The autumn midday sun beat down mercilessly, baking the sand of Advanced Nurturing High School's athletic track until visible heat waves shimmered above the ground. Following eight mass events that completely drained the physical endurance of the majority of students in the first half, the atmosphere in the stadium now felt considerably thicker. The cheers from the stands, previously erupting wildly, had now subsided; replaced by a tense hum of anticipation heavily laden with calculation.
Everyone on the field knew the class preliminary rounds, where quantity triumphed over quality, had concluded. Now it was time for the chosen representatives—the monsters from each class—to step into the arena.
"Attention to all students!" The committee's voice through the loudspeakers split the silence that briefly reigned over the field. "We will now commence the Second Phase: The Recommended-Only Events! The first event for this category is the Mixed Three-Legged Race!"
Beneath the shade of the White Team's tent, Horikita Suzune stood, staring at the guide sheet in her hands. She had just returned from the Cavalry Battle track. Her breathing was still slightly ragged and sweat dampened her neck, yet her posture remained upright.
"Mixed Three-Legged Race," Suzune read aloud the detailed rules with a clear voice so the executive ranks of her class could hear. "Each class must send exactly two cross-gender representative pairs. Given the track only has eight lanes, the race will be divided into two heats. The main rule is simple: if the rope tie comes undone before the finish line, or if intentional physical contact occurs to trip an opponent, that class will be instantly disqualified."
Suzune turned the page of the guide, her eyes widening slightly. "And the most crucial part is the point structure of this event. The stakes are no longer ordinary festival points, but massive-scale Faction Points distributed independently in each heat using an absolute domination system."
"What's the breakdown, Horikita?" asked Sudou Ken, who was wiping his face with a wet towel.
"In each heat, First Place receives an additional +1000 Faction Points. Second Place +200 Faction Points. Third Place only +50 Faction Points. And for Fourth Place, or dead last... a penalty of -50 Faction Points will be applied."
A momentary silence fell over the Class 1-B tent. The gap between first place and the other positions was incredibly lopsided. This winner-takes-most point structure was intentionally designed by the school to facilitate lagging classes in staging an instant comeback, provided they possessed superior elite individuals.
Koroizumi Seiji stepped forward from the back row. The young man radiated absolute calmness, a mentor watching his students undergo an exam. There was no panic, because this worst-case scenario was already within the web of his calculations.
"This is an arena where stamina meets coordination," Seiji instructed without hesitation, his voice cutting through the tension in the air. "Hirata, you are paired with Onodera. You will compete in Heat One. You both possess sports club backgrounds with fast leg swing frequencies and stable cardiovascular rhythms."
"Understood," replied Hirata Yosuke with a firm nod. Beside him, Onodera Kayano was already beginning to stretch her ankles.
"For Heat Two..." Seiji turned his head, looking straight at two figures standing slightly apart from the crowd. "Ayanokouji, you will compete alongside Kushida."
Kushida Kikyo merely crossed her arms over her chest. She did not flash a sweet smile; instead, she looked Ayanokouji Kiyotaka up and down with a pragmatic and analytical gaze.
"I have absolutely no problem running," Kushida stated flatly. "My physical fitness is above average. But the speed on this track depends on the couple's balance. Can Ayanokouji truly keep up with me on a straight track?"
Seiji smiled faintly. "He can keep up with anyone in this event, Kushida. You two just need to run as naturally as possible. You set the rhythm, and let Ayanokouji adjust to the rest."
Where he stood, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka listened to the instruction with an expressionless face, yet behind his yellowish-brown eyes, the gears of his mind worked at supercomputer speed.
A highly precise and tactical decision, Ayanokouji analyzed. Koroizumi knows I possess microscopic-level control over my nervous system and muscles. By pairing me with Kushida, who has a stable speed in the second heat, I only need to absolutely mirror the metrics of her stride swing. I can create a perfect artificial synchronization without having to showcase the true extent of my physical capacity.
Before the Class 1-B representatives stepped onto the track, Seiji issued one final macro instruction. "For those of you not competing in this event, sit down and rest your legs. Let these four do the work."
Across the field, a completely contradictory situation was unfolding.
Kanzaki Ryuji stood in the Red faction's preparation area, breathing heavily. Beside him, Ryota Beppu was crouching, tying the red rope knot around his own ankle and Sayo Ando's ankle with fingers growing stiff from fatigue. They were the lineup forced to be pushed forward because Class A's reliable stamina had been completely drained.
"Beppu-kun, Ando-san... forgive this decision," Kanzaki said, his voice sounding heavy. "You two are forced to compete in Heat Two in whatever condition you have left, while Himeno and I will face Heat One."
Sayo Ando let out a long sigh, adjusting the rope tie on her leg with a tense face. "The situation has already reached this point, Kanzaki-kun. We have no choice but to keep moving forward. If we don't move now, this one-sided alliance with Class D will only backfire."
Ryota Beppu forced himself to stand upright beside Ando. He felt his thigh muscles grow stiff and heavy from exhaustion. Even so, he offered a firm nod.
"It's fine, Kanzaki. Our primary task of securing the first half is over. Now, let the still-fresh Class D troops take over the frontal burden of the Red faction."
True to the agreed-upon contract, Class 1-D strolled casually onto the track. In stark contrast to the exhausted Class A faction, these four core members of Class D were in one hundred percent peak physical condition. The Zero Point Stamina strategy designed by Ryuen was now being implemented for real upon the track.
"Hey, Koroizumi," Ryuen called out from the starting line of lane four. His voice flowed coldly, cutting across the distance toward the sideline of Class B. "Good job playing it safe in the mass rounds. But in the arena of these representative events, the point structure is designed to slaughter the losers. Your defensive facade won't be of the slightest use."
Seiji didn't respond with a shout. The young man simply slipped a hand into his tracksuit pocket for a moment, then raised his right hand to give a casual wave toward Ryuen. A gesture Ryuen answered with a faint smirk. That silent interaction was enough of an absolute signal that the drums of war had officially been struck.
[Heat One]
On the track, four pairs of students (eight participants) from the four classes took their places at the starting blocks. Ryuen and Ibuki (Class D) stood tall in the middle lane. Hirata and Onodera (Class B) occupied the left lane. Hashimoto and Kamuro (Class C) prepared with a relaxed posture, while Kanzaki and Himeno (Class A) looked pale, holding back the soreness in their legs.
The committee raised the flare gun. Tweeeet!
"Move, Ibuki!" Ryuen commanded with a deep, booming voice.
Ryuen and Ibuki shot forward with an incredibly brutal driving force. Their fresh muscles translated into terrifying linear speed. Their equally massive egos actually created an in-sync rhythm of stride impacts, instantly leading the race in the opening fifteen meters.
Hirata and Onodera responded with clinical precision. They utilized their athletic club rhythm to create long, stable strides, locking down second place without forcing themselves to chase the monsters ahead of them.
In the outermost lane, tragedy struck Class 1-A. Kanzaki's footsteps, already feeling stiff and heavy, suddenly faltered. His knees refused to respond due to exhaustion. That fatal delay caused the rope to snap taut forcefully, yanking Himeno until she lost her footing. Both dramatically lost their balance and tumbled hard onto the field's sand. Hashimoto and Kamuro (Class C) casually jogged past them to lock down third place.
Ryuen broke the tape in first place. Heat One concluded with Class D's dominance, followed by Class B, Class C, and Class A in dead last.
[Heat Two]
Without a long pause, the next four pairs entered the track. Ishizaki and Kinoshita (Class D) prepared to continue the momentum. Ayanokouji and Kushida (Class B) took their positions. Kitou and Yamamura (Class C) stood calmly, facing Beppu and Ando (Class A), who were panting before they even began to run.
Tweeeet!
As soon as the whistle blew, Ishizaki and Kinoshita instantly shot forward, mimicking the brutality of their leader. However, the truly terrifying phenomenon was occurring in Class 1-B's lane.
Kushida Kikyo pushed her running speed to the maximum, running with all her might, intending to test her teammate's adaptation limits. She intentionally accelerated the rhythm. Strangely, however, Kushida felt absolutely no pulling weight on the rope tied to her leg.
Kushida shot a quick glance downward and realized a sight that gave her goosebumps: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was synchronizing his leg swings, the tilt angle of his hips, and the center of gravity of his footfalls down to the very last millimeter.
Kushida felt as if she were sprinting alone on an empty field. Ayanokouji transformed his body into an invisible gravity support, maintaining their speed to stick tightly behind Ishizaki without appearing conspicuous to the spectators. Ayanokouji was genuinely mimicking Kushida's biological rhythm like a mirror.
Like a replay of the first heat, the exhausted thigh muscles of Beppu and Ando (Class A) finally gave out halfway down the track. They stumbled, falling far behind, allowing Kitou and Yamamura (Class C) to surge into third place.
Ishizaki and Kinoshita broke the tape to secure 1st Place in Heat Two for Class D. Ayanokouji and Kushida followed right after in second place without any significant burden, followed by Class C, and ending with Class A's suffering.
"Hah! I told you," Ryuen untied the rope from his leg with a rough motion. He turned his body, standing tall as he threw a sharp smirk full of arrogance toward the Class B tent where Seiji was. "Pure stamina can never be matched by the remnants of energy, Koroizumi. My second-half comeback scenario to destroy your faction has just begun."
Ryuen swaggered back to his tent with a haughty stride. He felt completely satisfied because Class D had successfully swept 1st Place in both consecutive heats.
On the sidelines, the giant digital screen buzzed, updating the faction points based on the mathematical calculations per heat. The screen displayed an incredibly real threat to the White faction.
[Mixed Three-Legged Race Accumulated Points]
Red Faction (Class D & A): Heat 1: D (+1000), A (-50). Heat 2: D (+1000), A (-50). Total Addition: +1900 Faction Points.
White Faction (Class B & C): Heat 1: B (+200), C (+50). Heat 2: B (+200), C (+50). Total Addition: +500 Faction Points.
"Koroizumi-kun, the Red faction's points are skyrocketing," whispered Horikita Suzune, standing beside Seiji, her face tensing slightly as she dissected the mathematical calculations. "In this single event alone, the Red faction caught up by a margin of 1400 points above us. Ryuen's Zero Point Stamina strategy is really working. He is executing a brutal comeback."
Seiji smiled faintly, his eyes calmly fixed on Ryuen's silhouette, who was sitting back triumphantly in his tent. There was no panic, only a gleam in his eye showing he was enjoying this scenario.
"Correct. That is why the point structure for these representative events was intentionally designed as winner-takes-most," Seiji answered softly. "Ryuen realized this, and he saved his main vanguard for this slaughterhouse. He scored 2000 pure points for his class, and even though Class A acted as a burden, his net total is still +1900."
Seiji folded his arms, keeping his fangs tightly concealed. "Let Ryuen have his fun and feel he has the upper hand for now. The higher he climbs the scoreboard, the harder he will fall when our functional traps snap shut later. Suzune, prepare the instructions for the next event. Ryuen needs an 'extra lesson' on what true speed is."
WHITE FACTION : 19,500 Points (Leading)
Class 1-B: 12,450 Points + 400 Points
Class 1-C: 7,050 Points + 100 Points
RED FACTION : 19,200 Points (Trailing)
Class 1-A: 14,850 Points – 100 Points
Class 1-D: 2,450 Points + 2,000 Points
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