Class D's Counterattack (Continued)

At 8:00 AM on the fifth day of the Uninhabited Island Survival Special Exam, along with the brand-new daily first round of task information, a reminder of the second round of restricted areas was sent to each student's watch.

[The second round of restricted areas on the Uninhabited Island has been established. Groups still within the restricted areas must leave their areas before noon today. Groups still in or entering the restricted areas after noon will be eliminated, and their scores will be fixed.]

[The specific restricted areas on the second round of Uninhabited Island are as follows: I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, B3, B4, B5, B9, B10]

Kitagawa Ryo quickly opened the electronic map to confirm.

Combined with the restricted areas already established in the first round, two iron curtains have now been erected on both sides of the Uninhabited Island, reducing the students' activity range by about one-fifth compared to when they arrived on the island.

However, because of their premeditated relocation, Kitagawa Ryo's group is not currently within the designated restricted area, but rather in an ambiguous area on the edge of the safe zone.

"Actually, starting today, you should meet significantly more people."

Sakayanagi Arisu was the first to finish washing up and came back to sit next to Kitagawa Ryo. She said that the toothpaste she had put in her cup had colorful packaging and seemed to be a fruit flavor that was geared towards children.

"Um."

Kitagawa Ryo understood Sakayanagi Arisu. Although the school had divided the Uninhabited Island into one hundred areas, in reality, the outermost thirty squares were all ocean areas, and the Uninhabited Island occupied at most seventy squares.

Although the two rounds of shrinking circles only seem to have eliminated a total of twenty squares, the map shows that a mountain range runs from northwest to southeast across the central area of Uninhabited Island. Due to the steep terrain, the school usually does not choose to set up projects in mountainous terrain squares, but instead places them in forests, plains, or along the coast.

This is done to make the assignment of the project easier, and also to further ensure the safety of the students. After all, moving around in mountainous areas is inherently risky, and if students try to rush to reach the project location, there is a possibility that accidents may occur.

So, after subtracting the mountains that occupied nearly twenty squares, the students' movement area was actually reduced to less than forty squares.

There are forty-four groups on the island.

In other words, by now, Kitagawa Ryo's group can basically encounter another group in every grid, which means that the competitive pressure will further increase when a project comes up nearby.

"Actually, it's a good thing."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled indifferently:

"This also makes it easier for us to snipe those top-tier teams."

If the competition over the past few days has been a contest among several groups scattered across the island, vying for the highest scoring efficiency, then as time goes on, they will inevitably face off against top groups like Katsuragi Kohei and Hashimoto Masayoshi.

After everyone in the group had finished their personal hygiene, Kitagawa Ryo nodded and announced today's group operation plan:

"Today we need to find projects that allow multiple participants per group, and try to face the top ten teams in our group. If we can sweep the top two or even three spots, we can effectively curb their scoring speed."

Kitagawa Ryo thought for a moment and then added:

"This is the most important thing; we can put the upgrade opportunities for regular cards on hold for now."

In theory, considering that all four special cardholders are currently working for him, the [Discount] card might automatically reach the maximum level without him even having to lift a finger.

Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune, and Sakayanagi Arisu also agreed with Kitagawa Ryo's battle plan. After all, compared to the previous scattered attacks, this strategy finally returned to the mode of small-group operations.

"So, this will be our first topic today."

Seeing that the three had no objections, Kitagawa Ryo nodded and found a topic he had already chosen that perfectly met his requirements.

[Type: Academic Ability]

[Olympiad Math Test]

[Each group can have a maximum of three participants. The competition will begin when there are at least fifteen participants or one hour after the topic is announced.]

[First Place: 1200 points]

[Second Place: 1000 points]

[Third Place: 800 points]

"This is a topic that Suzune and I are both good at. If there 'Arisu or Honami?"

As they moved toward the location of the research project, Kitagawa Ryo asked for the opinions of his team members.

He knew Horikita Suzune well; just like with the piano, her Math Olympiad skills were also honed by him, one test paper after another.

However, since both Sakayanagi Arisu and Ichinose Honami received an A grade in their entrance exams and hadn't been seen doing any Math Olympiad problems, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't entirely sure of their actual abilities.

"I'll do it. I've participated in Math Olympiad olympiads before."

Ichinose Honami was the first to raise her hand.

"The Math Olympiad? I don't recall Honami ever mentioning it."

Kitagawa Ryo was somewhat taken aback.

"It was before I enrolled in school, before I told my mom I wanted to apply to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, that's when my mom made me go."

Ichinose Honami scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly.

"Because Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has a very good reputation among parents, with a 100% college entrance and employment rate, and a small number of new students admitted each year, plus its closed management system, my mother thought that ANHS would be an elite aristocratic school."

Ichinose Honami smiled and stuck out her tongue:

"So before I enrolled, they were always worried that I wouldn't be accepted, so they made me participate in a lot of Math Olympiad and English competitions, saying it would make my resume look better."

"So that's how it is."

"No wonder Honami always seemed so busy back then; he even stopped working at the Theater Troupe."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, temporarily suppressing the matter in his heart, and then asked Sakayanagi Arisu:

"Then let's have Honami sign up?"

"Yes, I'll take a break for a bit."

Sakayanagi Arisu yawned lightly and waved her hand casually to indicate that she didn't care about these things.

After deciding on the participants for the project, Kitagawa Ryo's group quickened their pace, arriving at the [Olympiad Math Test] project site as quickly as possible.

Perhaps because the name "[Math Olympiad]" is a bit intimidating, the three or four groups that came here almost had no Class C or Class D members; they were all from the Class A and Class B, which had better average scores.

"Good morning, Kitagawa."

Good morning, we meet again.

Since neither the number of applicants nor the time all met the requirements for starting, Kitagawa Ryo exchanged pleasantries with Kanzaki Ryuji from Class B, who came up to greet him, and then asked with a smile:

How many people are planning to participate in this project in your group?

"Me, and then there's the Amikura."

Kanzaki Ryuji pointed to a girl behind him, but the girl seemed to think he was calling her name and came closer with a grin.

"What is it? What is it?"

Kitagawa Ryo was actually quite familiar with this girl named Amikura Mako; Karuizawa Kei was on good terms with her and had mentioned her before.

However, what surprised Kitagawa Ryo a little was that Amikura Mako's hairstyle was the same high ponytail as Karuizawa Kei's. Could it be that they truly shared a deep understanding as close friends?

"Nothing's wrong."

Kanzaki Ryuji shook his head.

"Oh, you must be Kitagawa from Class D. This is the first time I've seen you in person this close. You look even more handsome than in photos and videos. Megumi's taste is definitely not bad."

But Amikura Mako showed no sign of leaving, exuding an air of natural familiarity and observing Kitagawa Ryo with great interest.

"Photos? Videos?"

Kitagawa Ryo paused, then asked with some suspicion.

"Ahem... didn't we have a poll for the most handsome boy in the whole grade? Most of the girls voted for you based on your entrance photo, you know, that one, yes, that one."

Seeing Kanzaki Ryuji frantically winking at her, Amikura Mako quickly offered a dry laugh and an explanation.

"So--"

Kitagawa Ryo nodded thoughtfully, glanced at his watch, his expression turning serious again. He said in a deep voice to the two of them:

"If you trust me, once the assignment begins, immediately submit a blank paper and move on to the next assignment."

"Um?"

Kanzaki Ryuji and Amikura Mako were completely taken aback by Kitagawa Ryo's words and were momentarily speechless, instinctively letting out a soft "hmm."

"Why?"

"Because it will only waste time."

Kitagawa Ryo patted Kanzaki Ryuji on the shoulder:

"To put it bluntly, I think neither of you will make it into the top three; there's no participation award for this project."

"You mean, because of them?"

Kanzaki Ryuji raised an eyebrow at another group not far away.

That was Class A, consisting of Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kito Hayato, Morishige Takuro, and Machida Koji, and was currently ranked second in the group rankings.

The composition of this group is actually somewhat similar to that of the Sudo group in Class D. However, the Sudo group consists of one academic ability and three physical education abilities, while the Hashimoto group consists of one physical education ability and three academic abilities. In fact, Hashimoto Masayoshi himself is above the excellent level in both academic ability and physical education.

In fact, apart from Totsuka Yahiko and Kamuro Masumi, most of the students in Class A have excellent grades. This has led to Class A groups usually winning most of the academic-related questions on the Uninhabited Island, which makes them far ahead in Class A class rankings.

"No, I mean our group."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head in denial, and whispered in Kanzaki Ryuji's ear:

"I reminded you because Hui is in Class B."

"If you believe me, then listen to me."

"Otherwise, it will just be a waste of time."

Kitagawa Ryo initially thought Kanzaki Ryuji would hesitate a bit longer, after all, his academic level was quite high, ranking above average in the entire grade, and he had already registered. To give up just because of a student's comment...

"Okay, I understand."

But to Kitagawa Ryo, Kanzaki Ryuji nodded, then calmly turned to Amikura Mako and said:

"Do as Kitagawa says."

"Okay -- I don't want to get up first thing in the morning to do Math Olympiad problems anyway."

Amikura Mako readily agreed.

"Well then—time's up. Students who have registered for this project, please get ready."

Fifteen minutes later, another group from Class A arrived. Before the teacher in charge could speak, five groups (three A, one B, and one D) had already gathered, with a total of fourteen people signing up to participate.

Unlike previous assignments, this time a paper-based test was used, and a large amount of blank scratch paper was also provided.

Thirty seconds after the [Olympiad Math Test] officially began, Kanzaki Ryuji and Amikura Mako from Class B exchanged a glance and raised their hands in unison:

"Carry out an assignment."

The teacher in charge was also somewhat puzzled as he accepted the two students' test papers, which were completely blank except for their names. What puzzled him even more was that before leaving, Kanzaki Ryuji also took a stack of draft paper that had been given to him and Amikura Mako.

The commotion naturally surprised the students in Class A, but they felt somewhat relieved after seeing that it was a student from Class B who left with a blank paper.

They naturally knew Kanzaki Ryuji, the vice class president of Class B, and knew that his grades were quite good even in Class A. The fact that such a strong competitor had given up the exam was a cause for celebration, even though they didn't know the specific reasons.

Not only the nine people answering the questions in the arena, but also the other group members in the audience were relieved.

Now only Kitagawa Ryo, Horikita Suzune, and Ichinose Honami from Class D remain on the field.

Recalling the appalling average scores of Class D and Final Exam, the students in Class A were already dreaming of sweeping the top three spots in this subject.

Although they had been thoroughly tricked by Kitagawa Ryo before, this time the real competition was about academic ability, which was Class A's forte.

Class A versus Class D, nine students versus three students, the advantage is in my hands!

Among the Class A students who were popping champagne at halftime, Hashimoto Masayoshi was one of the calmer ones, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere on the field.

But the exam had already begun, and he could only focus all his attention on the questions in front of him.

He received a B+ grade in his academic assessment upon enrollment and had previously received training in Math Olympiad.

So, as long as he performs normally... the worst-case scenario can't be expected.

After nearly two hours of frantic writing, even the students in Class A of the "King of Papers" class couldn't help but show signs of fatigue. However, they still patiently checked their previous answers again and tried their best to write out as many known steps as possible for the last two challenging questions, hoping to get as many points as possible.

"It should be 80 points or higher."

"I got around 90 points, but I only did half of the last question."

"I figured out the last question, but I'm not sure if it's correct."

After submitting their exam papers, the students in Class A, with the self-satisfaction and pride of top students, discussed the questions they had just answered.

The four teachers quickly finished grading all the papers, saving them a lot of effort since there were two blank papers in the middle.

Then, a voice as sharp as a bolt from the blue was uttered from the teacher in charge.