You Wait

Sure enough, one of the Class C students pulled out a phone and made a call. Then, the two of them left the fire hydrant area and headed in another direction.

"Follow them," Ayanokoji said.

The surveillance feed switched. The two walked to the back of the Balance Beam area, where some spare equipment was stacked. One of them crouched down, appearing to stuff something under the support of the balance beam.

"It's lubricant," Ibuki judged immediately. "If they coat the joints, the balance beam might loosen or even collapse during the competition."

That was vicious. If the beam collapsed while a participant was on it, they would likely be injured.

"Notify the referees," Ayanokoji said to the security guard. "Immediately."

The security guard picked up his walkie-talkie: "Attention referee team, there is a safety hazard at the Balance Beam site. Please pause the competition and conduct an inspection."

The broadcast sounded: "The Balance Beam Relay is paused. All participants, please leave the area and wait for inspection."

Yamauchi and the other participants retreated, looking confused. The referees and staff began to inspect the balance beam.

Soon, they discovered the transparent lubricant at the joints.

"This is sabotage!" the referee said angrily.

The two Class C students tried to slip away, but were stopped by the security guards.

"Come with us."

A crisis had been averted.

Ding! Malicious action "Physical Sabotage (Balance Beam)" has been prevented in advance.

Bonus Reward: "Crisis Prevention" ability EXP +50

When he returned to the Class D area, Hirata came up to him: "How did it go?"

"Resolved," Ayanokoji said simply. "Two Class C students were caught. The competition will be delayed, but it's safe now."

"That's great." Hirata let out a sigh of relief.

But Ayanokoji knew that things were not over yet.

Ryuen had lost two subordinates; he would surely become even more reckless.

And there were more events in the afternoon.

At three in the afternoon, the Sports Festival entered its second half.

Class D's current points were in third place, trailing only Class A and Class B. If this continued, their overall ranking would likely be third, failing to complete the system's mission.

He had to find a way to get more points.

The next key event was "Directional Throwing"—the event Ryotaro Hondo was participating in.

The rules were simple: participants stand at a designated spot and throw a javelin at a target twenty meters away. The target has ten rings, with the center worth ten points and the outermost ring worth one. Each person throws five times, and the total score is calculated.

Hondo had excellent arm strength and could consistently throw eight rings or higher during practice.

But the problem was that Class C had also sent someone to participate in this event—Daichi Ishizaki. His arm strength was also very strong, and he would definitely pull some dirty tricks.

"Hondo," Ayanokoji found him before the match. "When you're throwing, watch out for Ishizaki. He might try to distract you by making noise the moment you throw."

"Then what should I do?"

"Wear earplugs." Ayanokoji handed him a pair of noise-canceling earplugs. "They won't block everything, but they will reduce the interference. Also, take three deep breaths before you throw, and don't look at him."

"Got it."

The competition began. Sure enough, every time Hondo prepared to throw, Ishizaki would cough loudly or stomp his feet nearby.

But Hondo was wearing earplugs, focusing entirely on his own movements.

First throw: nine rings.

Second throw: eight rings.

Third throw: ten rings! A bullseye!

The Class D area erupted in cheers.

Ishizaki's expression grew increasingly ugly. During the fourth throw, he "accidentally" dropped the javelin in his hand, making a loud noise.

Hondo's hand shook, and the javelin went off-target: six rings.

"That was on purpose!" someone in the audience shouted.

The referee issued a warning to Ishizaki.

For the final throw, Hondo steadied his mind and threw a nine.

Total score: 42 points. Currently in first place.

It was Ishizaki's turn. He took a deep breath and threw.

But his movements were clearly impatient. Five throws: eight, seven, eight, six, seven. Total score: 36 points, placing him third.

Hondo won the championship for this event, earning a valuable 25 points for Class D.

"Well done!" Hirata excitedly patted Hondo on the shoulder.

Ayanokoji nodded as well. But he noticed that as Ishizaki left the field, he glared viciously at Hondo before walking toward Ryuen.

The two spoke in low voices, Ryuen's expression growing increasingly gloomy.

The calm before the storm.

At four in the afternoon, the final group event arrived: Team Tug-of-War.

This was the highlight of the day, carrying a high point value. Each of the four classes would field ten students (five boys and five girls), competing in pairs, with the winners advancing to the finals.

The draw results: Class A versus Class C, Class B versus Class D.

In other words, Class D would have to face their allies, Class B.

"This..." Hirata looked toward Honami Ichinose.

Ichinose walked over with a bitter smile. "I didn't expect this. But a competition is a competition; let's both do our best."

"Right." Hirata nodded.

However, Ayanokoji noticed that in the Class B lineup, Tetsuya Hamaguchi's expression was complicated. She kept glancing in the direction of Class A.

Something was wrong.

Before the match began, Ayanokoji quietly said to Ibuki, "Keep an eye on Tetsuya Hamaguchi. If she acts suspiciously, tell me immediately."

"Understood."

In the first match, Class A faced Class C. Without any suspense, Class A won easily. Their lineup included three athletic specialists, crushing the opposition with sheer power.

In the second match, Class B faced Class D.

The two teams took their positions and gripped the rope.

"Ready—go!"

The referee blew the whistle, and both sides exerted force simultaneously.

On the Class D side, even though Sudo had an injured foot, he insisted on participating (he stood at the back, using his weight to anchor the team). Hirata, Hondo, Yamauchi, Ike, and the other boys were in the front, with the girls in the back.

Class B had also brought out their elite. Ichinose was participating personally, and Tetsuya Hamaguchi was in the middle of the line.

The match fell into a stalemate. Both sides were evenly matched, and the red ribbon in the center of the rope shifted back and forth near the midline.

"Go! Go!"

The cheerleaders from both classes shouted desperately.

After about a minute of deadlock, Class D gradually gained the advantage. Sudo's weight began to take effect, and Class B started to be dragged forward bit by bit.

Just then, the unexpected happened.

Tetsuya Hamaguchi suddenly let go.

It wasn't a slip; she had let go intentionally. She took a step back, breaking away from the formation.

Class B's pulling force was instantly thrown off balance, and the entire team collapsed backward like dominoes.

"Ah!"

The rope was yanked violently toward Class D, and several members of Class B fell to the ground.

The referee's whistle blew: "Class D wins!"

But no one cheered.

The members of Class B scrambled up, all of them staring at Tetsuya Hamaguchi. Ichinose's expression shifted from shock to anger: "Hamaguchi! What are you doing?!"

Tetsuya Hamaguchi kept her head down, saying nothing.

"Speak!" Ichinose grabbed her shoulders. "Why did you let go?"

Tetsuya Hamaguchi looked up, tears in her eyes: "I'm sorry... they... they said if I didn't do it, they would reveal the truth about my brother..."

"Who? Who threatened you?"

Tetsuya Hamaguchi looked toward the Class A area.

Hashimoto Masayoshi was smiling and waving at her.

So that was it. Class A didn't just want to win; they wanted to destroy the alliance between Class D and Class B. If a Class B student intentionally lost to Class D, Class B would suspect that Class D had bribed their team member, and the alliance would naturally crumble.

What a vicious calculation.

"Ichinose-san." Ayanokoji walked over. "This isn't Hamaguchi-san's fault."

Ichinose took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I know. But..."

"The competition continues," the referee urged. "Finals, Class A versus Class D, starting in five minutes."

The finals. An exhausted Class D against a well-rested Class A.

Furthermore, Class D had just experienced a bizarre victory, and their morale had taken a hit.

"Can we... still win?" Kanji Ike asked in a low voice.

Everyone looked at Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Yes."

"How do we win?"

"Use tactics." Ayanokoji gathered everyone together. "Listen up, for the final round we will do this..."

Five minutes later, the final round began.

The team from Class A was visibly stronger. They looked determined to win.

The team from Class D looked exhausted, and even Sudo's face had gone pale due to his foot injury.

"Ready—go!"

The moment the whistle blew, Class D suddenly performed a move that no one expected.

They let go.

Not everyone let go, but the three people at the very front—Hirata, Hondo, and Yamauchi—suddenly released the rope simultaneously and stepped back.

Class A had been pulling with all their might, and suddenly losing the resistance, the entire team was flung backward as if by a spring.

"Thud, thud..."

All ten members of Class A tumbled into a heap.

As for Class D, although they stumbled slightly due to the sudden release, the people in the back held their ground.

The rope fell to the ground on Class D's side.

The referee was stunned for a few seconds, then blew the whistle: "Class D... wins?"

The entire arena fell silent, then erupted into an even greater uproar.

"What is this?!"

"That's cheating!"

"Foul!"

The members of Class A scrambled up and rushed toward the referee in a rage: "They let go on purpose! That's a foul!"

The referee hesitated as well. The rules didn't explicitly forbid letting go, but this was clearly a loophole.

On the podium, Horikita Manabu picked up the microphone: "Quiet."

The arena fell silent.

"After discussion with the judging panel," Horikita Manabu's voice was calm, "Class D's tactic, while unconventional, does not violate the existing rules. The result stands; Class D is the winner."

Whoa—

Class A was furious, Class C was mocking, Class B had mixed expressions, and Class D... was first in disbelief, then in ecstasy.

"We won! We actually won!"

Hirata and the others hugged each other in excitement.

Ayanokoji stood in the crowd, his expression calm.

He looked toward the Class A area. Sakayanagi Arisu was clapping, a look of appreciation on her face. She looked at Ayanokoji and mouthed two words:

"Well played."

Meanwhile, Kakeru Ryuen's face was livid.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the first day of the Sports Festival ended.

The total scoreboard was announced:

Class A: 285 points

Class D: 255 points

Class B: 240 points

Class C: 180 points

Class D was in second place, having met the minimum requirement for the system mission.

But Ayanokoji knew there was still one more day tomorrow. Furthermore, the conflicts from today would surely erupt in an even more intense manner tomorrow.

On the way back to the dormitory, he received two messages.

The first was from Sakayanagi Arisu: "Today's match was wonderful. Tomorrow, I will be serious."

The second was from Kakeru Ryuen, consisting of only three words: "Just you wait."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka put away his phone and looked at the setting sun in the distance.

The first day was over.