Ryūen and Ibuki Face Off on Equal Terms / Sakayanagi: Hajima, Could You Give Me a Hand?
"Alright, that concludes the commendation ceremony. Now we need to consider another matter, which was raised by a student earlier: whether the points Halve scheme should continue."
The pink-haired girl looked earnestly at everyone in the classroom. "Although we've already collected the first 20 million, three years is still a long time. Do you all think it's better to continue or stop for now?"
As soon as the question was asked, someone quickly raised their hand in agreement.
"I agree to continue implementing it! Because we still know nothing about the Special Exam to come, and nobody knows what kind of special rules will be introduced. If we continue implementing it, everyone will be more secure when the time comes."
"Yes, we're already earning over 180,000 points a month, so even if Halve, it's still a lot, more than enough for everyone," Shibata's voice was louder. He was very supportive of the plan. "Besides, it might continue to grow, so I think we can continue Halve the points. If we can save up several tens of millions, we'll be even safer."
"That's right. Maybe we'll have more than 100,000 points after the points Halve. Doesn't everyone believe in Classmate Hashiba and Ichinose's abilities?"
There was basically no objection to this issue. After the first semester, everyone in Class A had long been used to handing over half of their Private Points each month, and now they had more and more points left over, which was already a very satisfactory result.
After the final round of discussions, the class unanimously voted to continue the plan to Halve the points.
At this moment, the first class meeting came to an end. After Ichinose Honami looked at Chie Hoshinomiya next to her, the young female teacher smiled and said to everyone, "It's great that everyone's topics and discussions ended smoothly. Actually, the school has other arrangements for the next class meeting."
What's the arrangement?
"The next class meeting will be a gathering of the entire grade, so everyone should go to the Gymnasium to meet the classmates who will be on the same team as our class at the Sports Festival."
"I see."
"Then everyone, please get ready. As members of Class A, please make sure you perform well!"
Chapter 236 Ryuen and Ibuki, Standing on Equal Footing
When the bell rang for the second period, all the students in Class A, led by Ichinose Honami and Hashiba Hikaru, went to the Gymnasium to gather. Because this was a relatively important group meeting, all students from all three grades participated, totaling about five hundred people.
Since everyone knows that the upcoming Sports Festival will divide all classes into two groups, red and white, all students need to get to know who their future teammates will be, and there may even be opportunities for cooperation.
As soon as the students of Class A entered the Gymnasium, they immediately felt the noisy atmosphere inside. After all, such group gatherings are not common. Apart from the Opening Ceremony, there are basically no Matoba that can gather all the students together.
After finding their assigned class, Class A of the First Year, everyone finally felt relieved. The students discussed what might happen next, and all sorts of guesses came up.
But just then, a group of students walked in from outside the Gymnasium; they were from Class 1-D.
"Classmate Hashiba, look! The people from Class D are here!"
"But why are they divided into two teams? It doesn't seem to be based on gender."
"That must be Ryuen, right? I don't want to be around him at first glance."
Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami immediately noticed the Class D students walking in. Moreover, among the Class D students who were divided into two lines, the boy discovered something else.
Leading the line on the left was Ibuki Mio, followed by Shiina Hiyori, while the tall Yamada Albert stood at the very back.
The other group was led by Ryuen Kakeru, followed by his two former followers, Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo, along with some other students from Class D who appeared to have become his followers.
Is this... a contest of equals?
Hashiba Hikaru touched his chin. Although he guessed that Ryuen Kakeru's active actions in the two Special Exam were to increase his influence within the class, looking at it this way, had he already succeeded?
However, this was not a good time to chat, because someone had already stepped out from the senior students' group, heading straight for the podium at the very front of the Gymnasium.
"Excuse me, everyone, could you please be quiet for a moment?"
As a boy's voice echoed through the Gymnasium via microphone, the previously noisy crowd immediately fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to the podium.
"I am Fujimaki from Class A of the Third Year, and I will be the commander-in-chief of the Red Team this time."
Isn't it Horikita Manabu?
Hashiba Hikaru's gaze was fixed on the third-year high school boy standing there, his expression slightly surprised. After all, the boy had initially thought that Horikita Manabu should be the biggest leader of the third-year students, so why wasn't he here to lead the Sports Festival?
"I'd like to offer some advice to the first-year students who are participating in the Sports Festival for the first time. I hope you'll keep it in mind."
"First, let's talk about the upcoming exams. I'm sure you've all already experienced the Special Exam arranged by the school. Regardless of what you learned, I hope you understand that no matter the exam content, only those who succeed are qualified to enjoy the final benefits. I ask all first-year students to keep this in mind."
The third-year boy, named Fujimaki, paused for a moment before continuing.
"There's only one event that involves all grades: the 1200-meter Relay Race. The others are all grade-specific events, so students from each grade, please gather together and discuss your strategies."
"I hope everyone can get along well, after all, there's still a long future ahead..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the area where the first-year students were located was automatically divided into two zones.
Hashiba Hikaru had already seen Katsuragi leading his classmates toward Hirata's Class C, while Ryuen and Ibuki were also walking over with their classmates.
"Hey, isn't this our big winner Classmate Hashiba? Long time no see! How was your summer vacation?"
As always, Ryuen Kakeru displayed his provocative attitude, saying to Hashiba Hikaru, who was standing in front of the Class A members, "Now that you've earned so many points, I imagine you're living quite comfortably."
"Thank you for your concern, Ryuen. My summer vacation was quite fulfilling."
Hashiba Hikaru ignored Ryuen Kakeru and looked directly at Ibuki Mio, who was standing on the other side.
"Ibuki, since we'll be on the same team in the upcoming Sports Festival, what kind of cooperation do you think we should have?"
"If it's for the sake of final victory, I think cooperation is possible, but I doubt that our two classes can build trust," Ibuki Mio replied coldly, arms crossed.
"How can you say that? It's all about human effort. Building trust takes time. Anyway, there's still more than a month until the Sports Festival starts, isn't there?"
When Hashiba Hikaru spoke, Ichinose Honami remained silent, knowing that it was best to leave this matter to her at this time.
Upon seeing Hashiba Hikaru's attitude, Ryuen Kakeru, who had been ignored, immediately put on a forced smile.
"Are you deliberately ignoring me?"
"Of course not, but since it's a class discussion, there should be a dialogue between the class representatives. I've got authorization from Ichinose our class."
Hashiba Hikaru chuckled as she looked at Ryuen Kakeru Sho's ashen face. "I wonder what stance Ryuen has on that you're taking in speaking to me?"
Upon hearing this, Ryuen Kakeru's lips curled into a cold smile, "I'm afraid it won't be long before I become the new leader of Class D. You'll find out then."
"I see. But since you haven't become a leader yet, could you please keep quiet for now, Ryuen?" Hashiba Hikaru pointed to the empty space beside her, her tone indifferent. "I'd like to speak with Ibuki alone."
"You!"
After finally gaining a group of supporters, Ryuen Kakeru wanted to prove that he had a lot of influence in the class, but he didn't expect the other party to be so disrespectful.
"Did I say something wrong?" The boy looked at the people behind Ryuen Kakeru. There were men and women, but if you glanced at them, there were probably fewer people than behind Ibuki. This was probably why he hadn't completely defeated his opponent yet.
"Hmph, we'll see then. I'll definitely trample you under my feet."
After giving Ryuen Kakeru a gloomy look, Hashiba Hikaru led his men out of the Gymnasium. Since the other party was ungrateful, he naturally didn't intend to stay. In any case, this man had already devised his strategy for dealing with the Sports Festival.
"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems Ibuki is in a rather precarious situation."
Hashiba Hikaru sized up the short-haired girl in front of her and could see a shadow between her brows, indicating that she must have encountered a lot of resistance in class.
"That's none of your business. Just say what you have to say!"
"Alright then." Hashiba Hikaru's tone was playful, as she asked knowingly, "But I still have some doubts. Can Ibuki really represent everyone in Class D right now?"
"..."
Chapter 237 Sakayanagi: Classmate Hashiba, can you help me up?
Inside the noisy Gymnasium, when Ibuki Mio heard Hashiba Hikaru's obvious question, her delicate face instantly flushed with anger. She glared fiercely at the person in front of her and shouted, "I'm the class leader of Class D, of course I can represent everyone's opinion!"
"Indeed, Ibuki, don't be angry. I was just being cautious. After all, if our two classes really want to cooperate, we need to establish a relationship of trust first." Hashiba Hikaru chuckled reassuringly. "Anyway, our class is very sincere. If Ibuki really agrees to cooperate, perhaps we can hold a private meeting to decide on specific cooperation terms."
Upon hearing the boy suggest a private meeting, Ibuki Mio couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Although she was reluctant to admit it, she did think that Hashiba Hikaru a very outstanding person. If it weren't for him leading Class A, they would not have been able to achieve their current results. However, since she first met him, the girl's memories of him had not been good.
Whether it was the initial framing of Ryuen or the later coercion on the Uninhabited Island to go to her hiding place, all these things made Ibuki Mio worry that if she really cooperated with the other party, she might be used by them and cause losses to the class.
The short-haired girl has lost some of her support. Although the majority of people still believe in her, if she fails again at the Sports Festival, the leader of Class D might really have to be replaced.
There's no room for error left for Ibuki.
"What's wrong? If you have any questions, Ibuki, you can ask them directly. After all, building trust takes more than just one or two conversations."
Seeing the hesitation in the other person's eyes, Hashiba Hikaru generously told them that they could ask any questions they wanted.
"Let's discuss this privately then, but I hope your class will send Ichinose as the communication representative, not you."
Ibuki Mio crossed her arms again. She was more inclined to Ichinose Honami, knowing that the other had a gentle personality. If she were to discuss the matter with Hashiba Hikaru, she was not confident that she could gain the upper hand in the conversation.
"Of course, Ichinose is our class leader anyway, so I'll just sit in as an observer." Hashiba Hikaru shrugged; it didn't matter at all.
"Even listening in is not allowed, because this is a private meeting between me, the class leader, and Ichinose, so Classmate Hashiba is not permitted to attend."
Ibuki Mio was uncompromising. If a collaboration could be established, she naturally hoped that Class D could achieve better results in the grade competition. Even if they didn't get first place, they should at least strive for second place to prevent the Class Evaluation Points from being deducted.
"You..."
Just as Hashiba Hikaru was speechless, Ichinose Honami, who was standing behind him, stepped between the two of them. The pink-haired girl smiled and said, "Since that's what Ibuki thinks, then let's agree. I was just thinking of catching up with Ibuki anyway."
"Let's schedule a time next time then."
Ibuki Mio nodded to Ichinose Honami, then glanced at Hashiba Hikaru, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant due to her humiliation. Her mood instantly brightened, and she led her classmates out of the Gymnasium.
"Anyway, if we really want to establish a cooperative relationship with Class D, I can go and discuss it with Ibuki," Ichinose Honami said gently to the boy. "After all, we can make preparations before we go."
No, you've misunderstood me.
Hashiba Hikaru smiled helplessly and explained, "Actually, I never intended to cooperate with Class D at all."
"What!?" Ichinose Honami's beautiful face.
"Yes, even without cooperation, our chances of winning in the grade-level competition are still very high, so I was just trying to gather some information."
Hashiba Hikaru spoke calmly to the core members of Class A standing behind her, saying, "As you all just saw, Class D is becoming somewhat similar to Class B in some ways. Both of them are vying for the position of class leader, so it's impossible for them to be united."
"I understand what Classmate Hashiba means. You think that if we cooperate with them, the two factions in Class D might not be able to reach a consensus, which would ultimately affect us, right?"
Kanzaki Ryuji offered his analysis, stating that he also did not approve of cooperating with Class D, since it was impossible to truly trust them.
"Yes, Ryuen Kakeru is quite a troublesome man. During the Uninhabited Island Exam, he was willing to hide on the island for seven days in order to regain power in the class. Only by doing so could he successfully carry out his plan."
Hashiba Hikaru's expression was serious. Although Class D was last, they shouldn't be underestimated. It's always good to be prepared.
"And the current situation is the best proof of that. Although he hasn't beaten Ibuki yet, I think that day isn't far off, so we can't let our guard down."
"So, what should I say when I meet Ibuki- san?"
Ichinose reached out her small hand and patted Hashiba Hikaru on the back. She was also thinking about the boy's words. Although the two classes, A and D, would become teammates at the Sports Festival, it was still unknown whether they would cooperate.
"Just outline some basic cooperation strategies, but don't go into too much detail, because we might not ultimately implement these arrangements."
Hashiba Hikaru stroked her chin and looked at Kanzaki and Shibata standing beside her. "After all, our class's most important goal this month is to decide on the competition schedule, so everyone needs to get moving."
"Understood, I will try to communicate with her."
"Understood. We will carefully select the participants for the recommended competition."
"Can I nominate myself?" Shibata asked with a grin, expressing his desire to participate in the nomination competition, as it was a matter of pride for him as a member of the sports club.
"If you believe you are fully capable of doing it, I have no objection."
Hashiba Hikaru shrugged. He stopped paying attention to his own class and instead turned his gaze to the group of students from classes B and C who were gathered together nearby.
"This time, they are our opponents." Ichinose Honami stood beside him, staring at Katsuragi Kohei and Hirata Yosuke, who were talking.
"However, I'm afraid Sakayanagi still won't participate in the Sports Festival."
Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but recall his encounter with the silver-haired girl during the summer vacation. She was also a member of the Student Council, so as the only two first-year students, he and Sakayanagi shared the same desk in their office.
"I think so. It seems like Katsuragi will be leading Class B again this time."
--
At this moment, the students in Class B and Class C were doing the same thing as Hashiba Hikaru and her classmates: having their class leaders act as representatives to conduct the conversation.
"In any case, since we've become comrades fighting together because of the rules, please take good care of me. I hope we won't have any conflicts and can work together to strive for the best results."
"Of course, that's what we think too, and we hope you'll take good care of us."
Because both Katsuragi Kohei Hirata Yosuke have relatively mild personalities, their interactions did not present any disharmonious situations.
However, while they were talking, the silver-haired girl, who looked like an elf, sat alone on the chair next to them. Her lowered eyes seemed to be completely unaware of the discussion, and she simply held her cane quietly.
Because of her exquisite appearance, Sakayanagi's presence naturally attracted the attention of many classmates. Since she remained silent, it was Katsuragi Kohei who explained the situation on her behalf.
"This is Classmate Sakayanagi. She's sitting in a chair because of a physical disability. I hope you can understand. In short, she won't be participating in any sports, so don't expect her to be of any help."
"Understood, Katsuragi, you've really worked hard."
Hirata Yosuke smiled slightly. He had naturally heard that this Classmate Sakayanagi was the leader of another faction in Class B, but he usually didn't have many opportunities to communicate with her.
Upon hearing Katsuragi's introduction, Sakayanagi raised his head and smiled at everyone, saying, "I'm sorry, I really can't participate in any competitions, so I can only withdraw from the event in which all members participate."