Chapter 086 Borrowing Stockings from Shiina
On the deck, Hikigaya discovered that people from Classes A, B, and C were all present.
"Yo~ Dead-fish eyes. Why are you the only one here from Class D?" Ryuen Kakeru teased with his usual sarcastic tone.
"As expected, Hikigaya-kun noticed it too." Ichinose Honami greeted him with a friendly face.
Katsuragi Kohei glanced at him, his browless eyelids twitching slightly, but he said nothing.
"I'm just here to look at the scenery," Hikigaya leaned against the railing, looking straight ahead with a casual expression.
An island had appeared on the horizon. From a distance, it was covered in lush vegetation, and a few man-made structures were vaguely visible. The ship did not dock immediately upon approaching; instead, it slowly circled the island.
'Information provided for free by the school shouldn't be wasted.'
Hikigaya took note of key locations on the island: rivers, orchards, caves, and wooden huts. Representatives from other classes were doing the exact same thing.
Ten minutes later, the ship's broadcast rang out again:
"We are about to land on this artificial island. Please change into your gym clothes. Aside from essential personal items, do not carry any electronic devices, including mobile phones. Gather on the shore for assembly in one hour."
'Right, I almost forgot about that.'
Hikigaya spoke up, " Ryuen, tell me Ibuki's room number."
"Why?" Ryuen Kakeru raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Looking for a tryst? This isn't enough time for that, is it?"
"Cut the crap." Hikigaya couldn't be bothered to banter with him. He was looking for Ibuki Mio to borrow a few pairs of sports socks, so that the nylon ones Kushida Kikyo was wearing wouldn't end up stinking like crazy.
"Hmph! Daring to order me around... but for the sake of the last final exam, I'll give you a bit of face." Ryuen Kakeru let out a cold snort and then "honestly" told him the room number... or so it seemed.
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"Oh my~ I'm very happy that Hikigaya-kun would take the initiative to find me~~"
The one who opened the door was Shiina Hiyori.
'Ryuen, you bastard!'
Hikigaya's mouth twitched, but his face quickly regained its composure. "Good morning, Shiina-san. That... um..."
Shiina Hiyori seemed to see that he had a purpose and took the initiative to ask, "Did Hikigaya-kun come to find me for something?"
"I wanted to ask to borrow something, if it's convenient..."
Hikigaya had originally intended to borrow from Ibuki Mio because her personality was blunt and straightforward; she likely wouldn't overthink it and would just say "here" and be done with it.
"Borrow what?" Shiina Hiyori blinked, full of curiosity.
"Uh... socks." Hikigaya forced the words out.
"Socks? Is Hikigaya-kun going to wear them?" Shiina Hiyori looked at him with a subtle gaze.
"How could that be?! It's for a friend of a friend in my class. She forgot to bring socks." Hikigaya explained with a straight face.
'A friend of a friend in the class...'
"I see. It sounds like a girl who is very close to Hikigaya-kun," Shiina Hiyori concluded with a nod.
'No, how did you reach the conclusion that we're "very close"?' Hikigaya felt like laughing but didn't offer a further explanation.
"Alright, please wait a moment, Hikigaya-kun..." Shiina Hiyori turned and went into her room, rummaging through her suitcase to find two unopened pairs of stockings.
"I only brought stockings. These are the sun-protection and mosquito-repellent type, and they're quite breathable, suitable for outdoors," Shiina Hiyori explained.
"New and unopened? Isn't that a bit much?" Hikigaya looked hesitant. He had only wanted to borrow a few old pairs for Kushida Kikyo to make do with.
"It's fine," Shiina Hiyori smiled slightly, her eyes flickering with a bit of cleverness and mischief. "If Hikigaya-kun feels bad about it, can you accompany me to buy new ones after we return?"
"Okay." Hikigaya agreed offhandedly, not taking it too seriously, treating it as just polite small talk.
"Then, see you on the island."
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Hikigaya turned and went to Kushida Kikyo's room.
"Moshi moshi~ This is the Kushida residence." Her voice was high-pitched and sugary.
"It's me," Hikigaya identified himself.
"Oh, it's just Hikigaya." Her tone shifted back to normal instantly. Kushida Kikyo opened the door and said with a look of annoyance, "We're about to get off the ship. Why are you looking for me at this hour?"
"Here." Hikigaya tossed the unopened stockings to her.
"Eh? This is..." Kushida Kikyo looked bewildered as she caught them.
"Didn't I say it last night? I'd get you a few pairs of socks." Hikigaya was brief.
"Wait, you actually did it? I thought you were just tricking me!" Kushida Kikyo opened the packaging with a look of surprise and took out the gray and black stockings. After touching them, she nodded in approval. "Hmm~ Good taste."
"Of course." Hikigaya felt a sense of pride.
"..." Kushida Kikyo's gaze suddenly sharpened, staring at him with a strange expression.
"Girls' private items like stockings aren't something people just lend out casually."
"Is that so? When I borrowed them, the other person didn't hesitate at all." Hikigaya thought back; Shiina Hiyori hadn't wavered and had given them to him very readily.
"You guy... you really are a man of deep sin!" Kushida Kikyo said meaningfully.
"Enough already, I've delivered the goods. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to pack my things." Before leaving, Hikigaya didn't forget to add: "By the way, throw away those stinking nylon socks..."
"If you say 'stinking' one more time, believe it or not, I'll stuff them in your mouth!" Shamed and angry, Kushida Kikyo grabbed the worn socks from the floor and threw them at Hikigaya.
"No need for that." Hikigaya dodged and backed out of the room.
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Arrival on the Island
After changing into gym clothes and bringing a simple bag with a few changes of clothes, Hikigaya followed the crowd onto the shore.
It was said that the artificial island before them was built with government funding and was now leased to the Advanced Nurturing High School. Through observation and a rough estimation, Hikigaya figured the area of this island was about one or two square kilometers, with its highest point not exceeding 200 meters. For the 100 or so students present, this was a sufficiently large range of activity!
Under the bright sunlight, the lush green forest and the golden beach by the sea combined to sketch a scene full of natural harmony. As Classes A, B, C, and D gathered on the shore, the excitement on everyone's faces was uncontrollable.
"Welcome to the artificial island."
The Class A homeroom teacher, Mashima-sensei, held a megaphone and began the opening explanation. "Next, we will conduct the first special exam of the new semester on this island!"
The sudden announcement of an exam pulled the excited crowd back to reality.
"A special exam?!"
"Wasn't this supposed to be a vacation?"
"I never heard about this!"
Ignoring the complaints, Mashima-sensei continued: "The exam starts now and will end at noon on August 8th. You will spend a week of communal living on this island..."
'August 8th...'
How could it be such a coincidence? Hikigaya suddenly remembered that that day was precisely his birthday.
No birthday cake... well, fine. In accordance with his habits in previous years, he wouldn't have had a cake anyway. Ever since starting middle school, Hikigaya had suggested to his parents that they give him the money for the cake so he could decide how to celebrate himself. He would usually take his sister out for a meal.
The internet often said "life needs a sense of ritual." Hikigaya disagreed. To him, compared to an expensive and not-very-tasty cake, sitting on swings with his sister eating a popsicle each was better.
"First, let it be clear that this exam is modeled after real-life corporate team-building exercises. It is highly practical in nature."
'Team building... isn't that just the classic corporate slave life? Claiming to let employees learn corporate culture while actually domesticating them to work like cattle.' Hikigaya's dead-fish eyes grew even gloomier.
"Everyone must participate in this special exam unless there are special physical conditions! Regrettably, one person from Class A is absent due to ill health, and 30 points will be deducted from Class A!" Mashima-sensei said strictly, not hiding anything just because the absentee was his own student.
'Sakayanagi Arisu?' That white-haired brat's body was indeed unsuitable for long-term outdoor living.
"During the exam, you are not allowed to leave the island without a valid reason. Violators will have class points deducted directly! During the exam, the school will only be responsible for the initial basic supplies: two tents per class, two flashlights, and a box of matches. Towels and toothbrushes are limited to one per person... Finally, as a special exception, girls' sanitary products can be requested without limit."
With every sentence Mashima-sensei spoke, the commotion below increased. Class D was the first to lose its cool.
"What is this?"
"Aren't we here for a trip?"
"I've never heard of a special exam!!" Yamauchi Haruki shouted loudly, purely venting his emotions.
"This is clearly deserted island survival!"
"There are only two tents; how could everyone possibly sleep in them!"
"What about food and water? What if we get sick?"
Although Ike Kanji was also shouting, the questions he raised were surprisingly practical. He hit the nail on the head regarding the lack of supplies.
'Does this guy have experience with outdoor living?' Hikigaya looked at Ike Kanji with a bit of surprise.
"Exactly, how is it possible to stay for seven days like this..." Someone from Class C also shouted, but they were silenced by a cold glare from Ryuen Kakeru.
The people from Classes A and B appeared much calmer. The gap between the classes was visible at a glance!
" Mashima-sensei, I have a question. During the exam, is it possible to use private points to purchase supplies?" Katsuragi Kohei was the first to ask. Using points to buy supplies was the right train of thought.
"No. Based on the fairness of the exam, private points cannot be used during the test. However, each class will be given an initial sum of 300 special points to be used at your discretion."
Mashima-sensei signaled the staff to distribute a manual to each class, which clearly recorded a list of purchasable items and their corresponding prices.
"You can exchange for snacks..."
"There's actually a BBQ grill!"
"Surfboards and water guns!"
"And beach chairs?"
The first things Class D noticed were items for eating and playing. This time, Hikigaya didn't criticize them. From his perspective, without considering the class competition, as long as they used these points well, they could spend seven very pleasant days playing!
The students of Classes A, B, and C had different expressions, all seemingly considering how to use these points.
" Mashima-sensei, may I ask if this special exam will have an impact on the second semester?" Ichinose Honami asked cautiously.
As expected of the leader of Class B. Mashima-sensei gave her an appreciative look and then said, "After the exam ends, if there are remaining special points, they will automatically be converted and added to your class points."
"EH?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they caused an uproar among the top three classes! Currently, the scores between the three classes were only about a hundred or two hundred points apart. If they could save one or two hundred points in this exam, they could overtake the other classes in one fell swoop.
Thinking of this, the atmosphere among Classes A, B, and C suddenly became thick with hostility!
Only the people of Class D showed little interest. With Class D's current score of less than a hundred points, even if they saved all 300 points without spending a single one, their total score would still be far behind the other three classes.
Work hard and you're Class D, don't work hard and you're still Class D—so why not just lie flat? This was the sentiment of most in Class D.
"Wait a minute... The exam has only just begun; are you already planning to give up?" Only Horikita Suzune still harbored a shred of hope for the class competition.
" Horikita-san, you need to distinguish between ideals and reality. We clearly can't win, so why should we make things so hard for ourselves?" Shinohara Satsuki voiced a negative opinion in direct opposition.
"..." Horikita Suzune pursed her lips, momentarily speechless.
Hikigaya immediately shot her a surprised look. How could the usually eloquent Horikita Suzune be stuck for words today? It seemed her body hadn't fully recovered yet...
"I think Horikita-san has a point." Unexpectedly, Hasabe Haruka, who usually stayed on the fringes of the class collective, spoke up.
"Even if we don't consider the class competition, we should consider our own points, right? The remaining special points will be added to class points after the exam. That way, starting from next month, we can escape poverty."
Hasabe Haruka had always been short on points. For a long time, she had barely scraped by with the help of Sakura Airi and Hikigaya. Her words resonated with many in Class D.
"Yeah! There's still class points!"
"Do you plan to only receive this tiny amount of points every month in the new semester?" Yukimura Teruhiko stood up to show his support.
Devoted to his studies, he was very frugal in his daily expenses, but no matter how frugal he was, having no income was simply not viable.
Important Announcement! New Fanfifction
Cote: Daily Intelligence System
Shimizu Akira unexpectedly transmigrated into the world of "Classroom of the Elite," becoming an ordinary student in Class D.
Relying on the advantage of foresight thanks to his daily intelligence system, Shimizu Akira navigates between the various factions.
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