'Italic': Notebook
'Bold': Sign language
Our classmates gathered around me and Horikita.
"Su.. Suzune, how are you feeling?"
Sudou spoke hesitantly but approached Horikita by calling her by her first name.
"Not too bad. I can't say that I am in perfect condition yet."
"Don't worry about it."
It seemed like Horikita naturally accepted to be called by her first name. That was unexpected.
"By the way, Sudou. Do not call me Suzune without my permission, got it?"
"Oops... Understood."
She didn't accept it. Sudou had no other choice but to bow in agreement.
"But what is the meaning of this? How did Class D get the 1st place? Class A and C got disqualified."
"That's right. How did this happen, Hirata? I do not get it at all!"
"Karuizawa-girl, I can explain that," Kouenji said.
"Silent-kun asked this perfect being to record a fight and theft," Kouenji said.
"I wanted to apologize to all the guys. I learned that Ibuki was the one who stole my underwear. I heard it all about it from Horikita."
A lot of the guys were surprised to hear Karuizawa apologize.
"Horikita, you realized that Ibuki was the thief, and you questioned her, so she tried to escape, didn't she? I was told that you pushed yourself even though you were sick from Kagurazaka."
I had Matsushita translate my sign language to Karuizawa.
Horikita turned to me, startled by Karuizawa's unexpected words.
"Thank you, Horikita-san and Kagurazaka-kun. Because of you, we were able to get a high amount of points," Karuizawa said.
Having said this, Karuizawa returned immediately close to the other girls.
I felt awkward getting praised by my classmates. I slowly snuck away only to get caught by Chabashira-sensei.
"Can I have a few words with you?"
I nodded.
I walked to the ship's opposite side so Chabashira-sensei could take the lead. People were entirely out of sight here. When there was silence, she started speaking.
"Firstly, let me say what you did was admirable and impressive," Chabashira-sensei complimented.
'I wasn't the only one that did a good job.'
"Kagurazaka-kun... During the exam, I received a call. A man wanted... No, he demanded that you drop out."
A man?
I looked at Chabashira-sensei with confusion.
'I wouldn't have any idea who this man is.'
Chabashira-sensei briefly stared at me, "Don't worry; I'm not going to expel you unless you have done something terrible."
'I see.'
"Are you sure you have no idea who this man would be?" Chabashira-sensei asked.
I shook my head.
"I believe you... I'm telling you that it happened."
A man wants me to drop out... Why?
I headed immediately back to my room. A tired Hirata was lying, sleeping in the room. I changed my clothes quietly to the corridor to not wake him up.
When I turned on the mobile phone, the electronic tone repeatedly rang, and I had incoming messages from Horikita.
Then, an angry Horikita joined me a few minutes later, releasing silent pressure upon me.
"You didn't have to bail on me."
'Sorry.'
Horikita ordered drinks from the barman who was standing right in front of us.
"Was it necessary to hit me with mud?" She glared at me.
'In my defense, I didn't think Yamauchi's aim wouldn't be that horrible.'
"How did you figure out that Katsuragi wasn't the leader?"
'It was by chance as I was exploring.'
I explained the situation of Katsuragi standing at the entrance, carrying the key card, as Yahiko, who came out of the cave, joined him and left.
"So, by looking at this sight, wouldn't it be natural to mistake Katsuragi as the leader?"
'Yes, but Katsuragi was calm, composed, and extremely cautious. It was Yahiko's greed. Katsuragi wouldn't occupy it immediately, but Yahiko had mistakenly taken it. He thought nobody was watching, yet he insured himself just in case. By holding the key card in his hands, he thought he could mislead any possible witnesses that he was the leader.'
"Class A had two spots except for their base, but I didn't know exactly how many spots they occupied at the end of the test. Even though you guessed their leader, they were disqualified."
"What gave away that Ibuki was a spy?"
'She had dirt underneath her fingernails. I woke up early and checked the spot where we found her. I found a digital camera and broke it.'
"How did you know that Ryuuen was still on the island?"
'The transceiver carelessly lying on the table beside Ryuuen gave him away.'
"There you are, Silent-kun," Kouenji had a grin.
I already knew what he wanted as I pulled out my phone, transferring 500,000 private points to him.
"Fu. Fu. Fu. I'm glad you kept your word, Silent-kun," Kouenji walked away.
"How much?"
'500k.'
Kagurazaka's private points: 619,410-500,000=119,410
Sakayanagi's POV
"Isn't he amazing, Masumi-san?" I expressed my amazement over the phone after receiving the reports of the island exam.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I heard Kamuro ask.
"I'm afraid you don't know what happened, right?"
"Yeah, I don't. Do you know why?" Kamuro asked.
"How am I supposed to know if I'm not there? I do know who did it, though," a smile spread crossed my face.
"I guess it won't hurt to tell you something. Please keep an eye on Kagurazaka Norogumi."
Kamuro turned silent when I said his name.
"Masumi-san, do you know him?" I asked.
"I ran into him once. What about him?" Kamuro asked.
Oh, this is interesting. I should talk to Norogumi about it.
"Fufufu. That guy is the most dangerous out of everyone here."
"Are you serious...?"
"I am."
"What makes you so sure? How would you even know that?" She asked.
"Fufufu. Sorry, but you're not ready to know."
"Do you know him or something?"
"Like I said, you're not ready to know," I hung up the phone.
Fufufu. Katsuragi isn't worthy to go up against Norogumi. The same thing can be applied to Ryuuen.
I can't wait to battle against him.
Next day
Kagurazaka's POV
I didn't know what I would do since we were on vacation. I didn't want to spend time in my room.
"Kagurazaka-kun, let's hang out," I turned my head to see Mori approach me with a smile.
'With?'
"With yours truly!" A girl appeared out of nowhere, "Me, Ichihashi Ruri!"
"I've been anticipating our fated encounter," Ichihashi said.
"Sorry about her. She's a little weird," Mori apologized.
"You don't understand me, Mori-san. This is the perfect chance to learn more about Kagurazaka-kun. Two young girls and a handsome boy are spending time together..."
"What do you say, Kagurazaka-kun. Would you like to join two beautiful girls for some breakfast?" Ichihashi asked, facing me.
You're more than weird, but Class D is full of strange students.
I nodded.
"Alright, let's go!" Ichihashi cheered.
Restaurant
"I think we're destined to be lovers, Kagurazaka-kun," Ichihashi gives me a sly smirk and wink.
What a conversation starter...
"She's teasing you," Mori smiled.
Ichihashi shook her head, "I'm not joking, though."
Ichihashi giggled, "Don't worry, Nene-san. You can also become his lover."
"Stop spouting out nonsense and dragging me into your strange fantasies!" Mori yelled while a blush appeared.
'So, you don't think I'm attractive?'
"No, I never said that," Mori started panicking.
"Bad, Nene-san. Look how heartbroken he is," Ichihashi gestured toward me.
I lower my head in sadness.
"Wait, I think you're cute!" Mori yelled, causing the entire restaurant to go quiet from her outburst.
Mori shrunk into her seat as her face was beet red while Ichihashi was giggling behind her hand.
'We were messing around.'
While blushing, Mori pouts, "You two are a disaster together..." She muttered.
Mori sat up straight as a slight smile appeared, "I'm glad you're getting along."
Ichihashi dramatically touched her heart, "It's because we are destined to be together. I can tell he's already in love with me."
I can't tell if she's being serious or not. The innocent smile wasn't helping at all.
~Timeskip~
After having lunch with Ichihashi and Mori, they invited me to join them for a swim.
I put on my swimming trunks and rash guard before heading toward the pool. I didn't realize how big the pool was.
"Hey!" I turned to the voice and saw Onodera calling me over.
I made my way over to her, "You're taking a dip, huh?"
I nodded.
"Cool, we can talk while we wait for the others."
Others?
"Hello!" I hear a voice coming from right behind me. Turning around, I see four Class B students.
"Yo, Kagurazaka-kun," Minamikita greeted.
"Hi, Kagurazaka-kun!" Amikura greeted me excitedly.
"This is our first time meeting. I'm Kobashi Yume," she greeted me with a slight smile.
It feels like I'm living a perverted guy's fantasy, surrounded by beautiful, cute girls wearing swimsuits.
"Oh my, look at this group of people," I recognized the voice.
I turned to see Ichihashi and Mori walking over to us.
"Look at you being surrounded by all these beauties. You must feel like a lucky guy, huh?" Ichihashi has a teasing smirk.
"Now, Kagurazaka-kun, keep your hands to yourself. You may not touch the girls, but you can stare," Ichihashi winked.
"Please stop," Mori lets out an exasperating sigh.
"So, who do you think looks best in a swimsuit?" Andou asked.
Kobashi and Mori blushed at Andou's question.
I looked around, and the girls were anxiously awaiting my answer. I only had one solution for this.
...
...
...
SPLASH
Swim away!
3rd POV
"Sayo-san!" Kobashi yelled.
"What? I wanted his opinion," Andou placed her hands on her hips, making her breasts bounce slightly.
"Uh-huh," Kobashi said flatly.
"I want to know his answer," Amikura jumped into the pool and swam after him.
"What an exciting group I'm spending time with," Ichihashi said, relaxing on a sun chair.
~Timeskip~
Kagurazaka's POV
Amikura stopped chasing me after a bit, but she was sitting beside me on the poolside edge.
"So, Kagurazaka-kun, what do you think of my swimsuit?" This is the third time she asked me this question.
I finally relented, giving her a thumbs-up.
She beamed, "Who do you think has the best body?"
I had to double-take because I thought I had heard her wrong the first time.
I'll pretend to look around, then go back to looking at the pool.
She poked my side, "Woah! You're ripped underneath your rash guard!"
Please announce it to the entire cruise ship because I want to be harassed.
I felt a hand on my left arm, "You aren't kidding. It feels like a rock," it was Andou.
Someone, please save me.
"Alright, I think he had enough," Ichihashi reprimanded.
Amikura and Andou stopped molesting, letting me sigh in relief.
"You have to wait until I can touch his muscles."
I hoped for too much...
~Timeskip~
After spending time with the girls and getting harassed, I decided to look around the cruise ship.
"You're Kagurazaka-kun," a sudden voice called out to me.
I turned and didn't recognize her at all. She seemed to have reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail, accompanied by attractive purple eyes.
I nodded.
She walked closer to me, "You probably don't know me, but I'm Nishino Takeko from Class C," she extended her right hand to me.
I shook her hand.
"So, what are you doing?" She asked.
'I was walking until you stopped me.'
She gave me a playful chop to my side, "That's not what I'm asking. What are you doing walking all alone?"
'Because I want to.'
"I hope you don't mind if I tag along," Nishino said.
I shook my head.
"Cool," Nishino nodded, "If you were wondering how I know your name, Ishizaki told our class about your encounter."
"And I wanted to meet the guy that brought the wannabe thug to his knees," Nishimo smirked.
I roll my eyes.
I started walking together, 'What's Class C like?'
Nishino seemed to tense up briefly before relaxing, "I don't particularly like it. I'm a loner."
'I'd thought you'd be popular with the guys.'
Oh, she slapped me.
This is what I get for complimenting a girl.
"Anyways, I don't like our class leader. He's so demanding that he runs the class like a dictator," she said.
We didn't talk much before I walked her back to her room.
"So, we are going to meet up again, right?" Nishino said.
I shrugged.
"You're supposed to say yes."
I shook my head.
"You're messing with me," she said.
I am messing with her.
"I wouldn't take no for an answer since we only talked about class stuff," Nishino said before pulling out her phone, "Let's exchange information."
I exchanged contact information with her.
Later that day
I texted Nishino to meet up at the cruise ship's cafe.
I nodded.
We both ordered our drinks and sat close to the ocean window.
"What do you want to talk about?"
'Who are your roommates on the cruise ship?'
"Shiina, Ibuki, and Kinoshita. You can come to hang out with Shiina, Kinoshita, Ibuki, and me," Nishino suggested, "The four lone wolves of Class C.
'Lone wolves?'
"Yup, Ibuki-san would be considered the fiercest wolf, Kinoshita-San would be the quick wolf, and I would be the cute wolf," I rolled my eyes as she continued, "Finally, Shiina-san would be the adorable pup that you want to protect."
I haven't met Kinoshita and Shiina, but Nishino's description seemed accurate.
Next day
I arrived at the cruise ship's pool, wearing my rash guard and swimming trunks. I might as well enjoy myself while I'm on the cruise ship.
"Oh God, why are you here?" Manabe was lying on a sun chair with an annoyed expression.
'I'm here to swim. Where's the rest of your friend group?'
"They are relaxing," Manabe answered, "Go away now."
I wasn't going to leave since you're giving me attitude. I sat down on the sun chair beside hers.
"You're annoying. How about making like a tree and fuck off?" Manabe growled.
'Why are you hostile toward me?'
"It's the way I talk!" She yelled.
I stared at her as she stared back at me with a glare. It didn't take long for her before she looked away with a groan.
"The reason I speak like this is because of my crew."
So, Manabe was the leader of a crew.
'I thought it would be your parents.'
For a moment, I saw her eyes darkened. It looks like her parents are a sensitive subject.
'Sorry, I shouldn't have said that.'
Manabe shook her head, "You're fine..."
An awkward silence filled the air as I brought my attention to the pool. I should leave Manabe alone and go swimming.
"Hey..." Manabe said, "I'm sorry about how our first interaction went," Manabe didn't make eye contact and had a bashful expression.
I nodded before setting my notebook on the sun chair and walking toward the pool.
Manabe's POV
"Oh my, are my ears working properly, or did the cold-hearted Queen apologize?" I whipped my head to see Saki with a smug smile.
Rika and Nanami were also with her...
"How much did you hear?" I glared at Saki.
"I'll never tell!" Saki giggled and ran away.
"When I get my hands on you, you're dead meat!" I shot up from the sun chair and chased after her.
~Timeskip~
Kagurazaka's POV
"H-Hello, K-Kagurazaka-kun..." I turned to the voice and saw Morofuji avoiding eye contact.
'Hello, what are you doing?'
"I-I'm heading to the cafe... W-Would you like to come with me, Kagurazaka-kun...?" She nervously asked.
I have nothing else to do better.
I nodded.
I earned a bashful smile from her, but she still didn't want to make eye contact with me.
We both start heading toward the part of the ship with all the food stalls.
"Ah... Can I ask you something?" Morofuji asked.
I nodded.
"H-How did you become mute?" She started panicking after asking, "I-I'm curious, is all! I-I didn't mean to offend you!"
'I can't remember... I stopped talking one day...'
'I want to ask you something. Why do you avoid eye contact with me?'
"It's... my fear..." She mumbled.
Fear, huh?
She's similar to Sakura.
We arrived at the cafe and got in line, "Hey... Kagurazaka-kun?"
I turned to her, "Thanks for coming with me," Her voice got quieter.
'Can I ask why you're talking to me?'
"You... looked lonely..." Morofuji said, "I-I wanted to cheer you up..."
Someone bumped into Morofuji, "Oh, I'm sorry..."
Morofuji tried to apologize, but the person shoved her, causing Morofuji to fall and spill all her food on the floor.
"K-Karuizawa-san! That's uncalled for!" Matsushita reprimanded her.
I didn't want to bump into a group of Class D girls.
"She bumped into me! It's not my fault she can't look straight," Karuizawa scoffed.
3rd POV
Karuizawa tried to walk away before she bumped into someone, "Hey, what's the big idea?"
She looked to see Kagurazaka standing in her path, and her eyes widened, "Kagurazaka-kun... What are you doing here?"
Kagurazaka's POV
I ignored my classmates, bringing my attention to Morofuji. She hadn't gotten up and was blankly staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry about her! Let me help you up," Kushida crouched and offered her hand, but I grabbed her wrist.
"What?" Kushida recoiled back, not expecting me to do that.
I don't think touching Morofuji will help. On closer inspection of Morofuji, I noticed she was shaking out of fear. Her eyes were darting back and forth warily.
"H-Hey... Are you..." Kushida couldn't finish her sentence as Morofuji's eyes landed on her, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Stay away from me!" Morofuji pushed Kushida and sprinted away.
~Timeskip~
I found her in an empty room on the ship, and she collapsed from exhaustion. She struggled to control her breathing while tears were forming in her eyes. It didn't take long before she threw up.
I watched a scared little girl crawling over to one of the room's corners, and she started apologizing profusely.
I don't have Manabe's, Yamashita's, or Yabu's numbers...
"M-M-Morofuji-san..."
3rd POV
Morofuji stopped talking and slowly moved her head to look at Kagurazaka. His eyes felt soft and gentle while looking into them.
She shook her head, cowering in fear, 'No... Not again.'
Kagurazaka slowly crept closer before crouching down in front of her. Her eyes widened as she felt her breathing pick up again. She had nowhere to go.
'Please... Don't hurt me...' Morofuji tried to make herself smaller.
She felt a hand on top of her hand, causing her to look at Kagurazaka with teary eyes.
~Timeskip~
Kagurazaka's POV
I trailed behind Morofuji as she walked back to her room. She's keeping her distance from me. Upon arriving at her room, Morofuji entered.
"Hey... Who did this to you?! Who?!" I peeked into the room and saw a multitude of emotions in Manabe's eyes.
Her eyes landed on me, and she was in blinding fury as she stomped toward me, "I warned you!" She threw the first punch as I slapped her hand away.
She seemed surprised by this as she threw another punch at me, but it was the same result. She reached to grab me, but I grabbed her wrist.
"Wait... Shiho-san... He didn't do anything..." Morofuji said quietly.
"Huh?" Manabe looked back before I tripped her to the ground.
I'm getting out of here before I have to deal with more of Manabe's anger.
3rd POV
Kagurazaka got away while Manabe pushed herself off the ground, "What do you mean? You don't have to lie."
Morofuji shook her head, "I'm not lying, though... He didn't do anything. I'll tell you what happened..."
~~~
Ichihashi Ruri