After the short intermission, the festival resumed with renewed intensity. The summer heat had turned fierce, the crowd restless with excitement. Laughter, cheers, and the metallic blare of the PA system filled the air, but beneath that lively surface, tension simmered like a barely controlled flame.
The next event: the Girls' Cavalry Battle.
The field was split into red and white zones again, dust swirling beneath the sunlight as the girls assembled into their teams of four — three forming the "horse" and one riding atop as the "rider," whose goal was to snatch the headbands from others.
Suzune stood among Class D's lineup, her expression cold and composed despite the bandage still wrapped around her leg from the earlier race. Around her, Karuizawa, Sakura, and the others readied themselves, checking their grips and adjusting headbands.
"Don't overdo it, Suzune," I told her quietly from the sidelines. "You're still injured."
"I'm fine," she replied curtly, eyes fixed on the opposing teams.
But as soon as the whistle blew, it was obvious something was off.
Class C didn't even pretend to play fair. The four horsemen they sent out — led by Mio Ibuki and Class C's athletic trio — completely ignored Class A and charged straight toward Suzune.
"Class C's heading for Horikita again!" shouted one of the girls from our tent.
It was a direct ambush.
Suzune's team tried to evade, shifting left to avoid the first clash, but Class C surrounded them instantly. In a flurry of arms and shouts, Suzune's headband was snatched before she could even counter.
The referee's flag shot up. "Headband captured! Class D, you're out!"
One by one, the rest of Class D's teams fell. Despite their determination, the targeted focus from Class C overwhelmed them. The only minor victory came from Karuizawa Kei, who managed to grab one headband from a distracted opponent before losing hers seconds later.
When the dust settled, White Team claimed victory.
Karuizawa stumbled back toward our tent, breathing hard. Her face was red from both exhaustion and frustration. "They weren't even trying to hide it. They went for Suzune first on purpose."
I nodded grimly. "Ryūen's fingerprints are all over it."
The Boys' Cavalry Battle
Next was the boys' turn. The energy shifted again, the ground trembling as dozens of male students lined up.
Sudō, bursting with intensity, had already formed his team: Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, Akito Miyake, and Yōsuke Hirata.
From where I stood, I could see Sudō's expression — fierce, focused, and burning with determination.
The whistle blew.
Sudō's team exploded into motion. His raw strength allowed them to overpower most of their initial opponents, their teamwork surprisingly smooth. With Class A fighting beside them, they dominated early on, stealing headbands left and right.
But victory never came easily.
At the far side of the field, Ryūen Kakeru appeared like a grinning devil, standing atop his "horse" with Albert Yamada supporting him. His laughter cut through the noise. "Hey, Sudō! Why don't you stop hiding behind teamwork and fight me one-on-one?"
That single taunt hit its mark.
"Don't let him bait you!" Hirata yelled, grabbing Sudō's arm.
"Shut up! I'll crush him myself!" Sudō snapped, shrugging him off.
Ignoring both Hirata's and Ayanokōji's warnings, Sudō charged ahead. The two cavalry units collided in a storm of dirt and shouting. Ryūen twisted aside with unnatural agility, his smirk never fading.
The struggle raged for half a minute before Hirata reached in, trying to grab Ryūen's headband — but it slipped through his fingers like water.
"Damn it—!"
Ryūen grinned. "Too slow."
In one quick motion, he yanked off Hirata's headband and waved it in the air.
"The winner is White Team!"
The crowd erupted in noise, half cheering, half groaning.
Later, when Sudō furiously inspected Ryūen's discarded headband, they realized the trick — it was coated with hair wax, making it too slippery to grip properly. But there was no proof of cheating.
Class D could do nothing but swallow their anger.
As the boys trudged back to the tent, faces clouded with frustration, Karuizawa approached Kiyotaka.
"Hey," she said softly, her voice serious for once. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? Suzune's matchups… they're too perfect for Class C. It's like they know exactly where she'll be."
Kiyotaka's eyes flicked toward her. "You're right. But it's not just her. They know everything — the entire participation table has been leaked."
Karuizawa's eyes widened. "Leaked? You mean—someone in Class D—"
"Exactly." His tone was calm, analytical. "Ryūen's using that information to manipulate every matchup. Suzune's just the easiest target because he knows it'll throw the class off balance."
Karuizawa frowned. "Then what's your plan? How do we stop this?"
He glanced up at the scoreboard — Class D's total points were falling behind rapidly. "There's nothing to stop. Everything's going according to plan."
"What?"
"I predicted this," he said simply. "But winning the festival isn't our goal."
Before Karuizawa could respond, a loud crash from behind made everyone turn.
Sudō was standing in the middle of the tent, fists clenched, shouting. "I'm sick of this! We keep getting screwed over, and everyone's acting like it's fine!"
"Calm down, Sudō," Hirata said, stepping forward.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Sudō barked. "You keep acting like everything's okay, but we're losing because of you weaklings!"
"Watch your mouth," Yukimura snapped, stepping between them. "You're the one who lost us the Cavalry Battle! You got baited like a fool!"
"Say that again!" Sudō lunged forward.
Before he could reach Yukimura, I stepped in between them. "Enough! This isn't helping!"
But the damage was done. Hirata tried again, raising his hands. "We're all frustrated, Sudō. But fighting our own classmates won't fix anything."
"Shut up!" Sudō's voice cracked with rage. "You're just pretending to be everyone's savior!"
Then, before anyone could stop him — Sudō threw a punch.
I barely managed to shove Hirata out of the way, taking the blow on my shoulder. The impact burned through my arm, but I held my ground.
The tent went dead silent.
Seconds later, Chabashira-sensei appeared, her eyes sharp. "What's going on here?"
Hirata, despite everything, stepped forward. "It's fine, Sensei. Just a misunderstanding. Nobody's hurt."
Her gaze swept over us, unconvinced, but she let it slide. "Keep it together. The festival isn't over."
Sudō turned away, trembling with fury. "I'm done with this crap."
"Wait—Sudō!" Hirata called, but he didn't look back. He walked off the field, disappearing into the crowd.
For the rest of the day, Sudō never returned.
Without their ace, Class D's energy deflated. Some students whispered angrily; others looked lost. Ryūen took the opportunity to stroll over, hands in his pockets, that same devilish grin on his face.
"Yo, Hirata," he called. "Heard your star player walked out. Guess the Red Team's finished, huh?"
Hirata forced a calm smile. "We still have a few tricks left. Don't get too confident."
Ryūen chuckled. "Oh? Then I'll be looking forward to it."
He turned and walked away, leaving a trail of mockery behind him.
Later, during the 200-Metre Dash, Kiyotaka came in third place — just enough to earn points without drawing attention. As he caught his breath, he spotted Suzune standing near the track, rubbing her bandaged leg.
"You understand why Sudō snapped, right?" he asked.
Suzune didn't look at him. "He's impulsive and immature. That's all."
"No," Kiyotaka said flatly. "He's frustrated because he cares. About winning. About the class. About you."
She blinked, caught off guard.
He continued, voice calm but cold. "You say you can't do anything — that's what makes you useless. You're supposed to lead this class, but all you've done is isolate yourself. Ryūen's already exploiting that weakness."
Suzune's hands clenched at her sides. "Then what should I do?"
"Think for yourself," he replied, walking past her. "I'm done giving you answers."
For a long moment, Suzune stood frozen, her expression unreadable.
Lunch Break
When the lunch bell rang, the festival grounds quieted slightly. Students sat beneath tents, eating boxed lunches and gulping down water. The Red Team's morale remained low, though a few small groups still chatted quietly.
Kiyotaka sat under one of the tents, joined by Hirata and Karuizawa.
"I still can't believe Sudō hit you," Karuizawa said quietly, handing Hirata a bottled drink.
"It's fine," he said, smiling faintly. "He's just… passionate. But we need him back if we're going to recover."
Karuizawa glanced at Kiyotaka. "You think Suzune will find him?"
"She will," Kiyotaka said confidently. "She knows now what needs to be done."
"Do you really think we can win?" Hirata asked.
Kiyotaka looked out toward the field where the afternoon events were being set up. "Ryūen's ahead for now. But there's still one thing he didn't plan for."
"What's that?" Karuizawa asked.
"The unpredictability of human emotion," he replied. "When pushed far enough, people don't always act the way logic predicts. Suzune, Sudō, even Ryūen — all of them are reaching that point."
He leaned back, eyes half-lidded. "The second half of this festival won't be about strength or speed anymore. It'll be about who breaks first."
Hirata exhaled slowly. "Then let's make sure it's not us."
As the lunch bell signaled the end of the break, the Red Team began gathering again — battered, tired, but not defeated.
Somewhere beyond the field, Suzune Horikita was already searching for Ken Sudō.