"Eh? So Kitagawa-kun still doesn't know that Horikita from Class D has been sick these past two days?"
Ichinose Honami asked with a curious tilt of her head as she sipped from her straw. Three days had passed since the end of the deserted island special exam. After being dragged to the pool by Karuizawa Kei yesterday, Kitagawa Ryo had now been invited out by Class B's Ichinose.
"Ah… Kei didn't mention it yesterday either."
Kitagawa stirred the ice in his glass with his straw. He really hadn't heard that Horikita Suzune had collapsed right after the exam ended. He hadn't been keeping up with any updates from Class D. The only information he had came from Kei's casual conversation yesterday.
"I think Horikita just put too much pressure on herself. Especially since her mistakes cost the class points."
Ichinose offered her opinion sympathetically, but Kitagawa knew it wasn't that simple. Horikita was someone who only felt her existence had value when acknowledged by certain people. Whether she cared about Class D or not, her real aim was to prove herself by leading Class D to Class A. If anything, she was a leader who didn't understand people.
Oh right, she wasn't even the leader of Class D anymore.
Kitagawa remembered how angry Horikita had been when she was first assigned to the so-called defective Class D. And now she couldn't even lead it. Thinking about it that way, maybe he had been a bit too harsh on her.
As he sipped his drink, that thought lingered.
"Kitagawa-kun, do you want to go visit Horikita-san with me?"
Ichinose offered kindly. Judging from her eyes, it wasn't an empty gesture.
"Is that why you invited me out today, Honami?"
"Eh? What else?"
Kitagawa gripped the condensation-covered glass and sighed.
"Aren't you curious about the final results of the island exam? Like how the point scores turned out that way?"
Ichinose always seemed oddly indifferent when it came to accusations. C Class had managed to score 181 points despite most of their class withdrawing — meaning they had gained control of all three other class leaders. The other classes should've easily figured this out just from their own contracts with Class C, without needing to ask around.
Word was that Katsuragi from Class A had been looking for a chance to confront Kitagawa for betraying the alliance. But since Kitagawa had been keeping a low profile and spending time with Ryuuen, he had managed to avoid it. Ryuuen even complained yesterday that he ended up doing high-class spa treatments next to a bald, muscular man because of Kitagawa.
Kitagawa had assumed Ichinose called him out to confront him about this too. After all, Class B had stayed in total defense mode during the exam. No outsiders, except for Kitagawa, even approached their camp. So when their leader's info leaked, anyone with a brain would suspect him.
"There were some people in our class who thought Kitagawa-kun might've leaked our info," Ichinose said honestly. "But since I was the one who invited you to stay with us, if blame is to be assigned, I'm the first responsible party. Besides, even though we got surpassed by your Class C, we still ended up second, closing the gap with Class A."
She smiled brightly. Was this the kind of optimism that made her a natural-born leader?
"But there is one thing I've been meaning to ask."
Ichinose's expression turned thoughtful.
"The scented pouch I gave you — did you bring it back to the ship? I couldn't find it at the camp after the exam and was a little worried."
"Yeah, I brought it back."
Kitagawa nodded.
"Do you want it back?"
"Eh… no, not at all!"
Ichinose waved her hands quickly, laughing with relief.
"You can keep it! If it helps you, then I'm happy. The first time we met, you gave me an iris flower. I'm not good at taking care of plants, and I didn't want to watch it wither. So I bought some more and made that pouch. I thought that'd be the best way to preserve the scent."
Her tone was soft and gentle. Her blue eyes glimmered with satisfaction. To her, this simple exchange of kindness was the most beautiful thing.
"Have you read The Little Prince, Kitagawa-kun?"
"I have."
Not only had he read it — she was now the third girl to talk to him about that book.
"There's that part where the fox asks the prince to tame it, and he wonders what taming means. People interpret it differently, but to me, it's about the meaning of connection — building memories."
Ichinose rested her chin on her hand, watching the first-years laughing and playing outside the window.
"It doesn't have to be about love. Any emotion can create unique memories. Like the fox said, after the prince tamed him, golden wheat fields became special. Just seeing them reminded him of the prince's golden hair. It's about making the ordinary feel extraordinary."
She turned back and looked Kitagawa straight in the eye.
"Kitagawa-kun said a lot of things to me at the start of the semester. But I don't think you've lived up to your own words. You lead Class C like a robot — always making the right choices, never doing anything unnecessary or meaningless."
She smiled gently.
"That might be the logical thing to do, but it's not really a proper high school life, is it? Maybe I'm being overly sentimental, but I was really happy when I heard you went to the pool with Karuizawa yesterday. Locking yourself in your room all day is just too much. That's why I invited you out today."
Kitagawa stared at Ichinose's cheerful expression and chuckled.
"That really sounds like something Honami would say."
"Since you're speaking so casually, I'll take that to mean we're on close terms now."
She winked brightly.
"Like the fox and the prince — I hope we can build memories and leave our own marks."
"That pouch… it's like that kind of memory?"
"If you think of it that way, then yes."
Ichinose nodded seriously.
"I looked up the flower language of irises — 'good news,' 'messenger,' and 'I miss you.' We'll all graduate one day. If, in the future, you ever see an iris by the roadside and remember our time together — that would be wonderful."
Kitagawa thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly.
"If we're that close, then you should just call me by my first name."
"Ryo…? That does sound more intimate."
He extended his hand with a half-serious smile.
"I'm Ryo. Nice to meet you again, Honami."
"What is this, kindergarten?"
Ichinose giggled but still reached out and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Ryo."
After the slightly embarrassing handshake, they both pulled back. To distract himself, Kitagawa chugged the rest of his drink in one go.
"Should we go visit Horikita now?"
"Yeah, let's. Thinking about it, I probably am a little responsible for her collapsing."
Just as they were about to leave, both their phones rang sharply.
The distinct tone indicated it was a message from the school — the kind that only came when there was a major update. Even in silent mode, these alerts were designed to ring loud and clear.
"Is it the second special exam?"
"Could it be the second one already?"
They looked at each other and quickly opened their phones. At the same time, a ship-wide announcement came over the speakers:
"Attention students. A message containing important instructions has just been sent to all students. Please check your phones and follow the guidance provided. If you did not receive the message, report to the nearest staff member. This is an important notice, so please be thorough. I repeat…"
"Looks like visiting Horikita will have to wait."
"Let's see what the school's up to now."
Kitagawa opened his phone and read:
[The special exam is about to begin. Please gather at your assigned room at the specified time. Late arrivals over ten minutes will be penalized. Report to Room 204 on the second floor by 8:40 p.m. Estimated duration: 20 minutes. Please use the restroom beforehand and set your phone to vibrate or turn it off.]
"So it really is the special exam."
Kitagawa recalled what Ryuuen had told him earlier — about the many small, camera-filled rooms on the second floor. Since only the gathering place and time were mentioned, with no exam content described, it was likely a briefing session.
"This is my message."
Ichinose showed him her phone. The content was nearly identical, except for the room number. The time was also 8:40 p.m.
At the same time, the class chat group exploded. From the chaotic messages, Kitagawa learned that every student on the ship had received a similar message. Only the time slots differed. Ryuuen quickly took control, using admin privileges to organize everyone by their scheduled times.
There were 12 time slots in total. Each had about 3–4 Class C students. That meant 12 groups — quite a large setup.
In Kitagawa's group were Ryuuen Kakeru, Shiina Hiyori, and Kaneda Satoru. In other words, Class C's most elite lineup. Clearly, this grouping wasn't random.
But with so little information, Kitagawa couldn't draw any firm conclusions yet. Ichinose, meanwhile, was being bombarded with messages from her own class.
So the two of them parted ways, agreeing to meet again at 8:40 p.m.
-------------------------------------
"Sakagami, you seem rather confident in your students this time."
In the cruise ship's upper-level bar, where first-year students weren't allowed to drink alcohol and could only order lemonade, the place usually remained quiet and empty. However, tonight was an exception. Four adults were seated at the bar—the homeroom teachers of Classes A through D. The one who had spoken was Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima Tomonari.
"This year's Class C really does have potential... Ah no, I should be calling them Class B now," replied Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, as she lay sprawled across the bar counter with little decorum, sighing deeply.
"Ichinose just isn't good at dealing with those slick-tongued kids."
"But this year's Class A lacks the usual dominance," commented Class D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae. "If they fail this special exam again, we might witness the miracle of Class A being demoted by the end of the first semester."
For someone like her, whose singular goal was to rise to Class A, Kitagawa Ryo was an unparalleled student. The fact that Class C, with its rough composition, could surpass Class B in just the first semester and even pose a real threat to Class A was almost unheard of in previous years.
"From the start of the school year, I knew Kitagawa was a remarkable student," Sakagami Kazuma said with a calm smile. However, he couldn't quite hide the pride on his face and quickly used his glass to cover the grin spreading to his lips.
"Alright, alright. What do you all think about this grouping list?" Mashima Tomonari redirected the conversation with a helpless shrug. "Even though the administration claims they're concentrating top talent in the Dragon Group, this time it really does feel oppressive."
"Let's hope Ichinose can hold her own," Hoshinomiya muttered, stifling a yawn as she turned her gaze to the group assignments:
Class A: Katsuragi Kohei, Nishikawa Ryoko, Matoba Shinji, Kamuro Masumi.
Class B: Ichinose Honami, Kanzaki Ryuji, Himeno Yuki.
Class C: Kitagawa Ryo, Shiina Hiyori, Ryuuen Kakeru, Kaneda Satoru.
Class D: Karuizawa Kei, Hirata Yosuke, Horikita Suzune.
"Still putting your faith in Horikita Suzune, eh, Sae-chan?"
"For the last time," Chabashira sighed as she lit a lady's cigarette between her fingers.
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