After leaving the classroom, we arrive at the gymnasium.
A quick scan of the area reveals more than 400 teachers and students in total.
Students from every grade are split into the Red Team and the White Team, gathered in their respective groups.
Class C heads toward the White Team and merges with the larger crowd.
Once everyone sits on the floor, a handful of students step forward.
All eyes turn to them.
"I'm Ishikura from third-year Class B. I've been put in charge of overall command for the White Team this time."
A solidly built student takes the front and begins speaking.
Even through his uniform, the definition of his muscles is obvious—he's clearly from a sports club.
"I have just one piece of advice for the first-years.
It might be unnecessary, but keep this in mind... the sports festival is extremely important.
The experience you gain here will definitely prove useful on another occasion. There will be exams in the future that feel almost like games, but something from this festival will always apply.
Treat every one of them as a critical exam and face them seriously."
The advice is vague.
It sounds like a summary of lessons learned from experience, but it's certainly unsolicited.
"As you all know, in this school only Class A receives any real benefits.
That's why we need to produce results in this sports festival and close the gap with Class A in every grade."
Ishikura looks around the room before continuing.
"The only event that involves all grades is the final 1200-meter relay. Everything else is separated by year.
From now on, gather by grade and discuss your strategies however you like."
At Ishikura's words, students from each grade begin to move.
Ryuuen stays still, but Class B, led by Ichinose, gradually drifts closer.
Class C rises as if to meet them, forming up with Ryuuen at the head.
I take my place behind Ryuuen. Ishizaki and Albert fall in after me.
And then—
"Everyone in Class C, I'm Honami Ichinose. I'm kind of the representative for my class. Since we're on the same White Team, let's get along!"
Ichinose introduces herself with bright energy.
"We've only ever been enemies until now, but this time let's do our best as allies!"
The two classes were clearly opposed in both previous special exams, especially the uninhabited island exam.
With that kind of history, bridging the gap isn't easy.
Yet Ichinose tries to break the ice with an effortlessly friendly approach.
"Kuku. For all your pretty words, your people aren't very well disciplined, Ichinose. Tell them to stop glaring at me."
Class B wears stiff expressions overall.
A fair number of them are openly glaring at Ryuuen. The reason is obvious... the uninhabited island exam.
"That was just a competition. There are winners and there are losers. That's only natural, isn't it?"
Ryuuen's eerie grin only makes the stares from Class B sharpen.
Ichinose, unusually blank-faced, brushes it aside coolly.
"That's true. But you already know these glares aren't because we lost the exam, right?"
"No idea. Why don't you explain it to me, step by step?"
Sparks fly as their eyes lock.
The air is hostile—nothing like the atmosphere between classes that are supposed to cooperate.
"So, how exactly do you plan to win this exam?"
Abruptly, Ryuuen steers the conversation back to the main point.
"We're going to decide on a strategy right now."
"Meaning you haven't figured out how to win yet."
"…The way you phrased that makes it sound like you have, Ryuuen. Is that how I should take it?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then would you mind sharing your winning plan with me?"
"First, a little confirmation. No matter what kind of strategy I propose, will you cooperate? Can you trust me?"
"That depends entirely on the strategy."
"Then this is a waste of time. As long as Class B can't trust me, you won't trust anything I say. We'll just end up probing each other's intentions."
He slips his left hand into his pocket and points at Ichinose with his right.
"Even if we spend time talking here, the only thing you'll want to discuss is targeting Class A.
You want to aggressively close the gap with them. You also want to relatively boost Class D's standing. Your ideal outcome is to knock Class A out of the way and lift your cooperative partner, Class D.
And if possible, you'd love to slap a –100 class point penalty on an underperforming Class A. That about sum it up?"
Ichinose falls silent at Ryuuen's pointed summary.
There's no sign of denial, so the silence can be taken as agreement.
"The real problem is that Class D's evaluation rises relatively. Crushing Class A together with you is one possible approach.
But a strengthened Class D would only get in the way of Class C."
I don't want someone reaching from behind to drag me down.
Ryuuen's assertion is correct, but there is a countermeasure.
"Then why don't we just have the White Team win overall? Victory in the sports festival would deal even more damage to Class A.
Cooperation between us would become absolutely essential, and if our goals align, wouldn't that make working together easier?"
"Kuku, sure, that's true. But it's far too uncertain. The upperclassmen simply aren't reliable."
Ryuuen is already thinking through ways to secure victory.
To him, anyone who won't follow his orders—especially upperclassmen whose abilities are unknown—is nothing more than an obstacle, no matter how many sacrifices it takes to win.
There's even an overall commander for the White Team. Everything will undoubtedly revolve around the third-years.
Finding any guarantee of victory there is difficult.
"The second-years are a disorganized mob controlled by that Class A idiot. And the third-years' key opponent is that guy Horikita. There's no reason to cooperate with them in an exam where our odds are this low."
The surrounding gazes grow heavier.
The first-years' suddenly tense exchange had already drawn some attention, but openly mocking the upperclassmen pulls even more eyes their way.
Students from both Class B and Class C begin to look slightly uneasy.
Yet Ichinose, facing Ryuuen directly, continues without the slightest flinch.
"Taking all that into account, you do have a plan, Ryuuen? —And that plan prioritizes targeting Class D, correct?"
Ryuuen's hand, which had started moving toward his pocket, stops.
As expected, Honami Ichinose is not someone to underestimate.
Reaching that conclusion from just his words alone is impressive.
"Sharp as ever. Bullseye. But that's exactly why you get it, right? Cooperation between us would be difficult."
"Class B and Class D already have a cooperative relationship. So yes, this would be a waste of time. I understand."
Ichinose touches her fingers to her lips, thinking.
Class C or Class D—which offers more long-term advantage?
"I'll ask one last time. Are you willing to work with me?"
"I can't give you an answer right away. But I do think there's room to consider it as one option."
"Kuku. That's plenty."
Ryuuen laughs and starts walking, leading every student from Class C with him.
Even without explicit orders, the others naturally follow, and together they leave the gymnasium.
I blend into the flow and follow without falling behind.
...
With the sports festival set to take place a month from now, full-scale preparations have begun.
The twice-weekly two-hour homeroom periods have been designated as free time, leaving each class to decide how to use them.
Thanks to Ryuuen's order to head straight home from the gymnasium the other day, Class C settled on its policy earlier than most.
Though, in truth, it simply meant everything would be decided according to Ryuuen's judgment.
The order of participation in the all-member events and who would compete in the recommended events would be determined after observing athletic ability during PE classes.
If the rumors about Ryuuen are true, he would probably prioritize gathering only the strongest members, but surprisingly, he seems willing to give favorable treatment to anyone genuinely motivated or hungry for points.
I can sense his growth. He can no longer be called a mere tyrant.
On top of that, he hasn't completely shut the door on cooperation with Class B. A sound decision.
The Ryuuen from the beginning of the school year would never have considered cooperation from the start—he would have rampaged however he pleased, drawn all the hatred to himself, and acted solely for victory.
This time, too, his actions are aimed at winning, yet he is raising the quality of his strategies with a broader perspective.
"First, show me your baseline physical strength. Give it everything you've got."
Ryuuen passes the grip strength dynamometer he is holding to Ishizaki and Albert.
It is currently homeroom time.
The school has made facilities and equipment available for measuring basic physical fitness, and classes are free to use this period however they wish.
Class C has wasted no time; on Ryuuen's orders, we are already assessing athletic ability.
Everyone is out on the grounds wearing the designated gym jerseys.
"Surveillance. Judging from the speed of their movements, they're definitely from Class A."
While the others measure their grip strength, I step slightly away from the group and observe the figure in a jersey watching us.
From the uninhabited island exam, I can match the face to the class.
A closer look confirms it—they're from Class A. As I continue watching, I spot Kamuro as well.
────Whoa!
The front of the group suddenly grows noisy.
Looking over, I see Albert standing in the center.
"Not bad, Albert."
When I rejoin the group, even Ryuuen is praising him.
Needless to say, it's for his grip strength record. I approach Kaneda, who is keeping records, to see the class statistics.
"How's it looking?"
"The only boys left are Ryuuen, Ishizaki, and Kamukura."
As I lean in toward the record sheet, Kaneda immediately understands and shows it to me.
The records include both boys and girls. For reference, Ibuki scored 40 kg, and Shiina scored 23 kg.
"Whoa, as expected from Ryuuen-san!"
Ishizaki's voice rings out. It seems Ryuuen has finished as well.
I should wrap mine up quickly.
"How much was it?"
When Kaneda asks, Ryuuen answers with a hint of pride.
"I got 65.3 kg, and Ishizaki got 57.1 kg."
"Whoa, that's amazing. If we exclude Albert, Ryuuen has the highest."
Albert's grip strength was 90.1 kg.
Given his naturally powerful build and the muscles he trains daily, it's a reasonable result.
With a little more training, he could easily reach 100 kg.
"Hey, Kamukura. You're the last one."
Ryuuen hands me the dynamometer.
I hold it so the display faces me.
The last time I used one of these was when my talents were being measured.
The device's limit is 100 kg. No need to hold back for efficiency.
I place my hand on the lever and apply force in an instant.
I maintain the same pressure for about two seconds, locking in the reading.
"...What's the number?"
A crowd has somehow formed around me. Even the girls have drifted closer.
I turn the display toward the onlookers.
"...100 kg for real!?"
The monitor shows exactly 100.0 kg.
The surrounding students erupt in excitement.
I become even more surrounded, but I simply repeat the process with my left hand.
"Oh…"
As I finish the measurement, the first sound I hear is a dejected murmur from Albert.
It seems he had confidence in his grip strength.
"Gorilla."
"That's rude. I was holding back, you know."
"Damn gorilla."
Ryuuen looks at me with a slightly wary expression. His usual sharp edge is missing from the insult.
"Hey, Kamukura-san, let me touch those muscles! Getting higher than Albert with that build is insane!"
Ishizaki, still riding the high from the record.
My height is 179 cm, while Albert is close to 190 cm. In arm thickness alone, Albert clearly wins.
Yet my result surpassed his. It's no wonder they're shocked.
"Ishizaki-kun, you're being annoying."
I simply place my right hand on Ishizaki's head.
With just that, he goes completely silent, as if he'd stopped breathing.
"So, Ryuuen, are you planning to decide the four-way tug-of-war lineup based on these records?"
"...Ow, ow, ow! It hurts! I'm gonna die! I'm seriously gonna die, Kamukura-san!"
Tug-of-war isn't decided by grip strength alone—body weight and leg strength also factor in, so it's debatable whether these numbers should be the sole basis.
Still, they serve as one useful metric.
While I'm at it, I continue gripping Ishizaki's head for no particular reason.
"Shut up, Ishizaki. They'll be a rough guideline, that's all."
"N-No, wait, Ryuuen-san! This isn't my fault—!"
"What, you saying I'm wrong?"
"N-Nooo!? I-I didn't meeean—owww!!"
A pained scream echoes across the grounds.
The others watch with half-amused expressions at the over-the-top reaction, and no one steps in to help Ishizaki.
We simply move on to prepare for the next measurements.
...
Class C, having finished the grip strength measurements, moved on to recording the next events one after another.
Grip strength, 100-meter dash, and repetitive side jumps. Once those three were done, Ryuuen called the class together for a moment.
"Next is the three-legged race, but I've already decided the pairs. Don't worry—it's not random. I based it on the 100-meter times from earlier."
Ryuuen took the record sheet from Kaneda and began announcing the pairings.
Kaneda is meticulous with the data, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.
"Komiya, don't drag me down."
"You're the one who better not, Ishizaki."
Once all the pairs were announced, everyone started finding their partners.
I looked for the one whose name I'd heard called with mine. From listening, it was clear the pairings were same-sex, girls with girls, boys with boys.
It seems he hadn't gone purely for the optimal numbers.
"Hey, looks like I'm with Kamukura-san."
One boy approached with a loose, grinning expression.
That's Sonoda Masashi. A member of the soccer club, he'd posted a solid time in the 100-meter dash earlier.
"Just to be sure—please don't run at full speed. I won't be able to keep up."
"Don't worry. I'll match your top speed perfectly.
In fact, don't hold back out of consideration for me and fail to hit your maximum."
When I said that, Sonoda responded energetically.
As expected, he clearly sees me as the leader more than Ryuuen.
The difference in attitude is particularly striking.
While thinking, I moved my hands to tie our legs together.
"Hmm. So he didn't necessarily pair people with the closest speeds."
Having finished preparations to run, I analyzed the pairings around us.
Fast runners like Sonoda and me were grouped with other fast runners, but those with average or below-average times were paired according to a certain pattern.
It was that average performers were paired with those below average. He hadn't put the slowest together.
If he had paired slow with slow, the chances of winning would be hopeless—they'd almost certainly finish fifth or worse and lose points.
The fact that he'd built in this kind of safety net shows that the former tyrant truly has broadened his perspective.
"It's our turn."
"Yes. Then please run all out without worrying about me."
We retied the cord around our legs just to be safe and waited for the start signal.
When it came, we took off.
Sonoda hesitated a little at first, but once he realized I was keeping up perfectly, he stopped holding back and ran full throttle.
I matched his pace. As a soccer club member, his athletic reflexes are sharp. His sense of rhythm is good too—it was easy to sync with him.
"H-Hey, aren't we way too fast!?"
When we finished, Sonoda was out of breath but beaming with joy.
"If you hadn't held back at the start, we could have gone even faster."
When I pointed that out, Sonoda touched his cheek with a troubled expression.
"Is something unsatisfactory about me?"
"N-No, that's not it. I was just thinking Kamukura-san's hair keeps hitting me a lot."
He admitted it with an awkward smile.
I touched my own hair. Indeed, this is a nuisance.
I'm also entered in the mixed-gender three-legged race for the recommended events.
Since this time it was same-sex, it was only this much of an issue, but with the opposite sex, I can easily picture getting even worse reactions.
"You're right. Then from now on, I'll tie it back with a hair band."
"…You're really stubborn about not cutting it, huh."
Sonoda glanced sideways at my hair like a sly fox.
I stepped away from him and started looking for someone I could borrow a hair band from.
"K-Kamukura-kun…"
As I walked, I heard a hoarse voice and looked in that direction.
But there was nothing in my line of sight.
"D-Down here…"
I lowered my gaze a little further and found Shiina, completely drained.
She was sitting in the shade, leaning against the wall, taking a break.
The heat isn't too bad today, but for someone who hates exercise, it's still hellish.
"I might… really mess up this exam…"
"I know."
Shiina was breathing heavily; even talking seemed difficult.
Seeing no objection, she must truly be exhausted.
"Shiina-san, do you have a hair band?"
"…I do. I brought one… just in case I was going to try hard…"
Her vocabulary was even sparser than usual as she pulled a light-blue hair band from her pocket and reached out toward me.
Just extending her arm looked painful. Part of it is her lack of athletic ability, but it's also because she hasn't exercised in so long.
"Let's start exercising every day from now on."
"…Yes. But… let me make an excuse this time. The muscle soreness from pool day… still hasn't gone away."
Two days have passed since then, yet her body is apparently suffering soreness unfit for her age.
I took the hair band and tied my hair into a ponytail.
"Ah… good luck with the rest."
She gave a thumbs-up and sent me off.
"Shut up."
She flopped onto the cool floor in the shade.
An uncharacteristic remark—what book had she been reading lately?
"Kamukura-san, Ryuuen-san was calling for you."
Right after I left Shiina, Komiya came to report.
He pointed toward where I should go, so I headed there immediately.
Ryuuen was there with one girl I'd never spoken to.
"You're here. You know what we're doing next?"
"The mixed-gender three-legged race for the recommended events, right?"
"Exactly. And because I'm so kind, I've already picked a partner for our socially awkward friend here."
I ignored Ryuuen's obvious lie and looked at the girl.
Since we're in the same class, I know her name and face. But we've never spoken, so beyond her name, I know nothing about her.
"This is the first time we've talked like this. I'm Yajima. Believe it or not, I'm the track club's promising rookie!"
Yajima greeted me with a cheerful vibe. It seems she's the one pairing with me.
"I need you to win. That's why I prepared the best possible partner.
Yajima has the top 100-meter time among the girls. If you complain about that, you're just being greedy."
"No matter who I'm paired with, I won't lose."
"Kuku. Honestly, I'm half hoping to see you lose."
His usual nasty personality shows through.
But after saying that, he immediately started moving elsewhere—apparently to call the other mixed-gender pairs.
"Ryuuen-kun has changed a little, hasn't he? Right after enrollment he was genuinely terrifying, but now he feels a bit calmer."
He's still scary though, Yajima added with a wry smile. But that observation isn't wrong.
"Is it thanks to you, Kamukura-kun?"
"He changed on his own."
Right now he's intimidating and lecturing the other mixed pairs, but back at the start of the year he probably wouldn't have even looked at Class C students' athletic abilities.
He would have gauged individual strengths, but he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of recording times in detail. I can say that with certainty.
In fact, he isn't treating anyone as disposable now. If he were, he wouldn't personally interact with so many students.
"Well then, let's practice so we don't get yelled at!"
Yajima brimmed with energy in both tone and demeanor.
Without refusing, we began practicing. It was the same as with Sonoda—I matched her full speed.
This way she can maintain her solo 100-meter pace even in the three-legged race. We'll have chances to fine-tune until the actual event, so there are no issues at the moment.
Afterward, Yajima persistently tried to recruit me for the track club. It was a hassle.
***
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