Chapter 177: Trying to Screw Me Over? I'll Play You Guys to Death!
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"Sae-sensei, what did you want to talk about?"
Seito walked in and took a seat right next to Sae Chabashira.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to ask about Shizuka's... situation." Sae stared at him intently. For a while now, she had been grilling Shizuka about what exactly happened yesterday afternoon, but Shizuka remained tight-lipped.
Frustrated by her friend's silence, Sae's curiosity had gotten the better of her, leading her to track down Seito for answers.
"If Shizuka-sensei didn't tell you, what makes you think I will?" Seito chuckled.
"You really don't plan on saying a word?"
"Nope."
"Fine then." Sae sighed in resignation. If she couldn't find an opening with Seito, she'd just have to keep poking around Shizuka.
"Then, see ya." Seito gave a casual wave and left.
Watching him go, Sae rubbed her chin in thought. Shizuka feels... different today. There's a certain radiance, a certain "charm" she didn't have before. I bet my guess isn't far off.
2:00 PM.
The weather was brilliant, and the sand had mostly dried up. Students in groups of two or three had changed into their swimsuits and headed to the shore to play.
Among the Class 1-E boys:
"Where's Seito?" Iori Kitahara scanned the area, looking baffled. Where did the man vanish to?
"Look over there." Hidenori Tabata pointed toward the Class 1-D girls' area, his voice dripping with jealousy.
Iori turned his gaze. There was Seito, lying right next to Maple, looking like the picture of pure bliss. This sight sent the Class E boys into a fit of envious rage.
On the other side, the Class D girls watched with a mixture of exasperation and resignation as Seito shamelessly lounged among them. As for Seito himself? Smelling the fragrance of the girls surrounding him, he felt like a total degenerate—but a very, very satisfied one.
"Life is good~" he sighed contentedly.
Patter, patter, patter—!
Suddenly, Kanade Tachibana came running over.
"Kanade, you're here too." Seito tipped his sunglasses down to look at her.
"Mmh." Kanade did a flying leap right into his arms.
Seito reflexively caught her. "Why aren't you hanging out with Class A?"
"Class A is boring~" Kanade replied simply.
Seito nodded, and the two of them settled in to soak up the sun together. The other girls nearby glanced at each other but remained silent.
Meanwhile...
CRACK!
A literal crack appeared in Hidenori's glasses.
"We can't let this continue! We have to find something for Seito to do!" Hidenori took a deep breath.
"How?" Iori looked over.
"Come on! Let's go find the Chairwoman. We'll ask her to host a sports competition under the guise of 'physical activity'!" A sharp glint flashed in Hidenori's eyes. If they asked Seito directly, he'd just refuse. But if it came from the Chairwoman...
Iori nodded eagerly. The two of them set off to find Chairwoman Minami.
A while later, back at the lounge area.
Seito, who was peacefully sunbathing while holding his "Angel," suddenly heard Shizuka Hiratsuka's voice.
"Alright, everyone, listen up!"
"The Chairwoman has requested a beach volleyball tournament between the five classes. The two representatives drawn for our class are Seito and Kazuto Kirigaya."
Seito: "???"
Kirito: "???"
The two named individuals were stunned. A tournament? Now? Isn't sunbathing much better?
Seito set Kanade down and stood up. Kirito walked over at the same time.
"Seito, how are we handling this?" Although Kirito kept a calm expression, Seito could see a flicker of excitement in his eyes. It seemed "Kirito-kun" actually wanted to play.
"What else can we do? We play."
Seito led Kirito over to Shizuka. "Did our class get a bye for the first round?" he asked. With five classes, one was bound to sit out initially.
"No," Shizuka shook her head. "We're up against Class E first."
"And who are their players?"
"Iori Kitahara and Hidenori Tabata," Shizuka answered. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "I heard those two were the ones who suggested the tournament to the Chairwoman in the first place."
Seito's expression turned peculiar. Those two old bastards... they're trying to set me up?
He looked over at Iori and Hidenori. The two of them were staring right at him, but the moment they saw him looking, they quickly pretended to be deep in conversation.
Seito let out a cold laugh. He turned and shared a glance with Kirito. Kirito immediately caught his drift and let out a twisted, predatory grin.
"Alright, you two, get over there." Shizuka led them to the court.
A few moments later, Seito and Kirito stood on the left side of the net, while Iori and Hidenori stood on the right. Students from both classes crowded around to watch, though they kept a safe distance.
Ai Hayasaka was drafted as the referee. She scanned the four players and blew her whistle.
"First serve goes to Class D. Match start!"
"DIE!"
The moment the whistle faded, Seito lunged into the air and slammed the ball down with terrifying force.
WHOOSH—!
The volleyball screamed toward Iori. It didn't hit his face, but it grazed his scalp so fast he felt the heat.
BOOM!!
The ball struck the ground, embedding itself deep into the sand. A geyser of sand erupted two meters into the air, looking like a miniature sea surge.
Iori and Hidenori stood frozen, their jaws hitting the floor.
Crap! Big bro, are you trying to murder us?!
The two swallowed hard.
Right then, Kirito walked up to Seito's side, cradling two more volleyballs.
"Seito-san... keep 'em coming." Kirito's smile was becoming increasingly distorted.
"Mmh. Excellent." Seito nodded in approval, snatched another ball, and fired a second "railgun" shot.
"PERISH!"
BANG!
"Pffft—!"
This time, the ball didn't miss. It slammed directly into Iori's gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling into the sand.
Fortunately, Seito had pulled his punch significantly. Otherwise, Iori might have been checking into the afterlife.
Iori scrambled up from the ground, his face contorted with rage. "Hidenori! Give me the ball! We're going on the offensive!"
"Roger!" Hidenori's expression was equally fierce.
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Thank you for reading.