I Could Never Let You Go

Ishizaki Daichi looked at Tachibana Akane's face and felt a sense of familiarity, so he tried hard to remember.

"Looks like I'll be able to snag a bargain again, just like last time."

With less than ten minutes left before the project ended, Ishizaki Daichi glanced at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the other two who were resting behind closed doors, and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

So far, their group's strategy for the Uninhabited Island Exam has been to take shortcuts and find loopholes everywhere. They specialize in analyzing topics that might have fewer applicants. If they are good at something, they can get first or second place; if they are not good at it, they can still get third place as a minimum guarantee.

Especially in the [Piano Performance] he participated in with Kitagawa Ryo last time, Ishizaki Daichi, who can't play the piano at all, directly won second place. Through hard work and perseverance, Ishizaki Daichi's group ranking is actually quite high. He has now reached thirteenth place, which is one of the top in the entire Class C.

Just as Ishizaki Daichi was fantasizing about getting a free spot on this assignment, three groups walked in from three directions simultaneously in the last five minutes before the registration deadline.

Kitagawa Ryo's group in Class 1-D.

Ryuen Kakeru's solo group in Class 1-C, Grade 1.

And Kanzaki Ryuji's group from Class 1-B.

After the three groups arrived, they automatically separated and huddled together. Ryuen Kakeru walked directly to Ishizaki Daichi and the others, raised his head, and gave the order:

"Someone come out and register with me."

Since Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo had already successfully registered, and Kaneda Satoru was a top student with poor physical fitness, in the end, it was Yoshimoto Kousetsu who stepped forward and formed a temporary group with Ryuen Kakeru to register.

Meanwhile, Kanzaki Ryuji's group went straight to Kitagawa Ryo's side. Not all members of their group came; only Hamaguchi Tetsuya, showed up.

"It was Karuizawa who told us to follow Ayanokoji here."

Kanzaki Ryuji lowered his voice and spoke to Kitagawa Ryo:

"We actually arrived a while ago, but we deliberately came out now so he wouldn't notice."

"Good."

Kitagawa Ryo raised an eyebrow. It seemed that not only him, but also Karuizawa Kei had realized that Class A's real purpose was to use a feint to cover Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's actions.

Rushing to register at the last minute, Tachibana Akane stood up and announced, timing it perfectly:

"Registration has closed. The five teams participating in this project, please prepare to proceed to the center of the venue. The project is about to begin."

Kitagawa Ryo tied the headscarf distributed by the school on his head, but because the rule was that it had to be tied in a slipknot, he didn't tie it too tightly.

After he and Sakayanagi Arisu finished their preparations, they discovered that among the five teams competing in the arena, only their team consisted of a male-female pair.

Kanzaki Ryuji carried Hamaguchi Tetsuya on his back, Yoshimoto Kousetsu carried Ryuen Kakeru on his back, Kito Hayato carried Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and Ishizaki Daichi carried Komiya Yogo on his back.

The four groups of men looked like they were coming on strong.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Ryuen Kakeru and gestured with his eyes for him not to forget their agreement to cooperate.

Ryuen Kakeru responded with a knowing look, then licked his lips and turned his gaze toward Kitagawa Ryo's team.

Kitagawa Ryo lowered his body slightly, and Sakayanagi Arisu nimbly jumped onto his broad back, one hand around Kitagawa Ryo's neck and the other hand on his shoulder.

To secure Sakayanagi Arisu on his back, Kitagawa Ryo also put his arms around Sakayanagi Arisu's thighs as he got up. It must be said that it was indeed very light, and there was no sensual sensation on his back.

Just as the competition was about to begin, Ryuen Kakeru suddenly sneered:

"Giant zombie?"

Although Kitagawa Ryo wanted to say that Ryuen Kakeru's expression and lines were very successful, perfectly extricating himself from the cooperative camp of Class D.

But I have a feeling that something extraordinary is about to happen.

You could almost hear the petite girl on your back gritting her teeth.

Sakayanagi Arisu whispered resentfully in Kitagawa Ryo's ear:

"Cut off his... head!"

The Queen seems angry.

Chapter 168: I Can't Bear It

"Then, let's begin the Two-Person Cavalry Battle exercise!"

Seeing that all five groups of students were ready, the teacher in charge of the project nodded and blew the starting whistle.

"Ishizaki, follow me!"

The moment the match began, Ryuen Kakeru shouted sharply. Ishizaki Daichi next to him was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening:

"Alright! Who should we attack first?"

Of the five teams on the field, Class C is the only one with two teams, which is a natural advantage.

"Bumped into Class D!"

Ryuen Kakeru gave the order almost without hesitation, and Yoshimoto Kousetsu, who was carrying him, immediately rushed forward.

Although the students chosen for 'riding horses' were all physically fit and members of their respective sports clubs, they were still carrying boys weighing over 100 pounds each. If they didn't seize the opportunity to launch an attack at the beginning, they wouldn't even be able to carry them properly in the end.

"I feel a little bad, but it's the boss's order after all!"

On the other side, Ishizaki Daichi apologized as he and Komiya Yogo charged toward Kitagawa Ryo.

However, another group soon appeared in front of him. Kanzaki Ryuji bounced Hamaguchi Tetsuya on his back, adjusted his posture slightly, and then spoke:

"With Class B here, there's no way Class C can win."

After all, Classes B and C were adjacent and direct competitors in the exam, so Ishizaki Daichi didn't think much of it and responded with a loud shout:

"Then I'll eliminate you first!"

Having said that, he directed Komiya Yogo, who was beneath him, to charge forward and reach out to snatch Kanzaki Ryuji's headscarf.

However, Kanzaki Ryuji also nimbly took a step back, and Hamaguchi Tetsuya on his back seized the opportunity and almost tore off Ishizaki Daichi's headscarf.

Just as the two teams were locked in a stalemate, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka signaled Kito Hayato to move towards Kitagawa Ryo's direction.

As the stamina-best rider besides Kitagawa Ryo, Kito Hayato, under Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's command, moved steadily and did not rush to make a move, seemingly intending to wait and see Ryuen Kakeru first.

In the next instant, Kitagawa Ryo's ferocious attack directly entangled the two of them.

"Charge! Charge! Charge!"

It's no exaggeration to say that Sakayanagi Arisu was on Kitagawa Ryo's back, was at least several dozen kilograms lighter than Ryuen Kakeru, and was also petite. Kitagawa Ryo felt almost no burden, as if he wasn't carrying anyone at all, and started running with long strides.

Before Yoshimoto Kousetsu and Ryuen Kakeru could react, Kitagawa Ryo, who suddenly accelerated, rammed into him with his shoulder. Due to the powerful impact, Yoshimoto Kousetsu lost his balance and fell to the ground with Ryuen Kakeru. Sakayanagi Arisu the opportunity and removed their headscarves with one hand each.

"Ryuen Kakeru - Yoshimoto Kousetsu is eliminated, zero points."

The teacher in charge blew a whistle and provided real-time updates on the results.

With Ryuen Kakeru down, Kito Hayato and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, were forced to fight back. Facing Kitagawa Ryo, who had turned around again and was charging towards him like a bull, Kito Hayato gritted his teeth, tensed all his muscles, and decided to withstand this wave of attack.

To be fair, Kito Hayato has always been somewhat confident in his physical abilities, and besides, Kitagawa Ryo isn't the most athletically gifted in Class D, either Ken Sudō or Yamada Albert.

But the moment their bodies made contact, Kito Hayato, who had been expressionless, suddenly widened his eyes. Kitagawa Ryo, who looked a few sizes thinner than him, almost lost his balance due to the immense force of the collision. He stumbled several times, barely managing to avoid ending up like Yoshimoto Kousetsu.

"..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was on his back, originally wanted to take advantage of the collision to remove the headscarf from either Kitagawa Ryo or Sakayanagi Arisu, but his outstretched hand missed its target, and Sakayanagi Arisu slid down and hid near Kitagawa Ryo's waist.

Adjusting his posture and shifting Sakayanagi Arisu's body upwards again, Kitagawa Ryo continued his charge towards Kito Hayato without pausing for words.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka frowned slightly. He was now somewhat regretting that it was Kito Hayato who took on the role of 'rider' instead of himself. However, this was also related to the 'intellectual character' image that he had always presented to Katsuragi Kohei. Otherwise, Katsuragi Kohei would not have readily allowed Kito Hayato to form a temporary team with him to participate in this project.

Whether in the eyes of Katsuragi Kohei or Kito Hayato, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was the rightful 'rider'.

Moreover, Kito Hayato, whose athletic ability is rated A, can be considered one of the top athletes in the grade.

"Don't confront them head-on."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke softly.

If he were the one 'riding', he would be somewhat confident that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a physical confrontation with Kitagawa Ryo, but since it's Kito Hayato 'riding' now, the chances of winning this match have undoubtedly decreased considerably.

"Good."

After the clash, Kito Hayato realized that he was at a disadvantage in this one-sided contest of strength, so he nodded in agreement.

So, when Kitagawa Ryo charged again, Kito Hayato, along with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, dodged directly and dashed off towards another fiercely contested battle.

Now that they had been led here, Kitagawa Ryo didn't hold back and bumped into Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo, leaving them completely disoriented. The two fell apart on the ground. However, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't immediately remove their headscarves, but instead gestured for Kanzaki Ryuji to take the two points.

Kanzaki Ryuji and Hamaguchi Tetsuya reacted quickly, taking advantage of the moment when Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo were lying on the ground to tear off their headscarves, and then rushed over to support Kitagawa Ryo.

"Ishizaki Daichi -- Komiya Yogo was eliminated, zero points."

To avoid an endless chase, the Matoba this project was limited. As soon as Kanzaki Ryuji's team joined, they easily formed an encirclement with Kitagawa Ryo's team, gradually compressing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's and his companion's activity area into a very small area.

"Charge out from that side!"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pointed in the direction of Kanzaki Ryuji. After the entanglement with Ishizaki Daichi and the encirclement just now, Kanzaki Ryuji's physical strength had dropped to its lowest point. He was panting heavily and barely maintaining the posture of carrying the load on his back. It seemed to be an obvious breakthrough point.

"Good."

Kito Hayato nodded, no longer choosing to run away, and quickly walked towards Kanzaki Ryuji's direction.

Seeing this, Kanzaki Ryuji gritted his teeth, but instead of stepping aside, he went straight to meet the attack head-on.

To conserve his energy, Kito Hayato didn't charge directly at Kanzaki Ryuji. Instead, he walked straight up to the two of them, bent down slightly, and entrusted everything to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on his back.

Hamaguchi Tetsuya naturally wouldn't let the opening of Kito Hayato's lowered head slip by, but as soon as he stretched out his right hand, it was immediately grabbed tightly by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's hand, and his left hand was also swung away by the opponent's powerful blow. Before he could react, Kanzaki Ryuji's headscarf had already fallen into Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's hand.

"What?"

Feeling a lightness on his head, Kanzaki Ryuji quickly looked up, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's fierce attack did not diminish. With a twist of his left hand, he directly hooked Hamaguchi Tetsuya's left arm, and with his right hand reaching forward, while suppressing the opponent's right hand, he mercilessly pointed directly at Hamaguchi Tetsuya's headscarf.

However, at this moment, Kitagawa Ryo finally arrived at the scene. However, he did not immediately stop Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attack. Instead, he directly placed his head next to Hamaguchi Tetsuya's hand and shouted at the same time:

"Take!"

Although he didn't quite understand, Hamaguchi Tetsuya still subconsciously moved his fingers, and the loose headscarf was thus removed.

The next instant, Hamaguchi Tetsuya's own headscarf was also pulled off by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Hamaguchi Tetsuya - Kanzaki Ryuji was eliminated, three points."

With the announcement from the teacher in charge, only the last two groups remained in the room.

"Excellent judgment."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka commented on Kitagawa Ryo's headband, which was no longer visible.

For Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's team, they only have one point left on the field Sakayanagi Arisu. Even if they get that point, they will only have a maximum of three points, which is the same as Kanzaki Ryuji's team, who have already been eliminated.

However, for Kitagawa Ryo, if he can take both of his and Kito Hayato's points, they can still get four points and become the first place in this project.

"Same to you."

Kitagawa Ryo responded with a smile.

He was certain that if it weren't for Ryuen Kakeru's masterful fake fall and sudden leg injury, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would have unceremoniously removed Ryuen Kakeru's team's headband, because due to their secret collaboration, Ryuen Kakeru still needed to act on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the surface.

This is why the opponent rushed to give him points right after the start of the game; if they were slower, the points might not have gone to Kitagawa Ryo.

At this moment, Sakayanagi Arisu also peeked out from behind Kitagawa Ryo's head, wrapping her arms around Kitagawa Ryo's neck and forming a confrontation with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Looking at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's perpetually emotionless face, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but think of Yuki and Amasawa Ichika, who also came from the White Room.

If these two had personalities like Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, she would probably feel much more at ease.

"Then, let's do it again!"

Kitagawa Ryo Sakayanagi Arisu was thinking on his back. After resting for a while, he continued on his way with great momentum, his heavy footsteps making the teacher in charge look at him with some surprise.

"Is Kitagawa-kun really that fit?"

Tachibana Akane, who was in charge of the registration for this project, sighed with her mouth slightly open. Although he was carrying a girl on his back, he had been carrying her for so long, but he didn't feel tired at all.

"Liang's stamina is indeed excellent; she even won first place in the [Open Water Swimming] competition just a couple of days ago."

Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement, but then immediately recalled what she had seen that was even more astonishing, and felt her face flush.

"That's really great. If it weren't for him founding something like a Drama Club, he could totally join the Student Council."

Tachibana Akane didn't notice Horikita Suzune's unusual behavior; she simply made a heartfelt remark.

The influence of the First Year students in the Student Council is still too small. Apart from Sakayanagi Arisu only holds a nominal position and does not report, there is only Horikita Suzune. It is easy to imagine how dramatically the situation in the Student Council will tilt towards the second-year Miyabi Nagumo after their third-year students graduate.

There's nothing we can do about that.

Horikita Suzune shook her head. If it weren't for the Student Council issues involving some of her own obsessions, she probably would have followed Kitagawa Ryo to the Drama Club.

Putting everything else aside, at least I won't have to work overtime every week, and I can even sneak out of school to relax and have some fun every month.