Chapter 269: Admitting Defeat to the Little Princess / Kushida Kikyo is the Second Mole
To prepare for this Sports Festival, the school made several adjustments.
In addition to setting aside two hours every Friday afternoon for class meetings, the number of PE classes nearly doubled—from two per week to five, meaning there was a PE class every single day. This was a "pure" PE class; there was zero chance of a language, math, or English teacher hijacking the period.
Such treatment was something one couldn't even dream of in his previous life.
However, a PE class only lasted forty to fifty minutes. The teacher had to spend time practicing the class march-in entry and posture to ensure the opening ceremony went smoothly, leaving very little time for free activity. Today was no exception. When the whistle blew, the students were finally allowed to disband.
Hirata Yosuke stepped forward with a notebook.
"Would everyone like to test their 100-meter dash times today? I'll record the data."
The class agreed. With forty students and eight lanes, they decided to ignore gender divisions and split into five mixed groups.
Shimizu Akira found himself in the fourth group alongside Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Ayanokouji moved closer to him. "Chabashira-sensei talked to you?"
"Yeah," Shimizu nodded. He noticed Ayanokouji's expression relax noticeably, which made him feel a strange weight of pressure. "You seem quite happy about it?"
"I don't deny it," Ayanokouji replied flatly.
Shimizu relayed the teacher's words: "Her reason was that she was dissatisfied with your performance in the VIP exam, calling it a failure. Honestly, I don't really understand her logic."
"It's because I allowed all four classes to obtain a massive amount of personal points," Ayanokouji saw through it instantly.
"She doesn't want you to leave this class. But," he added after a pause, "the outcome where everyone got points wasn't just my desire."
Shimizu understood. "Right. Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A likely wanted the same thing. Midway through the VIP exam, she already held the identities of five VIPs. With her intellect, she definitely saw the pattern early on. She just stayed her hand to focus on sabotaging Class B."
"Five VIPs?" Ayanokouji recalled Arisu previously claiming she only had four.
But he quickly followed the logic. The "Little Princess" had two from Class A and had correctly guessed two from Class B.
However, if she guessed the Class B ones, there was no reason she wouldn't know the one Koenji Rokusuke had guessed early on. That made five.
One extra data point made the deduction much easier. For someone like Ayanokouji, five samples would have yielded the answer in under ten minutes.
"Exactly. In the last exam, Sakayanagi figured out the rules earlier than I did. In a sense, I lost that round," Shimizu admitted candidly. That little princess was probably secretly laughing about it for days.
"You just didn't go all out in the first few days," Ayanokouji shook his head calmly.
"I could feel it—you didn't truly start moving until the third night. If you had used Horikita and Kushida from the start to track every group, Class B's anomaly wouldn't have escaped you. You would have easily locked down all their VIPs and taken five slots yourself."
He wasn't making excuses for Shimizu; he was stating an obvious fact.
"Alright, alright, you're quite good at giving me an out!" Shimizu patted Ayanokouji's shoulder as the third group finished.
"Let's talk about now. How are you running this 100-meter? For real, or your usual slacking?"
"Bottom-tier level," Ayanokouji's lips curled into a lazy expression. He had no reason to try.
The VIP exam had exhausted him; since Shimizu was the shield in front now, it was only fair to coast.
Shimizu laughed. "Fine, you always have an excuse. But don't regret it if Sudo leaves you in the dust."
Just then, Sudo Ken's loud voice boomed nearby: "Hey! Shimizu! Ayanokouji! What are you two whispering about? Don't hold back during the run! I'm going for my personal best today!" He clenched his fist. He was desperate to prove himself after being a "burden" the past few months.
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The whistle blew.
"Bang!"
Shimizu exploded off the blocks. His leg turnover was staggering, the wind howling past his ears. Sudo Ken followed, gritting his teeth, but the gap widened inch by inch.
Ayanokouji, meanwhile, had a slow start and a perfectly steady rhythm. He was fourth at first, then "struggled" and slowed down, eventually finishing seventh.
Crossing the finish line, Shimizu had plenty of energy left. "Not bad, Sudo. Much faster than last time."
Sudo panted, face flushed. "Damn... still couldn't catch you..."
Ayanokouji drifted over, not even breaking a sweat. Ike Kanji, who came in eighth, gasped, "Ayanokouji! I'm eighth, but how did you end up seventh? Is your stamina that pathetic?"
"I ate something bad this morning," Ayanokouji replied without a flicker of emotion.
Hirata announced the results: "Shimizu-kun: 10.28 seconds! Sudo-kun: 12.3. Ayanokouji-kun: 13.5. Ike-kun: 14.2. Great job everyone!"
The crowd erupted. "10 seconds?! Is he the Black Flash?!" "The world record is 9.58... 10. 28 is professional level!"
"Shimizu-kun is first again," Hirata said with admiration.
"Grip strength, sit-ups, pull-ups... you've been first in almost every physical test. Sudo is right behind. We're counting on you two for the Sports Festival!"
The rankings were clear: Shimizu 1st, Sudo 2nd, Hirata 3rd. Of course, this was skewed—Koenji didn't participate, and Ayanokouji was throwing.
On the girls' side, Onodera Kayano was 1st, Horikita Suzune 2nd, and Kushida Kikyo 3rd.
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Sudo suggested Shimizu should get first pick of events. Kushida Kikyo approached with a smile.
"Technically, the limit is thirteen events, since the ball-toss is girls-only." She blinked. "But thirteen is a huge burden, even for Shimizu-kun."
She spoke seriously: "I think we should focus on the high-scoring 'Recommended' events. Especially the 10km race at the end. I heard President Horikita and Vice President Nagumo are competing, along with track-and-field pros. Even for Shimizu-kun, getting a top rank will be very difficult."
Her words cooled the class's fervor.
She had just "saved" him from nine grueling events and lowered expectations for the final race—pre-emptive protection.
'Though, she called me 'Shimizu-kun' again. She's playing roles.'
Shimizu, thinking of the 300-million-point incentive from Chabashira, spoke up: "I'll join all the Recommended events. For individual ones, just leave me one or two slots."
The Recommended events were: Scavenger Hunt, Four-Way Tug-of-War, Mixed Three-Legged Race, 1200m Relay, and the 10,000m Long Distance.
"I'll team up with Shimizu for the Three-Legged Race!" Sudo shouted.
"I'll be on Shimizu's team," Ayanokouji said suddenly.
"Ayanokouji, you bastard!" Ike cried.
Shimizu intervened: "Ayanokouji will be with me. Sudo, don't waste your energy dragging a teammate. Save your strength for the relay; I'm counting on you to pass me the baton."
"If Shimizu says so... fine!" Sudo relented.
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Next was the Mixed Three-Legged Race. Horikita Suzune spoke objectively: "Purely by data, Onodera Kayano is your best match, then me. I'm fine with it, but it depends on Onodera-san's willingness."
"I don't mind!" Onodera, the athletic short-haired girl, chirped. "I could match your rhythm well."
"Sorry, Onodera-san," Shimizu shook his head. "Suzune is my seatmate; we're more familiar with each other's habits." He chose Horikita.
As the pairings finalized, Shimizu knelt to tie their legs together. His fingers grazed her ankle.
"Cough..." Horikita Suzune blushed slightly.
"Don't be nervous. There are too many people here for me to do anything embarrassing," Shimizu teased.
Horikita reflexively remembered their hour alone in the dorm, and the "five ways of hugging." She took several deep breaths. "I am not nervous! Choosing me was a wise decision. We will take first place."
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On the sidelines, Sudo was teaching tug-of-war tips. Horikita watched the scene and whispered to Shimizu, "I once thought about having Sudo and Ike expelled. But they've proven useful. Perhaps I was too naive back then."
"People change," Shimizu replied.
"Maybe it's your influence," she nodded, then her tone shifted. "But a mole still hides in this class."
Shimizu's heart tightened, expecting her to say Kushida.
"Yamauchi Haruki," Horikita said. "He brought Ibuki and Shiina back during the island exam, then betrayed us in the VIP exam. He has no talents and has contributed nothing. He doesn't deserve to stay."
She looked at Yamauchi, who was standing alone, glaring at Sudo.
"You want to expel him?" Shimizu asked.
"Yes. I won't sign him up for any events. If he gets 0 points and takes the -10 penalty for non-participation, it should trigger an expulsion."
"Is it that urgent?" Shimizu mused. "He's a useful pawn to throw away if the school ever forces us to sacrifice someone."
"We have Hondou, Miyamoto, and Onizuka as backups. They are equally mediocre," Horikita countered instantly.
"Ruthless," Shimizu noted. Those were the people who had bad-mouthed him.
"I'll remain neutral, but if you want to do it, go ahead."
"...Good." Horikita felt more confident with his tacit approval. She then glanced toward the windows of Class D, where Ryuen Kakeru was watching them.
"The traitor is still here. If Yamauchi leaks our roster to Ryuen, we'll be in trouble. But," she paused, "I don't think Yamauchi ever contacted Ryuen directly. There was a coordinator in the middle.
Kushida Kikyo. She was the second mole in the VIP exam. And she's the one who messaged me from an anonymous account."
Horikita dropped the bombshell with perfect calm.
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