Miyabi stared in shock at the tall red-haired boy who had already taken position as the anchor.
It was Ken from Class C.
During the morning competitions, Miyabi had taken a moment to observe — well, actually to assess — Houtarou's abilities.
After all, athletic events and natural talent were his strengths. Having trained and recovered for the past two weeks, he felt he was now at his peak condition.
However, that Houtarou guy still had a bet with him.
As someone who had always been at a disadvantage, Miyabi didn't want to face him, especially while pursuing the Student Council President position — obtaining that role was what really mattered.
But constantly losing was frustrating too.
The girls in his class had discovered how Houtarou had earned massive Class Points and Private Points in both the Island Exam and the VIP Exam, and how the first-years had achieved their goal, earning a 500,000 point reward each.
This was unprecedented at the school. Remarkably, all the students had received 80 million Points from the school.
The girls had learned from lower-grade students that in this exam, all first-years had to submit half their Points to be pooled into Houtarou's account.
He had negotiated this arrangement, ensuring everyone had spending money. In other words, he was the biggest winner, confirmed to have likely 30-40 million Points.
Currently, Miyabi's class only had about 4 million Points total. That 30-40 million was a staggering number, making him quite attractive to them.
Consequently, Houtarou's photos were circulating among the girls in class, some even using them as profile pictures or phone wallpapers.
Miyabi had never received such attention. Though he handled planning during regular exams, sparing everyone from worry about special exams, they were now pursuing a younger guy?
These traitors. Though he had always sheltered them like a great tree, they weren't even looking his way anymore.
So Miyabi became even more cautious about this bet. He would run the anchor leg in the All-Grade 1200m Relay.
Though he occasionally saw Houtarou training with a tall purple-haired girl from his class on the track field, these sessions might just be routine practice — Houtarou's true abilities could be far beyond what he showed there.
When Miyabi checked Houtarou's results in individual events, he discovered another threat: an incredibly athletic first-year student. Ken from Class C appeared to be equal to Miyabi in speed, perhaps even faster.
This discovery was deeply unsettling.
At first, Miyabi had felt relieved when that athletic powerhouse from Class C dropped out midway. He'd assumed they wouldn't face each other in the 1200-meter race.
But now? Damn. Here he was.
While beating Houtarou in their bet would be satisfying, getting overtaken by this Class C speedster would be crushing.
After all, Miyabi could accept losing only to Manabu.
So what changed?
The explanation was straightforward. Let's rewind thirty minutes...
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
Houtarou had convinced Suzune to get a massage, which temporarily improved her left leg injury. With this recovery, she could take her planned position in the fourth leg of the All-Grade 1200m Relay.
However...
"Our plan to strip the Ryuen class bare is basically complete." Houtarou said, "But there's still one issue we need to handle. Sudō was our sacrificial piece, and although he completed his task, we still need to wrap things up. And after this Sports Festival, Class C's Class Points will be down to 580, which will soon threaten our share. So we need to address this."
The truth was different. If they lost more Points, Rokusuke would have to take responsibility.
This was Houtarou's strategy. Looking ahead, if he mishandled this and allowed Manabu to see his sister showing no growth — or worse, getting tricked — Manabu might become an obstacle between him and the future Suzune.
He needed to convince Manabu that following him benefited his sister. He had to present a favorable situation that proved Suzune was growing.
But how?
Through a dramatic turnaround, of course.
Class C would definitely fail this test, but they would show surprising strength in the All-Grade 1200m Relay. Coordinating such a turnaround would demonstrate that Suzune had indeed grown as a leader.
"Also, don't forget that your brother is participating in this event too. Do you want him to see people still missing from the lineup?" Houtarou asked Suzune, though he had his own motives.
Since he wasn't a Class C student, certain things could only be accomplished through her.
"Mm... I understand."
An excellent brother was one of a timid sister's weaknesses, so Suzune complied immediately.
Kikyō: "..."
Oh. So who is your brother?
Kikyō was surprised by this new information — she had no idea Suzune had a relative at this school.
However, now that Suzune was ready to follow Houtarou's plan, Kikyō could only go along with it. After all, helping Suzune was better than plotting her expulsion and exposing her true nature.
Kikyō and Suzune went to find Yōsuke, with Suzune requesting that he gather everyone together.
Once assembled, the class turned their attention to Suzune as she stepped forward. Though all eyes were on her, she remained unfazed.
"I'm quite disappointed." She said, "After Sudō's absence, everything fell apart. We've lost the Red and White Competition, costing us 100 Class Points, and with our class now ranking lowest in total Points, we'll lose another 100.
Our class will finish dead last in this sports festival. And this... Regrettably, it's exactly as expected."
"As expected?"
The boys had gathered around, and the girls had returned to base camp. Hearing her words, Kei looked surprised.
"Yes, as expected." Suzune said, "Everyone's performance was terrible. This is the natural result."
⍟⍟⍟
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