COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

Clearly, twenty minutes wasn't enough time for Class D to make any real progress. 

After class ended, the students all made their way to the First Gymnasium. According to the teachers, both students and faculty would be gathering there for this lesson. 

Naturally, Kanda Shuichi followed along with Class D's group to the gym. 

The place was about as big as the school's auditorium, so even with all three grades combined—over 400 students plus teachers—it still didn't feel cramped. 

Once the students sat on the floor as instructed, a few people stepped forward. They stood out among the crowd, immediately drawing everyone's attention. 

"I'm Fujimaki from Class 3-A. I'll be serving as the commander for the Red Team." 

One of the third-years at the front spoke up. 

Sitting not far from Kanda Shuichi, Horikita frowned. It was clear she wasn't happy that it wasn't her brother speaking. 

Sigh… girl, if you make your brother handle everything for you, aren't you afraid he'll work himself to death? Even a farm donkey wouldn't push itself this hard!

As Kanda Shuichi silently mocked Horikita in his mind, Fujimaki continued speaking on stage. 

"Before the sports festival begins, I'd like to give a piece of advice to all the first-years. Some of you might think I'm overstepping, but since you only get three chances to experience a high school sports festival, it's an important event. Keep that in mind. The experience you gain here will also be useful in other situations." 

"Also, in future exams, you'll come across many challenges that may seem like games at first glance. But no matter what they are, they'll be crucial battles that determine whether you can survive in this school. Maybe you don't feel it yet, and maybe you're not motivated, but if you're going to compete, you should aim to win. Make sure you remember that passion." 

Kanda Shuichi had expected something more inspiring, but this was just... what? Some cliché speech? This wasn't motivating at all! 

Could you be any more vague? Third-years really think they're something else, huh? 

"The only event involving all grade levels is the final 1,200-meter relay. Every other event is a competition within each grade. If you think it's necessary, you can start discussing strategies now." 

After Fujimaki finished speaking, Ichinose from Class A led her group over to Class D—more specifically, right to where Kanda Shuichi was sitting. 

With her strong presence, the students of Class D instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path for her. 

And just as Kanda Shuichi had expected, Ichinose stopped less than a meter away from him. 

Uh, don't you think you're a little too close? 

I can smell your perfume, you know. 

Also, I'm literally sitting on the ground. Aren't you worried about your skirt? What if I accidentally see something I shouldn't? 

"Kanda, looks like we're teaming up again. I hope we can work well together this time too." 

Hearing Ichinose's words, Kanda Shuichi placed a hand on Miyake's shoulder and pushed himself up using his legs. 

"You're asking the wrong guy. I'm not good at sports at all." He then turned to the crowd and spotted a familiar figure. "Hirata, this one's for you." 

"Huh?" 

Ichinose Honami hadn't expected Kanda Shuichi to brush it off so quickly. 

"If you don't think Hirata is a good fit, there's always Horikita." 

Kanda Shuichi pointed to Horikita Suzune, who was standing nearby. 

The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment. 

"N-no, my mistake." Ichinose quickly apologized to both Horikita and Hirata. 

"No need to apologize," Horikita said, stepping forward. "Given Class D's past performances, it's not unreasonable to see Kanda as our leader. But this particular event might be a bit too much for him." 

Oh, yeah, totally. Couldn't have said it better myself. 

"I don't think so," Ichinose said. "Even if Kanda isn't great at sports, that doesn't mean he can't contribute. Didn't he already prove his worth back on the deserted island?" 

Kanda Shuichi was caught off guard. I already admitted I'm useless, and now you're bringing me back into this? 

"But this is completely different from the deserted island, isn't it?" Horikita said. "The rules this time are solid. There aren't any loopholes to take advantage of." 

"Horikita's right," Kanda added. "I'll just be coasting along for this one. So, Ichinose, are you here to suggest we work together?" 

Before the conversation could go off track, Kanda Shuichi quickly brought it back to the original topic. 

"That's right. That's what I had in mind. Since we're all part of the Red Team, I think it'd be best if we worked together and avoided unnecessary conflicts." 

"What do you all think?"

Kanda Shuichi looked at Hirata and Horikita. 

"I think it's fine." 

"I agree." 

Horikita and Hirata quickly accepted Ichinose's proposal, mainly because the rewards for this exam were quite unfair. 

If the red team lost, each class would lose 100 class points. Meanwhile, a class would only lose the same amount if it ranked last among the four in their grade. For Class D, the priority was to contribute to the red team's success and ensure their overall victory. 

Besides, Horikita Manabu's Class A was also part of the red team. There was no way Horikita Suzune wanted to drag her brother down in this competition. 

So, as soon as Ichinose made her proposal, she immediately went along with it. 

*Sigh… If I don't speak up, do you guys even know how to play this game?* 

"Alright, Ichinose, how do you want to collaborate?" Kanda Shuichi looked at her. "Are we talking about basic cooperation, or full-on collaboration?" 

"Basic and full collaboration?" 

Ichinose tilted her head, looking confused. 

"Yeah, let me explain. Basic cooperation means—" 

Just as Kanda Shuichi was about to share his thoughts, a commotion broke out nearby, drawing his attention. 

"Ryuen, are you serious about not cooperating?" Katsuragi asked in a low voice, staring at Ryuen. 

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" Ryuen said casually. "Even if we did cooperate, you wouldn't trust me anyway, right? So why bother? Instead of a fake alliance, why not just do our own thing? As long as we get good results, it'll be fine." 

His words weren't exactly pleasant, but they weren't wrong either. As long as their team performed well, nothing else mattered. 

But this also created a potential problem. Since the two classes in the white team weren't working together, there was a chance their strongest players might end up competing against each other. 

If that happened, they could lose several points at once. If it happened multiple times, the point gap could grow significantly. 

After dropping that statement, Ryuen walked out of the First Gym. Katsuragi, on the other hand, returned to his class. Meanwhile, Sakayanagi, despite not being able to participate in the events, still seemed to be planning strategies for her class. 

Kanda Shuichi turned his attention back to Ichinose and returned to their earlier conversation. 

"Let's start with the basic cooperation plan. This means we help each other in team events, but for individual events, everyone competes on their own." 

For this sports festival, the only mandatory team events were tug-of-war and cavalry battle—most of the competition was individual. 

However, winning team events would earn a lot of points for the red or white team as a whole, which could heavily impact the final outcome. 

"And what about full collaboration?" 

Ichinose didn't immediately agree to basic cooperation. She wanted to hear the other option first before deciding. 

Kanda Shuichi smiled and explained his idea of full collaboration. 

"Full collaboration means both of our classes would work together to create a strategic lineup for each event. In theory, this would help us maximize our points." 

"I don't agree with full collaboration." 

Before Ichinose could even respond, Horikita immediately rejected the idea. 

"If we go with full collaboration and the red team wins, who gets to be the top class in our grade?"

"I don't think it's a good idea either. Managing one class is already hard enough, and if we mix students from two classes, it might become even harder to control. If that happens, it wouldn't be worth it." 

Horikita was looking at the situation from a competition standpoint, while Hirata was considering efficiency. Even though their perspectives were different, they both reached the same conclusion—they were against deep cooperation. 

Not only them, but even Ichinose nodded, showing that she wasn't too keen on the idea either. 

That was understandable. The nature of this school made it difficult for classes to truly trust each other. Even Ichinose's class, despite having worked with them before, was no exception. 

Of course, when Kanda Shuichi brought it up, he never expected anyone to agree. He was just throwing the idea out there—his real plan was something else. 

"Then let's go with a compromise. To avoid the awkward situation of our top competitors accidentally facing off against each other… 

I suggest that for all the individual competitions, Ichinose's class places their strongest players in odd-numbered rounds, while our class places ours in even-numbered rounds. How does that sound?" 

"I'm fine with that!" Ichinose agreed immediately. "That way, we can avoid unnecessary competition within the Red Team." 

Each individual competition had eight participants. With 80 first-year boys and 80 first-year girls, that meant 10 rounds each. Since each class only had a handful of standout athletes, the chances of two top players clashing would be low. 

"I think this works too. So, aside from the team events, as long as we don't interfere with each other, we should be fine. You guys are okay with that, right?" 

Hirata nodded in agreement. 

Not just him—most of Class D also thought it was a good plan and nodded along. 

"Yeah, I think this is a solid plan. It keeps our team strong while still maintaining competition between classes." 

"That's right! Kanda is amazing. He came up with such a smart solution so quickly!" 

"Exactly! Kanda keeps saying he just wants to take it easy, but he's clearly just being humble." 

... 

Wait, since when did I have so many fans? Kanda Shuichi felt a bit confused, though his face remained neutral. 

Also, could they stop hyping him up so much? If he ever had to kick someone out for making a mistake, it'd be way more awkward. 

"Yeah, this is definitely the safest approach." 

On the other side, the students from Class B also agreed with Kanda Shuichi's compromise. 

There was actually another reason why they agreed so easily—it was because they were already Class A now. 

Even though their alliance with Class D was still in place, deep down, they had started seeing Class D as rivals. 

Of course, that didn't mean they were being dishonest or breaking their agreement. 

It was just something that naturally happened when you reached the top. 

After all, there could only be one class at the very top. And once you got there, you'd realize just how incredible that position was. 

No matter what, they couldn't allow anyone else to take it—not even an ally. 

Ichinose's class felt this way. Katsuragi's class felt this way. And if Ryuen's class or even Kanda Shuichi's class ever reached the top, they would feel the same way too. 

After exchanging a few words with Class A, the students of Class D decided not to continue their discussion in the gym. 

With so many people around, the gym wasn't exactly the safest place to talk. Their own classroom was much better—at least there, other students wouldn't be able to eavesdrop. 

Kanda Shuichi followed at the back of the group. But the moment Class D stepped out of the gym, they were immediately blocked by Class C's Ryuen. 

"Yo, Suzune. I've been waiting for you." 

Ryuen had his usual sly grin on his face as he stared directly at Horikita. 

"So? Have you decided to team up with Ichinose?"

"What's wrong? Are you jealous? Too bad no one in Class B trusts you." 

Horikita Suzune didn't back down in the face of Ryuen's provocation. She went straight for his weak spot, mocking his character. 

For most people, being betrayed would bring feelings of guilt, but that clearly didn't apply to Ryuen. Instead of getting angry, he actually looked amused by her words. 

"Katsuragi and the others not trusting me is their own stupidity. But you haven't forgotten what I said before, have you?" 

Ryuen's words were directed at Horikita Suzune, but his gaze was locked onto Kanda Shuichi. 

"What's with that look? I already told you, I'm not getting involved this time. Or are you that scared of me?" 

"Scared? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary." Ryuen let out a cold laugh. "Since you're sitting this one out, I'll just take down the puppet you put in front of you first." 

He then turned back to Horikita Suzune. "Suzune, are you ready? In this sports festival, I'll make sure to 'take good care' of you." 

"I've told you several times already—stop calling me by my first name. And is all you can do just talk big?" 

Hearing Horikita's response, Kanda Shuichi couldn't help but think—wow, this girl is fearless. She wasn't even slightly fazed by Ryuen's provocation. Did she really think he wouldn't play dirty? 

The only reason Ryuen's past attacks had failed was that Kanda Shuichi had shut down his plans before he could act. 

Horikita Suzune… you don't actually think it's that easy to predict and counter someone like him, do you? 

No way, right? No way! 

As expected, the moment Horikita finished speaking, Ryuen burst into laughter. 

"Hahaha! Good, Suzune. I like that answer! Let's see if you can keep that same energy after the sports festival." 

Then, his laughter stopped, and his eyes locked onto Kanda Shuichi. "Once I crush Suzune and bring down Class D, I wonder if you'll still be able to sit still." 

A moment later, he put on an exaggerated expression as if he had just remembered something. "Oh, right. You still have 50 million private points, don't you? Maybe I should take down your friends too. What do you think?" 

"In that case, I'll just borrow Horikita's words from earlier—'Ryuen, all you do is talk big.' If you've got the skills, why don't you take down Horikita first?" 

Kanda Shuichi raised an eyebrow, his challenge obvious. 

Since Horikita had already made herself the target, she wouldn't mind if I threw in a little more fuel to the fire, right? 

Sure enough, Horikita didn't even turn to glare at Kanda Shuichi. She simply stood her ground in front of Ryuen, silently making her stance clear. 

It sent a message—if you want to take on Kanda Shuichi, you'll have to get through me first. 

"Hiding behind a girl? How pathetic." 

Ryuen ignored Horikita and mocked Kanda Shuichi instead. 

"Then go ahead and hide behind one yourself. Oh wait, I doubt there's a girl who'd be willing to stick up for you." 

Ryuen narrowed his eyes at Kanda Shuichi's complete disregard for shame. As expected, this guy was hard to deal with. 

"Fine. We'll see how this plays out." 

Seeing that he couldn't get the upper hand, and since he had already issued his challenge, Ryuen turned and left with his group. 

Kanda Shuichi then looked over at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. 

"Uh… Kanda, do you need something?" 

"No, nothing really. I just feel a little irritated seeing someone slacking off while I have to deal with all this." 

"Someone's slacking?" 

Oh, keep playing dumb. Either way, I'm not dealing with this sports festival. Whatever happens to Class D is none of my business. As long as Horikita doesn't get seriously hurt, that's all that matters. 

Otherwise, that overprotective glasses-wearing brother of hers would be a pain to deal with. 

Now that I think about it, Kanda Shuichi had always known that this guy was capable, but he had never seen him actually do anything since the start of the school year. 

Maybe this is the perfect chance. 

So, I'll be watching, Ayanokouji. Show me what you've got.

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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu