Chapter 017 Another Uninhabited Island Special Exam / Chabashira: I'll build a harem for you!
Shimizu Akira still remembered how he had operated during the last uninhabited island special exam.
It was nothing more than getting acquainted with the older men responsible for verifying identities, then hiding a voice recorder in a plastic bag under the table. It was thanks to those recordings that he managed a complete reversal in one fell swoop. Afterward, he gave them 200,000 Private Points.
It seemed those men remembered it quite clearly. The message they sent addressed him directly as "Little Brother Shimizu" and said they looked forward to the next collaboration. It appeared there would still be plenty of room to maneuver in the upcoming uninhabited island special exam.
While Shimizu was thinking, other students had already begun clamoring with questions.
"Another uninhabited island? Didn't we have one last year?"
"Does this mean our summer vacation is going to be occupied again?"
Chabashira Sae clapped her hands.
"Correct. Just like last year, you will spend a portion of your summer vacation on an uninhabited island. However, the good news is that you will also get to enjoy a holiday on a luxury cruise ship. And unlike last time, there are no special exams on the cruise ship itself; you can fully enjoy all the ship's facilities."
As soon as she finished speaking, a cruise ship even more luxurious than last year's appeared on the screen behind her; it looked a size larger. The students froze for a moment, and their complaining mood softened considerably. After all, it was a luxury cruise. In the outside world, a trip on a ship of this scale would cost hundreds of thousands of yen. Moreover, there was no exam on the ship this time.
"Let me correct one more point," Professor Chabashira continued. "Although it is an uninhabited island survival special exam, the rules this time are completely different from last year. Whether it's the scale, the number of participants, or the Private Points and Class Points available, everything is significantly higher than the previous one."
She turned and pointed to the screen behind her.
"This is the specific schedule. You must memorize it firmly and plan your actions accordingly."
A detailed itinerary appeared on the screen:
July 19: Assemble at the playground, depart by bus, board the ship at the harbor.July 20: Special Exam begins; rules explained and supplies delivered.August 3: Special Exam ends; rankings announced on the ship, rewards paid based on results.Note: August Private Points will be distributed after applying the island exam results.August 4: Cruise continues; free time all day.August 11: Arrive at the harbor; return to school and disband.
The closing ceremony for the first semester was on the 16th, a Friday. In other words, they would depart just three days after the ceremony. Calculating it out, the entire trip would last over twenty days. Specifically, the special exam itself would last a full fourteen days—two weeks. For nearly half a month, they would have to survive on the island. That was double the time of the last one.
Many students showed worried expressions. Last time, they were lucky that few people had to withdraw early due to poor health, but with it being two weeks this time, the school certainly wouldn't provide water and food so easily. Not to mention the scorching July sun; heatstroke alone would be enough to deal with.
"This won't just be a battle within your own school year," Chabashira tapped the screen. "The first-year juniors and the third-year seniors will also join the uninhabited island operation. In other words, your opponents are the most numerous they have ever been."
The screen switched to an aerial view of an uninhabited island. The scale was indeed much larger than last year's.
"Wait, this is a three-year free-for-all?!"
"No wonder the cruise ship is bigger; it has to hold so many people."
"The third-years are opponents too? They're a year older than us; their physical fitness and experience are on a different level, right?"
"But looking at it the other way, we have an advantage over the first-year freshmen... but the third-years definitely have the biggest advantage."
Chabashira signaled for silence.
"The exam will arrange some disadvantages between the school years, but basically, everyone will fight on the same battlefield. As for how to bridge the gap between grades, we will balance it by giving higher rewards and lighter punishments to the lower grades."
In reality, even so, punishments and rewards were just the results. The third-years still held an absolute advantage in this special exam, and their win rate would be much higher than the other grades—that wouldn't change.
"Professor Chabashira!" A quick-witted student raised their hand. "It's only June, more than a month until the island exam. Why announce it so early?"
"Good question," Chabashira nodded. "That's why I won't reveal all the rules today. I will only tell you a part—specifically, the 'preparatory phase'."
Before everyone could react, she announced the answer.
"Before the formal exam, the school requires you to pre-select your teammates. This island survival exam will adopt a 'Large Group' cooperation rule with a maximum of six people. Members of a Large Group must be in the same school year, but can be from different classes."
"The core of the preparatory phase is selection. Starting today until the deadline on Friday, July 16—roughly four weeks—second-year students can each choose up to two preferred partners to form a small group of up to three people."
The classroom immediately broke into a commotion.
"However..." Chabashira raised her hand. "While you can team up with people you're familiar with, there are rule restrictions. As I said, you can only choose members from the same school year; you cannot team up with first or third-years."
"Same year only, but cross-class is okay?"
A student immediately caught the point.
"Does that mean we can team up with people from Class A?"
"But we might also be targeted by people from Class C or D!"
Some people were already looking around as if scouting for candidates. Chabashira didn't interrupt them, waiting for the discussion to die down before continuing.
"Additionally, there are some supplementary rules."
Group Size Limits: First-years can form groups of up to 4 people. Third-years and second-years are the same, with a maximum of 3.Gender Ratio Rules: For mixed-gender groups, females must make up more than two-thirds.For a 3-person group, allowed patterns: 1 Male/2 Females, 3 Males, 2 Males, 1 Male, 3 Females, 2 Females, 1 Female.Forbidden patterns: 2 Males/1 Female, 1 Male/1 Female.Solo/Duo Groups: It is not mandatory to form a full group; 2 people or 1 person is acceptable. Although benefits will decrease, no other issues will arise.
"What the hell! 2 males/1 female and 1 male/1 female are both banned?"
"If we want a mixed group, we have to ensure there are more girls than boys?"
"That's too ridiculous!"
Someone started counting on their fingers: "For a group of three, a mixed group can only be one boy and two girls... so one boy has to take two girls?"
"Yeah, but the reverse isn't allowed."
"What if I want to team up with my girlfriend as a pair?"
"Didn't you see the third rule? Pairs are okay, but it has to be two girls or two boys. A male-female pair is not allowed."
"Dammit!"
Chabashira added in a serious tone: "I advise you not to treat this as a couples' trip. A special exam is a special exam. I can tell you clearly: the hardship of this island survival will far exceed last year's."
Shimizu Akira frowned slightly. He remembered last year's island exam well. It was arguably the most exhausting special exam of the entire year, bar none. And this year was even harsher? Fourteen days of continuous survival was no joke. Calling it a couples' outing was missing the point entirely.
That said, even for Shimizu himself, if he had to form a three-person team, he was a bit unsure of who to pick for a moment. After all, he had quite a few girlfriends.
"Additionally," Chabashira continued, "I suggest you try your best to form groups. This exam uses an elimination/dropout system."
"Suppose someone acting alone is unable to continue for some reason; they will be forced to withdraw and receive a penalty. But if it's a group, even if one person loses their qualification, the remaining two can continue, and the group's results remain valid."
Shimizu was deep in thought. I see. This exam looks at the group's overall performance, not the individual's. One more person meant one more person to share the risk. In that light, teaming up made much more sense.
Chabashira then moved on: "Next is regarding the rewards."
The screen displayed the reward details:
Rank
Class Points
Private Points
Bonus
1st Place Group
300 Points
1,000,000 Points
1 Protection Point
2nd Place Group
200 Points
500,000 Points
-
3rd Place Group
100 Points
250,000 Points
-
Top 50% (inc. top 3)
-
50,000 Points
-
Top 70% (inc. top 3)
-
10,000 Points
-
Note: Class Points earned by the top three will be transferred from the bottom three groups of the same school year.Class Points will be distributed equally among the classes involved in the group (rounded).
"That much?! 300 Class Points for first place?"
"Hiss, the Private Points are a lot too, a full million!"
"Wait! Didn't you see the Protection Point?! The school is handing out life-saving medals again!"
Shimizu was also surprised.
The rewards this time were indeed extraordinary. In the last cross-grade cooperative exam, first place only gave 50 Class Points. This was a sixfold increase. And it gave a Protection Point. The last time Protection Points were issued was during the Class Poll exam, given to Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, Shiina Hiyori, and himself. Later, Honami and Sakayanagi lost theirs; currently, in the second year, only he and Shiina Hiyori still held Protection Points. The most valuable thing here was likely that Protection Point.
"Don't get happy too early."
Chabashira's words doused the classroom's excitement. "There are about 160 people per grade, meaning 480 people across three grades. Even if every group is at the maximum capacity of six, there will be a full 80 groups. Do you really have the confidence to break through 80 groups and take first place?"
The classroom went silent instantly. Eighty groups. Four hundred and eighty people. A three-year-level free-for-all. Those who were excitedly discussing rewards a moment ago were now quiet.
Chabashira nodded with satisfaction at their reaction.
"It seems you've calmed down." She scanned the room. "The smart ones among you should have noticed that since this is cross-grade grouping, mixed-class groups will inevitably appear. In that case, if you get a high rank, Class Points and Private Points will be split equally based on the number of people, unless the entire Large Group is from the same class.
Of course, where there are rewards, there are punishments. A total of 600 Class Points will be earned by the top three groups; these points will be collected from the school years of the bottom three groups. The collection rule is: 1st place corresponds to last place, 2nd to second-to-last, and so on. Then the points are split based on the number of people from each class within that Large Group. For example, if the last-place group's school year has 300 points deducted and it's shared among four classes, each class only pays 75."
"Furthermore, if a class doesn't have enough points to be deducted, the school covers the remainder. The same applies when collecting from other school years."
Shimizu ran the numbers quickly in his head. It was still a zero-sum game, but the school had relaxed the rules—no mention of "debts" to be paid later if points ran out. It seemed if you lost too badly, the school would foot the bill. Also, the benefits of grouping were obvious; even point deductions could be shared.
"In this special exam, there will also be expulsions. Deducted Class Points refer to the bottom three groups, but those actually facing expulsion are the students in the bottom five groups."
The classroom erupted in a stir. Bottom five groups? That could be up to thirty people being expelled? An average of ten people per grade?
"You don't need to panic too much. The school has set a rule: as long as a Large Group can provide 6,000,000 Private Points, expulsion can be avoided," Chabashira explained. "In other words, if you form a full six-person group, each person only needs to pay 1,000,000 points to save their life. Additionally, even if five out of the six have insufficient balances, as long as one person with enough points is willing to pay the 6,000,000, everyone can be saved."
The class breathed a sigh of relief. This sounded much more lenient than before. Under the old rules, avoiding expulsion cost 20,000,000 points. Now it had dropped to 6,000,000—distributed among six people, it was only 1,000,000 each. Of course, the prerequisite was having a full group of six. If you went solo, you still had to cough up 6,000,000 on your own. Going solo had far more disadvantages than advantages; a six-person group was the optimal choice.
"One more piece of news—listen carefully so you don't end up with nowhere to complain after being expelled.
Once the exam begins, any form of point lending is prohibited. Therefore, all points needed for rescue must be prepared before boarding the ship and stored in your own phones. For a six-person group, that's 1,000,000 Private Points.
Students who lack confidence in their abilities and don't have enough points should find a way to borrow them before July 20th."
"One million is acceptable... I've saved for so long, it's almost enough."
"You have enough? I'm far from it! Who can lend me some?"
"Borrow now? Didn't she say you have to hold them yourself by then? If I lend them now, what if they get misused?"
"Then keep them for me for now; we're definitely in the same group, right?"
Shimizu was unhurried. Adding everything up, he had about 46,000,000 Private Points plus one Protection Point. What was there to worry about?
At this moment, Kushida Kikyo raised her hand while thinking: "Sensei, what abilities does this island exam primarily test? What is the theme?"
Chabashira thought for a moment and replied: "The required abilities are diverse; those with high comprehensive abilities who are good in all aspects will have an advantage. However, since most will form Large Groups, teamwork is also essential."
...That was as good as saying nothing. No matter the exam, those with strong comprehensive abilities always have the edge. However, Shimizu instinctively thought of all-rounders like Hirata Yosuke and Hashimoto Masayoshi. Speaking of which, last time he asked those two to have dinner with Amasawa Ichika, they ended up having zero interest in that girl.
Just as everyone thought the rules were finally over, Chabashira clapped her hands again.
"Finally, this island special exam will introduce a 'Card' element. Please look at the screen."
The image on the blackboard changed, showing eight items:
Basic Cards List
Lead Card: At the start of the exam, usable points are increased to 1.5x.Bonus Card: The Private Point reward obtained by the holder is doubled.Half Card: Private Points paid during punishment are halved.Note: Only applies to the cardholder.Free-Rider Card: Gain half of the Private Point rewards of a designated group at the start of the exam. If the designated group merges with your own, the effect vanishes.Insurance Card: If disqualified due to poor health during the exam, you get a one-day recovery buffer (invalid for those disqualified for misconduct).
Special Cards List
Reinforcement Card: The cardholder can join a group as a 7th member. Takes effect after the exam starts; ignores gender ratio restrictions.Nullify Card: Private Points paid during punishment are reduced to zero. Only applies to the cardholder.Trial Card: The right to multiply Class Point rewards by 1.5x. However, if the group does not finish in the top 30%, the group is punished. The additional reward is covered by the school.
"What does this mean?!"
"So many rules? Can these cards be used in the next exam?"
"Did I walk onto the set of Yu-Gi-Oh!? Ugh!"
"Yes," Chabashira nodded. "These are items that will affect the island survival exam; one will be distributed to each person. Except for some cards with special restrictions, most are beneficial to you. After reading the descriptions, you should have a general understanding of the effects."
"This is way too complicated!"
"Lead Card, Bonus Card, Half Card... and Special Cards?!"
"Wait, that Reinforcement Card allows you to join as a seventh member? Does that mean a six-person group can become seven?"
"And it ignores gender ratios? This card is too strong!"
Shimizu looked through them one by one. The Lead Card would be good if paired with someone who already had plenty of Private Points. The Bonus Card—turning 1 million into 2 million for first place—was definitely enticing. The Half Card was a life-saver for those with some points but not a surplus. The Free-Rider Card was interesting—pick a group at the start and get half their rewards; if you pick the right people, it's like making money while lying down. The Insurance Card was a godsend for those with weak constitutions.
The Reinforcement Card, ignoring gender ratios and letting a seventh person in, likely had the highest value. The Nullify Card was better than the Half Card but probably very rare. The Trial Card was high-risk, high-reward—a typical gambler's card.
Honestly, was the designer of this special exam playing too many board games?
"Teacher!" someone asked. "How do we get these cards? Are they distributed randomly?"
Chabashira nodded. "Yes. One per person, distributed randomly. However, cards can be traded."
The classroom became restless again.
"Traded?! That means..."
"We can buy the cards we want with points?"
"Or a few people can pool together and concentrate the good cards on one person?"
Chabashira signaled for quiet. "The trading rules are simple: cards can only be transferred between school years; they cannot be traded within the same class. They can be exchanged for points or other cards."
She held up three fingers. "First, once the exam begins, card effects are locked and can no longer be traded. Second, using multiple identical cards will not stack their effects. Third, once a card changes owners, it cannot be traded again."
She scanned the class. "Additionally, only one of each of the three Special Cards will exist per school year, and they are assigned randomly. So, if one class happens to hold all three Special Cards, that is statistically possible."
She lowered her hand. "That is all the exam content that can be revealed at this stage."
"Only one of each Special Card per year?! That means in the whole grade, only three people get the Reinforcement, Nullify, and Trial cards?"
"If someone pulls the Reinforcement Card, won't they become the belle of the ball?"
"More than that, they're a mobile treasure! Joining a group makes it a seven-man team—how much does that lower the risk!"
"And they can't be traded within the class... only cross-class? That's forcing us to negotiate with other classes!"
Only cross-year/class transfer, no intra-class trading? In other words, if he wanted a good card from a classmate, it was impossible; he'd have to find someone from another class. And if someone wanted a card from him, they'd have to come from a different class.
This rule was interesting. It looked like free trade, but it was actually forcing different classes to establish connections. Especially those who pulled the Special Cards—they would instantly become the focus of the entire grade level.
"Teacher!" another student raised their hand. "If we trade points for cards, is there a price cap?"
Chabashira shook her head. "No cap. As long as both parties agree, any amount of points is fine. However, let me remind you: once a trade is made, the card is permanently bound to the new holder and cannot be transferred again. So, those looking to be middlemen can give it a rest."
The crowd laughed, but some people looked thoughtful.
The three Special Cards: Reinforcement, Nullify, and Trial. Reinforcement was undoubtedly the most practical. Seven against six was a massive advantage. Nullify was a life-saver for those with few points, but for Shimizu, it was only mildly attractive—he didn't lack points. Trial was high-stakes; 1.5x Class Points, but punishment if you didn't hit the top 30%. Suitable for those wanting to take a gamble.
At this point, Kanzaki Ryuji raised his hand: "Professor Chabashira, I'd like to ask when our temporary class transfers end? Since the special exam is starting soon, I won't be kept in Class B, right?"
Regardless, he was originally from 2nd Year Class D. His month of "residency" hadn't weakened his sense of belonging to his original class. All he could think about now was getting back quickly to help them.
"Mmh," Chabashira nodded. "The school has set the deadline for these transfers for July 18th. On that day, you will be gathered in the gymnasium to decide your final class affiliation on the spot."
July 18th? And the departure was on July 19th? The timing was very tight.
"So, Kanzaki..." Chabashira gave him a meaningful look. "During this time, you had better think carefully about whether you want to stay in your current class or return to your original one. Especially now in the preparation phase, ten million points is not a small sum. Do you think your original class is willing to pay that for you?"
Kanzaki Ryuji's face remained calm. He believed Ichinose Honami would not abandon him. But on the other side, the expressions of some Class B students became subtle. Their Class B had just received the 5,000,000 points from 1st Year Class D's class fund right before the special exam. If they spent another 5,000,000 to buy Koenji Rokusuke back... how much would be left in their own accounts? What if they accidentally landed in the bottom five... wouldn't they have to pack their bags and leave?
Shimizu saw this and understood most of it in his heart. The school likely arranged the special exam and class transfers together on purpose. Now was exactly when every class desperately needed points. Whether to spend money to buy someone, who to buy, and who not to buy—every choice would affect the upcoming exam.
Before leaving the classroom, Chabashira glanced at Shimizu and said, "Shimizu, come out for a moment."
Shimizu thought for a bit, then stood up and followed her. The two walked to a secluded corner of the school building.
"In the last special exam, our class came in last," Chabashira started.
Shimizu was startled, not knowing how to respond for a moment. Chabashira had given him two million points, hoping he'd perform well last time.
But Chabashira followed up immediately: "But I know the reason. It was because Ayanokouji Kiyotaka acted on his own, which led to the necessity of cooperating with 1st Year Class D."
'Huh? How did she get that intel?'
"Looking at the result, Ayanokouji held you back," Chabashira said indifferently. "I clearly forbade him from doing anything unnecessary; why did he take it upon himself?"
She was also full of anger regarding that matter. According to Hirata Yosuke, Shimizu had already arranged to negotiate cooperation with Amasawa Ichika from Class A; after that, they just needed to release some exam info to proceed smoothly.
In the end, Ayanokouji had to be a smart-aleck and run off to cooperate with 1st Year Class D. Whose fault was it if not his?
Shimizu's mouth twitched slightly.
This Chabashira was quite good at finding excuses for him. Though, looking back at the process, if they hadn't cooperated with Class D, Class B likely would have chosen 1st Year Class A. If they had teamed up with those honor students, they really might not have ended up in last place. At the very least, they would have taken second.
"Shimizu, I called you out because I hope you can go all out in this island exam," Chabashira's tone became serious. If Shimizu performed well, Class B had a great chance of taking first. If that happened, their class could rise to Class A. Her long-held wish would finally be realized.
"So," Shimizu followed up naturally, "how many points are you planning to put up this time, Professor?"
Don't blame him for being blunt; that was how it usually went, and he was getting used to it.
Chabashira Sae's expression stiffened. "...I currently have no savings left."
"Savings?" Shimizu was stunned. "Wait, those points you transferred to me before... you didn't exchange them privately with yen, did you?"
Chabashira Sae remained silent for a few seconds with an expressionless face, then slowly nodded. Shimizu was completely speechless.
'Isn't the point of you working here to make money? And you ended up putting it all back in?'
Recognizing she had lost her composure a bit, Professor Chabashira coughed to hide the embarrassment.
"Although I have no money, I can help you in other ways. I heard from Sakura that you are already dating her and Haruka?"
"That's correct," Shimizu nodded. Airi was still too honest; he'd have to tell her later not to report everything to Chabashira.
"Actually," Chabashira said, almost as if taking credit, "the fact that you were able to get together with Sakura Airi and Hasabe Haruka—building a harem and all—part of the credit goes to me."
She spoke with increasing confidence. At first, she was the one who took the initiative to have Sakura Airi thank Shimizu. Later, she was the one who sent a message to Haruka, saying big data showed she was a good match for Shimizu. That's why those two started taking the initiative to contact him. If she wasn't the biggest contributor to Shimizu's harem, who was?
After hearing this, Shimizu's expression was a bit nuanced. "So, Professor Chabashira means... I should thank you?"
"That's not necessary," Chabashira waved her hand, though the 'please praise me' look on her face was hard to hide.
"I just want you to know that I really care about your affairs."
'Care, huh?' Caring enough to use her own salary to buy points for students? Caring enough to act as a matchmaker? Had this teacher confused her professional role?
"Then how do you plan to keep helping me?" he asked.
Chabashira thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Are there any other girls in the class you have your eye on? I can help pull you closer to them, adding another member to your harem. How about it?"
Shimizu was momentarily at a loss for words.
'Is this person really still a teacher? What decent teacher actively helps a male student build a harem?'
"No thanks," he hurriedly waved his hand. "If I meet someone I like, I'll ask them out myself. As for the next special exam, I'll see how things go."
With that, he turned and left. If he liked someone, he'd pursue them himself. Why would he need a teacher to play matchmaker?
Besides, looking at the girls left in Class B... he counted them on his fingers.
There weren't many left, were there?