My Dead Memories Are Coming Back to Haunt Me / The Ship of Theseus

"After all, everyone has improved a lot compared to before the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. It's not just individuals; the atmosphere and behavior of the entire class have changed, and I think that's a good thing."

Class B's problems have always been quite obvious and obvious. As the class that most resembles a typical high school student group among the four classes, backstabbing and deception have never really affected them. However, after this real confrontation with Class A, most of the students in the class have actually gained some insights. Including their willingness to accept Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion to 'hire' the remaining members of Class C to harass Class A, which Kanzaki Ryuji sees as a good start.

"Personally, I think Class B's Special Exam was quite successful. Good luck to you Class D too."

As he said this, Kanzaki Ryuji sounded relaxed. From his perspective, even if Class B failed to maintain its first-place ranking, falling to second place would still give them 100 Class Points. Furthermore, with Karuizawa Kei and Amasawa's group merging after acquiring the 'Reinforcement' card, they had practically secured a top-three spot in their group. In addition, their strategy of pairing stronger teams with weaker ones ensured that no group in their class fell to the bottom few places. In terms of Class Points, their situation was definitely very favorable.

"Okay, good luck to everyone."

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with Kanzaki Ryuji, the two groups parted ways again. It seemed that the other group had arranged to meet up with another group in the class that only had one person left. They quickly disappeared from the group's sight.

Perhaps because there really wasn't much space left for the students to move around, Kitagawa Ryo's group had barely left after saying goodbye to Kanzaki's group when they ran into Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, and Amasawa Ichika's trio. The coincidence almost made Kitagawa Ryo wonder if Kanzaki Ryuji had made a call to Megumi on the spot. You have to admit, he genuinely thought she was capable of doing something like that.

Good morning, Ryo, Arisu, Honami, and Suzune.

Wearing Karuizawa Kei seemed surprised to run into Kitagawa Group at this moment. After a moment of stunned silence, she raised her right hand and waved in the air, proudly displaying the wristwatch on her wrist.

"Our group is almost in first place!"

"Congratulations--"

Completely opposite to their reaction when they encountered Kanzaki Ryuji earlier, as soon as Karuizawa Kei appeared, Kitagawa Ryo had barely finished his brief reply when he found it somewhat amusing that their group's original three-row formation suddenly transformed into a single row. Whether it was Arisu, who had been standing in the middle, or Suzune and Honami in the back row, they all took two steps forward to stand beside him as if in formation.

"I remember you guys are only two thousand points behind Katsuragi Group right now, aren't you?"

"Well, if we're lucky, we might be able to catch up after finishing the two projects this morning."

Seemingly sensing the implication in Kitagawa Ryo's words, Karuizawa Kei smiled and only spoke to him about things related to exams:

"Thanks to Ichika's 'Chosen One' card, otherwise we wouldn't have scored so quickly. Also, Airi and Ryo probably don't know that our group has almost swept all the talent-related assignments on the Uninhabited Island these past two days."

Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle at Karuizawa Kei's words, which were half boasting and half seeking praise. However, he wasn't surprised by the result. Although this group, cobbled together from Classes B and D, was, in a sense, just a product of his temporary rescue of Karuizawa Kei under the attack of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Class A, he was actually quite attentive to the selection of its members.

Firstly, besides him Karuizawa Kei's closest friend in Class D is Airi. The pairing of the two ensures that there won't be any problems with the atmosphere within this makeshift team. Secondly, Amasawa Ichika, who comes from the White Room, can significantly raise the team's ceiling. Furthermore, Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi can effectively compensate for the negative effects of her White Room background, such as her near-complete lack of knowledge in talent-related subjects and teamwork.

It can be said that the complementarity of the three in terms of personality and ability is surprisingly good, and their achievement of rising to second and even first place with the help of the 'Chosen One' special card that increases scores by 50% is the best proof of this.

Of course, if Kitagawa Group hadn't consistently spent an astonishing amount of points for the class, the top spot in the group wouldn't have been contested by Katsuragi Kohei's and Karuizawa Kei's groups.

Ichinose Honami and the others seemed to share the same idea. Seeing that Karuizawa Kanzaki Ryuji was completely different from Karuizawa Kei Ryuji, whom they had met earlier, and had not shown any intention of leaving, after a brief moment of thought, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly put forward a proposal:

"In that case, why don't our two groups work together to ambush Katsuragi's group?"

Although she said that, almost everyone present could tell that Sakayanagi Arisu was hiding her desire to compete against Karuizawa Group under her smile. After all, while teams from the same camp could tacitly help each other by giving each other points in the same task, after eliminating the opposing team, a first and second place would still have to be determined.

Sakayanagi Arisu Kitagawa Ryo remembers the Arisu scene a few days ago when Shiina Hiyori and riddles on the Uninhabited Island. They almost exhausted the question bank prepared by the school and still couldn't determine a winner. In the end, the school staff had no choice but to declare it a draw.

In particular, he gave Arisu a full boost of confidence last night.

Seeing the hint of provocation in Arisu's eyes and the sudden energy of Honami and Suzune, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head helplessly. Even though he knew it was a waste for two groups aiming for first place to participate in the same project, the atmosphere had already been set so high that he simply didn't object and waited quietly for Karuizawa Kei's reply.

Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi Amasawa Ichika. They weren't particularly competitive, but since they thought they could at least spend more time with Kitagawa Ryo, they didn't refuse Sakayanagi Arisu's proposal and readily agreed.

"Okay, let's do it together then."

After confirming her group members' ideas, Karuizawa Kei turned around and nodded crisply in agreement. Her high ponytail bounced energetically twice with the movement, and then she unceremoniously placed it next to Kitagawa Ryo, took off her white sun hat, and affectionately put it on his head.

"I feel like I've already gotten a bit tanned even though it's cool, so I still need to do the most basic sun protection."

Before Kitagawa Ryo and the others could speak, Karuizawa Kei skillfully switched the subject again:

"Speaking of which, how do we determine the location of the Katsuragi Group and the research topic we want to participate in?"

"... There's no need to worry about that. The Katsuragi Group's movements are quite easy to predict."

Kitagawa Ryo, inhaling the scent of sea breeze and sunshine clinging to the brim of his hat, casually offered a brief explanation to reassure Karuizawa Kei.

Honestly, by the eleventh day, he no longer needed to use the spies he had placed in Class A to track Katsuragi Kohei's movements, because there were only six or seven activity areas left on the entire Uninhabited Island. As long as he figured out the characteristics of Katsuragi Kohei's group and the types of projects that appeared on the island, he could easily catch them red-handed.

From the second week onwards, the Special Exam on the Uninhabited Island all turned into team-based challenges. Just as many of the challenges that weighted average scores favored smaller groups, there were also many challenges where the larger the group, the greater their advantage. A typical example was the 'Multi-party Tug-of-War' that their group had encountered before, where a four-person group could almost guarantee a win against a single-person group.

Katsuragi Group happens to be one of the few groups on the Uninhabited Island that still maintains a full complement of four members. Given Katsuragi Kohei's steady personality, he usually chooses to participate in projects where the more people there are, the greater the advantage. According to Kitagawa Ryo's investigation, the projects Kitagawa participated in a few days ago were mainly of this type.

In addition, there was the Shiina Hiyori Group on the island, which all other groups had to avoid, and which came with its own playmates. Therefore, after calling Hiyori to ask about her current location, Kitagawa Ryo pointed to a task in an area not far from them as soon as the first round of tasks was refreshed:

[Project Title: Name Tag Ripping (Team)]

[Note: This project is a mixed-gender competition.]

[Topic Type: Other]

[Project Description: Each group must participate with all members. Registration will close one hour after four groups have registered or the project is announced.]

This project will be divided into male and female groups, competing simultaneously. Participating students will engage in a free-for-all name tag ripping battle within a designated area. One point is awarded for ripping off the name tag of another student (one point is deducted for ripping off a member of your own group). The project ends when the allotted time is up or when only students from the same group remain. Rankings will be calculated based on the total scores of the groups.

Project rewards:

First place: 2,500 points.

Second place: 2000 points.

[The group with the lowest total score will be ranked last in this project. If multiple groups have the same total score, a tiebreaker will be held until a first-place and last-place team is determined.]

[The group that finishes last needs to select one member to withdraw from the exam within the allotted time. If no selection is made by the end of the time limit, the school will randomly select one member from that group to be eliminated.]

Undoubtedly, this is a topic that greatly benefits large groups, but on the other hand, it is also a sports-related topic that is not very friendly to Sakayanagi Arisu, who issued the challenge.

But since she had already said what she had to say, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't go back on her word. As she walked toward the area where the research topic was located, she began to discuss specific strategies and countermeasures with Suzune Honami, and for the time being, she proposed a battle plan similar to Tian Ji's horse racing strategy.

Of course, as for whether she can actually defend against Amasawa Ichika... well, all I can say is that she's done her best.

Seeing that the tension among the girls had almost completely dissipated because of this somewhat lighthearted topic, Kitagawa Ryo leisurely stepped forward, a phrase inexplicably coming to mind:

I love watching girls 'fight'!

Chapter 229: Dead Memories Begin to Attack Me

As Kitagawa Ryo predicted, Katsuragi Kohei's group's first goal was indeed this "name tag ripping" game. However, they didn't come here alone to sign up; instead, they brought along their classmate Sanada Group.

As it turned out, the elite team, which had maintained a full complement of four members for ten days after arriving on the island, was broken up in less than a day. After Kitagawa Ryo targeted the team to the point where only two members remained, and the gap between Hiyori Group and Shiina Hiyori's team widened irreversibly to an unassailable level, the importance of Sanada Group in Katsuragi Kohei's mind quickly dropped. However, he still offered some kind words of comfort and allowed the two members of Sanada's team to join his team today.

On the surface, the Sanada Group, now consisting of only Sanada Kō and Morishita Ai, is still quite competitive, even though it has declined somewhat. If they team up with the Katsuragi Group, they could easily sweep the top two spots in the project. After all, there aren't many groups with full strength left on the island; everyone is just a bunch of individual players. The overall quality of the students in Class A is generally stronger, and besides, both of them are among the best in Class A.

Conversely, this was also a form of insurance for Katsuragi Kohei's group. As the Leader Class A, he naturally saw that the current situation on the island was a perfect three-against-one situation. Under these circumstances, they, who had been consistently ranked first in the group, would definitely face a fierce counterattack from the other three classes in the days leading up to the end of the exam. Not to mention that the gap between them and the Karuizawa Group was ranked second, was not actually that large.

In a way, this was a collateral damage caused by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's trapping of Ryuen Kakeru into the school's headquarters. After all, the Katsuragi Group's leading position in the early and middle stages of the Uninhabited Island was inseparable from the supplies Ryuen Kakeru provided and his covert assistance with the project. Now that Ryuen Kakeru is gone, it will inevitably have some impact on them.

It was precisely because Katsuragi Kohei considered the possibility that the other three classes might use the same tactic against them, and that the three groups might team up to finish last in the project, that he chose to invite Sanada Group to join him. This would ensure that in the project they participated in, it would at least be a two-on-two competition, and if an unexpected situation did occur, Sanada Group could voluntarily take the last place and be eliminated.

Of course, Katsuragi Kohei would never say these things out loud. After registering with the teacher in charge along with the Sanada Group, he began to chat with his classmates in a friendly tone about the project they were about to participate in.

"Although the Korean variety show <Running Man> is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about tearing name tags now, we actually played a similar game in <Arashi's Homework> a long time ago, except that we weren't tearing off name tags with our own names on them."

"Lan... Speaking of which, my mom really liked them. When I was little, my family and I watched a lot of their variety shows together. I remember they were a really popular celebrity group back then."

Kushida Kikyo always excels in interpersonal relationships, smiled sweetly and smoothly took over the conversation. In the past, her close friends would have said things like, "I think Kushida Kikyo would be perfect as an entertainer," or "She'd be incredibly popular," but now...

Sure enough, no sooner had she spoken than Sanada Kō, who was standing next to her, enthusiastically brought up the others:

"Speaking of famous celebrities, wasn't Sakura from Class D a very famous idol before entering school? Sometimes when I bump into her in the hallway, I think she's even prettier than she appears on TV. No wonder she's so popular in Class D and even the whole grade. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating, if she didn't..."

Just as Sanada Kō was about to blurt out something that implied something like 'Kushida Kikyo might not be as popular as her,' Hirata Yosuke quietly nudged his foot as a reminder, which made Sanada Kō awkwardly shut his mouth.

"Hmm? Why don't you say so? If not, then what?"

Kamuro Masumi, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the drama. She sat on the chair next to him, propped her chin up, and clicked her tongue in displeasure, as if she hadn't had enough.

"Nothing, I'm just suddenly curious about which groups we'll run into later. Just don't let it be the Kitagawa Group again."

Sanada Kō scratched the back of his head, rather abruptly changing the subject, but the second half of his sentence seemed to be genuine, and you could even see a hint of lingering fear on his face.

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if Kitagawa Group comes here to participate in this project, our Class A will still have the advantage. Even if you add Katsuragi and Hirata, you still can't beat Kitagawa alone. Our girls' group is fine too. Among the girls in their group, Horikita is the Ichinose who's a bit troublesome. I'll handle her. Kushida and Ichinose will be evenly matched. Sakayanagi is just here to be sent to his death."

As Kamuro Masumi spoke, she crossed her right leg over her left. In a sense, she wasn't a very proactive student, so her understanding of other classes was quite limited, especially Class D, which had been at zero Class Points for almost a semester and looked like a bunch of nobodies. Rather than saying that, apart from Kitagawa Ryo, who had left a deep impression on her at the beginning of the semester, she didn't have anyone else who interested her.

Although Kamuro Masumi's words sounded a bit arrogant, Katsuragi Kohei inwardly agreed. After all, although the topic was listed under the 'other' category, it was clearly a topic that tested students' physical fitness and physique. In the case of mixed-gender competition, their Class A's fighting strength was actually quite strong. The boys' group was a given, and even the weakest girl in the girls' group Morishita Ai, was above average. Moreover, compared to Kitagawa Group, which was clearly a liability, Sakayanagi Arisu was considered top-tier.

In that instant, Katsuragi Kohei felt a rare sense of anticipation that Kitagawa Group would participate in the project.

"The Kitagawa Group you requested has arrived."

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was lost in thought, Morishita Ai, who hadn't said much until now, suddenly turned her gaze to the road not far away while clasping her hands together.

"Two groups... they're with the Karuizawa Group."

When they spotted a seemingly harmless figure with pigtails bouncing around in the crowd, Katsuragi Kohei and Kushida Kikyo felt a jolt in their hearts, and unanimously recalled some unpleasant memories.

For Katsuragi Kohei, there were only two subjects in the Comprehensive Mathematics Class 1-A that had caused him the most setbacks, left the deepest impression, and left him the most speechless during this Uninhabited Island Special Exam.

One team, known for their academic prowess, faced off against a group of three from Class A in a challenging academic exam, only to be singled out by Sakayanagi Arisu from Class D. The other team, also known for their three-on-one advantage, suffered a crushing defeat in the same exam – the 'Group Dodgeball' test where they initially targeted Karuizawa Kei, aiming to eliminate her from the Special Exam. Their three -Class A team, including his confidant Totsuka Yahiko, was completely outmaneuvered by a single player who delivered a perfect single-handed pass and dribble. From that moment on, Katsuragi Kohei made a conscious effort to remember the name Amasawa Ichika.

Compared to Katsuragi Kohei, who was merely wary and cautious, Kushida Kikyo was suffering from PTSD to the level of psychological trauma. After all, this was the first time in her life she had encountered a female madwoman of that caliber. The encounter a few nights ago had dealt a heavy blow to her physical and psychological dignity. Now, seeing the other woman's obedient little girl appearance, she felt that even the fake smile on her face was about to break down.

Because they were in a hurry to register, Kitagawa Ryo and his group didn't immediately try to talk to the students in Class A. Only after both groups had successfully completed their registration did they have a moment to turn around and give a brief greeting.

"Finally found you guys. What, Hashimoto's group is all eliminated, so you've been replaced with another group this time?"

The last time Kitagawa Group and Katsuragi Group faced off was a few days ago in the "Four-Person Cavalry Battle" project. He and Sudo Group joined forces to achieve a decisive victory over Katsuragi and Hashimoto's groups, ultimately forcing Katsuragi Kohei to sacrifice a pawn to save the king, allowing Hashimoto's group to finish last and eliminate themselves.

Katsuragi Kohei naturally understood the meaning behind Kitagawa Ryo's words, but he didn't show any weakness. He shook his head, crossed his strong arms, and delivered a rebuttal in a calm tone:

"You should worry about yourself first, Kitagawa."

Although the match appeared to have turned into a two-on-two contest, the boys' team actually had a three-on-one advantage due to the format of the boys' and girls' teams and the fact that the Karuizawa Group consisted entirely of girls.

I always feel like something bad always happens when Class A has a three-on-one situation...

Katsuragi Kohei suppressed the sudden unease that welled up in his heart. He had indeed witnessed Kitagawa Ryo's extraordinary physical abilities, but ultimately, the name tag ripping game was not a traditional race or swimming competition. His physical qualities were also among the best of his Hirata Yosuke, so no matter what, the advantage was in his hands!

Just as the atmosphere between the two had become tense and even a bit explosive, the teacher, who had finished registering four groups, suddenly clapped her hands, called all the participating students to her side, and pointed to a stack of blank name tags and a dozen or so oil-based markers on the table:

"Everyone, come over here, write your name tags, and stick them on. Once everyone is ready, we'll begin the project in earnest."

Of the people present, the most skilled at signing autographs were undoubtedly Kitagawa Ryo, Karuizawa Kei, and Sakura Airi, all of whom had worked in the entertainment industry before enrolling. Among the three, Airi, a former professional idol, was the most Airi. She had even received meticulous training in this area from a professional management team. Although she wasn't signing her real name, 'Shizuku,' as before, it was still playful and cute. She even casually added a few strokes to the end, creating a chibi-style portrait. Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but lean closer for a second look, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying:

"I wonder if I'll be able to get Airi's name tag back from the teacher after this project ends—speaking of which, does the rule that you can buy anything with Private Points still apply on this Uninhabited Island?"

"Hmm? Doesn't Liang have a lot of hand-drawn and autographed merchandise?"

Sakura Airi turned around, somewhat puzzled, in response to Kitagawa Ryo's words.

"Because those are all Shizuku's signatures -- what I want now is Airi's signature, Airi's."

Kitagawa Ryo raised a finger and emphasized it again with a smile.

"... I see."

Just as Sakura Airi was starting to overthink Kitagawa Ryo's unintentional gesture, Karuizawa Kei suddenly raised her hand towards the teacher in charge and asked:

"Teacher, can I write my name in Romanized form?"

"Oh, sure, as long as it's your own name, that's fine."

Thank you, teacher.

After receiving permission from the teacher in charge, Karuizawa Kei nodded happily and quickly wrote her name, Karuizawa Kei (in Karuizawa Kei form), on the blank name tag she received. This attracted the attention of several other Class A students who had just finished writing kanji or katakana. However, they assumed that Karuizawa Kei wanted to save time and didn't think much of it at first.

But clearly, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't among them.

In fact, the moment Karuizawa Kei asked the question, he had already sensed her intentions. Sure enough, just as he left Sakura Airi's side and casually picked up a pen to write his name, Kei, having finished writing two letters, approached him with a smile and suggested:

"How about Ryo writes his name in Romanized form?"

Completely unsurprised, Kitagawa Ryo merely gave a subtle "I knew it" look with a slight twitch of his lips. In the end, he nodded in agreement, picked up a marker, and wrote his name, Kitakawa Ryo, in Romanized form on the blank nameplate in Kitagawa Ryo of him. Like Karuizawa Kei, it also started with a capital K.

Finally, Karuizawa Kei waved her name tag in front of Kitagawa Ryo with satisfaction, and in the early morning sun, she slightly pressed down the brim of her sun hat, which had been returned to her, and revealed the most appropriate and radiant smile before the summer Uninhabited Island project began:

"That's it, K&K."

It's my birthday today, so I'm taking a day off.

I've already turned twenty-two without even realizing it, so I'm taking a day off to rest.

Here's an illustration of Hui; the official version without the watermark will likely use this one as the cover.

By the way, the third season of Classroom of the Elite is indeed as abstract as the second season. I really can't understand how it was made like this, considering that the original work is also incredibly popular in Japan.


Chapter 230: The Ship of Theseus

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo didn't actually dislike Karuizawa Kei showing her little schemes in these strange little details. Besides, the K&K symbol wasn't just a trick they used to fool someone during that simulated Uninhabited Island Exam; now, it had become a unique symbol that he and Karuizawa Kei had created in the real world and that was tied to them.

If Kitagawa Ryo were to define it, this represents their lives before entering Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School; it is a symbol of change and growth for those who have been reborn, and one of the best accolades.

Unfortunately, only students from Class A and Class D were present. Kanzaki Ryuji, who was most enthusiastic about this, was not there. Because the project was about to begin, after exchanging a knowing smile with Karuizawa Kei, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and took the name tag from her. He carefully placed it against Karuizawa Kei's back, then turned around, feeling the touch of Karuizawa Kei's right hand on his back. As her fingertips gradually spread out to both sides, his own name tag was also firmly attached.

Looking at Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei, who were clearly very close despite not being in the same class, and Hirata Yosuke had helped Katsuragi Kohei stick name tags on each other's name tags, rubbed his bald head and suddenly realized that the relationship between Class B and Class D was probably even closer than he had imagined. He muttered to himself: