At the tail end of July, the sky stretched cloudless and boundless, an expanse of pure azure blue.
A luxury cruise ship sailed slowly across the vast, deep-blue ocean. As a deep, resonant horn blast sounded, the ship's stern trailed a streak of silver-white foam, as though carving a fine, thin scar across the sea's surface.
The cruise ship was composed of nine decks in total, comprised of four decks below the waterline and five above. Whether it was first-class renowned restaurants, a theater, a high-end spa, and more—every service and anity one could desire was available.
Fuyuji Mikage, having failed to swindle those few idiots from Class D, was thoroughly enraged. He had been looking forward to seeing what kind of expression that loli Sakayanagi Arisu would make when she stepped out for her coffee with that elegant, refined smile, only to turn a corner on campus and run headlong into a student from her own class.
Furthermore, although he still didn't know exactly what kind of deserted island survival challenge awaited them, having fewer people would undoubtedly bring an advantage to his own class.
In any case, this was all Horikita-girl's fault!
Perhaps Horikita Manabu had been rendered utterly speechless by the ssage he had sent. Or perhaps he was currently scraping together funds to safeguard his little sister. Whatever the case, there was still no word from him.
Well, no matter. Such things weren't important.
Fuyuji tossed his backpack onto the bed, pushed open the cabin door, and dashed out in high, excited spirits.
"Oi, oi, Fuyuji-san. The special exam is coming up soon. Katsuragi will probably bring people over to find you any mont now. Don't you have any instructions?" Hashimoto Masayoshi, who shared the sa room, called out toward him.
"Nope. Have fun." Having tossed out these words, Fuyuji vanished around the corner.
"Honestly. Doesn't he have any sense of tension at all?" Hashimoto turned back helplessly—only to see Kito Hayato, dressed in casual leisurewear, heading outside. "Why are you also..."
"There's a clothing store on the seventh deck. I heard they have many different styles. I plan to go there and observe." Kito, whose dream was to beco a fashion designer, walked past him with his hands in his pockets.
"You seem to have a very strong sense of crisis. As a temporary companion, let remind you—only by occasionally relaxing can you see clearly what lies ahead." Kito likewise vanished around the corner at the far end of the cabin corridor.
"Enjoy yourselves. It seems there's also a library here. I'm going to go experience it." Sanada Kosei, the final occupant of the room, also patted his shoulder with a smile, and then left the room as well.
Inside the cruise ship cabin, only Hashimoto remained, standing alone at the very center of the room. Finally, he let out a sigh.
"How could soone like possibly relax?"
After muttering to himself for a while, he turned around, fished a pair of swim trunks out of his backpack, and walked into the bathroom.
...
According to the sightseeing pamphlet distributed by the staff before boarding, the best way to experience the luxury cruise ship was to start from the sun deck on the topmost level. There, one could take in the morning light, the ocean vista, and the salty sea breeze blowing directly against one's face, while enjoying its circular walking track and swimming pool.
Mm... experience its open-air swimming pool.
Fuyuji had precisely extracted the key information.
When he arrived at the top-deck open-air pool, filled with hope and eager anticipation, the very first thing he saw, however, was not young ladies dressed in swimsuits, displaying their long, slender legs and revealing their youthful, beautiful figures.
Instead, it was...
"Ahahaha!"
The voice preceded the person. A blond male student, trailing a string of hearty, unrestrained laughter, ca barreling toward him at incomparable speed. Matched with his exaggerated, bulging muscles, both arms churned through the water like excavators in a butterfly stroke, charging straight at Fuyuji and sending up a trendous splash of water.
Standing on the poolside, Fuyuji stared, utterly dumbstruck, at this inhuman, superhuman figure, then looked down at his own unremarkable, far-from-prominent muscles.
How is this guy's art style completely different from mine? Why does he look like he walked straight out of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?
In the blink of an eye, the blond student had already reached the edge of the pool. Pushing off with both hands, he launched himself onto the poolside in a magnificent, gymnastic flourish, one hand cradling the back of his head. Flicking his golden, flowing hair with a casual toss, he addressed Fuyuji.
"So? Have you been captivated by my beautiful body?"
"..."
This guy... is so incredibly extra...
"Ah. I can see the acknowledgnt of my beauty within your eyes. Have you been struck speechless by the sheer force of my beauty? As expected. I am truly beautiful. Beautiful~" The blond student remained thoroughly intoxicated within his own world.
It was only then that Fuyuji noticed the guy was wearing speedo briefs. His flamboyantly exaggerated pectoral muscles practically overflowed. The rest of his body was likewise covered in boulder-like slabs of muscle.
Had he seriously wandered into the wrong film set?
Unfortunately, the blond student did not respond to his unspoken question. Head held high, accompanied by incomparably confident laughter, without even changing his clothes, he simply strode right back into the ship's interior, his body still bare and glistening.
"..."
Senpai... I think I've just t soone even more narcissistic than you...
Having been utterly flexed on by a wild gorilla, Fuyuji instantly found the entire experience thoroughly spoiled and unappealing. He turned around and departed the pool area.
Along the way, Ichinose Honami passed by at a distance with a large flock of Class B girls. Being clustered right at the very center, she didn't spot Fuyuji. The whole group walked on by, chatting and laughing rrily.
That Shiranami Chihiro from before, however, detected Fuyuji's gaze at the earliest possible mont. She shot a fierce, kittenish glare in his direction.
Yo~ So you actually dare glare at , huh? So fierce?
I am the most notorious figure in the entire Advanced Nurturing High School—the darkest existence Ryuen Kakeru himself has personally acknowledged!
Refusing to be outdone, Fuyuji raised both hands, hooking them into claw-like shapes, and fiercely glared right back at her.
Startled, Shiranami abruptly shrank her body inward and subconsciously stumbled several steps backward. Her small mouth crumpled. Tears welling up in her eyes, she scurried back into the main group of Class B.
Having successfully intimidated his target, the great Class A bully continued onward with imnse satisfaction. The moist sea breeze, carrying a faint trace of salt, dispersed the sweltering heat of sumr.
By now, the cruise ship had already sailed out of Tokyo Bay. The surface of the sea reflected the sunlight in shimring, fish-scale patterns. In the sky, a handful of seagulls leisurely accompanied the cruise ship in flight. Among the crowd, exclamations of wonder sounded from ti to ti. The shutter clicks of phones and caras rang out ceaselessly.
The first-year students of the Advanced Nurturing High School had already thoroughly imrsed themselves in this dreamlike cruise ship experience.
Seagulls, huh...
Fuyuji walked and paused, paused and walked, aimlessly wandering around the surrounding area.
He wondered if Morishita Ai had let Wild Pigeon out yet. Originally, he had thought about keeping him in his own room. But alas, the opposing side was overwhelmingly nurous—four against one. And on top of that, there was Morishita, that person who desperately stacked buff after buff upon herself. He could only hold back his tears and refuse Wild Pigeon's desperate cries for help.
I'm sorry...
You still can't GA evolve. This ans our bond still isn't deep enough yet. Once you've overco this trial, you'll co to realize just how precious your master truly i—
A soft, supple body collided into Fuyuji's back.
"Sorry..."
"Sumimasen..."
A sweet, honeyed voice followed right after. But this voice...
Fuyuji spun around in an instant.
At the very sa mont, the person behind him also seed to realize sothing. She likewise spun around with equal speed and faced Fuyuji.
The warm, genial smiles on both their faces froze simultaneously, then instantly blossod open once more. They spoke in perfect unison.
"So it was Kushida-san (Fuyuji-kun). It's been a whi—"
An awkward atmosphere spread through the air between them.
Fuyuji's eye twitched as he stared across at Kushida Kikyo.
Even Kushida's signature sweet, angelic smile was struggling to hold.
This was the first ti since that cafe showdown that the two of them had been alone, face-to-face, in each other's company.
At all other tis, either there had been soone else sandwiched between them—both of them exchanging pleasantries and civilities on the surface while covertly undermining each other behind the scenes.
Or else the two of them had engaged in daily, hypocritical greetings through the internet. In truth, they had talked about nothing at all. Just sending a "good morning" at the start of the day and a "good night" at the end. Then the cycle would repeat the next day. All to maintain their respective personas.
What both sides were probably thinking was sothing along the lines of:
I know your persona is a front. And I know that you know mine is too. And I know that you know that I know yours is. But I won't say it. Ah~ let's see whose mask drops first.
"Caw~ Caw~ Caw~"
A few seagulls circling overhead broke the stillness between the two of them.
"Kushida-san, are you taking photos?"
At this mont, Kushida had a cara in her hand and wore a white sun hat on her head. She was dressed in an outfit that combined a sense of leisure with the flavor of a sumr holiday.
On her feet, she wore a simple pair of strappy sandals. The slender straps wound around her fair, delicate ankles, revealing her carefully manicured toes and adding a touch of cuteness.
Draped loosely over her fra was a lightweight, light-colored sun cardigan. The semi-transparent material faintly traced the silhouette of the form-fitting clothing beneath and the graceful curves of her figure under the sunlight. The cardigan was not fully fastened, hanging open naturally, making it very difficult not to wonder exactly what kind of sight lay within.
"Ahaha, yes. Is Fuyuji-kun here to admire the scenery?"
"Ahaha, that's right. After being cooped up at school for so long, always looking at the sa view, occasionally seeing a different scenery is truly refreshing. The weather is beautiful today."
"It really is. Has Fuyuji-kun had breakfast yet?"
"I have. And you, Kushida-san?"
"I've eaten too."
"Then... shall we take in the ocean view together?"
"Sure."
"..."
The two of them fell into silence at the sa ti. The sound of the waves lapped intermittently against the cruise ship.
Both of them, who had always prided themselves as masters of social interaction, found that when they encountered each other, the conversational skills that usually ca as naturally as breathing had sohow all jamd up in their throats, montarily rendered utterly unusable.
Despite this, neither party showed any sign of backing down or withdrawing. Each simply stood where they were, gazing idly at the surrounding scenery.
In the distance, the outline of Tokyo Bay warped and wavered slightly in the heat haze. As the cruise ship drifted, the forest of towering high-rises continuously rearranged themselves against the backdrop of shimring, glittering waves.
Gazing out at Tokyo Bay, Kushida lifted her face and was the first to speak.
It was neither the friendly tone she used when interacting with her classmates, nor the vicious, venting voice ssages she sent to Fuyuji's alt account in secret to release her pent-up frustrations. Instead, it was a calm, composed tone—the tone one might use when speaking with an old friend.
"Why did Fuyuji-kun co up to the deck alone?" Kushida rested her hands on the railing. The shimring, sparkling light of the sea reflected onto her cheeks, lending her an indescribable, ineffable beauty.
"Boredom? Wandering around? Looking at girls? Anyway, sohow or other, I just ended up here." Fuyuji leaned his back against the railing. The vast, azure sky reflected upon the mbrane of his eyes as he answered honestly.
"What about you? Why are you here alone?"
"Sa as you."
"Oi, oi. I ca to see the youthful, beautiful sight of girls in swimsuits, you know. You're the sa as ?" Fuyuji raised an eyebrow and teased.
"Is that not allowed? I also ca up here alone to stroll around."
"The Kushida-san who wants to be friends with the entire school—ca up to the deck alone to wander about?"
"And the oddball classmate from Class A isn't also up here on the deck wandering around alone?" Kushida refused to be outdone and counterattacked.
"Fine, fine." Fuyuji spread his hands and admitted frankly. "The truth is, Katsuragi and the others keep going on and on and on about it. Everyone's nerves are wound way too tight. That's why I slipped away."
Because this was their first ti participating in a special exam, Katsuragi Kohei had actually not been sleeping well for the past few days. He had been incessantly preparing materials related to the special exam.
That in itself wasn't the problem. The problem was that when this guy couldn't sleep, the person he ca to bother was Fuyuji!
Every so often, he'd co over and ask: Have you thought of any more plans? Is there anything we've overlooked? If so special situation occurs on the deserted island, how should we handle it?
What was this? My classmate is simply too steady and prudent?
But you, coming to ask soone who just goes with whatever pops into his head and is destined to disrupt your expectations—is there perhaps sothing wrong with you?
"What a coincidence. They were all captivated by this luxury cruise ship. So I finally had so ti to co up here alone for a walk."
Another silence fell between the two of them.
The very next second.
"Pfft..." Laughter escaped from both their mouths simultaneously, beyond their control.
"What now, then?" Kushida raised a hand to cover her mouth. "Didn't you say you were here to see girls in swimsuits? How co you've ended up over here?"
Fuyuji patted his chest, still rattled. "I encountered a blonde, silverback gorilla. That guy is probably from your Class D. I almost got styes just from looking at him."
"From our class?" Kushida seed to recall sothing. "Koenji Rokusuke-kun? What about the way he spoke?"
"It was sothing like this." Fuyuji loosely balled his fist and held it before his mouth. He cleared his throat, and his voice turned deep, low, and resonant. "Hmph hahaha! Beautiful! Simply too beautiful! This boundless azure sky paired with my beautiful body—beauty upon beauty!"
"..." Kushida let out two dry laughs. "Then that was definitely him."
"That guy's personality... might be just a tad unusual." Fuyuji once again mimicked Koenji's elegant, flowing head-toss. "Is he like that even in your Class D, which produces outstanding talents in droves?"
"He is. Our Class D's oddball. But unlike a certain fake Class A oddball, he's the genuine article." Kushida seized the opportunity to poke fun.
"That's still better than a certain social expert who only sends 'good morning' and 'good night' on the internet without saying anything else."
"Aren't you the sa?" Kushida provoked.
"I'm different. My persona is the oddball. Nothing I do is unexpected. You're the social expert!" Fuyuji began pointing and criticizing Kushida. "You should go back to how you used to be. Every so often, show so concern for my recent situation. Then ask if I need any help. Finally, sweetly tell you're looking forward to seeing again next ti."
Kushida rolled her eyes. "Doesn't that not work on you anyway? Compared to that, this is a bit more effective."
Having spoken, Kushida triumphantly kicked out her calf. Her fair leg stretched out freely and fully beneath the sunlight.
On the deck, the two who had accidentally collided into one another chatted idly, with pauses and starts.
Kushida did not continue pressing for Horikita Suzune's weak points.
Fuyuji likewise couldn't be bothered to probe the depths of the Ryuen intel leak from last ti.
It was rely casual small talk between two ordinary friends.
...
"Kushida-san!" In the distance, several Class D girls were waving frantically toward Kushida. "Want to co with us to the seventh deck? There seem to be lots of new clothing styles there!"
"Sure~" Kushida returned the wave with equal cheerfulness.
"How exhausting, social expert~" Fuyuji teased.
"That's just how it is. After all, it's a path I chose myself." Kushida stepped toward the direction of the girls. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Fuyuji also turned around calmly and continued walking toward the bow of the ship.
"Oh, that's right."
Kushida turned back and called out to stop Fuyuji.
"What is it?"
Raising her fair, delicate hand, Kushida revealed her signature sweet, angelic smile.
"Bye-bye~ Fuyuji-kun. I look forward to seeing you again next ti."
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