The physical fitness test entered its second phase.
At the front of the boys' line, the grip strength test was in full swing.
"Eighty-two point four kilograms."
The PE teacher looked at the data on the electronic recorder and sighed in admiration:
"Sudo, your grip strength is practically monstrous for someone your age."
"We're all the same age. I wasn't planning to crush you with a dimensional advantage."
Sudo Ken casually tossed the dynamometer to the next student, enjoying the praise from his classmates behind him.
"Eighty-two point four kilograms? Doesn't that mean he could lift me with one hand?"
"That's a monster. Terrifying."
"Damn, let me try. Is it really that insane?"
Seeing everyone praise Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji also wanted a chance to show off.
He eagerly snatched the dynamometer, squeezing with all his might. His face turned bright red, and even the veins in his neck bulged.
In the end, the number on the device twitched upward with difficulty before stopping at forty-five kilograms.
"Forty-five kilograms. Next."
The PE teacher accurately announced the result.
"What's going on? Is this thing broken? I obviously used all my strength."
Ike Kanji let out an embarrassed howl, suspecting that capital had rigged the game against him.
His classmates covered their mouths and snickered.
"Enough. Go reflect on yourself."
"The results aren't going to act along with you."
"Next, Koenji."
Following the student-number order, the PE teacher called on Koenji.
"Teacher, I refuse to participate in such a boring test."
Sitting in the shade, Koenji directly refused to take the grip strength test.
"This test score will go into your records."
The PE teacher reminded Koenji again.
Koenji ignored the teacher's advice and simply left the testing area.
"Damn, Koenji's not participating at all. My points!"
"Sudo Ken is the overall champion."
Some students in Class 1-D were delighted, while others were worried.
The testing moved along quickly.
Ayanokoji stepped up to the testing area. He pulled the handle apart with one hand, steadily pressing down with both arms. The gauge rose smoothly before finally stopping at sixty point six kilograms.
"Next, Tatsuya Sakuya."
Tatsuya Sakuya casually took the dynamometer Ayanokoji handed over as the two passed each other.
He looked at the dynamometer in his hand and began applying force with his fingers. The needle instantly shot up to fifty kilograms.
This thing isn't broken, is it? I barely used any strength. If I went all out, wouldn't I crush the device?
I just need to keep it slightly higher than Ayanokoji's.
Tatsuya Sakuya adjusted his strength, making the needle steadily rise to sixty-two kilograms.
The tests swiftly moved on to the final endurance run: one thousand meters for the boys and eight hundred meters for the girls.
At the sound of the starting gun, the dozen or so boys in the same group immediately spread out along the inside lane.
Ayanokoji kept a steady pace, remaining in fourth place throughout.
Half a step behind him, Tatsuya Sakuya followed closely, his stride length and rhythm almost perfectly matching Ayanokoji's.
As they reached the sprinting section on the final lap's curve, a classmate ahead of them, exhausted beyond his limits, suddenly had his legs give way. He lost his balance and fell straight backward.
Several girls near the stands immediately cried out in alarm.
In that lightning-fast instant, before almost anyone could react,
Tatsuya Sakuya performed an extraordinarily strange burst of speed and sidestep. His arm precisely absorbed the momentum of the falling student.
He caught him steadily, then quickly adjusted his posture and returned to position, smoothly crossing the finish line half a step behind Ayanokoji.
The student he had caught was still shaken. He had not even seen what had happened and assumed he had merely been lucky enough to regain his balance.
As they crossed the finish line, the PE teacher stopped the timer and called out loudly:
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, three minutes thirty-four seconds!"
"Tatsuya Sakuya, three minutes thirty-five seconds!"
That close every time? Was it a coincidence, or...?
Horikita Suzune, standing before the bleachers at the edge of the field, had witnessed everything.
That instant pull, evasion, and sudden acceleration from Tatsuya Sakuya required terrifying reflexes and absolute control over his body. That was not something an ordinary student could accomplish.
This desk mate of hers seemed far from ordinary when it came to physical tests.
At five in the afternoon, students gathered around the bulletin board at the entrance to the indoor gymnasium. The detailed physical test scores for Class 1-D were officially posted.
"Sudo's the overall champion..."
Someone squeezed into the front accurately called out part of the results.
"What about Ayanokoji and Shiba? Their scores seem pretty close. Keep looking and report back."
"Shiba scored three points higher than Ayanokoji. What lucky timing."
Tatsuya Sakuya won the overall score by a narrow margin of three points. Such a tiny gap seemed unremarkable to everyone else.
But for the bet in the class group chat, it meant the winner and loser had been decided.
At six that evening, the Lovingly United Class 1-D Line group chat completely exploded.
Ike Kanji: [Holy shit, the total scores are out. Sudo's the overall champion, and Ayanokoji actually lost. Hahaha.]
Yamauchi Haruki: [It was exactly three points apart. Shiba, did you pray to some god or something? Your luck is ridiculously good.]
Sudo Ken: [Keep it low-key, keep it low-key.]
Messages flew through the group chat as everyone treated it as the funniest entertainment of their first week at school.
At that moment, in Room 401.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka began reviewing the day.
It had been a complete failure. Not only had he failed to probe the other party's true abilities, he had even lost five thousand points.
In the hallway of the school building after classes.
Tatsuya Sakuya was carrying his schoolbag and preparing to leave when a figure blocked his path.
Horikita Suzune stood in the middle of the hallway and got straight to the point. "During the physical test earlier, you didn't use your full strength at all, did you?"
Tatsuya Sakuya stopped. "Horikita, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word."
Tatsuya Sakuya wanted to see whether playing dumb would get him through this.
"Stop pretending."
Horikita Suzune stepped closer,
"I watched the thousand-meter run. You're capable of much more than that. Why didn't you give it your all?"
Faced with Horikita Suzune's aggressive attitude, Tatsuya Sakuya explained:
"Horikita, I have no interest in tests that offer no benefits, and there's no need to take them seriously. If there were a points reward, I might consider it."
With that, he smiled and left the school building, leaving behind a puzzled Horikita Suzune.
Just who is this guy?
A thunderous wave of exclamations suddenly erupted from a group of students in front of the bulletin board in the first-floor lobby.
A brand-new notice bearing the official seal of Advanced Nurturing High School had just been posted in the center of the board:
[Notice Regarding Next Week's Schoolwide Swimming Ability Test and Reward System]
[During the second week of this month, a schoolwide swimming test will be conducted. This test includes a special reward: First place in the overall school rankings will receive 10,000 Private Points!]
Before you continue