Kindness That Nourishes Without a Sound

The atmosphere of the Sports Festival was driven to new heights by one event after another.

The cheers from each class, the broadcasts over the loudspeakers, and the referees' whistles blended together into a wave of heat.

Yet Ichinose Honami's gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward Class D's area.

More precisely, toward that corner.

The boy named Natsume Yu was leaning against the railing, holding a bottle of water and taking an occasional sip.

His posture was relaxed, even somewhat lazy.

With a gentle, harmless smile on his face, he was quietly saying something to an introverted girl wearing glasses beside him.

The sunlight fell across his profile, making him look like nothing more than an ordinary boy next door.

Harmless to man and beast.

Not threatening in the slightest.

Ichinose Honami frowned slightly.

Could someone like that really make the expressionless Ayanokoji do whatever he said?

Was he the one who had planned that brilliant "borrowed item" scheme?

The tremendous contrast made Ichinose's curiosity itch more and more, like it had been scratched by a cat's claw.

"Next event: Tug-of-War, with all students participating! Please have each class prepare!"

The announcement interrupted her thoughts.

But the following event showed everyone the undisguised malice of Class C.

"Ready—"

The whistle sounded!

The Class D students worked together, lowering their centers of gravity as much as possible and pulling backward with all their strength.

The red line in the middle of the rope slowly but surely moved toward Class D.

"Go! Go!"

"Class D! Push!"

However, just as the scales of victory were about to tip in their favor—

Ryuen Kakeru, Class C's leader, curled his lips into a cruel grin.

He roared.

"Now!"

The next second—

Every student in Class C let go of the rope at the same time, as if they had planned it beforehand!

Having exerted too much force, the Class D students had no time to react. They immediately tumbled over one another and sprawled across the ground in every direction.

They were utterly miserable.

"Peeeep! Class C wins!"

The referee's whistle was piercingly harsh.

Ryuen Kakeru walked up to Sudo Ken, who had fallen to the ground, looked down at him, and nudged his shoulder with the tip of his shoe.

"Trash is still trash."

His tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

"Even if you win once by accident, it won't change the fact that you're garbage."

"You bastard!"

Sudo Ken's eyes turned red with rage as he struggled to get up.

But Hirata Yosuke, beside him, held him down firmly.

"Sudo-kun, calm down! It's just a competition!"

Ryuen Kakeru sneered and swaggered away with the Class C students.

Class D's morale plunged to rock bottom once more.

In the next several team events, Class C's targeting became even more excessive.

Like a pack of hyenas, they kept tearing at Class D with little tricks that skirted the edge of the rules.

Class D's points were gradually eaten away, and they fell back into last place.

At last, one of the Sports Festival's most crucial events arrived—Cavalry Battle.

Class D's morale had already sunk to its lowest point.

Horikita Suzune sat as the rider atop the "horse" formed by Sudo Ken, Hirata Yosuke, and the others, her expression icy.

Directly in front of them was the Class C team led by Ryuen Kakeru.

Ryuen looked at them as though they were already dead.

"Horikita."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka silently walked over and stopped beside her.

"Natsume has something to say."

Horikita Suzune frowned.

Him again?

"Say it."

"Stop tangling with Class C."

In his ever-unchanging tone, Ayanokoji calmly relayed the order.

"Once it begins, charge directly at Class A's flank, then 'accidentally' fall over."

What?

Horikita Suzune suspected she had misheard him.

"What did you say? You want us to throw our lives away?"

Charge into Class A?

That was the team led by Katsuragi Kohei, the one with the most solid defense!

And they were supposed to deliberately fall over?

Wouldn't that just be handing them points for free?

"This is Natsu... Natsume's plan?"

Even the usually composed Hirata Yosuke could not help speaking, his voice full of disbelief.

Ayanokoji did not explain. He merely nodded.

"Insane..."

Sudo Ken gritted his teeth, his fists clenching until they cracked.

"Class C's bastards have already screwed us over this badly, and now we have to give Class A points too? What the hell is that Natsume guy thinking?!"

The surrounding students began discussing it as well. Everyone thought the order was absurd beyond belief.

Horikita Suzune was locked in a fierce internal struggle.

Reason told her that the order was utterly foolish.

Yet Natsume Yu's earlier words surfaced in her mind. Sometimes, losing is more valuable than winning.

She took a deep breath, and her gaze turned resolute.

"We'll do as he said."

"Horikita!"

"I said, we'll do as he said!"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

The whistle signaling the start of the event blew!

With a savage grin, Ryuen Kakeru directed his team to charge toward Class D, ready to crush them completely in one stroke.

However—

Class D's Cavalry Battle Team made a move that left everyone stunned.

They completely ignored Class C's provocation, suddenly turned, and charged straight at Class A's team with what looked like suicidal resolve!

"What are they doing?"

"Have they gone crazy? They're charging Class A's iron wall?"

A wave of shocked cries rose from the stands.

Katsuragi Kohei of Class A was also stunned, clearly not expecting Class D to make such an irrational move.

Just as the two teams were about to collide—

Sudo Ken's foot "slipped," and Class D's entire formation came crashing down.

Their charge struck Class A's Cavalry Battle Team right in the "horse legs."

Class A's formation instantly fell into chaos!

Now!

Ichinose Honami, who had been circling nearby in search of an opportunity, suddenly had her eyes light up!

Almost on instinct, she gave the order.

"Class B! Full assault! Target Class A's headbands!"

Like a sharpened blade that had long been waiting to strike, Class B's team precisely drove into the fatal opening exposed by Class A's disorder.

The situation on the field changed in an instant!

A few seconds later—

Class A's headbands were successfully seized by Class B.

The referee blew the whistle.

Class B gained an enormous number of points!

The entire venue erupted!

Meanwhile, Class D—the culprits behind it all—were climbing up from the ground with looks of "frustration" and "reluctance," blaming each other as they left the field.

"What the hell was that, Sudo?!"

"It's all because your foot slipped!"

Ichinose Honami stood blankly on the field, watching Class D's retreating backs.

A monstrous wave surged within her heart.

A coincidence?

An accident?

No!

There was no way an accident could be that perfect!

Class D had lost the event in the most foolish, most disastrous way possible.

Yet they had created an excellent—perhaps even the only—chance for her and Class B to win.

This was no longer mere kindness.

It was a kind of... self-sacrificing "help"!

Why?

Why would they go this far?

Over in Class A's area—

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her cane, an interested smile on her face.

She showed no anger over her team's loss.

Her gaze passed over the chaotic crowd and landed precisely on the expressionless boy from Class D.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Among the chaotic, "frustrated" Class D students, only he was calm as a deep pool.

A rabble could not have devised a plan like this.

Interesting.

In the stands—

Natsume Yu took everything in, an unnoticed cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Sakayanagi Arisu, you noticed Ayanokoji after all.

Good.

That was exactly what I wanted.

A Class D that was incompetent and foolish, but occasionally lucky—or perhaps kind enough to sacrifice itself to help others.

And an Ayanokoji Kiyotaka who hid his true abilities, his strength impossible to gauge.

That double smokescreen was enough to hide me perfectly behind the scenes.

Horikita Suzune walked among the students leaving the field, her entire body cold.

She fell completely silent.

They lost Tug-of-War.

They lost Cavalry Battle.

Using defeat after defeat to numb their enemies, show weakness, and earn Class B's goodwill and trust.

That man...

He had never intended to confront Class C or Class A head-on at the Sports Festival!

From the very beginning, his goal had never been the outcome of a mere competition.

He was using the entire Sports Festival to play a far bigger game!

For the first time, Horikita Suzune felt a heartfelt... wariness toward the ever-lazy Natsume Yu.

The surrounding students were still quietly discussing that "mistake."

"What rotten luck."

"It's all that idiot Sudo's fault."

Only Sakura Airi pressed her lips tightly together.

She didn't believe it had been a mistake.

She was certain this had been Natsume Yu's plan.

She walked into a corner, found Natsume Yu standing alone, and handed him an unopened bottle of water.

Her voice was quiet and timid, yet her gaze was incomparably resolute.

"Yu-kun, you worked hard."

Natsume Yu accepted the water and looked at her with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Airi."

That smile made Sakura's heart skip a beat.

The Sports Festival was drawing to a close.

The final scores were about to be announced.

Ryuen Kakeru seemed to have run out of patience.

He and several boys from Class C blocked a Class D girl who was on her way to the restroom.

A cold, sinister smile hung on his face as he stepped closer and closer.

"Don't be afraid."

Ryuen Kakeru's voice was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"I only have one question."

He bent down and, under the girl's terrified gaze, asked slowly and distinctly.

"Tell me, who exactly is Class D's commander?"