No One Knows a Son Better Than His Father

Ryuen may be skilled at provoking others, but that doesn't mean he has the patience to deal with it himself.

In many ways, he's not so different from Sudo. Both are hot-headed and aggressive, the kind of delinquent boys who get into fights, though Ryuen's methods tend to be far more underhanded.

"You bastard! How dare you do that!"

Caught off guard by a kick, Sudo immediately flared up. He managed to block the blow with his arm, but there was no way he could ignore it. He looked ready to charge forward and retaliate.

"Sudou-kun! Calm down!"

Fortunately, Hirata was quick to react, stepping in to restrain him.

"The other side is clearly in the wrong, but if you fight back, you'll just play into their hands!"

"Quit lecturing me! Worst case, we all get punished together!"

With Sudo on the verge of losing control, a few other boys came over to help calm him down.

This situation revealed one of Ryuen's weaknesses: when he was on a rampage, no one in his class dared to stop him. They could only watch as things escalated.

"Haha, this is getting interesting," Sakayanagi commented, glancing at Hikigaya with a hint of admiration. "You know Ryuen-kun well. You even guessed he'd single out that red-haired boy."

"It wasn't hard to figure out. He doesn't have many tricks up his sleeve."

With almost no one in Class B capable of beating Sudo in a confrontation, Ryuen had put the weakest students forward in the first two rounds as disposable pawns. But he couldn't just leave Sudo unchecked forever, so he was bound to resort to underhanded tactics eventually.

Once you knew what Ryuen would likely do, countering him wasn't difficult.

"It's a bit of a shame. That red-haired guy—Sudou-kun, is it? He's surprisingly quick to react."

"...Doesn't matter. There's still time."

Though Sakayanagi hadn't spelled it out, Hikigaya knew what she meant by "a shame."

She was referring to how Sudo had blocked Ryuen's kick just in time.

This guy's reflexes are seriously sharp...

"If it were Hikigaya-kun," she added with a sly smile, "you wouldn't have bothered to block it, right?"

Hikigaya rolled his eyes at her. "Forget blocking. I'd have been down for the count immediately."

"Haha, as expected of you."

Just as they were exchanging these trivial remarks, a teacher finally stepped in to intervene.

Even though Ryuen's violations were blatant, the entire scene was chaotic, and pole-reversal matches often got heated. Besides, Sudo wasn't injured.

So, in the end, Ryuen only received a severe warning and lost the points he'd earned in the previous three events—he wasn't expelled.

Sigh...

Hikigaya could only think that this was one outcome he hadn't foreseen.

The art of faking a fall—it's best to take matters into your own hands when possible.

While it was a bit of a shame, watching such an entertaining scene unfold was worth it, at least to Class D. Seeing Ryuen get knocked down a peg was almost more satisfying than winning the competition itself.

Of course, Ryuen would likely retaliate in the events to come.

Then again, even if you don't provoke him, that guy will still resort to any underhanded trick to achieve his goals. Hoping to escape his attention was futile from the start.

The events of the sports festival proceeded at a quick pace. After a short rest, the first-year boys began preparing for the next event: the tug-of-war.

Meanwhile, the first-year girls were competing in a ball-throwing contest, a gentler group event than the pole-toppling match. The objective was simply to toss as many small balls into the basket as possible.

Besides, there was something very appealing about watching the girls jump and throw the balls.

As one particular sight caught his eye, Hachiman decided it was best not to let his mind wander, especially under the intense gaze nearby.

Soon, the match ended, and the teachers tallying up the scores announced, "A total of fifty-eight balls—red team wins!"

With the announcement of their victory, the girls of Class A, led by Ichinose, swarmed around her to celebrate. It was literal, as they practically glued themselves to Ichinose, who was the center of attention in every possible way.

Meanwhile, Kamuro stood nearby, visibly frustrated, sighing as she looked on. Without a female leader of her own, Class B was at a natural disadvantage. And with Sakayanagi absent from Class C, it was only expected for the combined strength of Classes A and D to overpower them.

"Hikigaya-kun, Kamuro looks a bit down. Perhaps you should go comfort her?" Sakayanagi asked suddenly, her voice tinged with a mischievous lilt.

That was intentional.

"Why would I, as part of the red team, go to comfort the white team? And besides, we're separated," Hachiman replied, mildly annoyed.

"Oh? But since you're only here to spectate because of your injury, technically, you're not on either team. Even if you went over, no teacher would stop you," Sakayanagi mused, feigning surprise.

"What is this, a social visit?"

"Ah, are you embarrassed?"

Of course, he was embarrassed! This infuriating white-haired girl was impossible.

Hachiman turned away, deciding to ignore her. Sakayanagi, however, was unbothered, smoothly switching topics. "You know, Class A adores Ichinose. With her around, they're motivated to give it their all."

There was a strange undertone in her voice, more like she was poking fun rather than complimenting. Her insinuation was clear: if Ichinose were out of the picture, the others would fall apart.

Not that she didn't have a point...

"Don't you agree, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Sure, it's a good thing your class isn't like that. You'd be fine with or without someone specific."

In response to his sarcasm, Sakayanagi merely smiled.

It seemed she had full confidence that the one missing wouldn't be herself...or so she hoped. Hachiman silently wished her luck as he returned his attention to the games.

The boys were getting ready for tug-of-war, a straightforward event: the team that won two rounds first would claim victory.

"With no contact between teams, victory here will depend solely on strength. We shouldn't need to worry," came Hirata's voice over Hachiman's phone, likely trying to reassure Sudou.

The guy sure had his work cut out for him.

But Hirata, as usual, was too naive.

"What is it, Hikigaya-kun?" Sakayanagi asked, noticing his expression. "Do you disagree? Even Ryuen shouldn't be able to pull off anything here."

Because of her insistence, Hachiman had put the phone on speaker, so she'd heard Hirata's words too.

"Well, indeed, he can't use any tricks," Hachiman admitted, recalling a tennis tournament he'd once attended. They weren't allowed to consume outside food or drinks, as a precaution against tampering. Given the strict measures in place at this sports festival, Ryuen had little opportunity to exploit any loopholes.

"But," he added, "that's assuming Ryuen wants to win."

"Are you saying he doesn't?"

Sakayanagi looked pensive for a moment before her lips curled into a knowing smile. "I see... Ryuen-kun is just a spoiled child."

"I don't think you're in any position to say that."

"That's quite rude of you."

Their banter was interrupted by the start of the tug-of-war.

"Hoi—yo! Hoi—yo!" The AD Union shouted in unison, pulling with great vigor.

Initially, the match seemed evenly matched, but within seconds, the flag in the center swung decisively toward the red team.

Soon, the referee blew the whistle, signaling AD Union's victory.

"Hah! Easy! Too easy!" Sudou boasted loudly in Ryuen's direction. "See that? When it's down to real skill, you're out of luck!"

His childish taunts succeeded in riling up a few Class C students.

"Ryuen, if this keeps up, we'll never win." Katsuragi, the class rep, approached Ryuen. "As our leader, surely you don't want to lose like this?"

Since Hirata's return, Classes A and D have reestablished some degree of cooperation to ensure a solid foundation for teamwork.

Their male students stood mixed by height, distributing weight evenly along the rope.

In contrast, the arrangements for classes B and C were a mess, organized strictly by class. Class C took the front, positioning students by height from tallest to shortest.

Higher positions gave a slight advantage in tug-of-war, and they were doing their best with no help from Class B. However, not only did Class B refuse to cooperate—they actively interfered. Some students squeezed themselves into Class C's lineup, creating a disordered formation that practically guaranteed defeat.

"You might want to control your classmates first," Katsuragi advised, but Ryuen ignored him completely.

"Hey, reshuffle the formation. Shorter guys up front," he ordered.

At his command, the Class B students immediately repositioned, with the shortest in front and the tallest in the back—a setup that seemed downright amateurish.

"We've got this! They don't know what they're doing," many of the AD students muttered confidently, feeling as though victory was within their grasp.

But unexpectedly, this time, the match was far more intense than before.

Despite both teams' efforts, the flag in the middle refused to budge.

"Hold steady. If you let go, expect me to punish you later," Ryuen's cool warning had an immediate effect, as his classmates began to haul the rope, inch by inch, toward their side.

It was nearly a stalemate, but the white team's grit ultimately prevailed. AD Union's grip faltered, and they lost.

"What happened there?!"

Having won the first round with ease, the AD students were taken aback. Yet Hirata and Kanzaki quickly calmed them, and they prepared for the final match.

Classes B and C, meanwhile, didn't adjust their positions, though their strength was not to be underestimated.

"Nicely done. Just keep it up like that. Show these cocky fools they're not invincible."

Ryuen had no intention of reorganizing his team. Their chaotic lineup remained as before.

Hachiman, seeing this, immediately grabbed his microphone. "Hey, Sudou, tell Hirata to be wary—Ryuen's team might release the rope mid-pull."

"What? Why?"

"Just go. Hurry and tell Hirata and Kanzaki. The break's almost over."

Though he was only speculating, the lack of adjustments from Ryuen for the third match seemed a solid clue.

And sure enough, when the match started, both teams pulled with all their might, locked in a grueling back-and-forth struggle.

As Sudou led their rallying chants, the flag began shifting slightly toward AD's side.

But at that moment, Class B simultaneously let go of the rope.

With the sudden release, AD's team nearly toppled over. Thanks to their warning, most students managed to stay upright, though a few did stumble. Class C, however, took the worst of it, collapsing in a heap.

Being Ryuen's ally was proving more hazardous than being his rival.

"What a spectacle," Sakayanagi chuckled, observing Ryuen's fixed expression.

"Losing the game and finding no amusement in it... Oh, wait, he seems to have noticed us."

True to her words, Ryuen was glaring in their direction, his mouth curling into a slight smirk before he walked off.

Oops—he'd noticed, had he?

"I wonder," Sakayanagi teased, "why he looked this way?" She played coy.

"Because... because you look nice," Hachiman muttered, catching himself mid-sentence.

"Thank you for the compliment," Sakayanagi said, her tone mockingly sweet.

"You really know Ryuen well. You guessed his every move—could it be some kind of... fatherly instinct?" she laughed.

"Hey..."

That was too much.

If he ever had a kid like Ryuen, Hachiman thought, he'd probably swear off marriage forever.

When dealing with someone as predictably self-serving as Ryuen, Hachiman knew it wasn't about love—it was about patience and strategy.

Ryuen may have won this battle, but there were always more matches to come.