Charge x Countercharge x / Class A Nearly Wiped Out

Thus, after the eleventh day of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam officially ended, the group rankings had changed dramatically. The Karuizawa Group was in first place, followed closely by the Shiina Group, and the Katsuragi Group was in third place. The fourth and fifth places were occupied by the suddenly strong Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the steadily scoring Ken Sudō group. However, the Kitagawa Group also had an extremely high scoring efficiency today. After once again spending a lot of points to supply the class with resources, they still managed to hold on to sixth place. Of course, this was also related to Class D sending four students to Shiina Group to help them score points.

"The upgrade opportunity randomly came to me again. If I get a failed upgrade, I'll save some points."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo checked her watch to confirm the information of each group, Ichinose Honami, who was next to her, also opened the card page on her watch. The first place winner of the last jump rope puzzle they participated in today would receive a reward of one chance to upgrade a regular card, but it still didn't go to Kitagawa Ryo, so her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of regret.

"Honami's Supply card should be level 5 by now, right? I remember it was upgraded yesterday. What's the effect now? Let me check."

Hearing Ichinose Honami's words, Kitagawa Ryo didn't show any regret. After all, he knew he was being targeted by the school. The 20% Discount Card had already benefited him and his entire class immensely. If they could buy it for free, the other three classes probably wouldn't even need to participate. If Kitagawa Ryo could monopolize all the redeemable drinking water resources on the Uninhabited Island, he could easily control all the students. It was unlikely that the school wouldn't pay attention to such a bug that disrupted the balance.

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo naturally took Honami's right wrist, lowered his head slightly, and leaned in to examine the contents displayed on it:

[Supply: Cardholders receive a daily food and drinking water Supply equivalent to one meal for sixteen people (lv5)]

Unlike the Discount Card, which offers a 10% discount for each level up and a 5% discount for each level down, the Supply card offers a more astonishing exponential increase. Even though it's only at level five, the supply for sixteen people still left Kitagawa Ryo speechless. This could supply all the logistical needs of the entire Class B on the Uninhabited Island, since they now only have six students left, including Karuizawa Kei.

"If only I had leveled up to level 5 sooner, I could have saved the group more points."

Faced with Ichinose Honami's somewhat regretful sigh, Kitagawa Ryo simply shook his head, recalling once again his previous conversation with Sakayanagi Arisu about the Supply cards, and thoughtfully said:

"It might not be too late now."

After saying that, Kitagawa Ryo smiled again, pursing his lips:

"Of course, we'll have to see if the Uninhabited Island Exam turns out the way I imagined when I wake up tomorrow."

"... Otherwise, there's really no reason for the school to design such Supply card and put it together with the Discount Card; it's just too incongruous."

After a good night's sleep, the Uninhabited Island Special Exam came to its twelfth day with the rising sun. Considering that the exam would end on the afternoon of the fourteenth day, there were actually less than three days left in the Special Exam.

At 8:00 a. m., instead of displaying the first round of project progress on the electronic map as usual, the school sent a notice to all students on the Uninhabited Island, requiring them to gather in area E9 within two hours or face elimination.

Because the area available for students to move around is not large, this time is quite ample. Even students in the areas furthest from E9 can make it over easily. In fact, it's even faster. Just after nine o'clock, all the remaining groups of students on the island had arrived at E9, and everyone was present.

When everyone gathered, the large number of students remaining in Class D became quite apparent. After the eleventh day, Class A had nine students left, Class B had six, and Class C had nine (Ryuen Kakeru was still eating and drinking in the school's tent), while Class D still had a full nineteen students, who stood together in a group, making up almost half of the total number of people present, and were particularly conspicuous.

After waiting for a short while, school staff walked onto a simple platform made of supply crates and used a megaphone to succinctly explain the reason for calling all students to assemble today:

"Starting today, we will officially begin the final stage of this Uninhabited Island Special Exam. All relevant rules have been sent to your wristwatches; please check them."

Amidst the uproar and commotion caused by the school officials' words, Kitagawa Ryo calmly opened a text message that had just been sent and carefully read it twice from top to bottom:

[Final Project]

[Project Title: Uninhabited Island Live-Action Jungle CS (Class Team Battle)]

[Project Description: All students currently on the Uninhabited Island will participate in a live-action CS (Counter-Strike) competition. The project will run from 1 PM today (the 12th) to 3 PM the day after tomorrow (the 14th), at which point this Uninhabited Island Special Exam will also officially conclude.]

[All students will be divided into teams based on their class. Each time an enemy student is defeated, the team and class will receive 1000 points, which will be added to the team and class rankings. Defeated students will return to area D9 to rest and await Resurrection. Each student will have one 'Resurrection' opportunity per day, which will automatically refresh at 8:00 AM on the 13th and 14th days of the exam. If a student still has a Resurrection opportunity after the official end of the project, their score for this project will be Double.]

[Example: A scores 2000 points in this challenge, is defeated once, and has one chance to Resurrection, so the final score is 4000 points; B scores 2000 points in this challenge, is defeated zero times, and has two chances to Resurrection, so the final score is 6000 points.]

[Note 1: For student safety reasons, paintball will be used in this project. Students who are defeated should raise their hands to leave. The school will also use helicopters and drones to make shooting judgments as soon as possible. One shot to the head, chest, abdomen, spine, or four shots to the limbs will be considered a defeat.]

[Note 2: The restricted area refresh will still occur as normal on the thirteenth day of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. Students should pay attention to their specific movements on that day. If you enter the restricted area, you will be eliminated and will also be penalized with a deduction of 2,000 points.]

[Note 3: If you accidentally hit a student from your own faction, causing them to be defeated, you will also be penalized by deducting 2,000 points.]

[Note 4: If a student is defeated by students from different factions, their scores will be distributed according to the order of defeat and their contribution rate.]

Example: If player A is eliminated by player B and player C from different factions, who respectively hit A's limbs with one shot and A's limbs with three shots, then B gets 250 points and C gets 750 points.

[Note 5: During the final project, all supply exchange points on the island will only provide Supply to students with Supply cards. All students will no longer be able to use points to exchange for supplies, nor will they be allowed to bring any supplies after the project begins. Any excess supplies will be reclaimed by the school at a 1:1 ratio with the points used to purchase them.]

[Note 6: During the final project, the school will provide necessary survival supplies at fixed times every day. Please pay attention to relevant information.]

[Note...]

Except for the final equipment being changed from BB guns to paintballs, everything else was almost exactly as Kitagawa Ryo had predicted. After looking up and scanning the other students around him, he saw that the various classes were showing different reactions to this sudden final assignment.

The students in Class D were probably the most enthusiastic, after all, their class had an obvious advantage in numbers. With almost everyone being a beginner in paintball, this was the simplest and most direct difference. A dozen or so people could easily suppress the enemy with their superior firepower. The boys that Kitagawa Ryo had intentionally kept behind were already rubbing their hands together, eager to have a big fight.

Class C only now understands Kitagawa Ryo's words to them. "If we stay until the last two days, things might turn around." Having survived by trading with Class B, they still have nine members, second only to Class D and on par with Class A. Under the leadership of Ishizaki Daichi, who has experience in live-action CS, they seem to have a real chance to turn the situation around.

Compared to the jubilant C and D classes, the expressions of Class A and Class B were undoubtedly much worse. The latter was because there were too few students left, while the former finally felt threatened by the overwhelming number of Class D, which almost doubled their numbers. This was because the reward for this final project was quite generous. Even without considering the bonus from the number of Resurrection, the reward of one thousand per person was already equivalent to half of the reward for second place in the previous project.

If nothing unexpected happens, both the group rankings and the class rankings will likely undergo a dramatic change after this final project concludes.

However, before this project, which could change the current situation, could proceed, Class D had a complete advantage.

Kitagawa Ryo stepped forward in line and received a series of props, including a helmet, mask, clothing, and a realistic paintball gun, from the teacher in charge. He then confidently nodded in the direction of his homeroom teacher Mashima Tomoya.

Then, his gaze swept over the students of Class A standing in another line next to him, and he stepped slightly forward with his right foot onto the steps above him. He leaned forward slightly towards Katsuragi Kohei and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, his right elbow resting on his knee, and the paintball gun he had just received was already spinning on his fingertips as if it were an extension of his own arm.

This rare, somewhat arrogant move instantly transformed Kitagawa Ryo's usually gentle smile into one filled with danger and mockery. However, for Class D, who had been avoiding battle on the Uninhabited Island for several days and had been quiet for almost a semester at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, this was undoubtedly the best outlet for their emotions. Ken Sudō, Yamada Albert, and other boys quickly stood behind him with menacing expressions, glaring menacingly at the small number of Class A opposite them.

Kitagawa Ryo slightly raised the replica gun, provocatively sweeping it across the faces of Katsuragi Kohei and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, a slight smile playing on his lips as he softly added his own voice:

"Bang--"

Chapter 233: Charge and Reverse

To be fair, Kitagawa Ryo looks even more like Ryuen Kakeru Sho in some ways, at least that's how Ishizaki Daichi sees him, who's also excitedly trying on the gear right there. But when he glances around with his beady eyes, he notices that none of the students from the classes other than Class A show any disgust or dislike. This leaves Ishizaki Daichi, who's used to being hated by everyone and everything by following Ryuen Kakeru around, a little confused.

Perhaps this is the difference between being ranked number one in the year's handsome guys and not even making the list? But I think Ryuen's long, flowing hair is quite stylish... although the last time I saw him, it had become a messy, dry mess due to the harsh conditions on the Uninhabited Island and his laziness in taking care of it.

Recalling his boss's 'dignified appearance' when he was on the Uninhabited Island, Ishizaki Daichi suddenly felt that it was actually quite good for Ryuen Kakeru to be staying in the school's tent now; in a sense, it was also maintaining the image of Class C.

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's almost blatant provocation, Katsuragi Kohei of Class A subconsciously frowned. Fortunately, Totsuka Yahiko had been eliminated from this Special Exam early on, and he finally got some peace and quiet. Not wanting to continue arguing with Class D, he quickly gathered all the remaining students in his class and led them away from the E9 area.

The final task only started at 1 p. m. today, and it's just past 9 a. m. now. In these four hours, which is neither long nor short, Class A must discuss and decide on a suitable solution.

Anyone with eyes could see that from the moment the final challenge began, it wasn't just Class B that could threaten Class A. Other classes now had the ability to turn the tide, especially Class D, which already had a significant advantage in the starting lineup. Every time he thought about the huge difference in numbers between nineteen and nine, Katsuragi Kohei couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.

After Class A left, the remaining students of Class B also gathered around their class leader Karuizawa Kei. As the class with the fewest remaining students among the four classes, Karuizawa Kei seemed to be quite troubled about Class B's subsequent strategy. However, since Kanzaki Ryuji, who usually served as her deputy, had been eliminated from this exam, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step in. After waving goodbye to Amasawa Ichika and Sakura Airi in her group, she also led her students away.

Class C was much more straightforward. Although, from all perspectives, the current command of the class should have been given to Hiyori or Ibuki from the Shiina Group, which was currently ranked the highest in Class C, neither of them were actually that kind of person. In the end, they simply handed it over to Ishizaki Daichi to take full responsibility. The whole class sat in a row listening to Mr. Ishizaki, who had experience with live-action CS before entering the school, enthusiastically teaching the basic rules and some tidbits of knowledge:

"The paintball guns issued by the school generally have an effective range of 20 to 40 meters. They're definitely not as fun as BB guns. Those paintball guns have an effective range of 50 to 70 meters, and they feel much more like real guns. Let me tell you, back in my day..."

Although the conversation would inevitably veer off-topic, causing the other students in Class C to roll their eyes and boo.

After eavesdropping for a couple of minutes, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but shake his head and return to his class's formation. Compared to other classes, besides having a significantly larger total number of students, Class D now also had the highest number of boys. Apart from the three girls in Kitagawa Group, Sakura Airi, and Amasawa Ichika, the only other student left was the athletic star Onodera Kayano. The remaining thirteen students were all boys. Of course, students like Sotomura, who were good at electronics and mechanics but terrible at sports, were still absent.

Although limited by the overall quality of Class D, apart from Sudo, Yamada, Miyake, and three other students who also joined the basketball club, the other boys seem less competitive compared to the remaining elites of Class A. However, reality is never just the SABCD on the entrance exam. In addition to numbers, Class D has another major advantage that other classes cannot match: physical strength.

Unlike the other groups who had been running around on the Uninhabited Island for eleven days, apart from the two scoring groups of Kitagawa and Sudo and the girls' scoring group, the remaining boys had all taken several days to rest under Kitagawa Ryo's instructions. It could even be said that even looking at the whole island, they were the group of students with the most physical strength and the most energy.

To avoid suspicion, Kitagawa Ryo slightly distanced himself from Class C with his classmates before turning around and clapping his hands confidently:

"As you can all see, our Class D has successfully predicted the exam questions. Besides our numbers and stamina, we have another hidden advantage: our Supply pressure isn't actually the highest among the four classes. Honami's Supply card can provide enough for sixteen people for one Supply every day. In addition to her, our class also has one level-two and five level-one Supply cards. If we use them sparingly, it'll be more than enough... Anyway, we'll be able to go back to the cruise ship and feast in less than three days. Everyone, keep it up!"

Then, under the watchful eyes of the students in Class D, Kitagawa Ryo pushed Sakayanagi Arisu in front of him and, with a smile, conveyed his plan:

"Once the project officially begins, I will leave the class to act alone. The rules allow units within the same faction to communicate using wristwatches, and I will relay any urgent matters back immediately."

"During my absence, I hope all the students in the class can act under Arisu's command. This is also one of the keys to whether our Class D can win this Special Exam. I really ask you all for help."

Although compared to Ichinose Honami or Sakura Airi, who are always popular in the class, Sakayanagi Arisu is more like a high-achieving but invisible character in Class D, since Kitagawa Ryo has already said so, all the students nodded in agreement under Ken Sudō's lead, indicating that they would only listen to Sakayanagi Arisu's instructions after the project officially started, emphasizing that if she said go east, they would never go west.

"Alright, that's all for now. Everyone, change into your gear and get used to it. Make sure you wear your face shields properly. Paintballs may not seem like a big threat, but if they hit your eyes, it can be quite serious."

After saying a few more words, Kitagawa Ryo ended his speech. The boys seemed to have a natural interest in this kind of thing, and immediately went into the grove to put on their camouflage uniforms and helmets. If the school hadn't only given them three magazines with a total of sixty bullets, they probably would have already started practicing shooting.

Compared to BB gun paintball, which has more stringent protective equipment due to its higher risk factor, paintball has significantly less protective equipment. As Kitagawa Ryo put on his protective mask, he thought that the school probably chose paintball because the investigation into Hashimoto Masayoshi's injury was still ongoing. After all, regardless of whether Hashimoto Masayoshi injured himself or someone else, it already indicated that the competition on the Uninhabited Island was developing in a somewhat dangerous direction, so it was best to be cautious.

After changing into his camouflage uniform, Kitagawa Ryo didn't immediately put on the helmet provided by the school. Instead, he began to play with the toy gun in his hand with great interest. The background of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School was indeed impressive; the toy guns distributed to them were of excellent quality in terms of both workmanship and accuracy. After skillfully loading the magazine full of paintballs into the gun according to the instructions, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but feel a strange sense of being able to hit exactly where he pointed.

After a long absence, Kitagawa Ryo pulled out his talent chart and, looking at the golden talent 'Super Detective' that shone even brighter than usual, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

So this seemingly useless talent actually has such a hidden effect?

However, after recalling a famous detective who had learned hundreds of skills in Hawaii, Kitagawa Ryo ultimately chose to understand and let go.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was letting his thoughts wander, wondering if this talent still carried the detective's signature "wherever he goes, trouble follows" debuff, the Class D students, having changed clothes in the grove and tents, emerged chatting and laughing. The most eye-catching among them was naturally Yamada Albert, who could probably be airdropped into the African battlefield without any awkwardness. It was a pity he wasn't wearing his signature sunglasses on the Uninhabited Island; otherwise, just standing behind Kitagawa Ryo would have been enough to start a "Lord of War" drama.

After looking at the largest of the group, Yamada Albert, Kitagawa Ryo's gaze involuntarily shifted to a certain Commander Sakayanagi who was pretending to be a Boy Scout summer camp participant. He was then met with a fierce glare from Sakayanagi, whose sharp gaze was even more intense than the one seen through his protective mask.

Seemingly to make it easier to distinguish the people in each class, each student in Class D had a very conspicuous capital letter D printed on the front and back of their camouflage uniform. The rules also included a rule that the class affiliation letter should not be covered up or altered. After all, with everyone in camouflage uniforms, masks, and helmets, it would be difficult to tell who was a teammate and who was an enemy from a distance.

Taking two steps closer to Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at Arisu, who was currently wearing a replica gun strap across her chest. After somewhat impolitely recalling certain looks from a skit he'd seen in his past life, "The Protagonist and the Supporting Role," and the movie "Kitagawa Ryo Joins the Army," he couldn't suppress a smile. He quickly and somewhat guiltily pulled his face shield down further and spoke softly:

"I think if Arisu can manage to complete the final task without firing a single shot, Class D will have already won."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of things. Just give me the information."

Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't really noticed her current appearance. Upon hearing this, she nodded, her short silver hair at her temples slightly disheveled by the protective mask, prompting Kitagawa Ryo to instinctively reach out and smooth it for her.

"Yes, I believe in Arisu."

"Although our priority is still Class A students, we shouldn't hold back if we encounter students from Class B or Class C, at least not in the first two days of the final project."

"I see."

Listening to Kitagawa Ryo's explanation, Sakayanagi Arisu also agreed. Yes, they did have a good relationship with Shiina Hiyori from Class C and Karuizawa Kei from Class B, but they were still students from Class D. At this crucial moment involving the final ranking of the Special Exam, no one had any room to hold back, because there was only one place for first place.

Aside from keeping Shiina Hiyori and the others in the top three of the group, all else is to let loose and do whatever you want.

After speaking with Sakayanagi Arisu, who was about to take over command, Kitagawa Ryo walked towards Amasawa Ichika. Since wearing a helmet made it difficult to keep her usual twin-tail hairstyle, she unusually let her striking long, bright red hair down, which shone with a captivating luster in the midday sun. The past ten days on the Uninhabited Island seemed to have brought her no change; her small face still radiated a fiery smile, making her exceptionally charming and lovely.

"As for Ichika, once the project starts, she should try to stay around Arisu as much as possible."

"Oh, so you want me to protect her safety, right?"

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's deliberately lowered voice, Amasawa Ichika quickly nodded in confirmation, her hair, which naturally fell to her waist, swaying slightly with the movement, drawing Kitagawa Ryo's attention.

That's roughly the idea.

"Okay, I understand. Although I'd also like to go on a solo mission with Ryo, as for Arisu... consider it a way of thanking her."

For Amasawa Ichika, who also shared Sakayanagi Arisu's last simulated memory and experience, Sakayanagi Arisu could be considered the first hero in rescuing Kitagawa Ryo from the pit of the White Room in a sense. After hesitating for a while, he agreed.

"Then I'll leave it to you Ichika."

As Kitagawa Ryo spoke, he reached out and ruffled Amasawa Ichika's little head. The other boy squinted his eyes and looked like he was enjoying it. Perhaps because the memory of his Cloth Mother was too deep, both he and Ichika often indulged in such small, intimate gestures.

... But thinking about it this way, weren't the things Amasawa Ichika did to him in the tent that night just reckless and against his will?

As Kitagawa Ryo once again indulged in chilling daydreams, time slowly passed. After finishing what was likely the last good meal of the next two days, all the students on the Uninhabited Island finally faced their final trial.

At 1:00 PM sharp, the final project Uninhabited Island Live-Action Jungle CS (class team battle), officially began.

Chapter 234: Class A Nearly Wiped Out

Ten minutes before the final project began, at the makeshift campsite of Class 1-A, class Leader Katsuragi Kohei was somewhat helplessly negotiating with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"So, Ayanokoji, you've decided to go it alone after all? The other students in the class actually all wanted to go with you..."

"Katsuragi, it was a promise we made before."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka interrupted Katsuragi Kohei. Although his tone remained as calm as ever, the look in his eyes the moment he looked up sent a chill down the spine of the bald, tall boy in front of him, and his tone softened slightly.

"Given that Class A is outnumbered, everyone feels it's safer to stick together. Of course, if Ayanokoji decides that going solo is more advantageous... I'll explain that to everyone in the class later."

"Um."

Seeing that Katsuragi Kohei had wisely refrained from mentioning the suggestion of having him join the class, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attitude softened slightly as well. After thinking for a moment, he casually made up a plausible reason:

"I think this scoring method will be more efficient. After all, if I can't get into the top three in the group, according to the contract with Ryuen, I will have to pay him five million Private Points after the exam."

"Yes, I know that Ayanokoji has put in a lot of effort behind the scenes for our Class A. I'm sorry, but in the end, our group still couldn't hold onto first place."

Upon hearing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka bring up Ryuen Kakeru, Katsuragi Kohei touched the back of his bald head with some shame. The reason their group was able to stay in first place for so long was indeed largely due to Ryuen Kakeru, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had taken the risk of introducing.

The thought that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's act of sacrificing his personal interests for the greater good of the class had effectively ended in failure in his hands made Katsuragi Kohei lower his head even further.

"... Then I'm off."

After dealing with the class Leader, Katsuragi Kohei, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded slightly, said a brief goodbye, and then left Class A's temporary campsite, disappearing into the dense forest and quickly vanishing from Katsuragi Kohei's sight.

With things having come to this, Katsuragi Kohei could only secretly pray that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could create another miracle, while restoring his expression to a composed state that no one could discern anything amiss, and resolutely walked back to Class A's camp.

Although he always unconsciously felt inferior to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he remained the mature, steady, and trustworthy class Leader in front of the other students in Class A.

As expected, as soon as Katsuragi Kohei returned to the temporary camp, the remaining eight students who stayed behind tacitly stopped their discussion and all turned their attention to Katsuragi Kohei's bald head, which shone brightly in the midday sun, waiting for him to speak.

"I know everyone is a bit overly worried about Class D's performance in the final project, but in reality, they are not invincible."

Seeing this, Katsuragi Kohei took a deep breath and slowly stated some of his thoughts and battle plans:

"A team of nineteen is indeed large compared to our Class A, Class B, and Class C, but large also means bloated, difficult to hide, and their Supply needs are much greater than any of our classes."

"The school specifically stipulated in this final assignment that students other than those with Supply cards could not exchange for supplies. This means that Kitagawa Ryo from Class D can no longer use his high-level Discount Card to continuously provide supplies to the other students in Class D as before. It also limits everyone's practice of simply finding a cave or bush to Voldemort in until the end of the exam."

"Without a doubt, to survive on the Uninhabited Island until the last day, we need to collect as many supply crates as possible that the school drops at fixed times. Just like in battle royale games, firefights often break out near airdrop crates. This is the school's way of forcing us to go out and fight against other classes."

After a relatively clear analysis of the rules of this final project and the strengths and weaknesses of the other classes, Katsuragi Kohei ultimately made a decision that was very much in line with his steady personality: