"Shibata Sou and Kanzaki Ryuji from Class 1-C, and Ryuuen Kakeru and Ishizaki Daichi from Class 1-B."
"So you really couldn't find anyone else, huh? You even had to send Ryuuen out again right after the free fighting match."
Standing at the starting line, Hashimoto Masayoshi, the first runner from Class 1-A, smirked with mocking sarcasm at Ryuuen Kakeru, who stood beside him.
"Beating bottom-feeders like you is still no problem."
Ryuuen did look tired, just as Hashimoto noted, but his sharp tongue hadn't dulled at all. He shot back with aggressive confidence.
"Especially you, you stinking fish."
Hashimoto's smile froze. The incident during the special test on the uninhabited island was a major stain in his life. Hearing Ryuuen emphasize the word "stinking" made his eyes twitch in anger.
Still, Hashimoto was mentally tough. He quickly shook it off and began doing exaggerated warm-up motions while casually saying:
"Looks like your commander really is a coward, huh? Not even willing to step in when the class is on the brink."
"Or does he seriously think your ragtag team can win?"
Hashimoto had already scouted Class 1-B. There were some decent runners like Yajima and Kinoshita, but they were all girls. That was exactly why Class 1-D had chosen the boys' 4x400 relay as one of their three team events.
From the beginning, Karuizawa Kei had classified both Class 2-A and Class 1-B as enemies.
If it weren't for the fact that Sudou Ken had burned out and Kouenji Rokusuke only agreed to help against Class 2-A, Class 1-D could've fielded a powerhouse team of Ayanokouji, Sudou, Hirata, and Kouenji without even needing Class A's support.
"Whether our commander is a coward or not, you of all people should know better than us, Class 1-A."
Ryuuen grinned darkly.
"If anyone has a commander who never interferes in life-or-death matches, it's you guys."
Hashimoto was about to fire back in defense of Sakayanagi Arisu, but the referee arrived to signal the race was about to start.
He choked on his comeback and glared at Ryuuen before lowering himself into the starting stance.
Bang!
With the crack of the starting pistol, Ryuuen and Hashimoto burst forward.
It was the match point. Neither dared risk a false start, knowing disqualification would be the end.
Just as Hashimoto had predicted, Ryuuen wasn't at his peak. After 200 meters, the gap between them began to widen. Despite tying up his long hair with a headband and pushing himself to the limit, Ryuuen could barely keep the distance within twenty meters.
Class 1-D had taken the early lead.
Cheers and applause erupted from the D-class camp. It didn't matter who was running—if the victory belonged to Class 1-D, they were satisfied.
Ryuuen looked almost comical, gasping for air, soaked in sweat, with blood oozing from a reopened cut in his gums. The metallic taste of iron filled his mouth.
Many boys in Class 1-B—like Komiya and Yamashige—had wanted to run instead, feeling it was too cruel to send Ryuuen back out right after his intense fight with Sudou. But Ryuuen had insisted on being the first runner.
The afternoon sun blazed hotter than the morning. He was drenched. The pain was intense.
Hashimoto widened the gap by another five meters. Ryuuen forced himself to blank out and just chased forward, one foot in front of the other.
Damn it... Kitagawa Ryo is the commander, not me. Why am I the one bleeding my guts out here?
Four hundred meters wouldn't normally be a big deal for him, but now it felt endless.
There was no way he'd leave this to someone else.
When the sky falls, the leader should take the hit.
Even if he wasn't exactly the leader.
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue and pushed on. He'd turned off his earpiece before the match, just like during the free fighting round.
He wasn't going to let Class 1-B lose.
Draining every last bit of strength, Ryuuen surged forward. People often called him a mad dog—once he bit down, he never let go. You could kick and punch all you wanted, he'd still come at you from the shadows.
That was his nature.
And though it came from losing again and again, Ryuuen was someone who couldn't stand to lose.
That's why all he chased was final victory.
But this time, he was truly desperate. For the first time, he could feel it: he didn't want to lose.
Hashimoto passed the baton to Kitou Hayato.
He turned, curious to see just how far Ryuuen had fallen behind—twenty meters? More?
But as he looked back, Ryuuen's face flashed right past him.
It was twisted with effort, so fierce it made Hashimoto reflexively recoil.
Ishizaki Daichi caught the baton and took off silently.
Hashimoto stared blankly at Ryuuen, now doubled over and gasping like an old engine.
In the end, he had only fallen behind by less than ten meters.
Scary. Really scary.
-------------------------------------
Ishizaki Daichi hadn't participated in any events today. The only one he had been assigned to ended with Class 2-A forfeiting due to missing participants, a result of Ryuuen Kakeru's prior maneuvering.
As a result, Ishizaki was arguably Class 1-B's most physically rested main player.
Kitou Hayato, on the other hand, had competed in both wrestling and soccer. His stamina hadn't fully recovered, and running wasn't exactly his forte. Because of that, the small gap between them began to close.
Ishizaki ran as if his life depended on it. As one of the few "ordinary" students closest to Ryuuen and Kitagawa Ryo, he knew exactly where Class 1-B's changes this semester had come from.
In fact, for most of the semester, all Class 1-B students had to do was follow the two leaders' plans—or even do nothing at all, like during the deserted island exam—and they would rack up points with little effort.
This sports festival was one of the rare occasions where the rest of the class could actually prove their worth.
Class 1-B had even registered for a full-class event like pole topple, but it hadn't been selected.
Swinging his arms with all his might, Ishizaki ignored any concerns about stamina. His only goal was to run the 400 meters as fast as he possibly could.
Yamada had already secured a win against Class 2-A. There was no way he was going to fall behind.
Fueled by that mindset, Ishizaki managed to run faster than he did during practice. Not only did he keep Kitou from widening the gap, he nearly erased the slight lead altogether.
"Take it!"
Since they hadn't practiced together before, Ishizaki shouted as he handed the baton to Kanzaki Ryuji.
Thankfully, Kanzaki was quick on the uptake and caught it securely.
He launched into his run almost simultaneously with Hirata Yosuke.
"Hah... hah..."
Ishizaki collapsed onto the grass beside Ryuuen, who was already lying there. He struggled to smile.
"Still no chance."
Watching them, Hashimoto Masayoshi scoffed.
"Shibata and Kanzaki can't compare to Hirata and Ayanokouji. Especially with Ayanokouji running the anchor leg."
After the morning's races, no one could ignore just how fast Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was. Placing him last was Class 1-D's insurance for victory.
"Ugh, shut up already."
Ryuuen seemed to have recovered a bit. He abruptly sat up from the grass.
"Ishizaki, let's go."
"Still can't bear to see your class lose, huh, Ryuuen?"
Hashimoto jeered, throwing Ryuuen's earlier words back at him.
But Ryuuen didn't bother responding. He simply led Ishizaki away from the field. Rather than returning to the Class 1-B camp, they found a quiet corner and sat cross-legged.
On the third leg, Hirata and Kanzaki were evenly matched due to Hirata's depleted stamina. Still, it was clear to everyone that Class 1-B was at a growing disadvantage. Shibata, running anchor, stood no chance against Ayanokouji on a level playing field.
"Ryuuen-san."
Even Ishizaki, not the sharpest, could see how things were going. He looked anxiously at Ryuuen, who had his head lowered.
"We won."
Ryuuen suddenly looked up, the corners of his mouth curling into a twisted grin.
"Huh?"
Ishizaki was bewildered. For a moment, he wondered if Ryuuen had finally snapped, unable to accept defeat.
But Ryuuen didn't explain. He kept his gaze on the field.
Kitagawa Ryo had been right—Ryuuen had always seen Class 1-D as the real enemy.
Just like Karuizawa Kei had targeted both Class 1-B and Class 2-A, Ryuuen had been keeping a close eye on Class 1-D.
To her credit, Karuizawa had done an excellent job maintaining secrecy. Most of Class 1-D didn't even know about her plan to challenge Class 1-B until thirty minutes before the match.
Even Kushida Kikyou, the spy Ryuuen had planted in Class 1-D, hadn't noticed the change.
That's right. Ryuuen was the only Class 1-B student who knew in advance about Class 1-D's attack.
With almost no time to plan, he issued new orders to Kushida.
The sports festival was split into morning and afternoon segments, with lunch and rest in between.
Most students stayed in their class camps due to the sunshades provided by the school. Meals were typically picked up by support staff from the cafeteria or convenience store.
Ryuuen happened to have a stash of pre-ordered bento boxes left over from his scheme against Class 2-A.
And as a beloved figure in the class, Kushida was the perfect choice to handle lunch. The athletes wouldn't refuse her. Some might even fantasize about her personally handing them their meals with a sweet smile:
"Good luck in the afternoon match!"
So Ryuuen quickly finalized his plan.
Same old tricks. Shameless as ever.
But as long as it led to Class 1-B's victory, he didn't care.
Because this was the class he shared with Kitagawa Ryo.
-------------------------------------
When Hirata Yosuke and Kanzaki Ryuji were only a few dozen meters away from the final baton pass, Hirata suddenly winced in pain and instinctively clutched his stomach. His running pace faltered for a brief moment.
Although he quickly gritted his teeth and pushed himself to resume his stride, the tight expression on his face and his irregular steps made it clear he was in trouble.
The gap between the two runners widened rapidly.
By the time Kanzaki handed the baton to Shibata Sou, Hirata was still about twenty meters away from Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Ayanokouji subtly furrowed his brows. He could also feel something was wrong within his own body.
To be precise, his legs seemed more eager to head to the restroom than to the finish line.
Hirata gave it everything he had to reach Ayanokouji. He extended his hand to pass the baton.
Ayanokouji had already assumed the proper stance, his hand stretched behind him. They had practiced this many times.
But Hirata's hand trembled, and the baton slipped, falling to the ground. He had to bend down and pick it up before handing it over again.
In the meantime, Shibata had already surged forward, creating a fifty-meter lead.
The students of Class 1-D noticed something was off on the track, but they didn't think too much of it, assuming Hirata had simply run out of stamina.
They trusted that everything would be fine with Ayanokouji taking the baton.
With that expectation, all eyes turned to Class 1-D's anchor.
Ayanokouji quickly assessed the situation.
Shibata was one of the best athletes in the entire year, and he currently had a lead of about sixty meters.
Although Ayanokouji could suppress his stomach discomfort for now, catching up seemed unlikely.
Logically, it didn't make sense.
Even if he had performed well in the morning, his athletic ability was only on par with Sudou Ken's.
Overturning a sixty-meter gap against someone like Shibata...
Ayanokouji promptly gave up the idea.
He continued to run at the pace he had set for himself.
He'd been taught pain endurance techniques in the White Room, so this was manageable for the short term.
Ultimately, under the disappointed sighs of Class 1-D, Shibata crossed the finish line first. No one blamed Ayanokouji, though—he had closed part of the gap, but the lead was just too much to overcome.
[Class 1-B wins the Boys' 4x400m Relay. The score is now tied at 3-3.]
The match had been dragged into the final round.
[Now drawing the seventh and final team event...]
[Drawing complete.]
[The seventh team event is the Three-Legged Race (no gender restriction), submitted by Class 1-D.]
[Commanders, please confirm your team members.]
[Confirmation complete.]
[Class 1-D participants: Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune.]
[Class 1-B participants: Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori.]
[Participants, please head to the designated area for the event.]
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