The first-year girls' cavalry battle ended, and the boys' event began.
The girls' division had been utterly dominated by the B-C coalition, who claimed a resounding victory. They had toppled every single opposing cavalry—a complete and total win.
Riding that wave of momentum, the boys of the B-C coalition were fired up as well.
"Alright, Kamukura-san. Hop on like usual."
Ishizaki grinned as he dropped to his knees.
Sonoda and Komiya immediately formed up around him, and I settled firmly onto the stable center they created.
This was my cavalry. Every member possessed excellent athleticism, outstanding mobility, and more than enough raw power—an ideal lineup.
For reference, Ryuen had built his around Albert as the core, reinforced with athletic club members.
"Hey, Kamukura. Take down as many as you can. We're definitely in range for the year's outstanding performance award."
"That's the plan. You're the general, so don't let yourself get taken out too easily."
"Kuku. Who do you think you're talking to?"
His expression looked even more vicious than usual.
He clearly had some kind of strategy in mind—and one he was extremely confident in.
"Here we go."
At the starting signal, both sides immediately began forming defensive formations.
Perhaps learning from the girls' match, they arranged themselves to prevent being picked off individually.
It was certainly a difficult setup to attack, but that didn't matter to me.
Class B's vanguard and my cavalry launched the fastest assault.
"Let's go!"
Once their defensive block was complete, the massive cluster charged straight at the B-C coalition.
The A-D coalition, with all eight cavalries grouped together, had shifted to an all-or-nothing charge.
A single-point breakthrough.
It was a formation that preserved forward momentum even if allies fell along the way.
"We'll pull back once. Then we take them all from behind."
"Roger that!"
I had us distance ourselves slightly from the enemy formation before directing Ishizaki to circle around to their rear.
There was only one reason the A-D coalition had adopted this desperate strategy: to claim the general's head—Ryuen's defeat.
Hirata's cavalry led the charge, pushing deeper and deeper.
Yet that very strategy left their rear wide open. Their attention was split, making a rear assault devastatingly effective.
"Don't get cocky, Class C!"
Two Class A cavalries appeared to block our advance.
"Full-power frontal charge, please."
At my order, the three replied in perfect unison: "Yes!"
Our cavalry accelerated, slamming head-on into the two enemies exactly as instructed.
Impact.
No matter how strong Ishizaki and the others were, one cavalry couldn't overpower two.
Without a massive gap in ability, collapsing two at once was impossible.
But that was expected. My target was the instant of collision.
Both sides shook equally, freezing the riders for a split second.
In that tremor, I moved alone and swiftly seized both headbands.
"Got them."
"Hell yeah! Clear the way! Make way for Kamukura-san!!"
Those words and the elimination of the two cavalries instantly drew every eye to us.
Aggro scattered; their forward momentum weakened.
"Watch the rear and keep pushing! We still hold the advantage!"
Katsuragi's deep, resonant voice carried clearly as always.
His commanding tone, firm and unwavering, breathed new life into the A-D coalition.
Their slightly disrupted formation quickly reformed, now bolstered by rear vigilance.
"We're not letting you off that easy! This is the critical moment, everyone!"
Shibata rallied the B-C coalition in response.
They tightened their defense even further to prevent a breakthrough.
The battle ignited into fierce intensity.
I directed Ishizaki to charge every nearby cavalry in turn, rapidly collecting headbands.
Class B students were drawing attention, so exploiting gaps was effortless.
Repeating the fisherman's profit, I added two more headbands—four in total.
Four remained.
"Here we go!"
With a spirited shout, Shibata seized a headband from a Class A cavalry.
"That bastard took Kamukura-san's headband!"
"It's still a net gain for the team. No problem."
I couldn't fulfill my boast of taking every single one myself, but claiming the remaining three would be enough.
Simple work.
Looking around, the B-C coalition had three cavalries left: mine, Shibata's, and Ryuen's.
The A-D coalition also had three.
It seemed Sudo Ken's cavalry was performing far better than expected.
"Three against one, huh? We've got this win in the bag!"
Sudo roared right in front of Ryuen, the enemy general.
Surrounded by three cavalries, Ryuen faced a truly desperate situation.
We rushed over immediately.
"You're not passing."
Blocking our path was Class A's general cavalry.
The A-D coalition coordinated flexibly, adapting on the fly. Thus, it was no surprise that Katsuragi—the quickest to judge—moved to block us.
By stopping me, they could attack Ryuen two-on-one and reliably rack up points.
He willingly played the sacrificial role of buying time. Admirable self-sacrifice.
But it was meaningless. With me here, it amounted to nothing.
Moreover, the one who would dismiss such sacrifice with a single word was Kakeru Ryuen himself.
He wore a fearless smile, as if thoroughly enjoying the numerical disadvantage—radiating pure composure.
"I know your name, Sudo. For all your posturing, you resort to outnumbering me. Quite the sly, cowardly bastard."
"Keep talking. I'm gonna beat you and make you cry."
"Kuku. Cry, huh? Declaring you'll make a fool of yourself first—you really are an idiot."
"You're the one who'll be crying. I'll drop you from that horse in the most pathetic way possible."
"You couldn't if you tried. A caterpillar crawling on the ground can't reach a dragon soaring through the sky."
"Bring it, you piece of shit! You'll pay dearly for trapping Suzune with your dirty tricks!"
"Ever heard the phrase 'when it rains, it pours'? You're about to lose in disgrace and become the very reason she gets cornered even further."
After the exchange of taunts, the two cavalries collided.
As expected from teams that had lasted this long, the clash was spectacularly intense.
Yet Sudo's opponent was Albert.
Unshakable as a mountain. Breaching the iron wall of his bodyguard duties was no easy task.
In the head-on impact, Sudo was overpowered.
Still, he braced himself and pushed back, refusing to yield.
"Well, things are heating up over there. Shall we heat things up here too?"
I twirled the four headbands on my finger, showing them off to Katsuragi.
From his position in the base, he glared up at me, barely concealing his irritation.
"Two against one—there's nothing we can do."
"So you buy time to score as many points as possible, right?"
"…Damn it."
To Katsuragi, his face twisted like he'd bitten into something bitter, I delivered the finishing blow.
I signaled Ishizaki, and we charged at full speed.
He managed to halt our advance, but just like the others, the rider couldn't withstand the resulting shake.
In that opening, I snatched the headband.
"Shibata, cover Ryuen. I'll take care of the last one."
"Got it!"
Before I even finished the order, Ishizaki locked onto our target.
We headed straight for the remaining Class D cavalry.
Full-speed reckless charge—we easily claimed the sixth headband.
"That's enough. He'll handle the rest."
We relaxed.
With time to spare, we watched Ryuen's fight.
"Hey, Hirata! Grab the headband already!"
"Just a little more—"
"Come on! I'm burning through stamina here!"
Feinting repeatedly, he reached out. His hand caught Ryuen's fluttering headband.
Only the very tip, a few centimeters.
Still, he desperately tried to reel it in.
"!?"
The headband slipped right out of his grasp.
"What the hell are you doing, Hirata!"
"Sorry—my hand slipped!"
Even after the blunder, Class D pressed the attack boldly.
Both rider and horse were breathing heavily; exhaustion was plain to see.
"One more time!"
Hirata reached out again.
This time his fingers caught the base of the headband. He gripped it tightly and yanked with everything he had.
Yet once more, the headband slipped cleanly from his grasp halfway through.
"Too naive."
Capitalizing on Hirata's moment of shaken confidence, Ryuen countered, seizing Hirata's headband instead.
His grip was deep and firm, buried far into the fabric. When he pulled, the headband came free with startling ease.
"Damn it!"
Sudo, seething, lowered his rider to the ground and glared up at Ryuen with raw frustration and fury.
"That was close, wasn't it?"
Still mounted high, Ryuen looked down with a mocking grin.
With every headband lost, the A-D coalition was defeated. The ending signal gun sounded, and the competition was over.
The participants began returning to their respective waiting areas.
"What the hell were you doing, Hirata? Screwing up the same mistake twice!"
"Sorry, Sudo-kun. The headband was weirdly slick—I couldn't get a solid pull. I really thought…"
I overheard that exchange between Hirata and Sudo.
Moments later, Sudo wheeled around and started marching toward Ryuen to confront him.
Knowing Ryuen, he'd almost certainly coated his headband with something to make it slippery.
But any evidence would vanish the instant it was rubbed in the dirt.
Foul play, cowardly—and an excellent strategy.
I turned my gaze away from the brewing argument and headed back to my class.
…
"You've gotta be kidding me!! I'm gonna pound those bastards!"
The moment the cavalry battle ended and they returned to Class D's waiting area, Sudo erupted in a ragged, furious roar.
The anger in his voice spread fear through the group, cowing everyone and dragging the whole class's morale into the dirt.
Without pause, Sudo began striding powerfully toward Class C.
Consecutive crushing defeats in the team events. Ryuen's deliberate provocations. His pointed remarks hinting at targeting Horikita.
Everything now felt like calculated groundwork to push Sudo into losing control.
"Calm down, Sudo-kun. If you lay a hand on Ryuen right now, you'll be playing right into his hands. Stay calm."
Hirata stepped directly in front of him, trying to reason with him.
I watched the scene while holding an ice bag in one hand.
"Shut up! You're telling me to just let the cheating and the targeting of Suzune slide!?"
"I agree the cheating seems likely. But there probably won't be any proof. And the targeting of Horikita-san can be brushed off as coincidence."
Everything Ryuen did was deliberate.
But without evidence, the truth couldn't be proven.
"I'm the leader for this sports festival. Follow my lead, Hirata. We're going to confront Ryuen together."
"You are the leader, that's true. I don't think anyone's more suited to it than you.
But look around. Do you really think everyone here supports the way you're acting right now?"
At Hirata's measured words, Sudo at least glanced at the faces surrounding him.
Even with blood rushing to his head, some sense of responsibility as leader still lingered.
The reactions were brutal—people flinched or stared at him like he was something contagious.
Horikita, the girl he was infatuated with, was giving him a look of pure exasperation.
This was the reality of Class D.
No matter how much Horikita and a few others had grown during the last special exam, that was merely individual progress.
As a group, Class D was objectively more cohesive than it had been in April, but at its core, nothing had changed.
Reliance on others. Individualism. Self-centeredness.
That was the proof they were defectives.
"I'm… doing everything I can for the class…"
"That's nothing more than self-satisfaction, isn't it? From where I'm standing, it doesn't look like you actually want Class D to win as its leader.
All I see is someone who wants to stand out, to show off his own abilities. And whether you succeed or fail, you take it out on your classmates with your emotions.
If you truly understood what being a leader means, why not try offering calm advice or sound judgment for once?"
"Shut up…"
Yukimura cut into Sudo—biting his lip in frustration—with merciless, knife-sharp words.
Those words spoke for everyone present and instantly painted Sudo as the villain.
A convenient, callous scapegoat has a peculiar allure; it amplifies and draws out people's malice.
Praising or condemning others based on his mood alone. If he produced results, he might earn praise—but the bar was set by Sudo himself.
With his extraordinary athletic standards, the only words he ever had for his classmates were negative.
No one follows a tyrant like that. Not unless someone has the power to silence him.
But Sudo hadn't delivered the results expected of him at this sports festival.
"Speaking of which, Sudo, you're definitely not getting the outstanding performance award, right? You lost to Class C in both individual and team events."
"You were acting so cocky during practice."
"I thought you were reliable back on the uninhabited island, but this is disappointing."
The malice kept coming.
Casual remarks spilled out from the group.
Sudo glared at each speaker as if he could kill them with his eyes, forcing them to fall silent.
The only reason he didn't lash out physically was that those words were true—and somewhere inside, Sudo felt the weight of responsibility.
"Everyone, calm down for now."
Horikita stepped in to mediate.
She moved to the center of the group to restrain Sudo, who was nearing his breaking point.
"But… Horikita! Ryuen was targeting you…"
"——I'm well aware of that."
Sudo's anger subsided slightly, and he spoke in a hesitant, almost cowed tone.
Horikita answered firmly.
Among the battered members of Class D, Horikita had drawn the most hate and sustained visible injuries.
Yet the sheer force of her presence betrayed none of it, commanding every gaze in the area.
"You've probably all sensed it already, but in this exam, Class D is being specifically targeted by Class C… for a certain reason."
"A certain reason… Why not just say it plainly, Horikita? Tell us exactly why we're being treated like this!"
Yukimura, sharp as ever, raised his voice with uncharacteristic roughness.
The smarter students had already pieced it together—why Class C was cornering them so thoroughly.
Someone in Class D had leaked the participation table to Class C.
In other words, there was a traitor in the class.
"No. I won't say it. Even if some of you have guessed the reason, those words aren't needed right now.
Because the only thing Class D should be doing at this moment is avoiding internal conflict. We must stay united so we don't fall into Class C's trap."
But in a class this fractured, revealing the truth would only make things far worse.
Suspicion would breed paranoia, and the class would cease functioning as a unit.
That would mean game over—not just for the sports festival, but for Class D itself.
"So we're just supposed to swallow it!?"
"Yes. For now, all we can do is endure."
At those words, Sudō faltered.
The girl he loved—the one in Class D who had been hurt and targeted more than anyone—had just declared she would not resist.
What Yukimura had said was correct; it perfectly reflected what was in Sudō's heart.
Yet Sudō still carried a shred of responsibility, and above all, a gnawing sense of self-reproach.
There had been plenty of moments when he could have lashed out, and no one would have blamed him. The only reason he hadn't was that he had failed to deliver results.
He didn't know whether it was his pride or some wild instinct that held him back, but something was binding him all the same.
"…Even so, I can't just shut up and swallow this lying down!"
But that restraint had reached its limit.
If it had been only himself, Sudō might have endured.
Yet seeing the girl he adored forced to suffer again and again snapped the band around his patience.
Ignoring Horikita's warning, he began striding forward once more.
"——Stop right there, Red-Hair Boy."
A voice that cut through the heavy gloom like a gust of wind.
It was firm and clear, easy on the ears, yet its carefree tone and peculiar cadence felt utterly at odds with the atmosphere, almost flippant.
He's finally here.
"You… why are you…?"
"Is it strange for a classmate like me to be here?"
Rokusuke Kōenji.
Class D's wild card had finally entered the fray.
"That's not what I meant! Why the hell are you here when you've been slacking off this whole time?!"
"I wasn't slacking, Red-Hair Boy. I told you I was resting because I felt unwell, did I not?"
Sudō roared louder than he had all day.
His anger now turned fully on Kōenji, and he looked ready to throw a punch at any moment.
Early in the sports festival, Sudō had confronted Kōenji for skipping out.
He had been furious then, too, at Kōenji's complete lack of interest.
But the rage burning in him now was on another level entirely; there might be no stopping him.
"I told you, didn't I? I was unwell. But if I felt better, I would participate."
"…You don't mean…"
From those words and the very fact that Kōenji was standing here, a certain suspicion formed.
"Yes. I intend to participate starting with the next event. To elevate my own magnificent existence."
The announcement sent ripples through the group. Surprise, hostility—every reaction further shook the fragile circle.
Even Horikita's eyes widened in shock.
"Don't screw with me! Showing up now doesn't—"
Sudō clenched his fists and took a large step toward Kōenji.
"Stop it!"
Horikita's sharp command rang out, freezing Sudō in place.
Kōenji, still wearing his fearless smirk, turned to leave. Horikita halted him.
"What's brought this on?"
"I told you, didn't I? I feel better now. That's all, Cool Girl."
Guessing the intentions of the capricious Kōenji was nearly impossible. Even if he were lying, no one could see through it.
"But yes… perhaps I have Ayanokōji Boy to thank for my recovery."
"Ayanokōji-kun?"
The mention of someone at the center of the storm instantly shifted every gaze to me.
"He was injured during the pole toppling event—an injury severe enough that continuing should be nearly impossible.
Yet he said he could not retire, for the sake of the class.
No one was watching him. He made that choice entirely of his own will. A truly beautiful resolve."
With those words, the sharp edges in everyone's stares softened, if only slightly.
A number of them now looked at me with something approaching admiration.
Horikita approached. She extended her right hand, her eyes silently demanding the ice bag I held.
Show me the injury.
It seemed I could no longer keep it hidden.
"…!? You—this injury!?"
Horikita's voice rose in alarm.
When the ever-composed Horikita showed such open distress, the others grew curious and crowded closer to see my injury for themselves.
Without exception, every single one had the same reaction.
"That's the situation. Seeing him push on despite such a wound made me feel ashamed to claim mere indisposition.
So, unable to stand by, I proposed taking his place in the 'recommended event' he was scheduled for. And he accepted."
Pure fabrication. Not a shred of truth in it.
No guilt toward me, no proposal, no acceptance.
Yet it suited my purposes perfectly.
I met Kōenji's glance and played along.
"…Sorry for telling you so late. I couldn't find the right moment.
I was also thinking about how to cover the 100,000 private points."
In principle, substitutions are forbidden at the sports festival.
That is why the participation table, with its pre-arranged order, matters so much.
Recommended events are the exception.
Because they carry high point swings and are a highlight of the festival, substitution is allowed—for the price of 100,000 private points paid to the school.
"Ayanokōji-kun, I'm truly sorry for pushing you this far. On behalf of the class, I apologize.
Don't worry about the points. The private points we earned on the cruise test are shared among the class. We'll use those this time."
When Hirata said that, no one objected.
Everyone had witnessed that collision—or at least, it had been conspicuous enough.
What had begun as a selfish desire to gauge Kamukura Izuru's abilities had inadvertently become the spark to lift this gloomy mood.
A student who suppressed a key member of the enemy and contributed to the class despite a visibly severe injury.
No one could oppose such a person.
One could even say he overflowed with sincerity and humility.
"Sorry. That helps."
"Don't mention it. Just rest. You can sit out the 200-meter too."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Running won't be a problem."
When I showed my firm resolve, Hirata gave a faint smile.
"…All right. But please don't push yourself."
Warm, concerned gazes enveloped me.
Amid them, Sudō finally approached.
"…Ayanokōji. You were thinking of the class even with that injury. And here I was, failing to deliver results and making the atmosphere worse…"
He muttered as if from the sidelines.
But the look in his eyes wasn't just worry for me.
I could sense a strong will there.
"…Everyone, I'm sorry. I was only thinking about myself."
Sudō bowed his head.
The anger had vanished; he stood straight, apologizing with evident sincerity.
The change stunned the rest of Class D.
It was as if the person from moments ago had vanished—who was this?
"…Hmph. Anyone can offer a formal apology."
People are clumsy creatures.
Even when the mind recognizes sincerity and wants to forgive, the emotions sometimes refuse.
Barbed words flew toward Sudō.
"Yeah, I know. Anything I say now won't be believed.
That's why I'll prove it with actions. I'll give everything I have right now."
He brushed off the sarcasm—no, perhaps it was more accurate to say he accepted it.
"Class D hasn't lost yet. Now is the time for all of us to combine our strength."
Hirata sent encouragement to everyone.
Not all of them felt genuine willingness to cooperate from the bottom of their hearts.
But the foundation had been laid here and now.
Temporary though it might be, they had managed to unite.
The desperate situation hadn't changed.
They would still be forced into constant disadvantage.
Yet the current Class D would not break.
That was my analysis.
"By the way, you were all lamenting earlier why you're being treated this way."
The free spirit drew everyone's attention once more.
Yukimura, anticipating what was coming, scowled.
"Wait, Kōenji. There's no need to say any more."
"No, there is. Because I know the reason."
"What!?"
Still wearing his relaxed smile, the free spirit dropped a bombshell, and everyone waited breathlessly for his next words.
"The reason you're suffering like this is that information from your participation table was stolen."
What had been mere suspicion now rose to the surface as a concrete possibility.
The free spirit casually shattered what everyone had vaguely sensed but couldn't voice.
"Kōenji-kun… that means there's a traitor in the class, right?"
Kushida asked hesitantly, as if confirming.
Anxiety began to spread, gnawing at the fragile unity.
But that would only have happened if the speaker had not been Rokusuke Kōenji.
"No, that's not it, Girl."
"…Huh?"
Even Kushida looked momentarily taken aback.
Of course she did—Kōenji was declaring there was no traitor while standing in front of the very person who was one.
Half performance, half genuine belief, perhaps.
"There is no traitor in this class. Because Class C has Kamukura Boy.
He was visiting our class fairly often, so he must have gradually extracted the information."
My classmates visibly accepted the explanation.
The man's presence was terrifying; even though the only basis was his own word, they were convinced.
"Hey, Kōenji—if you knew that long-haired guy was coming to our class, why didn't you tell anyone?!"
"Oh? You didn't notice? Well, that's only natural. Mere mortals could never hope to detect his presence."
Kōenji threw his head back and laughed.
By now, every Class D student's memories were likely aligning.
They would recall the uninhabited island test—how Kōenji alone had seen through Kamukura's location when no one else could.
"Don't screw around! Why didn't you say anything?! You're just as guilty!"
Yamauchi vented his frustration openly.
Several others joined in. But Kōenji ignored the hostility entirely and walked away.
As always, the very embodiment of freedom.
"…Well, at least one worry is gone."
"Yeah. If there's no traitor, we can entrust our backs to each other without fear."
Horikita and Hirata spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Both of them knew Kōenji's statement was a lie.
Yet they used that lie to further strengthen the class's unity.
By removing the fear of a traitor, the group could unleash its true potential.
They had covered the truth with a lie.
Kōenji's eloquence was impressive. He was clearly exceptional not only physically but intellectually as well.
He stopped Sudō, lifted the dark mood by spotlighting me, benefited the class by joining the events himself, erased the existence of a traitor, raised morale, and directed any lingering resentment toward himself.
From another angle, he was like a master con artist.
"All right, everyone—let's give it our all!"
At Hirata's command, the class rallied.
In this moment, Class D had united.
That didn't guarantee they could overturn their hopeless situation.
But this trace of growth as a class would become nourishment for the future.
My goal had been achieved far earlier than expected. The rest could be left to unfold naturally.
***
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