The Exam Begins, Opposite-Side Face Cream (Continued)

"Hey Kanda, wanna team up? Can you manage alone? I heard your physical abilities are a D-rank."

"Hehe."

This guy really can't talk. It's a good thing he's not wearing Black Belt right now, otherwise Shuichi Kanda would have thrown him into the sea to cool him off.

"So, aren't you planning to participate in the project once you arrive at the designated location?"

As he spoke, Shuichi Kanda waved the tablet computer in his hand.

"That's true."

Watching Ishizaki being led away by Shuichi Kanda, Nishino sighed again.

Turn on the tablet and then open the built-in map app. The map on the tablet also divides the island into one hundred grids, each grid being 700m x 500m in size.

After opening the map, Shuichi Kanda found a red dot in the C8 grid, with one or more dots in the surrounding area, just like when Chabashira-sensei explained it on the ship.

After Shuichi Kanda zoomed in on the map, he clicked on a red dot in the C8 area that was very close to him, and the topic information represented by the red dot was immediately displayed.

Topic: [Starting a fire]

Category: Academic Ability

Participation requirements: Register within sixty minutes of the topic being announced.

Number of participants: one person (only one person can register in a group).

The project will begin once ten participants have joined or the registration period has ended.

Victory condition: The first group to start a fire using a specific item.

Reward: 5 points for first place.

After taking a quick look, Shuichi Kanda gave up immediately, as this wasn't his forte. He then clicked on other red dots. In area D8, there was a geography test assignment, while in area B8, there was a math test assignment.

These two are about the same, but Shuichi Kanda can't choose the nearest one, B8.

According to the itinerary, there are two routes with the first destination being C8. One of these routes has D8 as its next destination, and the other has E8.

Both locations are getting further and further away from B8, so Shuichi Kanda doesn't plan to choose B8, which is quite far from his next destination.

Although Shuichi Kanda currently unaffected by the temperature, he is unwilling to walk an excessive distance for a mere ten points.

Therefore, Shuichi Kanda chose the geographical test of the D8 area as his subject.

Having made his decision, Shuichi Kanda prepared to head towards the D8 area.

Are you leaving?

"Hmm, let's check out D8. The geography test shouldn't be too difficult."

Ishizaki nodded; he planned to sign up for the fire-starting project, which almost no one participated in.

"Indeed, for a student like Kanda with an A+ in academics, you can get ten points as long as you successfully register. But there should be quite a few people gathered in the D8 area by now. By the time you get there, the projects might already be full."

Tsube had been silent until now, kindly reminded Shuichi Kanda.

"Thanks for reminding me. I have considered this possibility, but it's only the first day. It's not a big deal if we don't get the research project."

After saying goodbye to Ishizaki and the others, Shuichi Kanda headed towards area D8 with his tablet.

Just as Tsube, the topic representing the geography test disappeared just minutes after Shuichi Kanda set off.

However, Shuichi Kanda was not discouraged. Instead, he walked towards the boundary between D8 and E8. He wanted to reach the intersection of the four areas D7-D8-E7-E8, and then wait for the designated area to refresh next time to immediately enter the designated area and get the rewards in sequence.

After walking along the flat road for a short while, Shuichi Kanda entered a lush forest. Perhaps because of the similar latitude, Shuichi Kanda found that the vegetation here was similar to that on the island he had stayed on last year.

However, compared to the island last year, this island was obviously more primitive, or rather, less populated. Shuichi Kanda planned to go straight to his destination, but the footholds on the ground seemed to be worse than expected.

Moreover, he didn't see anyone along the way. Although the straight-line distance was only a little over a thousand meters, Shuichi Kanda walked and stopped frequently, and it took a full hour to reach the junction of the four areas.

Since the first day of exams starts at 9:00 AM, the next designated location will not be announced until 1:00 PM.

With about two hours and forty minutes left until the next designated location refresh, Shuichi Kanda simply found a slightly open spot to sit down and rest. He even set up a tent to familiarize himself with the area beforehand, so he wouldn't be scrambling around at night.

He is currently located at the intersection of four areas: D7, D8, E7, and E8. Since the next location is either D8 or E8, Shuichi Kanda cannot go to either of these areas for the time being. Otherwise, if the designated area is the current location, he will not receive the arrival order reward and will only receive the basic reward of one point.

Since students initially started from D9, they are now mostly concentrated in a few areas nearby. In addition, the number of topics is limited, so most topics are highly competitive.

Therefore, Shuichi Kanda planned to wait for the opportune moment. Unless they met on the road, he did not intend to compete for the points in the assignment, but rather to first obtain the arrival order reward.

I wonder how things are going with Koenji. Well, I shouldn't worry about him, because when we disembarked Shuichi Kanda saw him fly off from the group and head east into the forest.

Just as Shuichi Kanda thought, Koenji was currently shirtless, darting through the forest, moving nimbly while emitting his distinctive laughter.

"Hahaha, hahahaha!"

For most students, forests would be difficult terrain to traverse, but for Koenji, it was like walking on flat ground. Moreover, he didn't even need to touch the ground; he moved directly along the tree trunks.

Even first-graders thought it was a ghost after hearing Koenji's laughter.

Stopping thinking about Koenji, Shuichi Kanda took out his Intercom, tuned it to the appropriate channel, and started making a call.

"Moshi moshi, can you hear me? This is Shuichi Kanda."

"Hi, this is Yukimura Keisei."

Soon, Yukimura's voice came from inside.

Yukimura, Hasebe, and Sakura formed a team. Because the three of them had a Lead Card, they could easily be equipped with an Intercom.

Shuichi Kanda nodded; it seemed that Intercom should work on this island.

"Keisei, which route are you on?"

"We started on D8, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, our next route should be D6, so we're moving north."

"Hmm, I'm currently at C8, and the next location is either D8 or E8. I haven't been able to determine the exact route yet. Do you know where Akito is?"

"Akito is on the E9 route. We barely interacted in the past few days, but we agreed to meet up on the fourth day after we obtained the recruitment qualifications."

"Okay, that's good. Good luck to you guys. For the first day, don't worry about the topic yet. Just make sure you get to the designated location and get the basic points."

After explaining things to Keisei and the others, Shuichi Kanda went straight into his tent to rest. He wasn't interested in the project, and even though there was a project in the nearby E7 area, he didn't plan to participate.

After having lunch, Shuichi Kanda slept until after 12 o'clock.

Stepping out of the tent, Shuichi Kanda yawned, washed his face with drinking water, and checked the time: 12:58.

The new location will be updated in two minutes.

Two minutes later, Shuichi Kanda's watch beeped, indicating the next location was E8, thus confirming the route.

Shuichi Kanda didn't pack up his tent, but headed straight for area E8, where he successfully secured the first-place reward, earning eleven points and bringing his total to twelve.

Hmm, not bad. Although it seems like I didn't do anything, I really worked hard!

Shuichi Kanda nodded in satisfaction. Now that the route was confirmed, things were much easier. According to the itinerary, the next area was F9, located at the southernmost part of the island (F10 was entirely at sea and would not be a designated location). It was close to the sea, with most of the area being sandy. If nothing unexpected happened, Shuichi Kanda would be spending the night there.

After repacking the tent, Shuichi Kanda set off refreshed. Compared to others who could only eat temporary food, Shuichi Kanda's diet was definitely top-notch.

Moreover, he had a long rest at noon, and with the help of the Reverse Cream, Shuichi Kanda was in top form.

It's funny, actually. When Shuichi Kanda first received the Gourmet Tablecloth, he was a little reluctant to eat the food that appeared out of nowhere. But now, he can only reluctantly utter, "It's delicious."

The last area for today is F9, and Shuichi Kanda is currently located at the southeast corner of E7, just a few steps away from F8.

"Shuichi, I never expected to see you here."

After walking for a while, Shuichi Kanda encountered Kamuro and Ichinose in the F8 area.

"What a coincidence! Which route are you two on?"

Shuichi Kanda was in a great mood after meeting them right away. Since he wasn't planning on participating in the project today anyway, he decided to travel with the two of them.

"The current location is F9. According to the itinerary, the next location is G9."

Because they had a schedule, the two were able to easily determine their route. After explaining it to Shuichi Kanda, Ichinose looked at Shuichi Kanda with hopeful eyes.

"I'm sorry, we're not on the same route, but my final destination today is F9, so we can camp together then."

As he spoke, Kanda Hideyoshi winked at Ichinose, causing Ichinose's face to turn slightly red, while Kamuro immediately coughed twice.

"Is Masumi going to join too?"

"Join you my foot! You idiot!"

Kamuro, embarrassed and annoyed, pinched Shuichi Kanda's waist.

"Haha, let's go to F9 first, it's on our way."

After walking in the forest for a while, the three of them saw the beach and the sea again.

"Phew, we're here."

Kamuro and Ichinose both received notifications that points had been credited to their accounts, but they didn't receive the reward points because Sakayanagi was on their team and was still at the starting line.

This team formation means they have no chance to get reward points based on arrival order; the only way to earn points is by completing tasks.

Are you two going to participate in the research project?

As soon as he stepped out of the forest, Shuichi Kanda saw staff preparing something on the beach ahead. Although the computer wasn't showing anything yet, there was no doubt that something was going on ahead.

And if I'm not mistaken, it should be beach volleyball, not a sport that Shuichi Kanda excels at.

Following the direction Shuichi Kanda pointed, Ichinose and Kamuro also saw the newly erected net and the students surrounding it, including both first-year and third-year students.

"But it's not showing up on the tablet yet. Should we go ask about it first?"

"Let's ask. The next area is very close to here anyway."

So the three of them walked towards the beach. At the same time, Chabashira-sensei, who was in charge of the project, also saw the three of them walking in their direction.

Are you guys teaming up?

"No, it's just on my way. My last stop today is F9," Shuichi Kanda explained.

Chabashira-sensei didn't say much.

"The venue setup will take a little while, but if you'd like to participate, you can register with me now."

As she spoke, Chabashira-sensei took out a tablet for teaching, demonstrated it for a while, and then began discussing the topic.

Meanwhile, new red dots appeared on the students' tablets, clearly indicating preferential treatment.

Topic: [Women's Volleyball]

Category: Physical Abilities

Participation requirements: Register within sixty minutes of the topic being announced.

Number of participants: one person (only one person can register in a group).

The project will begin once eight participants have joined or the registration period has ended.

Victory condition: One-on-one elimination tournament to determine the champion.

Rewards: First place gets 10 points, second place gets 7 points, third and fourth place each get 3 points, and each participant will receive a 500ml bottle of drinking water for each competition they participate in.

This is pretty good. If you get first or second place, you'll not only get points, but also three 500ml bottles of drinking water.

The third and fourth students also get two bottles of drinking water, and the other four students each get one bottle of drinking water, so it can be considered a welfare project.

Moreover, the fact that Chabashira-sensei started the project right in front of Shuichi Kanda and the others was undoubtedly a sign of favoritism.

Therefore, Kamuro directly chose to participate. In terms of physical ability, Kamuro was better than Ichinose. The key issue was that Ichinose's two lumps of fat were really affecting her performance.

After Kamuro signed up, others immediately followed suit, and within minutes, eight people had been gathered.

"Registered students can go to the changing room to change."

Kamuro nodded to Ichinose and Shuichi Kanda, then took out his swimsuit from his bag and headed towards the changing room. Unfortunately, Kamuro chose a school swimsuit.

Because the rewards were so generous, there were almost no particularly strong students among those who signed up. Kamuro easily won the competition, earning his team 10 points and three bottles of mineral water.

Although the match was one-sided, Shuichi Kanda was thoroughly enjoying it, since it was women's volleyball and several of the girls were wearing sexy bikinis.

Well, thankfully Kamuro chose the school swimsuit.

"Shuichi, would you like a bottle?"

After receiving the reward, Kamuro handed over a bottle of water.

"I don't need it, I don't need it."

Shuichi Kanda refused Kamuro's offer of help outright; if it weren't difficult to explain, he would have given them the drinking water and dried meat he had brought.

No, that's not all. Shuichi Kanda even wanted them to try some delicious ramen and pork cutlet rice.