September 1st, morning.
A new semester.
"Morning, Kamuro."
"Morning."
"Wow, Kamuro, you're way too cold."
Uesugi Hara's teasing earned him nothing more than a breezy, "Oh."
Kamuro Masumi suddenly thought of something and asked, "I heard four people from Class D were expelled. Uesugi, is that true?"
"It's true."
"How do you know?"
"I saw them getting expelled."
"Huh?"
Just as Kamuro Masumi was about to press for details, their homeroom teacher, Mashima Tomoya, pushed open the door and entered.
Without needing any reminder, the Class A students immediately quieted down on their own and returned to their seats. In an instant, the classroom became perfectly orderly, displaying the caliber of an elite class.
"Today's homeroom has two items." Mashima Tomoya stepped onto the podium, his tone mild. "First, congratulations to everyone on your excellent performance in the summer vacation exam, which allowed Class A to maintain its lead."
After a brief pause, Mashima Tomoya revealed the day's main topic.
"Second, regular classes will resume starting today. However, the next month will revolve around the sports festival, and the school will be adding PE classes. Katsuragi will post the new schedule later. These are the materials related to the sports festival; I'll project them for everyone now."
At the words "sports festival," a ripple of hushed commotion spread through the classroom. Naturally, some were delighted while others were troubled.
Most people, however, did not enjoy sports.
"I understand. Mashima-sensei, may I ask whether this sports festival is also a special exam?" Katsuragi Kohei immediately rose to ask.
"That's right." Mashima Tomoya nodded, then clicked to switch the projected page. "This sports festival will not be held by grade. Instead, all classes across every grade will be divided into two groups to compete. Classes A and D from first through third