At six in the morning, the cruise ship was about to dock at Tokyo Bay.
The students, grouped by their respective classes, had already lined up early at the exit, but their expressions varied widely.
First up was Class A, led by Ichinose. The students wore expressions of victory, brimming with joy. They had scored a total of 420 points in the Uninhabited Island Exam, more than all the other classes combined, and had claimed the top spot as Class A. They also earned an additional 50 points in the VIP Test.
Even though 50 points might seem insignificant, every little bit counts, and they also collected a considerable amount of individual points.
Considering the situation in Class A, it was highly likely that those who earned 500,000 points would contribute them to Ichinose as a strategic reserve for the class.
This was something the other classes couldn't easily replicate.
Of course, Ryūen might be an exception.
However, his methods would undoubtedly be more forceful.
Next was Class C, or rather, the newly promoted Class B, led by Ryūen.
Although they only scored 36 points in the Uninhabited Island Exam, Ryūen himself secured a deal to receive a substantial amount of individual points from the original Class A every month. That alone was a significant gain.
Especially considering that in the VIP Test, he spectacularly redeemed himself.
Not only did he ascend to Class B with overwhelming strength, but he also thoroughly trampled the original Class A underfoot, amassing the highest number of individual points.
Then there was Class D... Everyone's emotions were relatively stable.
After all, they had started May with zero points, and now they had accumulated 200 points, which wasn't too bad.
Looking at the results, they had placed second in the Uninhabited Island Exam and third in the VIP Test… At least it seemed respectable on the surface.
What mattered most, though, was that someone else was worse off.
Naturally, that was none other than the former Class A, now demoted to Class C.
They had only scored 20 points in the Uninhabited Island Exam, and in the VIP Test, they were penalized with a loss of 300 points.
In addition, 39 of the students, excluding Sakayanagi, now had to pay a hefty amount of individual points to Ryūen, the vampire. On top of that, 22 of them had to hand over an additional 50,000 points to Hikigaya too, leaving them in a truly pitiful state.
The entire class was shrouded in an atmosphere as gloomy as a wake.
Hikigaya observed all of this, silently sighing to himself.
—This is the reality of a school that values meritocracy above all.
After all, Sakayanagi was merely the catalyst; in the end, they could only blame their own lack of ability.
With this in mind, Hikigaya took out his phone, opened his contacts, and changed the entry for 'Sakayanagi' to 'Sakayanagi in C.'
Just to clarify, this wasn't meant to mock Sakayanagi.
Hikigaya was simply reminding himself.
He had to keep working hard to ensure Sakayanagi stayed in Class C from now on!
Of course, it wasn't out of personal vendetta—Hikigaya was merely helping her achieve her wish of facing off against Ayanokouji as soon as possible.
At the moment, one of them is in Class C, and the other is in Class D.
Being so close, it wouldn't be long before they clashed.
Come to think of it, Sakayanagi had taken down her classmate Katsuragi to seize control of her class, while Ayanokouji had done the same to Horikita to secure victory.
These two are evenly matched... or maybe just equally rotten!
As Hikigaya's thoughts wandered, Ryūen barged in with his entourage.
"Hey, you losers are in the way. Make room for the great B-Class!"
Ryūen laughed, mocking the students from Classes C and D.
Although everyone felt humiliated, they couldn't refute it since it was the truth.
This guy was truly vile!
Especially Horikita, who was biting her lip in frustration—her expression was practically begging to be made into a meme.
Snap—
And just like that, the shameless Ryūen pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Horikita's face.
"That's an invasion of privacy!" Horikita glared at him.
"Don't be like that. It's your fault for having such a perfect expression."
Ryūen, ever the instigator, continued to tease Horikita, while Sudou could only grit his teeth on the sidelines.
... Why does this feel like something out of a cuckold drama?
As Hikigaya silently watched the commotion unfold, Ryūen suddenly turned his gaze towards him and smirked.
"So, Hikigaya, how does it feel to taste defeat this time?"
"What's it got to do with me?" Hikigaya replied, annoyed. "I have no interest in this childish game. If you want to bother someone, go bug Horikita."
"Hahaha, I told you last night when the results were announced—Suzune is useless."
Despite Ryūen's taunts, Horikita remained uncharacteristically silent, her face showing even more frustration.
"Because of her, the Dragon Group's VIP was completely exposed. I decided to let them off the hook this time, but next time, I'll crush them completely."
It seemed Ryūen was diligently following Kushida's request to target Horikita... or maybe he wanted to do it anyway.
After all, Horikita was stubborn, and knowing Ryūen's nature, he probably enjoyed seeing strong-willed women break.
... Quite the taste he has.
Hikigaya couldn't help but feel an urge to mess with him.
"Ryūen, let me ask you something—what do you mean by 'exposed the VIP' because of Horikita?"
"Isn't it obvious? I could tell from Suzune's eyes, her mouth, her breathing, her gestures, and every aspect of her body language that she was lying."
Ryūen's self-satisfied explanation nearly made Hikigaya burst out laughing.
But Horikita didn't refute it... Did this idiot believe him?
"Ryūen, when did you awaken the Sharingan? Are you a Uchiha in hiding?" Hikigaya remarked sarcastically. "Or are you a knockoff ninja, Sasuke the Copycat? Why don't you show us your Susanoo?" [T/N: Believe me! I didn't add this!]
"Pfft—!"
Most of the boys burst into laughter at Hikigaya's quip.
It seemed everyone had watched Naruto… even Ryūen.
"Tch, boring."
Clicking his tongue, Ryūen was about to leave with his followers when he suddenly turned back again.
"By the way, speaking of which, I noticed something interesting."
He glanced at Horikita with amusement. "Thanks to Suzune's incompetence, the Dragon Group achieved Result 1, which was a stroke of luck for you guys. But I distinctly remember another group also achieved Result 1. Any guesses which one?"
Ryūen's words were clear.
This guy just couldn't resist hinting to Class D's morons that Hikigaya might be involved.
Huh? Does that mean Ryūen is helping Class D? ...Yeah, right!
... Ugh, how annoying.
Though it was a trivial matter, seeing Ryūen getting his way irked Hikigaya.
Fine, I'll deal with him later.
Before long, the cruise ship finally docked.
Ryūen swaggered off the ship with his classmates, acting like he was in Class A, not B.
But it was no wonder—this exam's results were unprecedented.
Though it wasn't uncommon for Class B to surpass Class A in the school's history—something that had even happened in the second year—Class C surpassing Class A, especially before the second semester even started, made one question the school's sorting system.
Soon, the students from all three classes disembarked, with Class D naturally at the rear.
Hikigaya, following along in the line, was suddenly approached by Horikita.
"Hikigaya-kun, I recall you were in the Rooster Group, right? Can you tell me—were you the VIP of the Chicken Group?"
"Uh..." Hikigaya responded with a question of his own. "Why should I tell you?"
Before Horikita could reply, he preempted her, "Besides, the Dragon Group issue is one thing, but what's the deal with the Rabbit Group? Your strategy cost the class points."
"What? My strategy?" Horikita was taken aback.
"Yeah." Hikigaya pointed at Ayanokouji, who was quietly observing nearby. "I remember it clearly. Ayanokouji said that the strategy Ichinose saw through was your idea. If you don't believe me, we can ask Ichinose right now."
"... No need."
Horikita shot Ayanokouji a fierce glare before turning back to Hikigaya.
"But what does that have to do with you not telling me?"
"It's obvious." Hikigaya didn't hesitate to reply. "Just like how you never consult with your classmates because you don't trust their abilities, I don't trust you, so I don't need to tell you anything."
"Uh..." Horikita was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing several times, but no words came out.
Hikigaya hoped she wouldn't keep making that face.
It really reminded him of that GIF of Kamen Rider Brain.
Finally, everyone was off the ship.
The feeling of being on solid ground again made Hikigaya feel relieved. Humans really do need to keep their feet on the ground.
But as if by coincidence, his phone rang just as he stepped off the ship.
When he checked, it turned out to be a message from Horikita's older brother...
Hikigaya instantly felt a sense of dread.
First, the sister bothers him, then the brother. Did these siblings plan this together?
But there was no choice; when your superior sends you a message, you can't ignore it.
And then, to Hikigaya's despair, the message asked him to visit the student council office in the afternoon… Come on, the exam just ended!
This trip had already taken up two weeks, and there was only half of the summer break left.
Hikigaya had planned to spend the rest of the break holed up in his dorm, not stepping out unless absolutely necessary.
But on second thought, he realized that was impossible.
The student council work alone would keep Hikigaya busy, with not only summer vacation tasks but also the tennis club's upcoming off-campus tournament, where he'd have to accompany them as an officer and stay overnight.
That's two days gone just like that.
Not to mention he had promised to take Matsushita out for dinner and had a series of other activities planned... Wait, what?
Isn't summer break supposed to be spent lazing around in an air-conditioned room, sipping MAX Coffee?
When did things get so complicated?