Chapter 391 Starting with Two F-Cup Girls
"All Advanced Nurturing High School students, please gather at the theater in the central area of the deck.
The specific exam procedures will now be announced." The calm voice of the broadcast echoed throughout the entire cruise ship.
"Eh? Announcing the exam procedures late at night, are they kidding?"
"Is there anything that can't wait until tomorrow?"
"People have already showered and taken off their makeup!"
Calling students out for a mass meeting at nine o'clock in the night—only Advanced Nurturing could pull off something this absurd.
Since it was a temporary arrangement by the school, there were no fixed seats for each class inside the theater. Students from all classes across the three year levels sat wherever they pleased.
"Is the school planning to make us adapt to a situation where the entire school competes on the same stage ahead of time?" Hikigaya pondered silently to himself as he casually picked a quiet, secluded corner near the edge and sat down.
"Ah la la~ What a coincidence, Hikigaya-senpai." A sweet female voice came from the shadows behind him. Amasawa Ichika walked out with slow steps and sat down directly in the empty seat next to him.
"Coming over to find me on purpose, do you have some business? Amasawa-kouhai." Hikigaya glanced sideways at her; he didn't believe for a second that this was some kind of coincidence.
"Talking to smart people really saves peace of mind." A faint smile curled up the corners of Amasawa Ichika's lips. She didn't beat around the bush either; leaning in close to his side, she whispered a bombshell piece of news directly into his ear: "In today's meeting with the Acting Chairman, a mission was handed down to crush Hikigaya-senpai in this uninhabited island exam!"
Hikigaya's expression remained calm and unchanged, as if he had long anticipated this.
From the moment he refused to obey Tsukishiro Tokinari's orders, he had expected that the other party would definitely take action against him.
However, there was an even deeper, underlying reason within this... That was the fact that Hikigaya, on the surface just a "regular high school student," could actually repeatedly cause the "artificial geniuses" originating from the White Room to suffer losses.
This severely shook the very value of the White Room! To prove the superiority of the White Room, the forces behind it had to eliminate Hikigaya!
"As expected of Hikigaya-senpai, to still remain calm and composed after hearing this news!" Amasawa Ichika's eyes flickered with a hint of anticipation: "I took the risk of being branded a traitor to secretly tell Hikigaya-senpai this important information. I wonder how Hikigaya-senpai plans to repay me?"
Hikigaya countered with a question: "How do you want me to repay you?"
"Mm~ Hikigaya-senpai is so sly, how can you throw the question back to me?" Amasawa Ichika did not give a clear response: "But before discussing that, I think Hikigaya-senpai should pass through this crisis first."
On stage, Mashima Tomonari, as the head of the teaching staff, was once again put forward as the chief examiner. "We will now begin the detailed explanation of the rules for the Uninhabited Island Special Exam." Mashima pressed the remote control in his hand, and the giant projection screen behind him slowly lit up, clearly revealing the entire topographical landscape of the uninhabited island.
"Starting tomorrow for a period of two weeks, a field survival trial will be conducted where you will accumulate points and compete against each other.
The bottom five groups in cumulative score will face the penalty of expulsion."
Even though everyone already understood the expulsion mechanism, hearing it confirmed from the chief examiner's own mouth still caused a stir among the mass of students below.
"Five groups expelled, isn't that too many?"
One must know that during the forest exam they experienced last semester, only the group in last place faced an expulsion penalty, and it was only the group leader who was expelled, plus one group member designated by the leader to bear joint liability.
If this were any other school, doing things this way would definitely result in a complaint to the Board of Education.
Only Advanced Nurturing, which possessed a powerful background with government and corporate ties, could mess around like this. To be precise, it was Tsukishiro Tokinari messing around all by himself. Hikigaya concluded that this old guy was so impatient probably because he had caught wind of some rumors.
For instance, that Sakayanagi Narumori was about to return... Since he was going to step down anyway, Tsukishiro Tokinari was acting completely without restraint!
-345 Basic Movement -Designation within a fixed period ・Designated location 4 times a day ・3 times a day, within the following range: front, back, left, right 2 spaces, as well as within a 1-space diagonal range Total 16
"There are two ways to accumulate points. The first is Basic Movement. The entire island is divided into an area of one hundred grid squares, and points can be obtained just by moving into the designated area.
The designated area will be announced four times a day, three of which will be locked within a range of two spaces to the front, back, left, and right, as well as within a one-space diagonal range.
However, once during the day, there will also be a randomly designated location.
According to the order in which you arrive at the designated area, 1st place gets 10 points, 2nd place 5 points, 3rd place 3 points, and 4th to 10th place 1 point. Aside from this, students who arrive within the designated time can add an extra 1 point to their entire group.
Failing to arrive at the designated area within the stipulated time for three consecutive times will result in a penalty...
Before I explain the second scoring method, I need to explain the details regarding the monitoring wristbands."
Mashima Tomonari raised his left hand to display the wristband on his wrist, and the projection screen displayed it simultaneously.
"Before the exam ends, you must all wear this monitoring wristband. At the same time, the school will distribute tablet computers paired with the wristbands to everyone.
This is an essential tool for recording point acquisition, so please keep it carefully!
Aside from that, the wristband will monitor your physical health status at all times. Once it exceeds the set value, a warning sound will go off, which will automatically stop after five seconds. But if the out-of-bounds state lasts too long, the warning will sound again. If the abnormal condition still does not improve, it will switch to an emergency alarm.
At this point, that student must head to the starting point to undergo a medical examination. If they cannot reach the starting point, it will be treated as a withdrawal.
If the emergency alarm lasts for five minutes, the faculty and medical team will immediately rush over according to the GPS location.
Of course, if someone forcibly removes the wristband or if the machine malfunctions, the score-recording mechanism will also fail, and you will have to head to the starting point to exchange it for a new wristband at that time.
The tablet comes with its own cellular network as well as a GPS search function. Activating the GPS consumes 5 points each time, with an additional 1 point consumed for every continuous minute thereafter. If you get lost, you can use this method to find your companions...
Regarding the second scoring method, that is completing Tasks set up in various areas of the uninhabited island. The locations and contents of the Tasks appearing cannot be predicted. Rewards for completing Tasks yield points based on difficulty.
...The above concludes the explanation of the exam details. Next, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro will give an address."
After Mashima finished reading, he exited the stage by stepping backward.
When he brushed past Tsukishiro Tokinari, Mashima acted as if he didn't see him, not even exchanging basic greetings.
This detail was very intriguing. According to the strict hierarchical relationships of Japanese society, for a teacher to dare to defy the chairman showed that Mashima's dissatisfaction with the chairman had reached its peak.
Hikigaya silently noted this layer of relationship, thinking that when necessary, he might be able to use Mr. Mashima's strength to counter Chairman Tsukishiro.
"I am the Chairman, Tsukishiro Tokinari.
This uninhabited island exam will be the largest-scale abnormal special exam in the history of Advanced Nurturing!
I have only one thing to remind all students: the school stands on the position of protecting all students and will conduct maximum monitoring, but..."
Here it comes! Everything laid out before was nonsense; the key point lay after the "but."
"Even so, limited by technology, it is still impossible to cover the entire uninhabited island.
Considering that everyone might trigger conflicts with each other due to a lack of food and fresh water, and accumulated frustration.
Regarding this point, my policy is to grant a certain degree of approval."
"!!!" Mashima's expression turned ugly as he clenched his fists tight.
"Because if no disputes occur, it is practically an impossible thing.
Of course, as long as the school judges it to be a malicious conflict, we will intervene to mediate, and depending on the situation, immediately enforce withdrawal or expulsion.
Please, everyone, take actions that match what Advanced Nurturing should be..."
The last sentence was filled with a heavy tone of instigation.
Actions matching Advanced Nurturing—that meant the supremacy of meritocracy! To put it bluntly, the school would loosen management as much as possible. As long as you didn't bring it out into the open, fighting, coercion, and framing in private... were all permitted.
The next morning, the cruise ship successfully docked at the shore of the uninhabited island.
Compared to the islands visited in previous years, this deserted island's area was a full several times larger. The trees grew thick and crisscrossed, and the terrain was rugged and complex, causing the challenge difficulty of wilderness survival to climb sharply.
Students landed on the island one after another, heading to the provision exchange point to receive their initial survival provisions. According to the exam rules, everyone uniformly started with twenty initial points, while students holding the [Preemptive] privilege card had their initial points raised to thirty points.
Hikigaya spent ten points to exchange for a small tent, three bottles of drinking water, multiple portions of compressed dry rations, medical bandages, a high-power flashlight, and other necessary wilderness survival provisions.
"Hachiman-kun, may I ask which is your moving target area?" Karuizawa Kei and her group walked up to ask. Hikigaya lowered his head to check the task directive pushed to his tablet: "Move one space east, target area F6."
"Is that so, what a pity." Matsushita Chiaki showed a face of regret: "If the routes matched, we could have traveled together."
"It seems we are not in the same direction." Horikita Suzune, who was passing by, headed in another direction after greeting him briefly.
"Of all people, it just has to be me sharing a route with this person..." Kushida Kikyo looked at Horikita Suzune's back with a miserable face.
As she passed by, she took the opportunity to hug Hikigaya's arm, took a deep breath, and then let go to leave: "See you later~ Hachiman-kun."
Walking in front, Horikita Suzune's steps paused, and she turned back to glare at him. Hikigaya had a face full of speechlessness. These two were really fighting every single second!
"Yay~ That's wonderful! Our moving target is the same as Hachiman's!"
Hasabe Haruka and Sakura Airi were in the same group, and both cast joyful glances toward him.
"What?!"
"Starting the game carrying two F-cup girls."
"This guy Hikigaya's luck is just too good, isn't it?"
The surroundings instantly threw over glances of envy, jealousy, and hate. Hearing this, Hikigaya did not decline either, agreeing readily: "Since it's the same path, let's walk together then."
The three departed simultaneously.
Hikigaya's gaze fell on Sakura Airi's backpack. Delicately minded as he was, he quickly noticed that the latter's backpack was exceptionally heavy.
"Airi, did you exchange for a lot of provisions? Consuming too many points all at once is not a good thing."
"This... I got the [Preemptive] card, so the initial points were 30, which is why I exchanged for a bit more provisions." Sakura Airi forced a relaxed smile, but from the fine sweat oozing from her forehead, it could be seen that her burden was quite large.
Especially since the natural burden she carried on her chest was heavier than most girls. As for Hasabe Haruka, she faced the same predicament, so she couldn't offer the other party much help either. Feeling bad for Airi, Hikigaya proposed to help carry her luggage: "Let me do it."
"Eh? How can that be..." Sakura Airi shook her head in refusal: "Hachiman-kun is participating in the exam all by himself, so it's already tougher for you."
"My endurance is good, it's not like you don't know that. This bit of hardship is nothing."
"Woo~" Speaking of good endurance, an entirely different image flashed through Sakura Airi's mind, her cheeks instantly staining with a layer of crimson, leaving her dazed on the spot for a moment. Taking advantage of the gap while she was losing her focus, Hikigaya reached out to snatch her backpack, turning smoothly toward the next target: "Haruka, give me your backpack too."
Hasabe Haruka teased with a look of mischief in her eyes: "No way. After all, Hachiman's endurance isn't just for dealing with us, is it?"
Hikigaya pretended not to understand: "You might as well speak more clearly."
"I feel that compared to running one's mouth, a tangible reward is more meaningful."
Hasabe Haruka slowed her pace, looped around behind Sakura Airi, and launched a sudden surprise attack—the Undying Grip!
"Eh eh?! Wait, Haruka!" Sakura Airi let out a cry of surprise.
"Heehee~ If Hachiman feels tired, you can grab a handful of Airi-fruit to instantly refill your health bar!" Hasabe Haruka laughingly proposed a very constructive idea.
"Hmm~ I will consider it seriously." Hikigaya, completely deadpan, nodded his head forcefully.
"Ugh~ Hachiman-kun! How can even you do this..." Sakura Airi's face was full of embarrassment. The three talked and laughed along the way, so they didn't feel too tired. They rested for five minutes halfway through, drank some water, and continued forward. Within the stipulated time, the three arrived at the target F6 area.
"Sixteenth place... looks like we missed the top ten rewards." Sakura Airi sighed: "It's all our fault for walking slowly. If Hachiman-kun were alone, you would definitely have made it into the top ten."
"No matter, today is only the first day, there's no need to rush so hard." Hikigaya's words were actually comforting the two of them. Moreover, carrying two sets of luggage by himself, his physical consumption was definitely greater.
Traveling with these two, Hikigaya was destined to get the short end of the stick.
However, Hikigaya was happy to get the short end of the stick.
After all, he had good fruit to eat.