A Pure and Innocent Maiden

"I feel like we're down by more than 300 points."

Horikita Suzune, Ichinose Honami, and Sakayanagi Arisu felt a sudden jolt in their hearts and answered in unison:

"No way."

Is that true?

"Ryo must have misremembered. It's possible that he spent a little more points to exchange for ingredients last night when entertaining the Matsushita team."

"Yeah?"

Kitagawa Ryo scratched his head in confusion. His memory was already at the level of Eidetic Memory, and he remembered the points he had gained and lost over the past few days. It seemed that he had inexplicably lost more than 300 points.

"It's about to rain, Liang, we'd better find a place to pitch our tent quickly."

"Seriously, I'll help you out too, okay?"

As Sakayanagi Arisu pushed Kitagawa Ryo forward, she winked at the other two. It wouldn't have been a big deal if they had just exchanged points for a telescope, but they had actually spied on something extraordinary, which made the three girls feel a little guilty.

"Yes, Arisu and I just found a nice high ground up ahead."

Ichinose Honami quickly chimed in.

"It's more convenient to cook before it rains."

Horikita Suzune spoke earnestly.

Seeing that the three of them seemed to have Jet Ski, Kitagawa Ryo readily agreed. He had noticed the discrepancy in the scores yesterday, and bringing it up today would be a good way to change the subject.

Plans in place!

And so, the four of them tacitly chose a good high spot and immediately began setting up their tents. They laid out the necessary waterproof mats and tarpaulins and hammered in extra tent pegs.

As time went by, the sun, which had been high in the sky, disappeared as if it had sunk into the sea. The seawater began to grow darker and more turbid. The black waves, like sharp-toothed beasts, crashed onto the shore wave after wave, tearing at the rocks.

The sky quickly darkened, the thick clouds exuded an unsettling atmosphere, and then, raindrops began to patter down.

Kitagawa Ryo lay in his single tent. Because of the noise of the rain, the girls in the other tent couldn't talk to him, which made it strangely quiet.

The last time he heard the sound of such a heavy downpour was in Sakayanagi Arisu's simulation. Kitagawa Ryo didn't dislike the sound of rain, as long as it didn't get on him.

Kitagawa Ryo closed his eyes, crossed his legs, and listened to the sound of rain outside. Raindrops make different sounds when they hit different plants: crisp and bright when they fall on coconut trees, husky when they fall on banyan trees, and soft when they fall on the beach.

But he immediately realized that these adjectives were actually just artificially created images, just like the white clouds in the sky, which are also made of water vapor. Because their shapes are too free, they are filled with all sorts of metaphors and express all sorts of emotions.

Along with the rain came the wind. Even though several tent pegs had been used to reinforce the tent, the storm still tore at it. It had come from the sea to the island, knocking down leaves and making a rustling sound.

Kitagawa Ryo was about to change his lying position when he was turned over and something in his pocket bothered him. He took it out and saw that it was the message in a bottle he had picked up earlier.

Shiina Hiyori said it was hers and wouldn't let him see it.

But the truth is, she didn't get it back.

Through the transparent bottle, you can see a rolled-up strip of paper inside, surrounded by sand and seashells, like a letter from the seabed.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was hesitating whether to open the letter, he suddenly noticed a slight, unusual sound.

The sound, like an electronic voice, came from deep within the forest, but due to the distance and the cover of the Tempest, it was so faint that it could only be mistaken for tinnitus.

However, Kitagawa Ryo frowned.

Because he had heard that voice before, and remembered it clearly, at the final briefing session before the Uninhabited Island Exam three days prior.

That's a built-in feature on their student watches; it immediately emits a loud alarm after a student's abnormal state lasts for ten minutes, signaling an emergency for help.

Chapter 153: A Pure and Innocent Girl

Kitagawa Ryo focused intently on the sounds in the wind for a while longer. Two minutes had passed since he first noticed the sounds, and the only thing that would ring continuously like that was the emergency alarm.

Unless someone forcibly removes the watch from the wearer's wrist, it will continuously emit this high-pitched beeping sound whenever it detects a crisis in the wearer's vital signs. At this time, the watch's GPS function will also display the wearer's location, and rescue will then arrive.

This is what Chabashira Sae said at a presentation three days ago, but considering that the emergency alarm has been ringing for some time without stopping, the school's rescue team should not have arrived at the scene yet.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo put on his raincoat and opened the tent. It seemed that the girls' tent, which was some distance away from his, hadn't noticed the strange noise yet, which made Kitagawa Ryo feel a little relieved.

He had already decided to go ahead and see if he could help, and if the girls found out at this time, it might cause some trouble.

After all, the group was currently on Uninhabited Island ravaged by the Tempest. In such an environment, heading to an unknown location in the forest was a challenge. Although Kitagawa Ryo was very confident in his physical abilities and eyesight, Sakayanagi Arisu others might not think the same way.

Kitagawa Ryo took a flashlight, its orange light appearing particularly faint in the dark, rainy weather, making visibility quite limited. The low-lying areas on the island were already filled with water, so he had to be extra careful with every step he took.

However, thanks to his superhuman physical abilities and excellent eyesight, Kitagawa Ryo still managed to get closer and closer to the source of the sound, as the emergency alarm grew louder and louder, echoing strongly through the forest.

"Hey! Is anyone home?"

Feeling that they were getting close to the scene of the incident, Kitagawa Ryo shouted loudly to those around him, trying his best not to let his voice be drowned out by the wind and rain.

"Who?"

From his right came another alert voice.

Kitagawa Ryo shone his flashlight in the direction of the sound, and sure enough, there was a person there. However, the person seemed to be in a bad state, slumped against a large tree behind him, panting heavily.

"Ryuen?"

Kitagawa Ryo recognized the other person instantly. He walked closer along the muddy path and confirmed that the emergency alarm was coming from the wristwatch on the other person's wrist.

"Beichuan?"

Ryuen Kakeru also raised his eyebrows, seemingly feeling that he looked somewhat disheveled. He supported himself with one hand on a tree root and the other on his right shoulder, struggling to stand up.

Although the light was dim, it was still possible to see that Ryuen Kakeru's right side of his body, including his right arm and right thigh, had obvious bruises and abrasions. Even as the rain continued to pour down, blood kept seeping from the wounds.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to ask a question, Ryuen Kakeru's watch suddenly stopped ringing, followed by an urgent inquiry:

"Ryuen? Ryuen? Can you hear us? Can you answer?"

It seems the watches provided by the school to the students also have built-in communication functions, but it appears to be intended as an emergency measure. Kitagawa Ryo had not heard Chabashira Sae mention this at the briefing, and it seems that students cannot use them among themselves.

"I can hear it."

Ryuen Kakeru glanced at Kitagawa Ryo, but still responded to the school staff who had sent him the message.

"OK."

Hearing that Ryuen Kakeru's voice was still quite strong and his thinking seemed relatively clear, he felt a little relieved and took the initiative to explain:

"Due to the heavy rain, the school's helicopter and medical team may not be able to reach the scene immediately. Could you please explain your current situation?"

"I just tripped and fell on the hillside; I only have a few scrapes."

Ryuen Kakeru paused, then added:

"I still have the ability to participate in this Uninhabited Island Exam."

"Regarding this, we will make a further assessment based on the extent of the injuries."

The school staff patiently explained:

"What you should do now is to protect yourself as much as possible. The school's medical team is expected to arrive in three minutes."

"Furthermore, we marked the locations of several nearby Ryuen with them to weather this the Tempest. In this kind of weather, going alone can easily lead to irreparable damage."

"Tsk."

Ryuen Kakeru smacked his lips heavily.

"Also, we detected Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-D. Kitagawa-kun's GPS signal is located near the incident site. Kitagawa-kun, Kitagawa-kun, can you hear me and answer?"

Kitagawa Ryo, standing to the side, could only shake his head and lean closer to answer:

"I'm here. I came to check the situation a few minutes ago after hearing the emergency alarm, and it's unrelated to this incident."

Sensing the Kitagawa Ryo's words, the school staff on the other side quickly responded:

"Don't worry about that. We also have specific data. When Ryuen's emergency alarm rang, your GPS location was not here."

Then, the other party spoke with a slight apology:

"Since you're nearby, could you please guide our medical team? There will be some routine questions, but of course, we have absolutely no intention of suspecting you."

"As compensation, we will award your group 800 points."

Ryuen Kakeru was lying on the side, widened his eyes upon hearing this. He was the one who was injured, so how come Kitagawa Ryo got the points as a reward?

"No problem, no problem. My relationship with Ryuen has always been very close. Even if there were no points, I would still carry Ryuen onto your stretcher."

Kitagawa Ryo responded immediately and without hesitation.

"Okay, thank you for your assistance. The medical team has arrived nearby..."

After saying this, the brief communication was also ended. Immediately afterwards, four school staff members who had walked in the rain arrived at Ryuen Kakeru's side, guided by Kitagawa Ryo's flashlight. The three of them immediately opened the makeshift stretcher they were carrying, and together with Kitagawa Ryo, they lifted Ryuen Kakeru onto the stretcher and began emergency wound treatment.

The other person immediately asked Ryuen Kakeru, who was still relatively conscious, about the exact location of the incident. He then took a series of photos of the traces left by the rolling and the remaining footprints, which would likely serve as evidence for the incident.

"How about it?"

After a brief check, Ryuen Kakeru asked somewhat nervously, "Although I possess the special card [Resurrection], it's too early to leave the Uninhabited Island Exam. It's best to avoid this situation."

"At first glance, there seems to be no bone damage."

The medical staff member replied briefly, then turned and nodded to Kitagawa Ryo, who was standing to the side, saying:

"We couldn't bring our equipment here; it's temporarily stored at the nearest camp. Could you help us carry it over?"

"Good."

After Kitagawa Ryo agreed, aside from one teacher who stayed at the scene to continue collecting evidence, he and three other medical personnel lifted the stretcher carrying Ryuen Kakeru at the four corners. Umbrellas were placed around the stretcher, which barely covered the injured person.

Kitagawa Ryo initially thought the nearest campsite was on his side, but to his surprise, the other side was heading in the exact opposite direction. After the four people carrying the stretcher rounded a bend, they saw tents that had been hastily set up in an open space ahead. Among the busy people, Kitagawa Ryo actually recognized a familiar voice.

"Come on, come on, be gentle."

However, he didn't have time to say hello at this moment. Under the teacher's instructions, he first carefully put Ryuen Kakeru down, and then Long was carried into the largest tent. The equipment inside seemed to have been set up, and he was going to have a more detailed examination.

"Hiyori?"

Kitagawa Ryo walked into the camp and took off his raincoat. The emergency camp set up by the school was much more spacious than the students' camp. There was a canopy over his head to keep out the rain, and all he could hear was the sound of raindrops hitting it.

"Huh? Why is Ryo here?"

Shiina Hiyori stared wide-eyed, frozen in place as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"I found Ryuen after hearing the emergency call, and then the school requisitioned him and sent him here. What about you?"

"Ibuki and I received an urgent notice from the school about half an hour ago, saying that our campsite needed to be requisitioned urgently. Apparently, someone was injured. Oh, it's Ryuen."

Shiina Hiyori pointed to two single tents in the corner of the campsite. Ibuki Mio was sitting at the tent entrance, munching on jerky while staring blankly at the busy scene before her. When she saw the two of them looking over, she raised her hand and gave a simple greeting.

"It's a bit noisy, but the school said they'll give us 800 extra points tomorrow."

Shiina Hiyori said with a smile, sounding very happy.

Then, as if remembering something, she quickly went back to her tent, and when she came out again, she had several dry towels in her hands.

"Here, wipe yourself off, you're soaking wet."

Although she was wearing a raincoat, Kitagawa Ryo was completely soaked, so she didn't refuse and took one to wipe her hair and face. Shiina Hiyori also took a few other raincoats and helped wipe the rain off Kitagawa Ryo.

There's a humid yet warm and enchanting feeling.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo managed to reduce the moisture content of his clothes somewhat, a school staff member approached him, carrying a bag of clean clothes.

"Thank you for your help this time. Please change into them first; I have some questions to ask you later."

"How is the situation at Ryuen?"

Kitagawa Ryo asked as he took the clothes.

"The results aren't out yet, but it shouldn't be anything serious, and he himself seems quite keen to stay."

Seemingly because Kitagawa Ryo was also a witness to this incident, the teacher made no attempt to conceal anything, letting out a long sigh of relief and exclaiming:

"It's so good that nothing bad happened."

"However, Ryuen also bears some responsibility. He had already sent his solo teams to rejoin the other teams at noon, but he was the only one who didn't do so. If something really happens, there won't even be anyone to guard them."

The teachers who worked overtime overnight also seemed quite resentful.

"Change your clothes as soon as possible, don't catch a cold."

After saying these words of concern, the teacher hurriedly left.

Kitagawa Ryo was a little lost, holding the clean clothes in his hand. Mainly because he hadn't had a chance to ask where he could change. The medical staff who had been with him had simply taken off their raincoats and coats and pushed him into the largest tent. Apart from that large tent, there were only piles of medical supplies around.

Unlike the medical staff, he had been out for much longer, and his entire body, including his underwear, looked like he had been pulled out of the water; it wasn't something that could be solved simply by changing his shirt.