"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

The homeroom teacher of Class A looked at the various puzzled expressions on the faces of the students below the stage.

He seemed quite satisfied with the effect and paused deliberately.

Then, in a clear tone, he revealed the answer:

"The points for all three classes are 150."

"Tie for last place in this exam."

"what?!"

"Tie? 150 points?"

How could they be ranked equally?

As soon as Ms. Mashima finished speaking, the beach erupted in chaos.

The students in classes D, C, and B had expressions of shock, confusion, and a sense of absurdity on their faces.

Horikita Suzune paused for a second, then her somber expression visibly returned to calm.

150 points.

Although the number is small, tying for last place means that Class D has not been completely left behind.

Ayanokoji's plan

Successful.

After a brief moment of surprise, the students in Class C quickly accepted the result.

For them, who are adopting a conservative strategy, this score is acceptable.

At least there was no loss.

Long Yuanxiang, however, reacted quite differently.

He did not show anger or resentment like Ishizaki Daichi beside him.

Instead, he fell into rapid thought.

Anger won't solve the problem; he needs to figure out where those 150 points came from.

Why do the three classes have the same score?

This is by no means a coincidence.

Ms. Majima didn't give everyone much time to process the news.

He raised his voice, suppressing the noise in the room.

The gaze shifted to Class A's formation, and the final results were announced:

"First place, Class A—"

"780 points!"

This number exploded on the beach like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out all previous discussions.

The students in the other three classes,

Everyone, including Ryuen, Ichinose, and Horikita, wore expressions of disbelief.

780 points.

That's almost five times their points.

This is an astronomical achievement in a survival test on a deserted island.

After a brief silence, a burst of barely suppressed cheers and exclamations erupted from the Class A line.

Although they were mentally prepared, when Ms. Majima announced this astonishing number, the immense sense of accomplishment and joy still overwhelmed them instantly.

Only Sakamoto remained quietly standing at the front of the line, adjusting his glasses.

The lenses reflected the shimmering light of the sea, but his face remained completely expressionless.

Ms. Majima put down the megaphone and gave her final instructions:

"Now, each class will board the speedboat that has come to pick them up in order and return to the cruise ship. Specific details regarding the exam will be announced back on the cruise ship."

Under the guidance of their respective homeroom teachers, the students began to walk in an orderly manner toward the speedboats moored outside the shallows.

Before heading toward the speedboat belonging to Class B, Long Yuanxiang glanced at the group of Class D who were gathering.

His eyes searched like a hawk's.

That seemingly ordinary figure may have given him a "surprise" in this exam.

However, after scanning the area, he couldn't find the guy in Class D's group.

Long Yuan paused slightly in his steps.

Combining the bizarre result of 150 points tied, a startling hypothesis gradually took shape in Long Yuan's mind.

That guy he always thought was just an insignificant pawn in Class D was probably far more cunning than he imagined.

I seem to have focused too much attention on that monster, Sakamoto.

However, another potential threat was overlooked.

"interesting……"

Long Yuan muttered to himself, turned around, and strode onto Class B's speedboat.

And at this moment,

On the deck of a luxury cruise ship, far from the bustling coast, a figure stands by the railing.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had already changed into a clean uniform and was gazing indifferently at the sea below.

Those speedboats were carrying students back.

He was the only student on the cruise ship at that moment.

Just now, he watched the entire process of the results being announced on the beach in real time through the public screen inside the cabin.

The result was pretty much as he had expected.

150 points, tied for last place.

This was exactly what he planned.

He never dared to hope that he could surpass Class A, which stood like a towering mountain in front of him, in this exam.

Especially when someone like Sakamoto is around.

It can leverage information asymmetry and the checks and balances among various forces.

In particular, it cleverly utilized the "neglect effect" caused by the huge halo of Class A.

He had already achieved his initial goal of securing a result that wouldn't be inferior for Class D.

His gaze swept across the sea, passing in turn the speedboats representing Class C and Class B.

At last,

His gaze was fixed on the speedboat belonging to Class A.

However, the result of the three classes being tied is...

Perhaps it's not necessarily a coincidence.

The speedboat of Class A is cutting through the waves, with clear views through the portholes.

Behind one of the portholes, a tall and straight figure...

They also seemed to be calmly gazing towards the cruise ship deck through the glass.

Their gazes met silently in the air, across the azure sea and the clamor of the crowd.

First Grade Summer Vacation: Chapter 115: Sakamoto Feeling the Sea Breeze

The luxury cruise ship sailed smoothly on the sea.

More and more people gradually appeared on the deck.

Most of the students, having completed seven days of wilderness survival, looked relaxed.

They gathered in twos and threes, discussing the exams that had just ended.

In a relatively secluded spot by the ship's side, Horikita Suzune found Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing by the railing.

The sea breeze ruffled her long black hair.

"The result... was pretty much as expected."

Horikita walked to Ayanokoji's side, and together they gazed at the gradually shrinking silhouette of the deserted island in the distance.

"Although you're tied for last place, 150 points means you haven't fallen behind. Your plan has succeeded."

Ayanokouji didn't turn her head; her gaze remained fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky.

"Yes. They took advantage of the information gap and the 'neglect' caused by Class A."

Horikita was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

The story goes back to the fifth day of the exam, after Class D's camp fell into chaos and suspicion due to the theft of underwear.

Ayanokouji did not rush into action; he was waiting for the right opportunity.

That very evening, as he was patrolling alone at the edge of the camp, an unexpected person found him—

Koenji Rokusuke. This eccentric man stuffed a small cloth bag into Ayanokoji's hand.

"This was discovered by Sakamoto during his patrol in a crevice in the rocks."

Koenji spoke in his distinctive tone, his long golden hair shimmering in the setting sun.

"He seemed to think that this thing might be related to the current 'farce,' and 'accidentally' let me, who was also 'accidentally' passing by, see it. What an interesting coincidence."

Ayanokouji opened the cloth bag, inside were Karuizawa Megumi's missing clothes.

Although the story of Koenji Temple is told in a mysterious and shrouded way, its meaning is quite clear.

Koenji seemed to admire Sakamoto quite a bit, calling him an "interesting boy."

Ayanokouji did not delve into how Sakamoto discovered it or why he chose to return it in this way.

He immediately found Hirata Yosuke, returned the clothes to him, and asked him to secretly return them to Karuizawa as her boyfriend, while also comforting her.

Although Hirata was puzzled, he accepted the arrangement out of a subtle trust in Ayanokouji and an urgency to resolve the matter.

The "return" of the stolen goods temporarily quelled the girls' biggest source of anger, but the rift between the camp members could no longer be healed.

Ayanokouji, on the other hand, confirmed one thing: it was time to take the initiative.

That night, he avoided everyone's sight and went to Class B's camp alone.

Ryuen Sho didn't seem particularly surprised by Ayanokoji's sudden visit.

Longyuan's contempt for Class D was undisguised.

To him, Class D was nothing but a dumping ground; they were the worst kind of pawns.

Ayanokouji cut straight to the point, claiming that Ibuki Mio was a spy sent by Ryuen.

Longyuan openly admitted it.

So what?

Fighting is prohibited on this island anyway.

At worst, Longyuan can call her back.

He clearly assumed Ayanokouji had come to protest or negotiate the withdrawal of spies, his tone full of mockery.

Ryuen recalled Ayanokouji's "reckless" behavior of rushing to harvest corn without regard for the consequences during the previous conflict in the cornfield.

I felt that Ayanokouji was just a clever but impatient young man.

However, what Ayanokouji did next surprised him.

Ayanokoji did not request that Ryuen remove Ibuki.

On the contrary, they hoped she would stay in Class D.