The Mastermind?

Third-years' odds: 1:0.8

First-years' odds: 1:2.6

Odds of a tie: 1:1

Sitting in his seat, he looked at the odds for the three possible outcomes of the basketball game displayed on the campus forum.

Some people believed in their own abilities, but most people weren't optimistic, were they?

That made sense. After all, hardly anyone thought a single person could lead a team of first-years to defeat a group of experienced upperclassmen.

But that was only how ordinary people saw it. The stakes were so high that the school would surely take notice. That meant the game definitely couldn't be rigged, and the school would probably send someone to watch, too.

Since most people didn't favor the first-years, yet the third-years' odds hadn't fallen, someone who knew their own abilities was probably managing things behind the scenes.

The chairman? Unlikely. The old man didn't like doing that sort of thing.

The Basketball Club members knew some of what they could do, but they wouldn't think they could lead the first-years to victory.

The club president had proposed the game. So the person who'd suggested it to him, while also knowing his own abilities, was most likely either Miyabi Nagumo or Student Council President Horikita Manabu.

But Miyabi Nagumo probably wouldn't have the guts. He still hadn't shown himself, so he was definitely still avoiding him.

Horikita Manabu? He was in the same class as most of the third-year Basketball Club members. Was he planning to make a quick buck?

The club president had handed over 3 million points so readily. That meant Horikita Manabu had probably warned him.

So even though most people weren't optimistic, the third-years' odds still hadn't dropped.

Most likely, someone had put a lot of money into it to keep the odds steady. So it didn't matter if there were fewer people backing them.

But it didn't matter. Points weren't worth much to him anyway. He could get his friends to bet on him winning at lunchtime and let them earn some points. It'd count as doing them a good turn, and he'd been looking for a chance to give them money.

Still, something about his line of reasoning felt unclear. Had he gotten something wrong?

It didn't have to be someone who knew their own abilities. There was another possibility: someone who believed in his abilities!

"Hey, hey, Gojo-kun, do you think we'll win this afternoon?"

It was lunchtime. After eating, Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako had come with him to sit on the lawn.

Looking at Gojo Satoru, his eyes wrapped in bandages, Kobashi Yume asked curiously.

"We'll win."

Resting his head on Xiao Mako's lap, Gojo Satoru replied confidently, then continued,

"You can place a bet on the forum. You'll make some points that way."

"But I heard that Gojo-kun is the only strong player among the first-years. The others don't even count as regular players. Can you really beat experienced third-years?"

"I believe in you, Satoru-kun! If it's you, you can definitely do it."

Resting both hands on Gojo Satoru's hair, Amikura Mako answered firmly.

Seeing that even her close friend had said that, Kobashi Yume didn't feel she could argue. Besides, she wasn't all that fond of gambling. She'd just place a small bet to show her support.

Gojo Satoru said nothing. He simply lay there quietly, thinking that tomorrow was the weekend. Maybe he could make things a little more intense tonight!

School was out. He'd changed into a tracksuit but hadn't removed the bandages around his eyes, leaving only one eye partly uncovered.

After all, leaving them completely covered would look too strange. Unlike his blindfold, people might think he could still see beneath the bandages, even if it was a little dark.

No one would believe a normal person could see with their eyes wrapped in bandages.

When he reached the gymnasium, a large crowd had already gathered. Still, the school only had about three hundred students at most, not enough to fill the gym.

Unlike the club recruitment event, there weren't any tables, chairs, or other displays. The crowd alone wasn't even enough to make the place feel cramped.

Many people noticed him and turned to look, but he didn't bother with them. He glanced at Xiao Mako up on the second-floor bleachers and at Kamuro Masumi and the others not far away, then headed for the court.

'That's quite a crowd. Most of the first-year leaders are here. Ryuen's eyes look a little strange.'

It seemed some people who'd placed bets didn't want him to win. Komiya and Kondo, two members of the first-year team, were from Class C.

"You're here. You know the general rules, right? I'll be refereeing. As for the number of players, including you, the first-years only have six, so we've picked four strong substitutes from the second-years."

Horikita Manabu looked at Gojo Satoru as he approached and explained the basic details.

"You can discuss your strategy and starting lineup now. The game will begin in ten minutes."

Horikita Manabu announced the details loudly, then walked off the court.

So he really was involved. The Student Council President was refereeing instead of a PE teacher?

But that wasn't certain. He might've come because the betting involved too many points.

He walked over to the team's rest area. Without paying the others much attention, he simply said,

"I'll play power forward. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't get in my way."

With that, he sat down on the bench.

"What are you acting so cocky for?"

Komiya was annoyed by how arrogant Gojo Satoru was. If the club president hadn't asked, he wouldn't have joined in the first place. They were going to get crushed by the third-years, and there were so many students watching.

But one of the second-year seniors didn't seem bothered. He smiled and said,

"It's fine. We're definitely going to win. Actually, I can't even imagine Gojo-kun losing."

Seeing a second-year senior so confident in Gojo Satoru, Komiya didn't dare say anything else. The other team members, however, were curious.

"Why do you think that, senpai? We only have three second-year seniors who are regular players. The rest aren't even substitutes."

A nameless Class A member asked.

"I played against Gojo-kun back in middle school. He only played for thirty minutes, but even though it was a semifinal, we couldn't score a single point while he was on the court. Even now, I can't believe a human being could do that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and added an even more frightening fact.

"And in middle school, his personal best in a single game was 200 points!

Too bad he was wearing a blindfold at the start of the school year. I didn't recognize him."

"It's true. I heard that eventually the other team didn't even try to stop him anymore."

Seeing the disbelief on most people's faces, another senior beside him chimed in.

Ken Sudō felt helpless. No wonder he'd never run into Gojo in middle school. His own team hadn't even made it to the round of sixteen.

"You only need to play as you normally would. They said they'd bring in a few second-year substitutes, but as long as Gojo-kun stays on the court, you won't get too tired. After all, he won't pass the ball to anyone."

'This is bad! The game's about to start, and my phone isn't with me. There's no time to tell Ryuen!'

Realizing something was wrong, Komiya kept trying to signal Ryuen with his eyes, but Ryuen didn't seem to understand. He just kept staring at Gojo Satoru on the bench.

Komiya was getting frantic. The Student Council President was watching, and there were so many students here. If they tried anything, they'd be thrown out immediately.

Besides, from the sound of it, Gojo Satoru wasn't going to work with them. He'd just rely on himself to score.

'The Basketball Club seniors already know what Gojo-kun can do, yet they still set up this game. Someone even started an anonymous betting pool. Sure enough, no one who makes it into Class A at this school is simple!'

The Class A members had already realized this wasn't just a basketball game. It was a scam the Basketball Club had set up to fleece the other students of their points.

But it was hard to see anything wrong with it on the surface. Thankfully, Sakayanagi had told them not to place bets too hastily.

But if that really was all there was to it, this school was far too simple.

Gojo Satoru, resting with his eyes closed nearby, heard everything. None of it surprised him.

If anything, he'd been puzzled that no one had recognized him when he'd challenged the Basketball Club at the start of the school year.