It had been quite a day for Hikigaya, filled with unexpected events and pleasant surprises.
Earlier that afternoon, the exam results had been announced, and not only did they witness a fierce clash between Ryūen's dog-eat-dog tactics and Sakayanagi's cunning, but Hikigaya also managed to complete a task he had been entrusted with. To top it all off, a certain white-haired schemer ended up in Class B, which brought a smile to his face. It was a double victory.
That evening, he attended a party, where he enjoyed a lively conversation with Shiina and Ichinose, making the day even more memorable.
All in all, it had been a fulfilling day.
However, for Hikigaya, no gift could compare to hearing a single heartfelt blessing from his sister.
"K-K-Kom…?" Hikigaya stammered, barely able to contain his excitement. "How did you manage to… Wait, is Miss Haruno with you?"
"Yes! Miss Haruno contacted me earlier, and now we're at a nearby family restaurant."
"Is that so…"
As Hikigaya had suspected, although the school's rules strictly forbade students from contacting the outside world, the same restrictions didn't apply as rigidly to teachers and staff. There were always loopholes to exploit, even for students, as long as they weren't caught.
It was best not to inquire too deeply about the details, lest he trouble Haruno further.
The siblings chatted for nearly half an hour. Komachi asked him about his life at school, whether he had made friends, and if he was eating properly.
At times, it felt less like talking to his sister and more like being interrogated by a concerned mother.
Hikigaya chuckled at the thought. If he dared to voice that out loud, he'd undoubtedly earn himself a scolding.
Although there was much more he wanted to say, he knew Haruno was waiting, so he asked Komachi to pass the phone to her. After all, it was getting late, and he didn't want to keep them out too long.
"Miss Haruno, thank you so much for this."
When Haruno took over the call, Hikigaya immediately expressed his gratitude.
"Haha, I knew you'd appreciate it," Haruno replied, her voice carrying a hint of smug satisfaction. "Honestly, I thought about getting you a proper gift, but with your birthday falling while you were stuck on that ship, I decided to arrange this little surprise instead."
"You went out of your way…"
Gifts didn't matter much to him. Just hearing Komachi's voice was more than enough.
Haruno truly understood him well.
He only hoped she wouldn't demand something unreasonable in return…
Wait a minute… Was this to celebrate his birthday?
Hikigaya couldn't help but overthink the situation. Surely Haruno wouldn't go that far… Would she?
Oh well, no point in dwelling on it. Best to just enjoy the moment.
---
The next three days passed without incident, just as the school had promised—a week of pure enjoyment on the ship.
Given the lasting impact of the uninhabited island exam, most students were initially skeptical that things would end so simply. They anticipated further trials ahead.
Yet, as time went on without any sign of more challenges, everyone gradually let their guard down, embracing the joyous voyage.
They were quick to forget the pain once the wounds had healed, especially the students from Class D, who seemed to have completely forgotten the disaster at the beginning of the term.
But for Hikigaya, none of this mattered. He continued to live his life just as before.
In the lounge, he read books with Shiina, listened to Kushida's complaints in the corner, and occasionally chatted with Ichinose on his phone. Sometimes, he would bump into Matsushita or Kamuro and end up sharing a meal with them.
It was almost like being back at school...
This luxury cruise was turning out to be pretty dull.
To make matters worse, his troublesome roommates made him avoid his room, further shrinking his personal space and increasing the likelihood of running into familiar faces. No matter where he went, he couldn't escape them.
Thankfully, he had finally found a relatively quiet place.
The ship's second floor.
The vessel was divided into five above-ground floors and four below. Most of the other floors were either guest rooms or entertainment facilities, so there were always people passing through.
But the second floor was different. The corridor was eerily deserted, lined with empty rooms whose purposes remained unclear, and it was rare to see any students there.
This had become Hikigaya's sanctuary.
Whenever he needed peace, he would retreat to a corner on the second floor to space out.
It was a blissful escape, until—
"Hikigaya, why are you sitting here?"
"...Tch."
Just as Hikigaya was savoring the tranquility, the last person he wanted to see appeared.
"Uh, did I interrupt something?" Ayanokōji asked, genuinely puzzled. "I was just curious about what this area was used for."
"...It's for spacing out."
"Oh, well, I'll leave you to it then."
Ayanokōji was unfazed by Hikigaya's curt response, having long since grown accustomed to it. He probably didn't care much to begin with.
Screech—!
Suddenly, both their phones rang simultaneously.
It wasn't the usual ringtone, but a high-pitched, piercing sound that only went off when the school sent out an important notification. Even if the phones were set to vibrate, they would still emit this sound.
"Huh?"
Hikigaya was surprised. Since enrolling, he had never received a message from the school, and he hadn't expected his first one to arrive while on a ship.
Could it be… Was the ship sinking?
At the same time, an announcement echoed throughout the vessel.
"Attention all students, the school has just sent out a message containing important information. Please check your phone and follow the instructions. If you did not receive the message, please contact your homeroom teacher immediately. The information is crucial, so do not overlook it. I repeat—"
After the announcement, Ayanokōji paused and checked his phone.
A moment later, he spoke. "Hikigaya, can I see your message?"
"Sure."
Hikigaya didn't hesitate, holding up his phone for Ayanokōji to see.
The screen displayed the following message: "A special exam is about to begin. All students must gather in their designated rooms at the specified time. Anyone who is more than ten minutes late will be penalized. Please assemble in Room 20 on the second floor by 6:40 PM. The exam is expected to take approximately twenty minutes, so please use the restroom beforehand and set your phone to vibrate or turn it off."
"My time is 6 PM, and the room is 204," Ayanokōji shared. "Everything else is the same… It feels like the survival test on the uninhabited island. This will probably be another exam that a normal school wouldn't hold."
"Yeah, a surprise attack isn't something you'd usually see."
This school is something else.
"By the way, it looks like the meeting point is right here on this floor," Ayanokōji remarked, glancing around.
"...Sigh, just when I thought I'd found a quiet spot."
Hikigaya couldn't help but sigh, and seeing his reaction, Ayanokōji gave him a strange look.
"What's with that face?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just curious about something."
Ayanokōji seemed hesitant as if debating whether to say more.
What's he up to now?
Just as Hikigaya was about to ask, Ayanokōji finally spoke.
"I was thinking… You seem to dislike socializing, just like Horikita, but your social circle is so much bigger than mine and Horikita's combined. Why is that?"
"…Huh?"
Hikigaya froze, taken aback.
So, that's what he wanted to say?
"You're mistaken, I don't have any kind of social circle."
"No, you do, don't you?" Ayanokouji waved his hand dismissively. "You have friends in other classes too. I'd say you're even on par with Ichinose or Kushida."
"Uh..." Hikigaya decided not to respond. It wasn't that he couldn't, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Ayanokouji was fishing for information, and he didn't want to play into that.
"Ayanokouji, it's almost six o'clock, isn't it?"
"...Yeah, I should go prepare for the meeting."
Hikigaya's obvious attempt to change the subject worked perfectly. Ayanokouji backed off, no longer pressing for answers.
As expected, it's best to keep some distance from that guy.
Half an hour passed, and it was nearly time for the meeting. Following the instructions in the message, Hikigaya made his way to Room 20 and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
That voice... Could it be Mashima-sensei?
Hikigaya pushed the door open, entering the room with a mix of curiosity and reluctance. Inside, he saw Mashima-sensei, a burly man dressed in a suit, sitting at a small table, his attention focused on some documents.
In front of him sat a female student—Sakura Airi from Hikigaya's class.
This is... awkward.
There wasn't much to say about Mashima-sensei. Hikigaya had inadvertently played a role in making him the homeroom teacher for Class B and even managed to extract a significant number of points from his class. The contract had been signed right under Mashima's watchful eye.
As for Sakura, she kept her head down, only briefly glancing up when Hikigaya entered before quickly averting her gaze again. It wasn't surprising; they'd hardly ever spoken, and she was incredibly shy.
Not because my dead fish eyes are intimidating, right?
Hikigaya's mind wandered until Mashima-sensei suddenly spoke, snapping him back to reality.
"What are you doing? Sit down."
"Yes, sir."
Hikigaya nodded and took the seat farthest from Sakura, leaving two chairs between them. If he had to guess, there were probably two more people expected to join them.
Soon enough, the door was pushed open from the outside.
"Room 202... This is the place, right?"
The new arrival didn't even bother to knock before barging in. Mashima-sensei, who had maintained a neutral expression until now, frowned deeply, clearly displeased by the rude entrance.
But the newcomer seemed oblivious, even greeting Hikigaya with a casual wave. "Yo, Hikigaya! Didn't expect to see you here!"
"…Yeah."
Hikigaya was genuinely surprised to see Sudo, even more so than he had been with Sakura.
"Next time, remember to knock before you enter," Mashima-sensei admonished, his tone colder than usual. He was often seen as aloof by students, not unlike Chabashira-sensei. However, unlike her, Mashima took teaching and mentoring very seriously.
"You're in high school now. Basic manners like this are important—they'll serve you well in life."
"Oh, my bad," Sudo replied, scratching his head nonchalantly as he took the seat next to Hikigaya. His attitude wasn't great, but considering his behavior at the beginning of the school year, this was a significant improvement. At least he wasn't arguing back.
With three students from Class D now present, if this was supposed to be a test requiring teamwork...
They were already at a disadvantage.
Not that Hikigaya cared much. He wasn't interested in contributing to the class effort, so he let his mind drift again, lazily leaning back in his chair.
Time passed in silence until, with just a minute left before the scheduled time, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Excuse me."
This time, the person who entered was polite—and familiar.
"Hikigaya-kun?"
"...Hi."
It was Matsushita. For some reason, the tension in her expression eased as soon as she saw Hikigaya.
Why, though? Seriously, what's going on?
"Take a seat."
With everyone present, Mashima-sensei finally set aside his documents and turned his attention to the group, ready to begin the briefing.
"You four are from Class D—Hikigaya, Sudo, Matsushita, and Sakura. I'm here to explain the special exam."
So, this was just the pre-exam briefing, not the exam itself. Still, Hikigaya couldn't help but wonder about the criteria used to select these participants. Was it random?
"This special exam divides all first-year students into twelve groups, each represented by one of the zodiac animals," Mashima-sensei explained. "You'll be taking the exam within these groups, which are designed to test your thinking skills."
"Huh? Thinking? What does that mean?" Sudo asked, clearly lost.
"We're not taking questions at this time. Please remain silent," Mashima-sensei replied coolly. Sudo mumbled something under his breath but didn't push further, which was another sign of his surprising growth.
Matsushita and Sakura remained quiet, listening attentively. They were, after all, model students.
"Society demands three basic competencies from individuals: Action, Thinking, and Teamwork. Those who possess these qualities can become outstanding adults. The previous uninhabited island exam focused on teamwork."
Hikigaya couldn't help but find that statement debatable. While it was true that Ichinose's class, known for their strong teamwork, had won, the reality was far more complex.
Still, better to focus on what Mashima-sensei was saying.
"This time, the focus is on Thinking—this exam will challenge your ability to analyze situations, identify problems, and come up with solutions. You'll need to clarify the steps to solve these problems, prepare accordingly, and use your creativity to generate new value. These are skills you'll need in the future."
It was a lot to take in at once, and even Matsushita looked a bit puzzled by the detailed explanation. Hikigaya, however, found it easy enough to summarize: If you can't understand the rules or the intent behind them, you're going to fail this special exam.
"Therefore, the exam will be conducted in twelve groups," Mashima-sensei continued, pausing briefly before delivering the next key piece of information. "You've been assigned to the Rooster group. Here is the list of group members. Please return this sheet before you leave, but feel free to write down the information if necessary."
He handed them a card with several names listed on it.
Class A: Kobashi Yume, Ninomiya Yui, Watanabe Norihito
Class B: Sawada Kyomi, Shimizu Naoki, Nishiharu Kana, Yoshida Kenta
Class C: Hiroya Tokito, Nomura Yuuji, Yajima Mariko
Class D: Hikigaya Hachiman, Sudo Ken, Matsushita Chiaki, Sakura Airi
Hikigaya stared at the names, deep in thought.
The Rooster group, huh? Who the heck are these people, anyway?