Suzune Horikita's Cooking

"It means exactly what it says. If Ichinose is going to pretend to be confused, then there's no need for her to offer to join Ryo's group at that time."

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms. To be honest, Ichinose Honami's actions at that time were indeed beyond her expectations.

Since the start of the semester, Ichinose Honami has spent most of her personal time socializing with other girls; otherwise, she wouldn't have received the same level of praise as Kushida Kikyo from Class A.

In fact, when Ichinose Honami rejected so many girls' invitations to join a group and took the initiative to join Kitagawa Ryo's group, it caused quite a stir throughout the grade. Some students who were jealous of her even took the opportunity to spread some unfounded rumors.

However, Ichinose Honami handled this minor public opinion storm with composure. Her skillful handling of the matter alone made Horikita Suzune, who had been watching her closely, take notice and secretly add her to her list of suspects.

What Horikita Suzune cared about even more was Ichinose Honami's feelings for Kitagawa Ryo.

Unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, she didn't display the intense emotions of tension, fear, excitement, or possessiveness that Ichinose Honami seemed to have never experienced. Just like her smile, it was a deeper, gentler kind of emotion.

Is it surprising that I joined Liang's group?

Even now, Ichinose Honami still responds to Horikita Suzune's questioning with a calm smile:

"I just think this is the right way, this is fine."

Compared to the chaotic timeline and fragmented memories in her dreams, Ichinose Honami is more willing and able to accept everything in the present, which is better than going with the flow based on other people's words and opinions as she used to.

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed reassured by Ichinose Honami's words, and she smiled and gently pulled her hand:

"Let's go then. Liang just mentioned that there are quite a few groups going to the [Geography Knowledge Test] topic, so we don't miss out on getting a spot."

"Um."

Ichinose Honami nodded slightly, but she still smiled and offered her blessings to Horikita Suzune:

"I hope Suzune's project goes smoothly too."

After saying this, she and Sakayanagi Arisu turned and left, running towards the nearest location of the [Geography Knowledge Test] topic. Neither of them had any problems with their knowledge; now they just needed to grab a spot to register.

Horikita Suzune watched the two figures leave thoughtfully. She didn't think Ichinose Honami was really satisfied with the current situation as she claimed, and in fact, Ichinose Honami herself hadn't achieved that at all.

Two years ago, she had already noticed that Ichinose Honami had been intentionally avoiding meeting Karuizawa Kei, while also avoiding any one-on-one time between Karuizawa Kei and Kitagawa Ryo.

Even a few months ago, when school started, Kitagawa Ryo had two initial candidates for the Student Council: her and Ichinose Honami. Ichinose Honami had joined the Student Council in middle school and even had a year of experience Student Council President. Judging from her dutiful performance in middle school, she did not dislike the Student Council position and was fully capable.

However, the result was that Ichinose Honami forcefully joined the Drama Club created by Kitagawa Ryo himself, so the second Student Council spot had to go to Sakayanagi Arisu, even though she was basically just a figurehead.

Recalling the image of Sakayanagi Arisu that had appeared in her dreams, Horikita Suzune felt that she had almost touched upon the truth.

If Ichinose Honami had a similar experience, then Karuizawa Kei must have appeared in that part of her memory as well.

Judging from the attitudes of Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei, it seems to be Ichinose herself, and Karuizawa Kei herself probably had no idea what role she had played.

Even Horikita Suzune herself became a little curious after speculating this far.

What exactly did Karuizawa Kei do in that past period?

Ichinose Honami's reaction to her wasn't entirely resentment or regret; rather, it was more like...

Hopefully, Sakayanagi Arisu won't touch that deepest spot buried in the other person's heart.

As Horikita Suzune pondered this, she took steps toward the topic of [cooking].

"Huh? We're the first ones?"

"Yes, and so far only your group has arrived. If the registration deadline has passed, you can directly receive the first-place prize."

At the registration desk for the [Impromptu Poetry Recitation] project, the person in charge of examining candidates was none other than Hoshinomiya Chie teacher of Class 1-B. She was smiling as she spoke to the panting Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio.

"That... it wasn't just good luck."

Shiina Hiyori had clearly been dragged all the way here by Ibuki Mio; a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead, and her voice trembled slightly, but her expression was quite happy.

"We just took the opposite route from most of the teams, so we came to this grid because it's closer."

"Alright, congratulations on your group's successful registration. Is it Shiina or Ibuki's participating?"

Although she said that, Hoshinomiya Chie's gaze had already fallen on Shiina Hiyori, after all, in terms of temperament, this girl seemed to be a better match.

In addition to the five school staff members, the judges for the [Impromptu Poetry Recitation] project also invited a well-known professional from across the country to score the poems. However, the professional was treated like a vacationer, leisurely lying under a specially set-up parasol and looking this way.

"I'll take on this task."

As expected, Shiina Hiyori volunteered. She took out a bottle of water from her backpack, took a couple of sips to moisten her throat, and after catching her breath, she stepped forward, bowed slightly to the six judges, and randomly picked up a poem from the few manuscripts on the table.

After seeing the above, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Actually, Shiina Hiyori isn't good at poetry recitation, but if Ibuki were to come up here, given her learning level, she probably wouldn't even be able to read the English text fluently. Even though it's categorized as "[Other]" and it's "[Impromptu Poetry Recitation]," does it also test a certain level of English proficiency?

However, what made Shiina Hiyori feel relatively relaxed was that she had actually read the poem that was drawn and was quite familiar with its content.

It is "The Raven," the famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe, the United States poet and novelist hailed as the father of detective fiction.

Shiina Hiyori is a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, and one particular line stuck with her deeply—a topic she had once discussed with Kitagawa Ryo:

The death of a beautiful woman is, without a doubt, one of the most poetic themes in the world. -- Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe's own writing style can actually be glimpsed from this sentence, and "The Raven" is no exception, filled with contradictions that are both bizarre and romantic, sacred and deathly.

"Once upon a gloomy midnight, I was lost in thought, languid and exhausted, facing many strange and bizarre books that had long been forgotten; just as I began to doze off, almost falling asleep, I suddenly heard a soft knocking, as if someone were gently tapping—gently tapping on the door knocker of my room."

Shiina Hiyori began to recite the beginning of this famous piece fluently.

[Actually, this uses a very common metaphorical meaning: it's knocking on both the door of the room and the door of the heart.]

Memories of Kitagawa Ryo surfaced unconsciously, and his words seemed to echo clearly in my ears once more.

Then, out of the corner of her eye Shiina Hiyori saw a figure rushing towards them.

"Tissomevisitor (A guest has arrived)."

Under the judges' somewhat surprised gazes, Shiina Hiyori repeated the sentence again:

"Tissomevisitor (A guest has arrived)."

Kitagawa Ryo saw the silver-haired girl smiling at him, still reciting:

I murmured softly.

He's knocking on my door.

That's all, nothing more.

Chapter 138: Horikita Suzune's cooking

Just as Kitagawa Ryo arrived at the registration point for the [Impromptu Poetry Recitation] project and was listening to Shiina Hiyori's recitation of the poem "The Crow," two more groups ran towards them.

After glancing around casually, Kitagawa Ryo didn't see anyone familiar. He recognized most of the students from both Class A and Class B, since one was his classmate and the other was a class he had spent more than a semester with, so it should be a group from Class A and Class B.

Because this project only requires registration within an hour of its launch, with no restrictions on the number of participants, and since everyone has just arrived on the island, the two groups that have arrived so far are on the surface quite friendly, and have even taken the initiative to greet Kitagawa Ryo in a friendly manner.

After noticing that Shiina Hiyori, who was working on a project, was reciting in English, the two groups discussed for a while before choosing the best candidate to take on the challenge, confidently placing themselves behind Kitagawa Ryo.

After all, the reward is just a matter of finishing in the top three. There are only four groups in total, and it's not like I'm the one who gets eliminated. Besides, the two people ahead of me are students from Class C and Class D, respectively. Although I don't mean to look down on them, as students from the top classes, they still carry a subtle sense of superiority.

However, their confident expressions quickly faded as Shiina Hiyori on the field had captured everyone's attention.

The poetry recitation, which could only be described as "fluent" and "clearly enunciated," suddenly became richer in emotion and expression after Kitagawa Ryo's arrival, as if blessed by a fairy's magic wand.

Shiina Hiyori had spent some time with Kitagawa Ryo in the Theater Troupe, so her acting skills were already quite good. "The Raven" was a work she had read and liked before. With her familiar lines and readily available memories, plus a little bit of emotion wanting to show herself in front of someone, even the other two groups who were novices could feel the high level of skill Shiina Hiyori was showing.

The long poem, which is clearly a narrative of the pain of losing a lover and filled with a sense of mystery, is inexplicably imbued with a touch of tenderness in Shiina Hiyori's interpretation.

"QuoththeRaven 'Nevermore'."

Shiina Hiyori let out a long sigh and smiled as she gave a slight bow to the judges in front of her.

The six judges, including the invited professional, discussed quietly for a while before giving their scores. The final average score was 9 points, which seemed like a good high score.

Since Shiina Hiyori was the first to participate, she wasn't quite sure about the judges' scoring preferences or whether her score reflected her actual ability.

However, Shiina Hiyori didn't seem to care much about these things. Instead, after finishing her recitation, she immediately walked to the side, sat on the bench where the contestants waited and rested, and cast her bright eyes at Kitagawa Ryo.

Considering that there were other people waiting behind and that other groups might arrive in the remaining time, Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to talk to Shiina Hiyori. He just quietly gave her a thumbs up and went up to draw his own question.

The classic love poem by the United Kingdom poet Byron, "She Walks in Beauty."

Thanks to his golden talent [Extensive Knowledge and Prodigious Memory], and after so many simulations, Kitagawa Ryo's reading volume was astonishing. This poem was naturally familiar to him, and compared to "The Raven," Byron's love poem was much simpler. Therefore, he recited it without hesitation:

She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies.

Kitagawa Ryo's acting skills are beyond question. As soon as he opened his mouth, he caught the eyes of the judges. Some of them even recognized him and quietly introduced Kitagawa Ryo as a theatrical Actor to the teacher next to them.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was reciting word by word, Shiina Hiyori actually got up from the bench next to her, took a small stool from Hoshinomiya Chie's feet, and sat down on the empty space to the right of the judges' table with great interest, propping her chin up and smiling as she tried to catch Kitagawa Ryo's pupils.

It's like they're playing some kind of "don't laugh" challenge.

However, Kitagawa Ryo himself is a seasoned theatrical Actor who has faced far more audiences on larger stages without ever showing any fear, so he was naturally completely unaffected at this moment.

Moreover, he already had the experience of delivering these 'sweet nothings' to Shiina Hiyori without batting an eye.

A mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent.

A heart that will always be pure.

Kitagawa Ryo gazed into Shiina Hiyori's eyes and uttered the last line of the poem, his voice flowing quietly like lukewarm syrup.

"Thank you very much, my impromptu poetry recitation is now finished."

It wasn't until Kitagawa Ryo uttered those words that the people present barely managed to recover from their shock. The professional invited by ANHS even spoke up directly:

"Although we are not allowed to comment in theory, it's really excellent..."

The middle-aged man seemed to be rambling incoherently, so he simply shut up, raised the "10 points" sign in his hand, and stood up threateningly, glancing around at the five judges beside him as if he were looking for someone who hadn't given him a perfect score.

The other teachers chuckled, shook their heads, and simultaneously held up signs indicating a perfect score of 10.

This means that regardless of how the group performs in the subsequent rounds, Kitagawa Ryo has already secured first place.

Hoshinomiya Chie also realized this, and immediately took a large bag of folded items from the tent behind her and handed it to Kitagawa Ryo:

"The first-place prize is a three-person tent."

Kitagawa Ryo opened his large backpack, stuffed the tent inside, and nodded to Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio.

"I'll be going now. The rest of my group is waiting for me; it's too far."

They inadvertently released some false information to the other groups.

Perhaps knowing that this Uninhabited Island Exam, especially the first day, was particularly important and time was tight, Shiina Hiyori didn't try to force Kitagawa Ryo to stay and say a few more words; she simply waved to him.

"See you next time, Ryo."

"Okay, see you next time."

Kitagawa Ryo responded softly, then tightened the straps of his backpack, which suddenly felt heavier, and ran towards the place where he had separated from his group members.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo had taken a few steps, he bumped into another group running towards him over the mountains. However, since Kitagawa Ryo had already entered the forest and the other group was in a hurry and didn't notice, they didn't encounter each other.

However, you can recognize them from behind; they are Ken Sudō and Yukimura Teruhiko from our class. Their group should also include Yamada Albert and Miyake Akito, and it seems they are also splitting up.

Using the vision granted by his talent [Hawkeye], he gazed into the distance for a while, then glanced at the time; there were less than three minutes left before registration closed.

Ken Sudō and Yukimura Teruhiko seemed to realize this as well, but Yukimura's physical condition was indeed not good. He looked a bit weak on the first day on the island. In the end, Ken Sudō gritted his teeth and carried him on his back, rushing to Hoshinomiya Chie just before the registration deadline.

"Sign up!"

Ken Sudō quickly put Yukimura Teruhiko down, patting his back and soothing him.

"Yukimura! Where our group sleeps tonight depends on you! And those three..."

The three-person tent has already been taken.

A boy from Class B next to me chimed in.

"Huh? Isn't it over yet?"

"Yes, but Kitagawa Ryo from your class has already secured first place with a perfect score."

"Oh, Kitagawa, no wonder."

Ken Sudō scratched the back of his head, then patted Yukimura Teruhiko on the shoulder, who seemed to have caught his breath:

"Then we'll need a two-person tent..."

"Do your best."

Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses. Yamada and Miyake Akito had gone to the geography section, but they couldn't be relied on entirely; everyone in the group had to play their part.

This is also why he had Ken Sudō lead him all the way here.