Chapter 392 Crossing the River, Rescuing Himeno Yuki
The challenge for the F6 area was "Three-Legged Race," with rules strictly requiring one male and one female per team, and participants were free to choose their partners.
"Isn't this perfect!" Hasabe Haruka's eyes lit up, her face full of delight as she spoke: "This is just the sport we're good at!"
During last year's school sports festival, she and Hikigaya had teamed up for the three-legged race.
"Alright~ Hachi-kun, let's go all out and take first place!!"
"Good luck, Hikigaya Hachiman. Good luck, Haruka." Sakura Airi stood to the side, her eyes full of envy. She wasn't good at sports and could only silently offer her encouragement.
"Don't get too excited. We haven't practiced for a long time, so it's inevitable that our coordination will be a bit rusty," Hikigaya said, pouring cold water on her enthusiasm.
Because in a three-legged race, coordination is more important than individual physical fitness.
"That's not a problem at all!" Hasabe Haruka was full of confidence, patting the bulging fabric of her shirt in front of her chest: "Hachi-kun and I are in sync; our coordination definitely won't go wrong!"
After that, she pulled Hikigaya toward the registration desk to officially sign up for the race.
There were over a dozen teams competing. Hikigaya scanned the area and noticed several formidable teams: Kito Hayato and Ando Sayo, Shiitomi Yuya and Kinoshita Minori, and the first-year students Utomiya Riku and Tsubaki Sakurako...
The race officially began.
Kito Hayato and Ando Sayo were the first to leverage their athletic specialties, taking a clear lead. Shiitomi Yuya and Kinoshita Minori followed closely, firmly in second place.
"..."
"Don't panic, hold the rhythm."
Just then, the two leaders made a mistake while turning.
"Watch out!"
Ando Sayo was tripped by a stone. Kito Hayato instinctively reached out to grab her.
"Ah! Don't!"
Facing Kito's fierce and intimidating face at close range, Ando Sayo's body stiffened in fear.
Kito's outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. The resistance in his teammate's eyes made his actions falter. Ultimately, Ando Sayo fell heavily, inadvertently dragging Kito Hayato down with her. Both of them were eliminated from the race.
"Haha! The teamwork between Class A and Class B is just terrible!"
Shiitomi Yuya and Kinoshita Minori passed them, not forgetting to mock the two who had fallen.
Utomiya Riku and Tsubaki Sakurako soon caught up, and the two teams engaged in an intense battle for first place.
On the other side, Hikigaya and Hasabe Haruka maintained a steady speed forward.
"Haruka, lift your leg."
Reaching a curve, Hikigaya reached out and wrapped his arm around the girl's waist.
"Hah!"
Haruka lifted her feet in perfect sync, shifting her body weight entirely toward Hikigaya.
This move allowed Hikigaya to guide her through the curve—the part of the three-legged race where mistakes are most likely to occur—without issue. After several turns, the teams in front had to slow down, while only Hikigaya and Haruka achieved a "curve overtake"!
During this process, intimate physical contact was inevitable. However, for both Hikigaya and Haruka, this level of contact was a piece of cake!
"Damn it! We absolutely cannot let this dead-fish-eyed guy overtake us!" Shiitomi Yuya grew impatient, disrupting his own rhythm.
"Hey! Shiitomi, what are you doing!"
Kinoshita Minori tried to stabilize their pace, but a disagreement in tempo arose with Shiitomi.
"Shut up!" Shiitomi Yuya scolded her with a hot temper: "Just obediently follow me and run!"
"Huh? Are you ordering me, a regular member of the track and field team?"
Kinoshita Minori felt that she was the professional in sports; how could she listen to the instructions of a layman? As the two squabbled, their speed actually slowed down.
The three-legged race concluded. First Place: Hikigaya Hachiman, Hasabe Haruka Second Place: Utomiya Riku, Tsubaki Sakurako Third Place: Shiitomi Yuya, Kinoshita Minori Eleventh Place: Kito Hayato, Ando Sayo
The outcome caught everyone by surprise. Looking purely at their stats, Kito and Ando were solid athletic powerhouses; if they had truly leveraged their skills, they could have easily taken first place. Unfortunately, their coordination was abysmal, especially with Kito wearing that "villain face," which made his teammate tremble with fear.
Shiitomi and Kinoshita both had excellent physical fitness, but they didn't respect each other and couldn't work together, failing to play to their level despite their strength. As for the first years, Utomiya was a natural athlete, but his partner Tsubaki's skill was average, ultimately settling for second place. Hasabe Haruka wasn't actually that good at sports, but thanks to Hikigaya's coordination and a bit of luck, they successfully overtook the other teams.
In the end, Hikigaya and Haruka finished the task in first place, receiving 10 class points and 20,000 private points (settled after the exam).
"Yay~ We won!" Hasabe Haruka hugged him happily, pressing her substantial chest tightly against Hikigaya's. It was clear she was giving Hikigaya a "reward."
"I saw it, you two were both great!"
"It's a pity we don't have a digital camera to record this wonderful moment..." Sakura Airi said with a hint of regret.
After completing the task, Hikigaya exchanged some food and water at a supply station.
"T-F4..."
"My next stop is E7."
The moment she heard the answer, the cheerful smile on Haruka's face slowly faded, and a hint of disappointment entered her tone: "I see, then we have to go our separate ways."
"It can't be helped. I'll head out first.
Airi and Haruka, you can replenish your stamina here before leaving. Don't push yourselves."
After carefully instructing them, Hikigaya picked up his belongings and turned to walk alone toward the next destination.
Without needing to look after teammates, Hikigaya's solo travel efficiency was surprisingly high. At his second stop, E6, he took first place in movement points. Unfortunately, the task was his weakest subject, solid geometry in math, so he gave it up and headed to the next stop. At his third stop, E4, he took third place in movement points, and for the task, a history quiz, he placed third.
Before long, the system refreshed to a new coordinate: D6.
Looking at the distance, D6 wasn't very far, but a river cut across the middle. Choosing to take a detour would significantly increase the travel distance, and by the time he reached the location, he would likely miss the movement points, rendering it meaningless.
After weighing his options, Hikigaya decided to cross the river in a straight line. The river wasn't wide—about seven or eight meters to the opposite bank—but the current was swift, and swimming across carried some risk.
"I guess I'll make a simple raft?" Hikigaya had a flash of inspiration.
An idea surfaced in his mind, and not far away, someone happened to have the same thought.
"Done! The boat is ready!" Shibata tied several branches together, creating a crude canoe, and turned to call his companions: "Himeno-san, Amikura-san, let's get ready to cross!"
"Wait, Shibata-kun, is this raft really safe?"
"Won't it fall apart halfway?" Amikura Mako looked worried.
"Tch~ Whether it works or not, why don't we just try it in the water!"
Himeno Yuki walked straight to the riverbank.
"Wait, Himeno-san."
"Let me test the water first!" Shibata offered.
"No, Shibata-kun, you already got your clothes dirty in the beach volleyball game at the last stop.
If you get wet now, you won't have any clothes to change into." Amikura Mako noticed this carefully.
"This... well, alright then..."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Shibata's eyes, but he ultimately chose to trust her: "Himeno-san, be careful yourself."
"Don't worry, I'm quite good at swimming!!"
Himeno Yuki took off her shoes and socks, rolled her pant legs up above her knees, pushed the simple raft into the river, and then sat on it cautiously. Using her hands and feet to paddle, she slowly moved toward the opposite bank.
"Good luck, Himeno-san!" Shibata and Amikura cheered from the bank.
However, they underestimated the swiftness of the current. The turbulent water kept hitting the raft, causing it to deviate from its course.
"Oh no!"
"Himeno-san, paddle harder!" The two on the bank grew anxious.
"I'm already paddling!"
Himeno Yuki used all her strength with her hands and feet, but unexpectedly, the branches beneath her began to fall apart under the impact of the current.
With a chill against her backside, most of Himeno Yuki's body fell into the water. In her panic, she only managed to grab a large branch as her body drifted downstream with the river!
"Himeno-san!!!"
Shibata and Amikura screamed, chasing desperately along the bank.
"Someone, help! Anyone!"
"Someone fell into the water!" Amikura Mako shouted for help while running.
"No choice, looks like I have to go!" Shibata gritted his teeth, intending to dive into the water regardless to save his companion.
Just then, Hikigaya heard the commotion and arrived.
"Hikigaya-kun?!"
"No time for nonsense! Quickly take out the camping tent's fixing ropes!" After confirming the crisis, Hikigaya immediately issued instructions.
"Oh, oh, okay!" The two subconsciously obeyed his orders.
Hikigaya wrapped several thin strings together, twisting them into a sturdy hemp rope, and tied a rock to it as a weight.
"Hey! Himeno-san, do you see this!" Hikigaya chased along the bank, swinging the rope.
Himeno Yuki immediately understood his meaning and nodded vigorously: "I understand!"
"3, 2, 1... Grab it!"
Hikigaya threw the rope into the river in front of Himeno. She quickly reached out and grabbed it. With the combined effort of Hikigaya, Shibata, and Amikura, they finally succeeded in pulling Himeno back to the bank.
"I'm saved... Hikigaya." Having survived the disaster, Himeno Yuki squatted on the ground, gasping for air, having lost all her image.
"I'm telling you guys, you're being too reckless.
Daring to sit on a few branches tied together." Hikigaya looked at the three of them, speechless.
"This... I'm sorry, my handicraft skills are pretty terrible." Shibata scratched his head in embarrassment.
"This time we owe it to Hikigaya-kun for being calm under pressure and saving Himeno-san." Amikura Mako let out a long breath.
"It was just a small effort." Hikigaya dismissed it lightly, then suggested: "I'm also planning to cross the river. Since our goal is the same, how about we cooperate for now?"
"Yeah, yeah! We agree!"
"With Hikigaya-kun here, it's steady!"
Faced with the long-lost goodwill, Hikigaya couldn't help but sigh: Class B really is a group of honest people.
"The branches around here are too thin; they aren't suitable for a raft."
"I suggest taking apart a tent, using the waterproof tarp and metal frame to make the main body of the raft, and then using empty mineral water bottles to increase buoyancy..."
Hikigaya explained his plan in detail. Finally, he emphasized: "By the way, since you three are a team, the tent contributed can only come from you."
Tents were a necessity for camping; if damaged or lost, it would be a very troublesome matter. Hikigaya wouldn't sacrifice his own tactical supplies for others.
"Use my tent." Amikura Mako volunteered: "Worst case, I'll just squeeze in with Himeno-san at night."
The tent was a single-person size, but it wasn't impossible for two girls to make do.
After the group finalized the plan, they immediately divided the work, and soon a waterproof tarp boat was completed. Long ropes were tied to both ends of the boat, making it easy for the people on the bank to pull and tow.
"I'll go first." Since the idea was his, he had to be the one to get in the water.
Hikigaya boarded the tarp boat first. The boat sank slightly under his weight, but fortunately, the tent material was excellent in waterproofing and durability, and it didn't leak at all.
"Hikigaya-kun, please rest assured, we will hold the rope tightly!" The three on the bank gripped the ropes, taking precautions against the boat being swept away by the current.
Five minutes later, Hikigaya successfully reached the opposite bank and tied the other end of the rope to a large tree.
"You guys come over too."
With the traction of the rope, Himeno, Shibata, and Amikura crossed the river safely in turn.
"Yeah!"
"Crossing mission a huge success!"
"This is the power of unity!!"
Amikura Mako pulled her companions to celebrate loudly, even pulling Hikigaya into it.
These guys... they really are naive enough.
Hikigaya felt amused and frustrated at the same time. Looking at the sky growing dark, he couldn't help but remind them: "It's about to get dark. I think we'd better arrive at the next stop as soon as possible. By the way, are you guys going to D6 too?"
"Hikigaya-kun is right!"
"Yes! We will follow the captain's instructions!!"
"When did I become your captain?"
The group arrived at the D6 location. There were only teachers on guard at the base, and no other teams. This meant they were the first to arrive!
"Hikigaya-kun, you go register first." Amikura Mako and the others were very sensible, not fighting over the rank for movement points.
Hikigaya didn't stand on ceremony, using his wristband to swipe and record. D6 movement, first place. Amikura Mako and the three followed closely behind, securing the second-place points.
"Tch! How come it's only third place?
Which blind person dared to steal my rank?" A voice filled with hostility and dissatisfaction came from behind.
The third person to arrive at the D6 base was none other than Housen Kazuomi!
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