Thanks to the 1,200 points awarded for winning the "Open Water Swimming" task, Kitagawa Ryo's group, which had previously fallen to mid-tier after spending heavily the previous night, shot back up to first place in one swift leap.
After all, in just two tasks since morning, Ryo's group had claimed three first-place finishes—an utterly terrifying efficiency. Once that was confirmed, Ryo closed his watch with satisfaction and began changing out of his swimwear in the finish-line changing area, putting on the clean clothes the teacher had delivered earlier.
The school had clearly poured a considerable amount of resources into this special exam. Even the watches issued to each student were of premium quality—despite the long swim in the ocean, all functions remained unaffected, showcasing excellent waterproof performance.
However, Ryo's personal achievement didn't reverse Class 1-D's overall downward trend. In terms of class rankings, Class 1-A still led by a wide margin. Compared to group rankings, class rankings were a much better reflection of overall competitiveness.
Take the swimming task just completed—although Ryo had won and contributed 1,200 points to his class, second and third places were taken by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Hirata Yousuke from Class 1-A, respectively. Combined, they earned 1,800 points—further widening the gap between Classes A and D in overall score.
This had become a pattern in the early phase of the island exam.
Currently, the task-to-student ratio was still tilted in favor of supply, so even low-tier groups could occasionally stumble upon neglected tasks and score top-three placements—or even win outright.
But starting tomorrow, students' movement range would shrink further. Opportunities for easy points would dwindle.
Contemplating Class 1-D's current predicament, Ryo stepped out of the changing area. Since the starting and ending points of the swimming course were over two kilometers apart, the school had thoughtfully arranged beach ATVs to transport students back to the start point.
Although Ryo had been tempted to drive one himself, he refrained and obediently sat in the back while staff drove him across sand and wind back to the starting line.
"I'm back!"
With 1,200 points added and his [Discount] card upgraded to level 3, Ryo was in a great mood. He jumped off the ATV and cheerfully waved at Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, and Horikita Suzune.
"—Welcome back?"
Horikita was the first to respond, though her tone was oddly stiff.
"What's wrong? I won first place, you know."
Ryo took a few steps closer, assuming the girls hadn't been able to see clearly from afar who had actually won, so he clarified.
"Ah... well, congratulations. And, uh, your card... yes, your Normal Card got upgraded, right?"
Ichinose stammered as she spoke, her hands nervously tangled together as if she were trying to suppress a storm of emotions.
"Yep. My [Discount] card is now level 3—an extra 10% off on all purchases."
Ryo nodded. Though he was in good shape, swimming full speed for two kilometers had still left him tired. He casually waved his hand and said, "Let's avoid physical tasks for the rest of today. It's only Day 2, after all."
"You're right. We've already got a solid lead," Sakayanagi agreed calmly. She squatted down, packed up some supplies into her backpack, then zipped it up efficiently.
If phones weren't confiscated and watches didn't lack internet, she'd probably be searching something like, "Do girls still grow taller after sixteen?"
Ryo did notice the trio's demeanor had shifted slightly from earlier, but didn't think much of it—probably just another minor disagreement while he was away. Yesterday had already been one example. Asking might only complicate things further.
"Let's keep moving, then. See if there's a suitable task or a good spot to rest nearby."
He tilted his head upward, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was nearly noon—peak heat and also lunchtime.
Of course, lunch couldn't be as elaborate as dinner. They still had to keep moving and searching for tasks afterward. So the group settled for some canned food and a few loaves of bread. After this simple meal, Horikita's previously acquired ingredients were basically gone.
The pressure of securing food and water was heavier than anticipated.
For a four-person group, managing supplies was genuinely difficult. Ryo even started questioning the worth of his [Discount] card—it reduced costs, yes, but they still had to spend points. If he had Ichinose's [Supply] card instead, a level 3 card would significantly ease the team's burden.
Outside Ryo's group, it seemed many others were facing similar problems. As they traveled, they passed several students fishing by rivers or the sea. Fishing rods were rented daily, but catching fish made them a great value.
Some were even more creative. Ryo spotted a group from Class B drying jerky—likely a reward from a previous task. Though their technique was rough, in this environment, it was the only way to extend meat preservation.
If Class A's Matoba Shinji had realized this yesterday, he probably wouldn't have traded raw meat to Ryo.
By noon, more groups' scores began to dip.
Maybe people initially wanted to hold out and save points, but after skipping two meals, most gave in and exchanged points for food.
The real-time ranking display also encouraged this behavior. Only the bottom four groups would suffer serious penalties. So as long as a group wasn't among them, they'd feel relatively "safe" and more willing to spend points.
Ryo munched on a baguette while watching his watch. The school had clearly chosen long-lasting food for this exam—French bread, hard and dense. Even with his strength, he had to wrestle with it for a while just to tear off a chunk.
The other three girls struggled even more. Ryo initially planned to help them break it into smaller pieces, but all three inexplicably insisted on gnawing through it themselves—some sort of mysterious pride contest, maybe? It gave him sympathy-induced jaw pain just watching.
As most groups spent points, the rankings began to shuffle again. By this point, everyone was used to the fluctuations—it was only Day 2, after all. A lead or deficit now didn't guarantee anything by the end.
But amid all this change, one group drew inevitable attention.
[Group: Ryuuen Kakeru – 0 Points]
When even the second-to-last group had over 200 points, a clear last place had emerged.
Shortly afterward, the first-place position also changed. Ryo's group slipped to second.
Katsuragi Kouhei's group had retaken first.
"...It's finally begun."
Ryo bit down hard into his stubborn baguette, somehow finding it tastier with each chew.
Though it was only the second day, it seemed many had started to act.
"Cough cough."
"Here's water."
Hearing Sakayanagi cough nearby, Ryo quickly poured a cup from their bottle and brought it to her lips.
"Don't force it if you can't chew. Baguettes aren't meant to be eaten like that."
He glanced at the dented tip of her bread, shaking his head in mild amusement.
-------------------------------------
Kushida Kikyou was on her way to the nearby "Literary Knowledge Quiz" task. In this special uninhabited island exam, she had teamed up with Class 1-A's leader, Katsuragi Kouhei, forming the class's ace group. To maximize scoring efficiency, they would sometimes act separately.
This was one such instance: Katsuragi and Kamuro Masumi had gone to the "Jump Rope" task, while Hirata Yousuke had headed even further away to attempt the "Impromptu Speech" challenge. Among the four, Hirata had the best stamina.
Though Kushida believed their team was one of the strongest in the grade, she hadn't been fully convinced they could secure a top-three finish. But Katsuragi was brimming with confidence—not just aiming for top three, but talking as if first place was already guaranteed.
Only thirty minutes ago did Kushida finally start to grasp a bit of the truth.
At lunchtime, when they hadn't obtained enough food from tasks and were preparing to spend points to exchange for rations, Katsuragi had suddenly returned with a pile of food and drinking water.
"We've formed an alliance with Class 1-C. These are from Ryuuen Kakeru," he had said.
The group rankings backed up that claim. Ryuuen's group had plummeted to dead last.
Still, Katsuragi wasn't sharing the whole plan. He simply told everyone to eat and drink freely.
Not that Kushida cared too much. Her goal, as always, was to maintain her elevated social standing. The distinction between Class A or D didn't mean much to her.
If she hadn't needed to preserve her image within the class, she wouldn't have even bothered to join Katsuragi's group.
"Tch."
The forest path was rough. She nearly tripped again, cursing under her breath.
After rounding a bend, she saw someone fishing by the riverside.
Ryuuen Kakeru.
Noticing her approach, Ryuuen turned and grinned.
"Well, if it isn't Kushida from Class A. Enjoying the food I sent over?"
She froze. That reminded her of the terrifying battle earlier—against the unyielding baguette. With a practiced smile, she replied, "Thank you for the provisions, Ryuuen-kun. But what did you eat for lunch?"
"What you see here," he said, motioning to a bucket containing a small fish. A nearby fire pit showed signs of use.
Kushida frowned. No tent, no large backpack—this setup was too minimal, even for a solo group. Aside from the fishing rod, the bucket, a pot by the fire, and a small pack, there was little else.
Compared to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, another solo contestant from Class A, Ryuuen's setup looked woefully sparse.
"You haven't been drinking boiled river water this whole time, have you?"
"Of course I have. How else do you think I saved enough points to send supplies to your Class A?"
Ryuuen scoffed. He had full confidence in his physical constitution.
"I expect great things from your group. You better win first place for me."
His tone turned sharp.
"What's going on...?"
"Huh? Katsuragi didn't explain it to you?"
Ryuuen seemed genuinely surprised.
"Everyone in my class with a [Hitchhike] card designated Katsuragi as their target. Didn't he draw a [Multiplier] card?"
"If a group takes first place, each member gets one million private points. A level-one [Multiplier] card doubles that, and [Hitchhike] cards grant 25% of the same amount."
"Even if Katsuragi doesn't level up his card, if he takes first, each of our [Hitchhike] cards nets us 500,000 points."
Ryuuen rolled his eyes. If his class had a team capable of winning top-three, he wouldn't have needed such roundabout tactics.
He had planned this strategy even before arriving on the island. Backing it up wasn't just his wilderness survival skills—but his hidden trump card:
[Revive]
That was why Ryuuen dared to form a solo group and completely ignore the scoreboard.
But even someone as tough as Ryuuen sighed, knowing these hardships would last eleven more days.
Still, he quickly steeled himself again.
As long as Katsuragi took first place—
Everything would work out.
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