To make the timeline work, the Kōtairen—the All Japan High School Athletic Federation—and the Ministry of Education would have to completely change the national sports schedule of Japan. They would have to delay tournaments for hundreds of regular schools just to favor one small, elite high school.
That logic is completely ridiculous.
He lets out a quiet breath.
I will let it go. It has no strategic value anyway.
He will never actually hear about Sudou or Hirata winning the nationals in the future. The tournaments happen strictly off-screen. It is just a fictional gap in the world-building, a minor flaw that has absolutely no bearing on his immediate survival.
"Well then, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves, starting from the front. Is that okay?" Hirata asks, gesturing to the first row.
A girl at the front desk freezes in sheer terror. Inogashira Kokoro pales, her hands shaking as the words stick tight in her throat. The silence stretches out painfully in the crowded room.
"It's okay to go slowly. Don't rush," a cheerful voice calls out from the middle of the class.
Inogashira takes a small, shaky breath. "My name is Inogashira… Kokoro. Um, my hobby is sewing. I'm pretty good at knitting. I-It's nice to meet you all."
Yamauchi Haruki stands up next. He talks loudly about table tennis and being a baseball ace with the number four on his back. He claims he got hurt during the inter-high championships.
Tal scoffs silently, resting his chin on his knuckles.
Next, the cheerful girl who helped Inogashira pushes her chair back.
"My name is Kushida Kikyou. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all of your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!"
While she speaks, Tal studies her bright, smiling face. He shifts his eyes two rows over, locating a girl with blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail. Karuizawa Kei.
Finally, his eyes land on the classroom door, picturing the pink-haired girl sitting over in Class B. Ichinose Honami.
If I want to get an influx of private points right now, the path is easy.
He leans his elbow on the desk. He knows their darkest secrets. He knows Karuizawa's traumatic past with bullying and the deep scar hidden on her torso. He knows the violent truth about Kushida's middle school incident and the destroyed classroom. He even knows about Ichinose stealing an expensive hair clip to give to her younger sister.
I will type an anonymous note on a public library computer and I will wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints or I will slip the letters into their shoe lockers at midnight.
Tal traces a small circle on his desk with his thumb.
I will demand fifty thousand points from each of them to keep my mouth shut. Then I can extort another ten thousand every single month. It is untraceable income.
It is the exact terror tactic Ryuuen Kakeru uses. Highly effective, brutal, and fast. It would give me a huge financial war chest right at the start of the game.
But I am not doing that.
I dislike blackmail because it feels cheap and dirty. I'm not evil. I am just a good guy trying to have fun. I have no desire to mentally break traumatized girls just for some extra pocket change.
The introductions continue down the rows, a steady rhythm of nervous voices and polite clapping.
Sudou glares back at him. "What, are we a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. People who want to do that can go ahead. Just leave me out of it."