Speculation About Kitagawa Ryo (5.5k)

Feeling that finding teammates one by one was too slow, Kitagawa Ryo simply raised the lot in his hand and began to actively gather his teammates. The first to come over were two boys from his class, Watanabe Norihito and Hamaguchi Tetsuya, who had just been playing cards and chatting together. They seemed quite satisfied to be in the same group as him, and immediately put their arms around his shoulders with a grin.

Soon, the boys from other classes who drew group number three also came over following the sound. They were Yukimura Teruhiko, Sotomura Hideo, Miyake Akito and Yamada Albert from Class 1-A Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hashimoto Masayoshi and Hirata Yosuke from Class 1-C, and Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo from Class 1-D, making a total of twelve people in the group.

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo was quite satisfied with the members of his group at first glance. After all, in terms of ability alone, his group's strength on paper was already quite good. In terms of interpersonal relationships, they were all students he knew well and had close relationships with. Even the Class 1-C that he had been somewhat concerned about beforehand, he ended up getting Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Kitagawa Ryo actually always felt that his relationship with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't bad, especially after the two special events of the Summer Special Exam and the Cultural Festival.

Before they knew it, they had even visited each other's dorms and chatted over tea. From this point of view alone, they should be considered to have reached the definition of a friend.

Since they were all in the same grade and had seen each other frequently for the past six months, competing in several Special Exam together, the group skipped the introductions. However, soon after, Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class 1-C casually raised his hand and lazily offered his suggestion:

"Hey, I'm saying, with so many people in a group, how about we temporarily choose a team leader to take charge for the next few days? After all, I also want to earn more Private Points and Class Points through this Special Exam."

"Captain? Then let Kitagawa be the captain."

No sooner had Hashimoto Masayoshi uttered those words than Ishizaki Daichi quickly and without hesitation picked up the conversation, so fast that Hashimoto himself glanced at him with some concern.

His suggestion was essentially a ploy to stir up trouble, to see how the boys in both classes would react and their attitudes towards Kitagawa Ryo after he left Class A and transferred to Class B. Unexpectedly, the first person to jump out and campaign for him was Ishizaki Daichi from Class D.

Unfortunately, he had already completed a one-on-one self-destruction with Ryuen Kakeru early on during the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, arranged by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. He didn't actually witness Ishizaki Daichi and some of the Class D students being personally commanded by Kitagawa Ryo. He had only occasionally heard that Kitagawa Ryo had a good relationship with the Class D students, but he didn't expect it to be at this level of support. Ishizaki Daichi should have been Ryuen Kakeru's loyal follower.

"Yes, I remember the rulebook said that in addition to completing our studies, we also have to do chores like cleaning the school buildings and cooking every day. Having a leader who can reasonably allocate tasks can definitely make things much more efficient."

This time, it was definitely Yukimura Teruhiko from Class A who stepped forward, but unlike Ishizaki Daichi's carefree attitude, his views were undoubtedly more rational.

"Regarding Kitagawa's culinary skills and leadership abilities, I believe everyone would agree that he is competent; last year's Uninhabited Island Special Exam is the best example."

Yukimura Teruhiko said this, the students of Class B and Class C nodded in agreement. Then, everyone's eyes turned to Kitagawa Ryo, waiting for his opinion.

"If everyone thinks this is better, then I will be the captain of this temporary group. However, I'm making it clear from the outset that since I've been chosen to lead, everyone must promise to follow my instructions."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo glanced again at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who remained calm but had taken a half-step back and was hiding behind a classmate, looking like he was trying to get away with something, and continued:

"As Hashimoto just said, everyone wants to get as many points as possible for themselves and the class, but I hope everyone remembers that from now until the end of this Special Exam, our only identity is that of a member of Third Group, and our goal is to get as many points as possible and pass this exam smoothly."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As for whether any of them had any other hidden intentions, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't tell at the moment. However, since it was only the first day of the training camp, he didn't care. He quickly signaled the boys in the Third Group to go with him to the dormitories assigned by the school to put down their luggage.

Similar to the school building we just passed through, the dormitory was also a wooden structure with twelve neatly arranged bunk beds. While not particularly crowded, it was certainly not spacious either. After putting down their luggage, only a narrow passageway remained.

Upon entering the dormitory, Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo were immediately eager to grab the better upper bunks, but since they had just agreed to follow Kitagawa Ryo's instructions, they suppressed their impulse and, at Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion, decided to play Rock Paper Scissors to determine the order in which they would choose their beds.

Kitagawa Ryo's luck was neither good nor bad; he got a middle spot and ended up randomly choosing a lower bunk near the door.

This wasn't the first time he'd slept in a bunk bed. He and Xue had shared a long time in the White Room, though she would often end up sleeping on the lower bunk of his bed.

But it must be said that it was indeed a time I cherish very much.

"Sorry to bother you, Kitagawa. I'll sleep in the bunk above you."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was reminiscing about those days in the White Room, a voice suddenly came from above. Looking up, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nimbly climbing up the ladder next to his bed to his upper bunk.

"Yes, please take care of me."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, but then immediately and subconsciously huddled closer to the corner of the blankets beneath him.

Although this person was also an outstanding graduate of the White Room.

But in the end, I decided against it.

Unlike the relatively harmonious group atmosphere on the Kitagawa Ryo, which is at least for now, the girls' group, which was taken to another Gymnasium, presents a completely different picture.

In fact, when Hoshinomiya Chie announced on the train that they would be living with students from other classes for a week during the training camp, the girls' reactions were much stronger than the boys'. After all, the dynamics of girls' dormitories are always complex in various ways. Kitagawa Ryo himself had heard Honami and Megumi talk about how girls would form temporary groups to criticize and attack each other.

Moreover, compared to the boys who are less concerned about large dormitories with twelve or thirteen students, many girls are inherently unable to accept such a large number of students in a dormitory. A considerable number of students have even started asking nearby female teachers if they can buy bed curtains to cover their beds, or inquiring about the bathing environment of the large public bathhouse.

Despite their physical and mental resistance, the First Year girls had no choice but to obediently go up on stage to draw lots, secretly praying that they would draw a few reliable roommates. They didn't care how well they did on this Special Exam, as long as they didn't end up having a big fight with their temporary roommates.

Among all the First Year girls, Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo were undoubtedly the two most popular and sought-after girls, the kind that everyone wanted to be roommates with. So as soon as the two of them finished drawing lots, the other girls who had drawn or hadn't finished nearby swarmed around them, wanting to see what number they had drawn.

Kushida Kikyo's is four, while Ichinose Honami's is two.

So, every girl who went on stage then began to silently count the numbers 'two' and 'four' in their minds.

Karuizawa Kei is certain that she is definitely not one of them.

However, as she reached out and pulled, the bright number 'two' appeared in her field of vision, indicating that she and Ichinose Honami had been assigned to the Second Group and the Second Main Group on the girls' side.

Before a speechless Karuizawa Kei could even turn around and complain to Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi Arisu on the other side also drew a 1, while Amasawa Ichika behind her drew a 4. Kushida Kikyo was still looking for her teammates not far away, subconsciously shivered, obviously recalling some bad memories.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't pay attention to Amasawa Ichika and Kushida Kikyo. After getting her lot, she rushed over to Horikita Suzune. When she saw that the other girl's lot number was '3', she breathed a sigh of relief, and a fiercely competitive smile instantly appeared on her pretty face.

"Suzune, shall we have a competition?"

Seemingly having grown accustomed to Sakayanagi Arisu's attacks during this period, Horikita Suzune remained remarkably calm.

How do we compare them?

"How about the simplest method, the same as the school's rules: individual score ranking, group score ranking, and overall group score ranking?"

"As you wish."

Seeing Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune suddenly make a bet in front of the other students not far away, Karuizawa Kei also turned around and looked at Ichinose Honami with eager anticipation.

"Stop looking, we're in the same group, both in group two."

Ichinose Honami simply shook her head. Perhaps the slip of paper used to draw lots for the group had stirred up some memories for her. She was still looking at both sides of it over and over, as if trying to find a Confessions that she should have received.

Even if you could do it all over again, some things, once missed, are missed forever. No matter how many timelines you cross, the grand fireworks display on the mountaintop, which was supposed to be prepared just for her, will forever remain only in your imagination.

However, since it had been a long time since then, and considering that she had recently received another meaningful item from Kitagawa Ryo, Ichinose Honami put the slip with the number 'two' on it aside after playing with it for a while and continued to gather her group members.

Soon, all twelve members of the Second Group had assembled.

Class 1-A: Shinohara Satsuki, Sato Maya, Wang Meiyu.

Class 1-B: Karuizawa Kei, Ichinose Honami, Shiranami Chihiro.

Class 1-C: Kamuro Masumi, Morishita Ai, Yamamura Miki.

Class 1-D: Ibuki Mio, Nishino Takeshi, Kinoshita Minori.

Theoretically, it should be Ichinose Honami's turn to coordinate and integrate the group like Kitagawa Ryo did. However, the issues among girls are indeed more complicated than those among boys. In Class A, Shinohara and Sato have successfully seized the ecological niche and clique status among the girls in the class after Ichinose Honami transferred away. Asking them to willingly fawn over Ichinose, who is no longer in the class, is a bit awkward. After all, the two of them still remember how they desperately tried to curry Matoba with Ichinose after Kitagawa Ryo transferred, and they still have some lingering resentment.

Needless to say, in Class B, Shiranami Chihiro is the typical girl who is close to Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei. She can't choose between the two; if she supports Megumi, she feels guilty towards Honami, and if she supports Honami, she feels unable to face Megumi. So she simply remains silent, too embarrassed to say a word.

As for Class C, it can only be said that this was the Ichinose Honami least wanted to see. She was indeed the best at handling interpersonal relationships in the grade, a queen of social life with friends everywhere, and she knew many girls in Class C as well. But the three people who were drawn into her Second Group were all "escaped fish," one, two, three, all of them ultimate loners. Especially the last one, Yamamura Miki, who was completely invisible, making Ichinose Honami not know how to start a conversation.

Class D... The three people who most wanted to support were probably Shiina Hiyori or Horikita Suzune (referring to Ibuki Mio), but neither of them were in this group, so neither of them had any intention of speaking up, and the situation suddenly became awkward.

"Well... anyway, we'll be roommates for a week from now on. I hope we have a pleasant stay together, and please take good care of me!"

Without mentioning the group at all, Ichinose Honami, who clearly understood their thoughts, started by talking about roommates, obviously knowing very well that the girls' scores in this Special Exam largely depended on the dormitory atmosphere.

As Karuizawa Kei watched Ichinose Honami try to break down barriers and unite the team, she couldn't help but feel a subtle sense that Kitagawa Ryo wasn't there, and that the other person didn't know how to carry out the persona, so they simply reverted to their original way of doing things.

She had always been very clear that Ichinose Honami's personality would only change significantly when it came to issues related to Kitagawa Ryo. Although she always talked about changing other people's opinions of her, the other person's underlying personality was actually very simple kindness and gentleness, which was fundamentally different from her own. At least she couldn't do what the other person was doing right now.

While Karuizawa Kei stood by indifferently, Ichinose Honami tried to break the ice and find a common topic that everyone could participate in, a topic that was being discussed by another group of girls passing by was casually mentioned and drifted over to them:

"Hey, let me tell you, I ran into Kitagawa on my way to the Keyaki Mall the other day..."

In that instant, Karuizawa Kei stopped pretending to twirl her hair, Kamuro Masumi unconsciously tilted her head, Morishita Ai seemed to have finally finished picking at some non-existent dust between her fingers, Ibuki Mio and Nishino Takeshi both perked up their ears, and even the completely unnoticed Yamamura Miki subconsciously shifted her gaze, looking somewhat concerned.

All of this was observed by Ichinose Honami.

Good news: She seems to have found a common topic that can break the ice in team relationships.

The bad news: the common topic is her boyfriend.

Chapter 397: Speculations about Kitagawa Ryo (5k5)

After settling into the dormitory and assigning beds, it was lunchtime. This was also the first chance to meet the girls since getting off the bus in the morning. An hour wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. If we missed this opportunity, we would have to wait until dinner time in the evening.

Despite what they said, when Kitagawa Ryo and the other students from his group arrived at the dining hall in a large group, they were inevitably dumbfounded. Although the dining hall prepared for the students by the Forest School was quite spacious, and even divided into two floors, it was still quite crowded with nearly 500 students from all three grades. There was no staggered schedule here; all the students were called over at the same time, and there were people everywhere, making it really difficult to find anyone.

This was the first time that Kitagawa Ryo, or rather the First Year students of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, had experienced such a noisy and even somewhat chaotic dining environment. After all, although students from all three grades shared the same cafeteria, there were always those who preferred convenience stores and those who brought their own lunches, and the number of people eating in the cafeteria had never been so large before.

Another reason for the chaotic scene is the lack of communication devices. All students handed over their mobile phones to their respective class teachers before getting off the bus. Students who used to be able to contact their friends by text message or phone call can now only rely on their eyes and shouts. After all, unlike the usual pattern of grouping together by class and grade, this time everyone is acting in mixed groups from different classes, and they are in a scattered state from the beginning.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was looking around blankly with his tray, Hashimoto Masayoshi, who was standing behind him in line to get his food, suddenly reached out and patted him on the shoulder, smiling as he offered a suggestion:

"Hey, Captain, to improve the camaraderie within our group, let's find a table and eat together in a bit."

Hashimoto Masayoshi was well aware that during this week-long Special Exam, the only time available for different groups, grades, and boys and girls to exchange information was during breakfast preparation and lunch and dinner. Therefore, he had already planned to lock down Kitagawa Ryo's movements in advance.

However, no sooner had Hashimoto Masayoshi uttered these words than Hirata Yosuke, standing behind him, casually replied:

"But when I came over just now, I saw Katsuragi. He specifically asked me, Ayanokoji, and Hashimoto to go find him together later."

Besides him, Ishizaki Daichi from Class D also scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"Me too. Brother Ryuen just sent someone over to tell me to go find him after Komiya and I get our food."

Because he had just promised Kitagawa Ryo that he would follow her instructions throughout the Special Exam, Ishizaki Daichi felt a little embarrassed and apologized to Kitagawa Ryo.

"I'm really sorry, but if you really want everyone to eat together, Kitagawa, could I try to invite Ryuen- ge over as well?"

"It's alright, you can arrange your lunch and dinner times as you like. After all, this is considered rest time during this Special Exam, so I won't give any instructions."

Kitagawa Ryo simply waved his hand at this. He himself already felt that an hour was not enough time, and besides, Hashimoto Masayoshi looked like he had no good intentions. It was better to shake him off as soon as possible.

And so, with just one sentence from him, the temporary team leader, the boys in the Third Group split up and disappeared into the vast crowd after getting their food, going to find their friends or gather information.

Watching the students from Class C and Class D in his group leave to find Katsuragi Kohei and Ryuen Kakeru, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't surprised. After all, if he were in their shoes, he would probably also want to give these students who had joined his group a good talking-to.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't dislike the school's random grouping this time, which had a strong element of luck. After all, randomness has its advantages; at least it helped him avoid many pre-existing risks. If this Special Exam had involved students choosing their own teams and forming large groups with other classes and grades, the probability of him being outmaneuvered by second- and third-year students and other First Year classes would undoubtedly have increased significantly. On the contrary, this random grouping situation could thwart many people's pre-planned schemes and lead to a competition of improvisation skills, which was undoubtedly good news for Kitagawa Ryo.

After picking up his lunch from the school staff, Kitagawa Ryo casually found a seat on the second floor, mainly because the view was more open there, allowing him to overlook the entire first floor from above.

Unlike the cafeteria at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the food service window at the Forest School only offers fixed set meals. All students receive the same three dishes and one soup, with simple but substantial ingredients, and unlimited refills of rice.

As Kitagawa Ryo savored his simple meal, which paled in comparison to Horikita Suzune's homemade bento, he suddenly felt a slight touch behind him. Someone had sat down at another table next to him with their back to him, followed by a voice that, though deliberately lowered, was still very familiar:

"Don't turn your head to look. Let's just talk like this so no one else will notice..."

Before the silver-haired girl, who loved mystery novels, could finish speaking, she saw Kitagawa Ryo pick up his plate, get up, move to another seat, and sit down in front of her.

"Is it possible that most people here are aware of the relationship between us? For example, if you Hiyori, saw me and Megumi eating back to back, wouldn't you think we must be secretly discussing something?"

In the past, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't have cared about playing these kinds of suggestive role-playing games with Shiina Hiyori a little longer, but now he only had an hour left, so he decided to be more direct.

"It seems so."

Shiina Hiyori nodded somewhat belatedly, but then quickly looked away, a little concerned, and gently poked at the rice in her plate with her chopsticks.

"After getting used to eating cold food, I feel like my palate has become more picky."

"Let's just make do. Let's treat it like the last time on the Uninhabited Island. It's only a week anyway, we can just tough it out."

Then, Kitagawa Ryo asked curiously:

"By the way, Hiyori, which group did you get drawn into?"

"I'm in a group with Arisu, but she's the only person I know in the whole group."

Seemingly dissatisfied with her luck in this group assignment, Shiina Hiyori sounded somewhat melancholy. After all, her two best friends from Class D Ibuki Mio and Nishino Takeshi, were not with her, but were both drawn into the Second Group, which included Ichinose Honami.

"There's nothing to worry about. I can take care Hiyori you on my own."

The person who suddenly interrupted the two was Sakayanagi Arisu, who was also carrying a tray. It seemed that she had been looking for them after getting her food, as the food on her plate was still untouched. She found a seat next to Kitagawa Ryo before starting to eat.

"And Hiyori shouldn't underestimate herself. Although the specific topics for the training camp haven't been announced yet, judging from the descriptions of 'autonomy' and 'mental training,' there should be topics that are very suitable for you to showcase your abilities. Our group will be relying on you to score more points."

Perhaps because of the bet she made with Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu was clearly taking this Special Exam very seriously. She had barely sat down and taken a couple of bites of her meal when she immediately spoke up to comfort her groupmate Shiina Hiyori.

"... That's true, but I don't think that big playground we saw when we came in was just for show."

Shiina Hiyori still looked worried. She was indeed bad at sports. During the last Sports Festival, she mainly participated in more recreational events such as Cavalry Battle and obstacle courses. On the Uninhabited Island, she was led by her teammate Ibuki Mio for the first half, and then mindlessly followed Class A's group to score points under Kitagawa Ryo's arrangement for the second half.

Before summer vacation, she would have had her fellow sufferer Sakayanagi Arisu, in the group to keep her company. However, after more than half a year of persistent and unremitting training, Sakayanagi Arisu's physical condition, while not the best among her peers, is at least above average.

"It's good to get some exercise."

With Sakayanagi Arisu as a living example before him, Kitagawa Ryo took the opportunity to persuade Shiina Hiyori. Although he knew it was unrealistic to expect a literary girl to train in the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter, physical strength was indeed the foundation of everything. Among the girls Kitagawa Ryo was close to, it seemed that only Shiina Hiyori had the worst physical strength. As for Yuki, she at least had the foundation left by the White Room, plus the perseverance of two lifetimes, so picking it up would be relatively easy.

"Ugh, I'll try my best."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's words, Shiina Hiyori let out a small groan.

"Speaking of which, Ryo asked me to keep an eye on Yamamura Miki from Class C, and it seems she's been assigned to Honami's Group 2 now. By the way, Megumi is in that group too."

After finishing discussing her own group, Sakayanagi Arisu immediately moved on to discussing the other girls' groups with Kitagawa Ryo:

"Suzune in the Third Group. Onodera and Matsushita from our class are in the same group as her. The competition is actually quite fierce. It all depends on whether she can handle and coordinate her interpersonal relationships with other classes."