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Ken Sudou POV:

To be honest, I'm not a proper human being. I decided to become strong and stand for myself when my mother, who worked in the entertainment business, left me. My father spent everyday living soberly as a mere janitor.

I felt sick looking at that sight. Being the idiot I am, I gave up on my studies and decided to enter the world of sports. I was into sports like tennis and table tennis at first but they never really clicked with me. Then I had my first encounter with basketball.

Normally, I dislike playing with others as a team, but miraculously, I was able to make it work in the case of basketball. I even got a recommendation for the high school with one of the best basketball teams in the country. But I got entangled in violent activities, and my application was rejected. And that was when I realized it, that I am scum born from scummy parents.

That is why I chose to enter this school instead. A place where I won't have to pay money for education, and a dream school where even my future could be guaranteed—

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Suzune's voice cut through Sudo's thoughts.

" The surnames of the students divided up in order of the zodiac animals were the key to figuring out the 'target' then. "

The location was the table furthest back in the crowded cafe 'Palette'. Kiyotaka and Karma, along with Yosuke and Kei, and also Suzune surrounded the lunch table. The purpose was to review the shipboard special exam that had taken place in the midst of the summer vacation.

" The rabbit is the 4th in the zodiac. Ayanokouji-kun, Ichinose-san, Ibuki-san, Karuizawa-san and Karma-kun. It would continue in that order. "

" I see. If that's the order then I'm the 4th. That's why I was the 'target' then. " Kei nods in understanding.

Yosuke then speaks up. " But you know, that rule is extremely simple. Almost anyone could understand it. That means the Dragon group Horikita-san and the others belonged to was the 5th so Kushida-san would have been the 'target', right? "

Both Kei and Karma inserted the straw into the packs and sipped milk from it.

Karma insert one of his hand in his pocket. " That's right. Certainly, if you know the answer, it's simple. However, to arrive at this answer in the middle of the exam is no easy matter. Just with the three 'targets' in your own class, you won't be able to find proof of the rules that determine the 'targets'. "

" What worries me is Class C. I think during the middle of the exam, Ryuuen-kun discovered the rules. " Yosuke said with a sigh.

Kei turn to Yosuke. " But, isn't it strange? If that's the case, why did he make a mistake? "

Suzune cross her arms. " I was also uneasy about that too. Even though there was a massive risk involved, if he understood the rules then ultimately it wouldn't have been strange even if he had seen through all the 'targets'. In other words, there should have been no mistake. "

" Even if Class C is seemingly dominated by Ryuuen-kun, couldn't it be that it's not monolithic? There should be more than a few people dissatisfied with his dictatorship. "

" Certainly, that's true. The right to answer is given to all students, so students who did not comply with Ryuuen-kun's plan or those he failed to control made a blunder. "

Karma hummed in thought. " That line of thought cannot be ruled out either. If they gave a correct answer, they stand to gain a massive amount of points after all. "

" What do you think about this, Ayanokouji-kun? " Suzune ask Kiyotaka.

Due to such an act from Suzune. Yosuke, Karma and Kei turned their eyes towards him. He ended up unconsciously choking making Karma grin.

" I don't know, I have no clue at all. "

As he said that to deceive them, their gazes scattered away. But since Kei and Karma were still looking at him as a way of doubt, Kiyotaka returned their gaze and after a slight delay, they averted their eyes.

Yosuke then continued. " Either way, right now our first priority is to establish this relationship. It makes me happy that I'm able to talk like this with Horikita-san, Akabane-kun and Ayanokouji-kun. "

" It can't be helped, right? " Suzune shrug between cross arms. " The zodiac exam was a special one where you absolutely cannot overcome it alone. If this can be predicted to be the same in the future too, a certain degree of connection will become necessary. But even so, you successfully managed to escape Ryuuen-kun's grip. "

" Well, I suppose. I have a surprisingly good poker face. Right, Yousuke-kun? " Clinging to Hirata's arm, Kei smiled as she ask.

Karma arch a brow. " It was only because before Ryuuen could answer, someone else gave the wrong answer after all. It was thanks to that. "

Yosuke returned Kei's smile before turning to Suzune.

" I have a proposal to make, would that be ok? Firstly, in order to bring the class together as one I'd like to bring Kushida-san into the fold. I think she will be able to supplement the four of us in parts we cannot compensate for. Starting with Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun, there are few people capable of bringing the majority of the boys together as one, you see. "

" Unnecessary. I won't deny it in the sense that she is capable of controlling them, but it's something we can do on our own. For that purpose, I've reached out to you and Karuizawa-san. If the two of you will lend your power, then this problem can be beaten. It may be a different story if you prove uncooperative like certain people though. " Suzune looked at the two boys with a side glance.

Kei nod. " Certainly, if it's Ayanokouji-kun, he may not follow our lead. "

The two of them, with the exception of Yosuke and Karma, nodded in agreement.

Kiyotaka then spoke up. " It's a big misunderstanding if you think of me as the uncooperative one. For lengthy things, I'm just one amongst the crowd obediently falling into line. Truly, I'm a person you can control like you said yourself. In other words, I'm a person with a small presence. "

" The ones who claim to be people with a small presence are the ones who aren't so. " Suzune replied.

Karma smirk. " That is one answer. "

" Then are you a person with a small presence? "

Suzune scoff. " Me? There's no way I could possibly be a person with a small presence, right? Do you mind not mocking me? "

" ......S-Sure. "

Kiyotaka's stuttering made Karma laugh a little, but he hid it with a cough, but Kiyotaka notice it right away. He can feel his eyebrow twitch.

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As for the afternoon class, it has become a 2 hour long homeroom. When the instructor for Class D, Chabashira-sensei, arrived, she began to explain indifferently.

She announced. " From today the classes will resume again. However, in the 2nd semester, from September to the start of October for a period of one month, in anticipation for the sports festival, there will be increased physical education classes. Keep that in mind for the distribution of the new timetables. And also, along with the timetables, material regarding the sports festival will also be distributed. The students from the front will distribute the printouts to the back. "

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The moment they heard the word sports festival, screams rose up from a part of the class.

" Once again, the school's HP will be presenting the same details as the printouts. If necessary, remember to use it as reference. "

Yosuke raise his arm. " Sensei, is this also one of the special exams? "

Chabashira face Yosuke. " You lot are free to interpret it however you want. Either way, there's no mistaking the fact that it will have a massive influence on each and every class. "

Some students are overjoyed (especially Sudou) while some are disgruntled.

Suzune turn to Kiyotaka and Karma who's near her. " Ayanokouji-kun, Karma-kun, here---. "

Suzune noticed something and pointed to the printout.

The two boys followed and too, turned over the page and checked that part. And when they did, what was written there was unexpectedly the examination system. It was only for a moment, but they felt as though Chabashira-sensei had looked at them.

" There are probably already those who have seen through it and noticed but this sports festival has adopted the method of dividing all school years into two separate groups and has them compete against each other. You lot in Class D have been assigned to the Red Team. And Class A too, will be competing in the same Red Team. For the duration of this sports festival, it means Class A will be your allies. "

Class B and Class C were part of the White Team and the sports festival will be the Red Team vs. the White Team.

Ike gaped. " Woah, seriously? It'll actually be something like that!? "

The dweller beside Kiyotaka and Karma was pretending to be calm, but inside, she must have been panicking. Her brother, Horikita Manabu, belongs to Class A of the 3rd year. Depending on the circumstances, they may have to hold talks with him.

Kiyotaka scroll his eyes over to the hyperventilating girl. " At last it's an opportunity for you to make contact with him, huh? "

" ......Don't talk about that here. "

Kiyotaka made a verbal slip and Horikita glared at him, while Karma just shook his head.

' You should learn to read the mood, Ayano-kun. '

Chabashira then continued. " First of all, look over the outcomes that can come from the sports festival. I don't feel like explaining many times over so make sure to listen up well this once. "

Lending their ears to her, they simultaneously dropped their gazes down to the printout.

" It's a simple matter; it means it's necessary to compete by going all out without letting your guard down, because the penalty that the losing team incurs is by no means a light one. "

" Umm, sensei. How many points does the winning team get? There seems to be no mention of that. " Yosuke ask.

" Nothing. Only that there will be no minus to their points. " Chabashira state.

Ike place both hands on both sides of his head as he mumbled. " Uge, are you serious? That doesn't sound good at all. "

" Remember the class-specific points have also been properly calculated so keep that in mind too. Even if Class A leaps forward into action and the Red Team you belong to wins, in the case where the total count of Class D happens to be the lowest ranking, you will still be incurring a 100 point penalty. "

" S-Sensei! These privileges you get when you come in 1st place and 2nd place! What do you mean you can receive marks for written exams with them!? " Ike ask with a frantic tone.

" Ha. It's exactly what you think it is, Ike. From the prizes you win at the sports festival, you can acquire marks you can use to supplement your written exams. In particular, you're bad at English and Mathematics, right? It means the marks you've acquired can be used in any way you like. For each mark you acquire it just means it'll be incredibly useful for your next test. "

It couldn't be helped if they became restless from that but for those students whose sole specialty happens to be sports, screams of delight also rose up.

" Sensei, what kind of penalty is this going to be? " Yosuke ask once more.

" For you 1st years the penalty imposed will be a score deduction on your next written exam. The bottom 10 students score-wise will be receiving a deduction of 10 marks so beware of that. As for how the deduction of scores will be applied, that will be explained as the next written exam draws near so I won't be taking any questions on that here.

Again, the announcement of the bottom 10 will be conducted similarly and will be announced on the occasion of the explanation regarding the written exam. "

" Geeeeh!?!? Seriously!? " Ike exclaimed.

Chabashira continued. " The events that will be held during the sports festival and their details are all exactly as described on the printouts. There will be no changes at all to them. "

" Ugege, this is really hard! It's nothing like middle school! "

A grand lineup of 13 competitions.

Ike cried. " Normally it should only be 3 or 4 events that a single person does! More importantly, is it even possible to do them in a single day? "

Chabashira nod. " I'm grateful for your concern but the school side has also naturally taken it into consideration. There will be no cheerleading or dancing or coordinated group gymnastics amongst the events. At the very most, in the sports festival you will only be competing in terms of stamina and athleticism.

And also of utmost importance is the fact that there is something called a participation table here. On the participation table the details of all events are described. You lot will be using this participation table to decide amongst yourselves in which order you will be participating and record it down and an outsider, that is me, will submit it for you.

Since I believe no middle school has adopted a system like this, I'd like you to be careful so as to not make a mistake. "

Yosuke looked concerned. " To decide what order on our own, how far can we decide......? "

" Everything. " Chabashira replied. " All the competitions that will be held on the day of the sports festival, up to who runs in which group, all of it will be decided by you lot through discussion. After the deadline for decisions, no matter what the reason, any further changes will not be permitted.

That is the vital rule of the sports festival. The submission window will be between 1 week prior to the sports festival and 5 pm of the day before the festival. If you end up exceeding the submission time limit then in that case, you will be randomly allocated so be cautious. "

Suddenly Suzune raise her hand. " I have a question to ask, would that be fine, Chabashira-sensei? "

" Ask away as much as you want. Now is the time, after all, "

Suzune stands up as she place her palm on her chest.

" There is the fact that once the decided participation table has been accepted, no further changes will be permitted but on that day of the festival, if there is an absentee, what should we do? If it happened to be an individual competition then in accordance with the description it will be treated as an absence but for group competitions......in particular, for the cavalry battle and three-legged race that will be taking place with multiple people, if even only a single person were to be missing then the competition itself won't work.

Chabashira hummed. " Regarding the Universal Participation contests, in the case that you fall short of the bare minimum amount of people necessary and vacancies appear, you will be marked as unfit to continue and you will be disqualified.

In the cavalry battle you mentioned, it would mean you would be unable to form 1 horse. As a result, you will have to have your showdown under the condition of having one horseman missing.

The three-legged race is the same too. It would be wise of you to choose a healthy and strong student as your partner. However, there are exemptions in place as relief measures. In regards to the main star of the sports festival, the Recommended Only Participation events, it is permitted to utilize a substitute.

However, if you go around choosing substitutes freely then the participation table itself will become meaningless and in the most extreme cases, you'll end up using lies to prepare your own substitutes. As a result, we have established special conditions. In exchange for setting up a substitute, it has been decided that you will be paying points as compensation. "

Suzune nod. " I understand. Then, for that substitute, how many points would be necessary? "

" 100,000 private points per competition. You're free to see it as expensive or cheap as you wish. " the teacher answered.

" ......I see. Thank you. "

Chabashira then face the other students. " If there are no more questions forthcoming then I'll be ending this talk. " She looks around the classroom. " The next period will be moved to the first gymnasium and you will be meeting students from different classes and different school years. That is all. There is still 20 minutes of study time remaining, you are free to use that remaining time as you wish. You're free to either chat away or have a serious discussion. "

Not long, individual groups start forming up and they began to talk about the sports festival on their own. Gathered under Suzune, whom Karma decided to help, were Sudou as well as Ike and Yamauchi.

" Horikita. Let's talk about how we'll overcome the sports festival. " Sudou said.

Ike nod his head agressively. " I agree, I agree. Let's think about a way to snatch 1st place~. "

Suzune sighed deeply. " I wonder why only people like this come to me... "

" It's a sad reality, isn't it, Suzu-chan? " Karma ask as he squeeze the last droplet in his milk carton.

" Absolutely right. " Suzune then open her notebook. " Fine. First of all, I'll hear your opinions. "

Ike raise his hand. " Ok, ok! I'd like to have fun and win! "

" I cannot acknowledge that as an opinion. Do you mind cutting out the low-level remarks? "

" There is a way for Class D to win. " Sudou suddenly said making Suzune turn to him with interest.

" I'm not expecting anything but I'll hear you out. "

" I don't know about Universal Participation but you know, I'll be participating in every recommended only contest. If I do that, we'll win. " Sudou suggest.

" The level of the remark itself was on the same level as Ike-kun's but while simple, it's a surefire way. Even within the class, you stand out as someone who excels in athletics after all. "

Karma then pointed out. " It's not a bad idea for you to participate in all recommended contests. Even if the same individual participates multiple times there's no problem as far as the rules are concerned. "

" We also want our own chances. I mean, if we place within the first 3 places then we can get points that way. "

Suzune narrow her brow at Ike. " Are you saying you'll do that even if it lowers the chances of the class winning? "

Ike jumped by that. " No, I mean that's true but......we want lots of chances or how should I put it... "

" When it comes to recommended only contests, usually the athletic people are the ones who participate. It's impossible for you, Kanji. " Yamauchi comment.

" You don't know that, right? There's also such a thing as coincidence, you know. It should be fair. "

Suzune once again sighed. " From now on, discussion regarding the class is unnecessary I suppose... "

"The athletic ones will participate as many times as they want. That's the first priority, right? You're being naive, Suzune. " Sudou reasoned out.