3
Soon the details of the first round of the exchange meeting were announced and the game began.
Before that, I decided to tell Hashimoto, who was fiddling with his cell phone in the same room, about this matter.
Hashimoto would notice the unnatural situation even if I kept silent about participating in all the games. It was a waste to probe and be probed among groupmates, and it was best to avoid that.
I'm going to have some with Nagumo.
I told him a little about the contents of our match, but it was still a confrontation with the former student council president, and Hashimoto couldn't hide his surprise throughout.
And when he finished listening to the story, he sighed repeatedly, showing his understanding of the situation.
"You always do things that are beyond my imagination. You know that, right?"
"It's not the development I wanted."
"Even so, it's incredible that you're competing with Nagumo-senpai. And it's not about the results of this group battle, but about your individual performance.
That's amazing. You're being asked to win 17 out of 19 games."
He expected this situation to be tough, but Hashimoto seemed oddly happy.
"That just means he's interested in you. I knew my eyes were right."
"Even if it's an informal exchange meeting, it's still selfish. It's an act that disrupts the group's dynamic. That's why I asked to speak with you—to keep the group's cooperation intact."
"So that's where I come in. I understand what you want to say, but I don't think you need to worry."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If this was a fun game, everyone might compete for a spot to participate, but do you think all high school students would want to make
oshibana and embroidering to compete? No."
(TL Note: Oshibana (押し花) refers to the traditional Japanese art of pressing flowers to preserve their beauty and create decorative designs.)I was very interested, but it seemed that other students weren't."So it should be a welcome thing for you to participate in everything."If things went as planned, I would be grateful.
"Are you going to win the exchange meeting itself? I wonder how Kiryūinsenpai feels about it. I suppose it's okay to assume that you know because of the circumstances?"
"Ah, I'm not sure. I don't think she's completely uninterested, but I don't think she's as excited as Nagumo. She might even throw the whole thing to her kōhais."
Kiryūin was only interested in the match with Nagumo because of my record.
Just enjoying the extra entertainment before graduation, that was all.
"Even if the private points I earned this time can only be used for pocket money, I can use the private points I have now for a more effective use. I honestly want to aim for a higher ranking and get the prize money."
For Hashimoto, who has made enemies both inside and outside, his battle funds were indeed important.
"Anyway, Ayanokōji, you should get along with the first-year students."
"Get along... huh?"
"Do you think it's difficult to spend friendly time with the first-year students?"
After thinking for a moment, I nodded, and Hashimoto stood up, slapping his knee.
"All right, then, let's make the best of it. First, I'll loosen up the first-year students and try to get along with them by tonight."
Hashimoto immediately declared that he had no problem getting closer to the first-year students.
"I'll also try to extract as much information as possible at that time, but if Kiryūin-senpai doesn't make a move, your power is indispensable. So when it gets dark, you'll have to cooperate to get along with the first-year students, okay?"
I couldn't just make demands without giving anything in return, and it was only fair to help.
It seemed better to support Hashimoto, who was aiming for a win in the group.
"Right... Of course, if I could do it, I would."
But it would be better to let him know sooner rather than later that I'm not confident.
That's what I thought, but Hashimoto could see right through it.
"Leave it to me. I'm pretty good at this kind of thing. I'm grateful to be able to act as your hands and feet. It will also serve as a check on the princess, and it's not something Ryūen can ignore."
He was cooperating with me, while at the same time promoting his own interests as well.
Having a calculating mindset wasn't bad.
Rather, if there was a clear conflict of interest, that mindset would be much better than having the situation resolved out of goodwill.
"By the way, how much would you get for beating Nagumo-senpai?"
"I don't know. I didn't ask for the exact number."
"Considering that he's a third-year representative, it's not just a few thousand or tens of thousands, right?"
What he wanted to know was not the amount, but where the reward money would go afterward.
"I understand. If we win, I'll distribute it evenly to the rest of the group, so you can rest assured."
"I'm relieved to hear that. However, I'd be happy if you could give us different amounts based on our performance, not uniformly."
He made it clear that he wanted to be paid more for taking the initiative, though it wasn't mandatory.
"Well then, I'll leave for a bit. I should be able to have a talk or two during my free time."
As if cherishing every second, Hashimoto quickly left the shared room.
4
Thus, the first day of the exchange meeting and the first round began.
The school sent us the game and rules.
The group we were going to compete against was Group Nine. From Horikita's class, Ike and Keisei were there.
The game was 'oshibana creation.' The location was an oshibanakyōshitsu.
(TL NOTE: a specialized workshop space for teaching and practicing the art of oshibana, equipped with the necessary tools and materials.) Some students might have laughed when they heard it.
But I was very serious.
The question was how to compete with oshibana, and in this case, the quality of the finished product was of utmost importance.
The combination of many types of flowers.
Whether or not you could find petals with the right amount of moisture, and the selection of appropriate flower materials of different sizes.
Whether you could finish it without breaking or damaging it because they were delicate.
The winner would be decided by the total score of these factors.
I hadn't been able to experience anything since I hadn't been to the training camp yet and I was called up, so I decided to go straight to the actual facility.
We received a brief lecture just before, but this seemed much more in-depth than I had imagined.
The work itself was done by all participants at the same time, and in the end, we would compete in a one-on-one format.
From the first to the fifth, who would be in charge was decided in advance.
At the designated production site, there were participants from both groups, ten people and two leaders, and a few spectators including Hashimoto.
Among them was Takahashi Osamu, a first-year Class A student from the Nagumo group.
By the way, following the instructions from that time, I participated as the third person in line.
"Do you also make oshibana, Ayanokōji-senpai?"
Nanase Tsubasa from the first-year Class D, who was among the opponents, walked up to me and asked.
"No, I've never done it. I just got a little guidance from a friend." By the way, that friend was Hiyori.
She had been making bookmarks with oshibana for a long time and had a lot of experience.
"I see. I thought you were good at it because you were the only boy participating."
Perhaps because it required dexterity, as Nanase said, nine out of ten participants were girls.
I was the only male participant, so I was a bit out of place.
I had a match with Nagumo, but there was no need to tell Nanase, who was irrelevant to our competition.
"I've only done it once or twice, so I don't know if I can do it well."
"Please go easy on me."
I was worried that the scoring criteria might be somewhat vague, but it seemed that the person in charge of oshibana, the same person running the facility, was well-informed and judged strictly.
Fortunately, the first-year girl who was my opponent wasn't very good, so I was able to fight her head-on and win.
And as for the group's victory status, although the decision was tangled up until the fifth match, we barely won with three wins and two losses.
"You're amazing, Ayanokōji-kun. I think you're doing very well for your first time."
"I'm nowhere near as good as Hiyori though."
Both were beautiful oshibana at first glance, but the quality was worlds apart.
If she had been my opponent, I would've been utterly defeated.
"You have a knack for this, Ayanokōji-kun. If you enjoy it, let's make it together next time."
"Yeah, I'd like to get better at this too."
I was relieved that such a formidable opponent was an ally. It was significant that I had won in the individual competition.
If possible, I would've liked to stay in the oshibanakyōshitsu and quietly continue making them.
I wouldn't mind competing in making oshibana for three days straight.
Such feelings were welling up, but unfortunately, I had to suppress them.
Sorry, oshibana. See you later...
After the first match, Kiryūin discreetly called out to me.
"A victory's a good start. Though, I didn't feel any tension."
"Well, that's true."
While answering, I kept quiet about how serious I had been.
Whispering was allowed during the game. It was inevitable that the spectators would find it boring.
"But if it's a competition based on experiential learning, it's not strange for anyone to win or lose. If you consider the school's intentions, it's a very interesting way to decide who wins. It's meaningless to just gather students with high OAA abilities. Every group has a chance to win."
Even the great Nagumo couldn't foresee or determine whether Horikita and the others could make good oshibana.
That being said, the same could be said for us.
What we could and couldn't do. Use the spare time to experience as many experiential learning activities as possible and improve our skills. A leader should be in charge of these things...
"Hashimoto made this list for me, which makes things easier. He's surprisingly useful."
To avoid the hassle as a leader, Kiryūin seemed to welcome it.
Well, that was fine too. It was good to enjoy the three days without getting too serious about winning.
"If we continue like this, there will be almost no need for you to take command."
"I'm grateful for that. All I want to see is the match between you and Nagumo."
As expected, she didn't seem to have any intention of doing anything.
"I don't think the results will meet your expectations."
While having such a conversation with Kiryūin, I noticed Inogashira was looking at us alone.
Judging from the situation, she probably didn't participate in the first game.
She said she was good at sewing, and she might like oshibana too.
I thought she had come to experience oshibana in her spare time, but it didn't seem to be the case.
"What's up, Inogashira?"
When I asked her out of curiosity, she approached me with a bit of nervousness. Seeing this, Kiryūin stepped back to make it easier for her to talk.
"Um… uh, you're good friends with Kōenji-kun, aren't you, Ayanokōjikun?"
"Huh?"
I answered immediately. It was the first time I had heard that I was good friends with Kōenji.
"Is that so…? I see..."
"What's the matter?"
"Well, Tatebayashi-senpai told me to bring Kōenji-kun back..."
Tatebayashi is the leader of the group to which Inogashira and Kōenji belong, the third-year Class D.
"He was really angry."
"Yes..."
As a member of the same group and his classmate, it seemed that the timid Inogashira was forced to take responsibility for managing Kōenji.
"I thought maybe you could do something about it..."
She had been watching the scene earlier and our eyes had met.
She must have come to ask for help out of desperation, but the problem was that the other party was too difficult to deal with.
"Why don't you ask Yōsuke?"
I tried to offer the most feasible solution, but Inogashira shook her head.
"I can't ask Hirata-kun to do something like this... It's too much to ask."
I wonder if it's okay to ask me...? Well, it would be rude to compare myself to Yōsuke, who was very helpful. If asked, he would accept and if Kōenji didn't return, he would likely continue to persuade him until he did. I could understand why Inogashira would feel guilty.
"I'm sorry. I can't help you. There's nothing I can do."
"I see... I'm sorry, I'll try to figure something out..."
Inogashira bowed her head slightly and slowly walked away.
"Should we just leave it like this?"
"I do feel sorry for her, but that man won't act according to our wishes. We've tried various things over the past two years, and this is the conclusion we've come up with."
"Of course, the decision is up to you. Regardless of the details, the fact that she came to us first is significant."
"You're serious in strange ways. I won't deny it, but I'm not enthusiastic about it."
My thoughts and policies towards Kōenji had solidified the last time I interacted with Mii-chan. Now, without a special exam threatening expulsion, any unnecessary contact and communication would be a waste.
"There's still some time until the next game, why not give it a shot? From what I've seen, Tatebayashi's group is small and unlikely to win, but if Kōenji is competent, the situation might turn around somewhat. Right?"
He didn't seem like the type to worry about others, but it would be inappropriate for me to say that.
I wanted to try many different things, but opportunities like that seemed hard to come by.
"I understand. I'll try contacting him for now. If Kōenji wins, he might appreciate the private points he'll earn."
"That's a good idea."
In fact, that was the only thing that could potentially motivate Kōenji.
While thinking that I had been asked to do something troublesome, I decided to give it a shot.
5
I wanted to find Kōenji during the 30-minute interval between matches, however, it wasn't an easy task.
I went to Kōenji's shared room, but as expected, he wasn't there, and he wasn't in the lobby or the lounge either.
After wandering around the building for about five minutes, occasionally asking acquaintances for information, I obtained a promising clue about 20 minutes before the next game.
I found Kōenji a little way up on a mountain path behind the building.
I arrived at an open area that used to serve as a dog park.
It seemed to have become quite a wasteland, perhaps because it was no longer in use.
"It took me quite some time to find this place. I didn't know there was a place like this here."
I found Kōenji, who was running around joyfully, kicking up the wasteland with his strong horse-like legs.
I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here alone, but if I worried about it, I would lose to Kōenji.
Seeing a rare spectator, Kōenji slowed down and approached me.
I thought he would continue to ignore me, but I was met with a surprise.
"Ayanokōji boy, do you need something from me?"
I thought it was just a whim, but I couldn't waste the opportunity.
"I saw you leaving the group on your own. I thought I'd ask you about how you felt."
"I see. As long as you didn't come to call me back just because someone was counting on my abilities, that's fine."
I guess this man didn't need any pretense.
"Inogashira was looking for you. She appeared quite anxious."
"So what?"
"Why don't you go back and help the group a little?"
"You already know the answer, don't you?"
"I don't know. Why won't you cooperate?"
"I'll tell you something special. One plus one equals two. The answer doesn't change no matter how many times you solve it."
"That depends on how you look at it. In decimal, that's true, but in binary, one plus one equals ten."
(TL NOTE: The statement contrasts arithmetic in decimal (base-10) and binary (base-2) systems. In binary, used in computing, 1 + 1 equals 10, representing the decimal value 2.)
Kōenji didn't lose his smile even when I responded to his ridiculous statement with a ridiculous answer.
"Hahaha, you have a sense of humor. But your answer is nonsense. You see things in a twisted way, with logic-biased thinking. One plus one equals two is the answer. The world is always simple and clear."
Kōenji expressed again that he had no intention of getting along with me.
"They should win using their own tactics, even without my ability. Isn't that right?"
"Your group doesn't have that power. That's why I intended to consider you. If you're present here, it'll improve your impression. Won't it be easier for you in the future?"
"I pride myself on being the only, the best, and the strongest person. There's no need for me to show that to others. Your questions are all nonsense."Kōenji sneered and turned his back to me.
"This time, I've decided to take a complete break. In other words, I'm not involved in the exchange meeting at all. The game can be played smoothly with just five people, right? Please make sure to convey that."
Indeed, there was no obligation for all group members to gather and hold an exchange meeting.
If Kōenji was uncooperative, it was a waste of time to invite him.
"I shouldn't really say this to others, but I can't do anything about your uncooperativeness. It's beyond my understanding."
"Hmm. Beyond understanding, is it? Do you want to know why I'm uncooperative?"
As I was about to give up and turn back, he stopped me."Are you going to tell me?"
"I don't mind. But before that, can I ask you a question?"When I turned back, Kōenji started talking.
"If a paper test is conducted here without any prior notice. Let's say, a test that questions basic academic abilities, who do you think would win, you or me?"If it wasn't Kōenji, I wouldn't have answered seriously.
But here, I intuitively felt that it was best to speak from the heart.
"I would win."
Without hesitation, I answered immediately, but Kōenji wasn't surprised.
Rather, he immediately responded as if it was the answer he had expected.
"Your high confidence is not bad. Let's assume that your answer is yes in this situation. Then, do you think that our superiority, excellence, and value as human beings are determined by that alone?"
"No. That alone doesn't determine it."
It was just a difference in the written test on basic academic abilities.
"Then next—if you and I fight seriously, what do you think the result will be?"
A question about strength, not about brains or anything like that.
Having watched Kōenji Rokusuke for two years, I already had the answer in my mind.
"If it's a fight based on specific rules, I think you'd have the advantage."
In terms of physique and muscle mass, Kōenji would undoubtedly be superior.
This was a number that couldn't be overturned.
If rules were imposed here, such as boxing or judo, and Kōenji's skills were at least equal, I couldn't deny the possibility that it'd be a tough battle.
"That's a funny answer. It's different from what I'd say, but I'll evaluate your thought as it is."
From Kōenji's point of view, there was no possibility of losing, regardless of the presence or absence of rules. Of course, no one could deny that unless we actually fought.
"Do you think you can judge who's better or worse with just this information?"
"It's a difficult question. But if I think about it in general terms, a third party would have to objectively and fairly evaluate both sides from various comprehensive perspectives, including not only written tests but also physical aspects, and quantify them. But that doesn't mean they can objectively perceive human value."
"That's correct. No matter how objectively you look at it, determining human value isn't something that can be easily judged. Even if you talk about comprehensive perspectives, you can't see everything."
"If you have to compare, I would support the method I just mentioned."
"I disagree, Ayanokōji boy."
"Then, how do you judge the value of a person?"As if waiting for me to ask that, Kōenji grinned.
"The answer is extremely simple. Whether it's me or not. That determines the superiority or inferiority."
Even though he made me think a bit, in the end, it came down to that."What's the basis for your confidence?"
"I'll gladly tell you. The source is adaptability. I won't succumb to any environment. I have the confidence to survive in any of them. Whether it's in a large corporation or a jungle full of beasts, I have the power to adapt perfectly and perfectly. This is something that a third party cannot measure."
(TL NOTE: The latter word "perfectly," is written in Katakana for emphasis.)
He must be well aware that the "perfectly" and "perfectly" are redundant.
"This long question and answer session was meaningless. Even if you're perfect, it has nothing to do with your reason for not cooperating, does it?"
"If so, it's just that you didn't understand. Can you stand shoulder to shoulder with kindergarteners who can't do anything and work seriously? There's that much of a gap between me and the people around me. The reason I went out of my way to get first place in the deserted island test was to distance myself from such kindergarteners."
He doesn't feel like competing side by side because he looks down on those around him.
That was Kōenji's reason for being uncooperative.
"You're not suited for this school."
"You and I are completely different beings, but I thought you had a somewhat similar perspective. I didn't expect you to say that. I also think it would be more meaningful to devote myself to training by revisiting China than entering
this school. I had circumstances that prevented me from doing so."No matter how I thought about it, it was a dead end.
When it came down to it, whether to cooperate or not was a decision he had to make.
I couldn't blame Kōenji for sticking to his guns.
"It's a shame, Kōenji. If you were different, you could attract more attention in a better way."
"Like you, who's starting to be relied on by those around you?""I'm not really attracting much attention, though."We had our conversation.
Strangely enough, I often had the opportunity to talk with Kōenji like this.
I wondered if the atmosphere was similar at last year's training camp.
I was reminded again of the enigma that was the person in front of me.
"You understand now that you can't control me, don't you?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"So why do you bother with me? I'm not even in your group this time."Indeed, it was a strange story.
If someone else looked at my situation now, they would all say I should just leave him alone.
It could waste time and potentially affect my bet with Nagumo.
"Even though I know it's useless, I can't help but try—"
"Because if you step out of the class, you won't be able to protect Horikita girl, right?"
As if linking with my thoughts, Kōenji said so.
I saw Kōenji as a hindrance to Horikita, who would continue to fight in the future.
This man saw through that.
His extraordinary instinct was truly unpredictable.
Despite not giving many hints, he seemed to feel what was coming.
"If that's the case, there's no need to hesitate. You can try to exclude me at any time."
"Didn't I tell you before that I don't feel like doing that?"
"Huhuhu. Well, if that's the case, there's nothing I can do."Kōenji, who never doubted that he was the best human being.
So far, there had been several people whom I urged to grow for the future of Horikita's class.
And if I thought they were beneficial, I had done the same for other classes as well.
This man, who had excellent abilities but a difficult personality to work with, was similar.
But the reason I didn't urge Kōenji to improve was because I judged the risk and effort of the measure to be high.
Just like how you couldn't turn an incompetent person into a competent one with a simple task like flipping a coin.
The man in front of me wouldn't change with just one or two steps.
It was easier to eliminate him before he became a nuisance than to change him into an asset. That was my conclusion.
"See you later then. I'll go back to my self-improvement time."
Seeing that further conversation would be useless, Kōenji started running again.
After watching his back for a moment, I decided to turn back.
6
I came back near the inn to report on Kōenji's case.
But I couldn't find Kiryūin, and I didn't know where she had gone.
When I asked a few people, they told me there was a park with a handmade feel on the east side of the building, and they saw her walking there.
There wasn't much time until the next game, so I wondered what she was doing there.
The park had several wooden playground structures.
Unlike the rusty dog park, this place seemed to still be in use, with seesaws and balance beams that looked usable.
Now, where was Kiryūin—she was on one of the two swings.
Not alone, but with Asahina, a third-year student.
From a distance, it looked like Asahina was happily talking to her, and Kiryūin was listening with a warm gaze.
I thought it was an unusual combination as I approached to tell her about Kōenji.
"We don't usually have a chance to talk, so it's kind of fresh... Really unusual, isn't it?"
"Are you that happy to talk to me?"
"I'm glad. You're always so cool, Fūka-chan. A lot of girls really look up to you."
Asahina's eyes sparkled. Perhaps Kiryūin was the type to be more popular with girls than boys.
This must've been because she rarely interacted with students belonging to the same year.
I think Kiryūin was a special case, but it seemed that this kind of interaction was also happening.
"Ayanokōji, you're back."
"What were you talking about?"
It seemed better to tell her about Kōenji's situation later. With that thought, I asked about the content of the conversation.
"We were talking about various things, but right now, we were talking about our future plans. I was curious about Fūka-chan's future."
I remember she said she would become a scholarship student and go to university when we met before.
"So, which university are you going to?"
The conversation had just started, and Asahina asked that question.
Kiryūin openly named the specific university she was planning to attend.
It was a famous university that I would've heard of many times if I had lived normally.
"It's their law department. But I'm not particularly attached to the department."
Asahina shuddered at the thought of going to such a high-level university, thinking it was impossible for her.
"What do you plan to do, Fūka-chan?"
"Hmm? I'm not aiming for anything. I'm not trying to become anything."Just as she had told me before, she planned to live as an ordinary person.
She told Asahina that.
"Eh~ Isn't that a bit of a waste? You seem like you could become anything."
She had no intention of showing off her talents, which would be envied by those who didn't have them.
That might be a waste, but it might also be the ultimate luxury.
"I can become anything. I don't lack confidence, but there are many different things."
"So you don't have a dream?"
"I have a dream of not becoming anyone. Does that answer your question?""That might be a dream, but I think it's better to have an ambitious dream. Whether you can fulfill it or not, whether you can do it or not, isn't it something to think about?"
This was true especially if you were Asahina, who was expected to graduate from Class A. Kiryūin understood this and laughed.
"That's true. It's not that I've never thought about such a dream."
"Then tell me. I might aim for it too."
Kiryūin reluctantly told Asahina, who kept her eyes sparkling.
"If I had to choose a job to achieve something, I might aim to be a politician."
"A politician!? Wow... but it's not common to think of becoming a politician... even Miyabi has never mentioned becoming a politician, and I've never seen anyone around me do it."
Asahina, eager to know how she came to have that dream, listened attentively.
"Do I have to talk about it?"
"No? Though, I think this might be the last chance to leisurely talk with you... I want to hear it."
At Asahina's request, Kiryūin said it was special and revealed the reason.
"When I was little, I had a lot of opportunities to meet politicians because of my family relationships."
"Oh, so that's why you wanted to become one?"
"No? It was because of opportunities like that that I decided against becoming a politician. I just let their talk go in from one ear and out the other."
"Ah, I'm biased, but... politicians seem to be mostly bad people."
"That's right. Most of them were corrupt people who were often featured on
TV and in the media. It's not a profession I admire at all."
If that was the case, there must've been another reason why she mentioned it as a dream.
"Because it's such a corrupt world, there are also those who shine. He was one of the few people I admired."
"What's the name of the politician? Do I know him?"
"It's Kijima-san. He's become quite important now."
"Eh, Kijima? Eh? The Prime Minister?"
Kiryūin affirmed. Asahina seemed quite surprised.
"I thought it wouldn't be so bad to aim for the same stage as him. He's active on the front line."
"But you're not aiming for that... right?"
"I don't plan to at the moment."
"It seems like you, Fūka-chan, could even become a politician."
"Didn't I tell you there's a lot going on?"
The more she stood out, the more she hated having the Kiryūin name follow her around.
"Why don't you aim to be a politician instead of me, Ayanokōji, fulfilling my dream?"
"That's quite an unexpected suggestion. I've never even considered a career in politics."
"My intuition tells me you might do surprisingly well."
"I'm fine with being ordinary. I'll go to some suitable university and get a suitable job."
"I see. Since I'm also aiming for the same path, we're both dream chasers in our own way."
"Whether it's Miyabi or Fūka-chan, inviting Ayanokōji-kun, it must be something special, huh?"
"I'm just being targeted by curiosity seekers. The next game is about to start."
If we continued talking, we wouldn't be able to avoid being late.
"Oh, is it that time already? I need to hurry!"
Asahina jumped off the swing and waved frantically at us.
"See you later!"
"Don't rush and fall."
"I know! Whoa, whoops!"
She almost fell as she started running.
I didn't expect to see the same pattern twice in one day, let alone in such a short time.
"Did you get to meet Kōenji?"
"I did talk to him. It was a waste of time though."
I told her the purpose of my visit here, that I couldn't get Kōenji to participate in the exchange meeting.
"I see. So Kōenji is uncontrollable after all, huh?"
"I tried to find a way in, but there was no opening.""So there are things even you can't do, Ayanokōji. I'm glad."I was praised for my inability.
"Did you send me to see this result?"
"I can't deny that I wanted to see it."
I thought it was strange to favor another group, but she was a rather meanspirited senpai.
"But Tatebayashi is harsh. It's true that I can't bear to see a kōhai being oppressed."
"It would be nice if he could be tough on Kōenji, but it doesn't affect him."Besides, there was a huge difference in ability.
Considering the possibility that Kōenji might bear his fangs, it wouldn't be strange for Tatebayashi to direct his stress toward another person in the group. "Well, we can't help it. Let's move on to the second match." The game proceeded as follows. [Pottery]
Everyone was a beginner, so it was a low-level battle. I took the lead with my dexterity and won.
[Table tennis] × 2
It was the same game twice in a row, but I had some experience with table tennis at school, so I won easily.
[Jewelry making]
I was worried about how it would go, similar to oshibana, but my opponent was also inexperienced, so I was able to compete on equal terms.
Including the oshibana, Takahashi was following all the games, probably because Nagumo had instructed him to confirm the results.
I thought I would be forced into a game with more luck elements, but overall, it was a good first day.
And perhaps influenced by my five consecutive wins, the group also managed to win five games in a row without losing.