Underclassmen, Assemble in Style (4.5k) / Hurry Up and Take My Sister Away

"Yes, I don't know if you've made a final decision, Kitagawa? If so, we'll skip that classroom altogether."

Katsuragi Kohei's attitude was quite polite, and his words implied that he had no intention of competing with Kitagawa Ryo. However, Totsuka Yahiko, whose existence seemed to be solely to question the mysterious evaluation mechanism used by Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School for class placement at the beginning of the Class 1-D, couldn't help but jump out again:

"Indeed, your Class A came to see that cat café, right? Our class doesn't want to be on the same floor as a smelly place like yours."

Because of the cats that have been wandering into the school lately, the news that Class 1-A is going to open a cat cafe at the Sports Festival is basically known throughout the school, not to mention that Kitagawa Ryo is currently sleeping with one in his hood.

"Yahiko, shut up first."

Having already cleaned up after the other person countless times Katsuragi Kohei immediately turned around and scolded him severely. Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help but shrink back and awkwardly took two steps back. Then he noticed that the girls behind him also took several steps back in unison.

"Sorry, we didn't mean that."

"Okay, I understand. Then I won't disturb your location selection. Although our store's location hasn't been finalized yet, it should be on the third floor. Let's talk next time."

Reaching out to stop Hotaru, who was trying to jump out of his hood to swat at the ungrateful guy who called him smelly, Kitagawa Ryo looked at Katsuragi Kohei with a melancholy expression. He didn't know what to say to him, so he just said a few words and then took Ichinose Honami's hand and walked downstairs beside them.

Ichinose Honami also noticed that Hotaru, who was angrily jumping around, was the cleanest and always smelled nice and warm. She took the cat into her arms and gently stroked its head, saying things like, "Our Hotaru is of course the cleanest and prettiest." This barely calmed the cat down. After meowing twice, Hotaru jumped away from Ichinose Honami's arms.

I mainly feel stuffy.

"I feel like Katsuragi's reputation will collapse one day because of Totsuka. The key is that given Katsuragi's personality, it's hard to do anything about him. I feel like I'm going to die of frustration."

Having skillfully caught Hotaru who jumped into his arms again, Kitagawa Ryo, after leaving the Special Teaching Building and making sure that what he said wouldn't reach the ears of the Class D students, spoke with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, feeling a little sorry for Katsuragi Kohei.

"I remember Arisu saying before that Totsuka's biggest role was actually to take the blame for Katsuragi when Katsuragi was at risk of dropping out sometime in the future, and then to make the other students in the class feel better."

"That's true in a sense, but there probably won't be many exams like this this semester, and the conditions are quite harsh. Anyway, Katsuragi and Class A will have to put up with this for at least a few more months."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, but what he didn't say was that Totsuka Yahiko could theoretically be used as a tool to target Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, since the relationship between the two was so fragile that it could explode at any moment. However, since he had a good relationship with Katsuragi Kohei and his relationship with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was also improving, there was no need for that.

"It's still early, I'm planning to go check on the progress of my classmate's project in the Sotomura, Ryo, do you want to come along?"

"It's fine if it's just for a little while."

After finishing what happened here, Kitagawa Ryo followed Ichinose Honami to the club room where their Drama Club was located, Sotomura Hideo and some other students in the class were secretly rehearsing and training.

Several boys are currently researching how to use several drones to fly into the air and then suddenly unfurl a huge vertical banner from top to bottom in a fancy way. Therefore, they have printed a lot of banner cloths of various shapes for practice and coordination.

"How about we try a giant photo? Kitagawa looks pretty good in photos. We could hang a drone over the main gate; the effect should be pretty good?"

Upon seeing Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami arrive, the leader, Sotomura Hideo, took the opportunity to present his new idea to them. He could be described as a tech geek, having spent 80,000 Private Points to buy a high-end laptop, and of course, he also had a camera.

"Since the cat is here too, let's take a picture of me holding the cat and see how it looks?"

Then he spotted the adorable kitten on Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder, and Sotomura Hideo, the ambassador for this Cultural Festival, felt his inspiration flowing endlessly.

In response, Ichinose Honami merely coughed almost imperceptibly from the side.

"Handsome men and beautiful women plus adorable pets, the perfect combination! It's decided! Publicity needs to make Eidetic Memory on all guests at first glance!"

Chapter 329: Junior Girls, Gathering in Style (4k5)

Fulfilling and busy days always pass quickly. As the weather gradually turns colder, it's already mid-November before we know it, and there's only one day left until the official opening of the Cultural Festival.

On the day before the official opening, as required by the school, all classes needed to have a rehearsal and dress rehearsal for their programs. This was an important test for tomorrow's real challenge and the last chance to identify and address any shortcomings.

The preparations for Class 1-A were quite simple. The publicity team, wanting to keep the project as secret as possible, sent out two drones to test it out twice. Sakayanagi Arisu's project was similar. After all, it was a project specifically targeting people outside the school, so the students of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School naturally wouldn't be idle enough to go through past exam papers again.

As for Horikita Suzune's dessert shop project, although some samples were indeed offered for tasting, they were completely devoured by the students of Class 1-A before students from other classes could even catch a whiff of them.

In this situation, most of the girls had no choice but to settle for sitting and looking around at the cat cafe. After all, students were not allowed to keep pets in principle at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, and it had been quite a while since they had seen a fluffy cat. They took turns petting the cats and had a great time.

While most of the girls in the grade gathered at the cat cafe, most of the boys honestly went to the maid cafe of Class 1-D, either to see something new or to join in the fun. For a time, the Matoba was packed with people, and several Class D girls dressed in maid outfits were under too much pressure and made mistakes, breaking two or three cups in just a few minutes.

After finishing his work, Kitagawa Ryo, now with some free time, followed the crowd to the shop on the first floor of the Special Teaching Building to see what was going on.

Like Class 1-A, Class 1-D also prepared four performances for this Cultural Festival.

The first and most successful project was naturally the maid café he saw before him. Revenue came not only from drinks like tea and coffee, but also from paid photo opportunities with the maids. The latter, in particular, was highly efficient and priced relatively high, making it seem like the final profit would even exceed that of simply selling drinks.

The second and third items are classic food and beverage items, with outdoor stalls selling takoyaki, Osaka, and other foods, as well as Western-style pasta and bread.

In addition to generating their own revenue, these stalls also accept orders from maid cafes. When someone places an order, the students responsible for delivery will go to the stall to help deliver the food.

Of course, these two booths also served as promotional tools, with promotional rules such as offering a half- Discount coupon for a maid café for spending a certain amount.

The fourth and final item was to use the extra budget to hold a simple quiz competition for children outdoors.

Thanks to Chabashira Sae's complete transparency, even though the full picture hasn't been revealed yet, Kitagawa Ryo already knows everything about Class 1-D's actions at this Cultural Festival.

Because there were too many people gathered here, Kitagawa Ryo could only barely peek through the window by standing on tiptoe and taking advantage of his height. He quickly got bored and withdrew from the crowd, walking towards the main entrance while looking at the various stalls scattered around him.

Many classes across the three grades set up similar festival stalls, offering food items like fried noodles Candy Apple, as well as various games found at temple fairs, such as target shooting, ring tossing, goldfish scooping, and a handmade pinball machine where you could win a prize by getting a marble to roll into a designated hole.

These stalls, clustered together in small groups, created a Cultural Festival atmosphere, even making Kitagawa Ryo feel a bit nostalgic.

After walking a few steps, Kitagawa Ryo spotted what looked like a stall belonging to Class 1-C. Ishizaki Daichi and several boys were busy preparing, skillfully cooking barbecue and similar dishes. Since the school rules prohibited the use of open flames for cooking indoors, these kinds of activities were moved outdoors, and the aroma of meat could be smelled from a distance.

Class 1-C didn't seem to be putting on any big shows at this year's Cultural Festival, preparing rather ordinary activities. Next to Ishizaki Daichi's booth were their various game booths. Ryuen Kakeru was standing in front of a target shooting booth, and naturally greeted Kitagawa Ryo.

"Hey, wanna play a game? But even if you hit it, you won't get a prize."

He still remembered how well Kitagawa Ryo had done in the target shooting competition during the Uninhabited Island Special Exam during summer vacation. The budget for Class 1-C was quite limited, and there were only so many prizes they could prepare, so they really couldn't afford to give them away.

"Okay, consider it a test for your Class C."

Faced with Ryuen Kakeru's invitation, Kitagawa Ryo walked over without hesitation and casually picked up a prop gun in front of him. Unlike the air rifle and paintball gun he had used on the Uninhabited Island, this seemed to be a toy gun filled with cork as ammunition, called a cork gun.

However, all of these prop guns felt pretty much the same to Kitagawa Ryo. After a quick aim, he directly pointed at the gift box at the top center of the column and pulled the trigger.

With a soft 'bang,' the cork bullet shot out and instantly flew toward the target that Kitagawa Ryo had aimed at.

But the next second, the bullet drew a rather strange trajectory in the air, deviating from Kitagawa Ryo's trajectory and passing by the target a few centimeters to the left, missing its target.

"Um?"

Having noticed something amiss, Kitagawa Ryo immediately moved the muzzle of his gun slightly to the right and fired a second shot at a rather awkward angle. This time, he finally hit the target, but the target swayed a couple of times on the shelf, retreated a little, and stubbornly didn't fall completely.

Although the sign in front of the stall said each person had five shooting opportunities, after firing the second shot, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and put down the cork gun in his hand, saying to Ryuen Kakeru with a hint of helplessness:

"Looks like you've also picked up those shady tricks from outside."

As a seasoned tourist who has visited countless temple fairs and festivals across two lifetimes, Kitagawa Ryo is quite familiar with the various tricks and schemes employed by vendors in these street games. Basically, they use all sorts of subtle tactics to prevent you from winning big.

"There's no other way. Our Class C budget is so limited, we have to come up with some crazy ideas. Besides, isn't it pretty authentic?"

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's words, Ryuen Kakeru simply smiled jokingly, spreading his hands and thoughtfully surveying the stalls before him, his tone unusually tinged with a hint of reminiscence:

"When I was in elementary school, I used to hang out with those adults and make a little money using these tricks, but I was just a shill."

However, it only lasted a short while before Ryuen Kakeru quickly returned to his usual self, lazily crossing his arms and continuing to speak:

"Actually, I initially wanted to participate in real gambling, but unfortunately, the school rejected it. They had been doing some kind of guessing game before, which is essentially the same as gambling. Anyway, it's an annual Cultural Festival, and the final revenue will be packaged into Private Points and distributed to each class after the festival. I felt it would be a shame not to make a killing."

"Whatever you want, but your class should have more than just these few outdoor activities, right?"

"Well, I just set up a place according to Shiina's idea, where we can read, have drinks, and rest. I don't know where she found so many mystery novels, but the cost price wasn't high, so I just let her have them."

Ryuen Kakeru nodded indifferently. He knew very well that Class 1-C was in a stable recovery period that couldn't withstand any more turmoil. So, he also chose to back down during this Cultural Festival, since if things really didn't go well, he could just take the fifty Private Points from the bottom of the class as a safety net.

"Oh, right."

As if suddenly remembering something, Ryuen Kakeru added:

"Shiina told me to pass on a message to you this morning: if you're free during the Cultural Festival tomorrow, come to the third floor of the Special Teaching Building. Our class's shop is there. She seems to need to talk to you."

"Try your best."

"Don't say 'try your best,' just remember to come when you have time. I don't like being a gossipmonger. You two should just talk things out directly, or just come to our class earlier and it'll be fine. It's too much trouble."

Okay, I understand.

After chatting with Ryuen Kakeru from Class 1-C, Kitagawa Ryo went to check on the projects of Class 1-B. It seemed that Class B's main project at this year's Cultural Festival was a stage play. Karuizawa Kei was not acting, but only serving as the director and instructor.

Kitagawa Ryo herself had heard Megumi mention this before, since she herself had experience teaching acting, and she heard that the final product was quite impressive, especially considering it was for a high school student.

Theoretically speaking, this topic wasn't a great choice. After all, Class 2-A had already announced that they were going to put on a symphony concert and theatrical performance, so it was a bit of an awkward clash on various levels. Moreover, they were using a spacious Gymnasium, while we were just in a classroom, making the stage environment several levels inferior.

As for why Class 1-B was chosen to have this format, according to Megumi, it was mainly because this format ensured that all members of the class could personally participate in the Cultural Festival, which perfectly matched Kitagawa Ryo's vision of Class B.

Another day has passed, and after a month of preparation by the students, the 13th Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School Cultural Festival has finally officially opened.

Similar to the students inside the school who harbored various feelings of nervousness, anticipation, or trepidation, the guests who arrived early at the gates of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School to wait for entry also had their own complex thoughts.

Although the official opening time for the Cultural Festival is around 10:00 AM, since the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School campus is built on an artificial island overseas, most guests with ample time choose to arrive the night before the Cultural Festival, rest overnight in the hotel provided by the school, and then participate in the event.

Nanase Tsubasa is one of them.


As a junior high school student who will graduate in six months, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School is not an unfamiliar name to her. After all, for most junior high school students across the country, this high school, which is impeccable in every sense, is definitely a dream school. Nanase Tsubasa often hears related discussions about this topic from other students at school, especially as graduation approaches.

But chatting is chatting, and daydreaming is daydreaming. In fact, until ten days or half a month ago, Nanase Tsubasa never thought she would have any connection with this school. After all, this school only admits 160 students a year, and there are more than that number of students in her grade who want to apply here, let alone come to participate in the Cultural Festival of this mysterious school that is known for its completely closed management.

Life is sometimes like a box of chocolates you can't see inside; you never know what you'll get next.

Waking up early from her hotel, Nanase Tsubasa jogged along the streets outside Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School as usual, reflecting on everything she had experienced in the past few days with mixed feelings.

The first person to approach her was Matsuo Eiichiro, a childhood friend with whom she had a good relationship since childhood. This was also the first time Nanase Tsubasa had met this childhood friend who was a year older than her and had always taken care of her like an older brother. He showed an attitude that Nanase Tsubasa had never seen before, almost pleading. He made a request in a trembling voice that left Nanase Tsubasa somewhat confused.

According to Matsuo Eiichiro himself, his father's superior had a very important task that needed to be done. The most suitable candidate should have been himself, but because of the one-year age difference, he was not qualified. Therefore, Nanase Tsubasa, who was one year younger than him, was ultimately chosen. If Nanase Tsubasa did not agree, his father would not only be forced to lose his job, but also face other dangers, even to his life, supposedly because the superior was very shrewd and powerful.

This very important matter is related to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

She needs to enroll in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School next year and assist a second-year student named Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in order to get another second-year student named Kitagawa Ryo to drop out. This Cultural Festival is a prelude to this mission, allowing her to get a head start on understanding what Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School is like and to make contact with the two students in advance.

To be honest, Nanase Tsubasa herself wasn't really interested in this task that she still didn't quite understand, but Matsuo Eiichiro was practically begging her to dogeza, so the kind-hearted girl could only agree for the time being. Anyway, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School had a good reputation, so her family wouldn't have any objections if she applied there.

"Call--"

After jogging a full lap, Nanase Tsubasa stopped again in front of the gate of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. She looked around curiously and then noticed two rather conspicuous figures who seemed to be queuing up at the gate waiting to enter.

With a hint of doubt, Nanase Tsubasa glanced at her watch again, confirming that it was still just before 7:30 in the morning. There were still more than two hours before the guests were to officially enter. Curious, she walked a little closer to see who was waiting there so early.

What came into view were two girls who looked to be around the same age as her. The reason she was described as a pair was that their appearance and hair color were quite similar, suggesting that they might be sisters who were related by blood.

In fact, Nanase Tsubasa saw quite a few people her age on the island yesterday and today. It seems that Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School's Cultural Festival invited many junior high school students, but this was the first time she had seen such a seemingly twin-like group.

I crept a little closer and could hear some of the conversation.

One of them seemed to be named Xue.

Chapter 330: Take My Sister Away Quickly

If one day your parents suddenly tell you that you actually have a biological sibling and bring that person back into their home, would you be able to treat that person as family and like and be close to them?

For Tsubaki Sakurako, this question, which she had never considered in the first ten years of her life, suddenly became a reality in an instant.


To be honest, when she first heard the news, Tsubaki Sakurako didn't have any excessive emotions. This was probably because she wasn't a child who was easily emotional, so she only had a simple curiosity about her older sister who had suddenly been brought back by her father.

Generally speaking, the story will either develop in one of two directions: the protagonist likes the other's personality and they become really close like family, or the protagonist dislikes the other's personality and expresses their dissatisfaction to their parents. After all, Tsubaki Sakurako has already thought it through. After all, the other is her biological older sister with whom she shares a blood relationship and will live in the same family in the future. As long as the other's personality is not too bad, she is willing to accept her.

But things took an unexpected turn once again, beyond what Tsubaki Sakurako, who was still a primary school student at the time, had anticipated. The other girl never actually lived in their house. After only glancing at this older sister who resembled her, the girl named Yuki was transferred by her parents to an expensive private hospital for psychological counseling and treatment.

For a long time afterward, Tsubaki Sakurako only learned intermittently from her father that her older sister had experienced a bad, even tragic, past, and that she probably wouldn't be able to live with them until she fully recovered.

Perhaps it was because of the deeply taboo and tragic situation her father spoke of, or perhaps it was because of the unusual behavior of the person who looked so much like her in the hospital room, that Tsubaki Sakurako gradually developed a complex feeling for Yuki, a mixture of sympathy and curiosity, and wanted to get closer to and understand her long-lost sister.

But this wish was not truly fulfilled even when she entered the third year of junior high school. Even after a long period of psychological treatment, Xue still showed no signs of improvement. In the words of the psychologist, her psychological age was still stuck at the time when she was brought here, and she had never truly escaped the shadow of that year.

In fact, at this point, everyone, including the attending physician and Tsubaki Sakurako's parents, felt a deep sense of helplessness regarding Yuki's situation. After all, they all knew very well that none of the test subjects eliminated from the White Room had been able to truly overcome their psychological difficulties and reintegrate into society. All their efforts seemed to be in vain.

Of course, Tsubaki Sakurako herself is still unaware of all that happened in the past. Neither her father nor her mother has been willing to tell her any more details, which even led her to consider investigating it herself at one point.

What truly dissuaded her from this idea was a miraculous turning point that occurred about half a year ago, before the summer vacation this year.

Over the years, her older sister had undergone countless counseling and treatments with psychologists and child psychologists, but her condition had never improved. Then, overnight, a boy her own age miraculously cured her, leaving Tsubaki Sakurako extremely curious about the methods and means he used.

Regardless, Xue's recovery is undoubtedly a great joy for her family. In just a few months, she walked out of the ward where she had stayed for several years and returned to her family and society.

However, for Tsubaki Sakurako herself, the only thing that bothered her was that when she finally planned to fulfill her childhood wish and truly become close to her recovered sister and become a family, she belatedly realized that her sister already had someone else in her heart.

Over the past few years, she had never forgotten Xue. Whenever she had free time, she would visit her in the hospital, saying countless words of conversation and giving thoughtful gifts. But in the end, it seemed that she could not compare to the boy who had only known her sister for half a year.

Take now, for example.

"... It seems like it won't open for another two hours or so, right, sister?"

Tsubaki Sakurako yawned sleepily, as if trying to shake off her drowsiness. She pulled a lollipop from her pocket, tore off the wrapper, and put it in her mouth. Bored, she half-squatted there, staring blankly at the gate of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

"If Sakurako is sleepy, she can go back to the hotel to sleep. I can wait for her by myself. Besides, this Cultural Festival at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School isn't really that interesting. In fact, Sakurako didn't need to come with me in the first place."

Faced with her younger sister's teasing, Yuki simply smiled and waved her hand. Then, with anticipation, she turned her gaze back to the gate of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Just thinking about her promise to Kitagawa Ryo made her heart leap with joy.