"Wait. Are you saying that Classes B and C are working together behind the scenes?"
She was on the right track, but I had to stress the main point here.
"Our relationship with Class B is different than Ryuuen's. There's a good chance that he has a plan in place. If he didn't, he'd have no reason to leave. Even if that was a bluff, on the surface, he would gain more by talking with Class B, right?"
"I don't think that's right. It seems unlikely," replied Horikita.
"So, because earthquakes and fires are unlikely, there's no need to have emergency measures in place, just in case? I don't think you get how important it is to be prepared for catastrophe."
"That's—"
If nothing happened, then nothing would come of it. But in the event that something did happen, you'd be ill-prepared for assuming everything would be fine.
"I think that Ryuuen has, at the very least, one or more tactics in mind."
"But if that's true, it's crazy. We only just learned about the festival. To have a whole plan in place so soon…"
"That's why we need to understand his kind of crazy. What would a frontal attack from Ryuuen look like? What loopholes could he find? Can we come up with something similar? Are there precautions we can take? We have to think like that to rise to Class A's level," I said.
If we thought about what winning strategies that he had come up with at this point, then we would naturally narrow things down. Of course, that was something I've started to see after getting a clear read of Ryuuen's strategies and thought processes ever since the fight that nearly got Sudou expelled. Could Horikita still not see that?
"Well, I suppose it's fine as long as we do what we can. Let's craft a plan in case someone makes a mess and we have to clean it up," said Horikita.
"Can you not jump to the conclusion that someone's going to make a mess?" I replied.
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I was looking forward to finding out just how far ahead she could think.
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2.3
AFTER CLASS FINISHED for the day, I remained in the classroom alone. Outside the window, I could hear students engaged in their club activities. With the sports festival drawing near, each and every one of them was in high spirits. No one slacked at all in their daily training regimen.
I plugged in my earphones and opened the file I'd received earlier on my phone. "I see…"
I basically had a good understanding of the situation now. I'd thought that I might have to lay a few traps, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. Pleased with this turn of events, I decided to return to my dorm.
As I passed through the main gate, I ran into Chabashira-sensei. She was spraying water around with a hose.
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"You stayed behind longer than usual, Ayanokouji."
"I suppose you're right. Are you on duty today?" I asked.
"Something like that. You could say this is sort of my post," she replied. She kept spraying water in a manner that suggested she was used to the task. "Working adults tend to multitask, unlike children. That's especially true now that the sports festival is imminent. Anyway, what were you doing today? This is the first I've seen you roaming around after class alone."
"Don't you think that's an exaggeration?"
"Are you prepared for the sports festival?"
"I think the last homeroom explained everything, more or less. Didn't it?"
Chabashira-sensei should have heard about all of our strategies, including Hirata's, Horikita's, and Sudou's.
"In your case, I would have thought that you'd already have some eccentric idea or strategy in place," she said.
"No, nothing like that," I told her.
"Nothing? But—"
When her eyes met mine, she stopped talking. Discussing these things publicly wouldn't help anyone.
"I haven't forgotten what you told me, sensei. However, I'm free to decide my own path."
"Yes, you're certainly right. I shouldn't interfere with you
unnecessarily. All this ends the moment you try to kick back and take it easy, though. If you don't show me some results soon, I'll stop covering for you. It goes beyond the scope of an ordinary teacher's duties, after all," she replied.
I didn't know what she expected from me. Feeling irritated about her invading my day-to-day, I decided to leave. I shouldn't have gotten myself tangled in such an aggravating situation. No…really, this confrontation had just been a matter of time. It would come to a head sooner or later.
"Excuse me."
"Sure. Take care."
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Nice of her to urge me to "take care" on my arduous return trip of a couple hundred meters.
I went back to the dorm.
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37
Chapter 3:
Class D's Objective
WE BEGAN MAKING comprehensive preparations for the sports festival, which was only one month away. The teachers said we could use the weekly two-hour homeroom period as we wished.
There were two things we needed to decide upon before the actual event: our arrangement for the all-participant events, and our players for the recommended-participant events. Those two decisions would have a major impact on whether we'd win.
Hirata, who was the closest person we had to a leader, took the initiative. Chabashira-sensei moved toward the back of the classroom and didn't say a word. She probably intended to watch.
"Before we start practicing, we need to decide the order we'll participate in, and who will enter the recommended-participant competitions. I've been thinking about this for a while," said Hirata.
"Okay, but when you say 'decide,' how exactly are we going to decide?"
A rather uninteresting discussion was about to begin, from Sudou's perspective.
"Good question. For example, in the events for all participants, we—"
Hirata took a piece of chalk and began writing on the blackboard as he spoke. He seemed to be good at this sort of thing. He put two headings on the board: "Raising Hands," and "Ability," then explained what those meant as he wrote down supplemental information.
"This is a rough outline, but I think that everything boils down to these two approaches. The 'raising-hands' system lets people nominate themselves to participate in competitions. The 'ability' system identifies everyone's individual talents, and seeks to assign them to maximize efficiency."
Hirata continued, "Both approaches have their pros and cons, of course. The strength of the raising-hands system is, naturally, that everyone
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gets to voice their wishes. The downside is that, if people's choices contradict each other, well, not everyone is going to get what they want."
Adopting a system that allowed everyone to freely decide when and where they wanted to participate would be more satisfying to those involved. However, he was right about the contradictions.
"The strength of the ability system is that we can expect a higher chance of victory than we would with the raising-hands system. It's also quite simple. However, because the ability system favors the most athletic people in the class, it reduces the other students' chances of winning at something. That's the gist of what I've come up with so far, but if you happen to have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them."
Hirata thus concluded his explanation. Even the least intelligent among us could understand each system's pros and cons from the details he'd explained and written. Most everyone was ready to go along with Hirata, especially since no other proposals had been made.
"We should obviously decide based on ability, shouldn't we? I mean, the only one who knows a person best is himself, right?" said Sudou. It seemed as though he had absolutely no intention of choosing any other option.
"If I win, then it's more likely our class wins. That puts us way ahead."
His words were confusing, but true. Sudou's athletic ability would be integral to winning the sports festival. There was definitely logic there.
"Well, it makes me kinda mad, but I suppose you're right," a girl muttered in apparent approval.
The boys also murmured in agreement with Sudou. "I'm really not that great at sports. If Sudou's okay handling the recommended-participant events single-handedly, I'm fine with that."
Students who specialized in academics, like Yukimura, weren't all suited for athletics.
"Then it's decided, right? I'll do all the events for recommended participants," Sudou declared, his voice firm and resolute. The students supported his decision; he would cover for the people who lacked athletic talents and get us that much closer to victory.
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"If everyone's okay with that strategy, then I suppose the
recommended participant in every category will be—"
"Wait." Horikita cut in just before Hirata approved the proposal. "I've got a supplementary proposal."
The other students turned to look at her.
"If we have to choose between these two approaches, then I agree that we should go with the ability system. However, that single tactic isn't guaranteed to carry us to victory," explained Horikita.
"Sure, that's true," said Hirata.
"I agree that the most athletic students should take part in events for recommended participants. But, even in events for all participants, we should group the people who have the best chance of winning. That way, we maximize everyone's potential. Put simply, the strongest, fastest students should be grouped together," said Horikita.
The point she was making was that if both Hirata and Sudou were fast, they should be teamed up during the competition whenever possible. It was one winning strategy, of course, but it would be ruthless to cut out all the weaker participants.
"Hold on a minute. Won't that leave slower people high and dry?" Shinohara was the first to object.
To aim for the top, you'd have to have stronger players matched up against the weak. However, the opposite would also be true, meaning the weaker students were at a huge disadvantage.
"I don't agree with it," she went on. "If you don't excel at sports, then you're doomed. Privileges only go down to third place. I don't want to throw away my shot."
"Your personal feelings are irrelevant. It's for the sake of the class," replied Horikita.
"I know it's for the class's sake, but I don't want to lose out on private points."
"If the class wins, the reward will be ample—easy to divide among us. Is that not enough for you?"
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"I don't want to miss out on individual rewards, like earning test points!"
"I understand your desire. However, your logic confuses me. If you just studied ahead of time, before an exam, you wouldn't need to rely on those privileges," said Horikita. "Besides, you probably wouldn't win anything anyway. I mean, with your lackluster athletic ability, it's not as though you'll place in the top three."
Neither of them showed any sign of backing down. Especially Horikita, wielded her logic like a weapon as she went on the offensive.
"Not everyone is as smart as you, Horikita-san. Don't just lump all of us together," snapped Shinohara.
"Then just study longer every day. I don't want to hear your excuses anymore."
"Yeah, that's right!"
Supporting voices rose throughout the classroom, all in favor of Horikita's logic. The athletes, like Sudou, students aiming for Class A, and those who were mediocre at sports were clearly on board with her plan.
Shinohara looked annoyed, but she didn't seem like she'd put up much more of a fight. There were probably other students like her who hoped to slip into third place. Whether they were fighting alongside strong students like Sudou or paired up with unathletic students in the cavalry battle and three-legged race, seizing victory would be a faraway dream.
"Enough already, Shinohara. If we lose because of you, will you take responsibility? Huh?" Sudou, normally the worst in terms of academic ability, now beamed with hope and a sense of leadership. Thanks to the sports festival, athletic students had a leg up on the rest. Horikita's ability-centric plan was all but law now; Shinohara had no more room to object.
"That's…ugh."
"Honestly, what a pain," Horikita muttered in my direction. "It's like you're not even paying attention. Instead of messing around on your phone, how about you try coming up with ways for us to win?"
"Well, if I just leave it to you and Hirata, you'll sort out our problems, right?" I replied. Still, I turned my phone off and placed it in my pocket. The
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discussion appeared to be over—or so I thought.
"Hey, excuse me? I object to this, too. You're okay with sentencing the unathletic students to lose, like Shinohara said? You think we can all come together in a situation like this?" Karuizawa spoke up, supporting Shinohara. She glared at Horikita.
"I've said as much. Do you understand my logic?"
"No. I don't get it at all. Hey, what do you think, Kushida-san?" asked Karuizawa.
Kushida had been strangely quiet during the meeting. She seemed slightly surprised, but spoke after a moment. "It's tough. I've been thinking about how both sides feel. Like Horikita-san, I want us to succeed as a class. But, just like Shinohara-san said, everyone should have a chance to win. If there were some kind of middle-ground solution, that would be ideal. A strategy we could all get behind, no matter where you stand."
Once Kushida was done, there were a lot of noises of assent. Horikita seemed to have anticipated this idea.
"Of course. I have a compromise that should be agreeable to both sides. Students who place at the top, and don't need to boost their test scores, will use the private points they win to boost the test scores of students who place at the bottom. The entire class will share in the gains and losses of private points from the festival. I trust there will be no complaints?" asked Horikita.
So, in exchange for lowering our chances of victory across the board, we less-athletic students would also offset the risks in case we were defeated. Some of the students who'd opposed the earlier plan would probably be convinced. The bottom ten students across each grade level would still be in trouble, though.
"Oh, yeah, that'd be fine, right? Cuttin' corners ain't gonna make us suffer that much," said Sudou with a disdainful snort, as if he were calling the opposition pathetic whiners.
"But that's just for points. We're still losing out on chances to win the big prize. What does everyone think about that?" Karuizawa wasn't letting this go. She looked over to her group of girls.
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"If Karuizawa-san objects, then so do I, I guess." One after another, the girls followed her lead.
"You're objecting just because she objected? That's completely illogical. This is an exam. It's only natural that we focus on a winning strategy. The other class definitely isn't weighed down by morons like you," grumbled Horikita.
"You just don't get it, do you, Horikita-san? I hate this plan, and the other girls hate it, too. So, you need to take our opinions into account. We have to make these competitions fair," said Karuizawa. She had united the girls so strongly that all the support for Horikita's plan had vanished completely.
"Calm down, both of you," said Hirata, trying to smooth things over. "If we can't agree, then we've got to have a majority vote."
This had probably been inevitable.
"A vote would make the decision much less subjective," continued Hirata.
"If Yousuke-kun says so, then I agree," said Karuizawa.
"Fine. This isn't the time to fight amongst ourselves. At any rate, I've offered my opinion. I hope you'll all make the right decision," said Horikita.
She sat down in frustration and glared at me. "Ayanokouji-kun, can't you tell Karuizawa-san to shut up?" she huffed.
"Uh, no. There's no way I could do that," I said.
"You've been talking to her lately, though. Haven't you? Isn't that why she's getting carried away?"
"No. Karuizawa's always been like that," I replied.
"That's certainly true," Horikita muttered. She couldn't hide her irritation with Karuizawa, whose opinion lacked logic, or with the girls who let someone else lead them around.
"Now then," said Hirata. "We have Horikita's proposal, which focuses on ability, and Karuizawa-san's, which prioritizes the individual. How about we decide which plan we prefer by a show of hands? If anyone finds choosing a side difficult, they can abstain."
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Horikita wanted to prioritize athletes to win, while Karuizawa wanted everyone to feel valued. The class's future would depend on whether people used their heads or their hearts. Of course, I myself had zero interest in the outcome.
"All right. All those in favor of Horikita-san's plan?"
"Yeah. I agree with Horikita's plan, of course," said Sudou. "It's about winning. When winners win, we all win. Ain't that a good thing?"
Sudou raised his hand. Those who had no confidence whatsoever in their athletic abilities, like Yukimura and Sakura, followed his lead. But the more capable students, along with Karuizawa's group, didn't raise their hands.
"Sixteen votes, then. Thank you. You can put your hands down."
Whether that was a big number or a small number would be determined by how many people abstained from voting.
"Wait a minute, Ayanokouji-kun. Don't tell me you agree with Karuizawa-san's plan?" said Horikita, who realized that I hadn't raised my hand.
"Relax. It's my policy to abstain from voting."
"In that case, you could just have voted for my plan," she growled. "Your plan isn't necessarily right, is it?" I asked.
"I can't understand you. Giving the class the best-possible chance of winning will ultimately result in netting a lot of private points. Even if we only won a few matches here and there, the points would be significant. If you say that's wrong, perhaps you can give me a clear reason why?"
"I didn't say you were wrong. I'm just saying it's not the only answer," I replied.
The students used as sacrificial lambs, sent out to be destroyed by strong opponents, would finish the sports festival without earning any points at all. Horikita did understand that much, at least. But she also thought it was a necessary sacrifice in order to win.
"The other students aren't all as ambitious as you," I told her. "All right. Next, we have Karuizawa-san's plan. Anyone in favor of
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this plan, to win when we need to and have fun when we want to, please raise your hand," said Hirata.
Along with Karuizawa's group, other students began raising their hands.
"And the results of the majority vote are…sixteen votes for Horikita san's plan, and thirteen votes for Karuizawa-san's. It's safe to say that everyone else abstained from voting?"
The counts were tallied up without any objections. Karuizawa hadn't won votes with a well-articulated plan. Rather, she relied on her installed support base to do what it could. Apparently, most students believed that Horikita's plan was realistic and efficient.
Class D's strategy would be, not to participate as individuals, but to win as a class.
"......" Since Karuizawa had approved a majority vote, she couldn't complain now.
"Then it's decided," said Horikita. "Now, Hirata-kun, I'll leave the rest to you."
I didn't think we'd necessarily made a bad choice. Unathletic students wouldn't be taking the initiative and volunteering for events right now in the first place. Inevitably, those asked to fill the recommended-participant positions would be jocks like Sudou and Hirata.
"So, regarding the number of participants for recommended-participant events…" Hirata continued.
"I'll participate in every competition. If anyone's got something to say about that, then they can meet me outside, and we'll talk face-to-face," Sudou declared. He had one card, and he was playing it all the way. Furthermore, he apparently intended to force anyone who complained to surrender. Too aggressive, but the strategy seemed effective, since no dissatisfied grumbling could be heard.
We'd resolved to go with assigning the best students, as originally planned, so Sudou's participation was a no-brainer.
"I will also compete in as many events as possible." As expected, Horikita volunteered herself. Karuizawa's face stiffened slightly. The girls
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around her quietly whispered in one another's ears, and I wondered if they were badmouthing Horikita.
The self-nominations and recommendations began pouring in, one after another, and soon the recommended participants were decided. Sudou would compete in every competition, just as he'd declared. Other students who were good at sports, like Kushida and Onodera, also offered to participate, in addition to Horikita and Hirata. However, we had only filled about a third of the events for all participants. The rest of the spots remained open.
"Hey, Kouenji. Ain't you gonna cooperate?" asked Sudou, glaring daggers at him for keeping silent. Even Sudou recognized that Kouenji possessed potential equal to, if not greater than, his own. If Kouenji were to take this seriously, he'd easily snag first place in the individual competitions.
"You didn't raise your hand earlier."
"I have no interest in this. You people do what you like."
"Stop screwing around, you jerk."
"I assure you, I am not 'screwing around.' Whatever authority you think you have, I've got no reason to let you bully me into anything," replied Kouenji. Yep, he was never going to change.
"We don't need to decide everything right here and now, Sudou-kun. We can't force him. Kouenji-kun must have his reasons." Hirata tried to deescalate the situation. "At the very least, we've decided what the class's strategy will be, and who wants to participate in individual competitions. I think that it would be best to take our time with the rest."
With that, the discussion came to an end. But surely some students felt like the whole conversation had been incomprehensible. Why did Karuizawa continue to oppose Horikita's plan? She wasn't a stellar athlete, but she wasn't terrible at sports either. In that regard, she should've been fine with Horikita's idea, where everyone would share in the highs and lows in our race to victory. I wondered how many other people felt the same as she did.
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3.1
AFTER CLASS, I had some free time. I decided to contact a certain person before heading back to the dorm. As I rose, I exchanged looks with Karuizawa. Well, it wasn't entirely intentional. I'd been looking for an opening to steal a glance at her, but she had immediately noticed my gaze.
She must not have understood my intentions, because she left the classroom with two of her friends. As expected, she wouldn't get it unless I spoke to her directly. Giving up, I grabbed my bag and started to head back to my dorm alone, like always. I left roughly one minute after Karuizawa.
Upon descending the stairs, however, I found her seemingly waiting for me, standing alone by the main entrance. "Wait," she said.
"I thought you left."
"I thought you had something you wanted to talk about, so I waited. Was I wrong?"
I couldn't help my surprise. "I do, I suppose."
"Well, I have something to talk to you about, too. Mind hearing me out?"
"Go ahead."
"That message you sent me… What are your real intentions?"
She showed me her phone. The text displayed on the screen read, "No matter what, object to Horikita's plan. Then ask Kushida for her opinion."
I'd instructed Karuizawa to do that in the middle of class.
"When it comes to improvising, you're quite fast on your feet. You did very well," I told her.
"Really? You know, I actually agreed with Horikita-san's plan. I don't understand why you had me call on Kushida-san, either. What are you playing at?" she asked.
"If you worry over each and every thing I do, you'll never know peace. Besides, I'm under no compunction to answer your questions. Understand?" I
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asked.
"So, I should just do as I'm told, like a loyal dog, and never ask why. Got it."
"Exactly."
Karuizawa didn't seem pleased, but she was reasonable enough to refrain from further objection. "One more thing. You didn't raise your hand. Which choice did you think was right?" she asked.
"They could both be right, I guess. Everything depends on the individual, anyway."
"That's not an answer. You never said what was on your mind."
"I have a policy of ignoring questions trapped in the limited 'either-or' binary," I said.
"Huh? I don't get you. What do you even want, anyway? Are you just trying to wreak havoc on everyone? Or are you seriously thinking about getting from Class D to Class A?"
"Horikita seems to believe I'm fighting for the latter, at the very least."
Karuizawa glared, as if to say, That's not what I asked. "I wasn't asking what Horikita-san thinks. I want you to knock off the space-cadet act and just tell me what you're after."
"I see. Well, I'm not personally interested in reaching Class A. It's just that I think it might benefit me if our class rises to the top," I said.
"Wait, what does that mean? What's the difference? How
condescending could you possibly be?"
I decided not to mention my bargain with Chabashira-sensei.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. So, I'm taking several precautions to make you believe down the line. One of our classmates will betray us during this sports festival. They'll leak internal information from our class," I said.
"Wait, what?! Are you being serious right now?!" Karuizawa was incredulous.
"When the time comes, you'll understand…what I'm seeing, what I can see," I told her.
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"Huh?! Tell me what's going on!"
"I can't right now. But when the time comes, I will. Right now, you should go. We're drawing too much attention here."
"You don't need to tell me that. If I were seen hanging out with a weirdo like you, my social cred would plummet. But…even if someone does betray the class, we'll be okay. Right?" she asked.
"Yes. I've prepared."
I showed her my phone, although she probably didn't understand why. Looking dissatisfied, Karuizawa turned and left. I watched her walk away and sighed to myself. Class D's strategy was in motion, as was my own personal plan.
Now then, I wonder what Class A has in mind? Considering Katsuragi's personality, their strategy would be solid. But Sakayanagi would be good for the White Team, of course, and also for Class D.
Imagine a hypothetical situation with two people and only one life saving apparatus—let's say a life jacket, meaning that only one of the two people can live. One person is able-bodied, and one disabled. Naturally, each has the right to their own life. If the able-bodied person chose to save themselves, they could probably take the life jacket by force with relative ease, due to the other person's disability. The world is cruel. A crisis tends to bring out the worst in us.
That said, just because Sakayanagi wasn't physically active didn't mean she was harmless.
"Even so…"
Karuizawa was better at reading people than I'd imagined, probably because of her past. More than anything else, the fact that she could carefully craft her public image earned her high marks. Satisfied with the completion of some rather unexpected business, I decided to head back.
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3.2
THERE WAS A LOT TO DO before the sports festival, even beyond choosing the participants. We needed to practice marching on and off the grounds, for example. Everything had to go smoothly. Our physical education classes would be free periods from here on out, granting students permission to practice however they wanted to.
"I borrowed this."
Hirata submitted a request to the school and obtained a device for measuring grip strength, which he brought to our P.E. period the next day. In line with Horikita's plan, we would prioritize ability. Hirata's device was simple, but should help. Quite a few of the boys' competitions would require pure power.
"Okay, let's line up. How about we measure the grip strength of our dominant hand? I'll record the results. I borrowed two of these, so we can split up to save time."
Hirata handed the devices to the people standing at his left and right: Hondou and Yukimura. It seemed like he had decided to take measurements for the group by having one machine passed clockwise and one counterclockwise. Sudou, who apparently didn't like that, snatched one device for himself.
"Let's start with me, Hirata. That'll set a high standard," he said. His logic didn't track, so he probably just wanted to showcase his own strength.
"Um… Well then, let's have Sotomura-kun stand next to you and take his measurement simultaneously, Sudou-kun," replied Hirata.
With the order forcibly changed, the starting point for the
measurements had been adjusted accordingly.
Sudou let out a confident laugh, ready to show off as the most powerful person in the room.
"Check it out, Ayanokouji. This is what a real man looks like. Uraaah!" said Sudou, with a suitable bellow.
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His shoulders shook while he tightly gripped the device in his right hand. The numbers on the digital readout shot up rapidly. In an instant they climbed to 50, then 60, then over 70. In the end, the number on the digital display was 82.4 kilograms. Everyone around us went crazy.
"What the heck, dude? You're stupidly strong!"
"Heh. It's just 'cause I train all the time. Only natural. Hey, come on. You do it, Kouenji." Sudou displayed his score to Kouenji, almost as if trying to provoke the other boy.
"I'll pass. Ignore me." Kouenji polished his fingernails and blew on them.
"What? You scared of losing to me or something? Guess that's understandable after seein' what I can do. Heh!" It was an obvious jab, but Kouenji didn't respond. "Tch. Oh, hey. Ayanokouji."
Sudou shoved the device into my hand.
"No thanks. I'll do it later."
"Huh? Come on, don't mess around. We gotta do it in order."
I would've preferred not to hear that from the guy who had stolen his turn in the first place, but it was true that I was next in line. Couldn't say I was looking forward to it, though.
82.4 kilograms was a considerably high number. I wondered what the average value was for a first-year high school student. I'd used grip strength measurement devices hundreds of times before, but never once had I heard the average for people my age. I only had my own personal records.
"Hey, Sudou. What do you think the average would be for a high school student?" I asked.
"Huh? I dunno. Maybe, like, around 60?"
"Around 60, huh?"
I grasped the grip strength measurement device so that I could see the monitor. Grip strength wasn't simply proportional to your arm's thickness, though of course, it wasn't completely unrelated, either. A bunch of muscles known as the "flexor carpi radialis" and the "brachioradialis" in your forearm were most important. The forearm muscles contracted, pulling on the
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tendons, and thus bending the fingers. The idea was to improve grip strength by training those muscles.
If you had a certain amount of muscle mass, depending on your degree of training, you could exceed a grip strength of 100 kilograms. Of course, you would need to spend a lot of time training to achieve that.
I gripped the lever, slowly applying force. Once I passed 44, I started to make minute adjustments to my grip strength. Once I passed 55, I further adjusted my grip, and once my grip strength reached just slightly over 60, I stopped adding any more force.
"That's it. I can't go any further."
I released my grip on the device and handed it over to Ike, who stood next to me. Then I went to give Hirata my result.
"My grip strength was 60.6." I delivered my report casually.
"Heh. You're pretty strong, Ayanokouji-kun," replied Hirata. He gave me a smile, as though he were impressed.
"Huh? Was it really that good? Wait, isn't that around average?"
"I think the average is lower than that, actually. 45 or 50?" mused Hirata.
"Hirataaaa. I got a 42.6. Can you give me a few tiny bonus points and make it 50?" asked Ike. That wasn't a tiny bonus.
Hirata, smiling wryly, wrote down 42.6 in his notebook. Sotomura got 42, and Miyamoto, who went afterward, got a 48. There were certainly a lot of people scoring under 50.
"I see. So, 60 was high, then."
I shouldn't have asked someone like Sudou what the average was, though I supposed he wouldn't have known it offhand anyway. I'd thought that by placing my strength squarely in the middle, I'd be able to avoid participating, but I made a serious miscalculation. At this rate, I might be required to enter some recommended-participant events.
Kouenji aside, I ended up placing second in the class. I'd definitely screwed up. Next came Hirata in third place with 57.9. Of course our jack-of all-trades had done well at this. Still, Sudou couldn't hide his disappointment
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in our classmates.
"Man, I can't rely on a single one of you. The next best is Ayanokouji? This might as well be over."
His casual rudeness could be stunning sometimes.
After the boys finished taking their measurements, we handed the devices to the girls. Since there would be mixed guy-and-girl competitions, knowing everyone's strength would be necessary.
Hirata filled out names for recommended-participant events based on the results he collected in his notebook. "Okay, so we can simply go in order, based on grip strength, for the tug-of-war and the four-way tug-of-war. That'll be Sudou-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, Miyake-kun, and me."
"What exactly is a four-way tug-of-war, anyway? I ain't ever heard of that," said Sudou.
"I haven't heard of it before, either, so I looked into it. It's pretty much exactly what its name says. It's a tug-of-war competition in which four people are chosen from each of the four classes, for a total of sixteen people. It sounds like it's a tug-of-war contest where those sixteen people pull simultaneously," said Hirata.
Unlike in a normal game of tug-of-war, where you could just rely on your strength, some tactics would be necessary. Hirata wrote down the four way tug-of-war participants in his notebook.
"Hey, Hirata, are we not getting any more chances to enter events?"
"Oh no, it's not like that. It's just, well, I think that competitions like the scavenger hunt are based more on luck than athleticism," replied Hirata.
"Luck? So, how are we going to decide that?"
"Simple is best. How about we go with rock-paper-scissors?" Hirata suggested.
I would've thought that suggestion seemed unbecoming of the serious Hirata, but his proposal was surprisingly reasonable. Luck played a significant part in a person's life. While there was a factor of uncertainty, it was possible that a spot of good or bad luck could flip someone's life upside down. For example, some skilled workers could live as pencil-pushers their whole lives, whereas others could climb to the position of company president
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despite their incompetence.
That much proved that luck was somehow involved. Generally speaking, though, other factors caused these kinds of outcomes. As for the scavenger hunt during the sports festival, deciding on the participants through rock-paper-scissors should've been fine. People were divided into several groups, and we would narrow down the list of people who would participate.
Of course, I had no desire to play. I prayed I'd lose, but ended up winning in the first round. I prayed even harder that I'd lose as I went into the second and final rounds, but ended up winning again. Three boys, two girls: we had five students, picked by sheer luck.
"Ayanokouji-kun, Yukimura-kun, Sotomura-kun, Mori-san, and Maezono-san. You five," said Hirata. Adding Sudou, that made six of us who would participate in the scavenger hunt.
"Alas! I-I have been chosen to participate in the scavenger hunt? Alack!" the Professor wailed with great dramatic flair. "Why, oh why did I throw rock at that moment? Alas."
"Well, I suppose we're in agreement there…"
At times like this, I wondered if it could be called good luck or bad luck. No, it was definitely bad luck.
"I'm so jealous!" whined Ike.
How interesting. What to someone was misfortune was a dream to another.
I would've been happy to give Ike my spot, but that would probably lead to an argument, so I decided not to bother. Besides, people like the Professor clearly didn't want to participate.
Pretty soon, Hirata completely filled the roster for every event. "All done." He closed his notebook, and the class let out a sigh of relief. The class had settled down once again. However, this roster was temporary. Depending on how practice went, and what we learned about other classes, we could still make changes.
"This information is top secret, so everyone, please only make note of your events and your partners. No photographs," said Hirata.
He really had thought of everything. One careless picture of the 54
notebook, and there was no telling how far that information could spread. As Hirata's notebook was passed from person to person, Horikita spoke to me.
"What's the matter, Ayanokouji-kun? You look more somber than usual."
"Several participants were chosen against their will, so things are a little gloomy," I told her.
"There's nothing to be done about that. In our class, there's an extremely wide gap between the athletic and unathletic students," she replied.
"That's certainly true."
After a substantial amount of arguing, we'd finally decided upon the students who would be participating in the recommended-participant events. Just as expected, Sudou would be in all of them, which did make me worry about his stamina. As for the girls, starting with Horikita, many of them were participating in three events. On the other hand, though, my misfortunes had piled up, and it turned out that I would be participating in two events.
Of course, it wasn't as though that was the final decision or anything. The placements were just temporary placeholders. But the roster wasn't set in stone yet. If a more suitable participant appeared prior to the festival, I could probably switch with him or her. I'd be more than open to handing over my burdens. In fact, I'd absolutely love to hand them over.
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Chapter 4:
Everyone's Calculations
STARTING FROM OUR NEXT homeroom period, we'd be practicing independently to prepare for the sports festival. During Class D's free period, we changed into gym clothes and made our way to the athletic grounds.
"Whoa, check it out." Ike, wearing an unpleasant expression, stared at the main school building. Several students were watching us through the windows of their classroom.
"Hey, they're from Class B, right? Guess they're already spying," mused Ike.
Scoping out the other classes to gauge their athletic abilities was totally understandable, whether we were enemies or allies.
"Class A is checking us out, too."
If we wanted to train in such a conspicuous place, it was only natural that we'd be watched. Even if we held back, so the others wouldn't see our true skills, that would only hamper our practice and hurt us in the end.
"They started right away." Horikita had also noticed the curious stares.
For my part, I was more worried about Class C. Not a single one of them was looking at us. It was like they were saying that Class D wasn't any threat to them.
"Are you worried about Ryuuen-kun?" Horikita asked me. "Yeah, a little."
"I'm surprised that he doesn't seem to be carrying out some kind of reconnaissance. However, he did refuse to cooperate with Class B. He doesn't appear interested in any sort of strategy." Horikita shot me a look that seemed to say, I understand, before continuing. "Or so I would have thought if you hadn't warned me. Surely the other students must think they're safe, though."
She glanced at the students, who were throwing themselves into practice.
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"What you mentioned earlier, about Ryuuen-kun already having a strategy? I suppose this means that his plans are already in place. Reconnaissance isn't necessary for him." Horikita no longer appeared optimistic. On the contrary, she now looked clearly bewildered. "Anyone would want information on the other classes. They should want to know who is physically gifted, who'll participate in which contests, and so on. But him…"
That in itself proved that Ryuuen already had a secret strategy.
"The important thing is not to be satisfied just with knowing that Ryuuen has a plan," I explained.
"What do you mean?"
"Normally, when someone has a secret plan in place, they do whatever it takes to ensure that their enemies don't figure it out. However, Ryuuen's not even trying to hide the fact that he's up to something. He's making it obvious by not bothering to do any reconnaissance," I said.
"It's almost like he's showing off then," Horikita replied.
Thinking more deeply about the implications of Ryuuen's behavior would reveal his thought process. I wondered how much of it Horikita could see at present.
"You know, I can't help but wonder where your powers of observation came from. But, since you've forbidden me from asking questions, I suppose I must be quiet."
What a disagreeable and Horikita-esque way of putting it. Of course, no matter how much she poked and prodded, I wouldn't budge.
"Suzune. You have a minute?" asked Sudou, startling Horikita with his late arrival. Sudou interrupting her train of thought clearly irritated her. Something else seemed to be bothering her, too.
"I've told you numerous times. Please do not call me by my first name."
"Aw, what do you mean? Does it really bother you that much?"
"Yes. I don't want someone I'm not close to using my first name," said Horikita. As always, she went right for the heart, sparing none of Sudou's feelings. "If you continue to call me 'Suzune' after this warning, I'll have to
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take more direct action to make you stop."
A terrifying proposition, truly. If at all possible, I didn't want to hear the details. He no doubt desperately wanted to call her by her first name, but he would really suffer if she came to hate him. Whatever his thoughts were, I wouldn't find out, because Sudou changed the topic.
"In that case, if I get the best results out of anyone in Class D during the festival, will you let me call you by your first name?"
Oh? It was a rather modest request for Sudou, but I didn't know whether Horikita would acknowledge it.
"Hard work is its own reward. Why should I agree to such an idiotic bet?" Horikita probably wasn't aware of Sudou's feelings for her. I wondered how he intended to answer.
"Well, it's just… Not too long ago, you saved me. That's why I want to do things properly, to show you how I feel… No, I think I'd like to be friends with you, first. This is the first step," said Sudou.
"I can't understand why you'd go out of your way to request something like that. But fine. If you produce the best results, I will allow you to use my first name. However, I won't be satisfied if you're just the best in our class. Show me that you can be the best out of everyone in our grade," said Horikita.
She'd given Sudou an incredibly high hurdle to clear. But Sudou showed no sign of balking. "All right! It's a deal, then. If I place first in our grade level, I'll call you by your first name," he said happily.
"However, in the event that you don't get first place, I'll forever forbid you from saying my first name. Prepare yourself," said Horikita.
"Y-yeah."
It was a Herculean task, though not impossible. He nodded vigorously in response. Based on what I'd seen of the other classes, Sudou's skills were top-notch. I doubted he'd have any trouble during the events. The only person who might rival him was Kouenji, but he was totally unmotivated and most likely wouldn't be a problem. That meant it was just a matter of how many competitions Sudou could dominate.
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4.1
WE STARTED TESTING everyone's aptitude in earnest. Although Hirata's policy didn't encourage forced participation, roughly 90 percent of the class took part in the various tests. Only a few, like Kouenji and the Professor, sat them out.
"Hah…ah…phew!" Sakura finished in last place, looking as though she was about to collapse, both hands on her knees.
"Good work, Sakura. You really gave it your all."
"A-Ayanokouji-kun. Ah…hah…" Sakura wheezed.
Sakura had always been rather unathletic, so she wasn't terribly proactive when it came to sports. But recently, she'd worked hard to contribute to the class. Unfortunately, her lack of physical endurance was still a problem.
"Hey, hey! Let's go!"
Meanwhile Sudou, usually the least serious class member, worked harder than I'd ever seen. There was a certain magnetism to him. He couldn't afford to disappoint after talking such a big game, but he needn't have worried. When he was in top form, Sudou was unbeatable. No student in our class could stand as his equal.
"Wow, just like we'd expect, Sudou-kun! You always end up taking first place in our class, no matter the event. That's amazing!" said Kushida. She jumped up and down in excitement as Sudou finished running the 100- meter relay race.
"Heh, guess so. Even so, I dunno what'll happen if he runs." Sudou glared at Kouenji, who showed no interest whatsoever.
"You know, that reminds me. I've never seen Kouenji seriously run before."
Back when Kouenji had faced off against Sudou in swimming class, he'd beaten Sudou's time. His skill was obvious, but he wasn't going to budge unless he wanted to. He'd let us do whatever we pleased while he sat
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on the sidelines, not lifting a finger.
"But, seriously, you're amazing. Really, Sudou-kun, you're definitely the sports festival leader," said Kushida.
"Leader? Me?" Sudou repeated the word, appearing to be a little taken aback.
"Yes." Hirata, who was recording everyone's scores, apparently agreed with Kushida. "After all, the sports festival really is an athlete's time to shine. You're especially qualified, Sudou-kun. Would you mind leading our class for this?" Hirata himself was qualified, of course, but he had judged Sudou to be the far superior choice.
"I ain't really suited to be a leader or anythin'…" Sudou looked over at Horikita for her opinion. He seemed a little bewildered, as he only ever acted alone or within a small group.
"You're not the type of person to speak eloquently. As a
communicator, Hirata-kun is certainly the superior choice," she said. "However, based on your sprint earlier and your other athletic records, I can see Hirata-kun's point. You shine when showered with attention. Besides, brute strength will be necessary to pull our class along. I wouldn't object to you serving as leader in this."
She didn't encourage him, but she didn't reject him, either. She'd acknowledged him. After all, she wasn't arbitrarily participating in practice; she was trying to get a firm grasp of everyone's talents.
"Okay! I'll lead our class to victory," said Sudou. Perhaps being so lovestruck was foolish, but he clearly wanted to live up to Horikita's expectations.
"Don't get overconfident and sloppy, because I'll make you pay for that," warned Horikita.
She walked away and returned to practicing. Sudou blushed, clenching his fists as he watched her go.
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4.2
SUDOU WAS SERIOUS about being a leader. The next day, he began coaching the other students, starting by teaching them how to win the tug-of war. I watched from a slight distance away.
"You're just pointlessly strainin' yourself. There's no strength at all in your pull. At this rate, you wouldn't win, even if you could," said Sudou.
He grabbed the short length of rope tightly to give us a practical demonstration. Ike and Yamauchi faced off against him. The looks on their faces suggested that they expected to win, but when the match began, Sudou pulled with an overwhelming amount of strength. A disappointingly short time later, Ike and Yamauchi fell down and sat on the ground.
"See? You ain't putting any power into it at all."
"I don't get it. Hey, Sudou, is there some kinda trick or something?"
"Well, power's important, but also, don't just use your arms. Use your hips, too," said Sudou. His manner was rough, but he gave each and every student thorough guidance.
"Hey, Sudou-kun. Can you come look at this for us? We're not doing well with our carriage for the cavalry battle."
"Sure. Wait a sec. I'll be right there."
There were more than a few unathletic students, which meant that several people asked Sudou for help. I was honestly surprised that even girls asked him for his opinion.
"Well, he seems to be taking this rather seriously."
"It's the first time that people have relied on him. Leadership might actually suit him, don't you think?"
In theory, it probably felt nice to be relied on. That was doubly true for students like Sudou, who lived their lives in solitude.
"As for me, though…well, I wouldn't mind praising him, but—" Before she could finish the thought, we heard an angry voice.
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"Look, I'm tellin' you that ain't it!" Sudou kicked at the dirt, sending it flying toward Ike and Yamauchi.
"Gah! Puh…yuck! Dude, c'mon. Stop!"
Horikita sighed.
Sudou's rashness was still a problem. A leader needed to understand the fact that others were fundamentally different from them. A leader also had to be patient, like Hirata, who always employed gentle teaching methods. He was currently checking some girls' positions in the carriage formation for the cavalry battle to make sure that they were comfortable.
"Yeah, I think this formation is great. But don't you feel a little cramped?" Hirata asked them.
"Yeah. My shoulders hurt a little, I guess."
"Let's change the positioning a bit. If you just move a few centimeters, it'll feel different."
"Oh, wow, you're right! That feels much more comfortable. Thank you, Hirata-kun."
"Hey, can you help us out, too, Hirata?" another cavalry group asked, and he responded with a broad smile.
"Why don't you help teach the girls, too?" I asked Horikita. She was one of our top athletes; she had a lot going for her as a teacher.
"I don't want to teach them. Besides, I don't think anyone wants me to teach them, either."
With that bold statement, she started warming up by herself.
"I'm already trying my hardest to produce results for myself. How can you be so laid back? I suppose, if you're sure you can win, that's fine," added Horikita.
"Nope, I'm not confident."
"That sounds about right. You always get average scores. You're neither fast nor slow. Your results don't stand out at all."
"You know that?"
"I try hard to uncover my classmates' true abilities." She had observed 63
me closely, even during physical education. "I'll ask you this just once, but… are you holding back, like you did with your test scores?"
"Would I do something so pointless?"
"The odds of that are about fifty-fifty to me. So, do you?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but what you see is what you get."
"So, you're neither good nor bad. That means I shouldn't expect great results, hmm?"
"Yep, that's right."
"Then you should practice more, starting now."
"If I could improve in such a short time span, this wouldn't be a problem. Unlike studying, trying to do this all at the last minute the night before is kind of pointless." Physical ability only improved through repeated conditioning.
"Wouldn't it be a good idea to focus on events where you can improve quickly, though? For example, just learning how to grip a rope or form a carriage will increase our chances of victory."
"Maybe."
I'd tried to slack off and cut class, but Horikita had firmly boxed me in. Well, there wasn't any getting around it. I needed to practice for the recommended-participant events I'd somehow gotten roped into.
"Hey," Horikita called out to me again as I walked away.
"Hmm?"
"Every class's physical abilities will determine who wins and who loses. Right?"
"This is a sports festival. Physical abilities are key."
"Yes. Still, that kind of thinking is limited. If I focus on my own performance, I'm confident that I can produce good results, but something's been troubling me for a while. I might not be able to reach Class A just by improving my own skills," said Horikita. It was an uncharacteristically timid remark coming from her. It seemed that she'd been deeply affected by her mistakes in the prior tests.
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"Okay. Let me ask you this. What should we do in the sports festival to produce results? To reach Class A?"
In reply to my question, Horikita just gave me a confused look.
"Could it be that you'll win if you enjoy it? This is the long-awaited sports festival, after all. Forgetting that this is a test and having fun is an option," I said, as if trying to change the topic.
"You promised me that you'd cooperate, didn't you? You said you'd help me reach Class A," said Horikita.
"That's what I'm doing, isn't it?" I spread out my hands, showing that I'd nothing to hide. "I'll participate in the festival. That's cooperating."
"Are you serious?"
"You said so yourself, didn't you? Physical ability will determine victory or defeat."
"But there are other aspects to the competition," said Horikita.
In other words, she meant something besides athletic ability that would influence the outcome.
"Okay. So, on the day of the festival, should I give the Class B and C students stomachaches and make them bow out? If I do that, we'll have a total victory. We'll win by an overwhelming margin," I said.
"Stop joking."
"That's about the answer you expected from me, though, isn't it? The sports festival is a challenge to be taken head-on. Clumsy little schemes will backfire. Each person should strengthen their abilities and strive to outdo the competition," I told her.
That was what the school would be looking for.
"If you wanted me to expand on your way of thinking, it's like you're saying athleticism alone won't be enough," I added.
"So, you agree that something else is required?" she asked. "You'll learn the answer to that soon enough," I replied.
Somebody was walking toward us. "Horikita-san, you're up next for three-legged race practice."
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"Okay."
Having been called for, Horikita left. Apparently, she was partnering with Onodera, a girl from the swimming club who was supposedly a great sprinter. Each person's athletic abilities were important, sure, but so were their abilities to cooperate with their fellow classmates. As I watched them tie their legs together, I wondered how Horikita would handle it.
The five pairs of girls lined up at the starting line, then launched into the race. When it came to their overall skill level, Horikita and Onodera were the best pair. However, the results had yet to be seen.
They weren't slow, but they weren't fast, either. They came in third. The worst team was Sakura and Inogashira, a most unathletic pair. They were slow as molasses.
Dissatisfied, Horikita and Onodera decided to practice the three-legged race again. They felt the hopes of the entire class weighing on them. Their time was no better than the first, though.
"Those two're kinda slow, huh?" mused Sudou, unexpectedly. He was offering an outsider's perspective while all eyes were on them.
"Yeah."
Finishing their second run, the pair immediately untied the cord and faced each other. "Hey, Horikita-san, can't you try to keep pace with me better?" Onodera sounded slightly annoyed.
"It's certainly true that we aren't moving in sync, but that's not my fault. You're too slow."
"What?"
"Shouldn't you strive to match the faster partner? Deliberately slowing my pace to suit yours makes no sense," said Horikita.
It seemed that my worst fears were being realized. Trying to keep pace with the speedy Horikita was no easy feat.
"Okay. How about we give it a try, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Hirata.
"Roger." I didn't have time to waste on Horikita, who was fighting with her partner. The three-legged race was a first for me, too.
"To begin with, let's just focus on running. Then we can try and fix 66
whatever goes wrong. Okay?"
I nodded and tied our legs together per Hirata's instructions. It was too tight for my liking, and made me feel shackled. Honestly, even if we were both guys, it was a little embarrassing to be that close to somebody. Particularly Hirata, the darling of all the Class D girls.
"Okay then. Let's take our first step," said Hirata.
I nodded, and waited for Hirata to move his leg so I could match him. Keeping up with his rhythm, I stepped with my outer leg.
"This is really uncomfortable."
"It is, isn't it? But, as you run, try matching your breathing to our movements. Okay? I'm going to start running."
Hirata picked up his pace slightly, and I copied him. Really, my run was only at about power-walking speed.
"Yeah, that's it. That's it! You've got it!"
Anyone could've kept the pace, but being complimented really did make things easier. As I got used to three-legged running, I realized that it was surprisingly simple. If both partners understood each other and maintained a similar pace, everything got smoother.
Hirata and I ran a small lap, came back, and untied the cord. Loud, high-pitched cheers could be heard from the girls. "So fast! Just like we'd expect from you, Hirata-kun!"
"It's really, really easy with Ayanokouji-kun as my partner. Let's all practice and do our best during the festival, okay?"
Yeah, he really was supportive. He'd just finished his own practice, and now he was heading off to give other students advice again. Just another day in the life of Hirata, a truly superior man.
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4.3
IT WAS MID-SEPTEMBER, and the sports festival was less than two weeks away. Sudou, who couldn't study to save his life, remained steadfast and practiced tirelessly. Tempering his spirit day in and day out with basketball had made him tenacious. Some students among us were holding back and cutting corners, but Sudou always gave everything he could without flaunting.
This degree of effort was probably the bare minimum that the school was looking for in the sports festival. That was especially true for direct competitions where we'd be facing off against other opponents, like in the cavalry battle or the tug-of-war. The outcome could probably be greatly influenced just be our formation or strategy.
Of course, Hirata hadn't forgotten about our relationship with Class A. He periodically held meetings with Katsuragi during which they discussed how best to compete. Class D, normally just an inch away from disaster, was doing almost too well.
Looking at the big picture, I saw two remaining issues at hand.
First, Horikita Suzune. She could become an invaluable asset to the class, but she wasn't quite there yet. No matter how many times Horikita changed partners, they always ended up fighting and dissolving the partnership. Eventually, Horikita decided to compete paired with the girl who best matched her speed, but even that had fallen apart. Now she just spent her time silently alone.
"Do you have a minute?" I asked.
"What?" Perhaps because of stress, she seemed even pricklier than usual.
"I think it'd do you some good to compromise a little more," I said. I'd watched her practice, but had seen no sign of improvement. Horikita's overly forceful nature was getting in the way.
"Many people have told me that," she said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "I won't compromise because I'm trying to get the best time.
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Isn't that a good thing? The three-legged race is different from a normal one; even someone who's slow should be able to keep up."
"So, you have no intention of yielding?"
"That's right. I don't intend to accommodate someone else's slowness."
"But that's why no one wants to practice with you."
When it came time to practice the three-legged race, Horikita was left outside of the circle our class had formed. If things continued like this, she'd have no hope of improving her time.
"I don't understand. If I'm expected to yield, my partner must put in the effort first. I can't work with someone who refuses to even try to improve," she replied.
I understood what Horikita was trying to say. The girls who paired up with Horikita suggested dissolving their partnership as soon as they realized their timing didn't match. There was a fundamental reason behind it, however.
"Stick your foot out."
"What are you getting at?"
"Partner with me for the three-legged race."
"Why should I?"
"There's a mixed-gender three-legged race. Can't we determine how compatible we are as partners?"
"So, you think you can keep pace with me? You'll only drag me down."
"According to your theory, my speed isn't the issue, only my effort." "Fine. I'll tie us together."
Horikita crouched and tied the cord around our legs, as if telling me not to touch her. Everyone nearby was focused on practicing, and no one paid attention to us. Even Sudou, who'd probably get angry if he saw this, was too busy with other people.
"Well then, let's go!"
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At the beginning, I mirrored Horikita. However, as we picked up speed, I started going at my own pace.
"H-hey!"
Despite Horikita's panic, I mercilessly went faster. She did everything she could to keep up with me, but her stamina and strength were far inferior that of a boy's, she couldn't match mine.
"You said that keeping up with your partner isn't difficult, right?" I asked.
"That's… I know!"
She was obstinate, and she refused to give up. I decided to shift gears. In the three-legged race, speed alone wasn't enough; that much was clear now that I'd tried it myself. The important thing was to find a tempo that suited both partners, then find your best stride. If you tried to pick up the pace without doing this, you'd end up with a mismatched hobble.
"Tch!"
Eventually, Horikita had to admit defeat. I grabbed her by the shoulder as she stumbled, then came to a stop. She breathed raggedly.
"This wasn't about fast or slow. Your practices went wrong because you didn't look at your partner," I told her. Without saying another word, I untied the cord around our legs. "The important thing is to work with your partner. How about letting them take the lead?"
"I…"
"Think about it."
Horikita's athleticism meant that she needed to discern her partner's ability level and then work with it.
I didn't know whether she would learn and mature. That was up to her.
Kushida Kikyou was the second problem. She was something of a supporting character—working backstage, but never taking the spotlight. Although Hirata and Karuizawa often outshone Kushida, most of our classmates liked her, which gave her a level of influence even those other two didn't have. In addition to Kushida's exceptional communication skills, she was both academically and physically gifted, and had been blessed with an
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