Chapter 32: Ryuen! I Told You Not to Pop the Champagne Mid-Race, Now You're at the Bottom!
Because the events were tightly scheduled, Hachiman stood at the starting line—Lane 4.
The sun beat down directly from above, making the red track scorching hot. He flexed his wrists and stomped his feet, double-checking the tightness of his laces. Standing next to him in Lane 3 was Katsuragi Kohei. Fine beads of sweat were already seeping from his bald head, glistening in the sunlight.
As a former student of Class A, Katsuragi's physical ability was excellent, and he had trained for a month during the holidays. If one used the analogy of high, middle, and low-tier horses, Katsuragi was definitely a high-tier horse. Hachiman, on the other hand, had a clear self-assessment: above-average, not a burden, but not at a level to win top honors.
"On your marks—"
The starter raised the pistol. The eight contestants in the group crouched simultaneously.
Bang!
The gun went off.
Hachiman burst out. His start wasn't particularly fast, but his rhythm was steady. His stride frequency wasn't high, but every step hit the ground with a dull, heavy thud. Katsuragi was beside him, faster. Their figures were neck-and-neck on the red track at first, but Katsuragi began to inch forward bit by bit.
The finish line appeared before them.
"Fourth group: First place, Katsuragi Kohei," the referee announced, scribbling on the scoreboard. "Second place, Hikigaya Hachiman. Third place—"
Hachiman leaned over, hands on his knees, panting for breath. Second place. He didn't actually care much about the rank. When the participation table was being drafted, he knew he wouldn't take first in this group. However, snagging second place directly was a bit of a surprise. It could only be said that there were no particularly strong "seed" players in this heat.
Katsuragi stood nearby, also breathing hard. His breathing was steadier than Hachiman's, but he didn't speak. Hachiman glanced at him. Katsuragi's brow was slightly furrowed, and his hands were trembling almost imperceptibly.
Clearly, this wasn't from fatigue, but from internal pressure.
In other words, the realization that Class D's participation list had indeed been leaked—and that Classes A and C could use that leak to farm points—was weighing heavily on Katsuragi.
Hachiman straightened up without saying a word and turned toward Class A's tent. As he reached the edge of the tent, Kanzaki Ryuji, who had taken first place in the second group earlier, had already returned.
Seeing Hachiman approach, Kanzaki walked over quickly.
"Hikigaya-kun," Kanzaki began. "In the preparation area just now, you and Katsuragi-kun seemed to have a few words."
Hachiman leaned against a tent pole and took a sip of bottled water.
"It's nothing," Hachiman said. "It's just that Katsuragi's mental state has collapsed."
Kanzaki's brow twitched. "Collapsed?"
"Yeah." Hachiman screwed the cap back on and set the bottle aside. "He realized Class D's list was leaked. He also realized that in the mandatory events, his class is going to fall significantly behind. Those two pieces of news hit him at once, and he couldn't handle it."
Kanzaki: "..."
That was indeed quite miserable. But... had Katsuragi's mind truly collapsed?
On the field, the fifth group of contestants was already in position at the starting line. The announcer's voice crackled over the speakers, mixing with the cheers from the stands. One could say the Sports Festival was still ongoing, but for some, the race had ended before it even began.
.
.
.
For instance, when Katsuragi Kohei walked back, his underling Totsuka Yahiko immediately rushed to meet him.
"Katsuragi-kun, congratulations! First place! Fifteen points!" Totsuka's voice was filled with excitement. "You ran beautifully in that group, you even suppressed Hikigaya!"
However, Totsuka's voice gradually trailed off as he saw Katsuragi's expression. Katsuragi wasn't smiling. His face was grim, his brows locked tight. He didn't even look at Totsuka, walking straight into the tent and sinking into a folding chair.
Totsuka stood frozen, mouth agape, wanting to say something but failing to find the words. He turned to the other Class B students nearby; they were all watching Katsuragi, looking at one another in silence. The air in the tent suddenly became heavy.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat in a folding chair at the very back of the tent. A cup of black tea sat before her, steam rising in curls. Due to her physical condition, she couldn't participate in any events, so she stayed here the entire time. Her cane leaned against the chair, and her silver hair draped over her shoulders, strands fluttering in the wind. She held her teacup, her gaze fixed on Katsuragi.
"Katsuragi-kun," Sakayanagi spoke. "What did Hikigaya-kun say to you in the preparation area earlier?"
Clearly, even though she was in the camp, she had noticed the situation on the track. It was just unclear whether she was watching Katsuragi or Hikigaya—though Kamuro knew for a fact she was watching Hikigaya.
"Class D's participation list has likely been leaked." At Sakayanagi's inquiry, Katsuragi's voice was low, but every word was clear to everyone in the tent.
Totsuka Yahiko's eyes widened. The surrounding Class B students were equally stunned.
"What do you mean?" Totsuka's voice tightened. "Class D's list... leaked? Who leaked it?"
Everyone knew their Class B had given the "unathletic" students of Class D a break—choosing to forfeit those mandatory events to let Class D gain some points. The payment for this favor was Katsuragi leading the drafting of Class D's list. This was meant to ensure Class B's athletic seeds avoided monsters like Koenji, Ayanokouji, and Sudo to secure high scores.
Katsuragi had even accounted for the need for secrecy, arranging for Class D to submit the list with him at the very last second. And yet it was still leaked? Then who was the leaker... Hirata or Horikita?
"I don't know," Katsuragi shook his head. "But Hikigaya got a hold of it. He made arrangements specifically for the group Koenji was in, putting Kanzaki Ryuji and Watanabe Norihito in at the same time. He knew Koenji would forfeit, so first and second place in that group were taken by Class A. I expect these kinds of arrangements will continue."
The tent fell silent for several seconds.
"Therefore, in the mandatory events," Katsuragi continued, "we in Class B won't be able to get the scores we wanted. Our participation table was built on the premise that 'Koenji would run seriously.' But if he doesn't run, all the arrangements we made to avoid him become wasted moves. It's equivalent to giving up scoring opportunities for nothing."
Totsuka's expression turned ugly. He remembered the second group race, where Class A's Kanzaki and Watanabe swept the top two spots. At the time, he thought it was strange—why would Class A put two strong runners in the same group? Against Koenji, wasn't that a waste? Now he knew. It wasn't a waste. It was because they knew Koenji wouldn't run.
"Then... what do we do?" Totsuka's voice panicked. "The mandatory events have already started, we can't change the list. Are we just going to watch Class A farm points?"
Katsuragi didn't speak. He lowered his head, staring at his hands.
Sakayanagi set down her teacup, her gaze sweeping across the tent. Several Class B students crowded around, anxiety etched on their faces. She withdrew her gaze and looked at Katsuragi.
"Katsuragi-kun," Sakayanagi said. "There is still room for a maneuver."
Katsuragi looked up.
"It is a fact that Class D's list was leaked," Sakayanagi's voice was calm. "But the method of the leak is more important than the leak itself."
Katsuragi's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"The only people involved in drafting Class D's list were you, Hirata Yosuke, and Horikita Suzune." Sakayanagi's finger tapped lightly on the edge of the table. "You are not from Class D, so you have no motive to leak it. Hirata has a great reputation in Class D; no one would suspect him. Horikita, however—she has made many enemies in Class D. If the list is leaked, everyone will suspect her."
Katsuragi's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're saying... this was a deliberate setup by someone?"
"Highly probable." Sakayanagi took a sip of her tea. "Someone wants to use the leak to attack Horikita Suzune. To make her lose trust in Class D, lose her voice, and even lose her leadership status."
Katsuragi was silent for a few seconds. His mind worked quickly, processing Sakayanagi's words. If the purpose of the leak was to attack Horikita, then Class A obtaining the list was merely a byproduct. Hikigaya wasn't the mastermind; he was simply exploiting the result.
"Who is that person?" Katsuragi asked.
Sakayanagi looked at him. "What do you think?"
Katsuragi lowered his head. At that moment, a person came to mind. Someone with a bad reputation in Class D, strong ability, and a desire to rise. Someone who had made both Classes A and C suffer during the deserted island exam. Someone who had come to blows with Ryuen on the cruise ship.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka," Katsuragi spoke the name.
Sakayanagi did not deny it.
"Why would he do that?" Totsuka's voice came from the side. "What benefit does he get from leaking his own class's list?"
Sakayanagi glanced at him. "The benefits are many. First, Horikita Suzune loses trust. Second, by letting Classes A and C target Class D's weaknesses, the White Team's total score drops, and Class B is dragged down. When the time comes to assign blame, Horikita Suzune will be the scapegoat. Third—" she paused, "it makes Ryuen move."
"Ryuen?" Totsuka was stunned. "What does this have to do with him?"
Sakayanagi didn't answer. She looked at Katsuragi.
Katsuragi's hands tightened on his knees. "Class C has Class D's list. Ryuen will target Class D's weaknesses. If he uses illegal methods—"
"We can report him," Totsuka interjected, his voice lower than before. "Make Class C lose points or even get disqualified."
Silence settled over the tent.
Katsuragi closed his eyes. In his mind, he could now see the chessboard clearly. Ayanokouji leaks the list to attack Horikita and bait Ryuen into moving. Ryuen gets the list, attacks Class D, and simultaneously gets targeted by Class B.
Hikigaya gets the list, uses Class A to farm points, and watches the tigers fight from the mountain. Everyone is acting; everyone is using someone else. And he, Katsuragi, had only just seen the whole picture.
And thinking about this was what pained him the most.
Ryuen was undoubtedly at the bottom, but Ayanokouji was also this difficult to deal with. Moreover, Hikigaya—who exploited Ayanokouji's plans and arrangements to farm points for Class A—was an even more formidable opponent.
With the class competition looking unfavorable, Katsuragi wanted to sigh.
"Kamuro." Sakayanagi's voice rang out.
"Here," Kamuro answered immediately.
"Do you think we can still win?" Sakayanagi asked.
Kamuro spoke in a stiff tone. For her, who had harbored hope for this Sports Festival, this was a bucket of cold water to the face. Nevertheless, she said, "We've already lost points in the mandatory events. There's still a chance in the recommended events. But if we only play defense, we won't win."
Sakayanagi nodded, then looked toward a girl in the corner of the tent.
Shiraishi Asuka.
She sat at the very back, her long golden hair draped over her shoulders, the small mole under her eye striking in the sunlight. She sat quietly, a notebook on her lap, unopened. Hearing Sakayanagi call her name, she looked up.
"Shiraishi-san," Sakayanagi said. "What do you think?"
Shiraishi Asuka was silent for two seconds. Her gaze moved from Sakayanagi to Katsuragi, then back.
"Class D's list was leaked by Ayanokouji," Shiraishi's voice was light, but every word was clear. "Class A will take the opportunity to farm points, and Class C will attack Class D. The White Team's total score will definitely drop. But that's not the worst-case scenario."
Katsuragi watched her. "What is the worst-case scenario?"
"The worst-case scenario is that Class C completely crushes Class D, pulling the White Team's total score down so much that we lose and are deducted 200 points. Simultaneously, we fail to take first in the year rankings, falling to third instead, and lose another 100 points. Losing 300 points in a single exam."
The air in the tent grew even heavier.
"But we still have a chance," Shiraishi Asuka continued. "Class C's Ryuen won't stick to conventional methods. He will definitely play in the gray areas. We can prepare for that. Put voice recorders on the Class D students and record evidence of Ryuen's violations. Once we have the evidence and report it, Class C will be deducted points. The Red Team's total score will drop, giving our White Team a chance."
Totsuka's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! As long as we pull Class C down, even if we lose, we won't lose too much. After all, we already convinced the third-year Class C to go easy on us. Katsuragi-kun, we can really do this."
Katsuragi remained silent for a few seconds before looking at Shiraishi. "How many people do we need to set up?"
"Not many," Shiraishi Asuka said. "We just need to put recorders on the people in Class D most likely to be targeted by Ryuen. For example, Koenji, Sudo, or Ayanokouji. If Ryuen wants to attack Class D, he will definitely start with them."
Katsuragi nodded. His expression returned to its usual steady composure, but his eyes were brighter than before.
"Let's do it," Katsuragi said. "Totsuka, go prepare the recorders. Kamuro, go contact that side—"
"Wait a moment," Sakayanagi interrupted him.
Everyone looked at her.
Sakayanagi held her teacup, her gaze fixed on Shiraishi Asuka.
"Shiraishi-san," Sakayanagi began. "You seem very... wary of Ayanokouji-kun."
As soon as those words were spoken, the tent fell into an instant, dead silence.
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