Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

Two things shook the entirety of Class 2-A today.

The first was Sakayanagi Arisu's return.

When she appeared at the entrance of the Class 2-A classroom again after a week away, the entire room fell into dead silence.

She was not using her cane.

She was clearly wearing the same school uniform as usual, with her beret on her head, white stockings beneath her skirt, and even that faint, barely-there smile at the corner of her lips had not changed at all.

And yet, the sight of her now gave everyone an intense sense of wrongness.

Watching Arisu walk steadily into the classroom, everyone felt as if each step she took landed directly on their hearts.

A few girls reacted the fastest. They stammered as they hurried up to ask Arisu where her usual cane was.

In response, Arisu smiled beautifully and told them that she no longer needed it. Her physical condition had become the same as an ordinary person's, and the reason she had taken leave these past few days was to receive treatment and recover.

The news was like dropping a piece of sodium into water.

The entire classroom instantly erupted.

The girls almost rushed forward all at once, surrounding Arisu in a noisy, excited circle. Some asked what miracle medicine she had taken, while others sincerely congratulated her.

Even the boys became strangely excited when they witnessed this scene. Even Totsuka Yahiko, who usually disliked the Sakayanagi faction, looked genuinely happy.

Great.

Their class no longer had someone dragging them down.

If another event like the Sports Festival happened, even Arisu could now be useful.

Kaoru noticed that not many people were suspicious of Arisu's recovery. Most of them were simply happy to see it. It seemed everyone accepted the news rather easily, perhaps because they had never fully understood the details of Arisu's illness in the first place.

Kamuro Masumi, on the other hand, kept glancing at him suspiciously from time to time, her eyes carrying the faint look of someone staring at an alien.

After Arisu finally escaped the circle of girls and returned to Kaoru's side, she stood in front of him.

Her silver-white hair shone brightly in the morning sunlight. Without her cane, even the same uniform somehow gave her a completely different impression.

"During the days I was away, did Mitoma-kun feel lonely?"

Arisu looked like a young maiden in love, her eyes shy as she lightly bit her lip. Anyone who saw her like this would probably feel their heart stir.

"A little. But luckily, Masumi was by my side."

Kaoru nodded with deep agreement.

In truth, he could feel quite a few gazes from around the classroom turning toward them. Even in Class 2-A, full of excellent students, gossip was still something everyone loved.

"Hey, don't drag me into this!"

Masumi's face darkened.

Being involved with this guy really was the worst luck of her life.

"That's fine. Kamuro-san is very cute, after all."

Arisu smiled lightly at first, then her tone gained a faint trace of reproach. "And?"

Kaoru thought for a moment before saying, "Welcome back, Arisu."

"You didn't miss me?"

Arisu was not letting him go that easily. "There isn't even the slightest surprise in your eyes. Have you already gotten tired of me?"

Kaoru felt as if several murderous gazes had landed on him. Even Masumi, sitting beside him, shrank back slightly with a look that said, 'You're on your own.'

"Of course I missed you. Your hair, your ears, your eyes, your nose, and your mouth—I missed all of them."

Kaoru pulled her into his arms and deliberately lowered his voice. "Let me see whether you've grown a little too."

Arisu froze for a moment, then her face flushed as she quickly slipped out of his embrace. Immediately after, she saw the amused look on his face.

Sure enough, when it came to shameless teasing, she could not beat this pervert.

Flirting had no effect on Kaoru at all. He really would make a move if given the chance.

After just returning, Arisu experienced the rare taste of defeat.

Dealing with a shameless pervert like this seemed impossible.

No.

Of course she still had methods.

"Mitoma-kun, let's talk about it tonight."

Arisu blinked and deliberately let everyone nearby hear her. "I don't know where I put the engagement ring you gave me. Can you help me look for it in my room?"

Kaoru looked at her finger.

Sure enough, she was not wearing the ring.

However, the surrounding classroom immediately exploded with excitement. Arisu's ring was finally confirmed. As expected, Kaoru had given it to her!

Masumi curled her lips.

She also had a ring. She had simply never worn it.

Only an idiot would believe Arisu was actually looking for a ring. She was probably trying to call Kaoru to her room so they could do whatever couples did.

...

The excitement caused by Arisu did not last too long.

Soon, another matter drew the entire class's attention.

The second uninhabited island exam.

During today's homeroom, Mashima Tomonari introduced the upcoming special exam to everyone through a PowerPoint presentation.

"I believe none of you have forgotten what you experienced during last year's summer vacation. Although it is still somewhat early, the school has already prepared to hold the second uninhabited island exam."

Mashima used the pointer to indicate the screen on the blackboard, which displayed a massive luxury cruise ship.

In an instant, the students of Class 2-A exchanged glances.

This cruise ship was even larger than the one from last time. It was very possible that it would not be carrying only their year.

"First, from August 4th to August 11th, for eight days and seven nights, you will spend this part of your summer vacation aboard this luxury cruise ship. As with last time, all facilities on the ship will be freely available to you. In addition, no special exam will be conducted aboard the ship."

Hearing the last sentence, most people let out a sigh of relief.

Last time, they had only enjoyed themselves for a few days before the VIP exam began, ruining everyone's mood.

"Yosh! The school finally learned how to treat good students like us properly!"

Totsuka Yahiko proudly whistled. "Mashima-sensei, hurry up and tell us what the special exam is this time."

Mashima looked around the classroom.

Most students were already eager to begin, and it was not hard to understand why. Back then, Class A had relied on the uninhabited island exam to surpass the entire year.

For them, although the uninhabited island had involved hardship, it had also been their first major victory.

Mashima likely thought of his own fellow teacher too. Chabashira Sae was probably explaining the exam content to her class at this very moment, though nobody knew what mood she would be in.

In the next moment, Mashima restrained his unnecessary thoughts and continued speaking in his usual cool tone.

"This exam's theme is uninhabited island survival. You should still remember last year's uninhabited island exam, but this year's format is different from last year's. It will be harsher and more brutal. You should prepare yourselves mentally."

At the same time, Mashima switched the PowerPoint to a detailed schedule.

"This is the timetable announced by the school. It will also be sent to your phones, so you can check it whenever you wish. There is no need to take notes."

According to the school's arrangement, the students would depart on July 19th, leaving the school by bus before transferring to the cruise ship at the harbor.

The exam would officially begin the next day, July 20th. At that time, the school would explain the exam content, hand over supplies, and complete all necessary procedures.

After that, the exam would continue until August 3rd. The rankings and results would then be announced aboard the cruise ship, and corresponding rewards or penalties would be issued.

Afterward would be free activity time. The cruise ship would return to the harbor on August 11th, matching the eight days and seven nights of cruise ship life that had just been mentioned.

According to this schedule, the closing ceremony for the first semester would be held on July 16th. They would need to prepare for departure immediately after the ceremony, so the timing was rather tight.

In addition, the second uninhabited island exam would last longer than the previous one. The participating students would have to survive on the uninhabited island for two full weeks.

Given the school's usual style, the exam format would definitely not be simple outdoor survival.

This uninhabited island exam would be a joint exam involving all year levels. Students would not only compete against others in the same year, but also against students from different years.

For this exam, the school had specially changed to a different uninhabited island. The island used for last year's exam was too small and could not accommodate a larger number of students.

Yes.

The school apparently owned several uninhabited islands. If necessary, they could even request access to certain government-controlled remote islands, though those were only islands that were rarely used.

"Because the exam is still some time away, only part of the rules will be announced today."

Mashima switched to the next slide. "First are the team formation rules. You may form large groups with a maximum of six people. If the students are from the same year level, they may form a large group regardless of class."

Kaoru was not surprised.

Every time the school wanted students to cooperate with other classes, it was clearly trying to prevent them from closing off communication too much.

"From today until before the closing ceremony, you will have one month to choose your teammates. Among second-year students, you may choose up to two others, forming a small group with a maximum of three people. Remember, you may not form a small group with first-year or third-year students."

As Mashima explained, everyone saw the restrictions displayed on the slide.

First-year students could form small groups of up to four people. However, second-year and third-year students could only form small groups of up to three people.

These were clearly different restrictions aimed at different year levels.

In addition, the school had placed special limits on gender ratios. For mixed-gender groups, girls had to make up at least two-thirds of the group.

In other words, if a boy wanted to form a group with girls, the format could only be one boy and two girls.

Otherwise, he would either have to act alone or team up with other boys.

"Although this exam allows students to act alone, each small group may still form a large group. Whether you are a solo group or a two-person group, as long as the total number in the large group does not exceed six, you may team up and act together."

Mashima emphasized the importance of forming teams.

The risk of acting alone was too high. If someone was accidentally eliminated, the consequences would be tragic.

Because the theme of this exam was outdoor survival, and because it would last a full two weeks, a single person would struggle to handle unexpected situations alone.

However, Mashima only emphasized it once. He believed his class would not have any idiots.

"The rewards for this exam will be issued by group. The number of members in the group will not affect the class point reward. The school will distribute the reward equally according to the number of classes represented in the group."

As his words fell, the reward screen appeared on the PowerPoint.

First place: 300 class points, 1,000,000 private points, and 1 protection point.

Second place: 200 class points and 500,000 private points.

Third place: 100 class points and 250,000 private points.

In addition, groups ranked in the top 50% would receive 50,000 private points, while groups ranked in the top 70% would receive 10,000 private points.

"Please note that the bottom three groups in this exam will be responsible for paying the class points awarded to the top three groups. For example, if the bottom-ranked group belongs to a second-year class, the school will collect the class points for the first-place reward equally from the second-year classes. Each class will have to pay the corresponding amount of class points."

Everyone's expressions changed.

Mashima's words were undoubtedly telling them that the other years were enemies.

Even if Class 2-A took first place, if all three bottom groups were second-year groups, their class points would still be mercilessly collected by the school to serve as exam rewards.

Perhaps seeing everyone's expressions, Mashima added, "If the top three and bottom three groups are from the same year level, then the class of the bottom-ranked group only needs to pay 100 class points. The second-lowest class will pay 66 class points, and the third-lowest class will pay 33 class points."

Not only that, if a mixed group made up of students from all four classes ended up in the bottom ranks, then the bottom group would pay 75 points, the second-bottom group would pay 50 points, and the third-bottom group would pay 25 points. The four classes would share the penalty together.

Even if the class points collected did not reach the full reward amount, the school would fill in the remaining amount. This rule applied equally to all year levels.

Everyone's expressions had just eased slightly when Mashima announced the final penalty.

"In addition to the class point penalties, the bottom five groups in this exam will have all members expelled."

At that moment, Kaoru felt as if he could hear the entire class inhale sharply at once.

Slytherin should really recruit here.

"A-all members will be expelled?"

Katsuragi Kōhei was shocked. Right now, their class could save one person at most.

"That is correct. All members will be expelled, even if they are students from Class A."

Mashima's voice made everyone feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar. But his next words were like warm sunlight.

"However, there is no need to be overly nervous. This exam also has a relief measure."

"What is the relief measure?"

Kōhei immediately asked.

"Six million private points."

Mashima stated it directly. "If each group can pay six million private points, then all members can avoid expulsion. In other words, each person in a six-member group would need to pay one million private points."

Kōhei subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

Six million was somewhat painful for Class 2-A, but it was not impossible. If things reached a true emergency, and everyone emptied their savings, they should at least be able to save around four groups.

"If it is a solo group, is the relief measure still six million private points?"

Arisu suddenly spoke.

Her eyes were shining. It was clear that her recovered physical condition had given her a certain confidence toward this uninhabited island exam.

"Yes. The relief measure is uniformly six million and is applied by group. A solo group must pay six million alone. A three-person group would require each person to pay two million."

Mashima added, "If someone cannot afford their share of private points, their teammates may help pay."

"What about people other than teammates?"

Arisu asked calmly.

"Only the individual and their teammates may pay. No outsiders are permitted to assist."

Mashima replied evenly. "Therefore, the more people in your group, the better. The burden of private points can be shared equally."

Kōhei felt deeply regretful.

Class 2-A's greatest advantage was Morishita Ai.

More accurately, it was the massive amount of private points she possessed.

Although they had already used a relief measure once before, Ai still had more than ten million private points. If they squeezed everyone else's pockets as well, gathering over twenty million private points would not be a problem.

Kōhei had originally thought that having Ai would be enough. He had not expected that only teammates could help pay.

With that restriction, the situation became much more complicated.