Nagumo Miyabi received the news on the afternoon of the third day—someone had been discreetly gathering intel on Class A.
The approach had been subtle.
The person had exploited gaps in rest periods, targeting isolated students under the pretense of asking for training advice, then skillfully extracting information.
Perhaps due to prolonged peace, Class A had grown complacent.
Facing students from the same year, they let their guard down entirely, divulging everything.
Upon hearing this, Nagumo felt both shock and delight.
Shock, because his so-called "elites" had grown so negligent that they hadn't even reported this to him immediately.
Delight, because he quickly recognized this as a scheme aimed at him.
While there were disgruntled second-years, none would dare openly raise a banner of rebellion—at least not on the surface.
Especially when Kiriyama Ikuyo's name came up.
Nagumo sneered.
That guy was a coward—he was, at best, a mouse whose spirit he'd already crushed.
For Kiriyama to muster courage now, there was no doubt someone was backing him.
Nagumo immediately thought of Horikita Manabu.
He knew Kiriyama had maintained a secret friendship with Horikita, who also held him in high regard.
But—no.
Impossible.
Horikita had spent the past year refusing his challenges.
He wouldn't suddenly strike now.
Besides, Horikita only had half a year left and was set to step down next month—a compromise born from their covert rivalry.
Nagumo refused to believe Horikita was behind this.
That left only one other candidate.
"What is Mitoma up to?" Nagumo suddenly asked.
Tonokawa Sosuke, standing nearby, promptly replied.
"Mizoaki's still keeping watch on the first-years. Classes A and D are training together, and Mitoma hasn't shown any unusual behavior."
Since the training was taking place in the gymnasium, the collaboration between the two classes naturally drew attention—an unavoidable outcome.
However, even if someone was spying, they could only observe which students were stronger or weaker without first figuring out the competition order.
"Hehehe, the moment I reached out to Ryuen, he immediately intervened in our second-year affairs through Kiriyama. Seems we were both thinking the same thing."
Nagumo couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
So now they were trying to raid each other's bases, was that it?
"Should we apply some pressure to Class B?" Tonokawa suggested.
"Kiriyama currently has no ability to control his entire class. They wouldn't agree to follow his methods."
This was precisely Kiriyama Ikuyo's awkward position.
Although he was the leader of Class 2-B, no one would follow him in launching another charge against Class A.
To put it nicely, Class 2-B's morale had hit rock bottom.
To put it bluntly, they had already accepted the reality of being ruled by Nagumo Miyabi, with some students even working for him.
If Kiriyama Ikuyo wanted to charge against Class A again, he would need to strictly reorganize his entire class.
However, to restore morale, he would have to show his class some hope—something impossible for him to achieve alone.
"No need. I understand Kiriyama well—he's a compromiser. Once he faces setbacks, he'll find excuses for himself and eventually retreat," Nagumo dismissed casually.
"I didn't arrange their competition roster earlier because I wanted to see if Kiriyama had any real intentions."
As he spoke, he chuckled.
"Sure enough, he's harboring ill intentions, secretly connecting with Mitoma behind my back. But never mind—have them send us a copy of their roster too."
Hearing this, Tonokawa Sosuke hesitated.
"Wouldn't that make us seem untrustworthy?"
Initially, it was their Class A that proposed everyone act independently.
Now demanding Class B's roster would be like slapping their own face.
In response, Nagumo revealed an enigmatic smile.
"Heh, Tonokawa, I'm just asking them to show me their roster before the competition starts. In return, I'll also give them ours before the matches begin."
Tonokawa froze for a moment before quickly catching on with his sharp thinking.
"You mean we publicly announce everyone's roster on the surface, but actually use a time gap to adjust ours based on theirs, then create a new one?"
"The competition uses a point system. As long as we calculate the winning threshold and make slight adjustments, victory will naturally be ours."
"Understood."
Nagumo didn't even need to make major changes—just ensure Class 2-A could overpower the others.
Moreover, this method left no room for complaints, since nominally all rosters were made public.
Nagumo wasn't forcing anyone to modify their rosters or personally arranging the match order.
At the same time, Nagumo could subtly demonstrate his absolute control over the second year to Kaoru.
With every class obediently handing over their rosters, he wanted to see what tricks Kaoru could possibly pull now.
Thinking of Sakayanagi Arisu's "gift," Nagumo couldn't help but let his smile grow increasingly unrestrained.
Victory was assured.
*****
By the time Kaoru learned of Nagumo's arrangements, a whole week had passed.
Though Nagumo had deliberately concealed the information, this delay alone showcased his iron grip over the entire second year—and the difficulties faced by rebels like Kiriyama Ikuyo.
"So we're supposed to publicize everyone's rosters before the competition begins?"
"Yes, this is what Nagumo personally told the class representatives," Kiriyama Ikuyo said helplessly.
"He asked us to submit the participation forms to him one day before the competition, only announcing the contents afterward. He claimed it was to prevent anyone from altering the forms."
Kaoru Mitoma fell silent.
He now felt Nagumo might have even thicker skin than himself—no wonder the top students couldn't defeat Nagumo.
"He probably wants to check our participation forms before the competition. If there are no issues, he'll let it slide. But if there are, he'll make targeted adjustments, then announce his own form last, exploiting the timing gap."
"Is there any way around this?" Kiriyama asked unwillingly.
Having taken a risk by betting on Kaoru, he couldn't bear to lose again.
"If he wants the forms, we'll give them to him. It's just a participation form, after all," Kaoru chuckled.
"At worst, we'll make a new one."
Kiriyama froze for a moment before asking in confusion, "Make a new one?"
Given the current situation, even if they continued spying on Class 2-A, it wouldn't help—they still wouldn't know the opponent's lineup.
Without knowing the order, how could they make a new one?
"To prevent Class A from targeting us?" Kiriyama thought he had guessed the reason.
That might be the only explanation—avoiding a direct counterattack from Class 2-B.
"That won't work. We can't just keep defending. We need to strike decisively. Only then will others realize Nagumo is already on shaky ground." Kaoru understood one thing clearly: most people only follow the winner.
Whoever wins, they'll side with them.
The moment Nagumo shows even a hint of weakness, his undefeated image will crumble instantly.
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