---Notice---
Hello, another upload from the basement I'm locked in... hope you enjoy...
Do you guys want powerstone based addition/extra chapter uploads? I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep up with it but I'm curious.
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"Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead." ~Benjamin Franklin
"Is it alright?" I asked Ryuen. "The loss in the tug-of-war game, I mean."
Ryuen scoffed lightly. "It's fine. It's just a game of tug-of-war—it's not the end of the world. My plans didn't hinge on something that simple anyway." He paused for a second, then tilted his head slightly. "More importantly, who was that girl talking to you?"
"Nazuna Asahina of Class 2-A. A friend of Vice President Nagumo," I explained casually.
Ryuen gave a slow nod. "Next is the obstacle course race. You ready?"
"It looks a bit bothersome..." I muttered. The obstacle course race was exactly what it sounded like: a sprint from start to finish with three distinct challenges. First came the monkey bars, suspended over a pit of mud that punished failure with humiliation. Then, a log-walk that tested balance and coordination. Finally, a short rock climb, about eight feet in high. Falling into the mud at any point meant disqualification. Otherwise, you could blaze through it without much resistance.
"But it should be a piece of cake," I continued, watching the earlier groups. "I'm more worried about getting dirty than anything else."
Ryuen grinned. "I see. On the topic of Nagumo—have you already developed a plan against him?"
"Since a long time ago," I said without hesitation. "What about you and Class D's shadow leader?"
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Yeah... I won't let that bastard hide in the shadows for much longer."
The races crawled by, each group trudging through the course. It was mildly entertaining watching classmates stumble into mud pits and flail on the monkey bars. Of course, some of the more devious students clearly looked forward to the female race for less-than-wholesome reasons.
Eventually, my name was called for Group Five. Most of the students in my group were average in terms of athletic ability—nothing special. Katsuragi was the only other standout, though even he relied more on raw strength than agility. He wasn't what I'd call athletic.
This was going to be an easy win.
"It seems we've been grouped together, Yagami," Katsuragi said, turning his head slightly to address me.
"Looks like it," I replied. "I wish you the best of luck."
"Hahaha. I doubt that'll help me much—but thank you." Katsuragi chuckled, then gave me a curious glance. "Tell me, Yagami—is there anything you're not good at?"
I gave his question some thought, pretending to search my memory. "Well… I guess I haven't learned to drive properly yet?"
He burst out laughing. "I don't think anyone here has. The legal age is 18, and we all enrolled way before that."
"I guess you're right," I said with a short laugh of my own.
The starting line came into view, and both of us turned to face forward as the countdown began. At the announcer's signal, we launched forward in unison, the entire group surging ahead toward the first obstacle—the monkey bars.
I didn't hesitate. As soon as I hit the ramp, I leaped, trusting my strength and coordination. My hands easily caught the bars, and I began moving smoothly, bar to bar, without pause. I reached the opposite side quickly. Behind me, Katsuragi was just nearing the three-quarters mark.
I landed and immediately sprinted toward the log walk. This section was tricky—it required concentration to move from log to log efficiently. I didn't stop. With focus, I balanced across the logs with precise footwork and made it through in one clean pass.
By the time I stepped off the final log, Katsuragi had only just started.
I broke into another sprint toward the final challenge: the rock climb. My hands and feet moved efficiently, gripping the artificial holds. I scaled the structure with no issue and reached the top in seconds.
At the top, a slide awaited. I dropped down and landed smoothly, immediately resuming my pace and sprinting toward the finish line.
It wasn't even close.
I crossed the finish line easily, securing first place without so much as a scuff or stain. Not a drop of mud touched me. With my task complete, I dusted myself off and calmly returned to my class as if it had all been a warm-up.
"Show-off," Ryuen muttered with a smirk, tugging at his lips.
"It was easier than expected. If anything, you should be happy," I replied, stretching my arms lazily.
"I am," he said with a shrug, though his tone hinted at something else. "I can't lie though—your little group of fangirls does get on my nerves."
He cast a side glance toward Manabe and her clique, who were waving in my direction like they were at a concert, not a school competition. Even Shiina gave me a small wave. Naturally, I returned the gesture with a smile. Ryuen's gaze then drifted to Ichinose, her satisfied smile clear evidence she'd been cheering for me earlier. And finally, his eyes landed on Karuizawa, who had also been supporting me from the sidelines.
I raised an eyebrow, enjoying his irritation. "Are you jealous of my success with women? You know, if you were a bit less crude and showed some basic kindness, I'm sure—"
Before I could finish, Ryuen gave me a light punch on the shoulder, his grin still in place. "Don't be stupid. My interests aren't that simple."
The obstacle course continued and eventually wrapped up—at least for the boys. Attention naturally shifted toward the upcoming girls' race. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement, though not always for the right reasons.
"You claim you're not the type who obsesses over girls, but by how focused you are on the female obstacle race, one might think otherwise," I said dryly. "Are you sure you're not just here to see girls drenched in—"
Ryuen cut me off before I could finish the accusation. "No, idiot. There's another reason I'm watching this one."
I took him at his word and turned my attention to the current lineup. It didn't take long to notice her—Horikita was on the field, prepping for the race. The others were background characters. Just seeing her in the lineup was enough for me to understand Ryuen's fixation.
Soon, the race began.
Surprisingly, Kinoshita from our class exploded out of the gate with a powerful start, taking the early lead ahead of Horikita. Her acceleration was impressive, and she reached the monkey bars first. But that's where the cracks began to show. While agile, she clearly lacked upper body strength. Her pace on the bars slowed drastically.
By the time they reached the halfway point, Horikita had already caught up. Not by much—but enough. With precise movements, she overtook Kinoshita just before the end of the monkey bars. Even as they dropped onto the ramp on the other side, Horikita maintained a slight lead. Kinoshita was trying to close the gap, but the difference in physical ability was starting to show.
Then came the log walk.
Both girls stepped onto the logs with caution. It required balance, rhythm, and focus. And that's when I noticed it—Kinoshita's lips moving. It was subtle but obviously purposeful. She was saying something. Probably calling Horikita's name. A small, psychological distraction.
And it worked.
Horikita, for a brief second, turned her head just slightly—enough to acknowledge the bait. In that instant, Kinoshita made up precious ground. But she didn't overtake Horikita. No—what happened next wasn't accidental.
Kinoshita fell. Directly into Horikita.
From the way their bodies tangled mid-step, it was clear: this wasn't just a clumsy mistake. No, this was intentional.
I could tell instantly—because I understood Ryuen. And Kinoshita was from Class B. That fall was a calculated play. Without it, the race would've ended in a clean, close finish. But now…
Both girls went down hard.
Their legs twisted beneath them in awkward angles, the unforgiving surface of the logs offering no cushion. The precision required to navigate the obstacle made their collision all the more dangerous. They landed strangely, limbs contorted unnaturally. Kinoshita immediately clutched at her leg in pain.
Though both were clearly hurt, Kinoshita seemed to be in far more pain than Horikita.
"It seems I got lucky. Horikita took more damage than expected," Ryuen muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on the field.
I followed his gaze, then let it drift to Kinoshita. Logically, her injury should've been the real surprise. She wasn't the one being targeted. Unless… the injury was fake.
I see. That's what he's playing at.
My interest faded just as quickly as it had surfaced. I turned my attention away.
"You don't seem surprised," Ryuen said as the obstacle course races wrapped up and preparations for the three-legged races began. "At the very least, I expected you to disapprove of my plan."
"There's not much for me to disapprove of," I replied. "You managed to convince Kinoshita to join in the act. As long as she did it willingly, there's nothing for me to say. She walked into this with her eyes open."
Ryuen laughed under his breath. "You know, you're way more of an evil bastard than you let on."
I said nothing.
The male three-legged races ran their course relatively uneventfully. Then came the female races.
"Now we get to see the extent of her injury," Ryuen said, narrowing his eyes at the track. "Horikita—the core of the girls' team for the AD group. Without her, Ibuki will dominate every female event."
Horikita had been paired with Kushida. From the moment the race began, the two launched into motion with surprising strength and coordination, easily holding second place for the first stretch of the run.
"Tsk." Ryuen clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face. "Looks like the fall only caused her temporary pain."
He spoke too soon.
Within moments, Horikita's steps faltered. Her coordination slipped. A slight stagger at first—but enough to show her injury hadn't just disappeared. One stumble turned into two, and just like that, momentum vanished.
It didn't take long for another pair—Yajima and Nishino, both from our class—to overtake them.
"Ha. Seems she was hurt more than I thought. No way that duo overtakes Horikita and Kushida otherwise," Ryuen said, a smirk creeping back onto his face.
I nodded in agreement. "Look closely—Kushida's the one leading Horikita now."
Ryuen's grin widened as he focused on the shift. Horikita was no longer the anchor of the pair—Kushida had taken control, guiding the rhythm, compensating for her partner's limp. Horikita was clearly not operating at full capacity. Part of it was luck—Ryuen could never have known for sure that Horikita would be seriously injured. But the result undeniably tilted the competition in our favor.
As the Class C group stepped forward to compete, the gap widened further. They aggressively claimed their position, and Class D—dragged down by Horikita's injury—couldn't respond.
Class D finished dead last in the three-legged race. Classes A, B, and C secured first, second, and third respectively.
Next came the cavalry battle.
It was chaotic, unpredictable—yet oddly entertaining to watch. Especially the male cavalry match, where some students, clearly annoyed by Ryuen's usual antics, made him their primary target. But as expected, the weaker teams fell one by one. Ryuen's taunts were designed to provoke, and many took the bait, charging headfirst without a solid plan.
That only made it easier for him.
By the final stretch of the match, only four generals remained on the battlefield: Katsuragi from Class A, Hirata and Yukimura from Class D, and Ryuen representing Class B. A curious combination. The odds seemed stacked against Ryuen—outnumbered and surrounded.
But Ryuen wasn't a typical general. More importantly, his "horse" was anything but average. Albert, Ishizaki, and Komiya formed the core of his unit—physically powerful, coordinated, and fully capable of carrying him with ease. Their sheer size and athleticism made it difficult for anyone to even get close, let alone snatch his headband.
Soon enough, both Class D groups converged on him. General Hirata charged from the left, and Yukimura from the right. It was a well-timed pincer move—or at least, that was the intention.
But Ryuen made a bold call: he completely ignored Yukimura and rushed straight at Hirata.
Hirata's horse was made up of Ayanokoji, Miyake, and Hondo. A solid lineup. But even strong teams had weak links—and Ryuen had a keen eye for them.
Using the chaos on the field to his advantage, Ryuen's unit surged forward. From my vantage point, I caught what others likely missed. Albert, the largest member of Ryuen's group, deliberately stomped on Hondo's foot in passing—just enough to break their balance without drawing attention.
Hirata's formation faltered.
That single second was all Ryuen needed. He reached out swiftly and ripped the headband from Hirata's head before anyone could react.
At that exact moment, Yukimura's team finally reached Ryuen—but it was pointless. Yukimura lacked the explosiveness and coordination to capitalize. His group was athletic enough for average play, but not against a unit like Ryuen's which towered over him with Albert, Ishizaki, and Komiya, a player on the basketball team.
So soon, only one general remained: Katsuragi.
He and his team matched Ryuen in both size and strength—at least on paper. It would come down to the clash itself.
The two units collided with force, their generals reaching for each other's headbands simultaneously. It was a direct contest, one that seemed too close to call—until Ryuen emerged from the engagement with Katsuragi's headband in hand.
Katsuragi came up empty.
It wasn't luck. Something was off.
From the angle and timing, it didn't make sense that Katsuragi failed to grab Ryuen's headband. Knowing Ryuen, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume he had rigged it somehow—possibly using a material or liquid that made his headband harder to grip. But whatever he did, the evidence was gone.
In a 'celebration,' Ryuen pulled the headband from his forehead, spun it in the air, and tossed it into the sand like a man marking his undisputed victory.
A clever move. By doing that, he not only avoided suspicion but erased any trace of potential foul play. Reporting it would be useless—there was nothing left to inspect.
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