"Damn it, what the hell are you guys doing?! Hold the line!"
Sudou was furious—not only had their offense failed, but they had also been ambushed by Class C during their defense.
Someone had attacked him outright, showing no mercy.
In the end, he watched as Ryuuen personally struck at him.
If not for the need to protect their pole, he would have lunged at Ryuuen right then and there.
But even after enduring it, Class D's pole still fell, and the Red Team suffered another crushing defeat.
Faced with Sudou's rage, the boys of Class D shrank back, not daring to utter a word.
Class A had some complaints, but they had felt the full force of Class C's assault. Losing wasn't shameful—after all, they simply couldn't match their opponents physically.
On another note, the girls' ball-throwing competition was also underway, with Kamuro Masumi proving the most terrifying.
Almost no one could stop her, and she effortlessly secured victory for the Red Team.
At least that gave Class A some consolation.
Soon after, the next event was about to begin—tug-of-war.
The rules were similar to the pole-toppling competition: winning two rounds meant victory.
Katsuragi had already discussed the details with Class D.
They decided to mix the boys from both classes and arrange their positions based on height differences.
Kaoru stood in the back row, with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka right in front of him—an awkward position, to say the least.
"Sorry about the last match. If only we'd held out a little longer," Ayanokoji said, initiating the conversation.
"It's fine. But we'll win this time, right, Ayanokoji?" Kaoru replied casually.
Ayanokoji hesitated for a moment before answering uncertainly.
"We should win... right?"
"Of course we'll win!" Sudou, standing ahead of them, barked angrily after overhearing their exchange.
Meanwhile, Classes B and C were still scrambling to arrange their positions, looking disorganized.
Clearly, they hadn't coordinated beforehand, resulting in a chaotic formation.
Soon, the teacher acting as referee confirmed that both sides were ready and blew the whistle, signaling the start of the match.
Kaoru pulled lightly, sensing that the opposing side's resistance was weak and crumbling.
Before long, they completely collapsed toward the combined force of Classes A and D.
"Victory for the Red Team!" the referee immediately announced the result of the first round.
"Whooo!"
Seeing Class D's excitement, the boys of Class A also felt a surge of satisfaction.
They hadn't expected the first round to be this easy.
Perhaps dissatisfied with their performance, the opposing team changed their formation.
Kaoru silently tightened his grip on the rope.
In a direct clash like this, knowing the lineup beforehand didn't mean much.
Soon, he could feel the opposing side's strength increasing—it was getting harder to pull.
His teammates around him were red-faced, clearly struggling.
The students at the front couldn't hold on any longer, and the agonized shouts of Ike Kanji and the others could already be heard.
"Hold the line, damn it!" Sudou roared, veins bulging in his neck.
Before long, Class A and Class D lost the second round.
Everyone's expressions were grim.
It must have been the formation issue earlier.
Kaoru glanced at Ayanokoji in front of him—the guy wasn't even breathing hard, slacking off more skillfully than he was.
No matter how much Sudou cursed and ranted, the third round was about to begin—the decisive moment that would determine victory or defeat.
"We have to win this tug-of-war! If anyone dares to slack off, I'll—"
Before he could finish, Sudou faceplanted into the dirt.
Not just him, but most of the boys suddenly stumbled and fell.
Since Kaoru had let go of the rope early, he only staggered slightly from the impact of Ayanokoji bumping into him and didn't end up on the ground like the others.
"Hehehe, trash belongs on the ground. Perfect. Consider this match's victory a gift to you," Ryuuen said with a wide grin, casually tossing the rope aside.
Class C had suddenly released their grip during the tug-of-war, catching most people off guard—even Class B was affected.
Hearing Ryuuen's words, Sudou nearly lost his temper.
"Tch, Mitoma, you didn't fall. You let go too, didn't you?" Ryuuen stared at Kaoru as if he was uncovering a big secret.
"You avoided me in the pole-toppling match too. What are you afraid of? Slacking off like this won't do, Mitoma. Today's an official competition—you should at least try to entertain me."
"If it's a fair match, I'd be happy to. I just don't want to deal with any 'unexpected accidents,'" Kaoru replied.
Ryuuen laughed loudly, unbothered by the fact that his intentions had been guessed.
If the other side could figure it out, it meant they understood the game just as well.
"It's useless, Mitoma. I've seen through all your tricks. No matter how much you struggle, you'll only roll around in the garbage, becoming tools for my amusement. Hahaha!"
Leaving behind his unrestrained laughter, he led the Class C boys back to the White Team's waiting area.
"That bastard!" Sudou clenched his fists. How could anyone tolerate such provocation?
"Don't act recklessly. He's deliberately trying to provoke us," Katsuragi remained surprisingly calm at this moment.
"Don't give them an easy foul. Let's just focus on competing properly."
Though his words made sense, everyone still felt stifled—especially the self-proclaimed elite Class A.
Some began grumbling about Classes C and D, and it wouldn't be long before they turned their dissatisfaction toward Katsuragi's approach.
Kaoru returned to the rest area, observing the second-year competitions that followed.
So far, five events had taken place, four of which were for the boys.
Kiryuin Fuka was highly active in the girls' division—nimble and agile, with only a few girls barely keeping up.
Yet even they couldn't stop Kiryūin's relentless charge as she continued racking up points.
In contrast, the boys' matches were far more intense and deadlocked.
Perhaps not anticipating Class 2-B's betrayal, Class 2-A was clearly unprepared and took several hits.
However, they quickly regained their footing.
Since Class 2-B's teammates had chosen to side with Class 2-A, they didn't even need to throw the match—just quietly slacking off in team events was enough to force Class 2-B into a two-against-one situation.
Still, Kaoru had considered Class 2-C's position.
Seeing this scene now, he couldn't help but recall a saying.
Whoever is winning, they'll support.
At the moment, there was no sign of Nagumo Miyabi's downfall, so Class 2-C chose to side with Class 2-A.
Kaoru thought for a moment, then quietly activated a reward he had brought from the previous world.
[Character Control Joystick : Once activated, the user can freely manipulate the target's movements for 3 minutes.]
[Please note, this item is a consumable supernatural object. Once its usage count is depleted, it will no longer possess any supernatural effects!]
[Remaining uses: 0/1]
[Exchange successful. We wish you a pleasant experience!]
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