Chapter 027 Beating Up Yagami / Two Cute Wives Waiting for Him at Home
Early the next morning, the cruise ship slowly pulled alongside the shore.
There were 157 groups in total participating in this exam: 36 groups of four, 83 groups of three, 32 pairs, and 6 solo participants.
Shimizu Akira woke up early today and stood on the upper deck looking down. Perhaps because they were nearing the shore, a surprisingly large number of people had gathered on the deck.
"Hey! Why are you up here too?"
"I'm too excited to sleep! I'm here to see the deserted island. What if the school intentionally circles around it again like last year?"
"I see! Good point!"
Hearing this, Akira shook his head involuntarily. This time, the tablets provided a rough map, and the island was several times larger than last year's. If the ship actually circled it at a slow speed, it would take at least an hour. Besides, the school hadn't made any broadcast reminders, so they likely weren't going to pull the same trick twice.
Seeing too many people on deck, he temporarily returned to a private lounge on the sixth floor. As it approached 7:00 AM, he called Horikita Suzune and Karuizawa Kei. About ten minutes later, the two walked in one after the other.
"How are you both feeling physically?" Akira asked.
"I'm fine; I feel like I'm in top condition," Horikita Suzune said confidently.
Karuizawa Kei rubbed her eyes dizzily. "I guess I'm okay... just a bit sleepy."
Sleepiness wasn't a major issue. Akira took both of their hands and asked, "Did you buy everything? Is it too heavy to carry? Do you need to put anything in my bag?"
Their group of three had all purchased "Lead Cards," giving them a total of 22,500 initial points. After discussing it last night, they had bought a significant amount of supplies.
Group Supplies List:
One 3-person tent Three 2-liter water bottles Ten 500ml water bottles 30 servings of portable food 3 flashlights 3 power banks for tablets
Lighters One set of kitchen utensils 2 women's sun hats 1 rechargeable mini fan 2 cans of insect repellent spray 3 walkie-talkies 1 voice recorder
Shelter, water, food, heatstroke prevention, communication equipment, and various small items—almost everything that needed to be prepared was ready. In total, they spent nearly 20,000 points. Karuizawa Kei had 2,500 points left over. For now, they couldn't think of anything else they lacked. Since they could buy more at the harbor if needed, he let her keep the remaining points.
"No need, I can handle this weight," Kei said, waving her hand and yawning. "I was just too excited last night and kept tossing and turning..."
"The heaviest items—the tent, kitchen gear, and most of the water—are in your bag, so we're fine," Horikita added.
Akira nodded and looked out the window. The ship had come to a complete halt. On the shore, he could vaguely see temporary tents and several school staff members. Many first-year students had already set off.
"How much longer until we disembark?" Kei leaned in to ask.
"The first-years are already gone," Akira checked the time. "The second-years assemble at 8:30. It's 8:10 now, so we still have plenty of time."
Just then, the ship's PA system crackled to life: "Attention all second-year students. Please assemble on the fifth-floor deck by 9:00 AM. Disembarkation will proceed according to class ranking. Repeating..."
"Let's go." Akira picked up his backpack.
As the three left the lounge and headed for the fifth floor, the corridors were already teeming with students carrying large bags.
"Akira-kun!"
Kushida Kikyo's voice came from behind. Akira turned to see her walking toward them with Hasabe Haruka and Sakura Airi. It seemed his other three girlfriends had arrived. All three were carrying bulging backpacks.
"Did you get everything you need?" Akira glanced at their bags.
"Mhm!" Sakura Airi answered softly.
Haruka slapped her backpack nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Akira-kun. We studied this for a long time last night; we didn't miss a single thing we needed to buy!"
Kushida Kikyo approached with a smile. "And we specifically bought extra snacks~ If you guys run out of food on your side, you can come to us."
"That's very thoughtful," Akira nodded.
"Of course!" Haruka tilted her chin up proudly. "We are the 'Supportive Wives,' after all!"
The girls all laughed. However, Akira noticed a slight shadow under Kikyo's eyes. He waved her over, and she stepped toward him.
"Didn't sleep well?"
"Yeah," Kikyo nodded, looking a bit frustrated. "I just feel like that damn baby-face is up to no good. These past few days, he's been bringing up middle school stuff intentionally or unintentionally."
The "damn baby-face" was, of course, Takuya Yagami.
Akira took her hand. "Don't worry too much. As I said before, this island exam is the final stage for those White Room assassins. His real target should be me or Ayanokouji Kiyotaka." He then asked, "By the way, did you buy walkie-talkies?"
"We did," Kikyo nodded.
"Good. If you encounter any trouble you can't handle, contact me immediately. I'll get to you as fast as I possibly can."
Since they were in different groups and there were twelve fixed starting routes, Akira couldn't guarantee he would see Kikyo and the others every day. They had to rely on the walkie-talkies.
Kikyo let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Akira-kun. Hearing you say that makes me feel much better! But... did you say that to your other girlfriends too?"
"No way! You're the first!" Akira said righteously. After all, she was the only one specifically being targeted by a White Room assassin.
"Oh? That's not bad then." She nodded in satisfaction, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a light peck on the lips. "However, if you beat Takuya Yagami to a pulp, I'll grant you any request."
Any request.
As a man, several images flashed through Akira's mind. But he quickly snapped back to reality. "Stop tempting me. We're practically an old married couple at this point. That being the case, you have to come with me to a Love Hotel later; I can't leave you out."
Kikyo paused, her eyes softening. "...You're right. We haven't been there yet."
They had talked about going before, but things had been too busy lately. Akira had indeed promised her. When it came to the intimacy a girlfriend deserved, she would definitely be first. It seemed he still remembered that promise.
The two smiled at each other and settled the matter right then and there.
"Alright, it's almost time. I should head back," Kikyo said, looking at the queue in the distance.
"Yeah."
Akira walked her back to Haruka and Airi and exchanged a few brief words. Kikyo put on her signature sweet smile again, waved at them, and led the two girls away. Akira watched them leave. Knowing Kikyo's personality, she was probably already looking forward to the sight of him beating Yagami into a pulp.
Then again, the fact that his girlfriend had been living in fear these past few days was reason enough to give that guy a thrashing.
"Done talking?" Karuizawa Kei said from the side, sounding a bit jealous. "What did Kushida say to you? She looked so happy."
"Nothing much," Akira said with a straight face. "She just asked me to beat up someone annoying."
"Eh? Who?"
"Takuya Yagami."
Kei paused. "That person is indeed pretty annoying. I felt he was weird the first time I met him."
Horikita Suzune spoke up from the side: "Don't be too impulsive. Takuya Yagami is from the White Room; his true strength is unknown. Also, if you use violence during the exam, the school won't just stand by and watch."
"I know," Akira nodded. "So I have to find the right timing." Preferably a moment of self-defense or an "accidental" conflict.
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8:40 AM.
Over a hundred people had gathered on the fifth-floor deck, a sea of students. The groups stood in formation, waiting for instructions.
"Mashima-sensei, may I say a few words to my fellow students?" Ichinose Honami of second-year Class B suddenly raised her hand.
"The rules allow it, so of course you may," Tomoya Mashima nodded and stepped aside.
Ichinose Honami walked to the center of the crowd and spoke with a smile: "Hello, everyone! For this deserted island special exam, I plan to set up several Relief Stations. I've carefully planned the map and selected five central points near all the designated areas. Each station will have three or four students setting up a simple camp. I've purchased portable water purifiers and fresh ingredients, and we will be cooking regular meals there. We also have parasols and beds prepared.
If any of you feel hungry, thirsty, or unwell while moving between checkpoints, you can head to the nearest Relief Station to rest. Also, since this exam lasts fourteen days, it's easy for groups to get separated or have accidents. Each station is equipped with walkie-talkies to help separated students find their original teams."
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Ichinose-san is the best!"
"We can replenish water and food, and even rest!"
"Thank you so much! This special exam just got a whole lot easier!"
"Wait..." someone raised a question. "By doing this, aren't you giving up on competing for first place from the start?"
"Yeah, won't you fall behind?"
"Ichinose, isn't your class in a dangerous position?"
Ichinose Honami shook her head with a smile. "Please don't worry about us. The members at each Relief Station are only one person from a three-person group; the other two can continue participating in the exam. Furthermore, we will rotate personnel regularly. Don't forget, our class has 42 people now—numbers are our advantage."
"This sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?" Ryuen Kakeru asked bluntly. "Ichinose, I don't believe you're doing this without conditions."
"Yes, you're right," Ichinose admitted candidly. "The first use of a Relief Station is free. However, if you want to purchase water, food, or stay overnight to rest, you will need to sign a contract and pay a small amount of personal points. Additionally, if students from any class fall ill, they can be brought to our stations. We have purchased medicine and will do our best to take care of them."
"Oh?" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. "So you're aiming for personal points. Ichinose-san, you've suddenly become quite realistic; it surprises me a little."
Such transactions were permitted by the school; last year, Class A and Class C had signed a somewhat unfair treaty. However, for a recognized "Great Do-gooder" like Ichinose to suddenly switch to a realistic transaction mode was unexpected. Did she stop enjoying helping people for free?
As if anticipating their thoughts, Ichinose nodded frankly: "Well, after all, buying people out last time drained our class funds, and I still owe Sakayanagi-san five million points. Besides, the person I like told me that doing good doesn't mean helping others unconditionally—getting rewarded is what makes it sustainable."
She looked at everyone sincerely: "So I'm asking for the support of the other classes this time. The current Class D is indeed very short on funds. Please, everyone."
A wave of supportive shouts immediately rose from the crowd.
"Of course! Ichinose-san helped me so much last year!"
"I'll go!"
"This is a good thing; we should support it!"
For the vast majority of students, there was no hesitation. Ichinose had high prestige, was a member of the student council, and had helped many people solve problems. If she was putting in the labor and resources now, why shouldn't she get paid? Even for a good person, they have a class to support. Getting paid for honest work is only natural.
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled softly. She felt Ichinose had indeed grown a lot. This made her much more like a "normal" person. Someone's "training" level was indeed quite impressive. She stroked her chin, thinking the plan was excellent. Ichinose's service wouldn't just be for second-years. Including the first and third-years, there were over 400 people. Who wouldn't have an accident or a need? Even if she charged 10,000 points per service, with hundreds of people, that would be millions of personal points.
However, Arisu realized this plan could only be executed by second-year Class D. Only Ichinose had the prestige and popularity to make people trust the service. If anyone else tried it, people might not buy in.
She couldn't help but feel the shadow of a certain man behind this whole affair.
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"Was it your idea for Ichinose?" Suzune turned to Akira and asked directly.
"Well, I just proposed a simple concept," Akira shrugged. "The specific execution was figured out by Kanzaki Ryuji and Katsuragi Kohei."
His girlfriend still owed Sakayanagi five million points. He figured that since Class D had so many "Half-off Cards" and one "Nullify Card," it wasn't necessary for everyone to aim for high rankings. While the bottom three groups lost class points, the fourth and fifth losers only had to pay personal points. Besides, since Ichinose was so worried about other classes anyway, he might as well let her do good while making money.
As for how to ensure that the Class D groups—whose scores might suffer from staffing the stations—landed exactly in the "safe" bottom fourth or fifth spots, that was Katsuragi and Kanzaki's headache.
"You wouldn't help Class D for free, would you?" Kei followed up.
"Class D said they'd give me a 20% cut of the profits afterward," Akira smiled. "Honami also said in advance that since you guys are in the 'Girlfriend Group,' you can use all the facilities for free. She's already made the arrangements."
'A 20% cut! And free use of the stations! That's actually great.'
Kei hugged Akira's arm, feeling strangely proud. As expected of her boyfriend—the exam had barely started, and he had already smoothed everything out.
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The Relief Station was just a small interlude. Second-year Class D first had to confirm the locations of drinkable rivers and find suitable fishing spots. It wasn't expected to be fully operational until noon on the second day. Ultimately, for this exam, the Relief Stations were just supplementary. To get a high rank, students still had to rely on their own strength.
9:00 AM sharp.
The school began collecting all cell phones and confirming that everyone's watch functions were working perfectly. Once everything was ready, Akira's group of three followed the line off the ship. He stood on the beach and looked around. Sunlight, sea breeze, dense forests, and undulating hills in the distance—this was the deserted island for the exam.
Perhaps because he had been stuck at Advanced Nurturing High School for so long, Akira's first impression of the beach was that the air was much fresher than back at school.
Horikita Suzune had already pulled out her tablet to confirm their first stop: "Our first target area is D7."
"Hmm... everyone's starting point is in area D9," Karuizawa Kei looked around, looking a bit anxious. "Some students have already started running! Doesn't first place get ten points? Should we..."
"No need to rush," Akira patted her hand reassuringly. "The first-years left an hour early, and second-year Class A is ahead of us in line. Even if we start running now, the odds of getting first place are low. Let's just walk. According to the map, D7 is only a 30-minute walk."
He then looked at Horikita: "By the way, Suzune, didn't you plan for this island exam long ago? Let's hear it."
Horikita thought for a moment before saying slowly: "Akira-kun, during the day, you should act alone."
"Eh?!" Karuizawa Kei immediately got anxious. "How can we do that? Every other group is moving together as three! And I don't want to leave Akira-kun so soon!"
"Let me finish," Horikita said rationally, unmoved. "Given Akira-kun's physical abilities, moving as a group of three will only hinder his efficiency. He would have to accommodate our pace, being limited at every turn. Furthermore, most of the Tasks (Challenges) are limited to one person per group. If he acts alone, he can participate in various Tasks freely and maximize his time. Overall, acting separately is more beneficial for us."
Kei wanted to argue, but she couldn't find the words. In terms of both stamina and ability, both of them were far behind Akira. If the three of them stayed tethered together, Akira would have to slow down to take care of them.
"But... what about me and you? Will we move as a pair?"
Horikita nodded. "The two of us will move together, prioritizing the checkpoints. If we have energy to spare, we can split up to participate in the Tasks we are each good at."
"Mhm." Kei fell silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "...Fine, I understand."
Seeing her still looking a bit reluctant, Akira walked over and patted her head. "We have the walkie-talkies, right? Contact me anytime if anything happens. Besides, I'll definitely be back by 6:00 PM. At that time, you two will have to have dinner ready." He paused and added, "I'll leave the three-person tent with you. You and Suzune find a good spot to set up camp. We'll rest together at night."
Kei's face flushed slightly, and she nodded vigorously. "Mhm! I got it, leave it to me!"
Since they started dating, Kei sometimes became a bit clingy due to a lack of security. But ultimately, it was because she cared about him too much. Giving her a small task to distract her made her obedient.
Horikita Suzune had already marked the route on her tablet and looked up. "Then let's do this for today. You head out first, and Kei and I will handle the checkpoints. Contact us via walkie-talkie before 6:00 PM, and I'll tell you the campsite location."
"Got it," Akira nodded.
The three briefly confirmed the walkie-talkie channel to ensure they could communicate before preparing to go their separate ways. Before leaving, Karuizawa Kei tugged on Akira's collar. Akira knew exactly what she wanted; he pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the forehead.
"Don't worry, I'll come back safe. If things go well, I might even bring back a lot of spoils."
"Mhm," Kei nodded, her mood visibly improving.
Akira turned his head to the side. Horikita Suzune was involuntarily looking away.
"Suzune, you too."
"?!" She was startled and immediately countered: "I certainly don't need some 'kiss for encouragement'!"
She was joking! She was Horikita Suzune! It's not like she couldn't survive without him!
"I need it," Akira said righteously. "I wanted to spend more time with you both, but you sent me away as soon as we started. At the very least, give me some encouragement before we part. Otherwise, I'll have no motivation out there."
Horikita's body stiffened. After two seconds of silence, she walked up to him with a look of feigned reluctance. "Ahem... I suppose it can't be helped then."
She quickly stood on her tiptoes, gave him a lightning-fast peck on the cheek, and immediately stepped back two paces. "Is that enough?"
Akira touched the spot where she kissed him. "It's okay, but you call that encouragement? I thought I'd get some special treatment."
"Don't push your luck," Horikita looked away. "Go, don't waste time. If you don't get at least twenty points today, don't expect to enter the tent tonight."
Akira finally picked up his backpack. "Twenty points, huh... fine, got it."
He turned toward the woods, walked two steps, and looked back: "I'm off then. You two be careful on the road. Use the walkie-talkie if anything happens."
"Mhm!" Kei nodded vigorously.
"Understood," Horikita replied softly.
Akira turned and walked deep into the forest. After a few steps, he looked back one last time.
The two girls were still standing there—one waving energetically, the other watching quietly.
He felt a strange sensation, as if he were a newlywed going out to work while his two cute wives waited at home for him to return.
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