Mind and Body Come First! (4k6) / A Nighttime Walk with Arisu (4k5)

"So beautiful..."

Shiina Hiyori, who was originally immersed in Kitagawa Ryo's voice, was also attracted by the group of small white creatures that suddenly flew by. After a subconscious sigh, as if reminded, the last line of the mystery novel that she had decided to pick up and read again when she got back, the novel whose meaning she did not understand at first but was now willing to share with others, suddenly flashed through her mind like lightning.

Then, she and Kitagawa Ryo read it aloud simultaneously:

"It's just a harbinger of good fortune."

"For yours, and for mine."

This is an ending that couldn't be more bizarre for a detective novel.

But perhaps it's just like what the silver-haired girl standing before him now said—someone who had already lifted her head from the world of books, no longer tasting the joys and sorrows of others but experiencing them herself.

This is a world where you don't need to follow the twenty rules of detective work; you can freely fall in love.

He lowered his head and kissed her. The fresh, salty sea breeze caressed their faces. Hand in hand, they ran towards a new life in the old world.

This is the last sentence of the novel.

He lowered his head and kissed her. The fresh, salty sea breeze caressed their faces. Hand in hand, they ran towards a new life in the old world.

This is also what is happening in reality.

Perhaps newly established couples are so eager for physical intimacy. Even Kitagawa Ryo himself couldn't remember how many times he and Shiina Hiyori had kissed since that the Tempest night.

However, I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I do it.

That's what he was thinking.

"Ryuen, please think carefully before you answer! This is a very serious Matoba and a very serious matter! Put away your nonchalant attitude!"

Inside the school's headquarters, the already tense situation erupted again due to Ryuen Kakeru's explosive remarks. The school officials in charge of investigating and handling the matter scrutinized Ryuen Kakeru, who was sitting leisurely and looked like he was about to put his legs up on the table at any moment, and continued to question him sternly.

"Ugh--You don't even believe me, a witness? Then there's not a single witness to my case against Hashimoto, and you've kept me locked up until now. I have no idea what the school is thinking."

Ryuen Kakeru chuckled dismissively, picked at his right ear with his little finger, and then complained again:

"They're dragging their feet. My class is almost finished with eliminations. But it seems like Class A isn't doing too well these past few days either. The homeroom teacher is even secretly passing information to the students in his class."

"I did not cheat at all!"

Chabashira Sae, who was sitting to the side and was mentioned again, quickly gritted her teeth and retorted, half-lying on the table and trying her best to suppress her anger.

Although she herself felt a little unsure about the situation, she had genuinely considered such underhanded tactics and similar plans before.

Looking at Hashimoto Masayoshi, who was still pretending to be dead and not saying a word, Chabashira Sae, who was still insisting that he had not cheated, and Ryuen Kakeru, who had stepped in to testify against the two, the school staff were also rubbing their foreheads in exasperation.

Just as Ryuen Kakeru said, this is a headless case like the Hashimoto Masayoshi case. Even if he knows that Ryuen is most likely framing Chabashira Sae, the other party can later say that it was to retaliate against Hashimoto Masayoshi of Class A for framing him first. In other words, if nothing is found in the initial case of Hashimoto Masayoshi, no one can handle this case within a case.

With this in mind, the staff member opted for a balanced approach, telling the three to return to their respective tents. Chabashira Sae was temporarily suspended from her duties and would no longer participate in the follow-up work of this Uninhabited Island Exam. Further investigation would be restarted after the exam ended and they returned to school.

After seeing the three off, he held a small meeting with other senior school leaders. The main topic of discussion was whether the final research topic for the Uninhabited Island had been leaked, and how they could determine whether Class D, who were already clearly preparing for it, had discovered the relevant research content through their own speculation or through other channels.

After half a day of intensive discussions, the final decision was made by the chairman, Sakayanagi: everything would remain unchanged and proceed as scheduled.

On the one hand, now that it has been ten days, the school no longer has the time and resources to prepare for a new large-scale project.

On the other hand, regardless of how Class D learned about the final project, as long as they weren't caught red-handed like Class A is now, it can be considered in line with Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School's teaching principle of "Classroom of the Elite Studio".

After all, to be honest, it's an unspoken rule that homeroom teachers help students. Class C's homeroom teacher, Sakagami, has been covering up Ryuen's violent behavior all along. Whether Chabashira Sae was framed or was actually discovered this time, the essence is that she was caught red-handed.

As for the specific disciplinary action, that should be discussed after we return to school.

As for the case between students Ryuen Kakeru and Hashimoto Masayoshi, they will remain in the school's tent until the matter is thoroughly investigated.

After summarizing all the current solutions, the school staff on the Uninhabited Island finally breathed a sigh of relief and then announced the notification to the three-person teams who had returned to their tents.

"... But you still have to stay in jail, can't you give me some compensation?!"

Ryuen Kakeru still wore a displeased expression, clicking his tongue as he refuted the school's decision, but in his heart he had a completely different thought:

Let that Kitagawa kid continue suffering on this Uninhabited Island, playing whatever he wants. I'll just lie here comfortably until the exams are over. Anyway, considering Hiyori him, he'll probably help out in Class C.

For some reason, a sense of peace and reassurance suddenly welled up in Ryuen Kakeru's mind.

Damn, did I actually mistake that kid for one of our own in Class C, or even our Leader?

Chapter 225: Physical and Mental Health is the Most Important! (4k6)

On the afternoon of the tenth day of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, the overall situation of Class 1-A took a sharp turn for the worse. If the fact that Class B had overtaken them in the overall class score could be attributed to Kitagawa Ryo's underhanded tactics with the help of the school on the seventh day, the combined attack from Class B, C, and D was a devastating blow to the rising Class A students, who were on the verge of regaining the top spot.

In fact, starting from the morning of that day, the class Leader, Katsuragi Kohei, was already somewhat overwhelmed by the constant stream of 'good news' Sanada Group, on which he had placed high hopes, still failed to maintain its third-place position after defeating the Totsuka Yahiko team, which had been sent there specifically to pad their score.

For Class A, if they weren't in the top three, there was essentially no difference between fourth, fifth, and sixth place. Their overall strategy for this Uninhabited Island Special Exam was to gain a large number of Class Points to widen the gap with the next three classes and solidify Class A's position. That's why they disregarded the Private Points agreement they had signed with Kitagawa Ryo and were all working themselves to the bone to get points.

Then, to this day, Hashimoto Masayoshi has still not issued any official statement from the school.

Perhaps because he is not very accepting of such framing tactics, the longer it dragged on, the more guilty Katsuragi Kohei became. Moreover, he also had to shoulder the responsibility of leading his group to maintain first place and leading the class. It can be said that he was under a lot of mental pressure. If he hadn't been bald, he probably would have lost a lot of hair in the past few days.

What dealt Katsuragi Kohei a fatal blow in this situation was the sudden intrusion of Class C into the increasingly fierce competition between Class A and Class B. Led by the experienced Ishizaki Daichi, these remaining students of Class C on the Uninhabited Island, just like Ishizaki Daichi had done with the 'Newspaper Folding Rock-Paper-Scissors' project, began loudly discussing rather sensitive and even secretive topics near the students of Class A through megaphones, directly causing the discussions and suspicions about a mole in Class A that he had managed to suppress after the incident of Hashimoto Masayoshi's injury to erupt once again. For a time, some people in Class A were filled with panic.

Katsuragi Kohei was well aware that there was a mole in Class 1-A, but his calm, resolute, and unflappable personality meant that he had neither the ability nor the capacity to find out this mole, who was likely not just one person.

Compared to the few secrets that Ishizaki Daichi revealed last time, the rumors spread by Class C this time have swept through almost all the students in the class. Moreover, the truth and falsehoods are intertwined and complicated, with some embellished falsehoods and some vague truths hidden within the falsehoods.

It's fair to say that all the interpersonal relationships that Class 1-A had painstakingly built up during the first semester were artificially overturned. Many students were caught in a deep chain of suspicion, feeling that their so-called friends of the semester might be the class mole who would spill out those shameful or embarrassing little thoughts belonging to the boys and girls. If it weren't for Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo, who had the best reputation and highest prestige in the class, trying their best to maintain the atmosphere in the class, there might have been even more quarrels and disputes among the students.

Even so, Class A's momentum, which had been on a renewed upward trend, was once again interrupted. On the tenth day of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, after the final round of questions, when the exhausted Katsuragi Kohei checked his watch again to see the scores of each class and group, he could only smile bitterly and find that Class B's ranking was still above Class A's. The difference between the two, which was at its closest by only a few thousand points, had once again widened to tens of thousands.

For a moment, Katsuragi Kohei really had the illusion that he was playing Gin on the set of the "Detective Conan" Black Organization. Everyone around him seemed like an undercover agent, and the only one he could trust was the loyal Vodka... But speaking of which Totsuka Yahiko doesn't even know how to drive.

Watching the other three members of the group busily preparing for their night camping trip, Katsuragi Kohei hesitated for a moment before standing up and leaving temporarily under the pretext of going for a walk to clear his head. After entering a secluded grove and confirming that no one was following him, he used his wristwatch to call Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

If there was anything that brought Katsuragi Kohei any solace in this Uninhabited Island Special Exam, it was that he finally confirmed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's talent once again. Although he had already sensed that Kiyotaka was a student who had been hiding his abilities since the beginning of the semester, seeing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had single-handedly made his way through the Uninhabited Island and now ranked fifth in his group, Katsuragi Kohei silently raised his ranking in his mind by a few places.

After frankly recounting the class's experiences and difficulties that day, Katsuragi Kohei began to consult Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the other end of the phone. However, Ayanokouji did not give an immediate answer but instead asked for his own thoughts.

"Regarding the mole, I think the best course of action is to find him after this exam and then handle it privately."

Katsuragi Kohei answered somewhat hesitantly, then added an explanation:

"I still don't think there are more than two traitors in Class A. After all, we're still Class A, and there aren't that many students who would be thinking about betraying us so early. If there are only one or two traitors, the fact that they can provide so much detailed information to the opposing class means that they must be very popular in our class. If we really push them too far, the morale of Class A might really collapse."

As he spoke, he complained to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with a troubled expression:

"Even if you told me now that the mole is Hashimoto, Hirata, Kushida, or someone else, could I really just tell the whole class like that? Would all the classmates believe me? Besides, we still don't know why the mole betrayed the class. Leaving aside the fact that Class A is still Class A, would any other class really offer him/her a transfer ticket worth Twenty Million Personal Points as a reward? All the Private Points I've accumulated since my First Year probably don't even add up to that much."

Once he started talking non-stop, Katsuragi Kohei leaned his head against a large tree and continued talking about things he couldn't understand:

"I know you'll say it might be due to 'Ayanokoji the school' factors again, since you yourself traded a large number of Private Points from the third-year students to sign the betting contract with Ryuen through that. But aren't we First Year? And it's only the first semester of our First Year, not the third year where everything is settled. Would anyone really be so lacking in confidence? So lacking in confidence that Class A will definitely drop out..."

For Katsuragi Kohei, the class Leader, what truly terrified and broke his defenses wasn't the presence of a traitor within Class A, but rather the fact that such Class A traitor had appeared so early in the game. This meant that, in the traitor's eyes, even though Class A currently ranked first in Class Points, it no longer had the ability to maintain that position until graduation. Essentially, it reflected a lack of recognition and trust in him as the class Leader.

"External factors are never just about the future, that is, after graduation."

But the next second, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's calm words stunned Katsuragi Kohei, whose thoughts were in disarray, and his train of thought was reawakened:

"It's also possible that something happened in the past, before the enrollment, that led to the birth of the traitor."

"Just like the friendly relationship between Class B and Class D, it was built on the fact that the Leader Class D Kitagawa Ryo, and the Leader Class B, Karuizawa Kei, had a close relationship before they even entered the school."

Unlike Katsuragi Kohei, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't particularly concerned about winning the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. For him, who hadn't even finished half of his First Year of high school, it was just a matter of winning or losing a small corner of the chessboard.

Just like what Kitagawa Ryo once said, there are only two kinds of students in this school: those who "only have eyes for Class A" and those who "only have eyes for themselves." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has always been the most extreme representative of the latter. Compared to what he has seen, experienced, and learned through this Uninhabited Island Special Exam, he might not even care if he were to drop from Class A to Class D.

So Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't offer any further advice. After the three-minute call ended, he decisively ended it and wandered leisurely through the jungle of this Uninhabited Island, carrying his luggage. He casually searched for a campsite for the night. Looking up, he could see the red glow of the setting sun shining on the calm sea, with the horizon where the sea and sky met.

The unchanging, deathly white light before his eyes was finally gone.

After a full day of assignments without getting another upgrade opportunity, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly missed a certain Dragon Boy from Class C. After all, with team-based assignments replacing individual ones, even if Karuizawa Kei, Amasawa Ichika, and Shiina Hiyori's group, which held special cards, got upgrade opportunities, they would all be 'randomly' distributed to other teammates with ordinary cards under the school's manipulation, which he could almost certainly confirm, automatically using up the upgrade opportunity.

This is where the value of Ryuen Kakeru has been stubbornly acting alone in groups, becomes apparent. After all, if he were the one to get the upgrade opportunity, the school wouldn't even be able to pull off the pseudo-random manipulation; they would just have to watch Ryuen give him the transfer opportunity... Unfortunately Dragon Boy is currently freeloading at the school's headquarters while waiting for the exams to end, so he can no longer take advantage of the other party for free.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but sigh again. However, considering that Ryuen Kakeru had spent two consecutive time role-playing as a caveman and doing wilderness survival, including that simulated Uninhabited Island Exam, he felt that it was actually quite a good treatment for him to be able to stay in the school's tent to recuperate. At least the food should be better than what he had been getting by relying solely on fishing and grilling fish.

After letting his mind wander to Ryuen Kakeru, Kitagawa Ryo quickly set up the single tent that had been with him for over a week. He then went over to help the girls on the other side set up their three-person tents and moved their luggage inside.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo leaned in to lay out the innermost layer of sheets, mattress, and blankets, Sakayanagi Arisu eagerly crawled in beside him, lying down on the sheets he had just neatly arranged. She stretched out her limbs in relaxation. The fatigue from a day's travels and the Uninhabited Island Special Exam all rushed over her at once, making Sakayanagi Arisu lie down like a salted fish, not wanting to move an inch. She just turned her head to look at Ichinose Honami sleeping in the middle and Horikita Suzune Kitagawa Ryo on the outermost side, and suddenly reached out and touched his face, which was so close to hers, with her finger.

Kitagawa Ryo, focused on tucking in the blankets, initially didn't notice the slight touch on his cheek. However, as Sakayanagi Arisu's outstretched fingertip extended into a slender finger, and then gradually became a full hand caressing his face, Kitagawa Ryo paused his actions. Looking at the girl before him, whose eyes were barely open, yet whose hand traced his facial contours from his brow to the bridge of his nose as if recording them with touch, he spoke softly:

Are you tired, Arisu?

Outside the tent, the sounds of a fire being started and pots and pans clattering could be heard. Since Kitagawa Ryo had cooked lunch for Class C, the evening cooking time was left to Horikita Suzune to show off her skills, while Honami was responsible for helping out. Actually, her cooking skills weren't bad, but compared to Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune, she was far inferior, so she mainly did some auxiliary work.

"Ugh, so tired--"

Seemingly noticing the commotion outside the tent as well, Sakayanagi Arisu answered in a low voice. As if to confirm this, her eyes were already half-closed in weariness, and her legs, which had been relaxed and stretched out, slowly curled back up, making her already small figure appear even more petite and pitiful.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo, feeling a pang of sympathy, was about to instinctively offer his concern, Sakayanagi Arisu's two legs were placed directly in front of him. The silver-haired girl, who had looked like she was about to fall asleep, suddenly reverted to her familiar tone and manner, propping her head up with her arm and gesturing with her chin in his direction:

"It's cold, rub it for me."

"... Alright, whatever the case, Alice really did work hard."

Kitagawa Ryo straightened up, somewhat speechless, but not at all embarrassed, and reached out his hand towards Sakayanagi Arisu leg.

The shoes on her feet had already been kicked off outside when she entered the tent, so the first thing Kitagawa Ryo noticed was the short white socks that covered her ankles. Although Sakayanagi Arisu always alternated between stockings and garter stockings at school, on Uninhabited Island in the summer where long distances were required every day, sneakers and stockings... if Kitagawa Ryo really wore that, she would probably have already fled overnight.

After lightly brushing away the bits of grass and leaves stuck to the short white socks, Kitagawa Ryo's hands quickly and gently caressed Sakayanagi Arisu, which were as delicate as ivory—no, as delicate as the tusks of a young elephant.

Although Sakayanagi Arisu was able to walk freely without a cane after his heart condition was resolved, his calf muscles, which had not been exercised for a long time, were still quite loose. Even after walking a long distance, Kitagawa Ryo's fingertips did not feel an overly tight sensation. Instead, they felt an excessively soft and gentle feeling, as if the fingers were being enveloped, which made him unconsciously lighten the pressure when pressing and kneading.

"I feel that Arisu is still a little too thin."

"How about we go back to school and I'll give you some extra tutoring... um, and a workout plan just for Arisu."

After giving her a thorough and attentive leg massage to relieve her fatigue, Kitagawa Ryo withdrew his hands, casually crossed them to loosen his muscles, and deliberately leaned down to touch her forehead with the tip of his nose. As if suddenly sensing her rapidly beating heartbeat, he chuckled and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"While a healthy heart allows Arisu to love others Arisu and without reservation, an even healthier body is still needed to become a lover, wife, or even mother with whom she can have intimate physical contact."

Chapter 226: A Night Walk with Arisu (4k5)

Kitagawa Ryo has always had a clear understanding that even if he completes all the chapters of the four girls' life simulators and achieves the most perfect ending possible, it does not mean that their reality and future will be automatically marked with the 'life completed' symbol, just like the life simulators that have lost their function.

Ichinose Honami will still be haunted by the illusions of the past. Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune have chosen new lives and will naturally face new challenges. In truth, he has only helped everyone avoid a world line that is destined to lead to a bad ending. In this timeline that is not a simulation but reality, all the futures for them are unknown, as are the difficulties they encounter, which are all completely new.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu's situation is different from the other three. Compared to Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei, who can be considered to Life Restart with him, or Horikita Suzune, who cleared the simulation chapter in one go two years ago, Sakayanagi Arisu's simulation and all the changes that have happened to him are only two months old.

For Sakayanagi Arisu, the most direct and visible change after her congenital heart disease was cured following the shift in the timeline Uninhabited Island Special Exam, which she had originally missed but was now able to participate in.

Human desires are always boundless, but to put it another way with high emotional intelligence, it can also be expressed as everyone wanting to become a better version of themselves, especially after truly seeing their own future. Sakayanagi Arisu is no exception.

To be honest, Sakayanagi Arisu's performance in this Uninhabited Island Special Exam was actually quite outstanding. Whether it was her dominance in getting first place on academic-type questions or the help she provided to Kitagawa Group's group through the intelligence network formed by students like Matsushita Chiaki, she played an irreplaceable role.

But everything seemed to have returned to square one. With all of Class D's plans progressing smoothly and in a positive direction under Kitagawa Ryo's command, Sakayanagi Arisu could feel her physiological or physical disadvantages more and more.

In fact, even though the other three members of Kitagawa Group had been intentionally taking care of her since they arrived on the island, by the second half of the second week of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, Sakayanagi Arisu's physical strength had already reached the edge of danger. And this time, she couldn't rely on her congenital defect, which she hated but had become accustomed to accepting, to remain aloof and detached from the world. Because she was now a member of Kitagawa Group and a member of Class D, taking the Special Exam on the Uninhabited Island, and the final topic was very likely related to [live-action CS].

Efficient running, swift concealment, and accurate shooting weren't out of gender discrimination, but Kitagawa Ryo genuinely believed that girls with weaker physical abilities would be at a significant disadvantage in such physically demanding and intense tasks. That's why he had the less physically fit girls in his class act as playmates to help Shiina Hiyori Group score points. This list was actually carefully selected with the help of Ichinose Honami; Kitagawa Ryo didn't touch athletic girls like Onodera Kayano.

Although Kitagawa Ryo never explicitly stated his intention, Sakayanagi Arisu, who was also a genius, had already noticed this immediately, because if judged solely by this standard, her current physical condition would definitely be considered a complete burden.

So even if Kitagawa Ryo says he'll give her special tutoring when she gets back, and create a suitable training plan for her, that's all going to happen after she returns to school.

Sakayanagi Arisu isn't actually a girl who likes to dwell on things, but compared to Kitagawa Ryo's more distant topic of wife and mother, her unchanging strong competitive spirit is now fiercely pushing her to pursue a complete victory in this Special Exam.

Of course, although her competitive spirit was still burning brightly in her mind, Sakayanagi Arisu's heart was still beating faster and faster under Kitagawa Ryo's intimate actions and words. Her blood was rushing to her head, and she could almost feel her cheeks getting slightly hot. Finally, she simply bit his ear and honestly told him about the somewhat anxious thoughts she had been having lately.

"I see. So Arisu has been thinking about the final project these past two days?"

After listening to Sakayanagi Arisu's frank confession, Kitagawa Ryo nodded thoughtfully, but immediately smiled and reassured him:

"Arisu is just worried sick. Although I did decide that some of the girls in Class D were not suitable for the final mission and assigned them to Hiyori as backup players, Arisu was never on that list. Rather, I really need Arisu's help once the final mission actually begins."

The internet definition of live-action CS is a military simulation-style outdoor competitive sport, currently widely used in team building and entertainment for military enthusiasts.

Just like the Counter-Strike series of games online, whether online or offline, this activity actually requires a global commander. Whether it's rushing A or B in the game or flanking or raiding in real combat, the combat effectiveness of a team without a commander and a team with a commander and teamwork is often vastly different.

Kitagawa Ryo's initial approach and strategy for the final project was to operate as a lone wolf, because Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would definitely choose to operate in secrecy. What he needed to do then was to find and defeat the only opponent who might pose a threat to Class D in the jungle of the Uninhabited Island. As for who would lead the students of Class D to compete with students from other classes, Kitagawa Ryo only Sakayanagi Arisu in his mind from beginning to end.

"I need Arisu to memorize all the remaining areas of the Uninhabited Island, all the areas that might become the battleground, in a three-dimensional way. I believe Arisu can do it; in fact, it's something only Arisu could do."

Kitagawa Ryo held Sakayanagi Arisu, who was perched on his shoulder, and solemnly and earnestly expressed his approval and expectations for her.

"Arisu must have noticed it too, right? Over the past ten days, all the students have been gradually changing and reshaping the terrain inside the Uninhabited Island."

This is Special Exam that takes place on Uninhabited Island. Because the island remains devoid of human life for a long period each year, all traces of humans who only appeared here during these two star periods are incredibly fresh and obvious.

"Um."

Without Kitagawa Ryo saying another word, Sakayanagi Arisu already understood what he meant. As the person in the middle of the group who was closely following Kitagawa Ryo who was leading the way, she had noticed this important detail that was easily overlooked.

Just as humans choose slightly easier animal trails when trekking through mountains, on the Uninhabited Island, with students and school staff moving around every day, many safe, fast, and effortless routes have quietly and subtly formed between different areas. Although this change is subtle, many routes are quite clearly defined due to the heavy rain that day.