Undercurrents Surge

On Wednesday morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the classroom floor. Class D students gradually entered the classroom, beginning a new day.

Hanyu Xiuyi sat at his desk, seemingly reading a book, but in reality, he was observing everyone in the class with his peripheral vision. After a period of adjustment, a surface calm had returned to the class—Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were chatting and laughing loudly as usual, Karuizawa Kei and her friends were discussing the latest fashion trends, Sudo Ken was yawning at his desk, and Yukimura Teruhiko was already flipping through today's course materials.

But Hanyu knew this calm was just an illusion. Beneath the surface, undercurrents were stirring.

"Good morning, Hanyu-kun." Kushida Kikyo walked past him, her smile sweet. "The weather is lovely today, isn't it?"

"Good morning," Hanyu replied with a nod.

Kushida walked to her seat, her shoulder-length short hair swaying gently with her movement. Hanyu noticed she was wearing a new hairpin today, a pale pink one that looked very cute. But for some reason, the hairpin reminded him of something—that's right, Ichinose Honami had a similar hairpin.

A coincidence?

"Hanyu." Horikita Suzune's voice came from beside him. She sat down in the seat next to him, her black hair neatly draped over her shoulders, her expression as cold as ever. "Any news from Ibuki yesterday?"

"Not yet," Hanyu said in a low voice. "She said Ryuen has been very cautious lately, making it difficult to pass messages. But she promised to find an opportunity to contact me after school today."

"Be careful," Horikita said. "Ryuen isn't that easy to fool."

"I know."

The class bell rang, and Chabashira Sae entered the classroom. Her gaze swept across the room, pausing for a moment on Hanyu, before she began the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Everything seemed normal.

But Hanyu had a nagging feeling that something was about to happen.

During the lunch break, Hanyu Xiuyi was eating on the rooftop of the teaching building. It was his habit—alone, quiet, a place to think.

Today, that habit was broken.

There was already someone on the rooftop—Ayanokoji Kiyonaga. He was leaning against the railing, holding a can of coffee, gazing out at the distant campus.

"You like coming here too?" Hanyu walked over and stood beside him.

"Occasionally," Ayanokoji said. "The view is good here, and you can see many things you normally can't."

Hanyu followed his gaze. From here, one could overlook more than half of the campus—the sports field, the gymnasium, the teaching building, the library, and the dormitory buildings in the distance. Indeed, you could see a lot from here.

"Did you see anything?"

Ayanokoji didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "Have you noticed? For the past few days, someone has been standing by the windows on the east side of the third floor of the library every afternoon."

Hanyu was taken aback. He followed Ayanokoji's line of sight. There were indeed several windows on the east side of the third floor of the library. But at that moment, no one was there.

"Who?"

"People from Class C," Ayanokoji said. "And not ordinary students. They're Ryuen's cronies."

Hanyu's heart skipped a beat. On the third floor of the library, the east side faced... the sports field. And recently, Class D's physical education classes had been held on the sports field.

"Are they monitoring us?"

"Very likely," Ayanokoji said. "And not just the sports field. The cafeteria, convenience store, activity center... there are Class C people active in all of them. They're collecting our daily activity patterns."

This information was important. Hanyu asked, "How do you know?"

"I have my methods," Ayanokoji said plainly. "You just need to know that Ryuen is preparing for his next move. And this time, he's being very cautious, not using Ike and Yamauchi, but people who won't be noticed at all."

Hanyu was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "What do you think he'll do next?"

Ayanokoji took a sip of coffee and said slowly, "The Sports Festival."

"The Sports Festival?"

"Next month's Sports Festival is a large-scale event for the entire grade," Ayanokoji said. "And the rules are different from usual—there are not only individual events but also team events. The results of the team events directly affect the Class Ranking."

Hanyu understood. "Are you saying Ryuen will tamper with the Sports Festival?"

"Not 'will,' but 'is'," Ayanokoji turned to look at him. "He's already started preparing. Monitoring our daily activities is to collect our weaknesses. Which events we are weakest in, which students are most likely to make mistakes, which parts are easiest to disrupt..."

He didn't finish, but Hanyu already understood the seriousness of the situation.

"We need to prepare in advance."

"Right," Ayanokoji nodded. "And we need to prepare for two things. First, strengthen our training and improve our abilities. Second, guard against Ryuen's tricks."

Hanyu pondered. The Sports Festival was still three weeks away, so there was still time. But Ryuen was already in motion, and they had to hurry.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Ayanokoji thought for a moment and said, "First, we need to understand the specific rules of the Sports Festival. The school hasn't announced them yet, but the upperclassmen should know. We can ask Yamashita-senpai from the second year."

"Yamashita-senpai?" Hanyu remembered the second-year student he had tutored.

"Yes. He participated in the Sports Festival last year and should know the rules," Ayanokoji said. "Second, we need to assess the Athletic Ability of every student in the class. Identify strengths and weaknesses, and allocate events reasonably."

"Sudo can be in charge of this," Hanyu said. "He has strong Athletic Ability and understands everyone's level."

"Okay," Ayanokoji nodded. "Third, and most crucial—we need someone to keep an eye on Class C's trends. Ibuki is one channel, but it's not enough. We need more people."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Ayanokoji was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Ichinose Honami from Class B."

Hanyu was taken aback. "Ichinose? She has no connection with Ryuen..."

"But she's good friends with a girl from Class C," Ayanokoji said. "That girl's younger brother is in Class C and is unhappy with Ryuen. If we can make contact with that person through Ichinose..."

Hanyu understood. This was an indirect channel, but precisely because it was indirect, it was safer.

"I'll go talk to Ichinose."

"Okay," Ayanokoji nodded. "But be careful. Ichinose is a nice person, but she's the Class B Leader first and foremost. She won't do anything that harms Class B's interests."

"I know."

The two chatted for a few more sentences. Ayanokoji finished his coffee, turned around, and left.

Hanyu remained alone on the rooftop, gazing at the campus in the distance. Sunlight shone on the teaching building, reflecting a dazzling light.

Ryuen was making his move, and he was also making his move.

This was an unseen war, where victory or defeat depended on who could first grasp the other's vital point.

And the Sports Festival would be the final battlefield.

After school that afternoon, Hanyu Xiuyi found Yamashita, a second-year student, in the library.

"Junior Hanyu!" Yamashita exclaimed, showing a surprised smile when he saw him. "What brings you here? Are you here for tutoring?"

"No," Hanyu sat down opposite him. "Senpai, I'd like to ask you some things about the Sports Festival."

Yamashita's expression turned serious. "Sports Festival? You mean the one next month?"

"Yes. You participated last year, can you tell me the rules?"

Yamashita thought for a moment and began to recall, "The rules for the Sports Festival are mostly the same every year. It mainly consists of individual events and team events. Everyone has to participate in at least one individual event, including regular events like sprints, long-distance running, high jump, and long jump. The team events are class competitions, with relays, tug-of-war, obstacle courses, and so on."

"How are the scores calculated?"

"Individual events are scored by rank. First place adds 10 Class Points to the class, second place gets 8 points, and so on. Team events are worth more points: first place gets 50 points, second place 30, third place 20, and fourth place 10," Yamashita said. "The class with the highest total score at the end wins, and they are rewarded with Class Points."

Hanyu took mental notes. The rules weren't complicated; the key was how to allocate personnel reasonably.

"Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

Yamashita thought for a moment and said, "There is one thing. For team events, there's a rule called the 'Key Player' system. Each class can designate two students as Key Players. The points they earn in their events are doubled. However, if they lose, the opponent's score will also be doubled."

"It's a double-edged sword," Hanyu remarked.

"Yes," Yamashita nodded. "Last year, one class lost the competition directly because of a Key Player's mistake. So, you have to be extremely cautious when selecting people."

"I understand. Thank you, Senpai."

"You're welcome," Yamashita said with a smile. "Just let me know if you need anything. You helped me improve my grades so much, this is nothing."

By the time Hanyu left the library, the sky had begun to darken. He walked on the road back to the dormitory, his mind still pondering strategies for the Sports Festival.

Key players... who should he choose?

Sudo Ken was definitely one. His athletic ability was the strongest, and doubling points in the events he participated in would be a huge advantage. Another... could it be himself? Or Horikita? Or...

As he was thinking, his mobile phone suddenly vibrated. It was an anonymous message:

"7 PM tonight, behind the Old School Building. Important intel.--Ibuki"

Hanyu glanced at the time—it was 6:20. One hour left.

He quickened his pace, returning to the dormitory to prepare.

At exactly 7 PM, Hanyu Xiuyi appeared behind the Old School Building on time. This place was remote, surrounded by dense trees. Even during the day, few people came here, and at night, it was completely deserted.

Ibuki Mio was already waiting for him. She was wearing casual clothes, her short hair slightly messy from the night breeze, her expression still the same indifferent look, but her gaze held a hint of nervousness.

"You're here," she said.

"Yeah. What intel do you have?"

Ibuki looked around, confirmed no one was there, then said in a low voice, "Ryuen got a list."

"What list?"

"An assessment of Class D students' athletic abilities," Ibuki said. "I don't know where he got it, but it details everyone's sports performance, weaknesses, and even psychological evaluations."

Hanyu's heart sank. If this list fell into Ryuen's hands, his lineup for the Sports Festival would be completely exposed.

"How did he get it?"

"I don't know," Ibuki shook her head. "But I suspect there's a mole in the class. And not a mole of Ike and Yamauchi's level, but someone more concealed."

Hanyu thought quickly. Someone in Class D working for Ryuen? Who could it be?

"Anything else?"

"Yes," Ibuki continued. "Ryuen is planning an 'accident'."

"'Accident'?"

"During the Sports Festival," Ibuki said. "He didn't reveal the specifics, but I heard him mention the words 'key player' and 'double'. He plans to tamper with the events involving key players."

Hanyu's gaze sharpened. If Ryuen really targeted the key players, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Thank you for telling me this," he said. "Be careful yourself, don't let him find you."

"I know," Ibuki nodded. "I'll be going then. Contact me if anything comes up."

She turned around and disappeared into the night.

Hanyu stood in place, gazing in the direction she had vanished, his mind racing.

There was a mole in the class. And a very concealed mole at that.

Who could it be?

He walked back while thinking. As he exited the woods, he saw a person standing under a distant streetlight—it was Ayanokoji Kiyonaga.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Ayanokoji said. "Ibuki came to see you?"

"Mm." Hanyu told him Ibuki's report.

After listening, Ayanokoji was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I have some thoughts about the mole."

"Who?"

Ayanokoji didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Did you notice? The recent changes in Kushida Kikyo."

Hanyu froze. Kushida Kikyo? That girl who was always smiling and the most popular?

"What about her?"

"She's been going to the Library frequently recently," Ayanokoji said. "And she's not going to the regular area, but the archives."

"The archives?" Hanyu frowned. "What is she doing there?"

"I don't know," Ayanokoji said. "But one thing is very suspicious—the archives store the files of each class."

Hanyu's heart sank. Kushida Kikyo, the girl everyone trusted, the girl who always took the initiative to help others, the girl with the sweet smile...

"Do you have proof?"

"No," Ayanokoji said. "But if you're willing, I can go look."

Hanyu was silent for a long time. He didn't want to suspect Kushida, but in this school where strength was paramount, anyone could become an enemy.

"Go investigate," he finally said. "But be careful. If it's her, she's very dangerous."

Ayanokoji nodded and turned to leave.

Hanyu stood alone under the streetlight, gazing at the stars in the night sky.

Kushida Kikyo.

If it was her, then everything made sense—she was well-liked and could contact everyone; her smile was sweet, and no one would suspect her; she often took the initiative to help, making it easy for her to obtain all sorts of information.

But was it really her?

Or was it just Ayanokoji's excessive suspicion?

He didn't know.

But there was one thing he was sure of—the days ahead would be even more difficult.

Because the enemy might be right beside him.