Though satisfied with his response, Sakayanagi had no intention of backing down.
Besides, she was the one who had recorded these scores—no one understood them better than her.
"Hehehe, Mitoma-kun is right. Even if we ultimately win, the upperclassmen might drag us down, causing us to lose the competition anyway."
Here, Sakayanagi cast a half-smiling, half-mocking look at Kaoru, her eyes glinting with a hint of provocation.
"However, the fact remains that we're currently under attack from Class C, and Class D is already in chaos. In your and Katsuragi-kun's opinion, what should we do?"
His earlier words had merely sidestepped the issue, but now that she emphasized it again, the surrounding attention inevitably refocused on Kaoru and Katsuragi.
"What else can we do? Dump Class D as deadweight and focus all our efforts on crushing Class C!" Totsuka Yahiko blurted out immediately, eager to shield Katsuragi.
"Dropping Class D is easy, but how do we handle the upcoming matches?" Hashimoto Masayoshi countered.
"Besides, our competition order is already fixed. Even if we know someone leaked it, there's nothing we can do."
Soon after, Shinji Matoba also spoke up. "The next event is an individual competition, so abandoning Class D shouldn't matter much. But wouldn't that be tantamount to betrayal in a way?"
"Protecting Class A is the priority right now!" Totsuka shot back.
"Fine, we can discard Class D. But how do we deal with Classes B and C?" Hashimoto paused. "If the group competition points also count toward the class totals, then the White Team has already pulled ahead of us by a significant margin."
Totsuka fell silent—he was never one for deep thinking.
"Don't panic. The afternoon event is an assigned-points competition, where the stakes are higher than in the group matches. This is our chance." Kaoru's tone grew slightly firmer toward the end.
Perhaps it was his calm demeanor, but the others looked at him in mild surprise, instinctively feeling a little reassured—yet also puzzled.
"What chance?" Hashimoto asked.
"The group competition doesn't allow substitutions, but the school permits us to use substitutes in the assigned-points matches—for 100,000 Personal Points per person." Kaoru scanned the room.
"Our lineup may have been leaked, but that doesn't mean we'll lose."
His voice was eerily composed, as if he had anticipated this very scenario.
"Will substitutes really work?"
"It doesn't seem impossible—we just need to reshuffle the order!"
"But who should we have as substitutes?"
"We can't possibly replace our ace, can we?"
"…"
In an instant, voices of all kinds rose around them.
Amidst the chatter, Sakayanagi remained silent, her gaze fixed steadily on Kaoru.
After a while, she finally spoke.
"Mitoma-kun, since you came up with this strategy, you must have already thought about how to proceed, right?"
At once, all eyes turned to Kaoru, awaiting his response.
"Assuming Class C's lineup was based on ours, then we now also know Class C's lineup," Kaoru said, pausing briefly.
"So, if we take a guess and gamble a little, we might just turn the situation around."
His suggestion made many of them brighten—it did sound reasonable.
Not stopping there, Kaoru went on to name the substitutes and the order they should be rearranged in, concluding that it was merely his personal suggestion.
Yet, in this situation, no one could think of a better alternative, and they instinctively trusted his substitution strategy.
More importantly, Kaoru appeared far calmer than the rest, who were all somewhat flustered—after all, this was the first time they had encountered such a scenario.
Thus, Sakayanagi's counterattack was effortlessly suppressed once again.
Since the 200-meter race was next, Class A didn't dwell on the discussion and quickly prepared for the upcoming event.
Before long, Kaoru secured first place.
As soon as he returned to his spot, Sakayanagi invited him for a walk.
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to leave now?"
"Fufufu, who would care? After this race, it's lunch break anyway. Besides, you have nothing else to do—why not accompany me for a little rest?"
"Haven't you been resting in the spectator stands this whole time?"
"How rude. Mitoma-kun, you really aren't very popular with girls, are you?"
Under Sakayanagi's thinly veiled threat, Kaoru had no choice but to follow her out of the track field.
It was nearly early autumn, and a cool breeze drifted through the air.
Under the warm sunlight, the shadows of the trees lining the path swayed gently, while wisps of clouds, as if brushed across the sky, drifted overhead—creating an atmosphere of serene tranquility.
Sakayanagi walked slowly, her cane tapping lightly against the ground.
Rather than seeming hindered, it was more like the measured steps of a queen's high heels.
Her petite body gave her the air of a little princess, as if she had been born to be cradled in her parents' arms and proudly shown off to others.
"Morishita-san was right—your gaze is quite blatant," she remarked, pausing slightly.
"But at the same time, it's strange. Even though it feels indecent, it doesn't disgust me."
"I've never been sneaking glances at any of you. I've always looked openly," Kaoru corrected her.
"Besides, there's a kind of gaze called 'compassion.'"
"Are you saying you feel compassion for me?" Sakayanagi's lips curled in a faint, ambiguous smile.
"More like a master caring for his maid. After all, you look adorable when you're trying your best—even if you're plotting mischief against your master."
"Do you enjoy master-servant roleplay?" Sakayanagi suddenly recalled the time he had smacked her ass.
In many contexts, such an act often symbolized a superior disciplining their subordinate.
Despite her efforts to suppress the memory, a faint blush still crept onto her cheeks.
Fortunately, this instinctive shyness didn't send her into a fluster.
Kaoru nodded without hesitation.
"Because I was really looking forward to Sakayanagi's... service."
Truthfully, Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to know how he could say such things so calmly—and more importantly, why he felt no shame licking a girl's feet.
"Setting aside Mitoma-kun's... preferences for now," Sakayanagi murmured softly, "perhaps in the future, I will be the one to become your master. You've probably already guessed—I was the one who leaked the competition roster."
It wasn't just Kaoru who had observed Class A's situation.
She, too, had been watching closely.
After some time, she noticed Kaoru diligently following his training routine and even proposing cooperation with Class D.
That was when she fully grasped his intentions.
If Kaoru was thinking along those lines, why not take advantage of it?
"Nothing surprising about it. Both you and I know their current state. If they aren't disciplined now, they'll only become harder to manage later," Kaoru said, gazing at the quiet campus.
"Honestly, ever since the school year started, everyone seems obsessed with hierarchy—Class A must be stronger than Class B, Class B stronger than the rest, and some even show outright hostility toward others."
Sakayanagi listened quietly before speaking up.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked for your thoughts on this school?"
A faint smile played on her lips.
"Though I've asked you something similar before, I'd like to hear your current perspective."
Kaoru's thoughts tangled for a moment.
He knew Sakayanagi was probing for his interpretation of ANHS "meritocracy"—and what he intended to do about it in the future.
Sakayanagi didn't rush him.
The two walked slowly across the empty campus, the only sound between them the whisper of the wind.
After a while, Kaoru finally spoke. "Some people are born with innate talent. No matter what they do, they become the center of attention. To most, people like that are what you'd call geniuses."
"Geniuses can accomplish things most can't. No matter how fast a field mouse runs, it can't escape an owl's hunt. The former is just another face in the crowd, while the latter is the genius everyone admires."
"For society, the more of the latter, the better. In an era of declining birth rates, I'm sure those in power think the same—hence the creation of ANHS. But if all they wanted were geniuses, the school could've just set an impossibly high entrance exam like other elite institutions."
"Yet this school admits plenty of ordinary students—those without any special talents, just your average high schoolers. I've often wondered, why? To make them experience the gap between geniuses and mediocrity firsthand?"
Sakayanagi watched him intently, her gaze unwavering, listening with rapt attention.
"Though I've never met your father directly, I've tried to deduce his intentions," Kaoru said suddenly.
"ANHS goal must be to cultivate geniuses—to transform mediocrity into brilliance. That's the power of growth. Even after our bodies stop developing, our abilities don't. Even the greatest genius will stagnate if they remain unchanged. In the end, those ordinary students might just become the new geniuses."
Just like raising Pokémon, starting off strong is impressive, but it doesn't guarantee lasting dominance—growth potential matters just as much.
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly, a glimmer of light flickering in her eyes as she murmured softly, "Mitoma-kun, you're quite concerned about your classmates. I thought you'd be more coldhearted."
"That may be so, but whether anyone will truly transform in the end—I'm not certain about that," said Kaoru.
"After all, in some people's eyes, strength is just numbers on paper—something that can be quantified and evaluated."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a cheerful voice sounded from behind.
"Well, well, it seems this student has quite some opinions about our school's methods."
Kaoru's eyelid twitched slightly.
Before he could turn around, Sakayanagi Arisu beside him furrowed her brows and complained.
"Didn't you promise not to talk to me at school?"
"Not at all. I'm just rather interested in this student here. It's rare to meet a junior who shares similar views with me," the other party retorted with remarkable skill in making excuses.
Kaoru turned his head silently and saw a middle-aged man standing before him.
The slight upward curve of his lips gave him an elegant and gentle demeanor, exuding an approachable aura—like a patient and persuasive teacher.
Sakayanagi Arisu sighed and then introduced, "This is such a headache. Mitoma-kun, this is my father."
Yes, and also the current chairman of this school.
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