"You need advice?"
Just as I suspected, there was an ulterior motive. Even though I had a feeling, I couldn't say I wasn't a little disappointed.
However, when I thought about it, Tsugumi, Horikita, and even the Hirata in front of me had helped me out a lot, so it wasn't a big deal to listen to his problems.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way. But it really has to be you, Ayanokoji-kun."
"Oh, okay."
When he puts it like that, I can't refuse. As expected of the most popular guy in Class D, along with Tsugumi. His charisma is amazing.
"You're coming to me for advice, someone who's not suited for giving it. Does that mean it's a very specific problem?"
I asked Hirata, who was apologizing with a downcast look.
"...It's about Karuizawa-san," Hirata said, looking left and right before speaking softly. He must not want students from other classes to hear. "The story about Karuizawa-san's underwear being stolen. It ended with Ibuki-san being the culprit, right?"
"Yeah. Since Ichinose proved that Class C was working behind the scenes, it was concluded that Ibuki stole Karuizawa's underwear to cause confusion in Class D."
It was revealed that a student who had infiltrated Class B was a spy, and it was concluded that "Ibuki stole Karuizawa's underwear for the purpose of confusing Class D."
"No, the incident itself is fine now, but... it seems there are a lot of people who have a grudge against Karuizawa-san because of her attitude at that time."
"Ah..."
I see. It's not about the incident, but her attitude. If you asked me if there was anything wrong with Karuizawa's behavior at the time, I would have to shake my head no. And considering how she usually acts, it's not surprising that people would complain.
"I'm sure there are complaints, but why are you asking me for advice, Hirata? I think Tsugumi, Kushida, or even Horikita, who has a lot of influence in the class, would be better suited for this."
"But... I don't think it's a good idea to ask Tsugumi-kun or Horikita-san directly, so I was hoping you could just casually mention the situation to them."
Tsugumi was suspected of being the thief, and Horikita argued with Karuizawa to defend him. I guess he'd be hesitant to talk to them directly.
"I see. I can tell them, but I don't think that's the direct solution. Shouldn't you first tell Karuizawa herself to change her daily attitude?"
Even if Horikita and Tsugumi heard about it and calmed things down, it would be no different from putting a lid on a bad smell. Since the root cause is Karuizawa, she should be the one to change first.
"You're right, Ayanokoji-kun. I might have been too anxious."
He's so honest and flexible, immediately admitting his mistake in judgment. That's another one of Hirata's charms.
But judging by his reaction, has he not told Karuizawa about the situation yet? He's not very proactive for someone who's dating her. Or is it a delicate matter precisely because they're dating?
"The stress from being in an unfamiliar environment might just be lingering. It's only been three days since the exam ended."
"That's a good point... Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun, for listening. Now, let's eat."
Changing his mood, we started eating the food that had arrived a little while ago. But soon, Hirata seemed to notice someone approaching and gave me a confused look.
"Ah, Hirata-kun, there you are! Let's eat together."
Karuizawa came over, her voice ringing cheerfully. She's usually with a few other girls, but they're nowhere to be seen.
"Uh... Karuizawa-san, I thought I said no on the phone...?"
Ignoring the flustered Hirata, Karuizawa tried to sit down next to him.
"Oh, come on. We're dating, aren't we? It's only natural for us to have a meal together, right?"
She said, leaning on Hirata's arm. I should read the room and leave.
"I'll be going, Hirata. Let's eat together again sometime."
The old me would have left without a word, but the time I spent talking with Hirata was a fresh experience, so I mustered the courage to speak up.
"Ah... I'm sorry, Ayanokoji-kun. Another time."
Hirata said, with a genuinely apologetic look on his face. Hoping that my feeling of regret wasn't just my imagination, I picked up my tray and stood up.
This is a small drawback of focusing on making friends. My own time is taken up by others, and I can't get enough time to myself. Even if I have a personal problem, I can't discuss it with Karuizawa, who is the source of the problem, so I have to keep it to myself.
After lunch, I wandered around the ship. I could go back to my room and read the book for the fourth time, but I just passed Koenji in the hallway, so if I go back now, it'll just be the two of us. That would be so awkward.
"Hmm?"
As I was thinking about how to kill time until Hirata and the others came back, my phone vibrated. I took it out and saw a message from one of my few chat friends, a girl. How convenient. A plan to kill time has fallen into my lap. I had no reason to refuse, so I gladly accepted.
"Hah... haaah... haaaaah..."
As I approached the sender of the email, Sakura, she was sighing repeatedly, seemingly deep in thought.
"What's wrong?"
"Whoa! Oh, Ayanokoji-kun!"
I don't think I spoke in a way that would startle her that much, but it seemed to be a surprise for Sakura, who straightened her usually slouched back and panicked.
"Sorry for surprising you."
"N-no, it's fine. I was just acting strange."
She gets so nervous when she meets up with a friend. Her personal life seems like it's a lot of work.
"Ayanokoji-kun, your roommates are Hirata-kun, Koenji-kun, and Yukimura-kun... right?"
"Me? Yeah, but why do you ask?" It was an unexpected question.
"Actually, I'm... I'm a little worried about the people in my room."
She probably doesn't have a good relationship with her roommates. That's typical of Sakura, who isn't good at socializing. I can tell from her expression that it's a serious problem.
"You're asking for advice on relationships? I'm not bragging, but I can confidently say that I have friends in Tsugumi, Horikita, the three idiots, and Sakura... I might have more than I thought."
Without realizing it, I might have taken the first step toward becoming a popular person.
"That's so nice... I'm a little envious that you can confidently say you have a lot of friends."
"I got this from Tsugumi, though."
I remember what Tsugumi once said to me.
'If you have fun with them, I think they're already your friend.'
...Do I have to reach that level to be called a popular person? If so, I feel like it'll take a hundred years.
More importantly, it seems Sakura thought of me as a friend too. If she had said, "Huh... friends? You, Ayanokoji-kun?" I probably would have run to the deck and jumped off.
"You said you're not good at talking to people, so I was wondering how you do it... I thought you might have some advice for me, Ayanokoji-kun."
"I-I'm sorry for just assuming. You're busy too."
"It's fine. It's not a problem for me to give advice. But whether I can actually help is another story."
Come to think of it, if someone asked me if I was on good terms with my roommates Koenji, Hirata, and Yukimura, I'd have to shake my head. My words from a moment ago suddenly feel very embarrassing.
As I was thinking to myself, trying to get rid of my embarrassment, the door to the cabin opened.
"Oh? Ayanokoji-kun and Sakura-san. What are you two doing here?"
Kushida suddenly appeared from the cabin. Sakura's bright expression immediately vanished, and she looked uncomfortable. She's not good at controlling her emotions, but... This is a bit too obvious.
However, Kushida didn't seem to mind and continued to talk.
"Oh, I'm not trying to interrupt, okay? I'm just meeting up with a friend."
"...I'm going back to my room."
Kushida frantically tried to stop her, but Sakura quickly walked back inside the ship.
"Oh... I'm sorry. Bad timing. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."
Kushida put her hands together and apologized. There was nothing for her to apologize for. Just as I was about to say that, my phone and Kushida's phone rang at the same time.
"That sound..."
A high-pitched chime. It was the sound of a school email, sent when there were new instructions or changes to events. The fact that the sound plays even when the phone is on silent mode shows how important it is.
Our conversation was interrupted. Kushida and I looked at each other and then opened our phones.
"A special exam?"
...This is going to be a pain.
---------
As if to make up for the time we missed during the special exam, Arisu-chan and I walked around the ship. We were both aware that we were in the public eye, but it was honestly more of a hassle to hide our relationship, so we walked proudly side-by-side.
It was a little after 5:00 p.m. As we were deciding where to eat dinner, a message suddenly arrived on my phone.
To all students. We have just sent an email from the school to all students containing important information. Please check your phones and follow the instructions. If you have not received the email, please notify a teacher nearby. This is a very important message, so please make sure you don't miss it.
"You hear that, Arisu-chan? Let's sit somewhere and check it."
"Yes. A high-priority notification and a ship-wide announcement. I wonder what it's about."
The announcement was a mood-killer for a date, but for Arisu-chan, it was the opposite. I opened my phone and saw the ominous words "Special Exam."
"Gather at room 201 at 8:40 p.m., is that it?"
"Oh? Same time for you, Arisu-chan. Look."
Arisu-chan muttered quietly. I was curious about what she said, so I showed her my phone screen.
"8:40 p.m. in room 204... Only the room number is different."
"I guess we won't know until we go. You're probably busy, so let's call it a day for now."
"...I hope this exam doesn't limit our movements like the last one."
Arisu-chan muttered, looking displeased. She was clearly upset that our date had been interrupted.
"Don't worry. We still have a lot of time."
"...I suppose so. It seems a fun event is about to begin."
She recovered quickly.
As I was thinking that, I got a notification that I had received a chat message. That was a close one. I had set my phone to silent mode, so I almost missed it.
Did you get an email from the school?
I did.
Me too.
The message was from the group chat with me, Suzune-chan, and Kiyotaka-kun. The icon was a selfie of the three of us, with me in the middle. I'm smiling widely, and they both look a little embarrassed, which makes it one of my favorite photos. I replied to Kiyotaka-kun's message.
My time is 6:00 p.m., what about you guys?
Mine is 8:40 p.m. The times are quite different.
Oh, my time is 8:40 p.m. in room 204 too. I guess they're not separating us by gender.
He mentioned the time. Was Kiyotaka-kun with someone other than me and Horikita-san?
I'm curious about the different times. If the exam starts at different times, it would be unfair to those who know the problem beforehand.
It's too early to tell.
Since Suzune-chan and I have the same time, please let us know what the explanation is beforehand!
Got it.
With that, I closed my phone and asked Arisu-chan, who was sitting next to me.
"What's your stance on this exam?"
It was a broad question, but our time together wasn't short enough for her to not understand my meaning. After thinking for a few seconds, she opened an app that showed our class points and the changes to them.
"I will be participating in this exam, so I plan to give it my all. Well, I can't say for sure until I understand the contents of the exam."
---------
First Year - Class Points
Class A: 1004 (1019) Pt
Class B: 663 (803) Pt
Class C: 492 (542) Pt
Class D: 95 (450) Pt
---------
The numbers in the parentheses show the points after the results of the uninhabited island exam were added. Since class points are not distributed until the end of summer vacation, this is a projected outcome.
Looking at it this way, the initial despairing difference doesn't seem to exist anymore. Since it's been proven that a few hundred points can move in a special exam, the students in Class A must be on edge.
"Are you pretty fired up, Arisu-chan?"
"Of course I am. Since I'm allowed to participate, this exam must not be focused on physical activity. After being put on hold for a week, what else is there to hold back for?"
That's true. Well, Kiyotaka-kun's continued enrollment is guaranteed for now, so as promised, I need to get to work.
============
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