The Unshakable Girl in Your Heart

Ryuen Kakeru had also been keeping an eye on the actions of Class 1-D.

It must be said that Karuizawa Kei's secrecy was quite outstanding. Most of the students in Class D didn't even learn about Karuizawa Kei's plan until half an hour before they launched their challenge against Class 1-B, during their lunch break.

Even Kushida Kikyo Ryuen Kakeru had planted in Class D, failed to notice anything amiss beforehand.

That's right, Ryuen Kakeru was the only student in Class 1-B who knew beforehand that Class 1-D would attack Class B.

With almost no time to think, Ryuen Kakeru instructed Kushida Kikyo to take action.

The Sports Festival is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, with a break at noon for students to have lunch and rest.

However, since the time was short, most students stayed in their own class's camp, as the school had provided each class with sunshades, where they chose to eat and rest.

At this time, the logistics staff need to go to the cafeteria or convenience store to buy lunch for the class.

Meanwhile, Ryuen Kakeru happened to have a batch of bento boxes that had been bought in advance, which were leftovers from when he designed Class 2-A.

At the same time, as a highly respected Tian in the class, the athletes would not refuse to let Kushida Kikyo go buy lunch.

Some might even fantasize about their partner handing them the bento box and sweetly saying:

"You've worked hard, keep up the good work in the afternoon's match!"

Therefore, Ryuen Kakeru quickly formulated a plan.

Although the tactics are as old-fashioned and shameless as ever, as long as Class 1-B wins, that's all that matters.

Because this was his and Kitagawa Ryo's class.

When Hirata Yosuke and Kanzaki Ryuji were only a few dozen meters away from the final runner, Hirata Yosuke suddenly looked pained, instinctively clutched his stomach, and his running rhythm stopped for a moment.

Although Hirata Yosuke quickly gritted his teeth and adjusted himself, and started walking again, his furrowed brows and somewhat disordered steps suggested that he had encountered considerable trouble.

The two, who had been walking side by side, quickly drifted apart.

By the time Shibata Sō Kanzaki Ryuji passed the baton to Shibata Hayate, Hirata Yosuke was still about twenty meters behind Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka frowned almost imperceptibly; he also sensed that something was wrong with his own body.

To be precise, my legs would rather be in the bathroom right now.

Hirata Yosuke ran with all his might to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's side and reached out his hand to hand over the baton.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka assumed his starting position, arms outstretched behind him; they had practiced this procedure many times before.

However, Hirata Yosuke's hand trembled involuntarily, and the baton fell to the ground unceremoniously. He had no choice but to bend down, pick it up, and hand it back to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

In the back and forth, Shibata Sō had already covered a distance of fifty meters.

The students in Class 1-D also noticed the unusual situation on the field, but they didn't think about it for the time being, assuming that Hirata Yosuke was a little out of shape and had made a mistake.

There will definitely be no problem entrusting it to Ayanokoji.

With such expectations, everyone's attention was focused on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly analyzed the situation on the field.

As one of the top athletes in the entire grade, Shibata Sō had already led by about 60 meters in the 400-meter race.

Although I can temporarily suppress the discomfort in my stomach, I still have a chance to catch up if I work hard.

But that doesn't make sense.

Although I performed well this morning, overall I'm only about on par with Ken Sudō and the others.

Reversing the lead of 60 meters, top athlete Shibata Sō...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka decisively abandoned the idea.

He continued running forward at the speed he had set.

The White Room taught techniques for patience, so there shouldn't be any problems in the short term.

In the end, amidst the disappointed sighs of Class 1-D, Shibata Sō crossed the finish line first. However, they couldn't really blame Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, since the gap he had created was indeed quite large. Even though Ayanokoji had tried his best to catch up, it was still a pity.

Class 1-B defeated Class 1-D in the boys' 4x400m relay, bringing the score to 3-3.

The match was finally forced into a deciding game.

[The seventh group project will now be selected.]

[Draw complete]

[The seventh team event is the three-legged race (male or female), to be submitted by Class 1-D]

[Both Commander please confirm the participating players]

[Confirmation complete]

[The participants from Class 1-D are Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune]

[The participants from Class 1-B are Kitagawa Ryo Shiina Hiyori]

[Please proceed to your designated areas and take your positions.]

Chapter 79: The One Who Cannot Be Shaken in Your Heart

"... Finally, we've faced each other face to face."

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Karuizawa Kei beside him, and the Commander Class 1-B and Class 1-D, who had unanimously chosen to intervene, walked out of the multi-purpose classroom together and headed towards the Matoba for the last team event, the three-legged race.

Karuizawa Kei nodded. Unlike when they first met that morning, she had untied the hairband she had been wearing, and her high ponytail, which had been tied up, was now loose and draped over her shoulders. In addition, Karuizawa Kei kept her head down the whole time, which completely obscured the girl's face.

"Choosing to submit the three-legged race means that Megumi and Suzune must have practiced together privately a long time ago."

"Actually, if we're just talking about physical abilities, Suzune would be the best match for Onodera from your class, but since Megumi has chosen to participate herself, she seems very confident."

"This is the seventh game..."

Kitagawa Ryo showed no anger or questioning at Karuizawa Kei's betrayal; instead, he calmly analyzed the last item.

"How about it?"

"Up to now."

Karuizawa Kei raised her head. She sniffed, and although she tried to hide it, her voice was still very nasal. The tear stains on her face were not completely wiped away, and they were particularly noticeable on the girl's fair skin.

Are you alright?

Kitagawa Ryo's heart clenched for a moment. He almost instinctively reached into his pocket for a tissue to wipe away the tears from her eyes, but his fingers trembled slightly, and in the end, he only offered it to Karuizawa Kei.

"The audience will be packed with people soon; the Commander of Class 1-D can't just make his entrance like this."

Karuizawa Kei silently took the tissue. While roughly tidying herself up, she repeated the question in a muffled voice:

"How about it?"

"If you're referring to this Sports Festival, then so far, Class 1-D shouldn't have anyone who's done better than you."

"In my opinion, the prior intelligence gathering was quite excellent."

"They were able to select suitable projects based on information about every student in their class, while also secretly gathering information about our Class 1-B."

"The Kyudo program must have been designed to target us, and it has proven to be very effective."

"You used Ayanokoji and Sudo exceptionally well. You were able to negotiate with Koenji in advance, not only preventing him from giving up on the Sports Festival, but also getting him to contribute to the class."

"The strategy of hiding the Suzune was also very successful. We used our class's strength to deal with Class 2-B, and then used the saved Suzune to fight against our class."

"We communicated with Class 1-A in advance and kept a close eye on Class 1-C, who might cause trouble. Although Class C eventually came, Hui couldn't guarantee the final outcome."

"Class 1-B and Class 2-A year were crushed 7-0. From this perspective, Hui could take over as the Student Council president."

After making a small joke, Kitagawa Ryo didn't hold back in praising Karuizawa Kei. Unlike before, this wasn't praise from a comrade, but recognition from a rival.

So, I can stand beside you now.

Karuizawa Kei did not smile at Kitagawa Ryo's last witty remark; she simply turned to the side and looked at Kitagawa Ryo seriously.

Why choose Kitagawa Ryo as the opponent?

Defeating Miyabi Nagumo from Class 2-A and Kiriyama from Class 2-B would be a proud achievement for any First Year class.

These competitors are enough to prove one's growth.

However, Karuizawa Kei still chose Class 1-B and chose Kitagawa Ryo.

Because all of the above was carried out with the assistance of Kitagawa Ryo, it was no different from the previous Class B incident and the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. Even Karuizawa Kei had reason to suspect that if she were replaced by someone else, even Horikita Suzune, as long as she was willing to obediently follow the plan that Kitagawa Ryo had set in advance, she could achieve the same result.

After receiving Kitagawa Ryo's approval, it seemed as if all her tense nerves relaxed at once. All the words Karuizawa Kei had planned to say were now stuck in her throat. She had clearly decided to show her grown-up self properly, but now she suddenly felt weak again.

Even Karuizawa Kei herself felt a pang of resentment at suddenly recalling the past today. She had already given up, on the last night of summer vacation. This "betrayal" at the Sports Festival was meant to negate her, to deny Karuizawa Kei's long-held identity as Kitagawa Ryo's "spy" planted in Class D. From then on, the two were purely rivals.

"Hiyori's partner this time is Hiyori, so it seems you guys have practiced this event before."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded:

"Hiyori and I have done this project before, so this is kind of like us teaming up again."

"..."

Why didn't Liang tell me that we knew each other before?

Karuizawa Kei's sudden question startled Kitagawa Ryo slightly. He didn't know what to say for a moment, so he shook his head and finally spoke:

"Feel sorry."

"Liang, you don't need to apologize... I know I have no reason to ask you to do anything anymore, including how you treat me or who you associate with."

Karuizawa Kei stopped in her tracks, took two steps forward, and grabbed Kitagawa Ryo's sleeve.

"But I've tried my best, and I get along just as well with Hiyori and the others, Ichinose and the others... I won't ruin your relationships."

Her words were halting, punctuated by a slight sob.

After Kitagawa Ryo started dating Shiina Hiyori, Karuizawa Kei never went to Kitagawa Ryo's room alone again, and even deliberately avoided any possible ambiguous behavior with Kitagawa Ryo. In this respect, she did indeed very openly acknowledge their relationship and had no intention of interfering at all.

"Hui, you don't need to do this. What's past is past. I've told you that before."

Kitagawa Ryo always felt that the Karuizawa Kei's memories of the past could be sealed away, the greater his chances of completing the mission. Therefore, for the entire past semester, he had no intention of reminding her at all, and even deliberately avoided it.

It wasn't until Karuizawa Kei remembered this that Kitagawa Ryo realized that his action might have had an unexpected backlash.

Karuizawa Kei had already given up hope, suddenly had a tiny bit of fantasy rekindled.

What needs to be done now is to completely negate it here, and let the two of them say goodbye to the past together.

Karuizawa Kei had no idea what Kitagawa Ryo was thinking. She pulled upwards and grabbed Kitagawa Ryo's right arm.

"Thump"

The next second, Kitagawa Ryo pinned her against the wall not far from the exit of the teaching building.

This action, known as "wall slam," carries a natural air of ambiguity, quickly creating a romantic atmosphere.

However, Karuizawa Kei felt no joy whatsoever, because she had experienced the same situation once before and then watched it many times in the video.

She understood the meaning behind the other person's action.

Karuizawa Kei caught the approaching footsteps and then saw the First Year students entering through the gap.

It seemed that because the two contestants had not yet arrived at the scene, students from Class B and Class D came looking for them. It could be seen that Shiina Hiyori and Horikita Suzune were leading the way.

My heart, which had just leaped up, plummeted downwards, accompanied by a numb, stinging pain.

But her body still faithfully followed the thoughts in her mind:

"Did they deliberately trap me in a place like this just for something so trivial?"

Karuizawa Kei forcefully pushed away Kitagawa Ryo's arm, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, and impatiently tapped the ground with her right foot, asking in return.

"I just feel that Karuizawa's act of betraying his allies is rather inappropriate."

Kitagawa Ryo wasn't annoyed, seemingly unaware of the approaching crowd behind him, and his tone remained normal.

"If it were Ichinose from Class C, perhaps she would have the right to say these things, but Kitagawa, given what your Class B did on that Uninhabited Island, you're practically shameless to say such things."

Karuizawa Kei, just as the students of Class 1-D had imagined, responded with a strong and assertive aura. Despite being a head shorter, her presence was by no means weak.

"Does Kitagawa really think we'll lose the match against our Class D?"

"Tsk."

Seemingly having his sore spot touched by Karuizawa Kei, Kitagawa Ryo clicked his tongue in exasperation: