The long, hot days of summer had finally come to an end. The sunlight that poured through the wide classroom windows no longer burned with the same intensity as before. A faint breeze rolled through the trees outside, carrying the scent of the changing season — a mixture of salt from the sea and the first traces of autumn. The atmosphere at Advanced Nurturing High School had begun to shift again.
After the intense Zodiac Special Exam on the cruise ship, the students of Class 1-D were finally allowed to enjoy a brief period of relaxation. But now, with the beginning of the second semester, the rhythm of the school was about to accelerate once more.
It was the final day of summer vacation. Inside the cozy, softly lit Pallet Café, four familiar faces sat around a table by the window: Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, Kei Karuizawa, Yōsuke Hirata, and Suzune Horikita.
Steam rose from their cups of coffee and tea as the gentle hum of background chatter filled the air.
"I still can't believe how much Class C gained from that exam," Kei muttered, resting her cheek on her hand. "They completely flipped the table."
Horikita nodded, though her expression remained composed. "It's true. Ryūen's class not only came out on top, but they managed to earn a huge amount of private points. We'll need to be more careful moving forward."
"Ryūen probably planned it all from the start," Hirata added thoughtfully. "He's the type who manipulates people behind the scenes, so this kind of victory suits him."
Karuizawa sighed. "So annoying… can't we have one semester where we don't deal with that psycho?"
Kiyotaka listened quietly, stirring his drink. His expression was unreadable, as always, but deep in his mind, he replayed the events of the cruise ship — the schemes, betrayals, and unexpected outcomes. Despite Class D's improvement, he couldn't shake off a strange feeling — that they were all just pieces on someone else's board.
"Well," Horikita finally said, folding her arms, "dwelling on the past won't help. The second semester starts tomorrow. We should focus on what's ahead."
Hirata smiled faintly. "Right. I think it's time we start thinking about how to unify the class. If we can all work together, we might have a real shot at catching up to the upper classes."
Kiyotaka looked out the window, watching the sun dip below the horizon. Unify the class, huh…
He wondered how far unity could truly go in a school designed to foster competition.
The following day, the familiar chime rang through the halls as students returned to their homerooms. Laughter, chatter, and footsteps filled the corridors. Despite the new semester, the tension of rivalry between the classes still lingered.
Inside Class 1-D, the students buzzed with the usual energy. Sudō was grinning ear to ear, bragging about how much stronger he'd gotten over the break. Karuizawa sat beside her friends Kikyo Kushida and Sato, chatting about fashion and summer tans.
Meanwhile, Horikita was reviewing notes, and Ayanokōji quietly read his book in the back corner.
That's when Sae Chabashira, their homeroom teacher, entered the classroom, coffee mug in hand as usual. The noise died down immediately.
"Alright," she began with her typical sharp tone, "I hope you all enjoyed your break. Because from today onward, things will get much harder."
A low murmur rippled through the class.
"The school will be holding its first major event of the second semester — the Sports Festival."
Instantly, Sudō's hand shot up. "Yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this!"
Chabashira smirked faintly. "I figured you'd be happy about it, Sudō."
The rest of the class looked less enthusiastic. Ike groaned, slumping over his desk. "Ugh, seriously? I thought we'd get a break after that stupid cruise test…"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Horikita coolly. "This school doesn't waste time. Every event is a chance to climb up or fall behind."
Chabashira clapped her hands once, silencing the chatter. "Exactly. Now listen carefully — this event has serious consequences."
Chabashira began writing details on the board, explaining as she went.
"All classes across all school years will be divided into two large teams," she said. "The Red Team and the White Team."
She wrote in bold letters:
Red Team = Class A + Class DWhite Team = Class B + Class C
The moment she said that, a collective groan came from several students.
"Wait, we're teaming up with Class A?" Ike exclaimed. "Aren't they like… our natural enemies?"
"That's the point," Chabashira replied curtly. "You'll have to cooperate with them — or lose."
Karuizawa frowned. "So Ryūen's class and Ichinose's class are teaming up? That's… kind of terrifying."
Chabashira nodded slightly. "Indeed. Which means the Red Team will have to work even harder."
She continued writing on the board — line after line of rules, point systems, and categories.
Event Categories
Universal Participation: Every student must compete.
Recommended Participation: Only selected students will compete.
The class collectively groaned again when they saw how many events there were.
Chabashira listed them one by one:"100-meter dash, hurdle race, scavenger hunt, tug of war, obstacle course, relay races, cavalry battle…"
"Hold on," Ike interrupted, "a cavalry battle? What is this, a samurai anime?!"
A few students laughed, but Chabashira's glare silenced them immediately.
"This is a competition, not a picnic," she said firmly. "And you'll all be graded on your performance."
Point Allocation
Individual competitions:
1st Place = 15 pts
2nd = 12 pts
3rd = 10 pts
4th = 8 pts
Below 5th = -1 pt per rank
Team competitions:
Winning team = +500 pts
And for Recommended Only competitions:
1st = 50 pts
2nd = 30 pts
3rd = 15 pts
4th = 10 pts
Below 5th = -2 pts per rank
"The relay race," she added, "will award triple the usual points."
Sudō's grin widened. "Triple points?! Hell yeah, sign me up for that!"
Horikita sighed. "You can't just join every event, Sudō. We need to plan strategically."
Consequences
Then came the part that made everyone sit up straight.
"The losing team," Chabashira said, "will have 100 Class Points deducted from every class in that team."
The class erupted in shock.
"Wait, what?! That's insane!" cried Ike. "We'll go broke if we lose!"
"Exactly," she replied. "And that's not all. Among all four classes, the rankings will also determine further Class Point changes — from +50 to -100 points."
The tension in the room skyrocketed.
Karuizawa whispered to Kiyotaka, "So basically, if we screw up, we could drop straight back to zero again."
He nodded. "That's what it sounds like."
Individual Rewards
Then came the private incentives.
1st Place = 5000 Private Points or 3 bonus marks
2nd Place = 3000 Private Points or 2 marks
3rd Place = 1000 Private Points or 1 mark
Last Place = -1000 Private Points or -1 mark
"Wow," murmured Sakura from her seat, "so even individual results affect our academics…"
"Best-performing student gets 100,000 points," Chabashira added. "And the top three from each year get 10,000 points each."
Sudō slammed his desk in excitement. "I'm taking that 100,000! No one can beat me in sports!"
"Except maybe Class A's Kanzaki or Class B's Onodera," Horikita noted dryly.
"Bring 'em on!" Sudō shouted, earning a few laughs.
Penalties
Finally, Chabashira announced the punishment.
"The bottom ten students in each year will be penalized — ten marks deducted from their next written exam."
The class collectively gasped again.
"Ten marks?! That could tank someone's grades!" Yukimura said, visibly alarmed.
Chabashira gave a satisfied smirk. "Then you'd better not end up at the bottom."
Planning the Strategy
Once the teacher left, the classroom immediately exploded into conversation.
Groups began to form, discussing which events they should participate in.
Sudō, predictably, took center stage. "Alright! I'll handle every event that needs strength! Tug of war, cavalry battle, obstacle course — you name it!"
Horikita pinched her forehead. "Sudō, you'll exhaust yourself by midday. We need balance, not brute force."
Karuizawa leaned back in her chair. "Can't we just let the athletic ones handle the hard stuff? I'll take something simple like scavenger hunt."
"Me too," said Sato with a laugh. "No way I'm doing a relay."
Yukimura adjusted his glasses. "I'll handle the obstacle race. It seems to require more coordination than raw strength."
At another table, I was laughing with Okitani and Wataru Ijuin, tossing out sarcastic suggestions.
"Let's just bribe the judges," I joked, earning a playful punch from Ijuin. "Or maybe I'll just run around teasing Ibuki until she gets so mad she wins for us."
"Knowing you," Okitani said, smirking, "you'd probably make that work somehow."
Meanwhile, Kiyotaka sat quietly, observing everyone. He noticed patterns — who volunteered for which event, who hesitated, and who avoided eye contact. He was already formulating an invisible plan in his mind.
Horikita approached him. "You're not saying much. Do you have a plan?"
He closed his book. "Just watching for now. Once everyone shows their preferences, we can optimize the lineup."
Horikita gave a short nod. "Good. I'll rely on you for data management."
"Sure," he said flatly, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.