Chapter 108: Hiyori Shiina Wants to Test me?
Due to health reasons, Sakayanagi could not leave the school, but for Hachiman and the others, it had already been three months since they were confined at school, so now there was a sense of freedom that had been regained.
As they boarded the bus heading to the pier, Hachiman had no interest in the scenery along the way, instead, he was fiddling with his phone.
He frowned.
Finally.
"What are you doing, Hachiman?" The person in the seat next to him started a conversation.
"..." Hachiman glanced at the person.
She was a cute girl with a beautiful golden ponytail.
A popular figure in the class, she had stood out during the previous written exam, was greatly appreciated by everyone, and seemed to have gained a good reputation as the leader of the "gyaru" group, Karuizawa Kei.
The bus seats were not assigned, so the students could sit wherever they liked.
Hachiman knew he wasn't very popular, so he thought someone like Horikita, Kushida, or even Hirata might sit next to him. However, it turned out to be Karuizawa.
She was very popular now and had her own "gyaru" group.
It was a little strange for her to sit alone beside him.
According to the rumors in the class, Horikita would probably be the one sitting next to him.
But it turned out to be Karuizawa.
"I was trying to call home just now," Hachiman said.
"But it seems like it didn't work."
"I thought it was a local network issue, but now I see that the students' phones have all been set to something like a teenage mode, so both internet and contacts are failing."
"Oh?" Karuizawa didn't pay much attention to this.
Since they couldn't contact the outside world, everyone was used to it.
In fact, no one even thought about whether they could contact their families once they were out of school.
So, does this mean you really miss home?
Are you missing your parents? Or maybe your siblings?
Hachiman continued to think.
But...
If the students' phones were like this, were the teachers' phones also restricted?
Or, when they reach the ship, would the staff's phones also be restricted?
Hmm.
Overall... once out of the school, Hachiman slightly wanted to contact his family.
He wanted to see his younger sister.
It would be great if it could be a video call.
But there was nothing he could do.
He was just an ordinary high school boy.
But...
"Is this really okay?" Karuizawa lowered her voice and changed the subject. "This vacation, it just feels a little strange."
Hmm.
A vacation, huh.
Although Hachiman had arranged for Kushida to gather information and confirmed that this wasn't a vacation, but rather they were going because of the special exam this month.
However, Hachiman didn't let Kushida spread the news.
So for most of their classmates... many probably believed it was indeed a vacation.
After all...
If they could think more carefully, they wouldn't have been assigned to Class D in the first place.
And it wasn't just Karuizawa who thought this.
"Teacher, is the ship a luxury cruise? Like the kind that rich people have in Detective Conan?"
"Is the food going to be instant noodles?"
"Idiot, since it's a ship, it's definitely a luxury cruise, and inside, it's either foie gras or pasta," some boys began questioning the teacher, Chabashira.
"I hope there's bubble tea," some girls joined in. "And I want to go to the deck to feed seagulls."
"The correct thing to say is to go and throw fries to feed the seagulls~"
Their classmates were immersed in the idea of a vacation.
They didn't consider whether they truly deserved such a reception from the school. They didn't think about how the school would budget this or how they would get the finance department to reimburse it.
"So, is this a regular vacation?" Karuizawa asked.
She was still a bit wary.
"Impossible," Hachiman said. "If it were a vacation, there would be no need to sign a waiver. Also, we've been at this school for three months already. Rather than calling it a vacation, it's definitely an exam. One exam every month; isn't that the norm?"
Hmm.
Indeed.
The first month had a behavior norm exam, the second month had the midterm written exam. Now it was the third month, so another exam was quite normal.
But it seemed strange that they were having the exam so early in the month.
"Does that mean this exam will last a long time?" Karuizawa speculated.
"Maybe," Hachiman replied. "But I don't think it's anything to be too nervous about. Once the exam is confirmed, if I need your help, I'll ask you."
"Oh."
Karuizawa responded calmly.
Her attitude seemed very indifferent.
But Hachiman felt like she was relieved.
Right.
She really likes to follow orders, doesn't she?
Is her personality more of an "M" type?
Hachiman thought this as he heard Karuizawa continue speaking.
"By the way, aren't you really close with Horikita?"
"Then why didn't you sit with her?"
Hachiman was sitting in the last row of the bus, and there were no students in that row.
Yes.
Because the bus had 55 seats.
And with all the students and Teacher Chabashira, there were only 41 people.
This left some empty seats.
So, there were almost no people who chose to stay in the back like Hachiman.
But...
"..." Hachiman.
He almost fell for her trick.
He thought Karuizawa came over because she was concerned about the exam.
But was it really about that?
"I don't have any relationship with Horikita," Hachiman said.
"I already knew that," Karuizawa replied.
"..." Hachiman. "Her goal is also Class A, so she'll help me, but Karuizawa, you're irreplaceable."
"There are some things Horikita can't do."
"I've said it before, you assist me, and I'll protect you."
Because some things couldn't be directly said, Hachiman typed it out on his phone.
But these words made Karuizawa stand up and walk toward her group.
In other words, she got the answer that reassured her.
She was concerned about what was going on with him and Horikita, subconsciously thinking it was about jealousy.
But it turned out she just wanted to feel safe, to know if she was being replaced by Horikita.
That makes sense.
Hachiman knew he wasn't that popular.
As he thought about this...
"Um, uh..." A girl with pink hair, sitting a seat ahead, seemed to be looking at him shyly.
"H-Hikigaya-kun, can you look at the camera for a moment?" she said.
She was holding a camera in her hand.
"I'd like to take a picture of you. As a... token of thanks."
Oh.
I see.
Since she could bring her own camera, and she was also one of the people Hachiman helped, maybe she wanted to return the favor?
However, Sakura-chan, when she got serious, was pretty cute. It wouldn't be nice to reject her outright.
Still, Hachiman felt like he wasn't photogenic.
...
After a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride, the students arrived at the pier.
As he had imagined at the beginning, there indeed was a luxurious cruise ship docked at the pier.
The ship wasn't just equipped with comfortable rooms, lavish restaurants, elegant theaters, swimming pools, and various entertainment facilities, but also offered high-end massage spas.
In terms of points, renting the entire cruise ship for a week would cost millions of points, with daily costs in the hundreds of thousands of points.
The term "millions" was something that could be casually treated as money at this school, and of course, when settling with the owner of the cruise ship, it was actual money. This showed just how wealthy the school was.
This made Hachiman raise his opinion of the school's financial power even more.
But, having money didn't really concern him.
The students were assigned rooms with three people each.
And as initially requested by Hirata, his roommates were... Koenji and Yamauchi.
Hachiman didn't like Yamauchi.
But it didn't seem like it was something to worry about.
Because...
"Your body is too weak, you can't even understand beauty," Koenji said, as he entered the room.
He immediately called for an assistant, asking the person to bring him his workout equipment.
Then, in the room, he began diligently working out, grunting and exercising his muscles.
It seemed like he was used to this kind of indulgence.
So, he was definitely a rich young man, huh?
Right now, Koenji was talking to Yamauchi.
Yamauchi seemed displeased with Koenji's act of stripping off his clothes as soon as he entered the room. Then,
"Eh! I don't want to become a muscle man!"
Perhaps feeling insulted by the comparison, Yamauchi ran out of the room.
In other words, with Koenji's presence, Yamauchi was somewhat tortured in the room, so he wouldn't bother Hachiman.
That was definitely a big help.
However...
"Hikigaya-kun," Koenji suddenly looked over.
"What do you think about this vacation?"
This vacation... what did he think about it?
Was he asking if Hachiman had figured out the true nature of the vacation?
Apart from being physically strong and having poor academic skills, Koenji was also quite intelligent.
So he had probably already figured out that the school wasn't being so kind as to offer a vacation, but instead, using this opportunity for a special exam.
And now...
He was asking Hachiman what he thought about it?
Of course, it was nothing to worry about.
...
The facilities on the cruise ship were very complete, offering not only dining, drinking, playing, and relaxing activities such as plays and massages, but also a library that could cultivate the mind.
Hachiman looked forward to the library on the ship.
He was reading a book.
The book was about camping knowledge, with content on the things to pay attention to when setting up a tent.
Like this:
Before setting off, we should check the following basic camping equipment:
1. Whether the tent fabric is intact and undamaged.
2.
3. Whether the tent poles are rust-free and can be connected properly.
4.
5. Whether the ground stakes are rust-free and complete in number.
6.
7. Whether the ropes are intact and the number is sufficient.
8.
"Class 1C's... Hikigaya-kun," as Hachiman was reading on the bookshelf, he heard a girl's voice beside him.
"Could you hand me the book that starts with J?"
The person seemed to be close enough that Hachiman could smell a faint fragrance.
This fragrance was similar to Kushida's.
It seemed to be jasmine-scented perfume.
Hachiman turned and saw a girl with beautiful silver-white hair and an elegant appearance. Her long hair fell past her shoulders down to her waist, giving off a very ladylike vibe.
Her skin was as pale and translucent as a snow woman.
But unlike a snow woman, she wasn't cold, and instead had a bit more warmth to her.
Hachiman remembered who she was.
The girl was from Ryuen's class, a literary girl.
Her name was Shiina Hiyori.
Previously he had gone to the library to study.
That was when he met Shiina.
Then...
Hachiman had taken a photo of Shiina, and then tested Horikita, gaining some information about Shiina.
Aside from being the class flower of Ryuen's class, she liked to read, often refreshing in the library, and her grades were also pretty good.
And, she had no friends.
However...
Hachiman thought this description needed to be changed.
Because someone with no friends wouldn't be so direct about approaching others.
Like now, she wouldn't directly ask for his help in getting a book.
Hachiman looked at the bookshelf. The book that started with "J" was placed at a very high position, which seemed difficult for Shiina to reach.
She might need to jump a few times, and even then, she might not be able to get it.
"Are you looking for the one by Makoto Shinkai, 'Your Name'?" Hachiman asked.
On the top shelf, there were a few science fiction books and several light novels.
From the time he met Shiina and saw her holding [Scarlet], Hachiman thought her interests might align with this.
"Mm-hm," Shiina nodded lightly. "That's the one."
Hachiman took the book down.
Shiina gratefully accepted the [Your Name] that Hachiman handed her.
But she didn't immediately open the book. Instead, she seemed a little curious.
"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, do you still like reading books even when you're on the cruise ship?" she asked.
"Like reading books?"
Not really.
Hachiman was just cramming last minute.
Thanks to Koenji's reminder, Hachiman understood that this exam was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So if he could grind for points, he would.
Naturally, he'd try to make the most of it.
"I just wanted to take a break from classes and have some peace to read," Hachiman replied.
"I see." Shiina nodded. "I thought Hikigaya-kun was preparing for the deserted island exam."
"Because you're reading something related to camping," she said.
??
The deserted island exam?
"…"
This made Hachiman feel a bit awkward.
Because Shiina's words implied that the students in her class already knew that the exam would take place on a deserted island.
And it was likely to involve survival on the deserted island.
But...
They were from different classes, after all.
And right now, Hachiman was in Class C, while Shiina was from the former Class C. By all logic, they should be incompatible.
However... it didn't seem like that was the case.
In other words...
The information provider, Sakayanagi, wasn't here, but now another student from a different class was freely offering information?
Or perhaps... Shiina, did you notice me reading a camping-related book, and you... wanted to test me?