Undercurrents Surge

On Wednesday afternoon during physical education class, Class D and Class C were scheduled for the same time slot. While running, Fūki Ran noticed Ryūen Kakeru standing by the sidelines, his sharp gaze sweeping over every student in Class D as if assessing something.

"He's observing us," Horikita Suzune ran up to Fūki, speaking in a low voice. Her breathing was slightly rapid from running, but her eyes remained calm.

Fūki nodded impassively. "It seems he's looking for his next target."

After physical education class, the students gradually returned to the locker room. Fūki deliberately slowed his pace and noticed one of Ryūen's subordinates talking to Sudo Ken. Although the content of their conversation was inaudible, Sudo's expression was clearly displeased.

"What do they want with Sudo?" Kushida Kikyo appeared beside Fūki at some point, a worried look on her face.

"Sudo is the ace of the basketball club," Fūki analyzed. "If Ryūen can control him, he can influence Class D's performance in future athletic competitions."

Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were gathered around Sudo, seemingly trying to persuade him of something. Sudo's expression grew increasingly agitated, and he finally shoved the two away forcefully before leaving alone.

"This isn't looking good," Horikita walked over to Fūki. "Sudo's temper is easily exploited."

That evening, while Fūki was organizing information in his dorm, he received an email from Kushida: "I've gathered some news. Ryūen seems to plan on using Sudo's volatile personality to cause trouble, but the specific plan isn't clear yet."

Fūki replied: "Continue observing, but be careful."

The next morning, Fūki deliberately arrived at the classroom early and found Sudo already in his seat, his expression grim. Even more concerning, his right hand had a Band-Aid on his finger, as if he were injured.

"What happened to your hand?" Fūki naturally sat down in the seat in front of him.

Sudo flinched and instinctively hid his right hand. "Nothing, just a scrape during training."

Just then, Horikita also entered the classroom. Seeing the scene, she frowned slightly. She walked over to Sudo, her tone calm yet concerned. "If it's a serious injury, you should get it checked at the infirmary. The basketball club's new selections are starting soon, aren't they?"

Sudo's expression visibly wavered. "It's just a minor injury..."

After the first period ended, Fūki and Horikita exchanged information in the corridor.

"That hand injury doesn't look like it came from training," Horikita said softly. "My brother used to be an athlete; those kinds of marks are more like what you get from a physical altercation."

Fūki mused, "It seems Ryūen's people have already started their move."

During lunch break, Kushida brought more detailed information. "I heard that after school yesterday, Sudo got into a conflict with some people from Class C at the gymnasium. The specific reason isn't clear, but someone saw Ishizaki Daichi with Sudo."

"Ishizaki is Ryūen's confidant," Fūki's eyes turned serious. "This is definitely not a coincidence."

At that moment, they noticed Hirata Yousuke walking towards the teachers' office, his expression unusually grave.

"It seems Hirata has also sensed something," Horikita remarked.

After the afternoon classes ended, Fūki noticed Sudo leaving the classroom in a hurry, without even taking his school bag. He signaled Horikita and Kushida to follow, and the three maintained a safe distance, tailing Sudo to the warehouse area behind the gymnasium.

As expected, Ishizaki Daichi and two other Class C students were already waiting there. The moment they saw each other, a heated argument erupted.

"You think this is over?" Ishizaki provocatively pushed Sudo. "I'm telling you, it's not that easy!"

Sudo's fists clenched instantly. "What do you want?"

"It's simple," Ishizaki sneered. "In next week's Basketball Practice Match, your Class D must lose. Otherwise, I'll tell the teacher about this, saying you made the first move."

Fūki immediately understood Ryūen's scheme—he wanted to control Class D's performance in athletic competitions by threatening Sudo.

"We have to stop them," Kushida said anxiously.

"Wait," Fūki stopped her. "Going out now will only make things worse."

Just as the two sides were at each other's throats, Hirata Yousuke suddenly appeared on the scene. His expression remained gentle, but his eyes held an undeniable firmness.

"Quite lively here," Hirata walked between the two groups with a smile. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Ishizaki clearly hadn't expected Hirata to show up, and his face immediately turned ugly. "This doesn't concern you."

"As Class D's class representative, if my classmate is in trouble, it concerns me," Hirata's tone was still polite, but carried an invisible pressure. "Besides, I just happened to run into Teacher Chabashira, and she said she was looking for you, Ishizaki-kun."

This obvious lie made Ishizaki hesitate. He glared fiercely at Sudo and left with his subordinates, looking disgruntled.

Hirata turned to Sudo, his tone gentle. "Are you alright?"

Sudo lowered his head, his fists still clenched. "Thank you... but I can handle it."

"I believe you can," Hirata patted his shoulder. "But remember, you don't have to face this alone. Class D is a whole."

Watching this scene, Fūki's evaluation of Hirata increased. This class representative, who always treated others gently, displayed considerable decisiveness at a critical moment.

That evening, Fūki analyzed the current situation in his dorm. Although Ryūen's scheme was temporarily thwarted, he certainly wouldn't give up. Moreover, Sudo's incident exposed a more serious problem—Class D students were easily picked off one by one.

He opened his laptop and began to compile a plan for Class Defense Strategy. Just then, Kushida sent a new email:

"I heard Ryūen is looking for new targets. He seems to be inquiring about Sakura Eri. We need to do something."

Fūki replied: "Starting tomorrow, we'll take turns keeping an eye on Sakura's situation. We can't give Ryūen any opening."

Putting down his phone, Fūki looked out the window. The campus was quiet and peaceful in the night, but he knew that beneath this calm surface, undercurrents were surging. Ryūen's threat was far from over, and Class D's trials had only just begun.