When Houtarou returned from the Chairman's office, he found his classmates still conducting their physical tests. As a Class A student himself, he decided to participate.
Though his body had been physically enhanced — allowing him to excel at any event — he knew he needed to conceal his true abilities. His classmates were unaware of his enhancement.
So he used his pre-enhancement capabilities as a reference point.
"A grip strength of 60.03kg — that's pretty good, isn't it?"
"Who would've thought someone so slim would be this strong?"
"Well then, we'll be counting on you for the cavalry battle, Houtarou."
Kōhei, tasked with recording, had to compile all the class data. He needed to consider the sequence of mandatory events and arrange the scoring to prevent the class's star athletes from being concentrated in consecutive events. These responsibilities demanded considerable effort.
This was precisely why Houtarou had avoided taking charge of the Sports Festival. Still, it wasn't without its advantages.
After completing his physical tests, Houtarou lingered to watch the girls' 100-meter race.
As expected, Masumi showed signs of prior training. From her starting position to her final sprint, she displayed exceptional form. Her explosive power surpassed all other girls in the class.
"Kamuro-san, you're quite excellent at running, aren't you?"
"Heh~" Masumi responded with only a cold laugh.
Houtarou understood. She clearly had a past she preferred not to discuss.
Looking at the clubs she joined, though she participated to maintain her Class A image, Houtarou had observed her work in the Art Club during his free time. Her skill clearly showed years of dedication rather than recent learning.
While she excelled at sports, she was equally talented at painting. Arisu had discovered a secret Masumi couldn't reveal to others, leaving her no choice but to comply.
Houtarou deduced that she had likely wanted to become an athlete, but her family had forced her to focus on art instead. This unresolved conflict might have driven her to take actions she now needed to keep hidden.
Meanwhile, Arisu's strict management of Masumi had gradually changed her. This suggested that Masumi's vulnerability could potentially threaten Class A's standing.
Houtarou considered all this carefully.
"I've finished my training tests." Masumi said to Kōhei, who was recording.
"Hmm... just add one more hurdle race and you're done." Kōhei said, "Kamuro-san, since you're so fast at the 100 meters, I'd like to put you in the 1200-meter relay… Also, if you don't mind, I'd like to pair you with Houtarou for the three-legged race…"
After registering her data, Masumi left the field. Instead of heading to the cafeteria or classroom, she took a different path.
The school had only one main field, and due to the Sports Festival, many classes were conducting physical tests. While Class A had nearly finished, Class C's students were just arriving late.
They arrived in two groups — boys and girls — but quickly separated. Yōsuke and Kikyō took some students to fetch testing equipment.
Seeing Masumi head in that direction, Houtarou suspected she planned to scout the other classes. She was skilled at gathering intelligence.
"If you're going to gather information about Class C students, I can join you." Houtarou offered.
"I'm not gathering intelligence." Masumi shook her head, "Sakayanagi asked me to investigate the girls around you, so I need to check Class C."
Houtarou: "..."
Well then. He'd pretend he hadn't heard that.
Her candid admission about investigating the girls around him revealed how Masumi was caught between loyalty to him and Arisu.
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Although her motives weren't pure, Houtarou occasionally needed to act as a Class A student too. He decided to investigate Class C's situation.
Class C's boys had gathered together after Yōsuke brought back the equipment. Rather than organizing efficiently, they all clustered around the grip strength meter.
Meanwhile, the girls had lined up for their 100-meter sprint tests.
Every student was required to participate in 9 events:
① 100-meter dash
② Hurdle race
③ Pole toppling (men only)
④ Ball throwing (women only)
⑤ Tug of war (gender-separated)
⑥ Obstacle course
⑦ Three-legged race
⑧ Cavalry battle
⑨ 200-meter dash
According to Houtarou's plan, Class B's angels would forfeit their matches when competing against Class C's weaker athletes.
Houtarou had carefully considered this strategy. Since he'd accepted payment, he needed to help Class C's struggling athletes — their previous cooperation in avoiding expulsion made future collaboration valuable.
The plan also worked to undermine Class B. By forfeiting, they'd lose points in individual events, weakening both their class total and team competition scores.
In this way, Houtarou maintained his loyalty to Class A.
However.
"Hey, shouldn't we do the grip strength test when the girls are around?" Some of the Class C boys complained.
Without an audience to impress, their enthusiasm had waned. Everyone knew their class had many attractive girls — their presence would have made the testing more exciting.
Even without being popular, the boys were eager just to receive attention and cheers from the girls.
Among them was Ken, a red-haired student who had made the basketball team as a regular player. Though physically gifted, he struggled academically and lacked decisiveness.
Houtarou remembered when he'd arranged for Ken and Rokusuke to confront Kakeru during his cash-strapped days. Ken had backed down after Kakeru mocked him.
"80.5kg — Sudō, that's amazing!" Yōsuke exclaimed, gripping the record sheet.
Ken's impressive physical abilities matched those of Class A's top athletes.
Yōsuke, ever the peacemaker, valued class unity above all. He believed having shared goals brought people together.
"Heh, I'm joining every event at the Sports Festival! First place is mine!" Ken boasted.
"80.5kg... you're a monster. Hirata, I only managed 42.2kg..." Another Class C boy said, "Maybe we should keep the girls away for now..."
This wasn't surprising — most of Class C's boys had poor athletic abilities, matching their low academic standing.
"Yukimura, seriously? Not even 30kg?"
Some cases were particularly notable.
Teruhiko Yukimura, Class C's academic star who had previously challenged Suzune, now stood deflated. His poor performance made him want to avoid the girls' attention.
Meanwhile, Houtarou kept his distance from the group, apparently preferring not to mingle with the others.
"..." Houtarou left the boys and headed toward the girls' group.
The girls were in the middle of their 100-meter sprint tests.
Suzune stood at the finish line recording times, her straight black hair gleaming as the first round of runners completed their sprints.
"That's an excellent score." Suzune said to a short-haired girl.
Thanks to Arisu's intelligence, Houtarou could identify her from the first-year student records he'd obtained.
The short-haired girl was Kayano Onodera.
"I ran track in middle school." Kayano explained, "And I'm still doing it now as a hobby."
Though she couldn't match Masumi's speed, she showed promise as one of Class C's stronger athletes.
"Give me the water." Houtarou said.
He sensed someone trailing him.
Masumi: "..."
⍟⍟⍟
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