I Don't Mind Settling This With My Fists, Either

That's why, despite having read countless mystery novels Shiina Hiyori didn't conventionally assume she'd lost it somewhere, nor did she intend to retrace her steps. Instead, while her memory was still sharp, she quickly began to recall when she last touched the ring. She then confirmed that until she fell asleep the previous night, the ring had been safely in her pocket, zipped up, and her down jacket had been spread out and tucked under her like part of her bedding. No one could have gotten the ring without waking her.

However, Shiina Hiyori soon discovered the blind spot.

That means she actually got up once last night.

Although she immediately went back to her dormitory to put on her clothes and wait for Kitagawa Ryo after unexpectedly encountering him, there was still a gap of a few minutes in between, which was undoubtedly the time the perpetrator had to commit the crime.

If the crime had to be committed within those few minutes, then the perpetrator would most likely be one of the other girls in their First Group, i. e., the girls in their dormitory.

But what are their motives?

Just as Shiina Hiyori was racking her brains trying to figure out if she had offended anyone in her dorm, her groupmate Motodoi Chikako, suddenly approached her and told her bluntly that the ring was currently in her possession. If she wanted the ring to be returned intact afterward, she should not make any rash moves during today's field training or the aftermath of this Special Exam. She should remain silent and take the exam honestly, and the ring would naturally be returned to her intact after the Special Exam.

Although the actions of Class 1-C were quite despicable, they undeniably struck at Shiina Hiyori's greatest weakness. After all, no matter how many times Kitagawa Ryo told her that the ring was merely an object, for Shiina Hiyori, it was a treasure that embodied all her longing and memories from her previous life, something she couldn't accept being damaged in the slightest.

"Hiyori..."

After separating from the others in the Third Group, Ibuki Mio and Nishino Takeshi immediately returned to Shiina Hiyori's side. Besides the two of them, many other girls from Class D also huddled together. After all, the entire field training was now in complete chaos. Although Ryuen Kakeru, as the Leader of Class D, had given them instructions to keep the students from Class B occupied, not every girl in Class D was willing to follow Ryuen Kakeru's orders. Naturally, they would see Shiina Hiyori and huddle with her. However, they didn't expect that she would also look extremely conflicted.

Seeing her friend pursing her lips tightly as if struggling with something, Ibuki Mio called out her name with some concern, reached out and grasped her shoulder, showing that she would always be there for her.

Undoubtedly, as soon as Ryuen Kakeru issued his instruction targeting Class B, even the slowest-to-react students in Class D realized that their class had chosen a side in this Special Exam. This was probably because Ryuen Kakeru and Kitagawa Ryo had teamed up too many times in the past Special Exam, and even now, many people still hadn't realized it.

"To avoid this situation, it's definitely best to turn Liang around as soon as possible."

Muttering this in a barely audible voice, Shiina Hiyori finally raised her head, as if she had made some important decision.

She had figured it out. The reason why so many students from three grades had set up such a large group was not to ruin Kitagawa Ryo's grades today. After all, the points he had accumulated over the past few days were there for all to see. Even if today's field training was disrupted and dragged down his grades, as long as he performed normally in the final Final Exam on the last day and got good results, he would definitely still be the top student in the whole school in this Mixed Training Camp Special Exam.

Therefore, what the other party actually wanted to do was to prevent him from even participating in the Special Exam on the final day.

Even from a time perspective, it's quite reasonable, because today is the fifth day of the Special Exam, Saturday, with classes only scheduled in the morning and free time in the afternoon. Tomorrow, Sunday, is a full day of rest specifically reserved for the students, so that they can perform at their best on the day after tomorrow, the final day of the Final Exam.

In other words, if they missed this morning, the difficulty for them to target Kitagawa Ryo will undoubtedly increase significantly, which is why they acted so hysterically.

Thinking of this, Shiina Hiyori felt indignant for Kitagawa Ryo. After all, the reason why Kitagawa Ryo suffered such overwhelming pressure and being surrounded by traps this morning was because he bravely rescued two second-year students from the boar's clutches yesterday, forcing the school to change the specific rules. As a result, this good deed gave these people the opportunity to come out in full force. Even Hiyori, who was usually calm, couldn't help but feel angry.

Compared to that ring, which is ultimately just an external object, everything about Kitagawa Ryo himself is clearly more important...

Just as Shiina Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief, intending to give up the ring she had been planning to give away for months and break her promise to Class 1-D to help Kitagawa Ryo, an unexpected figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

The newcomer was none other than Horikita Suzune from Class 1-A.

What Shiina Hiyori didn't expect was that this competitor, who had recently been completely overshadowed by Sakayanagi Arisu in the class, simply opened his tightly clenched right hand in front of her.

The ring she had lost lay perfectly intact in the other person's palm, reflecting a captivating luster in the sunlight.

To deceive your opponent, you must first deceive yourself.

As it turned out, after facing Sakayanagi Arisu's straightforward admission of defeat last night, and saying, "I have to admit, I lost this time," Horikita Suzune finally realized that Sakayanagi Arisu had lowered her guard.

During her time in the Third Group, Horikita Suzune did indeed fall into the trap of the bet, just as her opponents had predicted, and she also confirmed that her every move was being monitored by Matsushita Chiaki, who was in the same group.

However, once the existence of this surveillance becomes apparent, the relationship quickly becomes bidirectional, much like the classic saying, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

After observing Matsushita Chiaki's movements discreetly for two days, Horikita Suzune finally noticed the fact that Kitagawa Ryo had overlooked: Sakayanagi Arisu was never satisfied with just using this Special Exam to win over girls, but was preparing to defeat him in one fell swoop.

Because Matsushita Chiaki was simultaneously interacting with students in both Class 1-C and Class D of the first year.

Thus, the theft plan of Motodoi Chikako was also taken into account by Horikita Suzune. In fact, even without Shiina Hiyori's accidental nighttime waking up, all the girls in the First Group who were not from Class D would have worked together to create such an opportunity, with the aim of diverting Shiina Hiyori and the girls from Class D' s attention on the day they actually took action.

In this situation, Horikita Suzune chose to request outside help.

Although she wasn't as Sakayanagi Arisu in her class, thanks to Horikita Manabu, she still had acquaintances in Class 3-A. Coincidentally, Tachibana Akane -senpai was also drawn into the First Large Group in this Special Exam.

It's worth noting that during the breakfast preparation session of this Mixed Training Camp, aside from the strange agreement made by Kitagawa Ryo's group and the Third Group consisting of Horikita Suzune and Asahina Nazuna, most of the other large groups were basically handed over to the lower-year students by the senior students, who even claimed it was to help the juniors get points and practice. This is one of the reasons why the relationships between the girls and students of different grades were not very harmonious.

However, this actually benefits Horikita Suzune's plan.

The ring Shiina Hiyori is extremely valuable, and it must be returned intact after the Special Exam. Therefore, even if Motodoi Chikako successfully steals it, she certainly won't choose to carry it with her, because she herself cannot bear the responsibility of losing or damaging the ring.

As Horikita Suzune had predicted, after the first -First Year girls in the First Group were sent to make breakfast for the larger group this morning, Tachibana Akane, who had secretly sneaked into their dormitory, quickly found the ring in the hidden compartment of the suitcase under their bed and handed it to them. Only then did she bring it to Shiina Hiyori and return it to her intact.

After hearing Horikita Suzune's explanation of the whole story, Shiina Hiyori also breathed a sigh of relief. Clutching her precious, recovered ring tightly, she spoke with a rare hint of indignation:

"No matter what, stealing is going too far."

"It's most likely Ayanokoji from Class C's idea; he's always been a pragmatic person who'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

"I meant Arisu, didn't she tacitly accept that it happened?"

"Indeed, but it's also necessary for class competition. I guess he'll come and apologize to you after this Special Exam."

"Tch... I think it's because she doesn't have anything real like me, so she can only pretend with that sports ring every day."

Seemingly furious about the theft, Shiina Hiyori muttered a few more words, sounding like she was cursing someone, but Horikita Suzune pretended not to hear and continued speaking earnestly:

"Now that things are settled here Hiyori, let's take some people and go help Ryo. Right now, apart from a few students who chased into the forest, most of them are lying in wait near the turnaround point. We need to get there as soon as possible."

"Okay, I understand."

Even if Horikita Suzune hadn't brought the ring, Shiina Hiyori had already prepared for it, so she quickly agreed.

"Where's Suzune? Do you want to come with us?"

In response to Shiina Hiyori's invitation, Horikita Suzune simply shook her head.

"No, I have to go back to class. After all, Arisu has already taken the moral high ground of maintaining Class A's status. If I were to publicly support Ryo or Class B now, the battle for Leader of Class A would immediately come to an end."

Then, Horikita Suzune spoke up and told Shiina Hiyori something else.

"I ran into Honami and Hui on the road. They plan to pay off your Class D student loans in exchange for Class D switching sides in this Special Exam. Please help spread the word about this, Hiyori."

"Good."

After saying all this, Horikita Suzune finally nodded goodbye to Shiina Hiyori.

For Sakayanagi Arisu, she would never admit defeat, nor had she ever given up.

In any aspect.

That's true for all of them.

Chapter 417: I Don't Mind Letting My Fists Speak (6k)

Deep in the forest, a back-and-forth chase, a battle of many against one, seemed to be coming to an end. A dozen or so second and third-grade boys, panting heavily, finally cornered Kitagawa Ryo in a desperate situation.

"Finally... we caught up."

"Can't run anymore, huh, you little brat?"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh, block him, block him!"

Looking at the group of seniors in front of him, almost all of them were supporting their knees and panting heavily, Kitagawa Ryo felt a little helpless. However, since he didn't see any students from their Third Large Group among them, he felt inexplicably gratified. At least it meant that his goodwill over the past few days hadn't been wasted.

"I said, is it possible that I'm just too lazy to run anymore?"

"Stop pretending. I know you're a fast runner at the Sports Festival, but this isn't the school's track. You just tripped and fell. What's with the smugness?"

"... If I don't reveal a weakness, wouldn't you guys stop chasing me?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Even if you can run fast, you're already surrounded by us. You might as well obediently let us 'twist' your ankle, or simply apply to the school to not take the Final Exam on the last day and give up the top spot at ANHS. Do you think you can get that ranking?"

Looking at this second-year student whose tone of voice and lines were completely those of a brainless villain, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. After all, he hadn't encountered a student like this for quite some time since Totsuka Yahiko dropped out of school. It just goes to show that the second year was truly full of talented people.

"What are you laughing at? I'm warning you, there are no security cameras here, and we don't have those watches you had on the Uninhabited Island. The school won't be able to find us anytime soon. If you don't want to suffer, you'd better come over here."

"It's a real shame I didn't get to hear you say 'Even if I scream my lungs out, no one will come' one last time."

"What?"

I said--

Kitagawa Ryo took two steps forward, and for the first time, a look completely different from his usual expression appeared in his dark pupils.

"Knowing there are no security cameras or watches here, why bother installing anything?"

Along with these playful words came Kitagawa Ryo's crisp, clean straight punch. The other second and third-year students only saw a blur before their eyes, and the next second, the leader who had made the provocation was already clutching his stomach and slumped to the ground, his painful groan officially starting this chaotic brawl.

The students who attacked Kitagawa Ryo were specially selected by Miyabi Nagumo and Ishikura from the second year and the Class 3-B. Each of them was a sports student who achieved a B rating or above in the OAA physical fitness category.

Although the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School only released an announcement yesterday regarding Kitagawa Ryo's fight against the wild boar, the description was too vague. Just like the boys in the Third Group of First Year students thought, the general opinion of second and third-year students was that Kitagawa Ryo was simply using his speed to entangle with the boar and held out until the school staff arrived.

As the parties involved, Mizowaki and Tonokawa were immediately declared traitors by Miyabi Nagumo after the incident, and naturally no one paid attention to their words.

However, it wasn't until they faced Kitagawa Ryo head-on in a multi-on-one situation that everyone truly felt the opponent's strength and skill, to the point that an unbelievable thought inevitably surfaced in everyone's mind.

Could it be that the story of First Year taking down a wild boar with his bare hands wasn't exaggerated, but actually happened?

As two more boys fell, the last student, who had lost the courage to fight Kitagawa Ryo, gritted his teeth and grabbed a thick tree branch from the side. Before he could even swing it, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and grabbed his wrist, twisting it downwards and easily snatching the thick tree branch from his hand. With a swift slap, he knocked the last opponent to the ground.

After doing all this, Kitagawa Ryo casually tossed aside the branch and left gracefully. It wasn't until quite some time later that Miyabi Nagumo and Ishikura hurriedly arrived with another group of students.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief as they watched in stunned silence as a large group of students tumbled to the ground like rolling gourds, forgetting even to offer a helping hand.

That's a bit of an exaggeration.

Ishikura, the class Leader of Class 3-B, breathed a sigh of relief. After all, they had provoked the other side first, and now they had been defeated by the other side one against ten. No one would believe them even if they tried to turn the tables. So after saying this, he fell silent again and just asked someone to help up the few people in his class.

Although Horikita Manabu was also the best fighter among the third-year students, Ishikura, who had competed with him for three years, knew that he couldn't do it either, as could Miyabi Nagumo, the most renowned fighter among the second-year students.

"It at least took a toll on his physical strength."

Compared to Ishikura, Miyabi Nagumo, who had already learned some information about Kitagawa Ryo Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, seemed more composed. However, she also seemed to be putting on a brave face, as her fingers hanging at her sides were trembling slightly, clearly showing that the Student Council President's state of mind was not as calm as her tone.

"Let the second batch of students continue the blocking, and the First Year students should also join in. That Kito from Class D looks pretty good."

"Where's Ayanokoji? Isn't he coming?"

"Call Ayanokoji! Do you even know who his father is? You have no manners at all! Even our Chairman had to smile obsequiously at you during the Cultural Festival."

Looking at Nangumo Miyabi Nagumo, who insisted on playing the role of a loyal and devoted lackey even though Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't there, Ishikura was also speechless. After all, this second-year Leader had been asking him arrogantly a year ago if he wanted to go and deal with Horikita Manabu, but now he had turned out like this.

Seemingly realizing she had gotten a little too into character, and noticing Ishikura's slightly embarrassed gaze, Miyabi Nagumo coughed twice and, pretending her earlier remark hadn't happened, explained:

"He went to participate in the training as usual. Now that Kitagawa Ryo has been tied up, getting first place in this course shouldn't be a problem. What we need to do now is prevent Kitagawa from participating in the Special Exam on the final day."

After saying that, Miyabi Nagumo continued to add:

"Of course, if we can't physically take him down, we'll switch to Plan B and go directly to his rumored girlfriends."

"... Is this also Ayanokoji's idea?"

"It's my personal opinion, don't you think it's a good idea?"

"I can't say."

Ishikura simply shook his head. Although he also intended to secure a good future after graduation by pledging allegiance to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he was nowhere near as insane as Miyabi Nagumo. After hearing her words, he even felt a slight sense of disgust, especially after hearing that her childhood friend Asahina Nazuna, had volunteered to stand up for Kitagawa Ryo alongside Kiryuin Fuka. He silently cursed her for it.

"Actually, I think we should stick to our original plan and have the girls stop Kitagawa. He can't stay in this forest forever; he'll eventually have to go to the turnaround point to register, and that will be the best opportunity."

"It won't work."

Miyabi Nagumo decisively rejected Ishikura's proposal.

"Kiryuin didn't fall for it. She's already waiting near the turnaround point with Asahina Nazuna. Even if the girls go forward, they'll be separated by the two of them just like at the beginning. There aren't many second-year students who can match her strength."

"And what about First Year?"

"They're blocking another girl."

"Who?"

"Amasawa, Ichika".

I don't know if it's just my imagination, Ishikura always felt that when Miyabi Nagumo pronounced her name, there was a strange sense of gritted teeth in her voice.

"If you don't like me, just say so. Why do you have to say that my sleeping habits are bad and that you can't sleep? Do you know that I didn't spend half of last night in my dorm bed?"

Looking at Nishikawa Ryoko from Class 1-C, who had come to confront him with a group of girls, Amasawa Ichika also showed a helpless expression. He clicked his tongue as if he was still savoring the feelings of last night, or rather, early this morning, and then glanced at her a couple more times.

"Speaking of Kushida? Wasn't she one of our roommates? She was always there to comfort this person and mediate that person's situation, so why has she disappeared now?"

"It's because Kikyo has been so incredibly tolerant of you and always spoke up for you behind your back that we've been putting up with you until today. Today, we're taking advantage of her absence to teach you a lesson and show you how to behave properly when you're sharing a dorm with someone."

Intentionally, this was another attempt to maintain Kushida Kikyo's character. Nishikawa Ryoko led the girls forward, forming a classic bullying pose, and even sent two girls to the perimeter to explain to other students that this was an internal matter for their group and that they should not meddle.

"Really? In that case, I should thank Kushida. I just don't know if she'll dare to show up and accept my gratitude."

Amasawa Ichika shrugged defiantly, then, the instant the other woman angrily reached out to her, she preemptively lunged forward. Despite being much smaller than the other woman, with a simple twist and turn, Nishikawa Ryoko's arm was twisted behind her back. In pain, she could only bend over, allowing Kamuro Masumi was backing up behind her, to quickly subdue the other woman.

As the most capable girl in Class C, Kamuro Masumi, who had just informed Kitagawa Ryo not long ago, did not want to get involved in this matter. However, since she had already been called out, she could no longer pretend not to hear. She could only drag her reluctant steps over and help to separate Amasawa Ichika's right hand that was holding onto Nishikawa Ryoko.

"I don't want to fight you."