Suzune Horikita Puts Him to the Test.

"We guys will all cheer you on, keep it up, everyone!"

Shibata also cheered everyone on from behind. In any case, in a class that shares the same spirit, everyone hoped to achieve a good result.

"Uh-huh."

[The first-grade girls' obstacle course race is about to begin. Participants, please get ready. The first group is about to start.]

[Three minutes to go.]

When the broadcast started, the first-year students turned their attention to the competition field. It was only then that Hashiba Hikaru noticed that Horikita Suzune was among the girls who were going up in the first group.

The girl with long black hair was doing her warm-up exercises seriously. She stretched her arms and legs very properly, with a serious expression on her face.

Standing next to her were two girls from Class D who had won the hurdles competition. Hashiba Hikaru remembered their names: Yajima Mariko and Kinoshita Minori. Both of them seemed to be in the sports club and had very strong physical abilities.

"If that's the case, are we going to lose again?"

The match was about to begin, Hashiba Hikaru stared at the arena, eager to see who would emerge victorious.

"Beep!"

After the whistle blew, Kinoshita took the lead and sprinted off. Her physical fitness was indeed excellent; she was the first among the eight people to get onto the balance beam. Not only that, but she was also very agile, walking very smoothly on the swaying balance beam.

The second and third were Horikita Suzune and Yajima, who were almost next to her. Their situation was very tense. They were almost on the balance beam at the same time, only slightly off-center.

Obstacle course racing differs from regular 100-meter or hurdle races, where speed is the most crucial element. However, obstacle course racing tests the overall abilities of the participants, and any weakness in one area can lead to mistakes.

"Go for it, Horikita!!!"

"Kinoshita!! Charge!"

Students in Class C and Class D were cheering loudly, and the same was true for Class A. Although the two girls who participated in the competition did not achieve a very good ranking, everyone was still doing their best to cheer them on.

After watching the game for a while, a strange thought gradually formed in Hashiba Hikaru's mind.

Logically speaking, the two girls in Class D clearly possessed extremely strong physical abilities. If they had entered two different groups, their chances of both getting first place would have been much greater. However, Class D chose to put them both in the first group.

In this case, you can only get one first place at most, which is clearly not worth the effort.

Why is that?

"Is this another of Ryuen's strategies?"

He silently pondered the reasons, his gaze fixed on Horikita Suzune, who was constantly accelerating on the track. The black-haired girl's ranking wasn't very good. Apart from Kinoshita, who had been maintaining the Lead, Yajima entered the second obstacle course almost at the same time as her.

"Can Horikita win this time?"

Hirata overheard his classmates discussing this issue, and his expression became somewhat serious.

With the loss of their athletic star, Sudo, and the usually arrogant Koenji also not being very interested in the Sports Festival, among the remaining students in Class C, Horikita Suzune is the only one with excellent athletic ability. She has participated in many recommended competitions and is everyone's hope.

"I believe she will win."

Unfortunately, Hirata's plan did not succeed. When they entered the third obstacle, Yajima became the one who came from behind and overtook Kinoshita, who was in the lead, to become the leader.

Horikita Suzune could only try her best to catch up with Kinoshita, who was not far away. If all went well, she might finish the competition in second place.

"Hateful..."

The black-haired girl gritted her teeth as she ran. During the previous hurdle race, she had sensed that the two men were deliberately testing her. They could have gained the upper hand, but they only started to accelerate in the last stretch.

Horikita Suzune was very unwilling to accept such a defeat, and she wanted to get back at them in this obstacle course race.

However, just as the last stretch of road was left, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the girl who was still accelerating. At this point, she was unable to stop and crashed into it uncontrollably.

"Bang!"

"Oops!!!"

"Ouch, that hurts!"

After their bodies collided violently, Horikita Suzune and Kinoshita immediately fell to the ground. She stared at the girl in front of her in shock and anger.

After losing weight, the black-haired girl noticed that the other person had deliberately wrapped their legs around hers the moment they fell, and then let out a painful howl.

"Ouch, what are you doing?!"

"I..."

On the sidelines, when everyone saw the two fall, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed instantly. He immediately realized that this was definitely pre-planned. One person was the key to winning the competition and only needed to run, while the other person was to restrict Horikita Suzune, with the aim of injuring her.

"Horikita!!!"

The students in Class C were shocked. No one had expected this. After Horikita and Kinoshita fell down together, many other contestants ran past them, and it seemed they could only get the bottom ranking.

"No!"

Despite the pain in her legs, Horikita Suzune stood up shakily. She absolutely could not accept being last, so she took another step.

Kinoshita, on the Kinoshita, had to ask the teacher for help because of severe leg pain, which made her the worst performer.

At this moment, inside Class C's camp, Hirata Yosuke and a boy next to him began a conversation.

"Ayanokoji, have you noticed something's wrong too?"

"This certainly can't be considered a coincidence; perhaps there are more complex reasons behind it..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched the arena indifferently. He already had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but he didn't intend to say it now.

"It seems we've suffered an unprecedented disadvantage in this Sports Festival."

As the class leader, Hirata Yosuke was filled with gloom after witnessing the series of defeats. He hadn't expected that Class C would already have such a big problem before the most crucial recommendation competition even started.

Now that Sudo is suspended, Horikita, who is one of the better athletes among the girls, has also had an accident. Her fall just now may affect her later matches. It's really a complicated situation.

After finishing the first obstacle course race, the black-haired girl did not return directly to Class C's tent, but instead went to the water tap behind the stadium to wash her hands.

Looking at the scratches on her palms from rubbing against the ground, Horikita Suzune's expression turned serious. She had a rough idea of what had happened, but she couldn't be 100% sure.

Just then, the girl's phone rang with a text message notification.

Upon opening it, she discovered that it was actually sent by Hashiba Hikaru.

Hashiba Hikaru: Horikita- kun, there's something I need to remind you of.

Horikita Suzune: What is it?

Hashiba Hikaru: Someone is targeting you. Although we haven't found any crucial evidence yet, I think you should already be aware of it. I hope you'll pay attention.

Hashiba Hikaru: We have a personal working relationship, so if you encounter any problems you can't solve, please remember to contact me immediately. This is something I promised Horikita-senpai, so you don't need to feel troubled.

Hashiba Hikaru: No need to reply further, good luck.

"..."

Upon seeing these two messages, Horikita Suzune was slightly lost in thought.

She recalled the Matoba when she fell. Kinoshita was initially running to her left, but within seconds she appeared directly in front of her, a distance that would have resulted in an uncontrollable collision.

Furthermore, her leg movements also demonstrate the seriousness of the problem.

"Could there be a traitor?"

The girl touched her palm and felt a stinging pain. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she began to ponder the cause and effect of the incident.

"From hurdles to obstacle courses, they were the ones who stopped me every time. So, does that mean someone leaked my race information?"

The answer wasn't hard to come by, but what concerned Horikita Suzune was that Class C wasn't currently at an advantage among the first-year students. Even if the other students in the class lacked ambition, they wouldn't actively target her.

Who could it be?

With this question in mind, Horikita Suzune washed her hands and touched her ankle. After confirming that the impact wasn't too great, she turned around and returned to Class C's tent.

"Horikita, how are you?"

Hirata immediately went to greet the other person upon seeing them. He cared about this more than anyone else; if something really went wrong, Class C would have no chance of turning things around.

"The problem wasn't too serious; I've already dealt with it."

Horikita Suzune replied indifferently.

"That's good. That really scared me. Horikita, please be careful."

"Yes, yes, falling down is a very serious matter."

"Keep up the good work, Horikita."

After her gaze swept over the concerned classmates, Horikita Suzune's eyes finally settled on the short-haired girl standing to her right.

"If you really feel unwell, please tell everyone. We will all provide support for Horikita."

A gentle, sweet smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face, radiating her goodwill.

"... I will be careful."

Horikita Suzune withdrew her gaze and did not look at the other person's face again.

"Uh-huh."

Kushida Kikyo's pretty face still held a gentle smile, but a shadowy glint flashed in her eyes.

276

Chapter 276 Horikita Suzune's Test.

After witnessing that accidental fall, the girls in Class A were a little worried, but after Ichinose Honami encouraged them, they eventually finished the competition successfully, and quite a few of them achieved good results.

After the obstacle course race, the next round of the competition is three-legged race. Unlike the Mixed Gender Three-Legged Race in the recommended competition, the first three-legged race is between men and women.

Because the roster was decided a week before the start of the Sports Festival, Hashiba Hikaru had already trained with her partner, Kanzaki Ryuji.

In a three-legged race, teamwork is crucial. If there is a significant difference in agility and stamina between the two players, one player may be dragged down by the other. The Sports Festival Special Task Force had a very serious discussion when deciding on the roster before finally settling on this grouping.

Let's work together to win first place!

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Kanzaki Ryuji beside her and expressed her confidence.

"Yes, let's take this point."

"Shibata was just saying that he actually wanted to be in a group with you, Classmate Hashiba."

While warming up, Kanzaki said to Hashiba Hikaru, "It's a pity I got this opportunity."

"Shibata could lead the others to victory; that way, his talent wouldn't be wasted."

Hashiba Hikaru looked at the electronic screen hanging in the center in the distance. The score comparison displayed on it was very clear. The Red Team had gained a huge advantage. If they continued to maintain this advantage, the winner of the Sports Festival was almost a foregone conclusion.

"Then let's hurry up and get ready. I can't wait to reap the rewards."

The three-legged race officially began after the announcement over the loudspeaker. Since each group consisted of two people, each class sent only one group to compete, with each group consisting of eight people.

When it was Hashiba Hikaru and Kanzaki Ryuji's turn to join their group, the girls started cheering them on.

"Go for it, Classmate Hashiba and Kanzaki! I believe you'll win!"

"That's right, we must win this game."

"We will."

[Next, First-Year Boys' Group, group six, please get ready, the competition is about to begin!]

After standing firmly on the starting line, Hashiba Hikaru and Kanzaki checked the ropes tied below for the last time. Because the rules required a three-legged race, any violation could affect their performance, so they had to be careful.

Are you ready?

"Certainly."

Having already tried many times during training Kanzaki Ryuji was quite confident. He looked at the track ahead, then turned to look at the other groups of students next to him, and was very sure that he could win this group.

"Beep!"

As the whistle blew, Hashiba Hikaru and Kanzaki Ryuji almost simultaneously sprinted forward. Their heights were nearly identical, and their overall coordination was excellent, immediately putting them ahead of the group next to them.

"Go for it, Classmate Hashiba!!!"

"Kanzaki!!! Classmate Hashiba!!! You guys are the best."

"Come on, you must win this game!"

When it was Hashiba Hikaru and Kanzaki's turn, the students in Class A immediately erupted with enthusiasm. The girls were the loudest, not for any other reason than that they looked very pleasing to the eye.

Kanzaki Ryuji is very good-looking. As a core member of Class A's decision-making circle, he is very popular among the girls in the class. And Hashiba Hikaru is even more so. Do you know what it means to be ranked number one on the list of handsome boys for multiple consecutive years?

The boy had a handsome and elegant face, and his body proportions were excellent. Coupled with the determined look on his face when he ran hard, not only the girls in Class A, but also many girls from other classes had their eyes fixed on him.

Even though everyone knows he's taken, it won't hurt to look at him a few more times.