"Huh? Aren't you the commander of Class 1-B? What are you doing here?"
Kiriyama pointed at Kitagawa Ryo with a look as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Because our match against Class 2-A is already over. I'm free now."
Kitagawa shrugged and rolled his arms a bit. Since both of them were set to run the final leg, they had time for a brief chat.
"But seriously, Nagumo's Class 2-A wasn't nearly as strong as you made them out to be."
He casually patted Kiriyama's shoulder, only for the other boy to step back cautiously.
"Don't act all friendly with me. I didn't see the last few matches, but the first and second ones were enough—you guys in Class 1-B were totally cheating."
Kitagawa waved his hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah. You're just afraid of Nagumo retaliating, right? And he probably is pissed right now. If he saw us chatting and laughing together... tsk tsk."
"Then stop coming near me," Kiriyama muttered nervously. "Horikita-senpai may have told me to cooperate with you, but I can't publicly oppose Nagumo."
"I already gave you the roster for the soccer match, so just keep your distance, alright?"
Like someone suddenly branded as a curse, Kitagawa backed off, sensing that Kiriyama's character—timid and indecisive—wasn't someone he could entrust critical intel to, even if Horikita Manabu had vouched for him.
Just then, the relay race between Class 1-D and Class 2-B began.
This event would determine whether Class 2-B could clinch the overall victory with a 4–2 lead. Ever since being ousted from the A Class by Nagumo's rising 2-B, their morale had plummeted. Losing even to a mere 1-D would be a total humiliation.
Driven by desperation, Class 2-B's first runner took off with a nearly perfect start. Hirata Yosuke, slightly slower, trailed by just half a body.
Running is the purest of sports—and perhaps the most thrilling. Like the 100-meter dash crowned as the jewel of the athletic kingdom, it relies on one simple rule: run fast.
When the race began, both 1-D and 2-B—plus the onlooking 1-B—held their breath, then erupted into thunderous cheers.
The roar swept across the field, startling even students in the nearby match. All eyes turned to the track.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stood at the center of this storm, watching Hirata close the distance as he raced toward him.
"All yours, Ayanokouji!"
Though they had practiced baton passes countless times, Ayanokouji did something rare: he nodded.
Then the second leg began.
Until now, Ayanokouji had never sprinted seriously in such an open world.
He could still feel the tremble in Hirata's hand through the baton, the thundering heartbeat as they passed each other.
This was nothing like the emotionless training room.
It was early October. The sun was gentle, the breeze just right.
Ayanokouji surged forward, parting the wind, leaving his opponent behind.
Cheers from Class 1-D rang out like a stereo surround system of thirty-plus voices.
He rounded the first curve, the straight, then into the final bend.
Still accelerating.
By the time he passed the baton to Sudou Ken, they had gained a lead of over fifty meters.
"Nice job, Ayanokouji!"
Sudou noted the perfect setup but didn't relax—there was still ground to cover. With a shout, he took off.
"Looks like 2-B wouldn't have won even if I hadn't stepped in," Kitagawa mused, surprised at Ayanokouji's full display of strength.
"Tch."
Kiriyama clicked his tongue. He had underestimated 1-D.
"Don't get cocky. Even if 1-D wins this race, it'll only tie the match at 3–3."
But he quickly composed himself, projecting calm confidence.
"Then I'll be waiting," Kitagawa said with a carefree smile.
The gap had now widened to almost 80 meters.
"Bye-bye."
Though it was Kitagawa's first time pairing with Sudou, their athletic instincts were elite. The baton exchange went flawlessly. Kitagawa inherited the lead and coasted to the finish line.
The moment he crossed it, 1-D swarmed the track, surrounding Hirata, Ayanokouji, and Sudou in celebration. As Kitagawa had said, the victory belonged to them, not him.
"Yo, isn't that Suzune?"
Back in the spectator stands, Kitagawa spotted Horikita Suzune sitting alone, making her stand out.
"…Ugh."
Unlike her usual coldness, ever since that day Kitagawa witnessed her conversation with Horikita Manabu, something had shifted between them—though not in a good way.
"Didn't you say you'd show your brother your worth at the sports festival, Suzune? Why haven't you competed yet?"
She shot him a glare. Clearly, he was only here to mock her.
"It's all part of Class 1-D's strategy."
But after being roasted so many times, Suzune had learned to stay composed. She exhaled slowly, folding her hands on her lap.
"Oh…"
Kitagawa's knowing tone and teasing gaze made her clench her fists. He had an uncanny ability to push her buttons.
"Good luck."
"Mind your own business."
Suzune snapped coldly, trying to bury the memory of how—just a month ago—she had clung to his sleeve, begging him not to leave.
[Class 1-D wins the 4x400m boys' relay. The match is tied 3–3.]
[Next event: Soccer.]
[Commanders, please confirm your participants.]
-------------------------------------
"Nagumo! The agreement we made earlier still stands, right?"
Kiriyama from 2nd Year Class B rushed over to Nagumo Miyabi, who was lying on a grassy field with a blade of grass between his lips, staring at the sky.
Seeing the displeased and slightly intimidating look in Nagumo's eyes, Kiriyama quickly corrected himself.
"Sorry, I was too hasty. But right now, 2nd Year Class B is tied 3-3 with 1st Year Class D. According to what you promised before, we lent our class's elite students to your Class A as temporary substitutes free of charge. In return, when our classes are in trouble, Class A should lend a hand too, right?"
Just as Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Manabu had speculated earlier, Nagumo Miyabi, who had taken control of the entire 2nd Year grade, could easily use the temporary substitute rule in team events to build an elite team composed of the best students from all classes. However, this was a trump card he had prepared for Horikita Manabu in 3rd Year Class A, so he wasn't keen on revealing it too early.
"If 2nd Year Class A refuses to help..."
Seeing that Nagumo was still silent, Kiriyama gritted his teeth, preparing to issue a threat.
But before he could finish the sentence "then 2nd Year Class B will no longer cooperate with Class A," he was stopped short by the ferocious look Nagumo gave him upon standing up. The threat got stuck in his throat and turned into:
"Then we'll just... just try to find another way ourselves."
"Alright."
Nagumo smirked, amused by Kiriyama's performance. Having defeated him countless times before, he was well aware of the man's temperament.
"What did they pick for the final event?"
"Soccer!"
Seeing that Nagumo was willing to fulfill the agreement and help, Kiriyama's eyes lit up as he quickly responded.
"Soccer... I remember Hirata Yosuke from the soccer club is in their class, right?"
Nagumo sneered with disdain.
"Yes, it seems Class D chose soccer as their deciding match in hopes of making Hirata their main attacker. I heard he's been a soccer prodigy since junior high..."
Before Kiriyama could finish, Nagumo cut him off impatiently.
"Of course I know. I've lost count of how many times I crushed him in practice matches back in the club. He's got some talent, sure, but nothing special."
"Since I need to blow off some steam anyway, I'll score a couple of goals for you."
Fresh off a humiliating 0-7 loss, Nagumo was seething with anger and was more than happy to channel it against 1st Year Class D.
In his mind, other than Hirata, no one in Class D could pose even a slight obstacle. Helping Class B score a few goals would also help silence any whispers among the remaining three classes about Class A's commitment.
After all, defeating 3rd Year Class A would require full cooperation from all four classes.
"That's fantastic! I'll go report your name as a temporary substitute right now!"
Kiriyama wasn't at all bothered by Nagumo's arrogant remarks. After all, after the six brutal matches earlier, 2nd Year Class B couldn't say with certainty they could beat 1st Year Class D. If Nagumo joined as a substitute, their chances of winning would rise dramatically.
As someone who enrolled in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School in the same year as Nagumo, Kiriyama had experienced firsthand just how strong and domineering he was. So instead of being put off by his overconfidence, he rushed excitedly to inform the referee.
-------------------------------------
"Hello, Honami. How's it going?"
Strolling over to the battlefield of Class 1-C, Kitagawa Ryo instantly spotted Ichinose Honami amidst the crowd.
"Ah, Ryo... It's going okay."
Ichinose Honami, who was usually very polite, uncharacteristically didn't turn to face Kitagawa Ryo directly as she spoke. Her gaze remained fixed on the track in the field.
Class 1-C, just as planned, had drawn the weakest opponent among the second years: Class 2-D. However, the battle seemed far more intense than expected.
"We're currently leading three to two. If we win this one, it's a wrap."
The ongoing event on the field was the boys' three-legged race, chosen by Class 1-C. The pairing of Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sou had just gained the upper hand during a turn, which brought a rare smile to Ichinose's tense expression as she explained.
Each of the four first-year classes had selected their team events based on their class strengths. While they had formed a cooperative alliance, none were willing to ask for help unless the situation was truly dire—after all, relying on others couldn't beat relying on oneself.
For Class 1-C, their strongest asset was their unmatched unity and coordination among students. That was precisely why Ichinose had chosen the highly teamwork-dependent event of the boys' three-legged race.
"Looks like a win."
As Ichinose had said, Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sou's flawless coordination brought them increasing speed. In the final stretch, they were practically running in perfect sync, easily leaving their opponents behind and dashing across the finish line.
"Congrats."
"Whew, we have you to thank for proposing the first-year alliance against the second years."
Ichinose let out a breath of relief. Compared to the other second-year classes, Class 2-D was notably weaker. Plus, as a lower-year class, 1-C had the privilege of choosing the event. If they had been forced to compete against the other first-year classes instead, the outcome would likely have been grim.
That was why Ichinose sincerely appreciated Kitagawa Ryo's earlier strategy.
Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to wave it off with a casual smile, his phone buzzed in his pocket—and at the same time, Ichinose Honami's phone also started vibrating.
In preparation for the Sports Festival, the four class leaders had created a secret four-person group chat.
And the current message came from Karuizawa Kei of Class 1-D:
[Class 2-B is using temporary substitutes from Class 2-A.]
A concise message, exactly the kind they had anticipated might come.
Kitagawa Ryo was about to make a joke when Karuizawa's next message made him furrow his brows and drop his playful tone:
[I'm heading over now.]
Replying to the message, Kitagawa Ryo grabbed Shibata Sou, who had just finished the three-legged race:
"Come with me to Class D's side."
"Eh, huh?"
Still confused, Shibata Sou blinked in puzzlement, but seeing Ichinose Honami nod in agreement, he didn't resist and followed Kitagawa Ryo across the field.
"What's going on?"
"You still have enough stamina, right? You just need to play a quarter of a soccer match."
Kitagawa Ryo didn't answer directly but asked Shibata in return.
The rules for basketball and soccer in this year's festival had been modified to shorten game time. For example, each soccer half was cut to half its original length.
"It was just a three-legged race, I've still got plenty in the tank."
As the most athletic student in Class 1-C, Shibata Sou responded with confident ease.
"Good."
Kitagawa Ryo gave him a short but clear nod of approval.
-------------------------------------
Nagumo Miyabi was surrounded by the students of Class 2-B. It was now halftime in the final match between Class 1-D and Class 2-B: the "Soccer" event.
He took the water bottle Kiriyama handed him but didn't drink. Instead, he sucked in a few gulps of air, spat them harshly on the ground, and stomped his foot down a few times.
After that provocative gesture, Nagumo raised his right hand toward the Class 1-D player bench, gave them a thumbs-up—then flipped it down in one smooth, disdainful motion.
This was the first time he had ever displayed such arrogant behavior so openly, considering he had always portrayed a more disciplined and upright image.
The reason? He had spotted that damned cat among the 1-D formation—the same one that had humiliated him multiple times.
It was lazily sprawled beside a girl.
"Hirata, are you okay?"
For this final match, Karuizawa Kei had personally taken the field—not as a player but as the team's coordinator and support. As soon as the halftime whistle blew, she rushed over with towels and water.
"I'm fine," Hirata Yosuke replied, sucking in a deep breath. He had been tightly marked by Nagumo the entire half, even getting a few cheap shots when the referees weren't looking.
"That was way too much!" "Not even acting like upperclassmen!"
The girls from Class 1-D voiced their indignation. But even their protests sounded hollow now.
Hirata gave a bitter smile as he glanced at the scoreboard, where the brutal truth was displayed in glaring digits:
0 – 4
In just the shortened first half, Nagumo had led Class 2-B to score four goals.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka quietly sipped water. It was his first time participating in a team sport, and it felt rather novel. On paper, Class 1-D shouldn't have been dominated this badly, but...
Sudou Ken was only excellent at basketball. Ayanokouji himself had barely touched a soccer ball in his life. Kouenji Rokusuke refused to cooperate with anyone. Hirata wanted to lead but simply didn't have the means.
Given all that, the result wasn't exactly surprising.
"So now—"
Just as Hirata began to ask Karuizawa what the plan was for the second half, he noticed Kitagawa Ryo and Shibata Sou approaching.
"Your emergency subs have arrived," Kitagawa announced, casually yanking a jersey off a bench and pulling it on. He gave Hirata a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. In the second half, we'll—"
With his sharp eyesight, Kitagawa was one of the few who had caught Nagumo's earlier taunt.
Hotaru also noticed Kitagawa's arrival and gracefully leapt onto his shoulder, rubbing her paw against his neck. Kitagawa chuckled and flicked her off, tossing her to Karuizawa Kei like a furball.
"Let's crush him."
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