Ryo's Snow, Snow's Ryo

Time seemed to stand still, and even the host's voice sounded somewhat ethereal.

"And the upcoming second round of the competition is also something everyone is very familiar with --"

"[Speed Mental Arithmetic]."

Take a day off

My symptoms worsened; my mind went blank, my joints ached all over, and I couldn't write anything at all.

I originally planned to write this little by little, just like yesterday, but I feel really unwell today. I have a fever and am so delirious that I hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

I wish every reader good health; it's true that I haven't been able to update regularly during this period.

Chapter 105: The Cold Snow, the Coldness of the Snow

"It's Speed Mental Arithmetic?"

Upon hearing the name of the second project, Mrs. Matsushita exclaimed with delight:

"I remember Xiao Chiaki learned mental arithmetic before."

"It's all because Dad said we need to lay a good foundation in advance."

Upon hearing this, Matsushita Chiaki sighed. For a smart child like her, the purpose of tutoring classes has always been to get ahead of others. As a basic skill in elementary school mathematics, she had already been sent to a mental arithmetic tutoring class a year ago, before she even entered elementary school, to learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of multi-digit numbers in advance.

However, it must be said that mental arithmetic, also known as "Anzan," is indeed a fairly common training method. Even Matsushita Chiaki was often asked by her father to show off this skill in front of guests. Although sometimes even Matsushita Chiaki herself did not know whether her calculations were correct, you can imagine how fast it was.

"The golden age for learning mental arithmetic is between five and twelve years old."

Just then, Piaget's interview was broadcast on television.

"As I mentioned earlier, children at this age already have the ability to recognize and memorize symbols, and the process of mental arithmetic is essentially a brain exercise."

Following Piaget, Sakayanagi Narimori also shared his views:

"I took Arisu to a Mental Arithmetic Education Alliance in China for a test before."

Their response was that if Arisu were willing to delve into this area, she would become the first in the field.

At this point, Sakayanagi Narimori smiled proudly:

"Because when she was just over six years old, Arisu had already reached the professional level of a qualified ninth dan."

After the two short interview segments were broadcast, the host began to formally read out the specific rules of the [Speed Mental Arithmetic] project.

[Round 1: Ten mental arithmetic problems of increasing difficulty will be displayed on the screen in sequence, scored from one to ten points. Contestants must answer within a specified time. After all ten problems are completed, the answers of the two contestants will be verified. The contestant with the higher score wins. If scores are tied, each contestant receives one point.]

The first round focuses on accuracy, and there should be enough time for verification.

Sakayanagi Arisu withdrew her gaze, feeling a deep peace settling within her, her only thought being ultimate victory.

She didn't even look at Kitagawa Ryo beside her, focusing only on holding her pen and looking at the large screen where the questions were about to be posted.

At the Matsushita home, Matsushita Chiaki also became interested. Her mental arithmetic skills were among the best of her peers, and unlike her earlier Concentration, mental arithmetic tested her ability to remember and process information instantly.

Matsushita Chiaki used an encouragement technique on himself, Matsushita Chiaki his confidence soared!

As the countdown reached three, two, one, the first question slowly emerged.

[Addition, three-digit number, 5 rounds, 5 seconds.]

This means that five three-digit numbers will be added together at a constant speed over a period of five seconds.

Matsushita Chiaki could even complain about the difficulty of the first question, five numbers were already scrolling rapidly across the screen.

[231, 653, 965, 346, 894]

Despite her mother still counting on her fingers and muttering about what 231 plus 653 equals, Matsushita Chiaki finally got the answer 3089 just before the time limit expired.

"3089!"

The moment Matsushita Chiaki uttered the number, the correct answer to the first question appeared on the big screen: 3089.

"Mom! I got it right!"

With a sigh of relief, Matsushita Chiaki quickly said in a coquettish tone.

"That's good."

The mother breathed a sigh of relief, patted her daughter's head, and smiled kindly:

"Since Xiao Chiaki calculated it correctly, then Liang should be fine too."

?

Matsushita Chiaki slowly typed out a question mark.

Just as the mother had said, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu, who had both lit up their answer boards at the same time, wrote down the correct answers.

"No matter how many times I watch it, I still think it's amazing."

The father, standing to the side, also remarked with emotion:

"I was just using the calculator on my phone, but I couldn't even calculate as fast as Chiaki."

"This is just a small number."

After being praised, Matsushita Chiaki became a little embarrassed and quickly added:

"If Sakayanagi Arisu really has the professional level of a qualified 9th dan, then Dad will later realize what it means to be so overwhelmed that even a calculator can't keep up."

Knowing her own limitations, Matsushita Chiaki understood that the first question was already her limit, so she simply let go of her worries, calmed down, and happily enjoyed the competition with her parents.

By the time we got to the second question, the number of rounds had increased to six, and the time had been reduced by one second.

But it didn't seem to stump them at all, and they both scored again.

By the tenth question, the question had changed to [mixed addition and subtraction, three-digit number, 20 attempts, 4 seconds].

Each number was displayed for only 0.2 seconds. The audience at the scene and those watching on television gasped in surprise the moment the question appeared. The number appeared on the big screen for a split second and then disappeared again. This cycle repeated twenty times.

Let alone pressing the calculator button, for the average person, this frequency wouldn't even give them time to memorize the numbers; they could only stare blankly as one number after another flashed.

Kitagawa Ryo picked up his pen and wrote down his answer first, followed closely by Sakayanagi Arisu, who pondered for a while before giving his own answer.

All correct.

The audience gave a warm round of applause. As the saying goes, experts see the details, while laymen just enjoy the spectacle. That's why people are so enthusiastic about these geniuses who have reached the pinnacle in their familiar fields. This is also why the 100-meter race is hailed as the crown jewel of human sports, because everyone can run it, making it seem even more exceptional.

The difficulty of the tenth question has already impressed most of the audience. Regardless of whether Kitagawa Ryo or Sakayanagi Arisu or loses, both have become geniuses in their eyes.

"I hereby declare that in the first round, both Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo answered all ten questions correctly, resulting in a tie with a total score of fifty-five to fifty-five."

The host also walked onto the stage with an expression of amazement:

"What are your thoughts, everyone in the guest seats?"

"In terms of time, there are actually many questions where we lose the battle faster than our opponents."

Ayanokoji Atsuomi pointed this out without mincing words, glancing sideways at Sakayanagi Narimori sitting beside him as he said:

"Therefore, this is just a match that appears to be a draw; as for the winner, everyone knows for sure."

"Arisu simply has a good habit of verifying calculations. Given enough time, he strives for a higher accuracy rate. Would anyone think that's a wrong approach? That would be too short-sighted."

Sakayanagi Narimori also retorted without hesitation.

Piaget quickly stepped in to mediate, saying that both children were excellent and there was no need to compete. Mr. Koenji casually remarked that he would have his son learn mental arithmetic when he got home.

After the four guests finished speaking, the host then turned the microphone to the two contestants:

"The second round of the Speed Mental Arithmetic competition is about to begin. Do you two have anything to say?"

Let's start with Arisu.

"I want to wait until we win before we talk about it."

Facing the microphone offered to her lips, Sakayanagi Arisu simply said this.

"It seems Arisu is quite confident about the upcoming match."

The host quickly tried to smooth things over, then turned to Kitagawa Ryo and asked:

"Does Liang have anything to say?"

"What I wanted to say was something that Arisu couldn't bring herself to say."

Although Kitagawa Ryo felt that Sakayanagi Arisu's current state was a bit strange, for the sake of the ongoing program, he chose to confront her head-on. Besides, giving it his all was the greatest respect he could show Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Liang is not to be outdone either."

"Alright, now we will officially announce the competition rules for the second round of the [Speed Mental Arithmetic] event."

[Round 2: Multi-digit multiplication and division quick-response competition.]

[Both contestants will answer five multi-digit multiplication and division questions of increasing difficulty, each worth one to five points depending on the difficulty. Correct answers earn points, incorrect answers deduct points, and the contestant with the most points at the end of the competition wins.]

[Please note: This round of the competition uses a buzzer-beater system. Each contestant can answer using an electronic pen on the screen in front of them after the question is presented. Once one contestant confirms their answer, the opponent's screen will immediately go black, and they will be unable to continue answering.]

"How many digits are you referring to in this multi-digit multiplication and division? Two digits, or three digits like before?"

Mrs. Matsushita asked her daughter a question.

"I don't know either, it's probably around four figures."

Matsushita Chiaki shook her head. At most, she had only learned three-digit multiplication and division in her cram school, and not mental arithmetic. She had to write out the equations on paper in a proper way. After all, the difficulty of three-digit addition and subtraction is quite different from that of three-digit multiplication and division.

Compared to the difficulty level, what Matsushita Chiaki was actually more concerned about was the rule of the quiz.

As a top student, Matsushita Chiaki deeply understood that one of the most painful things was figuring out the answer but not being able to raise her hand as quickly as others, and being forced to watch others receive praise from the teacher with resentment.

The rule of having to answer questions quickly can actually be quite frustrating.

Being even one step too slow means finding no solution anywhere.

However, before Matsushita Chiaki could even finish his reflections, the second round of the competition on television had already officially begun.

With its fast pace and lack of distractions from advertisements and sponsors, the show has now attracted the Matsushita Chiaki family.

[82679×54893].

"Is this a four-digit number?"

Mrs. Matsushita rubbed her eyes. In any case, the arithmetic of tens of thousands multiplied by tens of thousands was beyond their comprehension.

"And it's the simplest question, the first one."

Matsushita Chiaki pursed her lips. Compared to addition and subtraction of three-digit numbers, multiplication and division of multi-digit numbers can actually provide a more direct and stimulating experience for the audience in some ways.

But just as Matsushita Chiaki finished speaking, with a piercing buzzing sound, Sakayanagi Arisu's screen turned a dark black in shock.

[Cool, answer complete]

"Okay, we see that Liang has finished answering and selected 'confirm,' but whether the answer is correct is also very important."

The host was also taken aback by Kitagawa Ryo's speed, but being a seasoned veteran, he immediately delivered his lines:

"Let's reveal the correct answer to this question first."

[4538498347]

In an instant, a long string of numbers, whose digits were impossible to count, appeared on the screen. Even Mr. Matsushita, who had been relatively calm, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"Oh My God."

However, Kitagawa Ryo's answer was subsequently revealed.

"4, 5, 3, 8, 4, 9, 8, 3, 4, 7, Correct answer!"

The audience erupted in cheers, some even standing up. Kitagawa Ryo, positioned in the center of the stage, simply nodded calmly, as if completely unsurprised.

"Next question."

Turning back around, Kitagawa Ryo, holding the electronic pen, never thought he would lose.

The combination of [Eidetic Memory] and [Heavenly Jealousy] makes him virtually invincible. Even if Sakayanagi Arisu were a few years older, Kitagawa Ryo doesn't think he could win.

If Kitagawa Ryo needed to hide himself in the White Room in the past, now he must shine brightly, so brightly that everyone's attention will be focused on him and on the White Room.

[26243504882÷567329]

The second question is about dividing an eleven-digit number by a six-digit number.