While Kanda Shuichi and Sakura Airi were enjoying the view on the second-level deck, someone completely unexpected showed up.
Hasebe Haruka.
In terms of looks and figure, she was unquestionably the most stunning girl in Class D.
Even though Sakura Airi already had a remarkable figure, she still couldn't quite compare to Hasebe Haruka.
What's more, Haruka never tried to hide her appearance. Her refined facial features even allowed her to pull off hairstyles that completely exposed her forehead.
What stood out the most about her face, in Kanda Shuichi's opinion, was the beauty mark under her left eye. It added a unique charm to her already stunning appearance.
However, because she always kept to herself, even though she was very popular among the boys, she didn't seem to interact with anyone.
As for Kanda Shuichi, he knew plenty of girls, including some very cute ones, so he had no reason to go out of his way to talk to her.
Even though four months of their first year had already passed, he had never spoken to her. He only knew her name.
Because of the rumors about her being very withdrawn, Kanda Shuichi was surprised to see her coming over.
"Good morning, Airi-chan."
Airi... chan?
So, she's here for Sakura...
Wait!
Didn't I just tell her to make friends? And now she's already summoned the most beautiful girl in class? Do my words have some kind of magical effect?
Kanda Shuichi's expression turned a little strange, while Sakura Airi's face was bright red, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.
"Go-good morning, Haruka-san."
"Eh? You're already getting along with Shi—"
"Ahhh!"
Before Hasebe Haruka could finish her sentence, Sakura Airi let out a strange cry and covered her mouth.
"I'm really sorry, Kanda-kun. We... we'll be going now."
Without waiting for a response from the stunned Kanda Shuichi, Sakura dragged Hasebe Haruka away.
Could Sakura really be this forceful?
And Hasebe Haruka—so this is her personality?
Kanda Shuichi felt like he'd stumbled upon something incredible the moment he boarded the ship.
Could it be that sharing a dorm room had brought them closer so quickly?
Kanda Shuichi wasn't wrong about that.
The rooms on the ship were for three people. Aside from students who had pre-arranged plans, those without roommates were randomly assigned. These two were placed together, and since they were both usually quiet and reserved, they hit it off quickly.
By the way, their third roommate was Horikita Suzune.
While Kanda Shuichi was enjoying the beautiful view and the refreshing sea breeze alone, Class C was already in action.
In one of the ship's rooms, Class 1-C's top members had gathered. Apart from Ryuen Kakeru, Ishizaki Daichi, Yamada Albert, and Shiina Hiyori, whom Kanda Shuichi had met before, two more people were present.
One was a man with glasses and golden bowl-cut hair, named Kaneda Satoru. Although he didn't stand out much, he was one of Class C's smartest students. Not only did he excel academically, but he was also adaptable in other areas.
The last was a girl with short blue hair. Her sharp gaze made it clear she wasn't someone to mess with. Her name was Ibuki Mio, and she had solid martial arts skills. Despite her petite frame, she could even beat someone as fight-prone as Ishizaki Daichi in a real match.
Naturally, Ryuen was the first to take action.
Under everyone's gaze, he pulled out his phone, showing the current class point totals for all four first-year classes.
Class A (Sakayanagi-Katsuragi): 822
Class B (Ichinose): 759
Class C (Ryuen): 553
Class D (Kanda): 140
"Even compared to Class A, we're only 270 points behind. With Sakayanagi absent this time and no way to contact the outside world, I'm going to crush both Class A and Class B in one move."
Ryuen's face showed a fearless smile.
"What's your plan?"
Ibuki Mio wasn't interested in Ryuen's bold claims; she wanted to know if he really had a workable plan to take down Class A and Class B.
"Looks like you're a little excited too, Ibuki."
"Hmph, I'm just interested in Class A's top spot. Aren't you the same?"
Ibuki admitted without hesitation that she wanted to reach Class A.
"I've made a deal with Kanda Shuichi from Class D. He'll help us when the time comes."
"Class D?"
Ibuki frowned but didn't say anything. However, Kaneda, who had been listening quietly, decided to speak up.
"D-Class has allied with B-Class, right? Do you really think he'll betray B-Class to help us?"
"I'm not counting on him for that. I can take down those weaklings in B-Class by myself. What I need is for him to persuade B-Class to join us in dealing with A-Class."
With that, the group began discussing how to carry out their plan.
Shiina, sitting quietly with her teacup in hand, seemed completely out of place in the dark atmosphere.
Shiina Hiyori wasn't someone who liked conflict, but she was willing to contribute for the sake of her class. However, this time, her help wasn't needed.
Compared to the ambitious C-Class, the other three classes were far less serious.
The students in A-Class were confident they could handle any unexpected situations perfectly without needing to prepare in advance. Even without Sakayanagi, they still believed in their status as A-Class students.
B-Class students, on the other hand, thought it was better to enjoy life for now and deal with whatever came next when the time arrived. With Ichinose around, they were sure she'd figure something out.
As for D-Class... better not even mention them.
After enjoying the sea breeze for a while, Kanda Shuichi started to feel hungry. He had left the house before 5 a.m. without eating anything.
He had planned to have breakfast right after boarding, but the comfort of the bed had trapped him for over an hour.
It was now almost 11 a.m., and he was truly hungry.
"Alright, I'll go wake Akito and grab lunch. I wonder if he's awake yet. If he slept this long, maybe he was too excited to sleep last night."
Just as Kanda Shuichi was about to head back to the cabin to call Miyake for lunch, a message made him change his plans.
The message was from Sakura, and it was about Horikita.
[Horikita doesn't look too well.]
The kind-hearted Sakura, noticing Horikita's pale face, immediately sent an SOS to Kanda Shuichi.
---
————— ----
You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu