"First-year collective cooperation?" Ichinose Honami repeated the term Kitagawa Ryo had just mentioned, chewing it over a few times before nodding thoughtfully.
In fact, Class 1-C, led by Ichinose herself, had always been a strong proponent of teamwork. Whether it was the uninhabited island special exam or the VIP Exam, their consistent approach was to play it safe, avoid underhanded tactics, and aim for mutual benefit. That made Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion all the more appealing to her.
"Yes, collective cooperation," Kitagawa confirmed with a nod. "Just like I said earlier, the first-year classes are bound to face attacks from the upperclassmen. And before the Sports Festival arrives, no one can guarantee that their class won't be targeted. Instead of living in fear, it's better to preemptively set our sights on the second-years."
"The four first-year classes can coordinate in advance, each selecting a second-year class to confront. Then we can form two unbeatable teams for the group events using each class's top athletes as the core. With the sports festival being a best-of-seven format, if we secure the two points from the group matches early on, it means we only need to win two out of the remaining five events."
"But beyond that, each class will have to rely on its own strength," Kitagawa added.
"Phew." Ichinose let out a sigh of relief. Kitagawa had just given Class 1-C a viable path forward. Compared to Classes A, B, and D, Class C had significantly fewer athletic standouts. Their only real contenders were Shibata Sou, Kanzaki Ryuji, and herself—and even among them, the strongest in terms of physical ability, Shibata, had only been rated as a B+.
This stood in sharp contrast to the other classes, each of which had at least one A-level athlete.
Whether they faced fellow first-years or upperclassmen, Class 1-C's chances of winning weren't high. That had been weighing on Ichinose's mind for days.
After all, the impact of this Sports Festival on class points was substantial. If matches progressed quickly, it would be more than possible to challenge two classes in a single day (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Winning both would mean scooping up two to three hundred class points with ease.
For comparison, during the previous uninhabited island exam, even the first-place Class 1-B had only gained 180 class points.
Unlike the island exam where everyone received some bonus, this time there would be definite winners and losers. Some first-year classes would gain class points, while others would lose them, potentially widening the gap significantly.
More importantly, losing a match in this Sports Festival didn't just cost class points—the class commander would be expelled.
And Class 1-C didn't have the luxury of the enormous point pools possessed by Sakayanagi Arisu or Karuizawa Kei. As the sole losers of the Werewolf game, Class C had burned through three million personal points (two million for the participation fee and one million to buy an invitation from Class D) with nothing to show for it.
To make matters worse, due to a contract, they had to pay Karuizawa Kei 800,000 personal points every month. While their class points might still be in the 800s, gathering even ten million personal points—let alone twenty million—was out of the question.
That's why Ichinose had been so downcast these past few days. In this Sports Festival, Class 1-C only had one life.
Ichinose had originally planned to take the fall herself as the commander if things went south, but her classmates had seen through her intentions and firmly rejected the idea.
Because her class was filled with people like that, Ichinose was even more unwilling to see any of them expelled.
"I agree with Ryo's plan." After weighing the pros and cons, Ichinose chose the proactive approach. With her mind made up, her eyes sparkled with determination as she looked at Kitagawa.
"Will Classes 1-A and 1-D be willing to join this plan? Should I reach out to them?"
As one of the most socially adept students in the grade, on par with Kushida Kikyou, Ichinose quickly assumed her role and volunteered to contact the remaining classes.
"Ah, well..." To her surprise, Kitagawa suddenly looked a bit awkward. Scratching his head, he raised the bag stuffed with ingredients in his hand and said sheepishly:
"Did you really think all this was just for two people?"
-------------------------------------
"Would you two like something to drink?"
"Plain tea is fine."
"Hot cocoa, if you have it."
Shiina Hiyori nodded, skillfully retrieved the teaware from the cupboard, then walked into the kitchen to get the tea leaves and cocoa powder, effortlessly beginning to host her guests.
She looked just like the lady of the house.
"Here you go."
With a gentle smile, Shiina served the brewed black tea to Sakayanagi Arisu, then turned to hand the hot cocoa to Karuizawa Kei before taking off her apron and hanging it on the coat rack.
"Seems like you're very familiar with this place, Hiyori-san," Sakayanagi commented, blowing on the surface of her tea.
"I've been here quite a lot, so naturally I know where everything is," Shiina replied, not at all catching the subtle barbs in Sakayanagi's words. She cheerfully returned to her room and brought out the still-sleepy Hotaru.
"Actually, if we're talking about who's most familiar with this place, it's probably this little one."
"To be honest, Hotaru knew Ryo before either of you did."
The newly-awakened Hotaru blinked her watery eyes curiously, clearly surprised to see so many familiar faces gathered in one place for the first time.
In her mind, Hotaru labeled the three girls as Pooper Scooper #2, #3, and #4 respectively.
"So you and Ryo have known each other for quite a while, huh?" Kei asked warmly, sipping her cocoa.
"We met in elementary school, but at first we only chatted online."
"Oh, so you were just online friends," Sakayanagi swiftly interjected, emphasizing the word "online" with deliberate weight.
"That kind of connection is as fragile as a thread of the internet—even more so than a kite string. No effort is needed to break free; it just drifts off to who knows where."
Shiina clearly understood Sakayanagi was referring to the time Ryo disappeared for over a year, but she just smiled calmly.
"As long as the kite eventually returns to your hand, it's all that matters, right?"
"Only by losing something and regaining it can you realize how much it truly means to you."
Sakayanagi seemed like she had more to argue, but the door opened at that moment.
"I'm back."
It was Kitagawa Ryo, returning with groceries. The three girls turned to the door, only to be surprised by an additional presence.
"So Sakayanagi-san and Karuizawa-san really are here," Ichinose Honami peeked inside curiously, raising her hand in a friendly greeting. "Sorry for intruding."
"You're here to talk about the Sports Festival too, right?" Ryo asked.
"I ran into Honami on the way back and told her about our plan. Since everyone is already here, this is a good chance to discuss it."
Sensing the odd atmosphere, Ryo quickly slipped into the kitchen with his groceries.
"If you want something to drink, just tell Hiyori," he called out from the kitchen.
Thinking about it, why were all the class leaders in First year—except for their Class B—girls?
Katsuragi-kun, seriously, get it together.
With that inner comment, Ryo shut the kitchen door—just to block out the smoke and noise.
"Ichinose-san, would you like something to drink?"
"Just water is fine."
The already small room felt even tenser with the addition of one more person. Hiyori got up to pour her a glass of cool water. Ichinose thanked her and then turned toward Sakayanagi and Karuizawa.
"I heard from Ryo that Classes A and D are also interested in cooperating for the Sports Festival."
The two girls exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
"Yes."
"Honestly, I think a united front from First year would be for the best."
"As long as we recognize the upperclassmen as our true enemy, it makes perfect sense for First year to cooperate," Kei added.
"Exactly. Besides, I don't think the second-years are that terrifying. In terms of athleticism, we aren't that far behind."
With Hiyori joining in, the three girls quickly warmed up to one another, showing no sign of the earlier tension.
"If Ichinose-san joins us, then this First year cooperation won't just be a pipe dream—it could really work," Kei said.
"If you're worried, we can let you take on Class 2-D. Just act quickly. If the third-years challenge them first, things could get tricky."
"Uh... I guess I should say thank you?"
Caught off guard by Kei's overly enthusiastic tone, Ichinose scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"It's fine. Your Class C and our Class D have had good relations since the beginning of the year," Hiyori chimed in.
"So there's no need to turn down goodwill. Class C is under the most pressure this Sports Festival, after all."
Of everyone there, Hiyori was the closest to Ichinose, given their past collaboration in a secret group focused on Kitagawa Ryo.
Sakayanagi, though less sociable, nodded in agreement.
"I also think letting Class C face Class 2-D is the best choice. I've already gathered intel on the second-years. Unlike us, their athletic abilities tend to align with class order: A, B, C, D."
"Apparently, a few talented athletes from the lower classes got expelled because they wouldn't follow Nagumo's lead."
"Nagumo believes in absolute meritocracy. If you're in Class D, then you have D-level ability, and that's where you belong."
Sakayanagi's explanation helped ease Ichinose's last bit of hesitation. She had worried that Class 2-D might not be the weakest athletically, but now she could relax a little.
Seeing Ichinose agree to take on Class 2-D, the other three exchanged glances, and Hiyori spoke up:
"Then, Honami, which class do you think should go up against Class 2-A?"
Class 2-A, led by Student Council Vice President Nagumo Miyabi, was the strongest in the second year. Unlike the chaotic structure of First year, Class 2-A represented the pinnacle of power, even rivaling the second-tier third-year classes.
Ichinose realized that this might have been the source of prior debate. Likely, none of the others wanted to go up against that formidable opponent.
They gave her the weakest opponent only to now ask her to choose who would face the strongest?
The weight of their stares made it clear: this was no easy ask. Choosing a sacrificial lamb wasn't something she wanted to do.
"Wouldn't it make the most sense for Class A to take on Class 2-A? A vs. A."
Sakayanagi was the first to speak, sensing Ichinose's hesitation.
"If Ryo hadn't wanted the private points during the Cruise Ship Exam, Class A would've dropped to B or C long ago."
"That's exactly why our B Class should take them on instead," Hiyori immediately countered.
"But your class doesn't have the 20 million points needed to protect the Commander. That's riskier than A or D," Kei shot back.
The exchange made Ichinose unsure whether to laugh or be baffled. Left and right, she glanced between them, slowly realizing they weren't being sarcastic.
They were actually fighting to take on the most dangerous opponent?
Why?
"Hiyori, can you grab a bag of salt and some oyster sauce from the convenience store? I'm cooking and can't leave the stove."
Ryo poked his head out from the kitchen.
"I'll go now."
"Kamuro should be nearby, I'll ask her to bring it."
"I think I have some in my room. I'll get it for you."
All three girls replied simultaneously.
Ichinose drained the last of her water.
Alright. Mystery solved.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000