Late July.
On the vast, boundless sea. A luxury cruise ship was sailing slowly. The first semester ended successfully, and the school generously chartered an entire cruise ship for them to enjoy.
Movie theaters, theaters, swimming pools, restaurants, indoor entertainment rooms—everything was available, and most facilities were completely free. It was inhumanly extravagant.
As for the violent incident between Class C and Class D, it reportedly ended with Class D's victory. Whatever. Those things were unimportant.
At this time...
In the café on the top deck of the cruise ship.
"Amazing, super amazing. After graduation, I'll have to show off to Komachi properly."
Hiki-Gaya made a peace sign, a hint of a proud smile flickering in his dead-fish eyes as he frantically snapped selfies.
A luxury cruise ship like this.
It was an experience an ordinary person could likely never afford in their entire life; he was sure Komachi would be dying of envy.
Unfortunately, the angles for selfies were limited; it would be nice if someone could help take a photo.
Of course, he wouldn't dwell on such unrealistic thoughts.
Furthermore,
He had to remember at all times:
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
As for why he chose this place:
Mainly because there were four people to a dorm room.
He shared a room with the "hero" Kanzaki, the "normie" Shibata, and some guy named Watanabe or something.
He really wasn't good with crowded places.
The top-deck café was nice, but there were so many places to have fun on the ship that there were usually very few people here.
This allowed him to enjoy this piece of peace and quiet alone.
Except for going back to the dorm to sleep, he had spent most of his days here.
Of course,
When there were fewer people at night, he also went out for solo adventures.
While he was taking photos:
"Hmm? What's going on?"
Hiki-Gaya looked back, but found nothing.
He was quite sensitive to gazes. Lately, he always felt like someone was watching him, yet he never found anyone.
After all, he didn't have any counter-surveillance skills.
"Is it a delusion?"
Hiki-Gaya scratched his head.
After all, he was always alone—well, alone—and hadn't offended anyone, right? It was impossible for someone to be stalking him, right?
The only one he might have offended was that camera shop clerk.
Hadn't they already been fired?
Just then.
[Attention all students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We are about to see an island, and you will likely see a very meaningful sight shortly.]
A broadcast announcement rang out across the cruise ship.
Hiki-Gaya simply moved to the railing; since he was already on the deck, a lush green island appeared in his line of sight.
As for how big it was?
He couldn't judge very clearly, but in any case, it wasn't very large.
Click, click.
Hiki-Gaya excitedly took a few photos. The cruise ship began to circle the island before finally docking at the harbor.
[We are about to go ashore on an isolated island owned by this school.]
[Students, please change into your gym clothes in thirty minutes. After confirming your regulated bags and luggage, bring your phones and gather on the deck.]
[Aside from that, please leave all your personal belongings in your rooms. Since you can still go to the restroom for the time being, please take care of your needs first.]
For the time being... what did that mean?
Did it mean they wouldn't even be allowed to use the toilet later?
How terrifying.
"As expected, there really is no such thing as a free lunch."
Hiki-Gaya shook his head helplessly.
He turned and returned to the dorm.
Kanzaki, Shibata, and Watanabe were organizing their luggage.
"Ah, Hiki-Gaya-kun, welcome back~"
The normie Shibata greeted him warmly. "You probably heard the broadcast just now, right?"
"I heard it."
Hiki-Gaya returned to his bed to pack his things; his bed was the lower bunk near the entrance.
He wasn't sure if they had specifically let him have it, but regardless, no one had fought him for it.
"As expected, it wasn't that simple."
The hero Kanzaki said with a cold expression, "Since it's an island, I wonder if it's a training camp or a test of physical stamina."
Although they didn't have deep information, many in Class B had their suspicions.
"It would be great if it's an outdoor survival test."
Watanabe sighed half-helplessly. "I'm actually quite good at that sort of thing."
"No way, this is a school, you know."
Shibata teased, "It doesn't really matter; we can just leave it to Ichinose."
"That's true."
Watanabe nodded. "By the way, Kanzaki, you're quite close to Ichinose. Did she say anything?"
"It's not like that."
Kanzaki shook his head. "I just went with Ichinose to get to know the people from Class D. You know Ichinose doesn't seem to be especially close to any one person."
Hiki-Gaya packed his luggage on the side.
If it was an outdoor exam, he was going to suffer. Was there something wrong with Watanabe's head?
"Anyway, we can talk about this later."
Shibata picked up his backpack. "Hiki-Gaya, aren't you done yet?"
Why do you have to call me... does he want to walk together?
"I still need a while."
Hiki-Gaya said with some reluctance. Be sensible and leave first, then I can be more at ease.
"That can't be helped."
Watanabe finished packing and smiled. "After all, Hiki-Gaya came back a bit later than us."
"Well, I'll help too. Hiki-Gaya, what do you need to bring?"
Shibata walked to his side and folded a set of spare gym clothes.
Are these guys serious?
Can they not survive without acting as a group?
"That's enough,"
Hiki-Gaya said helplessly.
"Then let's go."
Shibata spoke with a smile and left the dorm with Watanabe and the others, while Hiki-Gaya trailed reluctantly behind.
No wonder this guy could become the central figure of the boys' group.
He was practically a male version of Ichinose.
Regardless of the matter,
Shibata would enthusiastically offer help.
Furthermore, his athletic performance was consistently first in Class B, his foot speed was even comparable to a professional athlete, and his appearance was excellent. He was also warm and cheerful.
Simply flawless.
The group arrived on the deck, where a majority of the students were already waiting. Kanzaki and the others also merged with Ichinose's group.
Hiki-Gaya kept his distance, standing slightly away from the group.
This was the second time he had seen so many people; the last time was at the opening ceremony.
The first-year students were clearly divided into four groups.
The positions of Class D and Class C were still somewhat noisy, while Class A and Class B were much more restrained.
"Now then, please disembark in order starting from Class A. Additionally, mobile phones are prohibited on the island; please hand them over to your homeroom teacher before disembarking."
Hearing the teacher's command, the students began to move.
Hiki-Gaya handed his phone to Hoshinomiya Chie, and saw Hoshinomiya give a playful wink with her beautiful eyes:
"Hiki-Gaya, teacher is watching you the whole time~"
"Ugh..."
Hiki-Gaya gave a dry laugh and walked off the cruise ship.
If she weren't a teacher, she would be quite cute, but Teacher Hoshinomiya's meaning was likely that he wasn't allowed to slack off.
Otherwise, she would report his performance truthfully to his parents.
Speaking of which,
This teacher's expectations of him are surely too high.
He was being targeted before things even started.
It's too hard.