Chapter 71 – Ibuki’s Joy
Bonus chapter
***
Originally, Ichinose was ready to lead her classmates back to the cruise ship to enjoy and relieve the fatigue from the seven-day deserted island special exam.
But when Katsuragi led Class A and Horikita led Class D to gather around Ibuki from Class C, seeing her all by herself, Ichinose became concerned and thought of checking the situation.
Upon hearing about the situation, Class B was stunned. So Class C knew how to play this game? Selling the same piece of information to three different classes? No wonder Class B now has so few points – it seems it was all due to Class C's actions!
Before Ichinose could even comment, Kanzaki lost his patience, stepping forward to confront Ibuki about how they had been "deceived by your acting skills" next time. Ibuki was left speechless by the accusation.
Even Ibuki began to wonder if she was a natural-born actress, capable of winning an Oscar. "With Yukio's strength, he could surely lead them to Class A. After graduating from Class A, should she use the resources from the Advanced Nurturing High School to become an actress?" Such thoughts crossed her mind.
"Kanzaki-kun!" Ichinose finally arrived, stopping her teammate and even apologizing to Ibuki: "I'm sorry, Ibuki-san, we got a bit carried away during this special exam. We didn't think before we spoke, and it was very inconsiderate of us."
"And Katsuragi-kun and Horikita-san, wasn't it a bit thoughtless to bring your classmates and surround Ibuki-san like this?"
After apologizing, Ichinose even helped to deflect attention away from Ibuki, leaving everyone else in disbelief. How could someone be so angelic?
Despite the fact that Class B also suffered from Class C's actions in this special exam, there was no need to be this kind to them. Everyone knew that the information they purchased from Class C wouldn't be cheap, considering what Class C charged Class D during the midterm exams. And yet, they got nothing in return.
Despite this, Ichinose was protecting Ibuki, which Katsuragi and Horikita could not comprehend or even understand.
Ibuki, surprised by Ichinose's actions, lost interest in the argument: "Forget it, I don't want to argue about this anymore."
As she prepared to leave, a student from Class A seemed unwilling to let her go and stood in her way. Ibuki's gaze immediately turned fierce: "Move!"
Intimidated by Ibuki's presence, the Class A student instinctively stepped back. When he looked to Katsuragi to see if they should continue to block her, Katsuragi shook his head. Ibuki, however, didn't pay any attention to them and walked away.
"All right, everyone has worked hard during the exam, let's return to the cruise ship together," Ichinose said, wearing a gentle smile, persuading the other classes to return to the cruise ship without dwelling on the matter further.
She just didn't want to see the students make things difficult for each other. Seeing Ibuki, a girl from Class C, surrounded by students from Class A and Class D, she felt she needed to help defuse the situation.
If it were the other way around, if a girl from Class A or Class D were surrounded by students from Class C, she would help too. That's just her nature.
Katsuragi didn't quite know how to interact with Ichinose, eventually turning to Kanzaki: "You mentioned earlier that Ibuki infiltrated your class base. Can you explain that in detail to us?"
"Of course, we will also reveal all our dealings with Class C. Let's exchange information to prevent being taken advantage of by Class C next time."
Kanzaki didn't immediately agree but looked towards Ichinose. After all, Kanzaki is only in charge of assisting Ichinose, not leading Class B.
He also paid close attention to ensuring that Ichinose took the lead in front of other classes, not showing any signs of overstepping or vying for power.
Ichinose didn't mind at all and nodded. Then Kanzaki gathered with Katsuragi, and they walked back to the cruise ship side by side, exchanging information along the way.
All three classes returned, leaving only Horikita and Class D members, who silently looked at each other. Eventually, under the urging of Mashima, the homeroom teacher of another class, they returned to the cruise ship with heavy hearts.
However, the students from Class D were split into several small groups, maintaining a considerable distance from each other. They could be called a class, but they were too fragmented.
Ayanokoji lagged behind the group, watching Horikita with indifference. He was disappointed; this girl really wasn't up to the task.
Katsuragi and Kanzaki were actively exchanging information, while Horikita was still caught in her negative emotions. Missing this opportunity to understand where they went wrong meant they might continue to lose in the future.
But then again, what does that have to do with him? Ayanokoji quietly blended in with the students of Class D without drawing any attention.
...
Yukio and his classmates were watching the drama unfold on the deck. Seeing Ibuki alone bravely facing Classes A and D, everyone couldn't help but applaud, feeling that Ibuki had represented the spirit of Class C well!
When Ibuki returned, Yukio led the welcome: "The greatest hero of our Class C in this special exam has returned!"
Yukio understood the difficulties of living on the deserted island for seven days, especially for someone like Ibuki, who had to infiltrate and live with other classes. There were bound to be various inconveniences and troubles.
But Ibuki overcame and surpassed these challenges, successfully obtained the identity of the leader of Class B, and in the end, helped Yukio by selling information to three classes. On the last day of the exam, she independently contacted Katsuragi and Horikita, fulfilling the entire plan...
And she also managed to sneak out of Class B's base during her spare time, using the magnetic card to frantically earn an additional 30 points for Class C through card swiping. Calling her the biggest hero isn't an overstatement.
Indeed, Ibuki, the only one left on the deserted island, was Class C's card-swiping leader, following the school's rule of no negative points.
Once Yukio led everyone to abandon the exam and the special exam points dropped to zero, Ibuki could secretly start swiping the card to accumulate points again, allowing Class C to make a huge profit this time.
Yukio never holds back praise for his own people. Ibuki did a splendid job this time, so naturally, she deserves the appropriate rewards and recognition.
That's why he specifically made such a statement, hoping the class members would react. Whether it's buying loyalty or rallying more talent to serve the cause, at least Yukio wouldn't pour cold water on it at this moment.
As expected, the members of Class C gathered around: "Ibuki's back? Well done! I saw it all just now. Amazing! You left Class A and Class D speechless!"
"Nice job, Ibuki! Class A is one thing, but that Horikita from Class D, what a joke! Just a few words from you and she was fuming. And they dare to trouble us? Hilarious!"
"And Kanzaki from Class B! Ibuki, he said something about acting, about being deceived by you. Couldn't see it coming, Ibuki! You've got such exquisite acting skills!"
"Haha, not really, not really~" Faced with her classmates' praises, Ibuki somewhat shyly scratched the back of her head, displaying a modest yet foolishly grinning demeanor.
Her heart couldn't feel more exhilarated! Yes, this is it! Keep praising me! After all, I've put in six days of hard work on that deserted island, and it was genuinely tough!
Most importantly, Ibuki kept sneaking glances at Yukio. When she noticed his appreciative gaze, for some reason, her heart started racing.
The joy she felt surpassed all the praise from her classmates, a joy that overflowed freely within her.
It was as if the affirmation from Yukio weighed more than all the compliments from her classmates combined.
This feeling, Ibuki didn't know how to describe or express it, but it was incredibly delightful.
If forced to find something to compare it to, it might be like those times in elementary school when she scored full marks on a test. The praise from teachers and classmates made her happy, but what delighted her the most and what she looked forward to was the promise from her parents to take her to the amusement park after scoring full marks—a promise and praise that she would never forget for the rest of her life.
That anticipation, the joy of meeting the requirements through her efforts, and the fulfillment of promises, were memories that would last a lifetime.
***
Enjoyed the chapters? Read 20 chapters ahead on Patreon!
PATREON.COM/METARLN
600 power stones = 1 extra chapter