special Exam afterwards.
"I see. So there will be a Special Exam coming up, and that is why you have already made preparations in secret."
Hiyori nodded.
"As for why I didn't tell you, you must understand the reason, right? It's not just you; the more people who know, the higher the possibility of intelligence leaking."
"Yes, I understand. However, Ryuen-kun, you must also be worried that I would tell the relevant intelligence to Natsuki-kun, right?"
Ryuen did not deny it.
"I know Ryuen-kun works very hard. Actually, I am unwilling to participate in class struggles, but... please rest assured, Ryuen-kun. All my actions will also place Class C's interests in the foremost position."
"Oh? You better think clearly. You might become enemies with Subaru, you know?"
Ryuen narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Hiyori, wanting to see the other party's reaction.
"Of course, I am unwilling to do so. But in order to go further, I will definitely do this."
"Go further?"
Ryuen seemed to not quite understand Hiyori.
"If I were to intentionally go easy in the class battle because of Subaru, that would be irresponsible to my own classmates, and at the same time, it would be disrespectful to him. So even if the opponent is him, I will give it my all."
Hiyori's gaze was incomparably serious.
Previously, Hiyori and Subaru had chatted about related matters.
Subaru's answer was very direct—
"Just do what you want to do."
Therefore, Hiyori would also take the initiative to act.
"Eh? In this way, on a psychological level, our Class C can gain a certain advantage. And Ryuen-kun, your position in the hearts of the classmates will definitely become higher as well."
"Interesting, Hiyori."
Ryuen responded with a smile.
"This is a notification to all students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We are about to see the island. Surely, you will see a very meaningful scenery within a short period."
Soon, the broadcast rang out in various places on the cruise ship.
Subaru could clearly hear its content.
It looked like the school authorities were introducing the surrounding environment to the students like tour guides.
But Subaru, who had once arrived in the future, knew that it was not that simple.
The school was telling the students information regarding the next exam.
The Uninhabited Island Exam was precisely the content of the Special Exam.
The students would have to conduct a series of activities such as wilderness survival on the uninhabited island.
And now, it was actually an opportunity to observe the uninhabited island, allowing students to judge the island's environment in advance—
Of course, most of the students were completely unaware of its deep meaning.
Subaru quickly arrived on the deck; the other students of Class D were right there.
Several students in the class were standing at the very front of the deck, and just at this moment, another group of students approached.
"Hey, you're in the way. Get lost, defectives! You understand the composition of this school too, right? This is a meritocratic school. Class D won't have any human rights. Defectives should obediently act like defectives!"
Those were a few students from Class B.
Ever since their ranking dropped, the hearts of quite a few of their students were filled with resentment.
"Hey, you—"
One of the students wanted to seize Subaru's position.
But Subaru just slowly turned his head, looking at the other party.
His gaze was incomparably cold, and that terrifying killing intent instantly permeated the air.
No matter how dull one was, they could feel the terrifying aura on Subaru.
What's more, Subaru was already considered a notorious existence within the grade.
"Sorry..."
The few of them quickly and consciously moved to other places.
They did not know that, in fact, at the time point just now, they had already died once.
Killing people in public, the cleanup was indeed a troublesome matter.
Subaru's gaze projected to the other side. Horikita and Hirata were chatting about something with solemn expressions:
"The situation with Class C recently is very strange."
"Indeed, there hasn't been any action; it's not like their style."
"Also, participating in this vacation activity, many people in their class don't look very happy."
"I don't know why either."
The two of them were chatting about matters regarding class relationships; their attention seemed not to be on that island on the sea surface in the distance.
Subaru's line of sight swept across the crowd.
The students of Class C were mostly gathered on the other side of the ship's rail, appearing relatively quiet.
Ryuen had his hands in his pockets, his gaze sharply scrutinizing the island, the corners of his mouth hanging with a malicious smile.
Ishizaki and a few boys stood behind him, also looking at the island, their expressions carrying a bit more graveness than students of other classes and...
Ibuki stood at a place slightly farther away with her arms crossed, her brows slightly knitted, seemingly laden with worry.
Hiyori was not with the main force of Class C.
She stood alone in a position slightly to the back, leaning against the railing, also looking at the island.
The sea breeze blew her soft silver hair; her profile was tranquil, her eyes thoughtful.
Subaru could guess that Ryuen had probably already told her about the Special Exam.
With her intelligence, at this moment she was probably analyzing the challenges this island might bring, as well as... the subtle dynamics between the classes.
However, even if Ryuen didn't say it, Hiyori would be able to guess.
Seeming to sense his gaze, Hiyori turned her head slightly, her line of sight briefly meeting his in the air.
She was slightly stunned, then revealed a very shallow but very real smile to him, nodded gently, and then turned back to continue observing the island, as if sharing some silent tacit understanding with him.
Subaru also nodded.
At the same time, another gaze also landed on him. It came from slightly further away, from Kushida, who was surrounded by several girls.
She was smiling and talking about the island's beauty with the girls, but the corner of her eye accurately captured the brief interaction between Subaru and Hiyori.
The sweet smile on her face did not change in the slightest, but deep in those tea-colored eyes, a trace of cold calculation flashed past, immediately drowned out by even more enthusiastic conversation.
The cruise ship began to circle the outside of the island.
This island, rented from the government for management, had an area of about 0.5 square kilometers and a maximum elevation of 230 meters.
Although its size was very small among islands, to these one hundred and sixty or so students riding the cruise ship together, this was already a large enough island.
"We are about to land on the isolated island owned by this school. Please, all students, change into sportswear in thirty minutes, and after confirming the prescribed bags and luggage, bring your mobile phones to gather on the deck. Please leave all other personal items in your rooms. Since you can temporarily still go to the washroom, please take care of your needs properly."
The voice of the broadcast rang out again.
Most of the students still hadn't noticed where the problem lay.
They even thought for a moment that they were going to play on the beach next.
In a short while, the cruise ship docked at the shore.
"Then next, please disembark in order starting from the students of Class A. In addition, mobile phones are prohibited from being brought onto the island. Please hand them over to your homeroom teachers, and then disembark~"
Under the command of the teacher holding a megaphone, the students walked down the cruise ship's stairs in order.
The speaker was Chie Hoshinomiya.
Seemingly because of the promotion to Class A, the one now responsible for presiding over the students' actions was her.
"Don't you feel they are exceptionally cautious, or should I say, very vigilant? Confiscating mobile phones, even during exams, doesn't happen. The prohibition of bringing extra personal items is the same," Ayanokoji slowly said beside Horikita.
"Indeed, if we were just going to the beach to play, I feel there's no need to go to this extent."
Under the verbal prompt of Ayanokoji, Horikita also seemed to realize the problem, but she didn't think too much of it.
"If phones were brought to the seaside, it wouldn't be strange if some student got them wet and damaged. Moreover, if extra personal items were brought over, the trash would also pollute the beach."
"Perhaps."
And soon, Sae Chabashira also walked in front of the students.
"Starting now, roll call for Class D will be conducted. Those called, please answer immediately."
Chabashira immediately began the roll call, confirming the arrival of all students in the class.
"First of all, I am very happy that everyone arrived here smoothly today~"
Soon, the voice belonging to Chie Hoshinomiya rang out again.
But her next sentence directly shattered the students' expectations completely.
"Then next—we will begin conducting the first Special Exam of this academic year~"
"What?!"
"Special Exam?! What is that?!"
"What the hell?! Why does a Special Exam exist?"
____
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