Chapter 179 - 179: The 100-Meter Race Ends – The Red Team Takes a Narrow Lead!
In the final days leading up to the sports festival, nothing particularly special happened—aside from Sakayanagi Arisu's unexpected visit.
Even Ryuen, who had been loudly declaring that he would take down Horikita, had been unusually quiet. But this silence was nothing more than the calm before the storm.
Of course, that storm might already have its target locked in.
And just like that, the students and teachers of Advanced Nurturing High School welcomed the school's sports festival at the end of September.
Just thinking about making over 400 students complete more than a dozen events in a single day... was exhausting in itself.
On the morning of the festival, students gathered even earlier than they did for regular classes.
As required, everyone changed into their sports uniforms and lined up for the opening parade, just like they had practiced.
Even at the Olympics, this tradition existed, so no one complained. The real excitement was still ahead.
That said, although it was called a parade, most students simply walked onto the field in a casual manner. They weren't perfectly in sync, but it wasn't a complete mess either. After all, this was just a school sports event, not the Olympics or the Asian Games.
During the opening ceremony, Fujimaki from Class 3-A gave the opening speech. Horikita was disappointed once again—her brother was nowhere to be seen.
Apart from the students, there were even some spectators on the field. But it was obvious that they weren't outsiders—they were staff from the school.
At least, Kanda Shuichi recognized a few familiar faces, like the cashier from the supermarket he often visited or the waiter from a restaurant he frequently ate at.
Meanwhile, the teachers observed the students with serious expressions. Among them was a person in a white coat, likely a medical staff member responsible for student safety.
After all, sports events always came with the risk of injuries. Even a school sports festival couldn't guarantee that no one would get hurt, especially with events like hurdle races and cavalry battles, which were bound to get rough.
Additionally, the school had built small shelters that could hold about twenty people each, equipped with air conditioning, water dispensers, and other amenities.
But calling them "shelters" was a bit of an exaggeration—they were just temporary rooms that could be assembled quickly.
There were two in total, one for the White Team and one for the Red Team, placed far apart from each other. This meant that aside from encounters during competitions, the two teams wouldn't have any interaction.
"They really went all out, huh? They even set up cameras to record the results."
Not only that, but cameras were also installed all over the field, seemingly to prevent students from cheating.
"In other words, the school will definitely try to avoid any misjudgments or unclear results."
Yeah, that makes sense. Since it's a competitive school, at the very least, they have to maintain the appearance of fairness.
After Fujimaki from Class 3-A finished the opening speech, the first event for first-year boys, the 100-meter race, began right away.
The individual races, like the 100-meter dash, and small-scale events like the three-legged race, all started with the first-year students and proceeded in order.
The sequence went from first-year boys to third-year girls, and then the next event would start immediately. The break time in between was really short, so if someone didn't have enough stamina, it could easily affect their performance in later events.
The race order was based on the entry forms submitted by each class. The matches were set in advance, and if a student was late by more than a minute, they would be automatically disqualified and placed last in their group.
If multiple students forfeited, they would all be ranked last and receive the same points, ensuring absolute fairness.
Once the signal was given, each class selected two students, forming a total of eight participants. Sudou was among them.
Of course, he was placed in the first group. The reason was obvious—it was meant to intimidate the other classes. It also showed how much Class D trusted Sudou's abilities.
"Looks like none of these guys are really that good. There are even some fat guys and bookworms. First place is definitely Sudou's, right?"
That might sound like a good thing, but it wasn't necessarily great. Sudou was strong, so not having him go up against the best athletes from other classes was kind of a waste.
But there was nothing they could do now. The students could only complain about their bad luck.
Meanwhile, at the starting line, Sudou crouched into a sprinter's stance. His expression showed pure confidence and calmness.
Then, as soon as the starting gun fired, all the students took off.
No, actually, only Sudou had a perfect start. The others were noticeably slower. Right from the beginning, Sudou surged ahead, leaving the other boys in the dust as he charged forward.
Watching his lightning-fast speed, Kanda Shuichi couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Meanwhile, Yukimura, one of the unfortunate competitors in the same group, gave it his all. At least he didn't come in last, which said a lot about the overall level of this group.
But before the students could even finish cheering for Sudou, the next group's race had already begun.
Kanda Shuichi was up in the third group. But he felt no pressure at all.
When the starting gun fired and everyone else started running, Kanda Shuichi... just casually strolled forward.
That's right. He walked.
By the time the others had crossed the finish line, Kanda Shuichi had barely covered ten meters.
The referee's eyebrow twitched a few times at the sight, but there was nothing he could do. Since the participant intended to finish the race, the referee had no right to disqualify him.
And so, for the 100-meter distance, Kanda Shuichi took over a full minute by himself.
The entire crowd fell silent.
What the hell was this?
The once intense and exciting sports festival instantly turned into a comedy show thanks to Kanda Shuichi's antics.
For the first three groups, the winners were practically decided the moment they stepped onto the track. But when the fourth group lined up, the first-year students immediately started whispering among themselves.
First was Kanzaki Ryuji from Class A. This guy had incredible athletic skills—one of the best in Class A—making him a top contender.
Then there was Katsuragi Kohei from Class B. His physical strength was obvious just by looking at him. He was undoubtedly one of Class B's strongest competitors.
The fact that these two ended up in the same group made things really interesting.
But in terms of speed, Kanzaki was clearly faster, securing first place, while Katsuragi came in second.
Next was the fifth group. Class D sent out Koenji along with an unremarkable student named Nishino. Compared to Sudou, Hirata, Miyake, and Makita, Nishino's speed was a bit lacking, putting him in the second tier of runners.
Since Koenji was highly unlikely to participate, they placed Nishino in this group, hoping he could secure a good rank.
And just as expected, Koenji was indoors fixing his hair and casually filing his nails.
What no one saw coming, though, was that Nishino—who wasn't considered an elite athlete—actually took first place.
It was shocking and made people wonder if he was just ridiculously lucky.
While luck played a small part, the truth was that everything had been planned in advance.
Class D had already informed Class A that they would send their strongest runners in the odd-numbered groups. And technically, they weren't lying—they did put Koenji in.
Meanwhile, Ryuen's Class C, seeing the "monster" Koenji in this group, just threw in two random students who couldn't keep up with Nishino.
As for Class B not sending anyone strong... that was pure luck.
And just like that, the first-year boys' 100-meter race wrapped up in just five minutes.
Then it was time for the girls' race, and the entire event would take around thirty more minutes to finish.
In the following races, Hirata, Miyake, and even Makita secured either first or second place in their groups, earning a lot of points for the class.
As for Ayanokouji, he blended into Hirata's group, barely putting in any effort, and ended up in fifth place.
While the races continued, inside the red team's tent, Sudou had found Koenji, who was slacking off.
"You bastard! You think you're too good to compete? Stop looking down on us!"
But Koenji didn't care at all. He just kept admiring himself in the mirror.
"Looks like I'll have to beat some sense into you, Koenji."
"No! Sudou-kun! If the teachers find out—"
Hirata, who had rushed over out of concern, quickly stepped in to stop Sudou.
"Shut up! This is a class issue, right? So even if I beat him up, it's no big deal. As long as this guy doesn't go crying to the teachers, it'll be fine."
Sudou was right—if the class didn't report internal issues to the teachers, there wouldn't be any problems.
Just like at the beginning of the school year when Class C was united through violence under Ryuen, as long as no one reported it, the authorities wouldn't intervene.
"You're still as messy as ever. I came here to be alone in peace. As you can see, I'm not feeling well today. I only withdrew to avoid causing trouble."
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
Hearing Koenji's explanation, Hirata once again felt admiration for Kanda Shuichi, as everything had played out exactly as Kanda had predicted.
"Stop lying! If it was just practice, that'd be one thing, but you even skipped the official match! And it was only a required event—you wouldn't even participate in that?"
Sudou couldn't take it anymore. He raised his fist and swung it straight at Koenji's face, probably thinking a punch would knock some sense into him.
"You can't, Sudou!"
Hirata, standing at a distance, shouted to stop him, but it was too late—Sudou's fist was already inches away.
However, Koenji, a man who defied expectations, logic, and common sense, caught the punch with his palm.
*Bang!*
The dull sound of impact echoed through the room.
Without even glancing at Sudou, Koenji calmly stated,
"You should give up. You can't beat me."
"You bastard, aren't you supposed to be sick?"
From that single exchange, Sudou was sure—Koenji's body was perfectly fine.
"Seriously, you and her—both of you just want to rely on my strength?"
"Her? Who are you talking about?"
"That Coolgirl you're so obsessed with. She even lectured me today, telling me to take the sports festival seriously."
"Horikita...?"
"Anyway, just back off. I'm not feeling well, you see."
"You—!" Sudou turned to Kanda Shuichi, who had been watching from the side.
"Kanda, say something to him!"
"I can't persuade him. Last time, he only cooperated with Class D because I had something to threaten him with. But now, there are four students at risk of expulsion, and he doesn't lack private points. So I doubt he'll compete this time."
Kanda sounded helpless, but in reality, he was giving Sudou a hint.
If Koenji refused to participate, they could just put him on the list of students at risk of expulsion.
Kanda had promised not to target him, but that didn't mean the others couldn't.
However, Sudou didn't understand at all. He just looked disappointed and then turned to Koenji.
"Sudou, calm down first. Koenji's attitude is definitely a problem, but since he says he's not feeling well, he technically has the right to rest. Besides, no matter who it is, you can't resort to violence."
Hirata paused for a moment. "Honestly, from the start, we never considered Koenji as part of our strategy. Otherwise, we wouldn't have put him and Nishino in the same group."
This surprised Sudou and the other boys slightly.
Even so, Sudou couldn't suppress his anger toward Koenji.
It was like being in a ranked match where you have a top-tier player on your team, but instead of playing, they go AFK just because they think the opponents are too weak and not worth beating.
If you're desperate to win, how could you not be mad at something like that?
"The next event is about to start, Sudou. If the team leader isn't present, it'll hurt morale."
Seeing that Sudou was still unwilling to let it go, Hirata changed his approach. It worked.
"...Fine, I'll go back."
"Thank you."
Hirata, as if taking care of Sudou, walked out of the cabin with him.
Back at Class D's camp, Sudou was still feeling restless, but he sat down on a folding chair.
"Damn it! Next time, I swear I'm gonna send that guy flying!"
His anger wouldn't fade easily, so he kept venting his frustration.
Since a wise man avoids danger, everyone instinctively stepped away from Sudou.
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated girls' race had begun.
Horikita Suzune stood on lane four, while right next to her was Ibuki from Class C.
Horikita didn't have much impression of Ibuki. The only reason she even knew her was that they had spent a few days together at Class D's camp back on the deserted island.
For some reason, Ibuki shot Horikita a provocative look.
Horikita frowned slightly and got into her starting position.
The starting gun fired, and the seven girls dashed forward.
Yes, seven. No need to say who was missing.
Among them, the ones who stood out immediately were Horikita Suzune and Ibuki Mio.
Ibuki had a strong start, while Horikita reacted a bit slower and took off a little late.
As soon as the race started, Horikita quickly picked up speed, closing in on Ibuki with smooth, precise movements. Midway through the race, she overtook her and secured first place with only a slight lead.
After crossing the finish line, Horikita stopped, took a few deep breaths, and returned to Class D's group. Meanwhile, Ibuki, clearly frustrated, kicked the ground hard.
Once the first-year races were over, it was time for the second and third years to compete.
For most first-year students, these races didn't matter much. But for Kanda Shuichi, it was a different story—he knew people in both the second and third years.
Miyake always seemed like a loner, and that's how most classmates saw him. But somehow, without anyone noticing, he ended up dating a senior from his club in the second year.
Right now, he was staring at the track, waiting for Hashibara-senpai's race.
Even though archery wasn't a physically demanding sport, it still helped improve overall fitness. So it was no surprise that Hashibara-senpai easily took first place.
In the third-year race, Horikita Manabu won first place without a doubt. As for Secretary-chan, she wasn't as strong—she barely managed to secure fourth place, which at least meant she didn't lose.
"You're really fast, President Horikita."
"My brother is perfect. No matter what he does, he'll always come in first."
...
Kanda Shuichi was speechless at Horikita Suzune's words. Even Horikita Manabu himself wouldn't claim to be perfect, yet here she was, saying it for him.
Why don't you just say, 'My brother would eat crap if he had to'?
It'd be about the same level of exaggeration.
After the 100-meter sprint for all grades ended, there was a ten-minute break. During this time, the school calculated the total points for the red and white teams.
Before the next event began, the scores were announced.
Red Team: 2,210 points.
White Team: 1,791 points.
A difference of exactly 419 points!
The competition had only just started, but the Red Team already had a solid lead—just as expected.
How could they possibly lose at this point? Unless the entire Red Team just stopped trying!
Seeing the score, the students in Class D were pumped. With such a big lead, victory was practically guaranteed. As long as they stayed consistent, they were bound to win, right?
And so, a feeling called "confidence" started growing in their hearts.
Watching his classmates filled with confidence, Kanda Shuichi sighed inwardly.
What a shame. That confidence was about to be completely crushed.
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