Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship.
"How is this possible?"
The students of Class B stared at their phones, their faces filled with shock. They hadn't expected Class D, which had been at the bottom, to suddenly take first place in the exam.
Horikita Suzune's eyes widened in disbelief, a mix of surprise and confusion as she glared at the boy standing before her, smirking arrogantly.
Ryūen Kakeru.
Just moments ago, as everyone discussed the exam, Ryūen had appeared, throwing out provocative words as if the entire test had been under his control.
"What… what did you do?" Suzune demanded. She couldn't understand how Ryūen had guessed their group's privileged status.
Their team had achieved Outcome One, meaning Ryūen not only identified the privileged member but also gathered undeniable evidence, convincing other classes of their identity.
It was a blatant challenge.
In truth, it was all Kushida Kikyō and Ryūen's collaboration, though no one else would suspect Kushida's betrayal.
"I know you don't want to admit it, but this means you're the most useless one in this group. Don't blame yourself, Suzune—your opponent was just too strong. Besides, this exam was always going to be a fierce battle. Class A's faces must be even paler than yours." Ryūen chuckled.
This exam was his attack on Class A, and a challenge to the other classes, proving he could crush them at will.
"And Suzune, though it's unfortunate, you're my next target. I'll focus on you in the next exam, attack you relentlessly, and leave you shattered in body and mind."
Ryūen waved his hand and turned to leave.
"Look forward to the second semester…"
As he walked away, he suddenly stopped, turning to Yamauchi Haruki in the crowd. A knowing smile spread across his face.
"As for your class's mastermind, I've got my eye on them. You're here, aren't you? I'll destroy you completely."
[Actually, he's not here. Ryūen just glanced at Yamauchi, which is odd. Plus, Yamauchi's earlier strange words… Did Saiki somehow divert Ryūen's suspicion to Yamauchi? How? It's impossible to imagine what method Saiki used to fool Ryūen so completely.]
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka thought, unable to fathom that Saiki Kusuo had used his psychic powers.
Yamauchi looked confused, having no idea what Ryūen meant.
After delivering his threat, Ryūen left.
Ayanokōji narrowed his eyes, watching Ryūen's retreating figure.
[I feel… a spark of interest.]
---
The next day, August 15th, the two-week cruise finally ended. Though called a trip, it was just two special exams, with only three days of free time.
Still, spending a few days on a luxury cruise without using points was acceptable.
After returning to school, everyone enjoyed the remaining two weeks of vacation.
Saiki Kusuo returned to his dorm, planning to do nothing and enjoy the rest of his summer peacefully.
Of course, he knew it would be incredibly difficult.
Meanwhile, at the school gift shop.
Karuizawa Kei browsed for a gift for Saiki Kusuo, her eyes scanning the shelves. After much hesitation, she still hadn't found anything suitable.
"What should I get…? Saiki likes sweets, but I can't just give him more cake… Or maybe a birthday cake?"
Karuizawa's limited brainpower struggled, when a familiar voice called out behind her.
"Karuizawa-san?"
"Huh?"
She turned to see Ichinose Honami.
"Ichinose-san, what a coincidence."
Karuizawa greeted her politely, remembering their earlier interaction.
"I didn't expect to see you here. Are you buying a gift for someone?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"What a coincidence, me too!" Ichinose smiled.
[Tomorrow's Saiki-kun's birthday! I need to get him a gift!]
Ichinose had seen Saiki's birthday during the meeting when everyone checked their phones. She'd come to the shop to buy him a gift.
"She's buying a gift… Could it be for Saiki-kun too?"
Both girls had the same thought.
"You two buying gifts for friends?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Yes," they replied in unison.
"For someone of the opposite sex?"
"Yeah."
"Boyfriends?"
"Uh… no!"
"Want them to be boyfriends?"
"No!"
Karuizawa's face flushed slightly. The shopkeeper's words weren't entirely wrong—she had wanted to pretend to be Saiki's girlfriend.
"Just for a birthday!"
"Birthday? Karuizawa-san, is it for… Saiki-kun?" Ichinose finally asked.
"Oh, you too?" Karuizawa asked back.
[Saiki didn't tell anyone his birthday, right? How did Ichinose know?]
Karuizawa felt a twinge of annoyance.
"During the meeting, I saw his birthday on his phone. He probably doesn't share much, maybe he's shy. So I decided to secretly get him a gift and told his friends."
"You told others?"
"Yeah, I told Kushida and the others. They're Saiki's friends, right!"
'???'
Behind them, an invisible Saiki Kusuo froze.
To avoid trouble, he'd followed Karuizawa and Ichinose using his invisibility, only to overhear this bombshell.
His plan to avoid trouble had backfired spectacularly.
Saiki quickly left the shop, found a secluded spot, and deactivated his invisibility. He used his clairvoyance to check on the others.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the school.
Kushida Kikyō, Hirata Yōsuke, Sakura Airi, and the others gathered.
"Tomorrow's Saiki-kun's birthday. Are your gifts ready?" Kushida asked, smiling.
For her, organizing a birthday party was another way to enhance her image.
"I'm ready!" Sudō Ken replied.
"I got Saiki a set of workout gear! He'll love it, right? He looks so skinny, he must need exercise."
[Even without powers, I could spin a grip strength meter ten times.] Saiki thought, watching from afar.
"I got him a fishing rod! He loves fishing, right?" Ike Kanji added, misremembering the island exam.
[…Seriously? There's nowhere to fish at school. The artificial lake's off-limits.] Saiki sighed internally.
"I… uh…" Yamauchi Haruki stammered, having completely forgotten.
Ichinose had told Kushida about Saiki's birthday, who then told everyone, including Yamauchi. But he'd been too distracted by talking to Kushida to remember.
Though focused on Sakura Airi, Yamauchi still had fantasies about Kushida.
"I'm ready!" Yamauchi nodded quickly, not wanting to be left out.
"Me too…" Sakura Airi murmured softly.
"I ordered a custom cake with Kushida-san. We can pick it up tomorrow morning." Hirata smiled.
"Saiki-kun's done so much for our class. Without him, we wouldn't have scored so well."
[Great, a cake too. Can't avoid this now.] Saiki groaned.
---
The next morning, Saiki teleported from home to his dorm, only to hear a familiar knock.
He'd considered sending his father, Saiki Kūsuke, to school and using hypnosis to pass him off as himself, but his father was at work.
Opening the door, he saw the group, including Ichinose. Karuizawa was absent, and Yamauchi held a watermelon—his gift.
"Happy birthday, Saiki!" they cheered. Even Sakura Airi whispered it softly.
[Saiki-kun must be so touched! He'll never expect this!] they all thought.
Saiki, however, remained expressionless.
"…"
An awkward silence fell.
[Saiki-kun… never smiles. Did something happen to him?] Hirata wondered, concerned.
To ease the tension, Saiki said, "Uh… come in."
The party proceeded normally. They shared cake, chatted, and the mood lightened. Later, Shiina Hiyori arrived with mystery novels, claiming she'd deduced Saiki's birthday from seeing Class B buy gifts.
[This cake's actually good.] Saiki thought, eating.
Despite some ulterior motives, the atmosphere wasn't terrible, and Saiki didn't hate it.
The gifts filled his once-empty room.