An Entertaining Performance

Hikigaya didn't object to Sakayanagi's approach—he just found it a bit off-putting.

Still, this girl and her father are like night and day... Does blood even relate to them?

As curious as he was to ask, he knew the likely answer would be a tap on the head with her cane, so he decided to keep the question to himself.

A little sarcasm, though? That couldn't hurt.

"Even if we're counting on the class's efforts, I still think the chances of winning are slim," Hikigaya remarked.

"True," Sakayanagi said with a light smile. "Our class has many students skilled academically but not athletically. I doubt we can compete with the current Class A."

"Oh? You sound confident about beating the other two classes, though."

"Haha, who knows."

The confidence radiating from Sakayanagi made Hikigaya want to throw in a dose of realism.

"Let's put Class D aside. Ryuuen will strategize seriously, and honestly, their class's strength isn't any worse than yours."

"Hmm, that's a fair point."

Sakayanagi stroked her chin thoughtfully, then flashed a grin. "In that case, could you lend our class a hand, Hikigaya-kun?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous," Hikigaya said, dumbfounded.

This was all too familiar somehow...

"Why not?" Sakayanagi blinked innocently. "You have connections with quite a few of our classmates, right? Like Shin…oh, look, it's Hashimoto-kun's turn."

Their conversation paused as the competition began, starting with the 100-meter race. Each class fielded two students, forming a group of eight first-year runners on the track. Class D had sent Sudo up first, no doubt aiming for a strong start. Sudo didn't disappoint, winning with a wide lead and dampening the morale of the other classes.

This momentum could impact the rest of the games. Naturally, the other classes would keep a closer eye on him now…especially one with no sportsmanship.

"Tch, what does Hashimoto's race have to do with me?" Hikigaya muttered, not bothering to watch. But he noted the lineup. There was something he wanted to confirm. Memorizing each grade's order was a hassle, but for just the first years, it wasn't too bad.

"Oh, so heartless?" Sakayanagi covered her mouth, feigning surprise. "You and Hashimoto-kun are pretty close, right? He even told me you two were good friends. I felt almost jealous hearing that."

"If you want to be friends with him, be my guest."

"Haha, good one."

Even when praised, Hikigaya couldn't find joy in it.

"By the way, Hikigaya-kun," Sakayanagi continued, "I've noticed you've been glancing at Ryuuen-kun. You even mentioned him before. Could it be that Ryuuen-kun's planning something interesting? Care to share?"

Sakayanagi was perceptive as ever.

"…No, I just thought of something amusing."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Look at Ryuuen," Hikigaya said, pointing to the guy in line for the next event. "With his rough look and attitude, he doesn't exactly scream 'team player.' But here he is, in sportswear, waiting for his turn like everyone else. Just the sight of him participating seriously in a sports festival—it's almost comical."

Sakayanagi went silent for a moment before—"Pfft!"—a laugh escaped her, unexpectedly loud and entirely unladylike. She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Hikigaya had already heard it.

Too bad he couldn't record it.

"Hikigaya-kun!" Sakayanagi trembled slightly, still stifling giggles. "You… haha, that's so tasteless. Even if it's Ryuuen-kun, laughing at someone who's trying is just too mean. He'd be furious if he heard."

"It's only funny because he'd be furious."

"Haha, fair enough. Maybe I'll tell him next time," Sakayanagi said with a mischievous smile.

…This girl is such a sadist.

"Oh, look! It's the first-year girls' turn. Our class's Masumi-san is up first."

Sakayanagi's tone hinted at something, her eyes glinting as she looked at Hikigaya with a half-smile.

"…And?"

"Playing coy? Masumi-san might be disappointed."

"Ugh…" Though he knew she was teasing, Hikigaya couldn't help feeling a bit guilty. He glanced toward the field to see Kamuro, who was looking at him intently—until their eyes met, at which point she quickly turned away.

What? Does she hate me? That can't be.

"Come on, don't leave her waiting," Sakayanagi prodded, giving Hikigaya's waist a playful poke.

Quit it, that tickles!

Reluctantly, Hikigaya called out, "Kamuro, go get 'em!"

"Haha, a bit louder, please," Sakayanagi urged, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

I seriously don't get what she finds so funny!

"Well, Masumi-san seems to have heard, though," Sakayanagi observed, "and she's staring at us."

Kamuro turned her head, cheeks flushed as she glared at him—though whether it was out of shyness or irritation, Hikigaya couldn't tell. Honestly, she seemed more annoyed.

Right then, the starting gun went off. Kamuro hesitated for a split second but quickly regained speed, though it was uncertain if she could catch up.

She's probably going to be mad…

"Oh dear, poor Masumi-san's thrown off," Sakayanagi sighed. "Or maybe, Hikigaya-kun, you intentionally messed with her focus to sabotage our class's ace?"

"Don't be the first to accuse me," Hikigaya muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Haha, just kidding," Sakayanagi said, her eyes gleaming like a fox who'd found its prey.

"By the way, Hashimoto-kun and Masumi-san are both in our class. Technically, they're both opponents for your Red Team, yet you only cheered for her. Playing favorites, are we?"

"Come on… double standards are just human nature."

"Very true," Sakayanagi nodded approvingly. "Hikigaya-kun, that might be the most sensible thing you've said all day. A perfect score for honesty."

"Thank you so much," he replied, clearly unamused.

In the end, Kamuro managed to pull ahead and win first place, even after the initial setback.

Wow, this girl's got some serious tenacity.

"Haha, it seems that Hikigaya-kun's cheer was quite effective. It brought out Masumi-san's full potential."

"Well…"

"Eh? You're not going to complain about me?" Sakayanagi asked, glancing around. "Quite a few girls have been staring at us for a while now. Hikigaya-kun, do you know why?"

"…If you're aware of that, then maybe stop talking to me."

Perhaps because Hikigaya had just shown some support for Kamuro, his teammates on the Red Team now seemed to see him as a bit of a traitor.

Most notably, Kushida and Matsushita's glares were particularly intense.

Even Ichinose appeared to be fuming at him… though Hikigaya reassured himself that it was just an illusion. The gentle Ichinose wouldn't get upset over something like this, right?

"Hehe, Hikigaya-kun, have you thought of how you'll explain yourself later?" Sakayanagi teased.

"…Friendship comes first, competition second."

"Oh my, that's a rather sneaky excuse."

Sneaky? It's what my teachers taught me since I was a kid!

Still, as he considered his promise to cheer for Shiina, Hikigaya felt a twist in his stomach.

…Forget it.

What did it matter if they thought he was a traitor? He'd never really had any companions anyway.

Now that he'd let go of the psychological burden, he felt oddly at ease.

The girls' 100-meter race continued as scheduled, with nothing of particular concern. Well, except for the third group, which featured both Horikita and Ibuki.

Kushida had already shared that Horikita had given her permission to leak part of Class D's lineup to Ryuuen.

Only part of it, though.

The focus was on students with strong athletic skills, like Horikita, Sudou, Hirata, and Onodera. Meanwhile, the weaker athletes—Yukimura, Sakura, Sotomura, and the like—remained safely protected in the order of appearance.

Kushida had even come up with a plausible excuse: claiming she couldn't remember every name on the list.

Taking a photo of the list with her phone would raise suspicion among her classmates, so she had only provided Ryuuen with the names of students who posed a significant challenge, conveniently omitting the lesser threats.

While this approach might lead Ryuuen to doubt her, as long as he saw Horikita and Sudou in the anticipated order, he probably wouldn't investigate further.

After all, those two were his primary targets.

That said, unlike Sudou, Horikita wasn't quite as overwhelming in athletic ability.

The logical play for Ryuuen would have been to assign his fastest student to challenge Horikita, rather than Ibuki.

Ibuki wasn't unskilled, but there were others in Class B who were better suited to take on Horikita in sports. Surely Ryuuen knew that.

Could he have been considering Ibuki's feelings?

It wasn't impossible. The guy had been competing with Horikita since the uninhabited island and was now staring at her, visibly fueled by a fierce determination.

Everyone could feel his resolve not to lose.

Unfortunately, that determination could end up backfiring.

As expected, Horikita narrowly won the race.

Though the gap was small, the school had set up a camera at the finish line, and the recorded results confirmed it. Ibuki could only stomp her foot in frustration.

If she hadn't been so fixated on Horikita, she might have focused on the race itself and pulled off a win.

So, what was Ryuuen thinking?

It wasn't as if he didn't know about Ibuki's issues… Was he genuinely factoring in his subordinate's feelings?

The races continued to the upper grades.

It was only natural that seniors like Kiryuin, Nagumo, and President Horikita crossed the finish line first. As for Tachibana, he gave it his all.

Though technically "free agents," seniors like Ryuuen participated in the sports festival with enthusiasm and even basked in applause after securing first place.

But not Koenji. After arriving at the venue with everyone else, he quickly disappeared into a small room to slack off.

Probably using the same lame excuse he'd made on the uninhabited island—feigning illness.

But since Class D wasn't aiming for an overall victory this time, neither Horikita nor Hirata paid him any mind, so they enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

With all three grades having finished the 100-meter races, the scoring phase began.

After each event, the school announced the current scores for both groups.

The Red Team held 2,031 points, while the White Team had 1,851.

"Hikigaya-kun, congratulations," Sakayanagi said with a smile, utterly unfazed. "Your Red Team is in the lead."

"…In the lead?" Hikigaya replied, unimpressed. "If you truly think that, then I'd say you're dreaming."

"Oh? The lead is less than 200 points. Are you not confident the Red Team will win?"

"If you don't believe me, just keep watching."

"Haha, let's see what happens."

It wasn't just a matter of leading by 200 points—the Red Team simply had a physical edge over the White Team.

The events at this sports festival weren't especially technical. Victory wasn't decided by skill but by sheer physical ability. Moreover, every Class A across the three grades had strong athletes, making it hard to imagine Red Team losing.

Sakayanagi must have known this, which was probably why she wasn't trying to interfere. She simply refused to accept defeat, even if her chances were slim.

Before long, the ten-minute halftime break was over, and the next event was hurdles.

There were two main rules: knock over a hurdle, and you add 0.5 seconds to your time; touch a hurdle, and you add 0.3 seconds.

Unless you were someone like Sudo, a natural athlete, most students found the hurdles challenging. Yukimura, for instance, was likely to stumble or even fall if he tried clearing them.

So, per our earlier agreement, they didn't even try to jump. Instead, they barreled forward, knocking over the hurdles to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. It wasn't exactly graceful, but it was effective.

Compared to other classes, who hesitated and still knocked down hurdles, our strategy saved valuable time. Even with the penalties, several in Class D managed to avoid finishing last.

The most important part was that we'd all agreed on this approach beforehand, so there was no pressure to get a high score. Sotomura and Sakura, for instance, who weren't athletic or particularly outgoing, didn't have to worry about lagging behind. They simply cooperated and finished the course.

Even if you came in last, you'd still get some points. Skip it altogether, and you'd get nothing. So even if it meant crawling to the finish, it was worth it.

The event also confirmed one of Hikigaya's suspicions: Ryuuen had put Sudo up against the weakest members of his class, effectively abandoning him.

Horikita, on the other hand, had an entirely different strategy. The teammates assigned to her from Class B were Yajima and Kinoshita, two girls Hikigaya recognized from the track club—the fastest in their class.

Predictably, even after beating Ibuki in the 100-meter dash, Horikita was no match for these two skilled runners. She ended up finishing third.

Ryuuen really went all out, Hikigaya mused. If Yajima and Kinoshita had competed separately, they would have easily taken first place in their respective groups. But just to put Horikita at a disadvantage, Ryuuen had them race together, knowing it would lower his own team's total score.

Such is the willfulness of a dictator...

But no matter. It was time for him to take action.

During the break after the hurdles event, Hikigaya made his way back to Class D's tent.

"Hm? Where are you off to all of a sudden?" Sakayanagi's voice stopped him. "Aren't you enjoying the show? Or are you off to 'pick flowers'?"

"What's with 'picking flowers'? I just need to talk to my classmates."

"Ohhh." Sakayanagi stretched out the word, a hint of interest in her voice.

"You're going to give them tips on dealing with Ryuuen, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Wow, admitting it so openly?"

"No use denying it." Hikigaya shrugged. "Next up is the boys' pole-turning competition, and this is the perfect time to get involved. It's not exactly a stretch to guess my intentions, right?"

"Haha, just as I expected from you, Hikigaya-kun. Do put on an interesting performance."

"...You're not exactly a paying customer."

The sharp-minded, silver-haired girl in front of him had no interest in supporting her own class. She just saw herself as a spectator in this arena. An amusing character indeed—though Hikigaya wasn't really in a position to judge.

Leaving the stands, Hikigaya reached the Class D tent, where he saw Sudo animatedly gesturing as he discussed tactics with a few other boys. Ever since being recognized by Horikita, Sudo had gained confidence, and his popularity in the class had improved, boosted by the sports festival.

"Hey, Hikigaya, what brings you here?" Sudo noticed him and came over.

"How's it going? Feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Hikigaya pulled a small object from his pocket and handed it to him. "Here, take this. I need to tell you something important."

"Is this...a headset?"

"That's right."

The item Hikigaya handed over was a tiny, barely visible earpiece, nearly undetectable once in the ear.

But instead of explaining further, Hikigaya steered the conversation to Horikita.

"You saw Horikita's race just now, right?"

"Of course! She won the first race beautifully!" Sudo sounded as pleased as if he'd won himself. "Too bad she didn't have the same luck in the second race. Those two girls from Class B were pretty strong; otherwise, Suzune wouldn't have lost."

"You think it was just bad luck?" Hikigaya countered.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Simple-minded as he was, Sudo couldn't quite grasp the deeper nuances here. Fortunately, Hikigaya didn't need him to.

"It's simple. Ryuuen is targeting Horikita at this festival."

"What?! That bastard!" Even without proof, Sudo accepted Hikigaya's words without question—Ryuuen's reputation for underhanded tactics preceded him. Sudo had witnessed him bullying Horikita enough times to believe it.

"So, in the upcoming pole-turning event, I need you to follow my instructions."

Under Sudo's astonished gaze, Hikigaya revealed his plan.

"Let's knock that tyrant down a peg."