Chapter 048: Is the Winner Ayanokouji?
Ten minutes before the start of the 1200-meter relay, an indescribable tension permeated the athletic field.
The school broadcast repeatedly announced instructions for each class to register at inspection. Students stepped out from their tents and gathered toward the starting line. The red track looked exceptionally piercing under the afternoon sun, and the white starting line was drawn perfectly straight.
Meanwhile, inside the Class B tent, the atmosphere was much heavier than before.
Several boys crowded around Katsuragi Kohei with their phones in hand, displaying screenshots of the real-time scores for the Red and White factions. As the numbers fluctuated before their eyes, everyone's expression turned rather grim.
"Katsuragi-kun, this isn't right."
At that moment, a boy's voice emerged from the crowd, carrying clear anxiety and a trace of anger.
"We spent eight million points to bribe third-year Class C to throw the match. They agreed to it. Why is the gap in the Red-White face-off still this massive? Our White team is still trailing by nearly seven hundred points."
"Yeah, eight million points," another boy chimed in, his tone filled with heartache and dissatisfaction. "That's not a small sum. We spent it, so where is the result?"
Katsuragi stood in the middle of the tent. His expression remained unchanged, but his brow was furrowed tightly. He didn't answer, choosing instead to just stare at the digits on the phone screen.
Red Team: 4830 points. White Team: 4135 points.
A gap of 695 points.
Even if the White Team swept all the top five spots in the 1200-meter relay, the Red Team's leading advantage was still enough to guarantee their victory. This was no longer a question of whether third-year Class C threw the match; it was because the other classes in the Red Team were simply too strong.
Totsuka Yahiko stood beside Katsuragi and saw those numbers as well. His complexion looked poor, and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but seeing Katsuragi's expression, he swallowed his words back down.
Hashimoto Masayoshi walked in from outside the tent holding a tablet that displayed the detailed scoring breakdown for the third-years. Walking at a brisk pace, he stepped up to Katsuragi and handed the tablet over.
"The third-year scores are out," Hashimoto said in a low voice, though everyone was listening intently. "Third-year Class A has 886 points, third-year Class B has 789 points, third-year Class C has 444 points, and third-year Class D has 383 points."
Katsuragi took the tablet and looked down at those lines of numbers. Third-year Class C had 444 points, ranking third among the four third-year classes, and only 61 points higher than Class D. Their score was indeed very low—so low that it didn't look like a score obtained through normal competition.
And this also proved that they had indeed thrown the match.
Yet the Red Team still won, because third-year Class A was just too powerful. Horikita Manabu's class pulled in 886 points, nearly 100 points higher than Class B.
Furthermore, they had completely distanced themselves from Classes C and D.
"We can only say that the Red Team is too powerful," Katsuragi said as he handed the tablet back to Hashimoto, a hint of exhaustion tracing his voice.
The tent fell into silence.
No one spoke, and no one argued.
Because what Katsuragi said was the truth.
The Red Team possessed first-year Class A, second-year Class A, and third-year Class A. With three Class As grouped into the same faction, even if third-year Class C threw the match, the Red Team's total score would still eclipse the White Team's. Therefore, this was ultimately a broad collaboration among multiple classes; it was not a problem that could be solved by bribing a single class.
"Actually," at this moment, a voice came from the corner of the tent, carrying a hint of hesitation and a bit of testing, "is it possible that the issue lies with the second-year results?"
Everyone turned their heads.
Morishita Ai stood in the corner of the tent, also holding a tablet. Her long, violet-blue hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her expression was somewhat subtle. She took a step forward and held the tablet up in front of everyone.
"This is the scoring situation for the second-years," Morishita said.
Several lines of numbers were displayed on the screen.
Second-year Class A: 986 points Second-year Class B: 788 points Second-year Class C: 580 points Second-year Class D: 283 points
The tent grew quiet again. That kind of quiet wasn't just silence; it was shock.
986 points. Second-year Class A had taken 986 points. They weren't just ahead; they were leading by a mile. The second-place Class B only had 788 points, a gap of nearly 200 points.
"Is second-year Class A... really that strong?" someone muttered softly.
Morishita shook her head. "It's not that they're strong; it's that Nagumo Miyabi is manipulating the results. Look, the scores for second-year Classes C and D are also absurd. Is second-year Class C really that amazing?"
Katsuragi pursed his lips.
Manipulation.
He had heard this term before.
He had known about Nagumo's absolute control over the second-years for a long time.
After all, inside the Student Council, he followed Nagumo, the Vice President. The competition among the second-years was intense, but it seemed both second-year Class C and Class D were completely in Nagumo's palms.
If that was the case, Nagumo could easily manipulate the tournament registration forms for those two classes, making the strong avoid the strong and sending the weak to crash against the strong. Second-year Class D only had 283 points, nearly 300 points fewer than Class C. This was not a gap that could appear in a normal competition.
It could only be said that someone was indeed pulling the strings.
Nagumo Miyabi.
"Hikigaya-kun probably didn't even pay Nagumo-senpai any compensation," Sakayanagi Arisu's voice drifted over from the side, carrying a hint of helplessness along with an indescribable emotion. "Nagumo-senpai's own class is on the Red Team, and second-year Class B hasn't been completely crushed by him yet. He has plenty of reasons to suppress second-year Class B; he doesn't need any compensation."
Katsuragi looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds.
Sakayanagi was right.
Nagumo didn't need Hikigaya to pay any price because he wanted to win in the first place. He needed his own class to sit firmly in Class A, and he wanted to completely strip second-year Class B of any hope for a comeback. If the Red Team won, his class would gain an extra 200 points. Those 200 points would be enough to widen the gap between second-year Class A and Class B to an insurmountable distance. Therefore, he would definitely go all out and utilize every available means.
He wasn't helping Hikigaya; he was helping himself.
So, while Katsuragi had bribed third-year Class C to throw the match, Nagumo noticed the score gap in the overall Red-White face-off and immediately took action himself to begin manipulating the second-year results.
Katsuragi closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
Eight million points to bribe third-year Class C to throw the match—he had thought it would be a decisive blow to undercut the opposition. Now he realized it was merely a drop in the bucket. The Red Team was too strong, so powerful that it couldn't be shaken by his minor maneuvering.
In fact, the money had essentially gone down the drain.
"Since things have turned out this way," Katsuragi opened his eyes, his voice regaining its composure, "then let's face the 1200-meter relay with everything we've got."
Several Class B students looked toward him.
"There's no longer any hope for the Red-White face-off," Katsuragi's voice grew heavy. "But there's still a chance for the overall grade rankings. If we take first place in the 1200-meter relay while Class A gets an unfavorable placement, we can overtake them in the grade rankings."
Totsuka's eyes lit up.
"Right! First place in the grade rankings awards an extra 200 points, while second place gets nothing. If Class A fails to get first and we take the top spot, that's a swing of 200 points!"
"Keep in mind that the second-years and third-years are also participating in this event. Second-year Class A and third-year Class A are both incredibly aggressive classes, and second-year Class B has no choice but to fight desperately to climb up. Therefore, it might actually be possible to keep first-year Class A out of the top placements," Totsuka Yahiko added immediately.
Katsuragi nodded. His expression remained steady, but his brow finally relaxed slightly.
It wasn't because he felt they would definitely win, but because he had finally found a direction worth fighting for.
Sitting on a folding chair, Sakayanagi watched all of this unfold without saying a word.
Allowing Katsuragi-kun to completely lead the class and arriving at this sort of outcome didn't surprise her at all.
Katsuragi-kun was relatively cautious and kept the bigger picture in mind, making him a decent leader. However, his opponents were far beyond the scope of merely "decent."
Thus, from the very beginning, this was a match destined to be lost.
She had long held this understanding in her heart.
Sakayanagi's slender fingers tapped lightly against the handle of her cane as her gaze drifted outside the tent.
She was thinking about Hikigaya Hachiman.
He had probably known the outcome of the Red-White face-off a long time ago.
Ever since the opening ceremony when he went to find Nagumo Miyabi, he already knew. That was why he remained so composed, so unhurried. He knew that no matter how Ryuen acted, no matter how Ayanokouji struggled, and no matter how Katsuragi bribed, the Red Team would win.
Because everyone placed on the Red Team had their own reasons for why they absolutely had to win. Nagumo Miyabi wanted to crush second-year Class B, Horikita Manabu wanted to maintain order among the third-years, and Ryuen wanted to secure the 200-point safety net from the Red-White victory.
Hikigaya had simply lined up the desires of these individuals and waited.
Sakayanagi retracted her gaze, lowered her head, and looked at her hand resting on her lap.
'Hikigaya Hachiman, you truly are terrifying.'
.
.
.
Meanwhile, inside the first-year Class C tent, the atmosphere was somewhat more relaxed than in Class B.
Of course, this wasn't because they didn't care, but because they already knew they had won—at least regarding the Red-White face-off.
Red Team: 4830 points. White Team: 4135 points.
With a gap of 695 points, the White Team couldn't catch up even if they swept every single one of the top five spots in the 1200-meter relay.
Since first-year Class C belonged to the Red Team, they had already guaranteed themselves the 200-point bonus from the Red-White victory.
This was the baseline goal Ryuen had set before the sports festival even began—a guaranteed 200 points.
With this, no matter what happened to the grade rankings, their class points wouldn't be deducted. They could preserve their current evaluation points.
Kaneda Satoru stood in the middle of the tent holding a notebook densely packed with figures. He pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat.
"Regarding the grade rankings, we currently have 701 points, Class B has 778 points—a difference of 77 points. Class A has 844 points—a difference of 143 points. Class D has 560 points—a difference of 141 points."
He lifted his gaze from the notebook and scanned the few people present. "If we take first place in the 1200-meter relay, we gain 150 points, bringing our total to 851 points. If neither Class A nor Class B manages to finish in the top five..."
Ishizaki Daichi's eyes lit up. "Then wouldn't we have a chance?"
Kaneda adjusted his glasses. "There is a chance. But the prerequisite is that we take first place, and neither Class A nor Class B finishes in the top five."
The tent fell silent for a moment. Neither of those two conditions would be easy to fulfill.
After all, both Class A and Class B possessed athletic elites that were equal to, if not greater than, Class C's.
Realistically speaking, this was just wishful thinking.
Ryuen Kakeru leaned back against his folding chair with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression completely blank. He showed neither excitement nor tension, merely sitting there quietly as if waiting for someone to speak up.
"Shiina," Ryuen spoke.
Shiina Hiyori sat on a folding chair in the corner of the tent. Her long silver hair fell over her shoulders, and she held a book that hadn't been opened yet. Hearing her name, she raised her head.
"What do you think?" Ryuen asked.
Hiyori fell silent for a second. Her gaze drifted out of the tent, landing on the students warming up on the field.
"For the Red-White face-off, we essentially got 200 points for free," Hiyori said softly. "This is the safety net Hikigaya-kun gave us."
Ryuen's brow twitched slightly. "For free?" An edge of displeasure leaked into his tone. "You think winning the Red-White face-off was just handed to us? If I hadn't taken action, if I hadn't attacked Class D and shared Class D's participation roster with Hikigaya, would the Red Team have won?"
Ibuki Mio stood nearby. Hearing this, her brow furrowed. "Ryuen, what do you mean? Are you saying the Red Team won because of you?"
Ryuen cast a glance at her but didn't reply.
Hiyori looked down at the book in her hands. She knew what Ryuen said was the truth. The Red Team didn't win out of pure luck; they won because Ryuen had acted exactly according to Hikigaya's arrangements. He had targeted Class D, suppressed Sudo, and shattered Class D's morale. Those actions dragged down the White Team's total score and expanded the Red Team's leading margin.
He was working to assist Hikigaya, but he also needed those 200 points himself. This wasn't a free handout; it was a transaction. It was Hikigaya's open scheme.
For this particular exam, the only class Hikigaya-kun actually needed to suppress was Class D.
To be precise, he recognized the risk that Ayanokouji posed, so he wanted to suppress Ayanokouji through Class D.
In terms of reality, he had succeeded. Ayanokouji had already been deserted by everyone in Class D. For this sports festival, Class D had no way to rise up.
"In terms of the facts," Hiyori raised her head, "our minimum requirement has already been met. The Red-White face-off is won, and the 200 points are secured. No matter what happens to the overall grade rankings, this result won't change."
Ryuen stared at her, remaining silent for a few seconds. Then he stood up, walked over to Hiyori, and looked down at her from above.
"After the exam concludes, I have something to say to you in private," Ryuen said.
The tent fell dead silent for a moment. Ibuki Mio was stunned, Ishizaki Daichi's mouth fell slightly open, and Kaneda Satoru adjusted his glasses as his gaze darted back and forth between Ryuen and Hiyori.
"Eh?" Ishizaki let out a brief syllable. "Ryuen, you couldn't possibly be—"
"Shut up." Ryuen threw a glance at him.
Ishizaki hurriedly covered his mouth, but his eyes remained wide open.
Ibuki looked at Ryuen and then back at Hiyori, her brow furrowing even tighter. Speaking in private? Ryuen Kakeru—the guy who had cared about nothing but fighting, violence, and climbing to Class A since the very first day of school—was actually asking to speak to a girl alone? And right after the sports festival ended? Using phrasing like "I have something to say to you in private," which sounded incredibly ambiguous?
Hiyori's expression didn't change at all. She looked up at Ryuen, her clear eyes holding no nervousness or expectation, only a calm, poised serenity as if she were simply waiting for his next sentence.
"I understand," Hiyori said.
Ryuen retracted his gaze, turned around, walked back to his seat, and sat down.
Ishizaki sidled up to Kaneda and lowered his voice. "Hey, do you think Ryuen has feelings for Shiina?"
Kaneda pushed up his glasses. "I don't know."
"I think it's possible!" Ishizaki dropped his voice even lower. "Look, ever since entering this school, Ryuen has only paid attention to guys. I've never seen him look twice at any girl. Shiina is the first—"
"Ryuen-kun doesn't seem like the type of person who is interested in girls," a voice chimed in from the side, cutting Ishizaki off.
Hiyori stood up, her long silver hair reflecting a soft luster under the sunlight. Her expression was tranquil and her tone was steady, as if she were merely stating a fact. "Since enrollment, his attention has always been on the guys. So you don't need to overthink it. He probably just has some specific information to share with me."
Ishizaki blanked out for a moment, then scratched his head. "Y-Yeah, I guess that makes sense..."
Hiyori sat back down in her chair and lowered her head, returning her gaze to the unopened book in her hands. She naturally knew Ryuen wasn't looking for some kind of "special development." A person like Ryuen Kakeru only had class promotion, points, and defeating Class A inside his head. He wouldn't suddenly develop "special feelings" toward a girl. When he said he wanted to talk in private, it was definitely about serious business.
In fact, when Ryuen first returned to the tent, he had already mentioned that Ayanokouji brought up the possibility of transferring to Class C.
And though Ryuen had flatly rejected and cursed out Ayanokouji at the time, he was likely hesitating.
In Hiyori's view, Ryuen didn't want to admit that he needed Ayanokouji, but he also knew that relying on himself and Class C's current strength wouldn't be enough to defeat Hikigaya. Therefore, he needed someone even more ruthless.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was ruthless enough.
Because of this, Ryuen was currently hesitating and needed someone to give him an answer.
"He wants to join Class C?" Ibuki's voice carried disbelief. "Isn't he from Class D?"
"He said he can transfer classes," Ryuen's tone was flat. "20 million points to buy him over. He will assist Class C in climbing to Class A."
Ishizaki swallowed hard. "20 million... where are we supposed to get that many points?"
Ryuen didn't answer. He just looked at Hiyori.
Hiyori lowered her head, staring at the book in her hands.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. The person who was completely isolated by his entire class in Class D, the person who couldn't even manage to borrow a single mirror, and the person who had suffered a crushing defeat in this sports festival. His depth of thinking was incredibly powerful, and his individual combat capability was also exceptional.
However, the methods he used involved sacrificing others. For his own goals, he would sacrifice the class's interests and his classmates' interests. If Class C bought him over, he could help Class C win. But at what cost?
"Ayanokouji-kun wants to win," Hiyori's voice was very soft, sounding as if she were talking to herself. "But his method is to sacrifice everyone else to preserve himself. That is different from our way."
Ibuki suddenly spoke up. "Exactly! Ryuen, haven't you been writing up some plan recently called '800 million points to graduate together'?"
Everyone turned to look at her.
Ibuki stood at the edge of the tent with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression serious. "To transfer one classmate takes 20 million points, so 40 classmates means 800 million. Didn't you say we were all going to climb to Class A together? That's completely different from Ayanokouji's proposal. His plan is to sacrifice others to save himself, while your plan is for everyone to move forward together."
Ryuen's fingers tapped against his knee, then came to a stop.
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