Chapter 236: The Sports Festival, the Hidden Master of Class D
In October, the major sports festival of Advanced Nurturing finally began.
Under the "Minimum Guarantee Plan" led by Hirata Yousuke, Class D handed over their participation events and rosters to Class B and Class C. In exchange for giving up the competition for class rankings, they secured point transfers from Classes B and C.
Each person could obtain roughly 40,000 personal points.
To the students of Class D, whose pockets were generally empty, this was like rain after a long drought, making them so happy they forgot themselves.
However, in Hikigaya's view, it wasn't that selling class interests for personal gain was forbidden, it was just that the selling price was truly a bit too low. If Hikigaya were to personally negotiate with Classes B and C, he could have squeezed out at least 100,000 points per person.
It was just that Hikigaya had absolutely no interest in doing so.
Moreover, seeing that group of "gods" in Class D get 100,000 points for doing nothing would make him feel worse than losing 100,000 points himself!
[Ding~ You have a personal point transfer, please check it.]
This was the monthly transfer of 600,000 personal points, according to the agreement Ryuen Kakeru made with him during the deserted island exam.
Hikigaya glanced at his phone. Personal points: 5,676,800.
Well, there was nothing much to say. According to this progress, barring any accidents, he would 100% be able to save up 20,000,000 personal points before graduating in the third year and choose to transfer directly to Class A to graduate.
Of course, Hikigaya wouldn't choose that.
Compared to graduating as Class A and being recommended to a famous school, Hikigaya could also get into a good, prestigious university by relying on his own efforts to take the entrance exams.
With over twenty million personal points, he could leave by converting them into cash.
Famous schools and money—I want them both!
"Go go go!"
In the spectator stands, students from every class were shouting in unison for their participating athletes.
The 200-meter sprint.
The moment the starting pistol fired, Sudo Ken left everyone in the dust, leaving the other contestants far behind! No, the gap was pulled too wide.
The contestants from Classes B and C were either fat otakus or physically weak; one look and you could tell they were students who weren't good at sports. Such similarity was clearly no coincidence.
That was because Classes B and C knew Class D's event roster in advance. To avoid competing with the sports ace Sudo Ken, they specifically sent out students unskilled in sports to just go through the motions. This was the so-called "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" strategy—pitting lower-tier horses against the top-tier horse.
In contrast, Class A, having not reached a cooperation with Class D and being ignorant of the details, sent out Shibata Sou, who had excellent sports grades.
Originally wanting to get off to a flying start, they ended up only taking second place, which counted as a small loss.
"Sorry, I failed everyone's expectations."
Shibata Souta looked guilty. Before the race, he had patted his chest and told everyone to watch his performance, yet he ended up two body lengths behind Sudo Ken; it was truly embarrassing.
"No, we all know Shibata-kun did his best."
"Class D's Sudo is a top-tier existence in the top three for sports grades in the year; there's no shame in losing to him."
Ichinose Honami offered kind words of comfort, not blaming her classmate for the unfavorable start.
"Ichinose, have you noticed something off about this sprint race?"
Kanzaki Ryuji keenly discovered where the problem lay at the first opportunity.
"What's wrong?"
"Classes B and C both sent out students poor at sports. Do you really think it's just a coincidence?"
"..."
Ichinose Honami fell into deep thought.
"There are two possibilities. Either Class D has a spy who sold their participation list to Classes B and C, or Class D reached a cooperation with them." Kanzaki Ryuji frowned as he analyzed seriously: "I believe the latter is more likely. Because if it were the individual action of a spy, there would be no reason for that person not to sell it to our Class A."
"Indeed, I've also thought of that possibility.
I just didn't expect that Hirata would actually make such a decisive plan."
Ichinose Honami said with a bitter smile.
"This indeed doesn't match Hirata's past style of doing things, so I believe there must be a 'master' behind him giving advice."
Kanzaki Ryuji turned his head toward Class D, trying to find that so-called master. He saw Hirata Yousuke sitting alone in a corner, an aura radiating from him that kept people at a distance, such that no one dared sit next to him.
"Class D's hidden master?
Could it be Hikigaya-kun?"
Ichinose Honami also looked toward Class D. Her gaze quickly found Hikigaya's figure, and then her eyebrows twitched as her expression became subtle.
"Uh, I think with his personality, it probably wouldn't be him..."
Kanzaki Ryuji noticed it too.
Sitting on either side of Hikigaya were two girls whose "breadth of heart" (chest size) was not inferior to Ichinose's.
"Hachiman-kun, do you want something to drink?"
Sakura Airi proactively offered an electrolyte drink.
"This is quite good to drink during sports, thanks Airi."
Hikigaya accepted it gladly.
"Hacchi, eat some of mine too~"
Hasabe Haruka took a potato chip and handed it to him.
"Eating dry snacks like this during sports isn't great, is it?"
Hikigaya wanted to refuse.
"What does it matter? There's still a while before we have to go out."
Hasabe Haruka didn't care: "Hacchi can't favor one over the other—eating only Airi's and not mine."
"That way of putting it is just too... mgh?!"
Hikigaya was about to complain, but he was forced-fed a mouthful of potato chips by her.
"Hacchi just needs to open his mouth and obediently accept the feeding!
Hee-hee (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)"
Hasabe Haruka blinked her eyes with a playful face. Hikigaya was full of distress. At this moment, he didn't even need to think to know what kind of looks the people in his class were giving him.
Even people from other classes were casting quite a few sharp gazes!!
Hikigaya felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
'Seriously, watch the competition! Why are you just staring at me?'
"I'm going to the toilet."
Hikigaya planned to go outside to avoid the heat.
Leaving the noisy arena, Hikigaya felt his ears were much clearer. He wandered around nearby aimlessly. Then, on a bench, he saw Sakayanagi Arisu sitting alone.
Hikigaya originally wanted to pretend he hadn't seen her and slip away quietly.
"Hikigaya-kun, what a coincidence~"
Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly turned her head and called out to him, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.
"Eh? Sakayanagi, you're here. Sorry, I thought it was some lost child."
Seeing that he couldn't avoid her, Hikigaya feigned surprise and deliberately stepped forward to mock her.
"Hehe~ Hikigaya-kun is as humorous as ever."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly, not getting angry. Her small hand patted the seat beside her, signaling him to sit down.
"Move your butt... over a bit."
Hikigaya glanced at her sitting posture; she was intentionally sitting in the middle of the bench. According to Japanese custom, this was a way of refusing others' attempts to strike up a conversation.
'Not letting others sit, but letting only me sit.
What is this 'loli brat' thinking?'
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