I2 had reached beyond the boundary line, but what I saw was two adults and Kiyotaka facing each other on the small beach spread out in front of me. Yes, it was Vice Chairman Tsukishiro and Class 1-D's homeroom teacher, Shiba. I focused my eyes on the strange combination, and it could be assumed without a doubt that Shiba was also an enemy of Kiyotaka.

Suddenly, when I looked towards the sea, I saw a small boat with its engine still running but stopped. It seemed like it could depart at any moment.

For a while, Tsukishiro and Kiyotaka were in discussion, but as the small talk ended, Tsukishiro closed the 5 to 6-meter gap between them and moved closer. From behind, Shiba circled around to Kiyotaka, and in the next moment, as Shiba aimed to strike Kiyotaka's face from behind, Kiyotaka dodged by squatting down. Despite Kiyotaka avoiding the attacks, facing Tsukishiro from the front and Shiba from behind in a 2-on-1 situation, it was clear that he was at a disadvantage.

Attacks came from both sides, but none landed cleanly on Kiyotaka. However, both Tsukishiro and Shiba appeared to be formidable opponents, even if Kiyotaka was weakened from two weeks of survival on the deserted island. It was impressive how far he had fought against the odds.

Tsukishiro and Shiba launched attacks on Kiyotaka at incredible speed. What seemed like a grab turned into a strike, and Shiba's fist reached towards Kiyotaka's ear. I couldn't help but think that Kiyotaka might be in trouble if things continued like this.

"Are you the acting Vice Chairman Tsukishiro?"

I jumped lightly onto the beach and called out. Kiyotaka widened his eyes at the unexpected sight of me.

"You've been fighting well against two opponents."

"Jin..."

It was the first time Tsukishiro addressed me.

"Isn't he..."

"He's Jin Horagasaki, a classmate of Kiyotaka's in Class 2-D."

"He doesn't seem like a stray cat. But what brings you here?"

"I've been observing for a while now and couldn't stand seeing a 2-on-1 situation."

At this point, Tsukishiro and Shiba exchanged strange looks. It was understandable since they were supposed to have GPS confirmation.

"Ah, could this be it? My watch seems to have broken."

I deliberately put on a mischievous grin and showed the shattered watch to Tsukishiro.

"I hope it's okay to ask questions with a big shot like you here. It just means my scoring function is turned off, and I'm free to go wherever I want."

"Oh, of course. Accidents happen. But your watch breaking is quite troublesome during the exam."

There was no sign of panic. Normally, one would back off, but there was no indication of that. I was probably also targeted for elimination.

"Shiba-sensei, I will leave it to you to deal with him. It should be over soon."

Tsukishiro smiled casually as he said this. At that moment, Shiba approached me step by step. Kiyotaka then slightly raised the corners of his mouth and spoke up.

"Oh, Ayanokoji-kun, it's rare to see you smile. What's so funny?"

"Acting Vice Chairman Tsukishiro, are you perhaps mistaken about something?"

"Well, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Let me make it clear, Acting Vice Chairman Tsukishiro."

"Yes, what is it?"

Tsukishiro continued to smile mysteriously, seemingly unaffected. "This guy... Jin Horagasaki is—"

As soon as I said that, Shiba raised both hands in a cross guard, raising a cloud of dust as he stepped back. Similarly, Kiyotaka, who had seen Shiba's sharp side kick while casually putting his hands in his pockets, looked surprised. Of course, Shiba, who had been hit by the attack, was also the same.

"He's a match for me in combat ability."

Kiyotaka and I leaned on each other, not making eye contact, but conversing over our shoulders.

"Well, that's quite interesting. Then, would you like to show us that ability?"

Tsukishiro and Shiba looked interested as they said this, standing side by side.

"By the way, Jin, why are you here?"

"Oh, that. Weren't you avoiding the first-years yesterday? So, I thought, 'Oh, it's started,' and started investigating, and this is what I found."

"Will you lend me a hand?"

"Of course, why else would I be here?"

"I see, sorry to bother you."

"You say that every time... So, how much do we need to earn?"

"It depends on the situation."

"I see. But I never thought the day would come when I would cooperate with Kiyotaka."

"Me neither, Jin."

"Ayanokoji-kun, you seem to trust him a lot, don't you?"

"Yes, Jin is my first friend."

At that answer, I chuckled and cracked my knuckles, while Kiyotaka struck a pose with his right fist and left hand.

With that, Tsukishiro and Shiba began to take a stance, and silence fell between the two parties. Kiyotaka remained motionless in his stance, while I placed my right hand on my hip and gazed absently at the sand below. It seemed Tsukishiro and Shiba were on guard, not knowing when we would attack.

In the next moment, Tsukishiro advanced from the front, and Shiba from behind, swiftly closing in on us. Sensing this, Kiyotaka and I, who had been still, quickly turned the tables, initiating combat in a Kiyotaka vs. Tsukishiro and me vs. Shiba setup.

It seemed they had understood that if we didn't come to them, they would come to us instead."

"Let's settle this, Tsukishiro, Acting Chairman."

Kiyotaka faced the opponent blocking his path as an equal adversary. If that's the case, then I'll respond in kind.

Shiba extended his right hand towards me, but this was probably a double fake. It would seem like a thrust but he might try to grab instead. Too bad, I see through it; the real aim is a kick.

Immediately, I countered by sidestepping his attack, stepping into Shiba's range swiftly, grabbing his shoulder, delivering a knee kick with my right leg while Shiba also grabbed my shoulder and struck me with a knee kick. Sensing danger, I quickly let go of Shiba's shoulder, grabbed and released his hands. Since Shiba was in a similar situation, both of us lightly stepped back, but as I moved back slightly earlier than him, as Shiba stepped back, I stepped forward, grabbed his chest, and swiftly delivered a kick.

But this guy isn't a fool. He twisted my grabbed hand, and as he did so, I quickly flicked away his hand. He immediately squatted and circled around behind me. As he circled, Shiba attempted to strike my face with a right hook from behind, so I instantly launched a spinning back kick aiming for Shiba's face. However, my kick was guarded against by his thrust, so I was reversed due to the spinning back kick and exposed a vulnerability. At that moment, Shiba's powerful left thrust struck me, so I used my right hand to fend it off and moved backward.

"I mentioned Horagasaki, didn't I? Among all the opponents I've fought so far, you're the strongest. Who the hell are you?"

"And who the hell are you? I'd like to ask you in return. You're definitely doing this as a side job as a teacher, aren't you?"

Looking at Kiyotaka's demeanor, he's having quite a good fight. But he's concentrating solely on the enemy in front of him.

With momentum, Shiba launched a stepping attack. Perhaps he didn't expect a fake thrust because Shiba started to widen his spinning kick aimed at my face, but this wasn't aimed at my face. It was a low kick. He snapped his leg cleanly and quickly aimed for my thigh, but I immediately raised my left leg, bringing my knee into contact with Shiba's shin.

"Too bad."

"Ugh!"

A dull sound resonated, and perhaps his expression twisted slightly, as there's no human who wouldn't feel pain when hit in the shin, his movement became a bit sluggish. This is it. Thinking so, I quickly stepped into Shiba's range and swung a left spinning kick, followed by a right spinning back kick, and then a kick utilizing a technique called a Gainer Full Twist aimed at Shiba's face. Shiba, delayed in his response, managed to guard, but he was blown backward, regaining his posture.

"Damn it...!"

Wiping off a bit of blood from his mouth, Shiba regained his composure. Stamina is definitely being drained, understandable under this scorching sun. I confirmed Shiba, who seemed to freeze for a moment, and lightly exhaled while lifting my bangs.

But this guy is strong. We're making eye contact, slowly moving towards each other while glaring, and at the calculated moment, Shiba steps in with even greater speed, aiming a knife hand strike at me.

As I anticipated this, I squatted down and aimed a low roundhouse kick at Shiba's right leg, followed by a spinning roundhouse kick aimed at his left thigh as he jumped to avoid it. Expecting the attack, I anticipated the moment Shiba's roundhouse kick was executed and evaded it with a backflip.

Quickly getting up, I executed a right spinning back kick. Sensing an opportunity, Shiba aimed a back fist at my left temple, so I guarded with my left hand and intentionally disrupted my posture. I'm now in a position with my left knee on the ground.

" this is the end of the game..."

But that's just pretending. After feigning for a while, as Shiba attempted to drop his foot onto my head in a large circle, I waited for that moment, arching back, and thrust my fist into Shiba's solar plexus, which was left open.

"Ugh...!"

Surprised by the unexpected event, Shiba's face tensed up. It seems my blow hit him hard.

"You're...! You're good..."

"Wow, the teacher's pretty strong too."

Shiba seemed a bit unsteady, but we both got up, and as we prepared for the next attack, Kiyotaka spoke up.

"Unfortunately, time's up, Tsukishiro, Acting Chairman."

Suddenly, the small boat revved its engine and sped off. The reason for this abrupt departure was probably the sight of another small boat approaching from the sea.

Taking a closer look at the people on the small boat, it was the homeroom teacher of 2nd year class A, Mashima-Sensei, and our homeroom teacher, Chabashira-Sensei. Probably, Kiyotaka informed them that two students from class D were lying unconscious in I2, which prompted their arrival.

Shiba seemed resigned as he returned to Tsukishiro.

"Hey, Kiyotaka, that Shiba Inu was way too strong."

"You were the one pushing the most... It wasn't really serious, was it, Jin?"

"Hey, Jin-kun was totally serious. I'm seriously tired now."

Then Tsukishiro opened his mouth to me.

"Was that Jin Horagasaki? To push Professor Shiba that far into a struggle, what exactly are you?"

"Just a former delinquent, sorry for causing trouble, Sensei."

"Interesting, you showed quite something. I'd like to have a match with you sometime."

Saying so, Tsukishiro began to leave, "I'm coming, Sensei."

"You did great, Kiyotaka, defeating the acting director is amazing."

"Nah, I'm not the one to praise. Jin, you're too strong. In my opinion, Shiba is a significant powerhouse, one of the top-tier we've ever seen. Yet, you deliberately matched your strength to his, keeping it on par. Who are you... it's making me uneasy."

Kiyotaka glanced, seemingly troubled. There's a slight relief in Kiyotaka's expression, probably because he now has a bit of leeway in his mind. It's appreciable from my standpoint.

Returning to I2 with Kiyotaka, we unexpectedly encountered some students on our way to I3.

"Horikita and Ibuki, it's a rare combination."

"You guys too… Oh, and Ayanokouji-kun, are you okay?"

"Okay, with what?"

"Well, I just thought you might have been in some trouble with someone."

This time, both Kiyotaka and I denied it almost simultaneously.

"No? Nothing happened."

"Then what were you doing?"

"It's been a tiresome two weeks. I was just taking a break on a secluded beach."

"Oh, then why is Horagasaki-kun here?"

"Me? I just happened to be walking and found Kiyotaka in the twilight, so we were just chatting."

Horikita seemed dissatisfied and whispered to Kiyotaka for confirmation.

"Really, there was nothing? A small piece of paper..."

"A piece of paper?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"I see. Anyway, why are you and Ibuki here?"

Horikita stopped Ibuki from saying anything.

"I challenged Ibuki-san to a match, so we were checking each other's scores because of that."

"Let's call it a draw."

"Why would we do that? Clearly, it's my win, isn't it?"

"Margin of error."

"Whether it's a margin of error or not, as long as I'm one point ahead, it's my victory."

A pair with high pride and good camaraderie. And soon enough, the exam came to an end.

…..

The long two-week deserted island exam had finally concluded. On the last day, there were some injured students from a group that tried to force their way through, but somehow the exam came to a close. At the setup site near the starting point, teachers welcomed the students, acknowledging their efforts.

While the announcement of the results was to be held on the ship as previously notified, this time there was a mechanism where students from the bottom five groups would be informed beforehand.

It seems there won't be a public execution-like scenario in front of the entire school. The bottom five groups were called in advance, and whether to implement relief measures or not was confirmed. Students lacking private points, or even if they had them, if they didn't qualify for relief for some reason, they would board the small boat with their belongings.

Before dinner at 7 o'clock, classmates naturally gathered, and meals began in the same place. It was natural indeed. Since yesterday and today, the lists of the bottom groups were unavailable for viewing, so the only way to find out was to ask directly.

"First of all... I think it's a good thing that our 2nd Year Class D managed to finish the exam without anyone missing. It's really good."

Looking around at his classmates, Hirata spoke sincerely. It seems like Akito and the others are safe too. I didn't notice any missing students from the other classes.

"There will be a temporary break in meals and conversations. Please, attention."

Such an announcement came from Sasaki, the homeroom teacher of Class 3-A, prompting the students to look at their teacher.

"Congratulations on completing the deserted island special exam. Despite having a total of 13 students withdraw, we are surprised that all groups managed to overcome the two weeks without any further dropouts. However, some classes may have noticed that there are already missing students. Therefore, penalties were imposed on the bottom five groups, leading to expulsion. I will now announce the names of the representatives for groups with multiple students. 3rd Year Class D, Muto. 3rd Year Class D, Kawakami. 3rd Year Class C, Katsumata. 3rd Year Class C, Shinonome. 3rd Year Class B, Mikitani. This totals 15 students from five groups."

The students couldn't hide their surprise at the fact that all the expelled students were from the third year. Even the third-year students were visibly shaken.

"Now, I will announce the results of the top three groups from the deserted island exam. In third place, Group Sakayanagi Arisu from 2nd Year Class A, with 261 points."

Suddenly, a second-year group's name was called for third place. But the real tension lay in the next announcement. Everything would be decided here.

"In second place, Group Nagumo Miyabi from 3rd Year Class A, with 325 points."

Instead of cheers, screams of despair filled the air upon hearing this. Without delay, the announcement for first place was made.

"In first place, Koenji Rokusuke from 2nd Year Class D, with 327 points."

As soon as that name was called, all eyes in the school turned to Koenji. He remained seated calmly, neither triumphant nor boastful. He had achieved first place under stringent conditions, alone.

"He really did it, didn't he?"

Koenji glanced at Horikita once, as if asking, "You understand, right?" As promised, Koenji had secured a pardon until graduation. From now on, he could enjoy a more relaxed and elegant high school life.

"I really can't express my joy... or rather, I'm speechless."

"But we should be happy now, shouldn't we? We managed to escape Class D."

"Yes, you're right. With this, we can climb up the ranks quickly."

It wouldn't be surprising if there were major changes in class rankings. Class points could fluctuate due to daily influences. Horikita seemed to want to avoid that. Nevertheless, this summer vacation seemed like it would continue for a while longer.

=================================

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