It was only in moments like these that Kaoru Mitoma remembered that ANHS was, after all, still a high school—where students would inevitably feel anxious about their grades.

"Sorry to disappoint, but my athletic ability isn't weak enough to land me in last place," Kamuro retorted, though she subtly crossed her legs.

She knew Kaoru couldn't see anything, but it still made her feel uneasy.

Seeing her reaction, Kaoru chuckled softly before murmuring, "The issue isn't your athletic ability or this sports festival. Think about it—why would the school offer grade rewards in the first place?"

Kamuro blinked, completely unaware of any underlying problem.

She replied dismissively, "Probably because the school considers students' circumstances. Those good at sports aren't necessarily academically strong. For them, points matter far less than grades."

Even in Class A, academic abilities varied.

Compared to Class B, they weren't overwhelmingly ahead—some students still struggled with studies.

So Kamuro's reasoning made sense.

"Kamuro-san, you're too kind," Kaoru Mitoma shook his head.

That kind of thinking was like blindly swallowing whatever nonsense a superior fed you.

More often than not, when a superior suddenly shows concern, it means they're about to dump an incredibly difficult task on you.

"How am I being kind?" Kamuro couldn't grasp his perspective, her brows slightly furrowing.

"The points can be used in the next written exam, meaning they'll apply to the midterms, right?"

"Literally speaking, that's correct, but the school wouldn't do anything unnecessary." Kaoru Mitoma showed a faint smile.

"Setting aside the exams, just looking at rewards and punishments—it's obvious those with better athletic abilities will gain rewards while those with poorer physical skills will face penalties."

"Is there a problem with that?" Kamuro tilted her head slightly, resting her elbow on the desk and propping her cheek with her hand, staring intently at him.

"What if we switch perspectives?" Kaoru continued. "In the next exam, those with better academic performance will have the advantage, while those who struggle will face penalties."

Kamuro frowned.

If she considered it from Kaoru's angle, the school might indeed operate that way.

If the sports festival favored athletically gifted students, then naturally, the written exams would favor those strong in academics.

Given this, the school awarding points wasn't hard to understand.

"So, will the next exam be difficult?" Kamuro asked bluntly.

"According to school rules, failing midterms or finals leads to expulsion—and here, expulsions are commonplace." Kaoru didn't think he was scaring her; it was simply the truth.

Kamuro fell silent.

After spending so much time together, Kaoru had already proven himself reliable—especially during the start of term.

This guy was exceptionally good at reading people, piecing together truths from fragmented information.

"Teach me."

"Same as last time?"

"No touching my thighs."

"So does that mean I can touch somewhere else?"

"Are you not listening?"

"Just joking."

Under her murderous glare, Kaoru quickly averted his eyes from her chest.

After a pause, Kamuro suddenly muttered, "How about going to your room?"

Mashima was still explaining the rules on stage and the surrounding students were too absorbed in thinking about the sports festival to notice them.

Kaoru cautiously glanced at her.

"You're not planning to do something to me, are you?"

For a moment, Kamuro wondered if she had misheard.

"Shouldn't that be my line?"

"No, men also care about their safety."

Sometimes, the hunter pretends to be the prey.

Kaoru had learned this the hard way.

"Don't compare me to you!" Kamuro snapped. "Honestly, the fact that I haven't exposed your perverted behavior to everyone is already generous. Otherwise, just see who they'd be more worried about."

Kaoru looked puzzled.

"If you know I'm a pervert, why would you want to go to my room?"

Kamuro silently turned her face away, saying nothing.

The atmosphere grew quiet and Mashima's voice drifted over from the front.

"There's something here called a participation form. The form details all the events, different from any other school out there. You'll need to decide the order in which to participate in each event, write it on this form, and finally submit it to me."

Kaoru Mitoma instinctively looked toward the podium, where Mashima was holding a form.

His voice was clear, thoroughly explaining the competition rules.

Details like the submission deadline being from one week before the sports festival until 5 PM the day before, no substitutions allowed for group events, substitutions permitted for assigned events, with each substitution costing 100,000 points, and so on.

"If there are no questions, your next class will move to the first gymnasium to meet with other classes from different grades."

...

As Mashima left the classroom, Class A erupted into a series of complaints that gradually faded into scattered murmurs.

Almost everyone turned their attention to Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, especially the former.

"So, Katsuragi-san, what do we do now?" Totsuka Yahiko was the first to ask.

As if awaiting their leader's command, most students fixed their gaze on Katsuragi.

"Don't rush. There's still a month until the sports festival," Katsuragi said calmly.

"The immediate issue is assessing everyone's abilities before we can assign participants."

Regarding the events, while group competitions required everyone's participation, assigned events allowed flexibility since only a few students needed to compete.

Moreover, as Mashima had explained, they could decide their own participation order.

For example, Class A could strategically place their strongest runners in specific heats to compete against weaker opponents from other classes, securing first place and more points.

Of course, that was the ideal scenario.

Most students understood this logic, but in this moment, Katsuragi had already become their de facto leader.

"Wow, as expected of Katsuragi-san! Unlike someone who's just dragging us down, having you here is amazing!" Totsuka Yahiko sneered, glancing pointedly in a certain direction.

At his jab, Sakayanagi pressed her lips together, about to respond—when a familiar voice cut in.

"Totsuka-kun, what do you mean by 'dragging us down'?"

The class turned toward the back of the room, many students looking surprised.

"Hey, Mitoma, whose side are you on?" Totsuka Yahiko glared at Kaoru Mitoma.

"Isn't it obvious who's dragging us down?"

"Sorry, but I really don't understand," Kaoru Mitoma replied evenly. "If we can freely accuse a classmate of holding us back just because she has difficulty walking, then we might as well blame someone for their weaknesses in the next exam and suggest abandoning them too."

Though he didn't name anyone, everyone knew who he meant.

Sakayanagi lowered her eyes—but the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

"Ha! What weaknesses do I have?" Totsuka Yahiko was about to argue further when a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Stop arguing, Yahiko. Mitoma-kun isn't wrong," Katsuragi Kouhei said with firm eyes.

"No one in our class is dragging us down. Even if Sakayanagi-san can't participate in the competition due to her health, we can handle one student's absence."

Totsuka Yahiko cant belive this nonsense—wasn't this the perfect time to kick Sakayanagi Arisu while she was down?

At that moment, Katsuragi suddenly apologized to Sakayanagi Arisu.

"I'm sorry. Yahiko sometimes speaks without thinking."

"Fufufu, it's fine. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. This is indeed my fault, causing the class to bear an unnecessary loss." Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly, but her gaze lingered on Totsuka Yahiko for a moment.

Just like during the deserted island test, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't participate in this sports festival either and had to be treated as absent.

Thus, Class A now had to face three full classes while being one member short, meaning they had to make up for the lost points.

Individual events were manageable, but team competitions like the cavalry battle and three-legged race would be difficult.

"Don't worry about it, Sakayanagi-san! It's not that big a deal."

"Yeah, even if we're a few points behind, we'll definitely win in the end."

"You can just cheer for us from the sidelines!"

After all, she was an incredibly cute girl, and her frail disposition made it hard for anyone to be harsh on her.

Moreover, Katsuragi had already set the tone.

Under these circumstances, offering a few words of comfort was the natural choice for most students.

Faced with this situation, Totsuka Yahiko realized something, but he didn't dare oppose the group.

Instead, he glared resentfully at Kaoru Mitoma.

"Dammit, I didn't expect you to still be loyal to your old master, Mitoma! And here I thought we were friends!"

"Old master?" Kaoru Mitoma was speechless. "When did I ever say I joined your side?"

"Could it really not be?" Totsuka Yahiko froze for a moment.

Of course not.

Not only had he not joined the Katsuragi faction, but he had never aligned with the Sakayanagi faction before either.

Kaoru Mitoma had just silently scoffed in his heart when he immediately heard Sakayanagi Arisu's voice.

"That's right. Mitoma-kun is mine. He has always been loyal to me."

As her words fell, her delicate face appropriately flushed with a hint of shyness, pure and innocent like a girl who had just fallen in love.

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