At ten in the morning, the individual competition phase temporarily came to an end. Next up was the even more intense team battle.
"Listen up, everyone! We absolutely cannot lose the upcoming team competition!"
Sudo Ken stood in front of the class, the veins in his neck bulging from shouting. His signature red hair was particularly dazzling under the sun, and he looked like a burning ball of fire.
"Especially the Pole-Pulling! That's a man's battlefield! As long as we defend here, I can lead people to break through their defense!"
"For victory, even if it means death, you must hold your ground! If anyone dares to slack off or retreat, don't blame me for being impolite! I want a complete victory! I want MVP!"
Although the boys below were also stirred by this momentum, feeling a surge of excitement, most felt a sense of pressure and fear. After all, not everyone possessed Sudo's monstrous physique and desire to win.
Natsukawa Sosuke stood at the very edge of the crowd, silently sighing as he watched Sudo jump around like a gorilla in heat.
'So full of energy, it's good to be young.'
He had no opinions to voice, nor did he intend to fuel or douse this fire. He simply turned around silently, walked to a row of benches at the very edge of the rest area, sat down, and began to close his eyes and rest... "Beep—!"
With the referee's whistle, the men's Pole-Pulling competition officially began.
This was a pure clash of strength (physique) and strategy (dirty tricks). Red Team (Class A + Class D) vs. White Team (Class B + Class C).
As Class D's ace, Sudo Ken naturally took on the heavy responsibility of being the core of the offense. He charged forward, roaring, towards the White Team's position, with an aura as if he would smash all obstacles in his path.
"Charge! Break their pole!"
However, just as the two sides were about to clash, an unexpected—or rather, long-planned—situation occurred.
In the chaotic crowd, several figures didn't focus on the pole. Instead, as if they had long locked onto their target, they directly converged on Sudo Ken.
They were from Class C.
"Get lost!"
Sudo Ken, relying on his formidable physical prowess, directly knocked away a Class C student who tried to block him. But the next second, more Class C students swarmed in, stubbornly clinging to him.
In this chaotic melee, no one noticed a foot quietly extending into Sudo's blind spot.
"Ugh!"
Sudo, who was exerting force, felt a sharp pain in his ankle. His center of gravity was lost, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Before he could get up, two or three Class C students "accidentally" piled on him, pinning him down.
"Bastards! What are you doing?! Let go of me!"
Sudo struggled desperately in the pile of people, his angry roars drowned out by the noisy shouts.
Meanwhile, on the Red Team's defensive line.
The mixed-race giant named Yamada Albert, like a human tank, ignored all Class A and Class D students who tried to stop him, forcefully breaking through the defense line.
In the face of his absolute strength, all techniques seemed pale and powerless.
"Boom—"
The Red Team's pole, pushed by Albert's massive hand, collapsed without suspense, raising a cloud of dust.
"Beep—! Game over! White Team wins!"
The referee's whistle sounded, announcing the Red Team's crushing defeat.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
Sudo Ken finally pushed away the people on top of him and got up, covered in dust. His knee was scraped and bleeding, but the humiliation he felt internally made him even more furious than the physical pain.
He rushed to the Class C students who had been clinging to him. "You treacherous bastards! That was a foul, wasn't it?! Huh?!"
"Oh dear, Sudo-kun, what are you talking about?"
The Class C student spread his hands innocently. "Everyone was crowded together, isn't it normal to fall? If you can't handle losing, don't play."
"You—!"
Sudo raised his fist, about to strike, but Hirata, who arrived in time, held him back tightly.
"Sudo-kun! Calm down! They haven't been proven to be intentional. If you strike, we'll be disqualified immediately!"
Sudo gasped for air, his chest heaving violently. He looked at the mocking eyes of the surrounding Class C students and finally, with resentment, shook off Hirata's grip.
"Tch!"
...However, this was just the beginning.
In the subsequent Tug-of-War competition, Ryuuen Kakeru personally supervised.
The Red Team and White Team faced each other across the midline, the thick hemp rope stretched taut.
"Ready—Go!"
With the whistle, both sides began a fierce struggle.
"One, two! One, two!"
The shouts echoed to the heavens.
"Hmph ah ah ah ah—"
Sudo Ken stood at the very front of the Red Team, gritting his teeth, his face contorted, pouring all his strength into his legs and arms. He wanted to win; he wanted to reclaim all the honor he had lost earlier.
With everyone pulling together, the Red Team gradually gained the upper hand, and the red marker moved little by little towards their side.
"Now! Pull it all the way over in one go!" Sudo shouted excitedly.
Just as victory seemed within reach.
Ryuuen Kakeru, standing at the very front of the White Team, suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
He glanced at the Red Team, who were all leaning back and pulling with all their might, and then—
Without any warning, he suddenly let go of his hands.
Not just him, the Class C students behind him, as if receiving a command, all let go of the rope at the same time.
"...?!"
The extreme tension instantly vanished.
"Whoa ah ah—!"
Everyone on the Red Team, including Sudo, had no time to react. Under the immense inertia, they fell backward in a disheveled heap.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
For a moment, the Red Team's position was filled with wails and dust flew everywhere.
As for the White Team, although they also rushed forward a few steps due to inertia, they were prepared, so it didn't cause much chaos.
"Hahahahaha—!"
Ryuuen Kakeru stood in place, looking at the Red Team students piled up like a human pyramid on the opposite side, and burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."
He slowly walked to the vicinity of the midline, looking down at Sudo Ken, who had just gotten up from the ground, his face covered in dust.
"I thought, since you all wanted this rope so much, I'd give it to you. It's just a boring ranking, since you want it so much, I'll give it to you, no need to thank me."
"Ryuuen—!!"
Sudo Ken sprang up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot.
"You bastard! How dare you play such a dirty trick!"
"Dirty trick?"
Ryuuen spread his hands, looking innocent.
"Did the rules say you couldn't let go? You just couldn't keep your footing, right? How pathetic, Sudo. Hahahaha!"
"I'll kill you!!"
Sudo Ken let out a roar, recklessly charging forward, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.
"Stop it! Sudo-kun!"
Hirata Yosuke rushed up again, this time almost using all his strength to tightly hug Sudo's waist.
"Let go of me! Hirata! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill this bastard!"
"No! Look around! The teachers and referees are watching! If you act now, you'll be immediately disqualified! All your efforts up to this point will be wasted."
Hirata tried to awaken the beast's rationality with reason.
Ryuuen watched this scene, a flicker of regret in his eyes, followed by a disdainful snort.
"Tch, giving up already? Just a mad dog on a leash."
He turned around and walked away with the Class C students, leaving behind an extremely arrogant back.
Sudo Ken stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently. His eyes were filled with venom and unwillingness, the fury of being played and humiliated burning wildly within him, with nowhere to vent.