Night Flower
Written: 7/16/2023
This chapter will continue the sport's festival, to no one's surprise. We did leave off at the final tiebreaker for capture the flag. Munfurawa and Ayanokouji basically play a larger role in the Sport's Festival. Canonically, I believe they lose, but the idea is that a quick adaptability to the changing environment is very vital, and this is something the two are good at.
As for Sudo, he is still an easy to piss off kind of character. The difference again is that he has some people advising him in a way that doesn't make him angry. Munfurawa tells him he can punch Kouenji, but just think and prepare for the consequences he likely will not be able to cope with. I do plan on him and Horikita having a developing conversation, however Sudo will have a different appreciation for her, rather than what many may think to be as attraction.
Anyways, here is chapter 18.
Chapter 18: Sports Festival – Best Revenge
"No matter how many times people try to criticize you, the best revenge is to prove them wrong." – Zayn Malik.
Third Person POV
"With Sudo remaining behind, I'll be counting on you and Ayankouji to play the role." Hirata stated towards the two.
Munfurawa and Ayanokouji looked at each other, realizing where both of their minds were.
Munfurawa nodded, "Yes, we will."
It wasn't uncommon to see Munfurawa serious. After all, unlike Ayanokouji he showed his facial expressions. So much so that it got in the way, according to his teachers.
Regardless, he knew right know his expression might have made Hirata confused.
Ayanokouji, by contrast, did not have this problem. He always had one expression, which was never looked at by others. Only occasionally did his expression change marginally, but again it wasn't that much compared to Munfurawa.
Munfurawa looked on, towards the others, who were catching their breathes. Sakura had managed to run to the tent and grab some muscle reliver spray, which must have made the individual happy.
"Thank you so much, Sakura." Sudo thanked the girl, who clearly had ran to get it, judging by her panting. This was probably the most she had ran at all within a given time interval.
"N-No problem… S-Sudo…" She huffed taking time to catch her own breath.
He watched the two, before he looked on towards the group. It seemed that the third and last round would start very soon.
"Alright, I'll be good for this round, I'll come back for more after, alright?" Sudo responded to Sakura, who seemed nervous for him.
"Alright, but don't hurt yourself further… Ken…" Sakura mentioned.
"I'll try not to Airi…" Sudo replied to her concerns, "Thanks for worrying for me, though."
So they were on first name basis? That is interesting. Just an observation that Munfurawa had noticed. It was clear they got even closer through the time. As for how close they were now, Munfurawa didn't know.
For now, Munfurawa got up, alongside Hirata and Ayanokouji, as they began to looking around and map the defense Class B would be in.
"What's the strategy?" Hirata asked the two. "It will be difficult without Sudo…"
Ayanokouji looked on, "I can see that we will be confronting Class B as we aggress to capture the flag." He seemed to be thinking, "As for Class B, their overall strength overpowers us by a margin, therefore we will need to be meticulous and cautious."
Munfurawa nodded, "There is one thing I can point out that is a potential weakness for Class B."
Ayanokouji looked toward Munfurawa as the boy continued, "They falter alone, they have the best unity among our classes. Class A has the Sakayangi and Katsuragi split, Class C has Ryūen enforcing his rules, alongside the obvious hesitance, while we have the vulnerability to be split through conflicts."
Ayanokouji then finished, "It seems that even though they had the best unity, this makes them vulnerable individually."
"That's right." Munfurawa responded, "Class B will probably communicate and call reinforcements to the area once they find a troublesome area."
Ayanokouji interluded, "So the idea is to push during that period before they can call on others, that does make sense, as that is when they are vulnerable."
"Remember, we also need to keep in mind the strategy Class C may use on Class A." Munfurawa cautioned.
"Indeed, assuming Class C will be violent and aggressive like they were to us, then we will need to prioritize speed in order to win this round." Ayanokouji concluded.
"That's right, because it's not just about getting the flag, it's about getting the flag before the other team. We shouldn't just focus on who is defending the enemy flag, we should also focus on how fast the opposing side can capture our flag."
Hirata was listening to everything the two boys were saying, and he was somewhat shocked at how intertwined the two thought. It was almost as if whenever one of them spoke, the other knew what would happen.
When Munfurawa would speak, Ayanokouji could pick up on the idea, and vice versa. It was almost like they were psychic towards each other. It intrigued and terrified Hirata.
"Well, it seems that we know our strategy, right?" Hirata asked. "We want to prioritize speed, and use the vulnerable of the individual to our advantage."
"That's right, whenever you depend on unity, it makes each individual alone vulnerable." Munfurawa pointed out.
"I see, well then let's hope this works." Hirata commented.
The three nodded as the rest of their class, only the boys, got into position. It was the tiebreaker, and thus they were put under a lot of strain.
"It's up to you Class D." Katsuragi commented, to which Ayanokouji shook his head.
"I don't think so, you are just as important as we are at the moment." Ayanokouji brought up.
"What do you mean?" Katsuragi asked.
"It's simple. Your job will be delaying Class C from capturing our flag. We plan on using speed to get it as fast as we can, since we cannot overpower Class B. Therefore we will need you to put up the strongest defence you can possible use." Ayanokouji explained, and Katsuragi clearly was shocked.
Totsuka then asked, "I see, don't worry Ayanokouji, we'll give it our all. Just make sure you and your class does the same."
Munfurawa nodded, "Don't worry, we will."
The third round has officially started with the reoccurring pop that sounded into the sky. Immediately, Class D made their way over to the enemy side, with the quickest they could perform.
With Class B relying on unity and motivation, the others would need to spearhead into a certain area, to overwhelm and individual.
They would also need to spearhead quickly, before the unity of Class B showcased, especially since they could overall stop the advances of Class D with their superior strength.
This was especially of importance, if Class C will use foul play against Class A. Class D would need to hurry.
With Munfurawa running into his own area, he and Ayanokouji were quite the ways, within a flanking manuever, with Hirata taking the straight line forward.
Munfurawa lowered himself to knee level, and used the space to squeeze between the legs of most of the Class B students. He quickly saw Ayanokouji spin around making someone from Class B fall to the ground as he easily pushed to the first line of defence.
It seemed that Class B had prioritized their flanks rather than the center, which was a smart move in this case. If Hirata or Sudo took the flank, they could only go so far. Therefore, for people cunning and planning as Ayanokouji and Munfurawa, they could let their strategic thinking shine through as they got through the flanks, where the bulk of Class B was at.
"Through our legs! Through our legs!" Someone from Class B had called out, clearly notifying that Munfurawa was closer to the flag than they had hoped.
He smiled, hoping the chaos on his side would make it easier for Ayanokouji and Hirata to push through.
If they could spearhead and overwhelm the unity, then they could easily pull through.
Some others from Class D had followed Hirata, Ayanokouji, and Munfurawa to their respective posts. It seemed that they were using themselves as a sort of screen to prevent some from Class B into moving inwards.
This gave Munfurawa the room to continue his advance. Unfortunately, Munfurawa found himself getting overwhelmed. It seemed that they had prioritized him, as Shibata, Kanzaki, and another student had stopped Munfurawa's advances. Even if he wasn't being pushed back, he was struggling to move.
Having Shibata pull him back, was clearly sort of symbolic, and it only pushed him to try harder, as he eyed Shibata angrily.
Right now, Munfurawa had thankfully put his center of gravity closer to the ground, as he used his legs to push himself forward. He seemed to be moving forward, but by the looks of it, wasn't worth it.
"Geez, how many people will it take to fully stop your advances?!" Shibata exclaimed, as it was clear they were all struggling to hold Munfurawa back.
"I don't know, even I am surprised by what's happening right now." Munfurawa commented, but it was clear in his mind, he was still holding back to an extent. There was no doubt that any athletic individual could move while being held down by three people.
Even Sudo was unable to, and that was coming from the most physically capable individual in Class D.
He noticed Hirata was close to the flag, and he kept his firm in place. "Hirata! Little help here!"
Hirata nodded, as he flanked from the other side, catching Kanzaki off guard, which allowed for Munfurawa to move a bit, but he was still being latched by two individuals, Shibata and the other.
It was clear that they were among the strongest in their class. Hirata ran forward from Munfurawa's position, since the defense was on Munfurawa, and there were more people in the center. This gave the room for Hirata to spearhead towards the flag. Something Miyake had done a bit.
The two had managed to grab the flag, holding onto it. Hondo had followed suit, while even Ike and Yamauchi had gone through. It seemed that the two were finally taking the overall sport's festival serious, or at least this game, considering the stakes.
As a result, around five from Class D were holding it. Both Ayanokouji and Munfurawa were being held still by the bulk, but considering this, it gave the space for Class D to capture the flag.
Eventually, Hondo, Ike and Hirata were knocked away from the flag due to the small crowd that formed.
Munfurawa used the crowd to sneak away. He was still being chased by the three.
Before he was grabbed back with great force by the three of them, he had grabbed the pole.
The force the three were pulling him back in was great, so much so he felt the uniform choking him. It wasn't a matter of being overpowered for Munfurawa, but that they were unintentionally choking him.
"Wait, he's caught the pole! We're helping him!" Shibata exclaimed realizing what they were doing. It was a shame he was being choked, as he could only do some much with oxygen.
This was bad, and knew he had to do something. He abruptly let go of the pole, making them pull Munfurawa close to them, which managed to make them all tumble.
Munfurawa could see that Ayanokouji had managed to also grip the flag and pole, as Munfurawa found himself being held down.
But, at this point, he didn't need to do anything more. The three had managed to assist in bringing the flag down. However, he felt himself being freed by Yukimura and Sotomura out of all people.
Quickly thanking them as they faced against Shibata and Kanzaki, Munfurawa also grabbed the tilted flag, which helped. By the time the three got past Yukimura and Sotomura, towards those in Class D holding their flag and pole, it was too late.
The flag officially tilted low, and with a final grand pull, the flag was pulled down. The alarm played, indicating a flag was pulled down. It was eventually said through announcement that the red team had won the tiebreaker round, and with that the capture the flag game.
The round specifically was won by Class D, as Class C had managed to tilt the red flag a bit.
Regardless, they had managed to win.
"Nice job everyone!" Sudo exclaimed, very glad that they had won this. It was very nice, as Sudo himself has just assisted the flanks from behind due to his injury, which he couldn't aggravate.
Everyone had played a vital role. Even Yukimura and Sotomura, whom knew they couldn't contribute to pulling the flag down, had assisted Munfurawa and staying back to give him enough time to help pull the flag down.
Even Ike and Yamauchi had stopped with the games, and had actually been serious this time. It was nice, and it displayed that Class D could actually perform on par with the others.
The celebrations went throughout the red team, with Classes A and D, with many commending Hirata, Ayanokouji and Munfurawa, who had taken care of the win while Sudo was recovering for a bit.
Even if Sudo was in, he played a small role for a reason, and it was understandable.
Munfurawa sighed in relief, it all went well, and therefore the results would undoubtedly help them.
Overall, the boys winning this would set the way for making the girls of Class A and D work harder to get the consecutive win.
That was what Katsuragi was hoping, "That went much better than I had expected, considering Class C's unusual treatment of us…"
Munfurawa nodded, "Indeed, but it all worked out."
Hirata then came back with some first aid kids. "I'd recommend we all get some treatment for any external injuries, considering how rough Class C was to us." Hirata explained, "Chabashira-sensei was nice enough to drop some off for me."
The classes nodded as they began to wrap themselves up.
Sudo seemed hesitant, but Hirata had voiced concerned.
"Come on Sudo, we don't want anyone to fall sick or have to drop out." Hirata pleaded, and Sudo sighed.
"Because we ended up winning, and I'm not angry, then sure." Sudo stated as he slowly followed suit.
Munfurawa looked at the class, alongside Ayanokouji. "So, you're going to ignore what you just showed during that last round?"
Munfurawa knew what Ayanokouji was referring to, "Yep, if no one will mention it, then it's fine. After all, it is overshadowed by the victory we received, right?"
Ayanokouji pondered, "I suppose you are right."
"Also." Munfurawa added in, not done with Ayanokouji, "Don't think I didn't notice you get past three students as well to grab the flag on the last round."
Ayanokouji sighed, realizing he was caught by someone, "Very well, though I am surprised no one really noticed us. Perhaps the crowd hid us relatively well."
"That could be it, you never know…" Munfurawa pondered, as even he was unsure why Ayanokouji and him weren't seen by others not stopping even after three students latched onto them.
Munfurawa went out, while the others took their time to relax after that brutal segment.
Immediately, Munfurawa was met with the individual he had some grievance with.
"I should've know you would fall to such underhanded tactics." Munfurawa started, not wasting any time.
"Kukuku, you should expect this from me, however." Ryūen responded, clearly thinking it made him any better.
"Indeed, I should. The funny thing is that Ayanokouji and I called out your bluff immediately, before you even sent your soldiers out." Munfurawa pointed out.
Ryūen for his part looked somewhat intrigued at what Munfurawa had stated, "Hmm, I wouldn't call my class soldiers, but you make a good metaphor."
Munfurawa shrugged, "You are the general after all, not to mention the orders you put out for them."
"Kukukuku, for entertaining me so, I shall openly welcome that statement, though it does make me question." His eyes went around, clearly looking around. "How was it that you were able to beat Albert withing three strikes?"
Munfurawa shrugged, "Heat of the moment, I caught him by surprise."
Ryūen chuckled, "Don't give me that excuse, you clearly are hiding something from me. I always thought you were secretly bluffing from your small acts of aggression towards me. However, now this is one of the few times I actually got to see you fight."
Munfurawa looked on, deciding not to answer Ryūen, and instead let him ramble on.
"But to see you take down perhaps one of the strongest people I know, you are something else, Munfurawa." Ryūen concluded.
"Indeed, perhaps I am." Munfurawa started, "But remember I just did it to win, and even then with all the commotion, it is difficult for one to be prepared for any form of an assault."
Ryūen suddenly sighed, replacing his usual smirk with a frown. It was clear to Munfurawa he was done joking around, "Here's the thing. Even with your little delinquent act, it will not be enough for me. After all, you aren't as talked around as you may think."
Munfurawa wanted to chuckled at that statement. Of course he wanted to not be talked about. It was his defining trait, to remain in the shadows, and not be involved in the spotlight. Even in the times he found himself in the spotlight, like Ayanokouji, had managed to hide their full potential from the general crowd.
It was impressive how stupid Ryūen was, and how he fell to Munfurawa's façade. It was funny for Munfurawa.
"Still, I had also reasoned a possibility is due to the fact that you have a good attitude with you. Your delinquency is not as troublesome as mine, and thus you don't get as much coverage."
Munfurawa sighed, "What are you getting at, Ryūen?"
"Kuku, it seems that you aren't all clean and good as you may seem." Ryūen started, "First the little delinquent fights you pick with me, shows that you have an experience with dealing with others in a similar park. It always gave me the idea of someone you were. However, now that move you pulled not just on Albert, but the others. You clearly are brutal in how you function. You are much worse than I am…" Ryūen finished.
Munfurawa looked on, "You probably thought I was just smart, then."
"Hehe, obviously, until you showed hints of your delinquency, that fight with Albert and the others solidified everything."
"It's not like I harmed your underlings permanently, I just did what I needed to do." Munfurawa explained.
"Yes, but to act violently without hesitation, Albert will be fine soon, but the other two you beat down, have yet to recover, and are on the floor looking up as if their souls had left their bodies still. It's like you sucked the humanity out of them, you ghoul." Ryūen taunted.
Munfurawa looked on, "Perhaps I did, but wasn't that what you wanted to do with our team? You wanted to injure everyone to the point they wouldn't be able to perform to the best of their capabilities later on, huh?"
Ryūen looked rather surprised at Munfurawa's revelation, before he laughed. "Man, it really seems I underestimated you abilities. So you decided to give us a taste of our own medicine."
Munfurawa nodded, "Indeed, it's only fair. Additionally it's like you would tell authorities, a man like you wouldn't do such a thing."
Ryūen chuckled, "You bet I wouldn't, but still, it impresses me that you were able to decipher my strategy, so much so it makes me wonder why you are even in that class of defects… Not just you, but also Ayanokouji, you two… are something else."
Munfurawa shrugged, "Well I can't say for him, you can confront him then, as for me, we all have our defects that need to be fixed to achieve our fullest potential."
Ryūen chuckled, "Say what you want, but I will beat you down like the bugs your class are."
Munfurawa looked on, "I will be waiting for that moment."
"Say, before we end this, I have my suspicions on you." Ryūen started, yet again.
"About what?" Munfurawa asked, not interested.
"Your fighting style. To Albert it was quick and damaging, I could tell you right now, the only places I've see those kinds of fighting styles were from those who were homeless or those occupying the streets. So tell me Munfurawa, were you a delinquent in your past? Were you also on the streets fighting?" Ryūen asked, clearly wanting Munfurawa to ask.
Munfurawa just looked at Ryūen with his emotionless expression, "Once again, that is something for you to assume and find out. There is no way I would tell someone like you my past."
That was all Munfurawa said before he walked off.
Ryūen chuckled, "I will find out one day, Munfurawa, and I will expose to everyone you are not what people think you are, kukuku…"
Once Munfurawa made it back, he noticed Ayanokouji was the only one outside.
"Everything okay in there?" Munfurawa asked.
Ayanokouji nodded, "Yes, Sudo will need a bit more time however."
"Fair enough." Munfurawa responded before the two fell into silence.
Katsuragi shortly came out, and greeted the two, alongside Hirata.
"It seems Sudo will need some time to recover, do you think he will be able to for the tug of war?" Katsuragi asked.
Hirata looked on, "We will see. But even then we will push ourselves for this."
Katsuragi nodded, "Very well, let us see what we can do."
Munfurawa noticed that Ayanokouji was looking at the Class A defacto leader.
It was clear to Ayanokouji that he had heard some from Class A voicing their oppositions with Katsuragi. On the one hand, it was easy to see why. They weren't pulling the weight they expected. They were doing relatively average.
It was expected that Class A would pull extra weights for Class D, but the opposite seemed to be happening. Class D was the star once again, and Class A knew they had to step it up.
Little did Munfurawa know, Ayanokouji had witnessed an example of the split lines Class A ran on. What Munfurawa did notice, was Sakayangi looking down towards them, a small smile plastered on her face, like she had committed to something and it worked.
Munfurawa sighed, as he looked out. As of now, the girls were participating in Tamaire, or a ball-toss game. It was back to back, and thus most of the boys were inside treating their wounds from the injuries sustained by Class C.
Of course, Class C also came out with their own injuries, due to Munfurawa and Ayanokouji, something Katsuragi noticed.
"Also, I did notice you two had begun to use violence to subdue many of Class C's students." Katsuragi started, "Now I am not demonizing you or your class, as Class C was the one to start it, may I ask why you both suddenly to fall to that?"
Ayanokouji nodded, "Indeed, it seemed that Ryūen wanted to injure our class so that we could perform worse in future activities. As a result, we had to subdue them before they could injure us further."
Munfurawa added, "For even if they got a penalty, it would ultimately benefit them due to future activities. Class D would perform not to the best of their capabilities due to injuries, while Class C and B would ultimately benefit."
Katsuragi nodded, "A fine retaliation that was necessary, quick thinking on your part."
"Thank you." Munfurawa started, with Hirata looking at the girls in their own game.
It seemed that overall the white team were in the lead, but not by much. For now, it was neck and neck.
Munfurawa had decided to take the time to go check up on the state of everyone else, while Katsuragi, Ayankouji, and Hirata were out watching the girls and discussing among themselves.
Overall, the results did seem promising so far. With the win in capture the flag, it would help with their overall points. Still, they had quite the ways to go before they were in the clear.
In the meantime, Ayanokouji, Hirata, and Katsuragi were discussing the contents of the next event between them, while Munfurawa was looking over the others.
"So, the tug of war event is next." Ayanokouji started, looking over everything.
"Indeed, seems this will be another grand event for us." Katsuragi responded, while Hirata seemed rather relieved.
"You seem unusually calm right now, Hirata, why is that?" Ayanokouji noticed, and asked.
"It's simple, from the way I see, Class C cannot try anything foul unlike the last event." Hirata pointed out.
"Regardless, we should remain vigilant around Ryūen." Ayanokouji spoke out.
"Indeed, it seems you and the other had taken my advice rather seriously." Katsuragi pointed out.
Ayanokouji looked at Katsuragi, clearly a bit conflicted with the statement told by him. He looked at Katsuragi before they delved back into the overall conversation.
It seemed planning was a viable and significant strategy in order for them perform well. For a class like D, where the entire statistics were against them, considering they on average lacked the physical capabilities compared to the others.
Overall, once they got the situation under control, and planned for the overall event they had coming up, they continued to stare at the girls' event.
It seemed that now, the red team had managed to gain the upper hand. Munfurawa eventually got up and decided to watch the girls in their own event. It was rather unfair that they got to see the boys in capture the flag, but not the girls in the ball toss.
As a result they were watching now, near the end. Still, the continued with the event. Munfurawa had watched, noticing Horikita was still performing herself, clearly trying, probably trying to get her brother's attention and acknowledgment.
Munfurawa looked on alongside Ayanokouji. The two nodded once again to each other.
"We talked about the tug of war event." Ayanokouji started.
"You did, about what?" Munfurawa asked, clearly surprised they had gone and decided without him. Not that he minded, but he hadn't expected the move in general.
"Yeah, just the fact that we aren't sure what moves Ryūen could play on the event." Ayanokouji explained.
"Hmm." Munfurawa looked up, thinking, "That is true, I can't actually think of anything off the bat..."
The two conversed until the time was over. The round was completed, with the teachers counting the balls within the basket.
"For the white team, there are 52 balls. For the red team, there are 55 balls. Red team wins this round!"
Most of the class who were recovering in the tent were now recovering from their injuries, heard the announcement, and it boosted the morale of them quite considerably.
Having 2 consecutive wins was no feet, especially in the overall class vs class scenario. For the Class A and D coalition, this was a huge moral boost, which was needed in a class where everyone was skeptical and nervous about the whole event.
Still, the boost was helpful. For now, the girls were returning, with the next event for the first years occurring within an hour. The third year boys and girls had their own events to attend, so the first year boys had one more hour to relax.
The girls for now were coming back. Munfurawa gave a nod to Azuma, who came back.
"Did you see the shots I made?" Azuma asked a bit excited. It seemed that the overall event had fired her up.
Munfurawa looked on, "Sorry, only the end, as the boys took quite the beating in capture the flag."
Azuma looked upset, "You guys lost?"
Munfurawa shook his head, "Nah we won, it's just we took some extreme measures to win."
Azuma sighed, "Well we are winning so that's good. 2 wins for the team…" Was all she said before she went in the girls' tent.
Munfurawa then looked at the third years preparing for their own events. There was no doubt that Manabu Horikita would become a site for a certain ice girl to look at.
For now, he was once again approached by a girl, this time Kamuro.
"Munfurawa, I noticed that everyone in the boys' group were injured, what happened?"
Katsuragi came by and helped in explaining, basically telling her how Ryūen and his class had purposely been extra violent in injuring the opposing team.
"What the heck is up with him…" Kamuro mumbled, and Munfurawa shrugged.
"That's just how he thinks, we just have to adjust to what he plans."
Kamuro sighed, "Yes, but… Why are you always calm…"
Munfurawa shrugged, "It's better to have a sense of what's happening, preferably."
"Even when you have three guys latching onto you?" Kamuro asked, and Munfurawa flinched. Katsuragi raised his eyebrow in intrigue.
"Uhhh, I don't know, it was the plan for me to hold onto most of them." Munfurawa explained.
"What do you mean?" Kamuro asked.
Munfurawa knew he had to quickly make up an excuse. He was thankful he had one.
"Well, I may have done some previous taunting to Shibata and Kanzaki." Munfurawa started, with Kamuro confused.
"What?"
"It's simple." Munfurawa began to explain, "During the hurdle race, when I was with Kanzaki and Shibata, I merely taunted them into boasting. Even though Shibata won, I still taunted him and Kanzaki."
Kamuro looked rather disgusted with Munfurawa's plan, but she began to understand why. "You planned for them to act like that?"
Munfurawa nodded, "You got it." Kamuro looked rather shocked, "I knew we would be facing them inevitably in the capture the flag."
"So you taunted them so they had an incentive onto focusing on you?" Kamuro finished for Munfurawa.
"Exactly." Munfurawa replied, "They let their emotion get the best of them, and them focusing on me was probably what allowed us to win the tiebreaker."
Kamuro sighed, "So you played with their emotions, how manipulative."
Munfurawa shrugged, "I wouldn't call it manipulative, rather cunning."
"I see." Kamuro pondered before she sighed.
It was around this time did Munfurawa hear footsteps he was familiar with. The footsteps were rather soft, yet commanding with a steady slow tone.
"Ice girl?" Munfurawa asked without looking back.
Said girl was somewhat shocked that Munfurawa was able to know it was Horikita herself.
"How did you know it was me?" Horikita asked.
Munfurawa finally turned to Horikita, "Your footsteps are very distinguished."
"I don't know how to feel about that." Horikita mentioned, in response to this.
Munfurawa sighed as he looked up, not noticing Horikita was staring at the girl sitting next to Munfurawa. Immediately her expression turned more sour, as she seemed to let her jealousy show a bit.
"Who is she?" Horikita asked, with a jealous tone that caught Katsuragi off guard.
"Oh, she's Kamuro, you know her from the incident with your brother, right?" Munfurawa asked.
Horikita looked to Kamuro, before sighing, "Yeah I remember." Her tone went down, as it seemed she was rather glum all of a sudden. However, Munfurawa did not pay attention to it.
Instead, Katsuragi was looking at the commotion between the two, realizing what was happening. He turned around to speak to Hirata, chuckling at the situation Munfurawa was in.
"You did well in Tamaire, I saw you score a couple." Munfurawa pointed to Horikita, then to Kamuro. "You too, Kamuro, good job."
Horikita nodded, "What happened to the other boys?"
Munfurawa sighed, "Ryūen and his class decided to become violent during our confrontation in capture the flag."
Horikita looked rather pissed off a Ryūen for that. "That does seem troublesome."
"Indeed, but at the end we managed to pull through." Munfurawa finished off, and Horikita sighed.
"Well, so that means we have 2 consecutive wins against the white team. If we continue this we may actually win." Horikita mentioned.
"Probably, but we must remain vigilant." Munfurawa pointed out.
"Indeed." The two turned their heads to Ayanokouji who had decided to get involved in the conversation.
"We still need to answer the coincidence regarding Class C…" Ayanokouji mentioned, which got Horikita confused.
"What?" She asked clearly not getting it.
Munfurawa sighed, and he began to explain to Horikita what he and Ayanokouji had talked about prior.
"Regardless, it is rather strange that Ibuki was paired with you on the 100m dash, and Ryūen himself was in the 100m dash with me." Munfurawa pointed out.
"That is rather strange…" Horikita mentioned, after she thought about it.
Ayanokouji then came up and ask Munfurawa about something. "So Munfurawa and I had pondered about the possibility of a traitor within our class."
That surprised Horikita, "A traitor? Didn't we already presume this with the zodiac exam?"
"Yes we did, but now we think the traitor is assisting Ryūen in the sport's festival." Ayanokouji mentioned, "In fact, Munfurawa here has proof."
Horikita turned to Munfurawa, "You do? And why did you keep it secret?"
Munfurawa shrugged, "The evidence I have can just be someone looking over the class representation to make sure their own roles aren't mixed up."
Horikita sighed, "Just show me the evidence."
Munfurawa nodded as he took our his camera, and showed the photo of Kushida looking over the Class D representative for each particular event.
"There's a high possibility she gave it to Ryūen. After all, it wouldn't be the first time." Ayanokouji mentioned.
"Indeed, well unless we sacrifice ourselves to some last minute switches, we cannot really do anything at the moment…" Munfurawa added.
Horikita looked on, "So we're stuck…"
"Indeed." Munfurawa replied to Horikita, "However, we still have the advantage and lead. If we can keep it strong, then perhaps it won't matter."
He then took a deep breath, while Ayanokouji spoke.
"With that being said, we will need to confront Kushida about this. In addition, both of you keep an eye out for Ryūen. Don't let him get to you."
Munfurawa chuckled, "I ran into him before. He just said the usual, I'll crush you. All I got from this was the fact he still has some plan on screwing us over."
Ayanokouji and Horikita hummed. It seemed to have gone like this for the next hour, before the tug of war announcement came on.
"Good luck, and you better win." Horikita stated, watching Ayanokouji and Munfurawa walk with the others to the field.
"She had wish us and pressure us in one sentence…" Munfurawa mumbled.
Ayanokouji shrugged, "That is how she is, I guess."
Hirata was the first there, considering he was the leader. Sudo had also joined, looking mostly recovered.
"How are you feeling Sudo?" Hirata asked. Said boy look on.
"Feeling much better! Can't wait to beat those Class C freaks!" Sudo exclaimed, clearly fired up, moreso due to the foul play they had played on him.
Overall, it seemed that Class A continued to falter in its lines. The sides were locked in a brief but brutal confrontation. Once again, Sakayanagi was smiling from the sidelines, as Munfurawa and Ayanokouji watched with a strict and neutral expression. Particularly, because they could hear Ryūen ordering his soldiers.
One thing Ayanokouji and Munfurawa noticed was the fact that Class B and C were refusing to cooperate amongst each other.
This would make it easier for the red team, the more they pondered.
Katsuragi then decided to speak out, "Alright, we will arrange each other based on height!"
Everyone nodded without an ounce of hesitation. Even those in Class D listened as they got within the arrangement. The shortest of the bunch were nearest to the center, while the lankier ones were near the end. In general, Munfurawa had his grievances with this position and arrangement, but he digressed.
Maybe Katsuragi was onto something, here, Munfurawa wasn't sure. As of right now, Ayanokouji was just behind him, as he was slightly shorter than the emotionless boy, by mere hair strands.
Still, Ayanokouji the more muscular and stronger one by a slight margin within the grip strength, and thus Munfurawa offered Ayanokouji to be behind in.
Munfurawa and Ayanokouji both were pondering similar things. For now, they were wondering how Ryūen and his class would perform, if they refused to cooperate much with Class B.
The first round started, with Sudo encouraging everyone. The rope was incredibly tight, and in equilibrium. Class B and C were not cooperating, as they were separated by their class boundaries. As for Class A and D, it seemed that they weren't pulling their weight to the point they were hoping for.
Sudo himself wasn't at his full strength due to still recovering. As for Munfurawa and Ayanokouji they weren't really trying. Unfortunately, the favour was turned towards the white team.
The first round went to the white team it seemed.
Sudo sighed in frustration, as the others began to moan in frustration and disappointment.
"Come on! They shouldn't have been able to be beating us this easily!" Sudo shouted to everyone.
"Calm down, we'll get them back next round, alright?" Hirata motioned, trying to calm Sudo down.
"Yeah, let's switch the strategy up this time." Munfurawa brought up.
"Huh?" Katsuragi made a noise at that statement, "You have a better strategy."
Munfurawa pondered, before he noticed Ayanokouji walking up.
"Yeah, I think we do." Ayanokouji mentioned. This was somewhat surprising for Munfurawa, as Ayanokouji wasn't the type to openly state his ideas.
"And what is it?" Katsuragi asked, clearly skeptical. The others within the Sakayanagi faction began to tell Katsuragi to listen to what they have to say.
Munfurawa sighed as he began to explain, "Instead of arranging by height, we arrange by strength. This way we can split our classes, with the strongest on the back. We mustn't make ourselves in a position where we cannot use our maximum potential force to pulling."
Ayanokouji added, "That does make sense, we weren't able to bring forth our maximum power with that arrangement. For now, there is no harm in trying a new arrangement."
Katsuragi sighed, "Very well, let's go." With that, the group had put themselves in the arrangement they had proposed. All in all, Katsuragi didn't have an exact emotion. He wasn't upset nor happy, rather he seemed ashamed for contributing to a loss. Perhaps that's why he wanted to try this.
That way if they lost, the blame would mostly be pinned to Munfurawa rather than Katsuragi himself.
All in all, even if they lost, then he wouldn't be hit representatively.
"This strategy could work…" One of the students from Class A pondered, "It is a simple method…"
Eventually the group got into the arrangement, and thus began to get into the arrangement. In general, Munfurawa and Sudo were near the front, while Ayanokouji, Hirata and Miyake were near the back. As for the Calss A students, Katsuragi was also in front, while the others were behind.
Immediately, the sound whistled, and everyone began to pull. Even Munfurawa and Ayanokouji had put a bit more strength into their own hands. Likewise, the equilibrium of the rope began to tilt towards them. This only made them more inclined into pulling their strength, as they were motivated more into actually securing the round.
Eventually, the white team coalition gave in, which allowed for the red team to win this round.
"Another tiebreaker! Are you serious?!" Sudo exclaimed. While he was glad that they had won this round, it seemed that this was becoming a reoccurring trend.
"This is getting ridiculous, the amount of tiebreakers we get is insane…" Hirata commented, agreeing with Sudo on that.
Even the staff was somewhat tense from the amount of tiebreakers the first years were giving. Perhaps they didn't expect this much tiebreakers in general. In fact, only the third years had one tiebreaker. The rest came from the first years.
Eventually, the last round of tug-of-war began without much of a resting phase. This was the last round, and thus everyone knew they had to try.
Once again, the rope was tight, as everyone began to pull towards their respective directions. The equilibrium began to shift over to the white team, which was bad.
"Come on! Put some more weight into it!" Sudo shouted, trying to get the rest of the team to try harder. Munfurawa and Ayanokouji had decided not to give that much weight into it.
By the time Sudo had shouted for everyone to put more effort into it, the two began to pull it with a bit more strength.
Eventually, the rope began to halt its advancement within the white camp, and slowly into the direction of the red.
"That's it! Come on! Pull more!" Sudo exclaimed as the rope had reached back to its initial position.
By now, Munfurawa could hear the grunts of everyone. Even the staff and teachers were watching as they were curious to see who would ultimately win this.
The rope felt incredibly tight, as everyone was applying their own pressure onto it.
To Munfurawa this was very similar to another incident he had. However, he failed to remember exactly what had happened. He didn't have much time, as he did not want to risk getting distracted. He would have to remember at a different time.
"Come on red team!" Some of the girls now began to cheer for them, as it was clear the rope was still in equilibrium, and back in it's initial position.
In many ways, it was impressive how long this round of tug of war was going on for. Just over a minute, and it still was in a stalemate. Munfurawa looked at Ryūen, who was smirking with his face. Munfurawa could tell immediately that Ryūen was having fun. As for what he was doing that made it fun, he didn't know yet.
Still, seeing Ryūen's smirking face did make Munfurawa pull a bit more as a result.
Eventually, the rope began to slowly towards the red team. With the girls cheering for the others, and the staff commenting, the situation became apparent.
Once it was certain that the red team was going to win, Ryūen's smirk oddly became more pronounced.
"Just what the hell do you think you are planning, Ryūen…" Munfurawa pondered. Atlas, he wasn't the delinquent, and thus didn't know what he would do.
It wasn't until he felt the rope lighten considerably did he realize. His eyes widened, in realization, and he quickly dropped the rope in response, he was no longer gripping the rope. The next thing Munfurawa knew, almost everyone was on the ground from what just happened.
All of Class A had fallen backwards, while only Ayanokouji and Munfurawa had managed to remain standing from the sudden influx of force. Even Class B had fallen forward, due to the sudden absence of force involved.
That meant that the red team had won, though at the cost of some embarrassment.
"What the hell was the point of that?!" Sudo shouted towards Ryūen and his class.
It wasn't just Sudo. Ike, Yamauchi, and even some from Class A began to voice their opposition towards Ryūen and his fellow peer's antics.
Ryūen chuckled, "It's whatever. You got the win, so why are you complaining? Besides you should save your energy and time for the other activities, kukuku…"
With that being said, Ryūen and his class began to head to their own camp.
"They didn't even apologize to Class B…" Hirata mumbled, taking that into account. "They have it rough, their coordination is hurting their own team…"
This was clearly some weird strategy on Ryūen's end. Just what was he planning.
He had a lot of questions, and he noticed Ayanokouji was also pondering on what Ryūen was planning.
Still, they had managed to win three consecutive events in a row, which gave the red team quite the lead compared to the white team. However, even then they knew that whatever Ryūen was planning must have been rather significant. If he clearly was willing to waste the opportunity, then why was he so confident elsewhere?
"Munfurawa?" Said person turned to see Ayanokouji looking at him. "Do you have any idea?"
Munfurawa sighed, "Not now. However, I think there is something we will have to watch out for."
Ayanokouji nodded, "Indeed, as it seems that every assessment, Ryūen has a strategy that manages to catch us off guard."
Munfurawa agreed, "We will have to be cautious, as for what exactly, that is the main question."
Katsuragi could only look at the two, and it really made him wonder, just who were they exactly, and why are they in Class D out of all places?
Little did any of them know, they had someone from the sidelines watching them.
Arisu Sakayanagi was watching the two boys, Ayanokouji and Munfurawa, with devout interest.
"Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, and Vikku Hoshni Munfurawa, huh. Seems that your pasts are quite the interesting ones indeed. I cannot wait…" Sakayanagi mumbled to herself, as she continued to watch them in renewed interest.
What was concerning, it seems was her sudden knowledge of Munfurawa.
A.N / Wow, I have literally written 18 chapters in a relatively quick succession. It is impressive in my opinion, so I'm going to pat myself on the back!
Anyways, it seems so far that the red team is doing well. Class D specifically. Of course, there will be some drama that will have to be settled. Once again, I am emphasizing more about the fact that Munfurawa and Ayanokouji think alike. This does not make them carbon copies of one another.
In fact, there is a massive difference between them, and it actually points the biggest, which is how they go about solving things. In many ways, they are the complete opposite in that regard.
Anyways, that's enough from me. I do not want to overrun my time compared to the actual content, so I'll see you around for chapter 19.