Chapter 65: Chapter 65 – Comparison will cause harm
On the second day of the exam, after visiting Class C and gathering information, each class returned with their findings. Even if they didn't mention it, other class members who went out to collect supplies occasionally passed by and saw Class C's lively lifestyle.
This stirred discontent among the members of the other classes. Initially, if everyone was struggling to survive on the deserted island, no one would have complained. But seeing Class C's leisurely days while they had to tighten their belts, a natural comparison arose, fueling a sense of grievance.
In Class A, they were gathered in an artificially created cave, clearly a product of the school's handiwork, as natural caves wouldn't have such a smooth interior.
Kashimoto, with his carefree attitude, started a discussion about Class C's lifestyle: "Hey, Katsuragi, didn't we spend a lot of money to buy all those supplies from Class C? Maybe we should also go and enjoy the water jetpacks and sea motorcycles!"
This idea was popular! Other students in Class A somewhat agreed: "Exactly, we're paying them a million private points each month! We spent the money; we should at least get to enjoy a holiday experience, right?"
"I've wanted to try that water jetpack for a long time. I saw others playing with it at the beach, but didn't want to be held by the instructor. Now that I can do it alone, why not give it a try?!"
Seeing the rising enthusiasm in his class, Katsuragi felt a headache coming on: "Ahem, I understand your feelings, but for the sake of secrecy, we better not do that."
"We chose this cave as our base and covered it with curtains to avoid being discovered by Classes B and D using supplies from Class C."
With these words, Katsuragi effectively doused the excited mood of his classmates, causing some to become disgruntled: "Huh? Why do we need to keep it a secret? That doesn't matter, right?"
"Yeah, we paid for it, so why can't we use it? Two hundred million a month! There's no logic in paying for something and not being allowed to enjoy it!"
"..." At this moment, Katsuragi envied Yukio for his absolute control over Class C, where no one dared to object. These were advantages Class A lacked. But he thought, once they got through this special exam with a bounty of class and private points, his own prestige would likely solidify.
With this in mind, Katsuragi calmed the emotions, remaining composed and attentive as he explained: "We keep it a secret for safety reasons."
"If it's discovered that our Class A has reserved a large amount of special exam points unused and purchased supplies from Class C, it might lead to a situation where Classes B and D join forces against us, especially with over five days left in the exam."
"Facing two classes at once, anything could happen, and we might end up at a significant disadvantage. Therefore, it's better to keep things secret. As long as our secret doesn't get out, Classes B and D won't unite due to a sense of crisis, and we'll remain safe."
"Compared to the growth in class points, enduring a few days of discomfort doesn't seem so bad, does it?"
Following Katsuragi's explanation, some students understood, though a few still aligned with the Sakayanagi faction remained somewhat discontented. The two sides ended up in a slow tussle, but eventually, they chose to adhere to Katsuragi's strategy of secrecy.
Class B, however, didn't have such troubles. While students admired Class C, they wouldn't make things difficult for Ichinose. At most, they would discuss how nice it would be to enjoy the summer holiday like Class C, but they had already chosen to endure seven days of hardship on the deserted island, so there was no use dwelling on it further. In fact, some kind-hearted students deliberately avoided discussing this matter in front of Ibuki to prevent causing her additional distress.
Under Ichinose's leadership, Class B maintained an exceptionally good atmosphere.
Class D, on the other hand, was full of differing opinions. Considering the conservation of special exam points, everyone had only eaten some fruit and grilled fish since yesterday.
With no substantial food and only fruit to serve as a main dish, they quickly felt hungry again despite the temporary fullness. The sweetness of the fruit became monotonous and torturous as they continuously ate the same thing.
Grilled fish was a luxury, made possible only by Ike, who had previous camping experience and managed to catch ten fish. Divided among everyone, each person barely got half a fish.
Now, as Class D students forced themselves to eat fruit with disdain, they heard that Class C students were enjoying barbecues for breakfast, various cold drinks, and even making smoothies? How could they tolerate this?
The more amiable students in Class D would just gulp and drool, finding the fruit in their hands tasteless and unappetizing.
The more hot-tempered ones, like Sudo, immediately felt disgusted with the fruit, finding it bland and unappealing, and threw it on the ground: "This isn't fit for human consumption! Hey, why don't we also get some fresh ingredients? Losing 10 points isn't a big deal."
"Yeah, exactly," Lightly agreeing, Kei Karuizawa, who holds considerable influence among the girls, couldn't help but express her frustration with the monotonous diet of fruits: "They're enjoying all sorts of fun by the beach, while we're stuck in the woods living like savages."
She even considered joining Class C for food and drinks, confident that, given Yukio's character, he would at least treat her to a good meal if she went there.
Many students echoed this sentiment: "Yeah, spending a few more special exam points shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
"They're having such a blast with water activities, while we're left weaving mats out of vines and getting bitten by mosquitoes at night, hardly sleeping, and constantly gathering fruits and supplies. It's so annoying!"
"Why can't we have fun during summer vacation while Class C does?"
"It's because we have to pay Class C three hundred thousand private points a month!" Horikita finally couldn't sit still and stood up amidst everyone: "If we follow this indulgent lifestyle, spending an extra 10 points each day..."
"By the end of the exam, we'll have to fork out an additional fifty points or more! Think about it, 10 points translate to an extra thousand private points per person, and five thousand points means a lot!"
"An additional fifty thousand points a month can make a huge difference in how we handle future school evaluations. That's why Yukio is so greedy for private points!"
"If we don't catch up now, we'll never have a chance in the future!"
"But isn't it because of the midterms…" A student started to protest but eventually held back. Even Sudō, who had been the most vocal, fell silent.
If it weren't for their blunder during the midterms, they wouldn't have lost so many points to Class C. Moreover, the 'idiot trio' still owed a significant amount of private points to the class for buying test answers.
This realization sparked resentment among many students. They wondered if things would have been different without Sudō's group. Unbeknownst to them, the class's internal conflicts were growing.
Only Sakura, secretly clutching the sweets in her pocket, felt a surge of sweetness in her heart. Yukio must have anticipated this situation and sent her the sweets as a thoughtful gesture.
She couldn't resist indulging in a pudding last night, and it was indeed exceptionally sweet!
***
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