One Midsummer / Keep It Up, Ayanokouji!

"You haven't had lunch yet? Shall we grab something to eat?"

Kitagawa Ryo took out packaged desserts from his bag. He had gone back to his dorm to get these because he remembered that Shiina Hiyori often lost track of time while reading, and since he didn't like going to the cafeteria alone, he often skipped lunch.

"They even have blueberry pie!"

Upon seeing the dessert, Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up. She quickly put down her book, took the spoon from Kitagawa Ryo, scooped up a piece, and savored the sweetness on her tongue and taste buds.

"Because July is the season for blueberries, but they're a bit expensive."

Kitagawa Ryo also took one for himself; as long as the points are enough, the Keyaki Mall can expand its services to include ordering.

The two chatted and ate desserts, and whether it was because their voices were a little loud or the aroma of the desserts spread, Ibuki Mio, who had been sleeping in the front row, suddenly rubbed her eyes and woke up. She turned around and looked at Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori, who were chatting and laughing, with some surprise.

"... Um?"

Did I wake you Ibuki? Sorry.

Shiina Hiyori seemed to be quite familiar with Ibuki Mio. She put down what she was holding, put her hands together, and smiled as she apologized.

"It wouldn't wake me up; I've already had enough sleep."

Ibuki Mio stretched again, glanced at Kitagawa Ryo on the other side, and gestured towards Shiina Hiyori her lips:

"Who?"

"I'm Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-D. It's nice to meet you, Ibuki."

When the topic turned to himself, Kitagawa Ryo stood up and introduced himself.

"Oh, so you're Kitagawa."

Ibuki Mio walked up to the two of them, but without even bothering to bring a chair, she sat down directly on a desk next to them and began to sized up Kitagawa Ryo.

She was still quite curious about Shiina Hiyori, the guy Shiina Hiyori had always been thinking about. As one of the few in Class C who didn't really respect Ryuen Kakeru, Ibuki Mio always remembered the scene on the first day of school when Ryuen Kakeru was using violence to control the whole class, Shiina Hiyori stood up and confronted him, demanding to Matoba.

That's why she was more lenient with Shiina Hiyori, and their relationship was quite good as a result.

"I think I'll be paired with Ibuki this time. Ibuki's family owns a martial arts dojo, and her physical abilities are among the best in our class."

As Shiina Hiyori spoke, she cut a piece from the blueberry pie in her hand:

"Does Ibuki want some?"

"Thank you, but I don't really like sweet things."

After uttering such a cool-sounding statement, Ibuki Mio rested her chin on her hand and added:

"Actually, if Hiyori wanted to team up with someone, plenty of people in the class would be willing."

Class 1-C is the kind of class where physical strength is higher than intelligence. Apart from one boy, Kaneda Satoru, there isn't a single student in the class whose academic ability is comparable to Shiina Hiyori's.

"I just feel good being with people I'm familiar with."

Shiina Hiyori made a remarkably natural remark, her soft voice like cotton candy:

"And as long as you're not last, it's fine."

"... You'd better not let anyone else hear what you're saying."

Ibuki Mio sighed, then turned her gaze to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Although we're not in the same class, if we run into each other during the Uninhabited Island Exam, I'll help you out of consideration for Hiyori."

"..."

"..."

Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori fell silent at the same time, and finally Shiina Hiyori managed to respond:

"Well, that's not bad either."

Because lunch break was about to end, Kitagawa Ryo quickly cleaned up the table Shiina Hiyori finished eating dessert.

He was fairly reassured if Shiina Hiyori teamed up with Ibuki Mio, since Kitagawa Ryo knew Ibuki Mio's personality quite well. Apart from her strong competitive spirit, which could be considered a weakness, Ibuki Mio's individual abilities were quite good in the entire grade, and she and Shiina Hiyori could complement each other.

Although it's only a two-person team, if they work together, their score shouldn't be too low.

"Yes, I plan to form a two-person group with Sakura."

As if she had anticipated Kitagawa Ryo's arrival, Amasawa Ichika's reply was quite swift.

"Wasn't the topic for this Uninhabited Island Exam set according to a 4:4:3 ratio of academic ability, physical education, and other aspects? I'm fairly good at academics and physical education, so I can just find a student who excels in other areas to work with."

"Since it's 'other,' I guess it will include some artistic topics, such as singing and dancing?"

Kitagawa Ryo nodded and asked again:

"What about Airi? Did she agree?"

"She received a lot of invitations, but since she didn't want to be in a group with boys, she only chose team members from among the girls. And since I'm the girl with the best physical strength, of course I agreed."

"This all happened during lunch break. I just don't know where Kitagawa Ryo, our class's busiest guy, went."

As Amasawa Ichika spoke, she rolled her eyes at Kitagawa Ryo:

"Since Liang's team is already full, there's no need to look for more members."

"Hmph, just wait until our group ranks higher than Liang's, then you'll be furious."

At this point, Amasawa Ichika made a funny face at Kitagawa Ryo that wasn't scary at all, but rather kind of cute.

"Great! I'd love to see that too."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't really think the other party was exaggerating. No one in Class D knew better than him the talents that Amasawa Ichika, who came from the White Room, possessed. In terms of physical ability alone, Horikita Suzune should not be her match.

In fact, to some extent, Amasawa Ichika is fully capable of forming a group on her own.

But in the end, she still chose to bring Sakura Airi along, which was actually a way of indirectly helping Kitagawa Ryo solve a problem.

Realizing this, Kitagawa Ryo also took the initiative to reach out and pat Amasawa Ichika's head.

This was a habit he developed in the White Room, but touching the head of a child who is a few years old is indeed different from touching the head of a teenage girl, although Amasawa Ichika did not show any resistance.

"I'll let Ryo see it."

Amasawa Ichika's gaze and words came through the gaps between Kitagawa Ryo's fingers. She still had her hair in pigtails, and her hair color was bright and fiery.

The scorching winds that belong to the Uninhabited Island have already arrived.

If the name "Snow" signifies pure, pristine snow, Ichika " is one so intense that it can be clearly recalled even decades later.

Midsummer.

Chapter 136: Good luck, Ayanokoji!

The Luxury Cruise Ship, St. Venus, with twelve decks and a capacity of over seven hundred passengers, is sailing smoothly on the sea.

Starting with the entrance hall and reception on the fifth floor, the upper floors house a cinema, swimming pool, Gymnasium, café, restaurant, and even a sightseeing bath and game center. For most of the First Year students at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, this is a magnificent sight they have never seen before in their lives.

Even if they tried all the rides on the ship, it would probably take more than a day or two. But before enjoying this Luxury Cruise Ship vacation, the First Year students will face a brand new Uninhabited Island Exam.

The well-equipped medical room and clean wards on the eighth floor of the cruise ship demonstrate the school's comprehensive prevention measures for unexpected events, while also constantly reminding every new student of the difficulty of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam.

Kitagawa Ryo leaned on the railing on the deck, gazing into the distance. Before him stretched a vast, clear blue sky, a boundless, crystal-clear sea, and in the distance, the outlines of uninhabited islands were faintly visible.

The First Year students at ANHS will be spending two weeks there.

"This Uninhabited Island is Beta Island, and it's different from the one we visited before; it's much larger."

Standing next to Kitagawa Ryo, Sakayanagi Arisu.

The Uninhabited Island she was referring to, which she had visited with Kitagawa Ryo before, was naturally the same Uninhabited Island they had visited during the simulation of filming a dating reality show Kitagawa Ryo, also belonging to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

"Yes, it is indeed bigger than the one Ryo and I went to before."

Karuizawa Kei nodded in response. She also knew that once she arrived on the island, she wouldn't have many more opportunities to spend time with Kitagawa Ryo, so she seized the last moments to come and chat with him while watching the sea.

As for the Uninhabited Island she mentioned, it was naturally the same Uninhabited Island where she and Kitagawa Ryo had taken the Special Exam together in the simulation, and it was indeed the same island that Sakayanagi Arisu was talking about.

Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami, however, had no memory of this, and were therefore more focused on the current situation.

"The temperature today is approaching 40 degrees Celsius."

Even the wind felt sticky and hot.

The two of them, taking turns talking, had already assumed the identities of members of Kitagawa Ryo's group and began to actively analyze the situation:

"Even if it's just a normal two weeks, some students might still drop out."

"Yes, I think the possibility of something unexpected happening is very high. Ensuring water supply should definitely be the top priority."

Today, as we enter the latter half of July, the temperature has indeed risen to a level that is noticeable.

Living conditions on Uninhabited Island are certainly not as good as on a cruise ship. Just as the two of them had worried, staying hydrated and being mindful of heatstroke and dehydration were the first issues they had to address during this exam.

"Speaking of which, Honami, you drew a [Supply Card], right?"

When the topic of drinking water came up, Horikita Suzune also asked a question.

"Yes, the Level 1 Supply card provides 200 grams of bread and 500 milliliters of drinking water per day. Even if you're careful, that's only enough for one and a half meals."

"However, considering that physical exertion on the island will definitely be high, it probably won't be easy to conserve energy."

"Then we can only hope that we can find a project to upgrade this card as soon as possible."

Horikita Suzune said this while flipping through the booklet she had received.

This is a resource Redemption Manual that all students receive when boarding the ship. It details the points that can be exchanged for various items. Kitagawa Ryo memorized it after reading it once. Compared to the Uninhabited Island he had experienced, the list of items was much more diverse.

Tents, fishing rods, walkie-talkies, food, drinking water, and even various entertainment props, such as fashionable swimwear, beach balls, swimming Jet Skis, reminded Kitagawa Ryo of the carnival of Class C, followed by the exam process of playing music and dancing.

As for drinking water, which is the lifeline for survival on the Uninhabited Island, it is also quite expensive, costing 100 points for every 500 milliliters.

Although the Redemption Manual mentions a bottle-shaped water purifier that can filter water sources and supposedly remove over 99.9% of bacteria and parasites such as E. coli, making river water safe to drink, it costs as much as 4,000 points. It's quite uneconomical for students to buy it in groups of one or two, but in groups of three or more, there's a high probability that some students won't accept the water filtered by this device. Therefore, it's unlikely that many people will redeem it.

Moreover, judging from the picture description alone, this is definitely a rather large object. Considering an individual's carrying capacity, it seems more convenient to simply exchange it for drinking water.

Just as the group was discussing drinking water, a notice came over the loudspeaker asking everyone to assemble in the lobby on the fifth floor. Considering they were getting closer to their destination, this was probably the last instruction before the exam.

As Kitagawa Ryo walked towards the meeting point with several girls, he began to think about his strategy after they landed. None of the four people in his group, including himself, had drawn the only four special cards.

The four cards are Kitagawa Ryo's [Discount], Ichinose Honami's [Supply], Horikita Suzune's [Free Ride], and Sakayanagi Arisu's [Double], at least there are no duplicate cards, so they can cover all aspects.

Horikita Suzune's [Free Ride] has already been assigned to Kitagawa Ryo, and Sakayanagi Arisu's [Double] will only be effective after the exam, so the only cards that can truly be useful on the Uninhabited Island are his and Ichinose Honami's two cards.

Because it was emphasized that there would be punishment for being late, the First Year students gathered quite quickly. However, instead of lining up according to class order as usual, they naturally divided into small groups, discussing quietly among themselves while waiting for the orientation to begin.

There are currently 151 students left in the First Year. The main reason for the decrease in number is that six students dropped out of Class 1-D in the first semester. This means that Class D is at a natural disadvantage in the competition for class ranking. However, not many people will care about Class D, Class Points have always been zero.

Summary of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam:

Over two weeks, all teams will compete in a survival test where they must score points.

Alongside the above summary is a map of the Uninhabited Island where we are about to land.

The map is divided into 100 areas, each 500 meters long and 700 meters wide, with the numbers AJ and 1-10 marked horizontally and vertically.

"Please quiet down."

The homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, Chabashira Sae, walked onto the stage and spoke into the microphone:

"I will now give a final explanation of the upcoming Uninhabited Island Special Exam."

She raised her right hand, and a close-up shot appeared on the screen, showing a rather exquisite-looking watch on Chabashira Sae's wrist:

"Before the Uninhabited Island Exam begins, the school will distribute one of these watches to each student."

This watch is not only used to tell time, but it's also an essential tool for this exam, used for things like determining location, finding nearby topics, checking group scores and rankings, and more. Furthermore, the school will monitor students wearing these watches in real time, tracking their body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, sleep duration, anxiety levels, and other data. If any of these indicators exceed specified values, a warning bell will ring.

Chabashira Sae operated the device, and the data she had just mentioned, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, appeared on the big screen in real time.

This means that the school can monitor the health status of all students at once.

"Let me first show you the warning alarm sound. Could you please adjust my temperature reading to above 38 degrees Celsius?"

Shortly after Chabashira Sae spoke, a sharp warning sound came from her watch.

"This is a warning bell. During its ringing phase, it serves only as a warning, therefore it's designed to automatically stop ringing after 5 seconds."

Five seconds later, the sharp warning sound stopped.

"However, if the condition continues to exceed the specified value, a warning bell will sound again after 10 minutes."