Welcome to Paradise of Freedom

"At the very least, I haven't seen anyone like that so far."

The conversation was brief, because the only chance for all grades to meet was the relay race, so the host quickly dismissed the classes to let them discuss among their own camps.

Thus, before Kiyotaka and Horikita could exchange more than a few words, Katsuragi had already walked over with Class A's members.

"Though we're cooperating in a rather peculiar way, please take care of me."

Katsuragi looked calmly at Hirata and extended his hand.

"I feel the same way. Let's hope for a smooth collaboration."

Hirata showed no fear, smiling broadly as he reached out.

"Regarding this Sports Festival, I think our strategy..."

Just as Katsuragi was about to start the discussion, a commotion broke out not far from them in the direction of Classes B and C.

"Are you absolutely set on not cooperating?"

Honami Ichinose's voice rang out, and not far ahead of her, the leader of Class C, Ryuen, was leading his entire class in a retreat.

Hearing Ichinose's voice, Ryuen stopped in his tracks and turned back with a grin.

"I'm doing this for your own good. After all, even if I stayed, you wouldn't trust me. Why waste time probing each other?"

Ryuen shrugged with a carefree laugh.

"Oh, so you're doing it for my sake." Ichinose nodded thoughtfully, as she still had some willingness to cooperate.

"Ryuen-kun, are you really that confident you can win without cooperating?"

"Who knows."

With that, he turned and led all of Class C away, but Kiyotaka clearly noticed that in the moment Ryuen turned, he shot a sinister grin in Horikita's direction.

Katsuragi had obviously seen that smile too. After a moment's thought, he walked over and spoke to Horikita.

"Since we're allies this time, I'll give you a piece of advice: don't underestimate Ryuen. He's a venomous snake that smiles and smiles, then suddenly bites you. If you let your guard down, you'll regret it."

"Thank you for sharing your experience."

Horikita gave Katsuragi a cold glance.

"...Well, I've warned you."

Unwilling to engage with Horikita's sharp tongue, Katsuragi turned back.

"From the content of your conversation, does that mean he's been making moves for a long time?"

A petite girl sat in a chair, head slightly lowered, idly fiddling with the slender cane in her hand, asking in a light, casual tone.

"She's Sakayanagi Arisu. Due to health reasons, she uses a chair. Please understand."

Katsuragi explained.

"So that's Sakayanagi."

As Katsuragi had described, looking at her frail figure and the cane she held, it was easy to imagine.

She exuded an aura different from other girls—a sickly, delicate beauty. Her short, silver-white hair like snow became Sakayanagi's signature feature.

Though the boys of Class D called her cute when they saw her, they didn't dare act recklessly as usual, because Sakayanagi gave off a sense of pressure, as if approaching her carelessly would bring something unpleasant.

Just then, Sakayanagi propped herself up with her cane and stood weakly, facing Class D.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to contribute any combat power to this Sports Festival. If I participated, it would be a loss before even starting."

Faced with Sakayanagi's apology, everyone from Hirata down to Sudo expressed understanding. Making a frail girl participate in sports was simply too cruel.

"You don't need to apologize. We all understand."

Hirata smiled.

"Thank you for your understanding."

Sakayanagi gave a slight smile.

Unlike the impression those who had never met her had formed, Sakayanagi was now polite and well-behaved, appearing harmless and utterly non-aggressive.

But Kiyotaka, watching the almost imperceptible yet deep chasm of division between the silent Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, already knew that this girl was nothing like she seemed on the surface.

And perhaps because of Katsuragi's consecutive losses in two exams, Sakayanagi's faction far outmatched Katsuragi's in both numbers and momentum.

Though she hadn't appeared in those two exams, she had smoothly won over Class A's popularity. This Sakayanagi was definitely not as simple as her cute exterior suggested.

After speaking, Sakayanagi sat back down in her chair. Whether she sensed Kiyotaka's gaze or not, she turned her head slightly and gave him an inexplicable smile. That smile struck Kiyotaka as eerie, because he felt it carried not only a hint of morbidity but also a strong sense of possessiveness.

This made Kiyotaka unconsciously narrow his eyes. This girl he had never met before was far from simple.

Chapter 59: Kikyo's Wake-Up Call

The discussion between Class A and Class D ended quickly. Though Class A hadn't said it outright, deep down they felt Class D couldn't keep up with their pace. Since they couldn't match the rhythm, the best cooperation was non-interference, each keeping their own lineup a secret.

Hirata agreed to this, so both sides soon dispersed.

"Kiyotaka, what do you think of this Sports Festival?"

Horikita looked at Kiyotaka and asked.

"How should I look at it? Isn't it just a pure competition of physical ability and skill?"

Kiyotaka's gaze was unfocused, staring blankly ahead as he spoke casually.

"Maybe there's an element of luck too? Even if someone's athletic nerves are better than eighty percent of people, if they're unlucky enough to run into one of the remaining twenty percent who's a strong opponent, they could still lose. Conversely, even someone who usually fails their gym tests could win against someone worse than them. That's too unstable—isn't there a foolproof method?"

Horikita spoke at length, which was rare for her.

Kiyotaka could hear both the desire for victory and the anxiety in her tone.

His eyes gradually sharpened as he focused on Horikita and said.

"Suzune, you're too impatient right now. Your mind is in chaos."

Before Horikita could retort, Kiyotaka asked.

"What do you think makes the Sports Festival different from the other two special exams?"

"I don't see a difference. They're all just types of special exams."

Horikita replied after a moment of thought.

Kiyotaka shook his head, directly rejecting her answer.

"The fundamental premise is different. Even though we've tacitly treated the Sports Festival as a 'special exam,' the school, Chabashira-sensei, and even the host just now all said it's only a Sports Festival—like our regular exams. There might be some minor adjustments that change the scores, but overall, it's still testing our abilities. So I think all we need to do is prepare beforehand and face it with the best lineup and condition."

Horikita listened to Kiyotaka's words and argued back unconvinced.

"What I'm thinking about is the preparation. Is there a surefire way for Class D to win?"

Hearing this, Kiyotaka didn't give her a definitive answer. He just stared at her and said.

"Don't abandon your own personality just because of a temporary failure."

Kiyotaka didn't spell it out. He believed Horikita could figure it out on her own.

Horikita had always faced challenges head-on, but the result was repeated defeats. Under such circumstances, it was understandable that her thinking might go astray. But if that really happened, what difference would there be between her and Ryuen?

Horikita fell silent, carefully pondering Kiyotaka's meaning. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka enjoyed the leisure, standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets, bored, watching Hirata and the others discuss.

Because it was too dull, Kiyotaka slipped into the Equipment Room, lay down on a soft mat, and slowly fell asleep.

He didn't know how long had passed when he felt a strange sensation on his body.

He opened his eyes and saw Kikyo leaning over him. He asked.

"What are you doing?"

Kikyo lifted her little head and said vaguely.

"Waking you up."

After saying that, she lowered her head again and continued working diligently.

Kiyotaka stroked her silky hair and asked.

"How did you know I was here?"

At that, Kikyo pouted and spat out the food in her mouth.

"You've got some nerve asking that, Kiyotaka. You're such a heartbreaker—new love makes you forget the old. I've missed you so much, and you never come looking for me. I've been keeping an eye on your movements. When I saw everyone else had left but you hadn't moved, I came to find you."

As she spoke, Kikyo put on a pitiful expression.

Kiyotaka couldn't help but laugh at her act. He said.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Kikyo playfully stuck out her tongue and went back to work.

Kiyotaka enjoyed Kikyo's service. Among these few people, she was the one who knew best how to stir his interest. She used every part of her body as a weapon against him.

Right now, for instance, as Kikyo buried herself in her task, her small hands slowly crept toward her own body.

"Mm..."

As her fingers moved faster and faster, a soft moan escaped her lips. Though it certainly couldn't compare to Kiyotaka's prowess, her mind was replaying scenes of their past Heavenly Echo moments. The more she thought, the quicker her rhythm became.

At that point, she could no longer care about Kiyotaka. She shifted from kneeling to squatting, facing his direction.

"Kiyotaka!!"

With a sharp cry from Kikyo, Kiyotaka watched as a small stream slowly formed in front of her, trickling down.

Her face was flushed an unusual red—whether from shyness or having stepped into heaven, he couldn't tell.

Her body trembled twice, and in an extremely shy voice, she said.

"Kiyotaka..."

Even Kiyotaka found himself parched from her antics. Without further delay, he engaged in a fierce, earth-shattering battle with Kikyo, filled with cries and screams.

The battlefield was intensely heated. The two wrestled together, shifting from lying down to kneeling to standing. Who knew how long they fought? It felt like the world had turned dark and hazy.

After a long, bloody struggle, it was Kikyo who ultimately let out a miserable shriek and conceded defeat.

Kikyo lay limp on the clean mat, her whole body weak and spent, occasionally trembling from the lingering aftershocks.

Kiyotaka sat down beside her and patted her rear.

"Kikyo, there's something I need to ask of you."

Kikyo turned around at his words and gazed at Kiyotaka with tender affection.

"Tell me. I'll do anything."

Kiyotaka looked at Kikyo, thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Same as last time. I need you to..."

"Okay, I understand."

The two talked for a long while. After finishing, they tidied themselves up. Kikyo cleaned up the aftermath and left first, while Kiyotaka lay on the soft mat, staring blankly for a long time before finally leaving the gymnasium.

But what Kiyotaka didn't expect was that on his way back to the dormitory, he ran into the same person at the same place—only this time, he was alone.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. I'll be waiting for you on the final leg of the relay race. Don't disappoint me. Also, my invitation to the Student Council still stands. You're welcome to join anytime."

Manabu Horikita finished his abrupt, cryptic words, then turned and left.

Kiyotaka watched Horikita leave with a calm, unruffled gaze. These Horikita siblings really were a headache—or rather, they were true siblings, both so tsundere.

"Seriously, when will these troublesome things ever stop? Can't a guy just slack off in peace?"

Kiyotaka shook his head and muttered.

On the plane, scheduled updates. I'll try to write as much as I can these next couple of days. Bear with me, bros.

Chapter 60: Airi Has Learned Bad Habits

It seemed even the heavens had grown tired of the prolonged heatwave. A torrential rain descended with a grand flourish that night, sweeping away the recent muggy stuffiness and bringing a hint of coolness.

Kiyotaka was lying on his bed, staring blankly as he listened to the rain pattering against the window, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

He glanced at the time in confusion—it was already past nine in the evening. Puzzled, he wondered who would come calling at this hour.