A Deep Sisterly Bond

After having breakfast and slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Karuizawa Kei waved goodbye to her classmates in Class B. She made no attempt to hide her tracks and headed to the F5 area openly in front of Class A's camp.

As she walked forward, she could clearly feel the Karuizawa Kei rising higher. After passing several relatively steep slopes, a huge cliff came into view.

Looking to both sides, all you can see are endless cliffs, so going around it isn't an easy option.

For Karuizawa Kei, who wants to leave Class A behind, rock climbing is the only option left.

"Call..."

Taking a deep breath, Karuizawa Kei took out a ribbon from her backpack, tied up her long hair, found an opening, and began to try to climb up.

But after climbing to a height of nearly three meters, she could no longer find a foothold to support her. Remaining calm, Karuizawa Kei began to descend step by step, returning to the ground.

The cliff was about six or seven meters high. To be honest, it wasn't that difficult to climb, but for Karuizawa Kei, who had no relevant experience, climbing it by herself was not an easy task.

Starting from a different point, Karuizawa Kei gripped a protruding rock on the cliff face and began climbing again. The initial step went smoothly, but when she reached a point about two meters high, she slipped and fell.

Although the height wasn't particularly high, and the backpack behind me provided some cushioning, my legs still felt the pain from the impact of the landing, and my right arm was scratched by rough rocks, leaving a white mark, but thankfully there was no bleeding.

After repeating this several times, Karuizawa Kei gradually figured out the technique, slowing down each step and becoming more and more adept at finding footholds and leverage points. Finally, in a not-so-smooth, even ugly, posture, she slowly climbed up the cliff.

She patted the dust and dirt off her hands, sweat and grime leaving streaks on her cheeks, then took a dry Karuizawa Kei from her backpack to wipe her face and hands before heading back towards her destination, G5, without looking back.

A slight, thread-like pain suddenly shot through her right index finger; the cut she had accidentally made earlier was starting to bleed slightly. After washing the wound with mineral water, Karuizawa Kei applied a band-aid she had bought earlier, while simultaneously glancing at her wristwatch.

No warning sound was emitted.

Karuizawa Kei calmed down and clicked on the task reward in the G5 grid:

[First Place: 1200 points, one chance to upgrade a regular card]

She folded her right hand and continued forward.

He was somewhat unsteady on his feet.

But they didn't stop, nor did they ever look back.

Chapter 179: Deep Sisterly Affection

"Karuizawa went to the F5 grid."

Soon, Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A learned of this information from his classmates. He quickly opened the electronic map and immediately saw the towering mountain range.

As Karuizawa Kei had predicted, under such adverse conditions, Class A could not possibly send out several groups to relentlessly pursue her; the cost-effectiveness would be too low. If too many people were spent on Karuizawa Kei, the other students in Class B could take this opportunity to reap the rewards of the assignments and points.

Katsuragi Kohei is now hesitating about whether to send an elite team, or even just one or two members, to cause some trouble for the other side. After receiving information from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka that the [Resurrection] card was in the hands of Ryuen Kakeru, he still felt uneasy about Karuizawa Kei holding the [Reinforcement] card, and felt somewhat unwilling to give up.

What are your thoughts?

Unable to make a decision immediately, Katsuragi Kohei looked up at the others in his group and was somewhat surprised to find that Kushida Kikyo seemed a little down. He asked her with concern:

"Did Kushida not sleep well last night? He looks a little sleepy."

"Haha... I'm fine, I'm fine."

Kushida Kikyo rubbed her eyes, trying her best to maintain her usual smile and image, and waved her hand to indicate that she was fine.

But after experiencing such a change last night, even the mentally strong Kushida Kikyo couldn't completely let it go. Especially when she saw Hirata Yosuke again this morning, the bad memories suddenly jumped out of her mind and attacked her.

"Karuizawa is a girl after all. If we let one of the stamina-bodied boys in the class chase after her, he should be able to keep up with her."

Hirata Yosuke spoke with a smile, his expression as if nothing had happened last night.

The four boys with the best physical abilities in Class 1-A are Hirata Yosuke, Kito Hayato, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has already left early this morning, and Hirata Yosuke is a member of Katsuragi Kohei's team, so he needs to score points for his team.

If we calculate it that way, it seems that only Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kito Hayato are left.

While Katsuragi Kohei was hesitating, Hashimoto Masayoshi raised his hand:

"I'm quite interested in Karuizawa; leave it to me."

Seeing that someone in the class had volunteered, Katsuragi Kohei simply nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll have to trouble Hashimoto. If possible, try to interfere with Karuizawa's assignment score. If there are any unexpected situations, please contact us via communications as soon as possible."

"Rest assured."

With a flippant whistle, Hashimoto Masayoshi waved and jogged towards F5.

"I feel like Hashimoto has become increasingly enthusiastic about class affairs lately."

Katsuragi Kohei watched the other person's retreating figure and uttered this sigh.

Although Hashimoto Masayoshi is very capable, he has always played a frivolous role in the past semester. Now that he can see him working so hard for the class, Katsuragi Kohei, as the class Leader, is very gratified.

"Then let's each go our own way and find research topics today."

Nodding to the group leaders of the other Class A groups gathered here, Katsuragi Kohei laughed heartily and encouraged them:

"In this Uninhabited Island Special Exam, victory will definitely belong to Class A."

In area G5, Tachibana Akane, who was in charge of registration, had been slumped over her desk, bored for forty minutes. Most of the groups had inexplicably gone to the area on the other side of the mountains yesterday, so not a single group had signed up for her project yet.

However, this is also related to the project itself.

Tachibana Akane propped herself up on her arm and looked at a certain device that had already been set up in the venue, secretly tugging at the corners of her mouth.

[Topic: Acupressure Mat Race]

[Type: Other]

[Project Description: A 200-meter barefoot race will be held on a paved acupressure mat track. The top three finishers will be determined by the order in which they reach the finish line.]

[Group registration is limited to one person. Registration will close one hour after the number of participants reaches six or a new topic is announced.]

[First Place: 1200 points, one chance to upgrade to a regular card]

[Second Place: 1000 points]

[Third Place: 800 points]

Tachibana Akane glanced again at the acupressure mat, a prop that frequently appeared in various variety prank shows, and felt that the school staff who came up with this idea were really a bit outrageous.

Just looking at those tiny bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground made Tachibana Akane feel a phantom pain in the soles of her feet.

Perhaps this is why no one is willing to participate in this project.

Just as Tachibana Akane was idly counting the leaves on the nearest tree, she suddenly saw a figure appear in the west.

"Um?"

With a slightly surprised exclamation, Tachibana Akane rubbed her eyes. She had just thought that if anyone came to participate, they would come from the south, from the direction of G6 or G7, but she didn't expect it to be from the west. She clearly remembered that it was a steep mountainous area.

Because of the downhill slope, the figure stumbled and ran towards them. Against the backdrop of the towering trees around them, the figure appeared quite small, as if a gust of sea breeze could blow it away, but it eventually drifted up to Tachibana Akane's eyes.

The person who landed in front of Tachibana Akane was Karuizawa Kei. She was bent over, holding her knees and panting heavily. As she brushed the cobwebs sticking to her hair and backpack, she spoke intermittently:

"Karuizawa Kei from Class 1-B, I want to... register."

"Oh oh."

It was only then that Tachibana Akane realized what was happening. She thoughtfully handed over a clean towel and then confirmed the registration by comparing it with Karuizawa Kei's appearance.

"Thanks."

Karuizawa Kei took the towel; sweat dripped from the tip of her nose, and the white towel turned a bit yellowish-gray after wiping her face twice.

Am I all alone?... Now?

After calming her breathing slightly, Karuizawa Kei glanced around but didn't see anyone else. Curious, she asked Tachibana Akane.

"At present, yes."

Tachibana Akane nodded; she had already registered Karuizawa Kei.

"It must have been hard for you to run all the way from the other side of the mountain."

"It's alright, if we can get first place."

Karuizawa Kei shook her head, looking at the acupressure mats laid out in the area, a slightly nostalgic expression on her face.

Since the two weren't very familiar with each other, after exchanging a few simple pleasantries, they tacitly remained silent, simply waiting for the lesson to begin.

Karuizawa Kei took this opportunity to rest for a while. She was in a fairly good mood. If she was the only one who successfully registered by the deadline for the project, it would be equivalent to being the first place winner and easily getting the opportunity to upgrade to a regular card.

But reality is clearly not so kind.

With only three minutes left before the registration deadline, another group arrived.

To Karuizawa Kei's surprise, it turned out to be an acquaintance who came.

Shiina Hiyori.

However, unlike Karuizawa Kei, Shiina Hiyori came from the south.

"Hiyori."

Karuizawa Kei immediately stood up and greeted someone. Seeing that Karuizawa Kei was also there, Shiina Hiyori, who had just registered, also ran over and hugged Karuizawa Kei's arm with a smile.

"Benefit."

"This is the first time we've encountered this since the start of the exams."

"Because the Uninhabited Island is very big."

Shiina Hiyori looked around at the surroundings:

Are there only two groups of us?

"It should be; registration closes in one minute."

Having received Karuizawa Kei's answer, Shiina Hiyori jogged back to Ibuki Mio's side in the same group:

"Mio, if it's just me and Megumi in our group, then let me participate in this project."

"Ha?"

Ibuki Mio scratched the back of her head in confusion. Her group with Shiina Hiyori had a clear division of labor, and she was usually the one to participate in sports-related projects.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter whether Hui or I get first place."

"No, no, no, it's not about being first or not."

Ibuki Mio bent down and touched the acupressure mat beside her, then looked up with some concern and advised:

"I just think that Hiyori doing this project... well, it's a bit risky."

"Don't underestimate me like that. I've dealt with this kind of thing before."

Faced with Ibuki Mio's doubts, Shiina Hiyori pouted somewhat in dissatisfaction. Seeing that Ibuki Mio still looked skeptical, she pulled Karuizawa Kei over to her side.

"Hui, do you think I lied?"

"Hiyori has actually practiced this skill."

Karuizawa Kei nodded, but then immediately added:

"But that was a long time ago; it was just acting practice for my role in 'The Little Mermaid.'"

Seeing that Ibuki Mio still looked confused, Shiina Hiyori explained with a smile:

"Mio must have read the fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid,' right? The little mermaid who chased after love came to land from the sea, but the price she paid was her vocal cords and excruciating pain with every step she took."

Even after all these years, Shiina Hiyori can still recite that aria fluently:

"She felt as if each step was piercing awls and knives, yet she willingly endured the pain. Holding the prince's arm, she walked with the lightness of a bubble. The prince and everyone else watched her graceful, light steps, and each one was amazed."

At this point, Shiina Hiyori stuck out her tongue slightly:

"I was playing the role of the Little Mermaid at the time. Liang bought a lot of acupressure mats to help me find the feeling of walking. I'm not good at other activities, but I'm really used to stepping on acupressure mats."

"I see."

Just after Ibuki Mio finished hearing this story, Tachibana Akane, who was in charge of registration, announced the registration deadline for this project.

Since only Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori's groups successfully registered, the starting point was somewhat empty. Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori, who were participating in this project, were chatting and laughing, and there seemed to be no tension between them.

"Then, let the competition begin!"

But the moment the teacher in charge of the project blew the whistle and announced the start of the project, both of them stopped smiling and jumped off the starting line at the same time, showing no intention of giving way to each other from the very beginning of the competition.

Shiina Hiyori's physical fitness was not Karuizawa Kei's, but Karuizawa Kei had just gone through a long trek through the mountains and was only barely in good condition. For a short time, the two of them were neck and neck and there was no obvious gap between them.

Karuizawa Kei looked at Shiina Hiyori, who was running alongside her, and for a moment she recalled a Sports Festival in the past, where they seemed to be in a similar position during the final 'three-legged race' event.