Chapter 042 Kamuro: I Can't Stand You, Always Boosting Others' Morale!
Inside Class B's tent, the sunlight slanted in from the east, casting long, thin shadows against the metal legs of the folding chairs. Sakayanagi Arisu sat in the innermost position, her cane leaning against the side of her chair, with a cup of freshly brewed black tea placed before her.
Steam rose in curls, swirling in the afternoon light.
She didn't drink it; she simply watched the tea while listening to the girl who had just returned from the direction of Class D.
The girl's name was Yamamura Miki, one of Class B's information gatherers. Because her presence was so faint, she was perfectly suited for this kind of work. She stood before Sakayanagi, her tracksuit still dusted with sand from the field and fine beads of sweat on her forehead, clearly having jogged all the way back.
"Everything at Class D has come to light." Yamamura lowered her voice, ensuring only Sakayanagi and Shiraishi Asuka could hear. "Regarding the leak of the participation list, Hirata admitted he set a trap. The person who actually leaked it was Ayanokouji. Horikita's suspicion has been cleared."
Hearing this, the corners of Sakayanagi's mouth curled slightly.
"And then?" Sakayanagi asked.
"And then—Ayanokouji is being targeted by the entire class. Karuizawa said if there's ever a class vote for expulsion, she'll vote for him. Hirata said he's disappointed in Ayanokouji. Hasabe Haruka stood up and said Ayanokouji sacrificed the girls to protect himself. The other boys are arguing too, because Ayanokouji claimed he would sweep all the recommended events, meaning they won't get any points. No one is okay with that. Right now, Class D is a mess; no one respects anyone else."
Yamamura quickly reported what she had seen.
Sakayanagi picked up her black tea and took a small sip, her expression calm.
"Ayanokouji-kun's methods," Sakayanagi put down her teacup and looked at Shiraishi Asuka sitting next to her, "have been exposed in a complete shambles."
Shiraishi Asuka sat on a folding chair, her long golden hair draped over her shoulders. The small beauty mark at the corner of her eye was hard to see in the shadows. A closed notebook lay before her; her fingers rested on the cover, tapping lightly. Hearing Sakayanagi's words, she looked up.
"It seems he doesn't live up to the high evaluation," Sakayanagi added.
Shiraishi didn't speak.
Sakayanagi watched her, waiting for a moment. Seeing that she didn't open her mouth, Sakayanagi didn't press her.
After about half a minute, Shiraishi finally spoke.
"I believe Ayanokouji-kun should still have a trump card," Shiraishi said. "Just as he said himself, he intends to show his true strength in the recommended events. Perhaps our Class B should avoid the brunt of his momentum. If his physical abilities truly exceed Koenji's, facing him head-on will certainly be disadvantageous for Class B."
Sakayanagi looked at her.
Shiraishi Asuka was a person of few words, but whenever she spoke, every sentence was carefully considered. Her suggestion to "avoid the brunt" wasn't a sign of weakness, but a strategy. Gaining the maximum profit with the minimum cost was exactly what Class B needed right now.
But Sakayanagi shook her head.
"If Ayanokouji-kun were truly as strong as you say," Sakayanagi tapped her finger lightly on the rim of the cup, "he wouldn't have allowed himself to fall into this current situation. His name is being hung on a pillar, and he's being called a 'traitor' to his face by the whole class. Is this what he wanted to see? Clearly not. Therefore—his current predicament wasn't part of his plan; it's a pit someone else dug for him. And he jumped right in."
Shiraishi's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"If it were me," Sakayanagi's tone was calm, as if analyzing a math problem, "normally, if I were Ayanokouji-kun and my reputation was already stinking like this, I would choose to win. Because only winning—and winning beautifully—can reverse others' opinions of me.
However, that is under the condition that one hasn't been subjected to a public execution like this, and hasn't had a pit dug for them.
The current situation is that Ayanokouji is on the defensive. That means his move to show his strength was already calculated by Class A's Hikigaya-kun.
So."
Sakayanagi paused before adding, "Under these circumstances, as a student of Class B, I will no longer consider 'avoiding the brunt.' I will strike head-on."
Hearing this, Shiraishi's fingers stopped tapping on the notebook cover.
"Therefore," Sakayanagi looked at her, "I instead suggest that in the recommended events Ayanokouji-kun might participate in, we arrange for more of Class B's elites to compete. Not to avoid him, but to meet him head-on. Because he certainly won't be able to complete the events smoothly. And that is our chance to gain points."
Shiraishi remained silent for a long while.
"But..." She opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately didn't speak. She looked down at her hand on the cover, her fair fingers curling slightly. Sakayanagi noticed her hesitation.
"Shiraishi-san, what are you thinking?" Sakayanagi's voice softened slightly.
Shiraishi looked up at Sakayanagi. Her clear eyes held a gaze that seemed to be seeking confirmation while also trying to convince herself.
"Ayanokouji-kun shouldn't lose," Shiraishi's voice was very low. "He should be the strongest person. Why has it turned out like this?"
Sakayanagi looked at her and was essentially able to confirm it now.
Although Hachiman said he felt Shiraishi-san might be a former White Room student from the same generation as Ayanokouji—one who was trained until age 8 but had to withdraw because her period arrived early—that was only Hachiman's speculation.
However, seeing Shiraishi's current soul-crushing expression, it could indeed be confirmed that she is that "Yuki."
But Sakayanagi did not expose it.
"The results of the morning competitions are out." Sakayanagi changed the subject, picking up a folded score sheet from the table, unfolding it, and pushing it toward Shiraishi.
Shiraishi looked down.
It was the total score for the four classes from the morning.
1st Year Class A (Hachiman's Class): 456 points 1st Year Class B (Katsuragi's Class): 426 points 1st Year Class C (Ryuuen's Class): 389 points 1st Year Class D (Horikita's Class): 288 points
Shiraishi stared at the numbers for a few seconds. OK
"Class A is leading us by thirty points," Shiraishi said.
"Correct." Sakayanagi picked up her tea and took another sip. "In the boys' events, we lost both the Pole Toppling and the Cavalry Battle. In the girls' events, we won the Ball Toss, but lost the Cavalry Battle as well. Therefore, our score isn't excellent, and there are even some risks."
Shiraishi looked up. "What risks?"
"The reports against Ryuuen's class didn't fully take effect." Sakayanagi put down her teacup, her finger tapping the line for "Class C: 389 points." "Although he was docked twenty points, he still gained points from other events. Class C is only thirty-seven points behind us. If they perform well in the afternoon recommended events, it's not impossible for them to overtake us."
Shiraishi was silent for a few seconds.
"So," she said, "we need to secure our position in second place."
"Exactly." Sakayanagi nodded. "That's why I said we must face Ayanokouji head-on in the recommended events. Not to prove anything, but to get points. Take the points from those events and ensure we aren't overtaken by Class C."
Shiraishi didn't speak. She looked back down at the score sheet. The numbers danced before her eyes, but those weren't what she was thinking about. She was thinking about Ayanokouji. Thinking about why he had become like this. Thinking about whether he really was as Sakayanagi said—someone who "jumped into a pit dug by others."
This was the Ayanokouji who was the sole survivor after she left. So why... why would he lose?
Shiraishi Asuka found it incomprehensible.
At that moment.
"Shiraishi-san." Sakayanagi's voice came from the side.
Shiraishi looked up.
"Are you," Sakayanagi weighed her words, "a bit overly concerned with Ayanokouji-kun?"
"..."
Shiraishi subconsciously looked at Sakayanagi and found that those purple-blue eyes held no malice, only a gentle curiosity mixed with a trace of concern.
"I..." Shiraishi opened her mouth to say "No," but swallowed the word. Because she knew Sakayanagi was telling the truth. She was indeed overly focused on Ayanokouji.
She also felt that Sakayanagi must have obtained some information.
But she couldn't say it. At least not now.
"I just feel," Shiraishi reorganized her words, "Ayanokouji-kun shouldn't be limited to only this level."
Sakayanagi looked at her, remaining silent for a long time.
"Perhaps you're right," Sakayanagi finally said. "But what we have to face now isn't the 'Ayanokouji who shouldn't be limited to this level,' but the 'Ayanokouji who is currently only at this level.' Whether he has a trump card is his business. Whether we can get enough points is ours."
Shiraishi nodded. Sakayanagi was right. She was too concerned about Ayanokouji—so concerned that she forgot she was currently a student of Class B, forgot the Sports Festival wasn't over, and forgot their current goal was to hold second place or even find a chance to counterattack for first.
"I understand," Shiraishi said.
Sakayanagi withdrew her gaze, picked up her tea, and spoke no more.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, inside Class A's tent.
Hachiman was leaning back in a folding chair with his phone in hand.
On the screen were messages from Matsushita Chiaki. They popped up one after another like rapid fire. He read every single one, then locked the screen and placed the phone on his lap.
"How is it over at Class D?" Ichinose sat beside him, clearly noticing Hachiman's state.
As the "Archangel" with max social skills, she naturally had her own channels for obtaining information. Her phone had just vibrated too, but she knew the information sent to her was likely the same as what Hachiman received.
Actually, she preferred getting information from Hikigaya-kun, or rather, it gave her an excuse to talk to him more.
Hachiman leaned against the back of the chair, arms crossed over his chest.
"Regarding the leak of the participation list, Hirata admitted he set a trap. The person who actually leaked it was Ayanokouji. Horikita's suspicion has been cleared. But Ayanokouji is being targeted by the entire class. Karuizawa said she'd vote to expel him, and Hirata said he's disappointed. Right now, Class D is split into several factions, and no one respects anyone else."
There was a look of surprise on Ichinose's face.
"Hirata-kun... set a trap?" Her tone held a trace of surprise and an indescribable sentiment. Hirata Yousuke—the gentlest, kindest person in Class D who was the least likely to doubt others—actually set a trap.
However, he was likely pushed to a point where he had no choice but to take such a path.
"It was Hikigaya-kun who told him to do it, right?" Ichinose asked quickly.
This made Hachiman glance at her.
Clearly, Ichinose-san no longer had much of the "simple, love-brained Archangel" vibe from the original story. She had learned to think, considering more often if something was a scheme or strategy.
Hachiman said, "I just told him that Ayanokouji might mess with the participation list. He could choose to do nothing, or he could choose to set a trap. He chose the latter."
Ichinose nodded.
Looking at Hachiman's profile, she suddenly felt that this person was truly incredible. It wasn't because of how high his stats were, but because he understood people too well. He understood Ayanokouji's calculations, Hirata's hesitation, Horikita's stubbornness, and Karuizawa's loyalty. He didn't need to control anyone; he only needed to let everyone do what they were meant to do.
Hikigaya-kun was like an observer of humanity.
"Will the situation in Class D get even worse?" Ichinose asked.
Hachiman picked up the phone from his lap and looked at the last message from Matsushita. That message was just one line: "Sudo has withdrawn from the competition."
"It will," Hachiman said. "Sudo has withdrawn."
Then Hachiman lowered his head and quickly tapped on the screen, replying to Matsushita.
[Understood. Don't worry about Sudo. You guys just do what you need to do.]
After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and leaned back.
Meanwhile, in Class D's tent, the atmosphere was even heavier than at noon.
Some leaned back in their chairs with eyes closed, some looked down at their phones, and some gathered in small groups talking about trivial things. No one mentioned the leaked participation list anymore, no one mentioned Ayanokouji, and no one mentioned Horikita. It wasn't that they didn't want to; it was just useless. It had already happened. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and all the arguments had been had. After all, as students of Class D, they only needed to focus on one thing now: whether they could still get points in the afternoon.
"Sudo isn't coming back." At that moment, a boy's voice drifted in from outside the tent. exe
Several people turned their heads at the same time. Ike Kanji stood at the entrance of the tent, phone in hand, with a poor expression on his face. Yamauchi Haruki stood behind him, wearing a look that said "I knew this would happen." These two were the people closest to Sudo in the class.
"What do you mean?" Hirata Yousuke stood up from his folding chair. K
"After finishing lunch, he went straight back to the dorms." Ike walked into the tent and handed his phone to Hirata. "He said the Sports Festival is boring and he's not participating anymore. He told us not to look for him."
Hirata took the phone and looked down. On the screen was a message from Sudo, just one line: "I'm not competing anymore. You guys have fun."
No emojis, no punctuation—just that one sentence.
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