I have a life simulator.

"It means exactly what it says. If Ichinose-kun is going to pretend to be confused, then there's no need for her to offer to join Ryo's group at that time."

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms. To be honest, Ichinose Honami's actions at that time were indeed beyond her expectations.

Since the start of the semester, Honami Ichinose has spent most of her private time socializing with other girls; otherwise, she wouldn't have received the same widespread praise as Kikyo Kushida from Class A.

In fact, when Ichinose Honami rejected so many girls' invitations to join a group and took the initiative to join Kitagawa Ryo's group, it caused quite a stir throughout the grade. Some students who were jealous of her even took the opportunity to spread some unfounded rumors.

However, Honami Ichinose handled this minor public opinion storm with composure. Her skillful handling of the matter alone made Suzune Horikita, who had been watching her closely, take notice and secretly add her to her list of suspects.

What Horikita Suzune cared about even more was Ichinose Honami's feelings for Kitagawa Ryo.

Unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, she didn't display the intense emotions of tension, fear, excitement, or possessiveness that Ichinose Honami had never shown. Just like his smile, it was a deeper, gentler kind of emotion.

Is it surprising that I joined Liang's group?

Even now, Honami Ichinose still responds to Suzune Horikita's questioning with a calm smile:

"I just think this is the right way, this is fine."

Compared to the chaotic timeline and fragmented memories in her dreams, Honami Ichinose is more willing and able to accept everything in the present, which is better than going with the flow based on other people's words and opinions as she used to.

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed reassured by Ichinose Honami's words, and she smiled and gently pulled her hand:

"Let's go then. Liang just mentioned that there are quite a few groups going to the [Geography Knowledge Test] topic, so we don't miss out on getting a spot."

"Ah."

Honami Ichinose nodded slightly, but she still smiled and offered her blessings to Suzune Horikita:

"I hope Lingyin's project will go smoothly as well."

After saying this, she and Sakayanagi Arisu turned and left, running towards the location of the nearest [Geography Knowledge Test] topic. Both of them had no problem with their knowledge, and now they just needed to grab a spot to register.

Horikita Suzune watched the two figures leave thoughtfully. She didn't think Ichinose Honami was really satisfied with the current situation as she claimed, and in fact, Ichinose Honami herself hadn't achieved that at all.

Two years ago, she had already noticed that Ichinose Honami had been intentionally avoiding meeting Karuizawa Kei, while also avoiding any one-on-one time between Karuizawa Kei and Kitagawa Ryo.

Even a few months ago, when school started, Kitagawa Ryo had two initial candidates for the student council: her and Ichinose Honami. Ichinose Honami had joined the student council in middle school and even had a year of experience as the student council president. Judging from her responsible performance in middle school, she did not dislike the student council position and was fully capable.

However, the result was that Honami Ichinose forcefully joined the drama club created by Ryo Kitagawa himself, so the second student council spot had to go to Arisu Sakayanagi, even though she was basically just a figurehead.

Recalling the image of Sakayanagi Arisu that had appeared in her dreams, Horikita Suzune felt that she had almost touched upon the truth.

If Honami Ichinose had a similar experience, then Megumi Karuizawa must have appeared in her memories as well.

Judging from the attitudes of Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei, it seems to be just a one-way emotional outpouring by Ichinose herself, and Karuizawa Kei herself probably had no idea what role she had played.

Even Horikita Suzune herself became a little curious after speculating this far.

What exactly did Kei Karuizawa do in that past period?

Honami Ichinose's reaction to her wasn't entirely resentment or regret; rather, it was more like...

Hopefully, Sakayanagi Arisu won't touch that deepest spot buried in the other person's heart.

As Horikita Suzune pondered this, she took steps toward the topic of "cooking".

-------------------------------------

"Huh? We're the first ones?"

"Yes, and so far only your group has arrived. If the registration period has passed, you can directly receive the first place prize."

At the registration desk for the "Impromptu Poetry Recitation" project, the person in charge of examining this project was none other than Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B. At this moment, she was smiling and speaking to Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio, who were panting heavily.

"That... wasn't just good luck."

Shiina Hiyori had clearly been dragged all the way here by Ibuki Mio; a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead, and her voice trembled slightly, but her expression was quite happy.

"We just took the opposite route from most of the teams, so we came to this grid because it's closer."

"Alright, congratulations on your group's successful registration. Is it Shiina or Ibuki who will participate?"

Although she said that, Hoshinomiya Chie's gaze had already fallen on Shiina Hiyori, after all, in terms of temperament, this girl seemed to be a better match.

In addition to the five school staff members, the judges for the "Impromptu Poetry Recitation" project also invited a well-known professional from across the country to score the poems. However, the professional was treated like a vacationer, leisurely lying under a specially set-up parasol and looking this way.

"I'll take on this task."

As expected, Hiyori Shiina volunteered. She took out a bottle of water from her backpack, took a couple of sips to moisten her throat, and after catching her breath, she stepped forward, bowed slightly to the six judges, and randomly picked up a poem from the few manuscripts on the table.

After seeing the above content, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In fact, Hiyori Shiina is not good at poetry recitation, but if Ibuki were to come up here, given her learning level, she probably wouldn't even be able to read the English on it fluently. It's clearly an "Impromptu Poetry Recitation" under the "Other" category, but does it also test a certain level of English proficiency?

However, what made Shiina Hiyori feel relatively relaxed was that she had actually read the poem that was drawn and was very familiar with its content.

It is "The Raven," the famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe, the American poet and novelist hailed as the father of detective fiction.

Hiyori Shiina is a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, and one particular line stuck with her deeply—a topic she had once discussed with Ryo Kitagawa:

The death of a beautiful woman is, without a doubt, one of the most poetic themes in the world. — Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe's own writing style can actually be glimpsed from this sentence, and "The Raven" is no exception, filled with contradictions that are both bizarre and romantic, sacred and deadly.

“Once upon a gloomy midnight, I was alone in thought, languid and exhausted, facing many strange and bizarre books that had long been forgotten; just as I began to doze off, almost falling asleep, I suddenly heard a soft knocking, as if someone was gently tapping—a gentle tapping on the door knocker of my room.”

Hiyori Shiina began to recite the beginning of this famous piece fluently.

[Actually, this uses a very common metaphorical image: knocking on both the door of the room and the door of the heart.]

Memories of Kitagawa Ryo surfaced unconsciously, and his words seemed to echo clearly in my ears once more.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Shiina Hiyori saw a figure rushing toward them.

"Tissomevisitor (A guest has arrived)."

Under the judges' somewhat surprised gazes, Shiina Hiyori repeated the sentence again:

"Tissomevisitor (A guest has arrived)."

Kitagawa Ryo saw the silver-haired girl smiling at him, still reciting:

I murmured softly.

He is knocking on my door knocker.

That's all, nothing else.

Chapter 138: Horikita Suzune’s cooking

Just as Kitagawa Ryo arrived at the registration point for the "Impromptu Poetry Recitation" project and was listening to Shiina Hiyori's recitation of the poem "The Crow," two more groups ran towards them.

After glancing around casually, Kitagawa Ryo didn't see anyone familiar. He recognized most of the students from his two classes, A and B, since one was his classmate and the other was a class he had spent more than a semester with. So it should be a group from his two classes, A and B.

Because this project can be registered for as long as you arrive within an hour of its launch, and there are no restrictions on the number of people, and everyone has just arrived on the island, the two groups that have arrived so far are on the surface quite friendly, and even took the initiative to greet Kitagawa Ryo in a friendly manner.

After noticing that Hiyori Shiina, who was working on a project, was reciting in English, the two groups discussed for a while before choosing the best challenger, confidently placing themselves behind Ryo Kitagawa.

After all, you only need to be in the top three to get the reward. There are only four groups present, and you can't just be the one who gets eliminated. Besides, the two people in front of you are students from Class C and Class D respectively. Although they don't mean to look down on you, as students from the top classes, they still have a subtle sense of superiority.

However, the two's confident expressions quickly faded, as Shiina Hiyori on the field had already captured everyone's attention.

The poetry recitation, which could only be described as "fluent" and "clearly enunciated," suddenly became richer in emotion and expression after Kitagawa Ryo's arrival, as if blessed by a fairy's magic wand.

Shiina Hiyori had spent some time with Kitagawa Ryo in the theater troupe, so her acting skills were already quite good. "The Crow" was a work she had read and liked before. With her familiar lines and readily available memories, plus a little bit of emotion that she wanted to show off in front of someone, even the other two groups who were novices could feel how high Shiina Hiyori's level was.

The long poem, which is clearly a narrative of the pain of losing a lover and is filled with a strange atmosphere, is inexplicably imbued with a touch of emotion in Shiina Hiyori's interpretation.

"QuoththeRaven 'Nevermore'."

After reading the last word of "The Crow," Hiyori Shiina let out a long sigh and smiled as she bowed slightly to the judges in front of her.

The six judges, including the invited professional, discussed quietly for a while before giving their scores. The final average score was 9 points, which seemed like a good high score.

Since Hiyori Shiina was the first to participate, she wasn't quite sure about the judges' scoring preferences or whether her score reflected her actual level.

However, Hiyori Shiina didn't seem to care much about these things. Instead, after finishing her recitation, she immediately walked to the side, sat on the bench where the contestants waited and rested, and cast her bright eyes at Ryo Kitagawa.

Considering that there were other people waiting behind and that other groups might arrive in the remaining time, Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to talk to Shiina Hiyori. He just quietly gave her a thumbs up and went up to draw his own question.

The classic love poem by the English poet Lord Byron, "She Walks in Beauty".

Thanks to his golden talent [Extensive Knowledge and Prodigious Memory], and after so many simulations, Kitagawa Ryo's reading volume was astonishing. This poem was naturally familiar to him, and compared to "The Raven," Byron's love poem was much simpler. Therefore, he recited it without any hesitation:

She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies.

Kitagawa Ryo's acting skills are beyond question. As soon as he opened his mouth, he caught the eyes of several judges. Some of them even recognized him and quietly introduced Kitagawa Ryo as a theatrical actor to the teacher next to them.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was reciting word by word, Shiina Hiyori actually got up from the bench next to her, took a small stool from Hoshinomiya Chie's feet, and sat down on the empty space to the right of the judges' table with great interest, propping her chin up and smiling as she tried to catch Kitagawa Ryo's pupils.

It's like they're playing some kind of "Don't Laugh Challenge".

However, Kitagawa Ryo himself is a seasoned theatrical actor who has faced far more audiences on larger stages without ever showing any fear, so he was naturally unaffected at this moment.

Moreover, he already had the experience of saying these 'sweet nothings' to Shiina Hiyori without batting an eye.

A mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent.

A heart that will always be pure.

Kitagawa Ryoya gazed into Shiina Hiyori's eyes and uttered the last line of the poem, his voice flowing quietly like lukewarm syrup.

"Thank you very much, my impromptu poetry recitation is now over."

It wasn't until Kitagawa Ryo uttered those words that the people present finally snapped out of their daze. The professional invited by Dongyu even spoke up directly:

"Although we are not allowed to comment in theory, it is really excellent..."

The middle-aged man seemed to be rambling incoherently, so he simply shut up, raised the "10 points" sign in his hand, and stood up threateningly, glancing around at the five judges beside him, as if looking for someone who hadn't given him a perfect score.

The other teachers chuckled, shook their heads, and held up signs that read "perfect score" (10 points).

This means that regardless of how the group performs in the subsequent rounds, Kitagawa Ryo has already secured first place.

Hoshinomiya Chie also realized this, and immediately took a large bag of folded items from the tent behind her and handed it to Kitagawa Ryo:

The prize for first place is a three-person tent.

Kitagawa Ryo opened his large backpack, stuffed the tent inside, and nodded to Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio.

"Then I'll be going now. The rest of my group is waiting for me; it's too far."

They inadvertently released some false information to the other groups.

Perhaps knowing that this deserted island exam, especially the first day, was particularly important and time was tight, Shiina Hiyori didn't try to keep Kitagawa Ryo for more words, and simply waved to him:

"See you next time, Ryo."

"Well, see you next time."

Kitagawa Ryoya responded softly, then tightened the straps of his backpack, which suddenly felt heavier, and ran towards the place where he had separated from his group members.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo had taken a few steps, he bumped into another group running towards him over the mountains. However, since Kitagawa Ryo had already entered the forest and the other group was in a hurry and didn't notice, they didn't encounter each other.

However, you can recognize them from behind: it's Ken Sudo and Teruhiko Yukimura from our class. Their group should also include Albert Yamada and Akito Miyake, and it seems they are also splitting up.

Using the vision granted by his talent [Eagle Eye], he looked into the distance for a while, then glanced at the time; there were less than three minutes left before registration closed.

Sudo Ken and Yukimura Teruhiko seemed to realize this as well, but Yukimura's physical condition was indeed not good. He looked a bit weak on the first day he arrived on the island. In the end, Sudo Ken gritted his teeth and carried him on his back, rushing to Hoshinomiya Chie's side like lightning before the registration deadline.

"Sign up!"

Takeru Sudo quickly put Teruhiko Yukimura down, patting his back and soothing him.

"Yukimura! Where our group sleeps tonight depends on you! Those three..."

"The three-person tent has already been taken."

A boy from Class B next to me chimed in.

"Huh? Isn't it over yet?"

"Yes, but Kitagawa Ryo from your class has already secured first place with a perfect score."

"Oh, Kitagawa, no wonder."

Takeru Sudo scratched the back of his head, then patted Teruhiko Yukimura on the shoulder, who seemed to have caught his breath:

"Then we need a two-person tent..."

"Try your best."

Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses. Yamada and Miyake Akito had gone to study the geography section, but they couldn't be relied on entirely. Everyone in the group had to play their part.

This is also why he had Sudo Ken lead him all the way here.