Three days had passed since the uninhabited isnd special exam.
As if to reward the students for their hard work, the cruise ship had remained peaceful and uneventful during this time. Students indulged in the luxuries of the high-end cruise, enjoying the rare leisure.
As for Uesugi Gen—he had spent three straight days gaming in the comfort of the cruise ship.
"Ahhh~"
Uesugi stretched zily, letting out a long, satisfied sigh.
"This id-back life is truly the best!"
“…But isn’t this exactly how you live at school?"
Lying in bed, flipping through a novel, Hamaguchi Tetsuya turned a page and casually commented.
"In fact, I'd say your life at school is even easier. At least here, you have to be around people, whereas back in the dorms, all you do is hole up and py games. The activity room is way better than this, don’t you think?”
Shibata Sō immediately followed up with a well-aimed remark.
“And most importantly—”
Kanzaki Ryūji entered the room with a serious expression.
"You haven’t forgotten that there’s another special exam coming up, right? The trip is almost over, and the ter it gets, the higher the chances of the exam happening."
“Ugh, you guys are so annoying. Can’t we talk about anything else?”
Hearing his friends so intent on ruining the mood, Uesugi groaned in frustration. Then, with the shamelessness of a man resigned to fate, he decred:
"I've already put my phone on silent today. As long as I don’t check my messages, no matter what happens—even if this ship sinks—there will be no special exam."
"Fine, different topic then."
Hamaguchi suddenly sat up, his interest piqued.
"What happened after you and Ichinose went back that night?"
Gossip detected.
Both Kanzaki and Shibata subtly perked up their ears.
“Ahem!”
Like a master performer switching masks, Uesugi's expression turned serious in an instant.
With a dignified tone, he said:
"I believe, as students of Advanced Nurturing High School, we should focus on the special exam. Idle gossip will only slow our thinking."
"Tch!"
The three others immediately lost interest and turned away.
Just then, all four of their phones rang at the same time.
This wasn't the usual notification sound—it was a sharp, high-pitched alert.
"OH CRAP! THE SHIP IS SINKING! WE GOTTA RUN!"
Uesugi teleported to the door, looking ready to flee for his life.
"Knock it off."
Kanzaki shot him an unimpressed look before checking his phone. Then, he turned the screen toward the others.
"The special exam has arrived."
The rest quickly checked their own messages.
At the same time, the ship’s announcement system activated.
[Attention all students.]
The school has just sent an email containing important exam details to every student.Please check your phones and follow the instructions provided.If you did not receive the email, contact a nearby staff member immediately.
This information is extremely important.Make sure you review it carefully.
I repeat—
The pyful look on Uesugi’s face disappeared.
He picked up his phone and read aloud:
"The special exam is about to begin."
"Students must gather in their designated rooms at the specified time.""Anyone te by more than ten minutes will be penalized.""Please report to Room 102 on the second floor by 8:40 PM.""The exam duration is approximately 20 minutes.""Make sure to use the restroom beforehand and switch your phone to silent mode or turn it off before arriving."
After finishing, Uesugi looked up.
"What about you guys?"
"The details are the same, just different times and rooms."
Kanzaki checked his message.
"I'm at 6:00 PM, Room 105."
"Mine’s 7:20 PM, Room 101," Shibata said, scratching his head.
Hamaguchi gnced at Kanzaki. "Same as him—6:00 PM, Room 105."
"This exam is completely different from the uninhabited isnd test," Kanzaki mused.
"Looks like we’ll be separated this time."
Then, turning to Uesugi, he asked, "Any thoughts?"
"Not enough information to say for sure."
Uesugi stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"But…"
"Why are they specifically asking us to turn off our phones or put them on silent? Are they trying to prevent information leaks? What exactly can’t be shared?"
Faced with this question, the others also fell into deep thought.
After a moment, Uesugi cpped his hands.
"Eh, forget it. Let’s just take the simple approach."
He turned to Kanzaki.
"Kanzaki, go get some voice recorders and cameras."
“…You’re pnning to—”
Kanzaki instantly understood.
"The message only said to turn off phones. It never said anything about other recording devices," Uesugi shrugged innocently.
"And besides, we barely have any information. More intel can’t hurt."
"Oh, and another thing—"
Uesugi added, as if just remembering something.
"Tell the others to test the teachers’ reaction by taking out a camera first. If they don’t stop you, then you can bring out the recorder. But if they do react… keep the recorder hidden and record secretly."
"Got it."
Kanzaki exchanged gnces with the others before they swiftly moved into action.
Just then, a message came from Ichinose.
Ichinose: [Uesugi-kun, did you get the special exam notification? What room are you in?]
Uesugi: [8:40 PM, Room 102 on the second floor. What about you?]
Ichinose: [That's perfect! Looks like we're in the same group! I also got 8:40 PM, Room 102! Oh, and so did Hitomi! Let’s head there together ter!]
I got grouped with Ichinose?
If this was a coincidence, it was way too much of one.
Which meant…
The groupings weren’t random.They were deliberately arranged.
...
By the time 8:40 PM approached, Uesugi and Ichinose had arrived at their designated location.
"This is the pce, right?"
Uesugi knocked on the door.
"Let’s see what this special exam is about."
A calm but slightly cold voice answered from inside.
"Enter."
Upon receiving permission, the group stepped in.
Sitting in the room was a woman with a high ponytail, dressed in a sharp business suit.
Chabashira Sae.
D-Css’s ruthless homeroom teacher.
The only reason Hoshinomiya Chie remained at Advanced Nurturing High School.
