The boys and girls split up for this competition — boys participated in pole toppling while girls competed in ball throwing.
Having used all his voice recorders, he would need to request another from Tomonari if he wanted one.
"Oh." Kikyō nodded, "Well then..."
She put on her angelic expression and made a cheering gesture.
"Good luck, Oreki-kun."
She was naturally cute, and her gesture seemed encouraging. However...
"Thanks." Houtarou glanced back, and knowing her well, he noticed she seemed unusually cheerful — as if anticipating something good.
This was strange, considering she had just lost to two of Kakeru's class's top players in the hurdles competition. Yet instead of being disappointed or bitter, she was in high spirits?
Kikyō's angelic persona was convincing, but her dislike for Suzune was obvious whenever that girl was involved.
Clearly, there was no need to give Kikyō a voice recorder or warn her about Kakeru.
The evidence was clear — this little devil was once again Class C's traitor.
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Sighing inwardly, Kikyō continued to oppose Suzune, just as she would in the future.
Her relationship with Suzune mirrored that of Chie and Sae — a deep-seated obsession. She would even resort to underhanded methods if it meant bringing Suzune down.
At least Suzune had been warned and given a voice recorder that could counter any potential incidents.
Houtarou contemplated this before returning to Class A's red team camp.
Masumi, fresh from her hurdles heat, offered him a towel.
"No need." Houtarou said, "I'm not sweating."
"Oh." Masumi nodded.
She had wanted to warn him about the scent of other girls on him — something Ichinose would surely notice later — but since he declined, she let it be.
Maintaining her composure after the rejection, Masumi remained silent.
"Ryūen!"
Class A's sports festival commander Kōhei stood waiting. The boys' pole toppling competition would start in 8 minutes.
The event took place on a sand field, where teams competed to knock down their opponents' large wooden poles — a simple but intense contest.
The Red team (Class A and D boys) would face off against the White team (Class B and C boys).
While the game was rough, it had clear rules: no violent attacks or kicking. Serious violations would result in disqualification and point deductions, though pushing and pulling were permitted.
This best-of-three match, while worth fewer points than the recommended events, required coordination between Class A and Class D.
Kakeru had earlier led his students straight out of the gymnasium, skipping joint training with Class A. Now he was late.
Kōhei's displeasure was evident.
"No need to rush!" Kakeru appeared, sporting a red band. "The red team is leading. Besides, isn't Class A already up by 100 points?"
After two rounds, the current standings showed:
Red Team (Class A & D Alliance): 3509 Points
White Team (Class B & C Alliance): 2750 Points
Class A maintained their lead, with real-time scores showing them ahead by 100 points.
This made sense - for one thing, Class A students naturally had high physical capabilities.
Class B, having seen Class C's participation list first, strategically arranged their lineup to avoid Class C's star athletes. However, their kind-hearted students forfeited several hurdles and 100-meter events to accommodate Class C's weaker athletes, resulting in a slightly lower score.
On Kakeru's side, he deliberately positioned his class's top athletes against Class C to suppress their performance. This strategy also led to lower scores in these individual events.
Yet to Kōhei, he remained an unsettling presence.
"Ryūen, what are you planning this time—"
"Don't worry!" Kakeru said, "I won't do anything to Class A during this exam."
Oh. That implied he had plans for the future.
Meanwhile, Houtarou sat quietly at his class's base camp, observing Kakeru.
Since Kakeru had already begun suppressing Class C's female athletes to gain points, he couldn't risk letting Ken — their ace player — participate in the recommended mixed-gender three-legged race to exploit points.
Ken's physical abilities ranked among the school's finest, with only Suzune, Houtarou, and Rokusuke capable of matching him.
Though Kakeru's class boasted several athletic talents, none could match Ken's physical prowess. Left unchecked, he could dominate the mixed-gender three-legged race.
This outcome was precisely what Kakeru wanted to prevent. The pole toppling match and cavalry battle were his only opportunities to deal with Ken.
So… let Kakeru's show begin!
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Eight minutes later, the first-year boys gathered at the sand field.
The AD Alliance faced off against the BC Alliance. No female spectators were present, as they were competing in the ball throwing competition.
Both sides stood ready, with Houtarou's team wearing red.
For the first round, the red team's Class A would defend while Class D attacked. On the white team's side, Class B would defend against Class C's assault.
All boys were in position.
On the white team's side, Ken, who possessed the best physical abilities, had something to say.
"Ryūen, you bastard—" He immediately taunted Kakeru.
This outburst was typical of Ken's hot-headed nature. Though he had helped with Houtarou's plan to set up Kakeru in a fight, Kakeru had indeed mocked him and called him a coward.
The two had likely had other confrontations in private, including instances where Kakeru had overpowered Ken.
And now:
"A barking dog has no bite!" Kakeru replied with cool composure.
"Hahaha—"
The Class D boys behind him erupted in laughter.
"Oreki..." Kōhei expressed concern about having students charge alongside Kakeru.
"We just need to conserve our energy." Houtarou explained, "This event requires many participants and drains stamina, but offers few points. With several competitions still ahead, we should save our strength. If anything, letting Ryūen's class tire themselves out works in our favor."
I see. That makes sense.
Kōhei nodded and instructed the students to provide only support.
However...
"Begin!"
At the referee's signal, Kakeru's Class D boys surged forward with fierce intensity, surrounding Ken in a targeted attack.
"Ahh—" Ken proved worthy of his formidable reputation.
With a mighty roar, he single-handedly drove back the four Class D students who had encircled him.
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