Backup Plan

The competition continued. Yamauchi ran the fifth leg. He gave it everything he had, but Class D was still in last place.

Kanji Ike ran the sixth leg. He was nervous when he took the baton and got off to a slow start.

Karuizawa ran the seventh leg. She pushed herself hard and made up a little ground.

Yukimura ran the eighth leg. His knee was injured, but he still sprinted with all his might, closing the gap to third place to ten meters.

Now it was Ayanokoji's turn to run the ninth leg.

When he took the baton, Class D was in fourth place, five meters behind Class C in third, fifteen meters behind Class B in second, and twenty-five meters behind Class A in first.

It was almost impossible to catch up.

Unless...

Ayanokoji took a deep breath, then—

The physical control granted by Combat Mastery (Master Level) surged through his body.

He took off. His running form was anything but conventional; his stride was more efficient and required less effort. The angle of each push-off, the swing of his arms, the rhythm of his breathing—it was all as if it had been precisely calculated.

At fifty meters, he caught up with Class C.

At seventy meters, he passed Class C.

At one hundred meters, he was running neck and neck with Class B.

At one hundred and fifty meters, he overtook Class B and moved into second place.

The whole stadium erupted. Nobody had ever seen speed or a running style like that.

"What kind of running style is that?!"

"He's so fast!"

"That Ayanokoji from Class D... He's that strong?!"

At the final baton exchange zone, Ayanokoji handed the baton steadily to Mio Ibuki.

Class D was now in second place, ten meters behind Class A.

For the final leg, Mio Ibuki faced Class A's last runner—a student nobody had seen before.

"Who's that?" someone asked.

"Never seen them before..."

"Class A switched runners!"

Sure enough, Class A had brought in a substitute. The student looked utterly ordinary, but once the race began, their speed was astonishing.

Ibuki chased with all her might, but her opponent was fast too. The ten-meter gap wouldn't close.

With one hundred meters to go, Ibuki gave it everything she had and cut the gap to five meters.

But in the end, she still couldn't overtake them.

Class A took first place, Class D second, Class B third, and Class C fourth.

When the results were announced, a complicated cheer rose from the Class D section—there was disappointment, but even more pride. Going from last place to second, especially with Sudo injured, was an incredible result.

But Ayanokoji didn't see it that way.

He looked toward Class A's section. Sakayanagi Arisu was clapping with a smile, as if everything had gone according to plan.

That substitute... Their ability assessment was definitely wrong. Class A had exploited a loophole in the rules and brought in a hidden ace.

[ Ding! Malicious action detected: abuse of rules (substitute runner). Recorded. ]

["Helmsman in the Storm" mission progress: 3/3]

The third malicious action was complete.

The mission progress was full, but the competition wasn't over yet.

At lunchtime, in the stadium cafeteria, the Class D students gathered to eat. The mood was rather heavy.

Sudo's ankle had been bandaged. The doctor said it was a mild sprain and that he needed three days of rest. That meant he wouldn't be able to compete in the upcoming individual events.

"I'm sorry..." Sudo lowered his head. "If only I'd been more careful..."

"It wasn't your fault," Hirata said. "Class C deliberately targeted you."

"But now we're down one key player," Horikita said calmly. "There are still three team events and five individual events this afternoon, and Sudo can't compete in any of them."

"What about the substitute?" Karuizawa asked.

"We've already used the substitute," Ayanokoji said. "Kanji Ike was originally the substitute, and he's already competed. We don't have any more substitutes."

Everyone fell silent.

"Besides," Ibuki suddenly said, "I don't think it's over yet."

She looked at Ayanokoji. "During the relay, I noticed a few Class C students in the stands acting suspiciously. They kept checking their watches, as if they were waiting for a specific time."

"Waiting for what?"

"I don't know. But it feels like... they're planning to cause even more trouble."

Ayanokoji fell into thought. Smoke bombs? Or something else?

Just then, the announcement system crackled to life:

"Notice: Due to weather conditions, some of this afternoon's outdoor events will be moved to indoor venues. Please check your class's electronic handbook for details."

Weather conditions? It was clearly sunny outside.

A message from Sakayanagi Arisu arrived almost at the same time:

"Looks like someone can't wait any longer. Watch out for the fire alarm system in the indoor venue. :-)"

The fire alarm system?

Ayanokoji immediately understood. If someone triggered the fire alarm in the indoor venue, the sprinklers would activate, the floor would get slippery, and the competition would have to be interrupted.

And the first indoor event that afternoon was the Balance Beam Relay. Haruki Yamauchi from Class D was competing in it.

"Yamauchi." Ayanokoji turned to him. "Watch your step during the competition this afternoon. If water suddenly starts spraying or an alarm goes off, stop immediately. Safety first."

"O-okay." Yamauchi looked a little nervous.

"Also," Ayanokoji said, looking at Hirata, "let's split up. Hirata, take a few people and check around the fire alarms in the indoor venue. Ibuki, come with me to the control room. I want to see the live footage."

"Now?" Hirata asked.

"Now." Ayanokoji stood up. "If they're planning to make a move, they'll probably set things up before the competition starts."

At one in the afternoon, in the indoor gymnasium, the Balance Beam Relay course was ready. Four narrow balance beams, each ten meters long and thirty centimeters wide, had been set up. The competitors had to carry a small sandbag across a beam, hand it to a teammate on the other side, and continue the relay back and forth.

Haruki Yamauchi was warming up with the competitors from the other three classes.

Ayanokoji and Ibuki arrived at the control room. After they showed a temporary Student Council permit, the security guard let them in.

The monitors showed footage from various angles.

"Look over there," Ibuki said, pointing to one of the screens.

In the footage, two students in green tracksuits—Class C—were standing near a fire hydrant. One had their back to the camera, a hand behind them, as if operating something.

"Zoom in," Ayanokoji said.

The guard zoomed in. The student was holding a... small electronic device?

"It's a remote," Ibuki recognized. "The kind that can remotely trigger a smoke detector."

"Can we stop them?"

"We can, but we need evidence," Ibuki said. "If they haven't triggered it yet and we confront them, they can deny everything."

Ayanokoji thought for a few seconds, then took out his phone and sent Sakayanagi Arisu a message:

"Class C is planning to trigger the fire alarm and interrupt the Balance Beam Relay. Does Class A have a competitor in this event?"

A few seconds later, she replied: "We do. And I don't like seeing a competition interrupted by such a low trick. Need a hand?"

"Keep them busy for two minutes. I'll have someone deal with it."

"Deal."

Ayanokoji immediately called Hirata. "Hirata, take two people and go over to the fire hydrant. Pretend to ask for directions or just chat, and keep those two Class C students occupied. They may have a remote, so don't alert them."

"Understood."

On the monitor, Hirata and two Class D students walked over to the fire hydrant and started talking to the two Class C students. The pair were clearly caught off guard, but they had no choice but to respond.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ayanokoji asked the guard, "Can you temporarily cut the power to the smoke detectors in that area? Just for five minutes."

The guard hesitated. "I... need a reason."

"To prevent someone from maliciously triggering the alarm and disrupting the competition," Ayanokoji said seriously. "If the event is interrupted, the school will hold someone responsible. You're in charge of monitoring the area."

The guard thought it over, then finally nodded. "Just five minutes."

He worked the control panel and cut the power to that area.

Two minutes later, Hirata and the others left. The two Class C students took out the remote again and pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. They looked at each other, baffled.

"It worked." Ibuki let out a sigh of relief.

"It's not over yet." Ayanokoji kept his eyes on the monitor. "They may have a backup plan."