The seventh day of the special exam. The final day.
Having survived a grueling week of life on the deserted island, we first-year students packed up the tents and supplies we had been issued, thoroughly cleaned the area around our bases, and then gathered once more on the beach where we had first landed.
Under the scorching sun, the students lined up with expressions that mixed deep exhaustion with relief at finally being freed from this hellish experience. At the pier, the luxurious cruise ship carrying the students who had already retired from the exam was quietly waiting to take us back.
It was ti for the final roll call, where each class would submit the nas of the "leaders" from the other classes.
Yuki from our Class B, acting on my advice, confidently wrote down the following:
[Class A: Yahiko Totsuka]
[Class C: Kakeru Ryūen]
[Class D: No nomination]
(Perfect. We confird Class A's base and verified that Totsuka stayed on the island instead of retiring. We also figured out that Ryūen was hiding alone in the forest using the "Zero Point Strategy." With this, our class victory is guaranteed!)
As I stood calmly on the beach, the students around suddenly began to stir.
From deep within the forest, through the gaps between the thick trees, a lone figure slowly erged.
His entire body was stained with mud and dirt, his uniform filthy and disheveled, his hair a ss. Yet his snake-like eyes still glead viciously like a predator staring down prey.
The leader of Class C—Kakeru Ryūen.
"R-Ryūen!? You stayed on the island this whole ti!?"
"I thought Class C used up all their points and everyone retired to the ship!"
The students from the other classes cried out in shock as if they had just seen a ghost.
But Ryūen rely sneered at their reactions, wearing a fearless grin full of confidence.
To him, this was the mont his perfect "hidden infiltration" strategy had succeeded. Based on information gathered from his spies, he likely believed he had perfectly identified the leaders of both Class A and Class D.
Soon, the cold voice of horoom teacher Mashima echoed from the speakers installed on the beach.
"—We will now announce the results of the special exam. The final Survival Points (SP) for each class are as follows."
The sound of waves filled the silence as every student held their breath and looked toward the speakers.
---
Special Exam Final Results
Class A: 70 SP
Class B: 325 SP
Class C: 0 SP
Class D: 225 SP
Updated Class Points
(End of First Sester → After Exam Results)
Class A: 1004 → 1074 CP
Class B: 732 → 1057 CP
Class C: 458 → 458 CP
Class D: 37 → 262 CP
---
"...Zero...?"
The mont the results were announced, the fearless smile vanished completely from Ryūen's face.
His eyes widened in disbelief. His teeth ground together violently.
The overwhelming aura of a victor that surrounded him monts ago dispersed instantly, leaving behind only confusion and quiet rage toward a reality he could not comprehend.
From his perspective, his "hidden infiltration" had been flawless. He couldn't understand how information had leaked, or why anyone knew he was the leader.
What he failed to realize was that the Demon King's eyes had caught the faint traces he left deep within the forest.
anwhile, chaos erupted in Class A as well.
"Katsuragi! Are you saying our strategy of making Totsuka the leader was exposed!?"
"At this rate, it's only a matter of ti before Class B catches up to us!"
Students from Sakayanagi's faction angrily accused Katsuragi. He could only stand there silently with a grim expression.
And then—
While the other classes drowned in despair and panic, Class B exploded with joy.
"We did ittttt!! 325 points!! Class B wins by a landslide!!"
"WOOOOOO!! No way! That's insane! We're almost caught up to Class A!!"
Shibata raised his fists to the sky with tears in his eyes.
Amikura and Shiranami grabbed each other's hands and jumped around excitedly.
Even Kanzaki abandoned his usual composure, smiling openly from the bottom of his heart.
"Aizen! You're seriously amazing! Totsuka and Ryūen—your predictions were completely spot on!!"
"Yeah. Without Aizen's overwhelming insight, we might have fallen for Class C's cunning strategy and been completely outplayed. ...You truly have my gratitude, Aizen."
Shibata repeatedly slapped my back while Kanzaki bowed deeply.
Then Honami Ichinose, who had spent the entire week desperately trying to keep every classmate from dropping out, ca running toward us while holding Hiyori's hand.
"Hiyori-chan! Aizen-kun! We did it! We won!"
Her smile shone like the sun itself.
Tears of relief and accomplishnt glittered in her eyes.
"—The wine known as victory may only be tasted by those who continued walking through the mud without ever giving up. ...For the indomitable path all of you forged together, I offer only my highest praise."
(Translation: It's all thanks to everyone's hard work! Seriously, great job!)
"'This victory belongs to everyone who never gave up no matter how exhausted they beca. Thank you all for your hard work,' is what he said."
"Yeah! But it's also because you and Hiyori-chan were supporting everyone behind the scenes! There's no way I could've achieved such an incredible result alone...! Thank you! Really, truly thank you!"
Ichinose cried openly as she thanked us over and over.
The entire class was wrapped in celebration, praising each other's efforts.
As I quietly watched the scene, I felt a faint warmth spread through my chest.
(...The loner I used to be is now standing in the middle of this noisy, warm circle of happiness. ...This feels incredible. If it's to protect everyone's smiles, I'll gladly use every cheat ability I have.)
Though deeply moved inside, outwardly I maintained my usual Demon King composure and spoke to the silver-haired best friend smiling beside .
"—Fufu. ...Such noisy revelry is unworthy of a king. ...Hiyori. You should join their innocent celebration as well. ...You've earned the right to bathe in the afterglow of victory."
(Translation: Ichinose and the others are calling for you. I'll stay here, so go enjoy celebrating with everyone!)
"Fufu. Then I'll join them for a little while."
Hiyori perfectly understood my aning, nodded happily, and stepped into the circle with Ichinose and the others.
Watching that warm scene from Class D's area was Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, his emotionless eyes fixed on .
(...As expected of Sōsuke. So he also identified the leaders of both Class A and Class C.)
Inside Ayanokōji's mind, the events of the week rapidly reconstructed themselves.
(He figured out Ryūen was Class C's leader because he understood the true nature of the "Zero Point Strategy" and imdiately predicted Ryūen would stay on the island himself. Sōsuke must've reached the sa conclusion I did after seeing Ryūen's extravagant behavior.)
(And then Class A. During my exploration, I happened to see Katsuragi and Totsuka leaving that cave together. A cautious person like Katsuragi would never risk putting himself on the front lines as the leader. It wasn't hard to infer that Totsuka, eager for recognition, had manipulated the occupation system.)
(But Sōsuke was different.)
Ayanokōji recalled what happened at the cave on the first day.
(I was watching from the forest. Right after those two left, Sōsuke descended from a tree and examined the inside of the cave. He didn't discover it by chance. From the start, he predicted that so class would attempt to secure the cave—the best spot on the island—and waited there before anyone else.)
(The 100-point difference between Class D and Class B ca from two things: Kōenji retiring imdiately on his own, and Horikita intentionally allowing Class C's spy to steal information about the leader before using her illness to retire and switch leaders. That alone cost us 60 points, on top of the difference in teamwork between the classes.)
Ayanokōji silently analyzed as I stood calmly apart from the celebrating crowd.
(...Even so, despite everything Sōsuke has done, he's never shown any sign of trying to expel . That lowers the possibility that he's a White Room agent sent to bring back.)
(Sotis he calls to his room, but all he does is serve good food and force to play gas with him. I have no idea what he's thinking. Still, refusing his invitations might provoke sothing dangerous behind the scenes, so I have no choice but to go along with it. He's probably using those gas to test my reaction speed and using casual conversation during als to analyze my abilities and ntal state.)
(I still can't understand his true objective. Why would soone with overwhelming abilities choose to maintain peace within the current class system instead? ...I can't let my guard down. I need to continue watching him carefully.)
While receiving Ayanokōji's wary gaze on my back, my thoughts had already shifted toward "the next enjoyable thing."
---
Back aboard the luxurious cruise ship, I took my first warm shower in a week.
The hot water washed away the mud, sweat, and tension accumulated during life on the deserted island.
After drying my hair with a clean, fluffy towel and changing into slightly fashionable casual clothes, it finally began to feel real.
(...Now then. My sumr vacation truly begins here.)
My destination was the observation café on the top floor of the ship.
During our ti on the island, I barely had any chance to enjoy reading together with my precious best friend, Hiyori.
At this point, my soul desperately craved the scent of printed pages, delicious tea, and above all else... her calm profile.
Stepping out of the elevator, I entered the beautiful glass-walled café.
"Sōsuke-kun, I've been waiting for you."
Hiyori closed her book with a soft snap and smiled.
She was wearing the pure white sumr dress we had chosen together at Keyaki Mall.
Compared to the dirt-covered tracksuit she wore on the island, she now looked elegant and refined like a noble young lady. Her silver hair shimred beautifully beside her teacup.
(S-so cute...! An angel has descended onto this ship!! Just seeing Hiyori smile instantly erased all the exhaustion from this past week!!)
Internally giving a thunderous standing ovation, I gracefully took my seat across from her.
"—Did you wait long? Yet even the sight of you waiting resembles a flawless painting. That immaculate white attire... it is more than enough to delight my eyes."
(Translation: Sorry for making you wait! Hiyori, that white outfit looks amazing on you!)
"Fufu. Thank you very much. Your casual clothes look wonderful too, Sōsuke-kun."
Perfectly interpreting my dramatic poem, Hiyori blushed faintly as she opened the tea nu.
After calling the waiter, I ordered Darjeeling tea while Hiyori chose Earl Grey and a small chiffon cake.
Outside the window, the deserted island gradually faded into the distance beneath the red glow of the setting sun, surrounded by the endless ocean.
"...Life on the island was difficult, but now that it's over, it was actually a lot of fun."
Enjoying the aroma of her Earl Grey, Hiyori spoke softly.
"Cooking with Honami-chan and everyone else, sleeping in tents... I'd never really experienced enjoying the outdoors with friends my age before."
"—Ahh. ...Sotis wildflowers blooming while enduring harsh wind and rain leave behind stronger mories than flowers protected inside a greenhouse. ...If this past week remains in your eyes as sothing beautiful, then nothing could make happier."
(Translation: Sa here. Survival was tough, but spending ti together with everyone was really fun.)
"Yes. ...But the thing I enjoyed the most..."
Hiyori gently placed her teacup onto its saucer and looked straight into my eyes.
"...was being able to see all those sights together with you, Sōsuke-kun."
"——!!"
My heart sounded the loudest alarm of the day.
"Because you were there, I was able to spend this entire week without feeling anxious at all. ...Thank you for always helping ."
Hiyori's words were sincere and completely unadorned.
To her, I was simply her most trusted best friend.
That honest affection slowly but powerfully ward my heart from within.
(...This is bad. I might actually cry. Spending twenty million points to end up in the sa class as Hiyori was the greatest investnt of my life.)
Suppressing the emotions swelling inside , I lifted my cup with a flawless smile.
"—It is a king's duty to preserve the beauty of his garden. ...There is no world in which I would permit a pure white flower such as yourself to be stained by vulgar mud."
(Translation: Thank you too, Hiyori. If you enjoyed yourself, then that makes really happy.)
"...Now then, enough with these inelegant recollections. Shall we begin our pursuit of truth, uninterrupted by anyone else?"
(Translation: Alright, enough talking about the island. Let's relax and read together!)
"Fufu, yes. ...Then, here you go."
Hiyori placed several mystery novels onto the table.
"I brought lots of books I wanted you to read, Sōsuke-kun."
"—Excellent. I shall uncover every last mystery hidden within their depths."
(Translation: Aweso! Let's read a lot together!)
Inside the café of the luxurious cruise ship sailing across the sunset-lit ocean—
Together with the most important and irreplaceable best friend in my world—
I savored, to my heart's content, that sweet and luxurious mont where only the sound of waves and turning pages could be heard.
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