'The jam tastes really good, just the right amount of sweetness, not too overpowering.'
'The texture of the shaved ice is excellent, with just the right size and hardness.'
'Even in a regular dessert shop, you might not be able to get shaved ice of this quality. Even at school, it would probably cost a lot of points—but on this cruise ship, all entertainment activities are free. I guess I'll take back what I said a few days ago about this school being inhumane. This is pretty nice.'
Compared to sunbathing outside, Saiki Kusuo preferred to take exams in an indoor environment.
Saiki Kusuo was thoroughly enjoying the food in front of him when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
"Saiki... Saiki-kun..."
Saiki Kusuo turned his gaze and saw Sakura Airi standing there.
"Sakura."
Saiki Kusuo nodded at her, greeting her.
Perhaps because of the previous incident, Sakura Airi's personality had improved a bit. Although she still had little presence in class, she now greeted Saiki Kusuo every day and occasionally greeted other classmates as well.
"Is something wrong?"
Saiki Kusuo asked.
"N-no... It's just that there are too many people outside... There are fewer people here... It's quieter..."
Sakura Airi said shyly. The crowd outside was overwhelming, and staying in such a place made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
[I just saw Saiki-kun eating... He's completely different when he's eating compared to usual...]
Sakura Airi thought to herself.
However, her thoughts were all heard by Saiki Kusuo, who slowed down his eating slightly.
Just then, the ship's intercom suddenly sounded.
"Attention, all students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We are about to see an island. You will soon witness a very meaningful sight."
'Yare yare, I don't want to join in on this commotion.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
He turned his head toward the wall and used his X-ray vision to see that the deck was already crowded with people admiring the scenery.
As for the scenery, Saiki Kusuo had already seen it not long ago.
Before the cruise ship set sail, the teacher had explained the ship's route, and Saiki Kusuo had already overheard part of the exam content for this vacation trip from the teacher's thoughts.
They would have to survive on a small island for a week.
So, after the cruise ship started sailing, Saiki Kusuo went to the restroom, then used his teleportation ability to leave the ship. He directly used his psychic powers to locate the target island and observed its structure and environment.
Finally, he used his teleportation ability to return to the ship.
From start to finish, no one noticed that Saiki Kusuo had left.
'Yare yare, they actually built an artificial island for this so-called special exam. How exaggerated.'
Saiki Kusuo was already thinking about when he should teleport home during the island survival.
As it gradually approached mealtime, more people began to fill the restaurant, and Sudo Ken and the others also entered one after another.
"Saiki, you've been here the whole time!"
"Ah, Sakura-san is here too!"
Seeing Sudo Ken and the others arrive, Sakura Airi's thoughts became chaotic again, her hands unsure where to place themselves. Still, she stammered out a greeting to everyone before quickly fleeing the scene.
"Was Sakura-san just talking to you, Saiki-kun?"
Ike Kanji looked somewhat surprised.
[Sakura-san hardly ever talks in class, and Saiki is pretty much the same... In a way, is this like attracts like?]
Saiki Kusuo ignored Ike Kanji's inner thoughts. Seeing the restaurant getting more crowded, he realized his rare quiet time was about to end and prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, Sudo Ken and the others focused on the menu, which was filled with so many dazzling dishes that they didn't know what to choose.
"What should we eat?!"
"There are so many foreign dishes here!"
"The best part is that everything is free! No need to spend any points!"
The idiot trio chatted loudly, drawing annoyed glances from the other diners around them.
[What are these guys making such a fuss about?]
[So noisy!]
[Are these guys from Class C? Class C isn't much different from Class D—still just a bunch of rejects!]
'Looks like I need to leave quickly. I don't want to be lumped in with these idiots.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, then stood up from his seat.
"Listen, this isn't a place for trash like you."
Just then, a boy who was elegantly cutting his steak spoke in a disdainful tone to Sudo Ken and the others.
"What did you say?"
Hearing the provocation, Sudo Ken immediately flew into a rage and rushed up to the boy.
But the boy remained disdainful, not taking Sudo Ken and the others seriously at all:
"Trash should eat trash food. Why don't you go eat hamburgers?"
'Hamburgers don't deserve this.'
Saiki Kusuo mentally complained.
"Hey, are you looking down on hamburgers?"
Sudo Ken's anger seemed to grow even fiercer as he grabbed the boy by the collar.
'Is your focus also on hamburgers?'
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, another person at the same table as the boy spoke up in a serious tone:
"Totsuka, don't provoke others with such a pointless reason."
"Katsuragi..."
"Even though this is a vacation, you could still lose points for your behavior. You need to be mindful of your status as a Class A student."
The man was burly, with a bald head that was particularly eye-catching.
'Lightbulb.'
For some reason, the word instantly popped into Saiki Kusuo's mind.
'Is this guy a teacher? I haven't seen him before. Is a teacher really eating here with the students?... Lightbulb... No, no, can I stop thinking about lightbulbs? Let me look somewhere else... Damn it... That bald head is just too attention-grabbing.'
Saiki Kusuo tried to shift his gaze elsewhere, but it kept drifting back to the man named Katsuragi.
"This guy is Katsuragi Kohei, one of the leaders of Class A. The guy next to him is Totsuka Yahiko, his lackey."
Ike Kanji whispered to Saiki Kusuo, explaining their identities.
For the first time, Saiki Kusuo's face showed a hint of shock.
'You're telling me this guy, whose scalp shines brighter than a fluorescent light and looks at least in his thirties or forties, is actually a Class A student and our age?'
Saiki Kusuo still found it hard to believe.
"Hey, hey, no need to be so surprised, Saiki."
This was the first time Ike Kanji had seen the usually expressionless Saiki Kusuo show a hint of surprise.
Except for necessary situations, Saiki Kusuo rarely interacted with students from other classes, especially Class A.
"I suggest you learn some manners and stop causing trouble for others."
Katsuragi Kohei said slowly to Sudo Ken, shaking his head.
"Tch."
Sudo Ken glared at Totsuka Yahiko. Although he really disliked the guy, he also knew he couldn't afford to cause trouble.
"Sudo, let's go to another restaurant."
Ike Kanji came over, patted Sudo Ken on the shoulder, and then turned to Saiki Kusuo.
"Saiki, let's go."
'Hey, hey, don't make it seem like I'm one of your gang.'
Although Saiki Kusuo felt a bit helpless, he had no choice but to follow them.
However, before leaving, he used his telekinesis to flip Totsuka Yahiko's plate.
"Ahhh! It's hot!"
Totsuka Yahiko's screams echoed through the restaurant.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the cruise ship.
Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were sitting in an outer booth.
"Ayanokoji, was it really not you who did the recording thing?"
Horikita Suzune asked with a serious expression, staring intently at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Give me a break. You've been obsessing over this for a long time, haven't you? I can tell you very clearly that this matter has nothing to do with me."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head, looking somewhat helpless.
"Based on speculation, it's most likely that Class D had internal issues."
"Hmm, that's true..."
Horikita Suzune nodded. Although she found it hard to believe, this was currently the most plausible explanation.
"Yo, Suzune."
Just then, a very frivolous voice sounded, and Horikita Suzune immediately knew who it was.
Ryuen Kakeru.
At that moment, Ryuen Kakeru, accompanied by Albert and Ibuki Mio, approached Horikita Suzune.
"Don't call me by my first name."
Facing the seemingly aggressive Ryuen Kakeru, Horikita Suzune didn't even look at him directly. Although this was their first formal meeting, they had both heard about each other.
"Yo."
Seeing Horikita Suzune's reaction, Ryuen Kakeru smiled meaningfully, his sharp gaze falling on her.
"Was it you who made the recording?"
His gaze was like that of a hunter spotting prey.
In the days leading up to the vacation, Ryuen Kakeru had been investigating the recording incident every day.
He confiscated all the phones in his class and checked everyone's spending records. It was time-consuming and laborious, but Ryuen Kakeru had no choice if he wanted to uncover the truth.
However, the results were not satisfactory.
Everyone's spending and communication records showed no abnormalities, so Ryuen Kakeru concluded that there was only one possibility.
It wasn't an internal traitor in his class—it was someone from Class C.
"Why should I tell you?"
Horikita Suzune ignored Ryuen Kakeru's attitude and simply gave this response.
"You should think about whether your domineering behavior in class has made your classmates resent you."
Beside Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained silent, quietly observing them.
[If Ryuen is reacting like this, then they've probably confirmed that it wasn't someone from their class. During that time, Ryuen and Class D didn't take any action, so they must have been investigating whether there was a traitor in their class. Now that they're openly appearing before us, it means they've confirmed there's no internal issue... So it must have been someone from our class?]
[Could it be Saiki? There's no concrete evidence yet.]
[Ryuen seems to be provoking us, but he's actually probing.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka made this judgment in his mind.
"Is that so?"
Ryuen Kakeru narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing Horikita Suzune. He had obtained information about Class C from Kushida Kikyo and knew that the leaders of Class D were Hirata Yosuke and Horikita Suzune.
[I can't see any useful information.]
Ryuen Kakeru thought to himself, then continued with a smile:
"I don't know how you did it, but no matter what, I'll find that person and give them a proper greeting—looking forward to it!"
Ryuen Kakeru waved his hand and then left with his group.
Horikita Suzune watched Ryuen Kakeru's retreating figure, her expression gradually becoming serious.
She had heard some things about Ryuen Kakeru and didn't approve of his violent methods of ruling the class.
However, like Ryuen Kakeru, Horikita Suzune was also very curious about the recording incident.
Just then, the ship's intercom sounded again.
"All students, please put on your gym clothes and gather on the deck."
"What?"
Horikita Suzune's eyebrow twitched slightly. This announcement was somewhat unexpected.
"After all, this school is a bit different. It's obvious that this isn't just an ordinary vacation."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied.
"Right, let's go."
...
A few minutes later.
Almost all the first-year students had gathered on the deck, including Saiki Kusuo.
"Why did they suddenly gather us here? Are we arriving at our destination?"
"We were told we'd be staying on a small island, but why do we need to wear gym clothes?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe there's some kind of activity?"