A Keen Blade, A Keen Eye (4.5k)

"Kushida from Class C is in Fourth Group, and Ichika and Airi are both in this group. If Ichika doesn't cause trouble, the atmosphere in their group will definitely be fine, although it's unlikely that Ichika won't cause trouble."

"There's not much to say about groups five and six; they probably don't have much of a chance to compete for the top three spots. What about you guys?"

"As for the boys, Arisu saw it too. I was drawn into Third Group, and the members are Ken Sudō from Class A, Yamada Albert... Oh right, Ayanokoji was also drawn into my group."

"Your group assignments are really outrageous. Besides being exceptionally strong on paper, you only have one official class Leader, Liang."

After listening to Kitagawa Ryo's account of the group members, Sakayanagi Arisu was also somewhat surprised, and then sincerely gave her own evaluation.

After all, the second group on the girls' side also seemed to have top-notch strength on paper. Although Sato and Shinohara from Class A were a bit lacking, their other group member Wang Meiyu, was quite academically outstanding. Class C had managed to get Morishita Ai Kamuro Masumi and Ai Morishita, and Ibuki Mio and Kinoshita Minori from Class D were also well-known athletes in the grade. However, the problem was that Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami from Class B were drawn into this group together, which made it impossible for them to easily choose a temporary captain to take charge of the overall situation, unlike Kitagawa Ryo's group.

After all, just like her current struggle with Horikita Suzune for leadership of Class A, Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei are also competing in Class B. Even if this temporary group only exists for a week, the command and leadership are not something that can be easily relinquished.

"I was lucky; I didn't encounter any troublemakers."

"No troublemaker in the grade dares to talk back to Liang now, after all, you've almost beaten the worst Class D, into submission. Although you might get some trouble from the second and third-year students."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu asked with a hint of curiosity:

"By the way, has Ryo met any of the second or third-year groups that belong to the same large group as you?"

"Not yet. After all, students only know about their own group and some other students in their grade. Although people from all three grades are eating here right now, they can't just stand up and call out 'I'm a member of group xx,' can they?"

"That's true, but we still have free time this afternoon and evening. People should start coming to us then, since the rulebook says that breakfast preparation is done in large groups every day."

Just as Shiina Hiyori is currently unenthusiastic about her lunch, Sakayanagi Arisu is equally fixated on breakfast.

"At this point, it would be a real shame that I wasn't in the same group as Suzune."

"Indeed, it would be great if Mio were here too. She's been learning to cook from Suzune for a long time, and her cooking is definitely better than mine."

"... How come I never knew Hiyori could cook?"

"Yeah, I can't cook, so it tastes better than what I cook."

Knowing that they would be spending the next week together, Kitagawa Ryo was surprised to see Shiina Hiyori Sakayanagi Arisu chatting and getting along well. After all, just six months ago on the Uninhabited Island, the two were still arguing over riddles, subtly attacking each other's lack of height and life experience.

"Okay, you guys chat first, I'll go get a bowl of rice from the window."

Knowing that time was precious, Kitagawa Ryo quickly made an excuse and slipped away. Sakayanagi Arisu and Shiina Hiyori didn't stop him. After all, the Special Exam had only just begun, and after a morning of classes tomorrow, they would have more to talk about.

After finishing his meal at the window, Kitagawa Ryo scanned his surroundings again, quickly locking onto his target once more with the help of his innate ability. Horikita Suzune was sitting in a corner on the southeast side of the first floor with her classmate Matsushita Chiaki.

As Kitagawa Ryo in that direction, a rather peculiar question suddenly arose in his mind.

If, after talking with Suzune, you continue to use the excuse of asking for more rice to leave...

So, assuming he wants to talk to every girl and maybe even every boy on the field, how many bowls of rice would he have to eat for lunch today?

Legendary observer Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also observed Kitagawa Ryo's back-and-forth running behavior, and solemnly added another conjecture to the table of contents of his "Complete Book of Love": "How many bowls of rice does Kitagawa Ryo need to eat?", which can be listed alongside "How many girlfriends does Kitagawa Ryo have?".

"By the way, Ayanokoji is currently living in the upper bunk above Kitagawa."

Hashimoto Masayoshi's words brought Ayanokoji Kiyotaka back to reality. Facing Katsuragi Kohei's questioning gaze, he simply nodded slightly while picking up his rice, indicating that it was indeed true.

Therefore, Hashimoto Masayoshi continued to offer his opinions:

"So, I think we should have Ayanokoji keep an eye on Kitagawa at night to prevent him from sneaking out to meet other people in the middle of the night. The time for boys and girls to meet during this Special Exam is limited, so he'll definitely do something like that. Ayanokoji, you can just shout something and make a big scene. If the person he's meeting is actually a girl... hehe, then the situation will be hard to define, especially in the middle of nowhere, under the cover of darkness."

"If Hashimoto is so interested, then he should do it himself. I just want to get some rest tonight."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka simply shook his head. He knew very well that this was a small act of revenge by Hashimoto Masayoshi for directing him to frame Ryuen Kakeru on the Uninhabited Island. In fact, the risk was even greater, since Hashimoto had played the role of the victim that time, but this time he had been assigned the role of the whistleblower, and the target of his accusation was Kitagawa Ryo. The intentions were quite obvious.

"Actually, I think we're all in the same group, and our group has a pretty good lineup. Instead of resorting to tricks, we should just focus on doing our best in the exam."

On the other side, Hirata Yosuke continued to speak in his usual easygoing manner, which didn't seem unusual at all, since he usually had this kind of personality and image in class.

"Alright, since neither of you is willing, let's just leave it at that. Let's eat."

Although his suggestion was rejected, Hashimoto Masayoshi remained cheerful and seemingly unaffected, lowering his head to continue eating, unaware of the rather sharp glance from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka across from him.

Hashimoto Masayoshi has far too many hidden agendas.

If it weren't for the fact that Totsuka Yahiko was such an eyesore in the class, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wouldn't have minded expelling Hashimoto Masayoshi in the Special Exam during the last Class Vote. After all, just the fact that he had toyed with the feelings of one girl from Class B and one from Class A was enough to get the girls in the class to give him a Criticism Vote. In addition, with the Criticism Vote he bought from Ryuen Kakeru, the number of votes would be more than enough.

Of course, there was another reason why he did not grant Hashimoto Masayoshi's request.

Because he himself is very likely to need to go out and meet someone in the evening.

Although their group seemed fine on the surface, there were indeed too many people with their own agendas.

There are twelve beds, but who knows, some might be empty by midnight?

"These training camp rules don't seem like your style."

"Indeed, if I were involved in making the rules, I would never use this so-called 'random' method. Students should form their own teams, and each class should be forced to select students to be assigned to their own teams. Don't you think that would be more interesting than the current rules?"

"It's more advantageous for Student Council president like you who controls students from multiple classes, isn't it?"

Looking at Miyabi Nagumo sitting in front of him, whose brows seemed to be furrowed with worry, Horikita Manabu also frowned, noticing something amiss.

"Student Council? What's the use of being Student Council? Let alone in this school, even within this place, how many people can that title fool?"

Completely forgetting how she had been obsessed with this position just a few months ago and wished she could take it over immediately, Miyabi Nagumo now showed no restraint in disdain towards Horikita Manabu, the former Student Council President.

The words that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had said to him less than a month ago still echoed in Miyabi Nagumo's mind, and it was from that day that he finally became certain of one thing.

Compared to Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika, who gave him no feedback and ran away after dumping him once, this junior from Class C... no, the biological son of a big shot.

That's his true guarantee for the future!

Chapter 398: A Sharp Sword, A Sharp Eye (4k5)

The relationship between Matsushita Chiaki and Sakayanagi Arisu was practically an open secret in Class 1-A, especially after Ichinose Honami transferred to the class and Sakayanagi Arisu attempted to take control of Class A. Almost all the students were aware of this, including Horikita Suzune.

That's why she asked Matsushita Chiaki, who was in the same group as her, to meet up during lunch today, wanting to test the other's attitude. Little did she know that Matsushita Chiaki, sitting opposite her, was just as clueless. After all, the groups had been divided and everyone had gone back to their dormitories. Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't predict which group she would be assigned to, so naturally she didn't give any instructions.

Matsushita Chiaki herself wanted to take advantage of this lunch break to find Sakayanagi Arisu and ask about the next steps, but after looking around, she found that Arisu was already sitting at a table with Kitagawa Ryo. So she had no choice but to agree to meet Horikita Suzune, who had also come to her door, and began to eat and chat with her absentmindedly.

However, Matsushita Chiaki was well aware of Horikita Suzune's thoughts. After all, with the recent news that both she and Sakayanagi Arisu had been appointed as vice presidents of the Student Council, the competition for Leader of Class A was in full swing. This Mixed Training Camp Special Exam was actually the first test for these two candidates for class Leader. Under such a tense situation, it was quite normal for Horikita Suzune to be worried about her, Sakayanagi Arisu's confidante.

"What are you talking about?"

Just as Matsushita Chiaki was casually dealing with Horikita Suzune, Kitagawa Ryo walked over with the tray of food for the second battle. He slightly gestured with his Suzune toward Suzune, and she thoughtfully made room for him.

"It's just something about the group assignments for this Special Exam."

Perhaps because she had been sent out by Sakayanagi Arisu to follow Kitagawa Ryo so many times, Matsushita Chiaki, to some extent, had demystified Kitagawa Ryo when questioned. Her tone was quite indifferent. After all, given her relationship with Sakayanagi Arisu, even after graduating from this school, she would probably continue to follow him and help him take over the Sakayanagi Family's businesses, including ANHS. Based on the relationship between Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo, and according to Arisu herself, it was only a matter of time before the two of them got married after graduation. Therefore, she naturally needed to learn to get used to communicating and handing over affairs with him without any ulterior motives.

"I just saw you having dinner with Arisu, Arisu. Have you finished talking? Or does she have some instructions for you to convey to me?"

"There weren't any instructions. Just like you guys, we simply discussed the group assignments for this Special Exam. After all, so far, the Special Exam has only involved group assignments."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo looked at the three dishes and soup on his plate again, mimicking the way Shiina Hiyori had complained to him earlier:

"I miss Suzune's homemade bento on the first day I didn't get to eat it."

"... There's nothing we can do about it. We'll get some more Supply when we get back."

After Kitagawa Ryo said that, Horikita Suzune seemed to also feel that the food on her plate tasted a bit bland. If it were a few years ago when she was only pursuing nutritional intake and filling her stomach, she wouldn't have had any other thoughts. But now, her concept of cooking has been completely transformed by Kitagawa Ryo.

Although on the surface she only makes one lunchbox for Kitagawa Ryo, the entire process, including the recipe planning, ingredient procurement, cooking, and plating, is something Horikita Suzune can enjoy in peace. But now, with the start of the Training Camp Exam, all of that has vanished.

"However, the cooking area for preparing breakfast in each group is shared every morning. Although sharing ingredients or helping each other is not allowed, it's practically the same as cooking together with Ryo."

"Indeed, but this time it's the same large-pot cooking segment as the last Uninhabited Island cooking project, and we have to get up even earlier, so it's actually quite tiring. If possible, I think it would be better to share the workload with the second or third-year seniors."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo recalled the contents of the rulebook he had read on the bus that morning:

"The latest we get up every morning is six o'clock. The students who make breakfast will definitely have to get up one to two hours earlier. Even if you are willing, Suzune, it is definitely not something you can handle all by yourself to prepare breakfast for a group of thirty or forty people."

Although Kitagawa Ryo's tone was quite tactful, Horikita Suzune immediately understood his meaning. Just as he said, this kind of work definitely requires the cooperation of many people. Even if she had the intention and the ability, the other students in the same group might not be willing to do such a thankless task. If not handled properly, it could easily lead to internal conflicts within the group.

"Indeed... I didn't consider things thoroughly enough."

Just as Horikita Suzune nodded in acknowledgment, she suddenly heard another female voice call her name.

"Is that Horikita, First Year student?"

Turning around, I saw a student I had never seen before. Although every student had changed into the same style of sportswear as the school after arriving at the Forest School, judging from her tone and address, she should be a senior student from the second or third year.

"It's me, what's up?"

"So, Horikita has been assigned to the Third Group of First Year students, right? As for me, I'm a member of the Third Group of second-year students. That means we're both in the Third Large Group of girls in this Special Exam."

"Oh."

"Then, I heard that Horikita got first place in the 'cooking' subject of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam last summer, so I thought you should be pretty good at cooking for multiple people, and that's why I came to find you."

Upon hearing the unknown senior student mention this, Kitagawa Ryo stood up with a frown, his gaze somewhat unfriendly.

Whether on campus or in the workplace, Japan has never lacked a culture of bullying between seniors and juniors. It's just that the upperclassmen he's encountered are mostly students with personalities like Horikita Manabu, Asahina Nazuna, and Kiryuin Fuka, so he hasn't noticed it very clearly. But judging from the way this upperclassman is acting, it seems like she wants to take advantage of her so-called senior status to dump all the breakfast jobs for the week on Horikita Suzune.

As the person directly involved, Horikita Suzune naturally understood the hidden meaning in the other party's words. Having just been reminded of the implications by Kitagawa Ryo, she immediately replied tactfully:

"Indeed, if any of you seniors encounter any difficulties in this regard, please feel free to ask me any questions. Alternatively, we First Year can take on the breakfast preparation work for the first two days. Seniors can get up a little earlier and take a look."

After saying this, Horikita Suzune stared intently at her senior, showing no intention of backing down.

Staring intently at by Kitagawa Ryo, Horikita Suzune, and Matsushita Chiaki, who also stood up to show she was on the same side, the second-year student seemed a little embarrassed. After all, she was doing this partly at Miyabi Nagumo's behest, and it would be difficult to give in if she backed down like this.

"Hmm? What's Suzuka doing here? Did she come early to chat with the First Year students?"

Just as the atmosphere on the field was getting a little tense, another second-year student, Asahina Nazuna, happened to pass by and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. She was one of the most popular second-year students, with friends in every class, so she quickly pulled the troublemaking upperclassman aside with a laugh and then gave Kitagawa Ryo an apologetic look, thus temporarily putting the matter behind her.

"These second-year students don't seem very friendly."

Matsushita Chiaki didn't feel good about almost being burdened with such a heavy responsibility with just a few words.

"I thought they would be more considerate of Horikita's status as the Student Council vice president."

"This vice president position is pretty useless at the moment, especially for these second-year seniors. After all, the president is the Leader of their entire year and can only intimidate other students in the same year."

Horikita Suzune shook her head somewhat helplessly and sat down again.

"I can only say that I'm lucky that most of my classes are with my group members, otherwise I don't know how many times I would have been criticized."

"Yes, the rules for this Special Exam are as follows: no matter how badly the second and third-year groups mess Suzune, as long as your group can successfully complete the course and raise the score above the passing mark, there won't be any problem. At most, you'll just be punished with a lower group ranking."

Seeing that Horikita Suzune seemed a bit uninterested, Kitagawa Ryo also spoke up to comfort her, taking the blame for most of the situation himself.

"Actually, you've all been implicated because of me, since I'm the one who truly had a conflict with him... although now it's probably also related to Ayanokoji."

"Of course, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others. Even though I myself think the chances are very small, Suzune still needs to be more careful, especially with this breakfast preparation done in large groups. It is actually quite easy to tamper with it. After all, if someone really wanted to target a group to self-destruct, at worst they could just deliberately add too much salt and make it inedible."

After giving this advice, Kitagawa Ryo, who had finished another bowl of rice, once again used the excuse of getting more rice to get up and leave. At this time, the students' lunch time was already halfway over, but not many people chose to leave the restaurant and go back to their dormitories. After all, everyone's phones had been confiscated, and it was more worthwhile to stay here and chat with friends than to go back to the dormitory and stare at each other with roommates they didn't know very well.

So, to the somewhat surprised look of the window staff, after having a third bowl of rice, Kitagawa Ryo began searching for the other people's locations again, and soon found Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei.

Actually, the two of them weren't hard to find. Looking across the entire cafeteria, their group was one of the rare ones where everyone was gathered at one table to eat, chatting and laughing happily. They didn't have the awkward atmosphere of other mismatched groups at all. Even Kitagawa Ryo was a little curious watching them from afar.

It has to be said that the Matoba twelve girls sitting together chatting and laughing while eating was quite eye-catching, especially since more than half of them were very beautiful. They were quite a sight to behold, attracting the attention of students from other grades and classes who were secretly glancing at them.

Under such intense scrutiny, even the battle-hardened Kitagawa Ryo hesitated for a moment. Putting aside the fact that there were too many people around, the very thing he wanted to discuss with Ichinose Honami or Karuizawa Kei was quite confidential, and he simply couldn't bring himself to say it in front of so many people from the other group.

After briefly observing the surroundings with his tray in hand, Kitagawa Ryo quickly found another good spot: the restrooms located not far from the restaurant. Although he could occasionally see one or two students coming and going along the way, it was still more secluded than the cafeteria.

So, when he made eye contact with Ichinose Honami, Kitagawa Ryo quickly gestured with his lip to the side, and the other person immediately understood and stood up to indicate that he needed to go to the restroom.

Although Kitagawa Ryo never understood why girls would go to the restroom together, it turned out that this habit was actually helpful in the present moment. Karuizawa Kei, who also noticed something was amiss, immediately offered to go with her, and they soon left the restaurant together. After taking a couple of steps toward the restroom, they 'bumped into' Kitagawa Ryo.

"How's the situation?"

Because of the time constraint, Kitagawa Ryo got straight to the point, asking Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei in a low voice.

"I feel like most of them have problems."

The first to answer the question was Karuizawa Kei. For some reason, Kitagawa Ryo felt that there was a strange sense of gritted teeth in her voice when she said it.

"Do you know what topic we've been talking about since our group was formed, from the dorms to the cafeteria, and we still haven't finished discussing it?"

Ichinose Honami picked up the conversation, but immediately answered her own question:

"It's you."

"I?"

"Yes, they're all very interested in Ryo's various affairs, but Ryo doesn't need to think about it that way, because it seems like they all have ulterior motives."

"... I didn't even think about it that way."

That would be best.

Ichinose Honami speaks very quickly.

"The situation with the girls in Class C is more complicated than I imagined. Katsuragi no longer has the authority to command them, at least until Class C's next big victory. Then there's Yamamura Miki, whom Ryo asked me to keep an eye on. Her personality is really strange. If Ryo hadn't told me she was in contact with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, I wouldn't have noticed that at all... We'll talk about the details tonight."