Although Nagumo Miyabi considered himself a sportsman, even after quitting the soccer club he continued coaching the new members. Every time he heard things like "Nagumo-senpai, you're amazing" or "As expected of Nagumo-senpai," it reaffirmed how strong he was.
However.
Looking at the screen and seeing that muscular black man with a face full of lumps and a mysterious grin, paired with the malicious wrestling event...
Winning or losing aside, if he stepped onto the ring and ended up rolling around with that guy, drenched in sweat, photos would undoubtedly be plastered all over the school forum by lunchtime. Victory was minor, but losing face? Unacceptable. Especially for the soon-to-be student council president.
So, it wasn't because he thought he might lose.
After some self-justification, Nagumo reluctantly chose another student from his class to take his place.
Perhaps, like Zhuge Liang executing Ma Su in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was feeling a similar kind of anguish.
"This is the life-or-death match for Class 2-A. I'm counting on you."
Nagumo did his best to boost the morale of the chosen student through the earpiece, offering every kind of help except actual assistance.
"Class rep!"
The student chosen to go up looked as tragic as a warrior about to go to his doom. In a country where people were generally short, his 180cm stature made him stand out. While he wasn't a top athlete, he was at least a fitness enthusiast. But as he stepped onto the ring...
Seeing Yamada Albert, who stood over two meters tall, he felt his knees tremble.
"Good luck. I didn't use my interference ability because I trust you. We need to save that for the more important matches."
Nagumo's confident and charismatic speeches had inspired his class all year long. It was thanks to his leadership that Class 2-A held the most stable A-Class position among the three grades.
Encouraged, the boy gritted his teeth and climbed into the ring.
"Yamada, go all out."
On the other side, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't worried at all. With their unexpected victory in the second event, Class 1-B was riding high. His tone was even light-hearted.
Upon hearing Kitagawa's order, Yamada Albert nodded and, to his opponent's horror, ripped off his tank top, thumped his chest, and roared:
"OOOOHHHHH!"
There had been an urban legend circulating among the staff at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
A clerk at a mall electronics store had fallen victim to a major online scam. One night, thinking he'd received a seductive message from an idol, he nervously responded with a suggestive text. The idol video-called him, saying she was dressed provocatively. The man excitedly clicked accept after pulling his pants down...
From that day on, he lost his manhood and eventually quit his job due to the psychological trauma.
Four months later, if that poor man had been present, he would've wept tears of empathy watching the brave Class 2-A warrior on the ring.
His soulmate had appeared.
"OOOOOOOOHHHH!"
Before the Class 2-A student could react, two thick arms wrapped around his neck. Caught off guard, his face was shoved directly into Albert's chest.
Most boys fantasize in their youth about being embraced by a gentle older sister.
If you round it up, this guy sort of got his wish.
If only he could ignore the thick, dark chest hair.
Nagumo covered his face, unable to watch. Though Class 2-A was standing at the edge of total defeat, the strongest feeling in Nagumo's heart right now... was relief.
"Boy?"
The student flailed, clawing at the arms choking him, legs kicking backward. But Albert, like grabbing a chick, easily wrapped his legs around the guy's waist and slammed him to the mat.
Say what you will about Albert's size, but he wasn't a brute. Aside from his one match against Kitagawa at the beginning of the year, he hadn't fought again.
So both class groups fell into a weird silence.
Only the sound of sweaty flesh clashing echoed from the ring.
Rationally, Class 2-A knew this was their last chance and they should be cheering.
Emotionally, though, they couldn't bring themselves to salt that wound. It was the only way to preserve their teammate's dignity.
This match could be labeled with quite a few tags.
"Drain his stamina. He might be a key player for 2-A in the team matches."
Kitagawa was still calmly planning, even when victory was almost secured.
As the one controlling an entire grade, Nagumo probably had over 20 million private points. So beating him once wasn't enough to eliminate the threat.
Kitagawa leaned back in his chair, enjoying the show, remembering how the girls had once argued about something like this.
"Once per person. Sounds fair, right?"
[Class 1-B wins the wrestling event, now leading 4-0.]
But according to the Sports Festival rules, all seven events must be played for class point calculations.
Kitagawa yawned lazily, but his eyes sharpened.
The real game starts now.
[Next Event: Karate]
[Commanders, please confirm your selected participants.]
Nagumo now had two choices:
1. Use his main forces to try and win the last three events, even though the match was lost.
2. Save his energy and elite players for future class matches.
Both had merit. The first preserved some pride. A 3-4 loss was better than a total 0-7 wipe.
Even Brazil lost 1-7 to Germany, after all.
But looking at the bigger picture, the second option was more strategic. There were only two rounds per class in the one-day festival, maybe three if the match ended quickly. Little time to rest.
If Class 2-A burned out now, they might lose their next match.
But then again, Kitagawa might be thinking the same. Maybe 1-B would also rest their main players now.
If so, Class 2-A could win the last few easily.
So...
What was the enemy planning?
The timer for participant selection ticked down. Nagumo hesitated.
Finally, he clenched his teeth and sent in a top-tier player.
He was betting on 1-B slacking off.
[Confirmed: Class 1-B Participant: Ryuuen Kakeru]
[Class 2-A Participant: Mukae Sakuhito]
The giant screen displayed both names.
Nagumo's face immediately turned pale.
They sent a main player? Ryuuen, no less?!
Nagumo had confirmed Ryuuen's betrayal. From his investigation, Ryuuen didn't even know karate.
Why was someone who didn't know karate competing?
Nagumo instantly realized the setup.
They had no intention of winning this round.
They just wanted Ryuuen to mess with their player.
And with Ryuuen's underhanded ways, he absolutely could.
Mukae Sakuhito was Nagumo's right-hand man, crucial for their trump team event: soccer.
[Absolutely can't let him fight!]
Nagumo gave an emergency command via earpiece:
"We forfeit. Save your energy for the next match."
Though confused, Mukae obeyed without protest, raising his hand to signal their forfeiture.
The crowd roared in surprise.
"Don't mind it. We'll forfeit the last two as well. Our true enemy is Class 3-A."
Nagumo took a deep breath, trying to calm his fury.
No need to waste energy on 1-B. He'd have plenty of chances to crush Kitagawa later.
Class 3-A was their true rival. He would prove he was no worse than Horikita Manabu.
[Class 1-B wins the karate event, now leading 5-0.]
"Coward."
Kitagawa smirked, clearly reading Nagumo's strategy.
[Class 1-B wins the 30-person pole event, now leading 6-0.]
[Class 1-B wins the soccer event, now leading 7-0.]
Having figured it out, Nagumo quickly forfeited the rest.
Though he kept telling himself it was for the greater good, seeing that bold red "0" on the scoreboard still made him clench his jaw in rage.
His hatred for Class 1-B and Kitagawa Ryo soared.
[Class 1-B gains 240 class points. Class 2-A loses 240 class points.]
This was the earliest match to end out of the six rounds.
Due to the school rule preventing continuous challenges against the same class, Class 1-B finally had some free time and began visiting other match venues in groups.
-------------------------------------
While Kitagawa Ryo was leading Class 1-B to a dominant opening victory, Karuizawa Kei's Class 1-D had plunged into a tough battle.
Their opponent was Class 2-B. Although it appeared to be just a second-year B-Class, in reality, this group had entered the school as the top-ranked A-Class. It was only due to the meteoric rise of Nagumo Miyabi's Class 2-B that they had been bumped down to B-Class.
"Good job," said Kiriyama, the commander of Class 2-B, through his earpiece, offering his appreciation to the classmate who had just completed her event.
In the [Girls' 200-meter Freestyle] event that concluded one minute ago, the athletic star of the class had effortlessly outpaced Class 1-D's Onodera Kayano, giving her no opportunity to close the gap from start to finish.
"No problem. All for the class," the girl replied modestly as she climbed out of the pool, wiping herself dry with a towel.
"It's now 3 to 2. One more win and we take it," Kiriyama nodded.
"Still, Class 1-D is stronger than I expected. Didn't think we'd struggle this much," she exhaled with a troubled expression.
In the four prior events, Class 1-D had won the [Men's 100m Sprint] and [Men's 1000m Run], while Class 2-B responded with victories in [Archery] and [Standing Long Jump]. With the latest win in [Swimming], Class 2-B had now reached match point.
"Those two boys are really something else," Kiriyama commented with a wary look toward the Class 1-D team, particularly at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Sudou Ken, who had both crushed their opponents with overwhelming ease.
"Just one more win. The next event is the Boys' 4x400m Relay, right?"
"Yes, it's one of Class 1-D's chosen group events," Kiriyama responded thoughtfully. "Their plan is probably to capitalize on the strength of those two boys. We should focus more on the other two runners."
While Class 2-B was discussing strategy, Hirata Yosuke of Class 1-D received a calm instruction from Karuizawa Kei through his earpiece:
"No need to be nervous. Stick to the plan."
"Go inform the referee now. And bring 100,000 private points with you."
"Got it."
Nodding, Hirata quietly slipped away from the 1-D formation.
[Would the relay runners from Class 1-D and Class 2-B please gather at the track.]
Kiriyama, choosing to personally intervene in hopes of clinching the final win, stood at the track and bent down to check his shoelaces one more time.
"Yo, Vice President Kiriyama. Long time no see."
"Oh right, I never got the chance to thank you for your help at the last party."
Recognizing the voice, Kiriyama stiffly raised his head.
There stood Kitagawa Ryo in athletic gear, stretching under the sunlight. When their eyes met, Ryo flashed a dazzling grin full of perfect teeth:
"Let's do our best out there."
[Due to an unforeseen injury to Class 1-D's original participant Sotomura Hideo, a substitution has been made in accordance with the rules. Using 100,000 private points, Kitagawa Ryo will take his place.]
The broadcast quickly explained Kiriyama's confusion.
Turning his neck, he saw:
Kitagawa Ryo beaming with confidence. Sudou Ken cracking his knuckles. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka with a calm and indifferent expression. And Hirata Yosuke nodding politely at him.
Huh?
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