I'm Ready to Lie Down

"Yes, this is a variation of the [Two-Person Cavalry Battle] challenge, but you can't really say that. The original challenge was for four people, since it takes three people to support one person running for a long time. Back then, in the Two-Person Cavalry Battle, the riders were almost exhausted by the end."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in reply.

"Our group is quite confident about this project; we can just Keisei be the rider. But what about your group..."

Miyake Akito, standing to the side, said with some concern:

"This is different from the last Two-Person Cavalry Battle. Girls are at a huge disadvantage in this kind of challenge. And Kitagawa, although you have great stamina, you can only be one of the three horses, so I don't think you can have a significant impact on the situation."

"It's okay, I've already thought it through."

Kitagawa Ryo confidently gave a thumbs-up, his smile quite radiant. He put his arm around both of their shoulders and whispered something.

Soon, their expressions changed to "As expected of you."

The advantage of traveling with Ken Sudō's group is that it instantly raises the male-to-female ratio to five to four. Kitagawa Ryo, who was quite relaxed, chatted with Yamada about the interesting questions he encountered in the geography test a few days ago, and talked with Horikita Suzune about the cooking techniques he used last night. He didn't miss either side.

The two groups moved quickly and arrived at the location of the [Four-Person Cavalry Battle] challenge first. After waiting for a while, the other two groups finally arrived.

The Hashimoto Masayoshi group and the Katsuragi Kohei group in Class A.

After following Karuizawa Kei for a while, Hashimoto Masayoshi returned to the group last night. Upon his return, he was faced with the disastrous fact that Machida Koji and Morishige Takuro had spent 4,000 points (2,500 and 1,500 points respectively), causing the group's ranking to drop out of the top ten. In order to catch up with the points, Hashimoto Masayoshi unusually restrained his usual frivolous attitude and led the group members here early this morning.

Their group was one of the few four-boy teams in Class A and even on the entire Uninhabited Island, giving them a significant advantage in this type of team-based sports competition; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone straight for the [Four-Person Cavalry Battle] challenge.

Although Katsuragi Kohei's team consists of two men and two women, Katsuragi Kohei himself is burly and strong, Hirata Yosuke is also an athletic champion, and Kamuro Masumi's physical abilities surpass most of the boys. If Kushida Kikyo were to serve as the rider, their fighting strength would not be underestimated.

Moreover, they were divided into two distinct camps: two groups from Class A and two groups from Class D, which could be considered a close contest...

If Kitagawa Ryo's group wasn't a combination of one man and three women.

The teacher in charge of the project shook his head; he still couldn't understand the reason for this group to participate in the [Four-Person Cavalry Battle] project.

If the boys are the riders and the three girls are the horses, not to mention the girls' physical disadvantage compared to other groups, the significant height difference alone will be difficult to overcome.

Looking at her height from Sakayanagi Arisu, it seems like she can only be placed in the rider position.

You know what, when it comes to fighting for the headscarf later, the physically imposing novel might actually have an advantage.

But it's hard to assign positions for riding horses now.

Before the competition even started, the teacher in charge was already worried a lot about Kitagawa Ryo's group.

"All four groups have registered. The [Four-Person Cavalry Battle] exercise is about to begin. All groups, please prepare!"

The teacher in charge put the whistle hanging around his neck into his mouth, signaling the four groups to enter the Matoba.

As he had predicted, the rider for Katsuragi Kohei's group was Kushida Kikyo, the rider for Ken Sudō's group was Yukimura Teruhiko, the rider for Hashimoto Masayoshi's group was Morishige Takuro, and the rider for Kitagawa Ryo's group was Sakayanagi Arisu.

I took a second look at Kitagawa Ryo's group.

The one riding the horse in the middle was Kitagawa Ryo, the only boy in the group.

However, in that case, the two girls next to them would have difficulty helping to share the burden due to their height...

The teacher in charge blew his whistle while complaining:

"Let the project begin!"

He opened his eyes wide in surprise the instant the sharp whistle rang out.

Kitagawa Ryo's group changed formation in an instant. Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami, who were originally on Kitagawa Ryo's left and right, moved directly behind Kitagawa Ryo, leaving Sakayanagi Arisu entirely to Kitagawa Ryo, while they themselves formed a straight line.

It's pretty much like the "eagle catching chicks" formation.

However, the mother hen was also carrying a chick on her back.

The [Four-Person Cavalry Battle] project only stipulated that three of the four people would ride horses and one would be the rider. However, it did not actually require that the three horses be side by side to support the rider's movement. Nevertheless, this was an operation that only Kitagawa Ryo's team could complete.

After all, you can't expect a single boy carrying someone to run faster or more steadily than three boys carrying someone. The premise for doing so is that the rider is relatively light and the only horse can fully support the physical exertion of the three people.

However, the Katsuragi Kohei group and the Hashimoto Masayoshi group of Class A were not surprised for long, because Yukimura Teruhiko, as the rider, had already begun to command the advance. He was ridden by the burly Yamada Albert, with Ken Sudō and Miyake Akito serving as his left and right protectors. Like a heavily armored tank, they launched a powerful attack on the two groups of Class A.

As if he were completely unafraid of taking on two opponents at once, Ken Sudō shouted loudly, seemingly preparing to overwhelm his opponents with his imposing presence.

It must be said that his and Yamada's pressure was indeed quite astonishing. The two groups from Class A had no intention of fighting head-on, but instead began to maneuver around the field, trying to wear down the opponent's stamina first.

At that moment, Kitagawa Ryo, carrying Sakayanagi Arisu on his back, began to approach from the other side.

Adhering to the principle of picking the softest persimmon first, Hashimoto Masayoshi immediately went to meet him, but Morishige Takuro, as the rider, felt like he was facing a hedgehog and had no idea where to start.

Just like the game of eagle catching chicks, Kitagawa Ryo completely blocked Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami behind him with his broad shoulders. Morishige Takuro had no way of getting past him to grab the headscarves of the two girls behind him, which meant that the target of the attack was reduced by half, leaving only the rider Sakayanagi Arisu and the horse-riding Kitagawa Ryo.

He reached out and tried, but Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu dodged the attack like eels. The two of them had practiced their coordination during the [Two-Person Cavalry Battle], and they were quite in sync.

Since Morishige Takuro missed, it was Sakayanagi Arisu's turn. Completely trusting Kitagawa Ryo, Sakayanagi Arisu boldly leaned forward, but Kitagawa Ryo beneath him remained as steady as a mountain, maintaining his balance. This sudden increase in attack distance caught Hashimoto Masayoshi's team off guard, and Machida Koji, riding in the right horse position, had his headscarf ripped off.

"Kitagawa Ryo's team, one point."

The teacher in charge was broadcasting the points in real time. He was starting to understand the situation. Kitagawa Ryo's formation had a very high floor. Unless it was a two-on-one situation, if you faced Kitagawa Ryo's group head-on, even if you took off both Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo's headscarves, you would probably still be left sighing in despair at the two behind him.

After landing a successful blow, Kitagawa Ryo quickly pulled away, making no move to turn around. He simply walked forward, backward, left, and right, making sure not to expose his back.

Meanwhile, Katsuragi Kohei's group inevitably clashed with Ken Sudō's group.

Although Katsuragi Kohei looks quite intimidating, his physical abilities are actually only average. After a clash with Yamada Albert, he felt his strength waning.

Although you can't use your hands while riding a horse, and only the rider can remove the headscarf, it's allowed to bump into each other with your shoulders. Yamada Albert and Ken Sudō barged in aggressively, while Miyake Akito was too embarrassed to bump into Kamuro Masumi, who was in his position. The two of them staring at each other wide-eyed became the most peaceful scene between the two groups.

However, although horseback riding provided a great opportunity for riders to perform well, Yukimura Teruhiko was clearly a bit inexperienced. Having never done this kind of activity before, he was noticeably behind Kushida Kikyo in their matchup.

After a round of collisions, Yukimura Teruhiko easily removed Katsuragi Kohei's headscarf, but Kushida Kikyo quickly removed her own headscarf as well.

"Ken Sudō's team, one point."

"Katsuragi Kohei's team, one point."

The four groups dispersed, their steps meandering as they began preparing for the second round of matchups.

I need to catch the train early tomorrow, so I'm taking a day off.

I'm going back to my hometown for the May Day holiday, but I couldn't get a ticket, so I can only take a ride-sharing car at 5:30 tomorrow morning. Because it's the new book release period and it's on the recommendation list, it's not easy to ask for leave, so I barely managed to update one chapter. There's really no way to update the old book.

I should be able to update earlier if I get home early tomorrow. I'm very sorry.

Don't worry, everyone. I don't plan to go out during the May Day holiday. I'll be staying home writing, and I should be adding extra chapters to both books.

Chapter 194: I'm all settling in

In the first round of competition, from the perspective of class teams, the two groups from Class D removed two headscarves, while the two groups from Class A only removed one, putting them at a slight disadvantage.

If the current rules are based on the ultimate goal of winning first place, Kitagawa Ryo could have easily made all four members of Sudo's group hand over their headbands to him, and then had Ken Sudō tear off all of their group's headbands, just like he did with Class B during the [Two-Person Cavalry Battle].

In this way, Ken Sudō's team will have five points, while Katsuragi Kohei's team, even if they take all of Hashimoto Masayoshi's team's headbands, can only get a maximum of four points, which would be enough to declare victory.

However, under the current rules, this kind of trickery is not very effective.

That would result in a situation where Ken Sudō's group comes in first place with five points, while the remaining three groups are tied for second and last place with four points each.

At that point, the three groups will have to compete again to determine the last place.

The two groups in Class A only need to remove each other's headscarves to easily push Kitagawa Ryo's group to the bottom of the rankings.

Therefore, after considering all the possible outcomes, Kitagawa Ryo nodded to Ken Sudō.

The meaning is very simple.

There's no need to use any strategies for this task right now; just go for it directly and aggressively.

Ken Sudō clearly understood this as well. He wasn't exactly a mental player to begin with, and as soon as Kitagawa Ryo gave the signal, he immediately charged towards Hashimoto Masayoshi Hashimoto's group like a wild horse.

Since there are girls in Katsuragi Kohei's group, it's not convenient for them to have any intense clashes. So let's start with your group of four boys!

Hashimoto Masayoshi never expected that his own lineup advantage would suddenly become a death knell. Seeing the three bulls charging straight towards him, he instinctively tried to dodge.

However, exposing one's back to the enemy in mounted combat is undoubtedly giving away points, so Hashimoto Masayoshi's group had no choice but to change direction sideways. However, they were simply not fast enough, and Yamada Albert on horseback in the middle and Miyake Akito on horseback on the right crashed directly into the center of their formation.

Just as Hashimoto Masayoshi's blond hair was being roughly stuffed into Yamada Albert's chest, Katsuragi Kohei's group on the other side also encountered the slippery Kitagawa Ryo's group.

What Katsuragi Kohei found most puzzling was that, the moment they bumped into Kitagawa Ryo, the other three members of the group seemed to have all started to drift off to varying degrees.

Kamuro Masumi mainly remembered that when Kitagawa Ryo helped her out of a predicament by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's subordinates at the beginning of the semester, she always thought that Kitagawa would ask her to help him spy on Class A because of this incident, but a semester passed and nothing happened.

Kushida Kikyo's attention was entirely focused on Hirata Yosuke. Ever since she learned that Hirata Yosuke was a Kitagawa Ryo agent planted in Class A by Ryo Kitagawa, Kushida Kikyo had been trying to observe his every move, especially now that the two were facing each other head-on.

She certainly couldn't leak secrets, but that didn't mean she couldn't guide others to discover that Hirata Yosuke strangely.

Compared to the two of them, Hirata Yosuke, with his superb acting skills, is the one who slacked off the least.

In short, for a moment, Katsuragi Kohei even felt like he was possessed by Gin, and he found it somewhat difficult to command.

In this situation, Sakayanagi Arisu easily removed Kamuro Masumi's headscarf, while Kitagawa Ryo only felt that the girl's eyes were a bit sharp, somewhat resembling Horikita Suzune.

Of course, it's the old Suzune.

Kitagawa Ryo initially intended to use cooking as a stepping stone to teach Horikita Suzune some interpersonal skills, but now it seems more like he's sending Horikita Suzune into the deep pit of cooking.

"Kitagawa Ryo's team, two points."

Completely without pressure, and even with the leisure to let his mind wander for a while, Kitagawa Ryo looked at Hirata Yosuke in front of him and could only say that the other party had indeed put in a lot of effort in his acting, and hadn't held back much in terms of physical contact.

Except when Kushida Kikyo is about to make a move, she pretends to be bumped away by Kitagawa Ryo.

Cough cough, at least I didn't fall flat on my face and roll around.

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was struggling to hold on and busy dodging Sakayanagi Arisu's relentless attacks, he looked up and saw that Hashimoto Masayoshi's group on the other side had been completely destroyed.

Hashimoto Masayoshi was being rubbed against Yamada Albert's chest, Kito Hayato alone simply couldn't withstand the double whammy of Miyake Akito and Ken Sudō.

The connection between the riders and the riders was completely destroyed, as if they had been plowed by a heavy tank. Yukimura Teruhiko removed the headscarves of the remaining three members of Hashimoto Masayoshi's group with almost no effort.

"Ken Sudō's team, four points."

The teacher in charge announced the departure of Hashimoto Masayoshi's group.

With Katsuragi Kohei's group and Kitagawa Ryo's group each securing one and two points respectively, Hashimoto Masayoshi's group has already secured last place in this project.

"Give me the name of the person who has decided to withdraw from the exam within ten minutes."

The teacher in charge, who was aware of this, announced this somewhat cruel fact directly to Hashimoto Masayoshi's group before the project was even finished.

However, the three groups still fiercely competing on the field couldn't care less about the situation of Hashimoto Masayoshi's group off the field.

Katsuragi Kohei's expectations have shifted from "[first place in the group]" to "[top two is fine]" and then to "[get another point]".

However, seeing that Sudo Hashimoto Masayoshi Ken Sudō's team, was charging aggressively towards them, Katsuragi Kohei willingly lowered his expectations to [not being last in the team would be a success].

Then, Katsuragi Kohei's group had all their remaining headscarves torn off under the combined attack of the two groups from Class D.

With only two groups from Class D remaining on the field, there was no need to waste any more energy. After a brief discussion, Kitagawa Ryo decided to give the first place in this project to Ken Sudō's group.

The 2,500-point bonus at the last minute finally propelled them into the top three of their group.

This is also the second team from Class D, besides Kitagawa Ryo's team, to break into the top three of their group.

This can be said to be quite a morale booster.

Slightly dejected after the defeat, Katsuragi Kohei couldn't blame his teammates, since there was indeed a gap in stamina and physical fitness between them and Ken Sudō's team. As for Kitagawa Ryo's team, if they encountered his Eagle Catches Chick Style for the first time, they couldn't think of a way to break it apart from encirclement.

"How about it?"

Hashimoto Masayoshi's group seemed to have reached a conclusion, Katsuragi Kohei stepped forward and, as the class representative of Class A, asked him kindly.

"I'll quit. After all, my academic ability is not as good as Morishige's, and my physical strength is no match for Hashimoto and Kito."

Machida Koji nodded, making a rational judgment like a typical student in Class A.

Thank you for your hard work during this time.

Katsuragi Kohei patted him on the shoulder, but there was a bitter taste in his mouth.

Although Machida Koji a word, his overall abilities were actually quite strong. He could easily serve as a group leader in a Class C or even Class D group, but he was forced to withdraw on the eighth day of the Uninhabited Island Exam.

"Yes, I'm waiting for Class A's final victory."

Machida Koji smiled, left those words, and walked towards the teacher in charge.

Soon, everyone received a text message notification from the school on their watches:

[Class 1-A Machida Koji, eliminated.]

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was feeling troubled by Class A's poor start, losing one student right away, his watch started displaying messages about other students being eliminated one after another.

It's almost time to finish the first round of research.