A hollow victory

The first-year boys barely rested before preparing for the next event-tug-of-war.

At the same time, the girls were competing in the ball-toss event.

"How big is the gap now?" Toba Shigeru asked.

"No idea. The match only just started, and we can't see clearly from this far away," Ishida said.

"I'll go take a look, then." Toba Shigeru stood up and headed toward the ball-toss area.

The ball-toss event really was far away. Takahashi Ren could only see figures running back and forth, unable to tell who had the upper hand.

After quite a while, Toba Shigeru jogged back, waving before he even reached them.

"The Red Team won!"

Someone in the tent let out a small sigh of relief. The girls had won back the points the boys had lost in the pole-toppling event.

Someone in the tent let out a quiet sigh of relief. The girls had won back the points the boys had lost in the pole-toppling event.

Tug-of-war was next. The rules were the same as for pole-toppling: the first side to win two rounds would win.

In the middle of the field, the four classes split into two teams and moved to the left and right.

After a quiet discussion with Katsuragi, Hirata went over to Class D.

Katsuragi turned to face Class A.

"Line up by height. Shorter people in front, taller people in back. When the whistle blows, lower your center of gravity together."

"What's the point of lining up like that?" Toba Shigeru asked quietly.

"It keeps the rope level so everyone pulls in the same direction," Ishida said.

"Then couldn't the tall people stand in front?"

"They could. But that would make the rope go up and down, and the people in back would have trouble pulling," Takahashi Ren replied.

"Oh," Toba Shigeru said, asking no more questions.

"Everyone, take your positions," Katsuragi said.

Nearly half of Class A remained rooted to the spot.

"Katsuragi, I really wish you'd stop acting like you know everything and ordering us around."

Takahashi Ren tilted his head. The speaker was Hashimoto.

He took a step forward, a slight smile on his face, but his gaze held mockery and contempt as he looked at Katsuragi.

"What do you mean, Hashimoto?" Katsuragi asked.

"Exactly what I said," Hashimoto replied. "Isn't it your fault Class A's morale has sunk this low? Do you really think this strategy can win?"

Everyone around them turned to look at the two.

Takahashi Ren turned his head and glanced toward Class A's camp.

Sakayanagi had been sitting there from the start, watching as an observer. She looked their way, the corners of her mouth gently raised, as though enjoying a play that had long since been scripted.

Takahashi Ren looked away, realizing that Hashimoto was acting on Sakayanagi's instructions.

She did not care whether Katsuragi's strategy would succeed. All she needed was to show everyone that he could not even get his own classmates to listen.

Unlike Ryuuen's terror through direct violence, she was doing something else: making the mind her primary target.

"Well, Katsuragi? Can this strategy really win?" Hashimoto was still smiling.

Katsuragi did not let himself get sidetracked. He merely said in a low voice, "Class D is watching too. We shouldn't drag them into our chaos."

"That's not an answer."

Hashimoto refused to let it go. Behind him, half the students remained where they were, showing no intention of cooperating.

"Katsuragi's already told you what to do! Get moving!"

Unable to stand watching any longer, Totsuka Yahiko stepped forward, grabbed a boy from the Sakayanagi Faction by the arm, and shoved the rope into his hands. "Don't start trouble at a time like this!"

The boy frowned, but ultimately took the rope.

Without looking at Hashimoto, Katsuragi continued, "I'm not denying that you have doubts. But if we fight among ourselves here and end up losing, who will be held responsible? Me, or Sakayanagi?"

Hashimoto gave a laugh.

The referee walked toward them, intending to tell them to stop dawdling.

Hashimoto said nothing more. He went to his assigned position, bent down, and gripped the rope.

"Come on, let's give it a go. Like you said, letting our opponents think we can't even cooperate really is pretty irritating."

Class A's infighting subsided for the moment. Everyone took their positions.

On the Red Team, Class A and Class D ended up mixing together, lined up by height, with Sudo anchoring the rear.

Class B and Class C stood in separate blocks, as though a line had been drawn between them. Class B handled the front of the rope, but put all its bigger students up front, starting with tall students at the very head.

Class C had not arranged its lineup at all. Everyone stood wherever they pleased, leaving the line crooked from the middle onward, as though hastily thrown together.

Class B had a plan, but Class C would not cooperate. The front and rear looked like two separate teams.

By comparison, at least the Red Team was pulling together on the same rope.

"Here we go, everyone!" Sudo shouted.

The whistle blew to start the match.

The Red Team leaned back together, lowering their bodies and pulling in time with their chant.

At first, the two sides were fairly evenly matched. But after a few seconds, the rope clearly shifted toward the Red Team. The White Team's efforts were not coordinated, and the middle section swayed badly.

Takahashi Ren could feel the opposing force coming in intermittent bursts.

The whistle blew again, ending the first round. The Red Team had won.

"Hell yeah! See that? What kind of crappy formation was that?!" Sudo's voice carried across the entire field.

Several people on Class B's side looked visibly annoyed.

Shibata went over to Class C as Class B's representative, apparently trying to persuade Ryuuen to make adjustments. But Ryuuen did not even look at him, merely lifting his chin toward the Class C students.

"Switch positions. Short ones in front. Line up behind them, one by one."

Only then did Class C move. They rearranged their lineup into a bow shape, progressing from shortest to tallest.

Shibata shook his head, returned to Class B, and patted several people on the shoulder.

"We've got this match in the bag," Sudo said, thumping his chest. "They can't win with that setup."

"Don't let your guard down," Katsuragi said. "The next round won't be as easy."

"Why? They still haven't lined up like us."

Katsuragi seemed about to say more, but the referee was already signaling them to take their places. The break was over.

The second round began.

The Red Team kept the same rhythm as in the first round, but the opposing force had become steady. They could not budge the rope.

Standing beside Class C, Ryuuen spoke unhurriedly. "Hey, don't you go losing too easily. Otherwise, I'll deal with you when we get back."

Could one order really increase their strength that much?

Takahashi Ren had long heard that Ryuuen ruled Class C through violence and terror. Apparently, the rumors were true.

But the formation mattered more. Ryuuen had just put the shorter students in front, drawing the line into a bow shape, so all their force bore down in one direction.

The thought had barely crossed Takahashi Ren's mind when he was pulled a step forward.

He dug his feet into the ground, desperately sinking his weight backward, but the rope still slid toward the White Team inch by inch. His arms were so tense they went numb, and the coarse rope burned against his palms.

"Aah-ow, ow, ow!" someone behind him cried out.

The Red Team was being dragged forward.

The whistle blew. The White Team won.

At the very back, Sudo threw down the rope. "Why was that different from before?! Who was slacking off?!"

He roared, scanning the crowd as though trying to find someone to blame. Katsuragi walked over and raised a hand to stop him.

"Calm down." Katsuragi stepped forward, blocking Sudo. "They changed their formation."

He glanced at the students gathering around. "Some of us also got cocky and let our guard down after winning one round. Don't underestimate our opponents."

"Everyone, check your positions," he said. "Don't pull the rope downward. Pull diagonally upward so you can put your strength into it."

Katsuragi gave precise advice and instructions as he had everyone reform the line.

Across from them, Class B and Class C still stood separately.

"You did well. One more time, just like that last round." Ryuuen rallied their spirits. "Show those pieces of trash who thought they had this in the bag."

The third round began.

This time, it was neither as easy as the first round nor a gradual defeat like the second. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Behind them, Sudo roared, "Hold on! We have to win this one!"

The Red Team pulled in time with his voice, and the rope shifted toward them little by little.

"One more pull! Puuuuull!"

Takahashi Ren poured every ounce of strength into the rope. His shoulders and back tightened painfully, and his fingers could barely hold on. But right after that pull, the weight in his hands suddenly vanished.

It was not that the other side had yanked it away. It was as though the entire rope had been hollowed out from the middle. Everyone's strength went into empty air.

The White Team's students fell backward, one after another, like dominoes.

Sudo and the others had barely registered what had happened. They were still on the ground, but their anger had already flared.

"What the hell are you doing?! Is this some kind of joke?!"

Some Class B students had been pulled down too, completely unprepared for this.

"We figured we couldn't win, so we let go."

Ryuuen's tone was airy. "It's pretty entertaining, letting you pick up a garbage victory like this. Lying on the ground suits you."

"You bastard!"

Sudo scrambled up, his face red with anger, and charged toward him.

Katsuragi hurriedly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Stop."

"He did it on purpose!"

"He's provoking you," Katsuragi said. "If you charge over there, this becomes a violent incident."

Katsuragi was right. This was exactly what Ryuuen was waiting for. The moment Sudo resorted to violence, Class C would have every justification to blow the matter up.

"What he did was underhanded, but it wasn't against the rules," Katsuragi added.

Sudo gritted his teeth, his fists still clenched, but ultimately went no farther.

Seeing that his provocation had come to nothing, Ryuuen turned and waved a hand. "Let's go."

Class C followed him, leaving quickly. Class B's students also badly wanted to complain.

"We won, didn't we?" Katsuragi released Sudo and gave his shoulder a light pat.

"We won, but it still pisses me off." Sudo spat.

The Red Team had won the match, but no one could smile.

"Those guys are seriously underhanded," Toba Shigeru said indignantly.

"They planned it so that even if they lost, they wouldn't let us enjoy winning," Ishida said.

Takahashi Ren was upset too, of course. But the more he took it to heart, the more he would be giving them what they wanted.

The three returned to Class A's tent to prepare for the next event.