The Odds Are Right

At the 70-meter mark, Hirata Yosuke and Shibata Sō were forced to break away from the leading group, and the battle for the top three instantly became clear.

But as the finish line drew ever closer, Ken Sudō noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were passing him by two body lengths on either side. Although he gritted his teeth and tried desperately to speed up again, the distance left for him was simply too short, and the next second he had already crossed the finish line.

However, in the eyes of the spectators, Ken Sudō was still a step behind, only managing to get third place. Before him, Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.

The next instant, the audience on the sidelines erupted into loud arguments.

It all started when a student from Class 1-C unconsciously shouted, "Okay, guys, let's finish!" A student next to him chimed in, "Kitagawa, you're my eternal God of Wealth!" This sparked discontent among the students who had bet on Class 1-D, who shouted, "It was Ayanokoji crossed the line first!" And that's how the argument started.

At this point, the cameras that the school had initially set up near the finish line came in handy. After a brief confirmation, the school's referees quickly announced the final results for this group. Kitagawa Ryo ultimately prevailed in this tense doubles duel with a time of 0.06 seconds, taking first place in his group.

Unlike the Class D students around him, whose expressions were filled with regret, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's face remained largely expressionless. After all, for someone like him, Masterpiece forged in the White Room, it was clear that a difference of a fraction of a second or a fraction of a second in a 100-meter race was absolutely not a cause for regret.

"What a pity, let's try harder on the next project."

Seeing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing there silently, Katsuragi Kohei assumed he was having some difficulty accepting such a narrow defeat, so he quickly went over to offer a few words of comfort.

To be honest, he wasn't in a good mood either. After all, it cost Class D 100,000 Private Points to bring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on as a substitute. The original intention was to catch the other classes off guard, but in the end, they still suffered a defeat.

Meanwhile, Kitagawa Ryo had originally intended to comfort Ken Sudō, who had only come in third place, but upon approaching him, he discovered that Sudo didn't seem discouraged at all. In fact, Sudo proudly announced that he had just achieved his best result in the competition.

"Actually, during the joint training with Class D, I felt that I couldn't compete with you and Ayanokoji at this stage. But it's okay, Kitagawa. If you win, I'll make a fortune betting on our class's Private Points."

Seeing that Ken Sudō was in good spirits and had a cheerful expression, Kitagawa Ryo patted him on the shoulder.

"Hmm, the next project is the Pole Toppling, Sudo, you'd better take it easy."

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

After exchanging a few words with Ken Sudō, Kitagawa Ryo walked straight to the women's 100-meter race being held simultaneously on the other side of the track.

Although it wasn't Sakayanagi Arisu's turn to start in the seventh group yet, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't the only girl he wanted to cheer on, so he took his place early and looked up to see Horikita Suzune on the track.

Her strongest competitor in the same group is Ibuki Mio from Class 1-C. Considering that Ibuki is currently learning cooking from Horikita Suzune, this can be considered a unique teacher-student battle.

As the most outstanding athlete among the girls in Class 1-C, Ibuki Mio's performance on the Uninhabited Island was equally impressive, especially her unexpected appearance in the final challenge, which led several students from Class A, whom she had previously eliminated, to bet on her in the prediction contest for that challenge.

Ibuki Mio's performance did not disappoint them. From the moment the race started, she stuck firmly to Horikita Suzune, maintaining a close race until the final twenty meters when no clear winner could be determined.

However, perhaps because she suddenly saw Kitagawa Ryo standing behind the finish line, or perhaps because she had already prepared a strategy to suddenly accelerate in the last part of the race, Horikita Suzune took a leap in the last ten meters, managing to leave Ibuki Mio was closely following her, by a distance, and crossed the finish line with lightning speed.

"First."

Although her pupils shone with the joy of showing herself off in front of her lover, there were still so many other students around. Horikita Suzune still pretended to Aloof and slowly walked up to Kitagawa Ryo, giving him a nonchalant look as if she had already defeated him.

"I knew Suzune would be fine, keep up the good work on the rest of the projects--"

Before Kitagawa Ryo could say a few more words of praise, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulders from behind, turning his body to the left so that his face was facing the track again. Then came Matsushita Chiaki's soft voice:

"Friendly reminder: Arisu has already entered the arena."

So Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to turn his attention back to the arena. But Matsushita Chiaki's tricks didn't seem to be over yet. He immediately walked over to Kitagawa Ryo's side, pulled out a bunch of trinkets, including Haori headscarf, from his small bag, and handed them to Kitagawa Ryo without saying a word.

"... What the hell is this?"

Looking at the rather embarrassingly printed slogans 'Arisu Fighting!' and 'I? Arisu' on his headscarf, Kitagawa Ryo twitched the corners of his mouth.

"This was just given to me by former Chairman Sakayanagi. He said it would be too conspicuous for him to wear, and he was busy taking photos and videos, so he gave it to you to wear. He also said that young people like this kind of thing these days, don't they?"

Matsushita Chiaki solemnly imitated Sakayanagi Narimori's tone, and then urged him on with two more sentences:

"Hurry up, the match is about to start!"

"I know, I know. What former Chairman Sakayanagi? I'm sure this was Arisu's own idea. She knew I had called Airi before."

Kitagawa Ryo scoffed and made a comment, but his body betrayed him as he put on the support outfit, instantly drawing gasps from the other students and spectators nearby. They were even whispering that they had stumbled upon the legendary confession scene at the Sports Festival. In the end, the staff next to him had to use a megaphone to shout several times, "Please, non-participants, move away from the track!" and "Please, everyone, keep quiet!" before the noise subsided.

However, Kitagawa Ryo still managed to shout a couple of times amidst the chaos, "Arisu, Fighting!" and "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line!" Then, he jumped onto the stone platform in the adjacent stands and stood on the high ground. He waved to Sakayanagi Arisu was looking in his direction after hearing the voice, and casually flicked his Haori, Sakayanagi Arisu, I love you" printed on it, in the wind.

Although he was chased down by school staff who arrived with a megaphone a second later, Kitagawa Ryo didn't care at all. He immediately ran back to the finish line, completely unaware that a father in the stands had faithfully recorded everything he had just done with his camera. It seemed that this embarrassing moment was inevitable.

"Bang--"

Soon, with the sound of the starting gun fired by the referee, the Fourth Group of the 100-meter race for First Year girls began.

Among all the participating girls, Sakayanagi Arisu was arguably the smallest. As a student in Class B, she was assigned to the middle lane, and at first, the spectators on both sides couldn't even find her because she was completely blocked by the other girls nearby.

However, halfway through the run, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly peeked forward halfway through the crowd. She wasn't wearing a hat or braiding her hair today; her short, silver-white hair, past her earlobes and shoulders, was blown back by the wind, and her bangs were disheveled, revealing the girl's smooth forehead.

There weren't any outstanding athletes in Sakayanagi Arisu's group of students. After two months of serious training, she quickly rose to the front row. With her superior bust size compared to the other girls on either side, she gained a slight advantage in terms of less resistance (crossed out), and in the end, she managed to squeeze into the top three.

However, unlike the other girls who gradually slowed down and eventually stopped after crossing the finish line, Sakayanagi Arisu did not stop at all after reaching the finish line. Instead, she deliberately crashed into Kitagawa Ryo, who was waiting not far behind the finish line, and was caught steadily in his arms.

Which number?

Seemingly too absorbed in her own world, Sakayanagi Arisu against Kitagawa Ryo's chest, unconsciously uttered this question.

"Thirdly, Arisu is great."

Standing nearby, Matsushita Chiaki replied in this way.

"No, it's number one."

Upon hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu simply shook her head. She leaned back relaxed, her ear turned to the side, where she could hear the heartbeats of herself and Kitagawa Ryo, who were so close by, seemingly resonating with each other.

This is her finish line.

He was the destination she chose.

Chapter 300: The Odds Are in Place (4k5)

After the First Year students finished their 100-meter race, it was the second-year students' turn. Kitagawa Ryo, who was still on the girls' side, could clearly feel a lot of students gathering towards them, a stark contrast to the situation where everyone was crowded on the First Year boys' side to watch the race.

The reason for this situation is quite simple. Kitagawa Ryo sat with Sakayanagi Arisu on the stone steps of the adjacent audience seats, looking down at Kiryuin Fuka, who stood out from the crowd in both height and demeanor among the girls warming up. He casually remarked:

"In the last hour before the betting channel closed yesterday, another student placed a million Private Points bet on Kiryuin in the 'Second-Year Scoring King' category. Arisu, do you have any clues?"

"I don't have that many Private Points. The few I painstakingly earned in the Treasure Hunt Game were all used up by someone on the cruise ship--"

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's probing, Sakayanagi Arisu put on a pitiful expression, looking exactly like a wronged little girlfriend whose extravagant boyfriend had spent all her savings, which almost made Kitagawa Ryo believe her.

"But it's normal for someone to bet on this Kiryuin, right? After all, Nagumo himself has bet two million Private Points on himself, bringing his total to nearly five million. Who wouldn't want a piece of the pie?"

After a brief moment of pretense, Sakayanagi Arisu's tone returned to normal:

"Of course, that's assuming Kiryuin can actually win."

"Indeed, that's why so many students have gathered here all at once."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded and turned his gaze back to Kiryuin Fuka, who was already in her starting position on the starting line. Even from a distance, he could clearly feel the amazing explosive power hidden in her beautifully curved figure.

Just like the classic saying, "All the differences in intelligence are nothing more than differences in intelligence and information," Kiryuin Fuka's talent has been well hidden for the past two years.

Apart from Kiriyama, who vaguely sensed this and was thus vulnerable, and Miyabi Nagumo, the Student Council vice president, most of the second-year students were unaware that there was such a student hidden in Class 2-B. So much so that when Kiryuin Fuka's name was tied with Miyabi Nagumo's in the second-year scoring title, many people had to ask around to find out that she was a girl from Class B.

Conversely, even if they knew that Kiryuin Fuka had been hiding her strength and living a carefree school life, they would still undoubtedly bet their Private Points on Miyabi Nagumo at this juncture.

Because--

"Contestant number 5 has false-started. All participants, please return to the starting line."

Just before the starting gun fired, a girl from Class 2-C sprinted off, and the referee on the side of the track immediately waved his hand and loudly announced the decision.

Since there had been cases of students false-starting due to nervousness in other races before, the staff member didn't pay too much attention. After confirming that all participating students had returned to the vicinity of the starting line, he raised the starting gun to prepare for a restart.

But the next second, a girl from Class 2-D in lane 8 false-started again, and the race had to be restarted once more.

"Please don't be nervous, wait for the starting gun before you start running."

The referee, who had already realized something was wrong, gave a serious warning over the loudspeaker. Just as he frowned and raised the starting pistol for the third time, the girls from Class 2-A in the first lane suddenly false-started for the third time.

"Beep--"

The situation has escalated to this point, and even the most oblivious school staff have realized something is wrong. The Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School's Sports Festival only lasts one day, but there are many events, so the schedule is quite tight. If anything goes wrong in one part of the program, it could trigger a chain reaction.

"Let me assure you, anyone who false-starts will be disqualified from the race on the spot."

After such a loud and threatening remark, the referee raised the starting pistol once again. But soon, amidst an uproar from the surrounding students, a girl from Class 2-D false-started again. Without waiting for the referee to issue a penalty, she walked nonchalantly off the track, even sticking her tongue out at the school staff.

"Sorry, I jumped the gun again."

After witnessing the scene unfold before her, Sakayanagi Arisu, looking as if she had expected it:

"Look, that's how it will turn out."

The vast majority of second-year students signed contracts with Miyabi Nagumo. Although some of them did so out of necessity, the sheer number of students meant that many students in the lower grades genuinely agreed with and wanted to uphold the proposed Nagumo.

Because of Nagumo's popularity among the second-year girls, Kiryuin Fuka, who was competing with Nagumo, naturally became their imagined rival. Even before the Sports Festival began, someone, who was probably one of Nagumo's exes, posted that Kiryuin might be staging this herself to attract Nagumo's (vice) president's attention. It's safe to say that Kitagawa Ryo felt a little uncomfortable watching this.

Under these circumstances, it's only natural that Kiryuin Fuka would be targeted.

One should press on with one's might, but the momentum wanes with each attempt, and exhaustion follows with each subsequent one.

Regardless, for an event like the 100-meter dash, frequent false starts and interruptions can indeed greatly affect an athlete's mentality and rhythm, and these girls probably had the same thought in mind.

But--

Kitagawa Ryo continued to observe Kiryuin intently. Even in this situation, she remained relaxed and composed, a stark contrast to the referee beside her who was furious.

"To reiterate, anyone who false-starts will be disqualified from this Sports Festival, and will be automatically forfeited in all events."

Taking several deep breaths, the staff member spoke through gritted teeth. After all, the school's original plan was for all 100-meter races for grades one through three to be completed within 20 minutes. However, the first group on the girls' side had already been delayed by two minutes, and he would be the one to have his salary deducted and receive disciplinary action.

Perhaps because the threat was indeed quite significant, the second-year girls did not provoke the referee, who was already on the verge of losing his temper, and the match finally began normally after a crisp starting gun rang out.

The moment the race began, the girls standing on either side of Kiryuin Fuka deliberately lunged towards her track as if they were about to fall. However, they did not expect Kiryuin to start so quickly, and they both missed their target. Their fake falls turned into real falls, and they rolled over like a ball.

Even among the boys, Kiryuin Fuka is definitely top-tier, but in the girls' group, she's practically dominating. The audience only felt a gust of wind pass by before her slender, white-haired figure crossed the finish line. She even arrogantly gave a thumbs-up to the other girls behind her, which drew another round of chaotic shouts.

Although she already knew about her senior's abilities, who also came from a large conglomerate, Sakayanagi Arisu still sighed with considerable melancholy as she witnessed the other's lightning-fast lead, feeling that she would probably never be able to reach that level in her lifetime.

"Alright, I've finished watching Kiryuin's match, I should head back too."

After briefly waving to Kiryuin Fuka, who had finished running not far away, Kitagawa Ryo stretched and stood up from the audience.

What is Arisu's next project?

"It should be Four-Way Tug-of-War? That's an event everyone has to participate in."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was slightly regretful:

"Although there's a hurdles race before the tug-of-war, I didn't sign up for that. Heh, good luck, Chiaki."

Matsushita Chiaki had been standing Sakayanagi Arisu waiting for orders, paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting the other party to suddenly call her name, but she immediately nodded:

"I see."

As one of the most unfriendly events for high school students, the hurdles race is a common occurrence at the annual Sports Festival for both boys and girls. It's so common to see all sorts of students unable to get over the hurdles, and the race is more like being pushed over by a bulldozer than running. It seems that only a handful of girls from Class 1-B, including Horikita Suzune, Matsushita Chiaki, and Amasawa Ichika, volunteered to participate.

As for Arisu--

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at her again silently, feeling that if the rules allowed her to crawl under the fence, Arisu could probably get first place.

With this thought in mind—that saying it out loud would probably earn him a big eye roll— Kitagawa Ryo was about to head back to the boys' group when he ran into Asahina Nazuna from Class 2-A on the way.

Seeing the other person with their race number on their chest, stretching their arms as they walked towards the starting line, Kitagawa Ryo naturally waved and greeted them:

"Asahina Nazuna- senpai!"

"Ah, it's Kitagawa-kun."

The moment she saw Kitagawa Ryo, Asahina Nazuna also flashed a genuine, radiant smile, crossed her arms above her head, stretched, and confidently displayed her beautiful figure.

"Don't worry, I made a lot of money because of that match you just played, and I'm in absolutely fantastic form right now."

Asahina Nazuna seemed to want to say a few more words, but with the match imminent, she could only wave helplessly at Kitagawa Ryo.

"I'll treat you to dinner after the Sports Festival. I have to go to my match now."

"Yeah, good luck, senior."

After exchanging a few words with Asahina Nazuna, by the time Kitagawa Ryo returned to the boys' group, it was already the third-year group's turn to compete. He had never really known much about the third-year students, Horikita Manabu's group seemed to have already finished, so he just glanced around casually. After waiting a few minutes, he heard the staff announce that all the First Year boys should assemble.

After they followed the school staff to a wide field marked with red paint, each of them received a headscarf from the referee to distinguish their group.

The format of the Bo-taoshi (team competition) is that the Red Team is against the White Team. Therefore, the Class 1-A and Class D, which belong to the Red Team, receive red headscarves, while the Class 1-B and Class C, where Kitagawa Ryo is, receive white headscarves, which represent the White Team.

As for the specific rules, a cooperative approach of one class attacking and the other defending was adopted. The attacking side, as the name suggests, had to do everything possible to knock down the opposing group's pole, while the defending side had to stop the opponent's attack. Once one side's pole was knocked down, the two classes would switch roles and start the next round of the competition. The group that could win two rounds first would win the final victory.

As the most straightforward and violent event in this year's Sports Festival, which is also the most likely to result in physical conflict, obvious acts of violence such as punching and kicking are of course prohibited. However, if it develops into a fight to some extent, the school will probably just turn a blind eye.

"Hey, Sudo, and Yamada, when we attack later, you two draw their attention to the enemy and let Kitagawa stay in the back."

Before the match even started, Ryuen Kakeru, who was on the defensive side in the first round, had already familiarly come to the offensive side, Class 1-B, and gave Ken Sudō and Yamada Albert a few words of advice in a rather irritating tone.

"Hey, I'm not that fragile, and the opposing team got Class A as their defense team this time; they're all pretty kind-hearted."

Kitagawa Ryo made this somewhat speechless comment, only to be immediately and firmly retorted by Ryuen Kakeru: