I have a life simulator.

"Yes, this is a variation of the [Two-person Horseback Battle] project. But you can't say that. The original project was for four people. After all, it takes three people to support one person to run for a long time. Back then, in the two-person horseback battle, the riders were almost exhausted by the end."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in reply.

"Our group is quite confident about this project; we can just have Qicheng be the rider. But what about your group..."

Miyake Akito, standing to the side, said with some concern:

"This is different from the last two-person horse riding battle. Girls are at a huge disadvantage in this kind of challenge. And Kitagawa, although you have great stamina, you can only be one of the three horses, so I don't think you can have a big impact on the situation."

"It's okay, I've already thought it through."

Kitagawa Ryo confidently gave a thumbs up, his smile was quite sunny, and he put his arm around the two of them's shoulders, whispering something to them.

Soon, their expressions changed to "As expected of you".

The advantage of traveling with Ken Sudo's group is that it instantly raises the male-to-female ratio to five to four. Kitagawa Ryoichi, who is quite relaxed, chats with Yamada about interesting questions he encountered in the geography test a few days ago, and talks with Horikita Suzune about the cooking techniques he used last night. He doesn't miss either side.

The two groups moved quickly and arrived at the location of the "Four-Person Horseback Battle" challenge first. After waiting for a while, the other two groups finally arrived.

The Hashimoto Masayoshi group and the Katsuragi Kohei group in Class A.

After following Karuizawa Kei for a while, Hashimoto Masayoshi returned to the group last night. Upon his return, he was faced with the disastrous fact that Machida Koji and Morishige Takuro had spent 4,000 points (2,500 and 1,500 points respectively), causing the group's ranking to drop out of the top ten. In order to catch up with the points, Hashimoto Masayoshi unusually restrained his usual frivolous attitude and led the group members here early this morning.

Their group was one of the few four-boy teams in Class A and even on the entire deserted island, giving them a significant advantage in this type of sports-themed team battle. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone straight for the "Four-Man Horseback Battle" challenge.

Although Katsuragi Kohei's team consists of two men and two women, Katsuragi Kohei himself is burly and strong, Hirata Yosuke is also an athletic champion, and Kamuro Masumi's physical fitness surpasses that of most of the boys. If Kushida Kikyo were to serve as the rider, their fighting strength would not be underestimated.

Moreover, they were divided into two distinct camps: two groups from Class A and two groups from Class D, which could be considered a close contest...

If Kitagawa Ryo's group wasn't a combination of one man and three women.

The teacher in charge of the project shook his head; he still couldn't understand the reason why such a group would participate in the "Four-Person Horseback Battle" project.

If the boys are the riders and the three girls are the horse riders, not to mention the girls' physical disadvantage compared to other groups, the obvious height difference alone will be difficult to overcome.

Looking at her height from all angles, it seems like she can only be placed in the rider position.

You know what, when it comes to fighting for the headscarf later, the physique-based novel might actually have an advantage.

But it's hard to assign positions for riding horses now.

Before the competition even started, the teacher in charge was already worried a lot about Kitagawa Ryo's group.

"All four groups have registered. The [Four-Person Horseback Battle] challenge is about to begin. Please all groups prepare!"

The teacher in charge put the whistle hanging around his neck into his mouth, signaling the four groups to enter the designated area.

As he had predicted, the rider for Katsuragi Kohei's group was Kushida Kikyo, the rider for Sudo Ken's group was Yukimura Teruhiko, the rider for Hashimoto Masayoshi's group was Morishige Takuro, and the rider for Kitagawa Ryo's group was Sakayanagi Arisu.

I took a second look at Kitagawa Ryo's group.

The one riding the horse in the middle was Kitagawa Ryo, the only boy in the group.

But in that case, the two girls next to her would have a hard time helping to share the burden because of their height...

The teacher in charge blew his whistle while complaining:

"Let the project begin!"

He opened his eyes wide in surprise the instant the sharp whistle rang out.

Kitagawa Ryo's group changed formation in an instant. Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami, who were originally on Kitagawa Ryo's left and right, went directly behind Kitagawa Ryo, leaving Sakayanagi Arisu entirely to Kitagawa Ryo, while they themselves formed a straight line.

It's pretty much like the "eagle catching chicks" formation.

However, the mother hen was also carrying a chick on her back.

The "Four-Person Horseback Battle" challenge only stipulated that three of the four participants would ride horses and one would be the rider. However, it did not actually require that the three horses be side by side to support the rider's movement. Nevertheless, this was an operation that only Kitagawa Ryo's team could accomplish.

After all, you can't expect a single boy carrying someone to run faster or more steadily than three boys carrying someone. The premise for doing so is that the rider is relatively light and the only horse can fully support the physical exertion of the three people.

However, the Katsuragi Kohei group and the Hashimoto Masayoshi group of Class A were not surprised for long, because Yukimura Teruhiko, as the rider, had already begun to command the advance. He was ridden by the burly Yamada Albert, with Sudo Ken and Miyake Akito serving as his left and right protectors. Like a heavily armored tank, they launched a powerful attack on the two groups of Class A.

As if he were not afraid of fighting two against one, Sudo Ken shouted loudly, seemingly preparing to overwhelm his opponent with his momentum first.

It must be said that his and Yamada's pressure was indeed quite astonishing. The two groups in Class A had no intention of fighting head-on, but instead began to maneuver around the field, trying to wear down the opponent's stamina first.

At this moment, Kitagawa Ryo, carrying Sakayanagi Arisu on his back, began to approach from the other side.

Adhering to the principle of picking the softest persimmon first, Hashimoto Masayoshi immediately went to meet him, but Morishige Takuro, as the rider, felt like he was facing a hedgehog and had no idea where to start.

Just like the game of eagle catching chicks, Kitagawa Ryo completely blocked Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami behind him with his broad shoulders. Morishige Takuro had no way of getting past him to grab the headscarves of the two girls behind him. This meant that the target of the attack was reduced by half, leaving only the rider Sakayanagi Arisu and the horse-riding Kitagawa Ryo.

He reached out and tried, but Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu dodged the attack like eels. The two of them had practiced their coordination during the [Two-Person Horseback Battle], and they were quite in sync.

Since Morishige Takuro missed, it was naturally Sakayanagi Arisu's turn. Completely trusting Kitagawa Ryo, Sakayanagi Arisu boldly leaned forward, but Kitagawa Ryo beneath him remained as steady as a mountain, maintaining his balance. This sudden increase in attack distance caught Hashimoto Masayoshi's team off guard, and Machida Koji, who was riding on the right, had his headscarf ripped off.

"Kitagawa Ryo's group, one point."

The teacher in charge was broadcasting the points in real time. He was starting to understand the situation. Kitagawa Ryo's formation had a very high floor. Unless it was a two-on-one situation, if you faced Kitagawa Ryo's group head-on, even if you took off both Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo's headscarves, you would probably still be left sighing in despair at the two behind him.

After landing a successful blow, Kitagawa Ryo quickly pulled away, making no move to turn around. He simply walked forward, backward, left, and right, making sure not to expose his back.

Meanwhile, Katsuragi Kohei's group inevitably clashed with Sudo Ken's group.

Although Katsuragi Kohei looks quite intimidating, his physical abilities are actually only average. After a collision with Yamada Albert, he felt powerless.

Although you can't use your hands while riding a horse, and only the rider can remove the headscarf, it's allowed to bump into each other with your shoulders. Yamada Albert and Sudo Ken barged in aggressively, while Miyake Akito was too embarrassed to bump into Kamuro Masumi, who was in his position. The two of them staring at each other wide-eyed became the most peaceful scene between the two groups.

However, although horseback riding provided a great opportunity for riders to perform well, Yukimura Teruhiko was clearly a bit inexperienced. Having never done this kind of activity before, he was noticeably behind Kushida Kikyo in their matchup.

After a round of collisions, Yukimura Teruhiko easily removed Katsuragi Kohei's headscarf, but Kushida Kikyo quickly removed his own headscarf as well.

"Sudo Ken's team, one point."

"Katsuragi Kohei's team, one point."

The four groups dispersed, their steps meandering as they began preparing for the second round of matchups.

I need to catch the train early tomorrow, so I'm taking a day off.

I'm going back to my hometown for the May Day holiday, but I couldn't get a ticket, so I can only take a ride-sharing car at 5:30 am tomorrow. Because it's the new book release period and it's on the recommendation list, it's not easy to ask for leave, so I barely managed to update one chapter. There's really no way to update the old book.

I should be able to update earlier if I get home early tomorrow. I'm very sorry.

But don't worry, I don't plan to go out during the May Day holiday. I'll be staying home writing, and I should be adding extra chapters to both books.

Chapter 194: I'm all settling in

In the first round of competition, from the perspective of class teams, the two groups in Class D removed two headscarves, while the two groups in Class A only removed one, putting them at a slight disadvantage.

If the current rules are based on the ultimate goal of winning first place, Kitagawa Ryo could have easily made all four members of Sudo's group hand over their headbands to him, and then had Sudo Ken tear off all of their group's headbands, just like he did to Class B during the "Double Horseback Battle".

In this way, Sudo Ken's team will have five points, while Katsuragi Kohei's team, even if they take all of Hashimoto Masayoshi's team's headbands, can only get a maximum of four points, which will be enough to declare victory.

However, under the current rules, this kind of trickery is not very effective.

Because at that time, the Sudo Kenjiro group would be in first place with five points, while the remaining three groups would be tied for second and last place with four points each.

At that point, the three groups will have to compete again to determine the last place.

The two groups in Class A only need to remove each other's headscarves to easily push Kitagawa Ryo's group to the bottom of the rankings.

Therefore, after considering all the possible outcomes, Kitagawa Ryo nodded to Sudo Ken.

The meaning is very simple.

There's no need to use any strategies for this task right now; just go for it directly and aggressively.

Takeru Sudo clearly understood this as well. He wasn't exactly a mental player to begin with, and as soon as Ryo Kitagawa gave the signal, he immediately charged toward Masayoshi Hashimoto's group like a wild horse.

Since there are girls in Katsuragi Kohei's group, it's not convenient for them to have a fierce confrontation. So let's take a look at your group of four boys!

Hashimoto Masayoshi never expected that his own lineup advantage would suddenly become a death knell. Seeing the three bulls charging straight towards him, he instinctively tried to dodge.

However, exposing their backs to the enemy in mounted combat is undoubtedly giving away points, so Hashimoto Masayoshi's group had no choice but to change direction sideways. However, they were simply too slow, and Yamada Albert, riding in the middle, and Miyake Akito, riding on the right, crashed directly into the center of their formation.

Just as Hashimoto Masayoshi's blond hair was being forcefully stuffed into Yamada Albert's chest, Katsuragi Kohei's group on the other side also encountered the slippery Kitagawa Ryo's group.

What Katsuragi Kohei found most puzzling was that, the moment they bumped into Kitagawa Ryo, the other three members of the group seemed to have all started to drift off to varying degrees.

Masumi Kamuro mainly remembered that when Kitagawa Ryo helped her out of a predicament by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's subordinates at the beginning of the semester, she always thought that Kitagawa would ask her to help him spy on Class A because of this incident, but a semester passed and nothing happened.

Kikyo Kushida's attention was entirely focused on Yosuke Hirata. Ever since she learned that Yosuke Hirata was an undercover agent planted in Class A by Ryo Kitagawa, Kikyo Kushida had been trying to observe his actions at all times, especially now that the two were facing each other head-on.

She certainly couldn't leak secrets, but that didn't mean she couldn't guide others to discover that Hirata Yosuke was acting strangely.

Compared to the two of them, Hirata Yosuke, with his superb acting skills, is the one who slacked off the least.

In short, Katsuragi Kohei even felt like he was possessed by Gin for a moment, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable when he was giving commands.

In this situation, Sakayanagi Arisu easily removed Kamuro Masumi's headscarf, while Kitagawa Ryo only felt that the girl's eyes were a bit sharp, somewhat resembling Horikita Suzune.

Of course, it's the old ringtone.

Kitagawa Ryo initially intended to use cooking as a stepping stone to teach Horikita Suzune some interpersonal skills, but now it seems more like he's sending Horikita Suzune into the deep pit of cooking.

"Kitagawa Ryo's team, two points."

Completely without pressure, and even with the leisure to let his mind wander for a while, Kitagawa Ryo looked at Hirata Yosuke in front of him and could only say that the other party did put in a lot of effort in his acting, and did not hold back much in terms of physical contact.

Except when Kikyo Kushida is about to make a move, she pretends to be bumped away by Ryo Kitagawa.

Cough cough, at least I didn't fall flat on my face and roll around.

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was struggling to hold on and busy dodging Sakayanagi Arisu's relentless attacks, he looked up and saw that Hashimoto Masayoshi's group on the other side had been completely destroyed.

Hashimoto Masayoshi was being rubbed against Yamada Albert's chest, and Kito Hayato alone simply couldn't withstand the double whammy of Miyake Akira and Sudo Ken.

The connection between the riders and the riders was completely destroyed, as if they had been plowed by a heavy tank. Yukimura Teruhiko removed the headscarves of the remaining three members of Hashimoto's group with almost no effort.

"Sudo Ken's team, four points."

The teacher in charge announced the departure of Hashimoto Masayoshi's group.

With Katsuragi Kohei's group and Kitagawa Ryo's group each securing one and two points respectively, Hashimoto Masayoshi's group has already secured last place in this project.

"Give me the name of the person who has decided to withdraw from the exam within ten minutes."

The teacher in charge, who was aware of this, announced this somewhat cruel fact directly to Masayoshi Hashimoto's group before the project was even finished.

However, the three groups still fiercely competing on the field could no longer care about the situation of Hashimoto Masayoshi's group off the field.

Kohei Katsuragi's expectations have shifted from "first place in the group" to "top two is fine" and then to "get one more point".

However, seeing that Sudo Takeru's team, which had already defeated Hashimoto's team, was charging aggressively towards them, Katsuragi Kohei lowered his expectations to "not being last in the group would be a success."

Then, Katsuragi Kohei's group had all their remaining headscarves torn off under the combined attack of the two groups from Class D.

With only two groups from Class D remaining on the field, there was no need to waste any more energy. After a brief discussion, Kitagawa Ryo decided to give the first place of this project to Sudo Ken's group.

The 2,500-point bonus at the last minute finally propelled them into the top three of their group.

This is also the second team from Class D, besides Kitagawa Ryo's team, to break into the top three of their group.

It can be said to have greatly boosted morale.

Slightly dejected after the defeat, Katsuragi Kohei couldn't blame his teammates, since there was indeed a gap in stamina and physical fitness between them and Sudo Ken's team. As for Kitagawa Ryo's team, if they encountered his "eagle catching chicks" style of play for the first time, they couldn't think of a way to break it apart from encirclement.

"How about it?"

Hashimoto Masayoshi's group seemed to have reached a conclusion, and Katsuragi Kohei stepped forward and, as the class representative of Class A, asked him kindly.

"I'll quit. After all, my academic ability is not as good as Morishige's, and my physical strength is not as good as Hashimoto's and Kito's."

Koji Machida nodded, making a rational judgment like a typical student in Class A.

"Thank you for your hard work during this time. You've worked very hard."

Katsuragi Kohei patted him on the shoulder, but there was a bitter taste in his mouth.

Although Machida Hiroshi said that without a word, his overall abilities were actually quite strong. He could easily serve as a group leader in a C or even D class group, but he was forced to withdraw on the eighth day of the exam on the deserted island.

"Yes, I'm waiting for Class A's final victory."

Koji Machida smiled, left those words, and walked toward the teacher in charge.

Soon, everyone received a text message notification from the school on their watches:

[Kouji Machida, Class A of the first year, was eliminated. 】

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was feeling annoyed by Class A's poor start, losing one student right away, his watch started displaying messages about other students being eliminated one after another.

It's almost time for the first round of research to end.