Just when Masumi didn't want to get involved in this chaos, another person appeared. It was Sakura Airi, who was a member of Haruka's group. Now the situation was even worse; even two Masumis wouldn't be able to win against the Blue Dragon faction.
Airi pulled at the edge of Haruka's clothes, signaling her to stop. Seeing her friend asking this, Haruka decided to stop. After saying goodbye to Ryunosuke, she took Airi away without looking back. She left that pile of problems to that man...
Ryunosuke took a deep breath. He wanted to explain that his relationship with Haruka wasn't like that, but it turned out everyone had already dispersed.
Arisu had indeed come to look for Ai. Since the target had been found and the show was over, she had no reason to stay. She also left, taking Masumi and Ai.
Hiyori also had to take care of her class's matters; as the (formal) leader, she was very busy. She also led Fumino, Rizu, Ibuki, and Albert back to their camp.
Only leaving Ryunosuke standing dazed in the wind. He scratched his head in confusion.
"What were those people actually doing? Oh well... I should go too."
After that, he returned to his own class group.
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This exam was conducted on an uninhabited island without prior notice to students. However, some students had already noticed something was off.
Besides Ryunosuke who already knew from the beginning, Hiyori also noticed the anomaly. She looked at the island in the distance, as if already guessing something, then gave instructions to Rizu.
"Ogata-san, can you memorize the detailed scenery of that island? We might need it."
Rizu stepped forward and nodded calmly. She immediately used binoculars to observe the entire terrain, trying to record the map into her brain.
Her science grades were almost perfect; whether it was mathematics or geography, she was a top-class genius. Of course, behind her genius was a weakness: besides those subjects, her other grades were very poor. She was the type of student who was very one-sided in academic achievement.
The same applied to Fumino. That was why they ended up in Class D (the Class C formed by Hiyori); without weaknesses, they wouldn't fit in that class.
In just 30 seconds, Rizu had finished memorizing. The island map was perfectly drawn in her mind. She nodded to Hiyori, indicating the task was complete.
Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief. "Although I don't know yet what kind of exam will be given, memorizing the map is the right step. Thank you very much, Ogata-san. Your memory is truly extraordinary."
Rizu gave a thumbs up. "Don't hesitate, Boss Shiina. If there are other tasks, just say so, I'm ready anytime!"
The reason why Rizu was so obedient to Hiyori was because Hiyori helped provide solutions to the problem that had been weighing on her: namely literature subjects.
Rizu's dream since childhood was to enter literature university, but ironically, she was weakest in that field. Hiyori helped her study, and although her progress was slow, that help meant a lot to her.
That's why Rizu greatly admired Hiyori.
Beside them, Fumino, seeing Rizu able to memorize the entire terrain in just 30 seconds, felt very envious.
"How nice. If I could do that, I wouldn't have to worry about science problems anymore..."
Fumino's condition was the opposite of Rizu's. She got perfect scores in literature but got 0 in science.
The two of them were as if being toyed with by fate because their interests were opposite to their respective natural talents.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Meanwhile, Ryunosuke was in his dorm room on the cruise ship, thinking about how to use this exam to make money.
Suddenly, his room door was knocked. When opened, standing there was a petite silver-haired girl, Sakayanagi Arisu.
Arisu showed a meaningful smile. "May I come in and sit for a moment, Akasaka-kun?"
Ryunosuke opened the door wider. "Come in. This room is occupied by two people, my roommate is Ayanokouji..."
Arisu's steps stopped for a moment; she seemed to react to that name.
Ryunosuke poured a glass of plain water for her. "Sorry, I don't have tea. I hope you don't mind."
Arisu sat slowly on the edge of the bed, positioned her legs gracefully, and placed her cane beside her. "I won't mind water poured by Akasaka-kun. After all, this is a rare service~"
She sipped the water a little and seemed satisfied. "If in the future I can continue to receive service treatment like this, I'll definitely make you my exclusive pet, Akasaka-kun."
Ryunosuke, who knew Arisu's nature very well, rolled his eyes. "By 'pet' you mean making me your dog, right?"
Arisu covered her mouth with her hand pretending to be surprised. "Are you a tapeworm in my stomach?"
Ryunosuke's forehead wrinkled in annoyance. "If you came here just to mock me, please leave. Even though I have a lot of debts out there, I'll pay them off with my own efforts. I don't need your pity."
Seeing that, Arisu stopped joking and slightly lowered her head apologetically. "Forgive me, Akasaka-kun. My joke was excessive, please forgive me. I didn't mean it that way."
Ryunosuke sighed deeply, knowing this girl just wanted to tease him. He then started the main topic. "Tell me, you came looking for me surely not just to chat, right?"
Arisu's lips curved into a smile. "Ara, ara, does Akasaka-kun really not consider working under my control? Rather than struggling to pay off debts alone, leaning on a 'big tree' is the easiest choice~"
"I always appreciate people who have ability. If you're willing to work for me, I won't just pay off all your debts, but I'll also take responsibility for the rest of your life."
Ryunosuke understood that "take responsibility" here meant guaranteeing his financial life until old age, not something else. He knew very well that leaning on a "rich woman" like Arisu would make him live without burden. However... his pride as a man didn't allow it.
Without thinking too long, Ryunosuke rejected the offer.
Arisu showed a disappointed expression—she really felt regretful. Only she herself knew how great her desire was to obtain talent like Ryunosuke's.
In her heart, Arisu had placed Ryunosuke at the same level as Ayanokouji.
Although Ryunosuke's physical abilities might be different, that didn't hinder Arisu's admiration for him. This was the second time in her life she was so obsessed with a man.
Her first obsession was with Ayanokouji due to dissatisfaction after being "defeated" when watching his chess game at the White Room. And now, her pursuit targets had increased by one more: the man in front of her.