Chapter 186: Kanzaki Ryuji's Alertness Up! Up!

The third Monday of September. Seven o'clock in the morning at the Advanced Nurturing High sports ground.

The sky had just brightened, the thin mist not yet fully dispersed, shrouding the empty track and central lawn. A few towering street lamps still cast their dim yellow halos. The distant teaching building appeared blurred and indistinct within the haze.

By now, quite a number of students had already gathered at the sports ground for morning training.

Some were running, some were doing warm-up exercises, some were doing basic soccer drills like passing and shooting in the center, and a few boys were competing against each other doing push-ups.

Not far away, beneath the shade of the trees.

Several pairs of athletic shoes stepped across the faintly damp grass. Following the red gym clothes upward, their owner was tilting his head back, gazing out at the dozen or so Class A students doing alternating fast and slow runs.

"Shimizu, if you lose, you're buying the drinks later."

"Are you kidding me?! You bastards are definitely going to pick the most expensive ones! You think I'm going to let you guzzle down thousands of my personal points just like that?!"

"Then just win the race. If you can't even beat Totsuka, you'd better obediently treat us..."

"Impossible! Bearing the name of Katsuragi-aniki, I, Totsuka Yahiko, absolutely cannot lose to you! OOOOH!"

"You actually pulled that move on me?! I'll do it too! Burn, Cosmo! AAARGH!"

"Oh, oh! Looking good! Keep it up, Totsuka!" x13

"Oi! At least send a few people over to cheer for me, you bastards!"

On the red rubber track, two figures were furiously pumping their shoulders, sprinting straight ahead with all their might. In the midst of their deadlock, several blood-boiling yet utterly childish phrases flew back and forth.

"How nice, Class A..."

Ichinose Honami let out a sigh and crouched down dejectedly. Both hands cupped her cheeks, yet her eyes couldn't help drifting toward other parts of the field.

"Truly a competitive and enviable morning training session."

"It really is quite impressive. This atmosphere is completely different from our class's." Kanzaki Ryuji straightened his back, his brow furrowed, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Class B's atmosphere was also very good, and they were equally united. However, this unity was something that extended outward from Ichinose as the central figure.

Naturally, the underlying tone of this atmosphere could not escape the bounds of Ichinose's friendliness toward others, mutual assistance, and collective effort.

It innately lacked the genes for mutual competition, meritocracy, and fearless challenge.

This was something born from a class's long-term interactions, actively or passively influenced by its leader. It was very difficult to change.

"Then," the boy beside him patted Kanzaki on the shoulder and poked his head out with a grin, "how about our class also organizes daily targeted extra training like Class A? If you think it's too much trouble, just leave it to me."

"That won't work, Shibata-kun."

Just then, Ichinose's best friend, Amikura Mako, extended a single finger and wagged it gently, her face revealing a touch of seriousness.

"Eh? Why not?" Shibata So asked, puzzled.

"Probably because there's no way to stir up the atmosphere..." Kanzaki lowered his head and raised a hand to rub his temple.

This kind of tedious physical training was different from the previous supplementary lessons. Someone had to lead and organize the daily planned training regimen.

Physical training was already an incredibly grueling task in itself. With Class B's usual harmonious, cheerful atmosphere, if no one could properly stir up the mood, not only would the results be greatly diminished, but it would also waste the students' energy for nothing.

And the only person who could accomplish this—Ichinose—was a girl...

"Kanzaki, can't you do it?"

Kanzaki wrenched his head around and stared at Shibata without speaking, his stern, deadpan face fixed on him.

"..."

Everything was conveyed without words...

"Ahaha, alright." Shibata scratched the back of his head and gave two dry laughs. "Then what about Class A?"

"Class A doesn't have this problem." Kanzaki responded with a headache, once again looking toward the Class A group, who were busy riling each other up.

Though the atmosphere wasn't as friendly as Class B's, Class A never lacked mutual competition—or rather, they revered strength above all. Add to that Katsuragi Kohei constantly organizing them from the side, and that was how they achieved such results.

Reaching this point in his thoughts, Kanzaki sighed inwardly.

Perhaps this was precisely why Class A stood above Class B...

"Still, Katsuragi-kun really is impressive." Amikura pinched her chin.

Over at the sports ground, Katsuragi had once again, due to his physical ability issues, been gossiped about by the Class A students for being outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and had run off to the side to wallow in self-isolation, utterly humiliated.

"He doesn't have any of the airs of a Class A leader at all."

"Right?" Ichinose responded in a low voice, appearing somewhat distracted.

No, that was precisely the problem!

Kanzaki half-lowered his eyes and swept his gaze across the entire sports ground, yet could not find a certain extremely suspicious individual.

According to the theory just now, given Katsuragi's steady, prudent personality, where exactly did the underlying tone of Class A's current atmosphere come from?

His thoughts drifted back to the last VIP exam.

As expected, Class A still has a side we know nothing about, doesn't it?

After observing a while longer and mentally noting several of the more physically capable members of the Class A group—

"Alright, it's about time." Kanzaki withdrew his gaze, glanced at his phone, and spoke with steady composure. "We should head back, Ichinose."

"Eh? So soon?" Ichinose instinctively looked up.

"Mm. We should head back." Kanzaki nodded and repeated himself once more.

Although this time Class B and Class C were in the same group, given Ryuen Kakeru's personality, it wasn't impossible that he might come looking for trouble.

The people who could currently take charge of Class B were all here. It was better to be cautious.

Amikura also came over and linked arms with Ichinose. "That's right, Honami-chan! If we don't go now, we're really going to be late! Don't forget we haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Oh... alright." Ichinose finally stood up, brushing nonexistent blades of grass from her gym clothes. Her signature energetic smile returned to her face. "Everyone, let's head back."

The Class B students voiced their agreement in succession and turned in groups of two or three, preparing to leave this vibrant sports ground.

Ichinose was clustered in the middle, but her steps were somewhat slow. She couldn't help glancing back one more time toward Class A's direction.

Just as they were about to step off the edge of the field and onto the path leading to the teaching building—

A familiar figure pierced through the thin mist and the clamor of the field, flickering hazily across her retina.

Ichinose's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. She whipped her head around, her pink hair tracing a swift arc through the air!

At the edge of the field, near a vending machine beside the tree-lined path, a tall, lean figure was casually seated on a bench.

The other party seemed to have noticed her as well.

Fuyuji Mikage held a freshly opened sports drink in one hand, leaning lazily against the backrest. He raised his free hand and waved it vigorously and openly in this direction.

He seemed to have been sitting there for a while already. His bangs were faintly damp with morning dew, a few unruly strands of black hair plastered against his smooth forehead. The sunlight happened to pierce through the gaps in the branches, casting dancing spots of light upon him.

In that instant, as if magic had descended—

That faint layer of a smile on Ichinose's face dissolved and vanished in the blink of an eye, like thin mist scattered by the morning breeze.

Her sky-blue eyes abruptly lit up. All the disappointment and reluctance were swept clean away, and a brilliant, dazzling smile bloomed at the corner of her lips, like cherry blossoms just beginning to flower.

That smile was even more dazzling than the rising morning sun.

She instinctively rose slightly on her tiptoes and waved back vigorously in that direction, her golden-pink hair lifting in a joyful arc in the morning breeze.

"Ichinose?" Kanzaki stopped in puzzlement and followed her gaze.

The moment he clearly made out that familiar figure on the bench—wearing a smile far too radiant—Kanzaki's deadpan face instantly collapsed.

Why is it you again?!

Just now I was wondering why I couldn't find you anywhere. So you were over here all along.

"Kanzaki-san, next time you come to scout us out, remember to let me know. I'll play host." Fuyuji called out loudly, a grin in his voice.

"..."

Don't act like we're so familiar with each other, damn it! At most, we've only added each other as friends!

But before Kanzaki could open his mouth to reply—

"Okay!" A bright, melodious voice blurted out.

Kanzaki instantly wrenched his head around, his expression crumbling as he looked at his own class president, who was now bouncing and skipping.

Meanwhile, Amikura and several other Class B girls exchanged a vigilant glance and moved into action simultaneously.

"Hurry up, Honami-chan! If you keep looking, we're really going to be late!"

Amikura and Kobashi Yume reached out in perfect unison and gave Ichinose—still immersed in her joy—a firm tug.

"Ah, r-right!"

Ichinose jolted awake as if from a dream. Two blushes of red flew onto her cheeks. She cast one last sparkling glance toward the vending machine.

Only then did she turn around with light, buoyant steps and catch up with the Class B group.

It was just that her stride, compared to when she had left moments ago, was clearly much lighter and more cheerful, as if she were stepping on invisible clouds.

The corner of Kanzaki's mouth twitched. He cast one final, deep look at Fuyuji, still leisurely drinking water in the distance, before stiffening his face and following the group with heavy, plodding steps.

Just what exactly is that guy's relationship with Ichinose? They clearly don't interact that much normally. How did he build up this level of deep trust with her?!

Beside the vending machine, Fuyuji tilted his head back and downed a huge gulp of his drink.

The Class B group vanished into the thin mist at the end of the tree-lined path. That golden-pink hair, flickering in and out of view, soon disappeared without a trace.

He casually tossed the empty can into the nearby trash can with a resonant clatter.

"Mm... the weather really is nice today."

After muttering this to himself as if in passing, Fuyuji swept his gaze across the field, finally letting it rest on the group of Class A students still cheering and racing one another.

A bag stuffed full of sports drinks was pulled out from the grass behind the bench with a rustling sound.

"Time to head back. Wonder if Katsuragi-san is done with his self-isolation yet."

Having come to join his class for morning training for the first time in a long while, Fuyuji stretched lazily and slowly rose from the bench. Carrying the bag, he walked toward the sports ground.

"Well, the training volume's been pretty heavy these past few days. Gotta treat them once in a while and show off my Fuyuji Generosity!"

"Of course, it's all going on the class account..."

The morning mist gradually dispersed. The clamor of the field continued as ever. A new morning had only just begun.

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!