Chapter 209: Ryuen Kakeru's Stunning Move

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, lazily spilling across the school paths of the Advanced Nurturing High campus.

With the start of the competition, those originally secluded, quiet school paths gradually grew lively. Every so often, students in groups of two or three would jog past, striving to minimize the distance between two check-in points to the greatest extent possible.

And amidst the bustling, crowded school paths, the faculty contingent stood out with particular prominence.

"How truly rare. For a man like you to actually choose to participate in this kind of competition. Didn't you just receive a rather substantial bonus?"

Sakagami Kazuma, Class C's homeroom teacher, panted faintly as he slowed his pace with idle boredom. He struck up a conversation with Mashima Tomonari beside him, a trace of envy seeping into his tone.

The moment the words fell, Mashima's originally ramrod-straight back instantly slumped by a fraction.

"Regarding that..." He cleared his throat and, somewhat stiffly, shifted the topic. "There is a certain disgrace—one that cannot be washed clean unless I prove to my students that I can claim first place." He turned his head and glanced at Sakagami. "Still, aren't you the same? I never imagined that you, who usually appears so listless and lethargic, would show such initiative this time."

"That's only natural." At the mention of this, Sakagami's entire demeanor immediately perked up, his pace even quickening by several degrees. "After all, if I could get my hands on those five million, my debts would just about be settled."

"Come to think of it, where are Chabashira and Hoshinomiya?"

"It seems neither of them signed up. They probably went off drinking. How enviable—a life without debt."

"Indeed. Not needing to prepare for marriage. Unlike us male teachers, who are inherently at a disadvantage in the marriage market. Though judging by the looks of it, they seem to have no intention of marrying at all."

"Women... they're truly difficult to understand."

"That they are." The two let out a short, sympathetic sigh in perfect, mutual, sympathetic unison.

...

Chatting as they went, before they knew it, the two corporate wage-slaves nearing thirty had already arrived at one of the optional checkpoints.

Beneath the sunshade beside the laboratory building, a conspicuous signboard was set up, along with several desks and chairs. A few students sat before the chairs, pen and paper in hand, continuously scribbling and sketching away.

I see. So this one tests the students' academic ability, is it?

A flicker of understanding instantly flashed through the eyes of the two elite instructors of Advanced Nurturing High. Subconsciously, they straightened their chests and pulled out their phones.

[Mission: Advanced Nurturing High at 4:30 AM]

[In society, high academic qualifications typically signify greater social recognition and reputation, aiding in the establishment of broad interpersonal networks. They play an important role in employment opportunities, salary levels, career development, social recognition, and personal growth, serving as a "stepping stone" for individual advancement. Please solve the following problem within 15 minutes.]

[Find the limit:

lim_{x → 0^+} (x^x - (sin x)^x) / (sin x - sin(sin x))

]

Crack!

His palm exerted sudden force, gripping his phone tight. Mashima forcefully blinked his eyes and brought the phone closer for another look. His heart gave an inexplicable, ill-boding lurch.

This was clearly a classic limit problem taught at the university level. He could understand the problem well enough. But after so many years since graduation, mathematics of this caliber...

Five minutes later.

Mashima let out a long, drawn-out breath.

He had finally reached a conclusion—

He had absolutely no idea how to solve it!

Still, no matter. He could sense that Sakagami-sensei beside him had long since set his phone down and was watching him with unhurried calm. It seemed he had it all figured out.

"Do you know how?" Sakagami's voice carried a note of confidence.

"I do not." Mashima admitted crisply and decisively, extending his phone toward him.

Silently glancing at the phone extended toward him, Sakagami fell silent for a moment.

"I don't know either. I thought you did."

"..."

The breeze beneath the sunshade seemed to have frozen still. Only the faint, indistinct murmurs of students in the distance remained. The two elite instructors of Advanced Nurturing High stared blankly at each other, sinking into a deathly, absolute silence.

A long moment passed.

A heavy, helpless sigh squeezed out from both their throats in unison.

"Ah~"

"If even one of Hoshinomiya or Chabashira were here, it wouldn't have come to this." Mashima rubbed his temples with a headache, coolly analyzing the situation.

Hoshinomiya was a math teacher. Although she usually seemed to just muddle through, since she had managed to enter Advanced Nurturing High and was teaching Class B, her professional expertise was certainly beyond question.

As for Chabashira-sensei—though she taught history, her academic performance had been excellent ever since her student days. A problem like this shouldn't be beyond her.

"How about it? Shall we retreat?" Sakagami's voice was tinged with exhaustion.

"If we retreat now, I'm afraid we'll waste a considerable stretch of time." Mashima lowered his head and swiped through his phone, examining the map.

Just as the two were caught in the throes of indecision—

"Good afternoon, Sadistic Teacher... Oh, and Sakagami-sensei. Good afternoon."

A casual, greeting-like call drifted lightly into their ears.

Following the sound, they looked.

A vigorous, nimble figure was gliding forward atop a silver-white skateboard, its wheels producing sharp, piercing screeches against the concrete ground. In the blink of an eye, it slid to a halt before the two of them. Then, with a single, forceful stomp of one foot on the tail of the board, the front wheels instantly lifted. Executing a beautiful, sharp emergency turn and stop, the wheel axles scraped across the pavement and sent up a few tiny sparks. The board came to a steady, stable stop right before the check-in point.

"Here to be the referee again? Truly, hard work."

As he spoke, Fuyuji Mikage smoothly pulled his phone from his pocket. After a casual, cursory glance at the problem, his fingers rapidly tapped a few times. The phone emitted a sharp beep.

[Check-in Successful!]

Clatter!

Fuyuji crisply stomped the skateboard against the ground. Before his words had even fully faded, his figure had already shot forth once more like an arrow loosed from its bowstring, kicking off and charging away. Only the tail end of his voice lingered and drifted upon the wind.

"See you later, Sadistic Teacher. I hope I won't be seeing you again during the award ceremony."

Gazing out at Fuyuji's retreating figure—swiftly swallowed and engulfed by the lush, verdant foliage—Sakagami and Mashima stood stiffly side by side. Their phones clutched tightly in their hands, their faces were so dark and stormy they seemed about to drip water. They resembled a pair of silent, mute sculptures.

"Your student... does he have this little respect for you?" Sakagami spoke in a somber, hollow tone. "It seems this Class A homeroom teacher position isn't all that easy to hold, is it?"

"That's just how Class A is." Mashima's voice was dry and parched.

"And besides—is that skateboard really alright? Haven't you always treated all your students with impartial equality?"

"If he's able to bring it out and use it, it means he's definitely done his research in that area. It should be fine." Mashima's tone dropped yet another notch in dejection.

"...Forget it. Let's head to a different checkpoint."

"No!"

Mashima violently shook his head. He turned and heavily seated himself in the chair, once again picking up the pen and paper.

"Giving up halfway is not my style. Staking my dignity as a teacher—I absolutely must solve it!"

...

At the very same time, behind the Advanced Nurturing High dormitory building.

Upon the quiet, secluded forest path, a sudden burst of rough, urgent footsteps rang out!

The chaotic, disordered steps trampled across fallen leaves and dried branches, producing a sharp, crackling, explosive clamor. They startled the birds in the treetops, which shot into the grey-blue sky with panicked, fluttering cries.

Ryuen Kakeru, phone in hand, his body hunched and stooped, swiftly burst forth from a shortcut within the forest.

This competition—he was determined to win!

As long as he seized first place, he could ride the momentum of this grand, sweeping victory to wash away that damned identity as the "Crap-Eating King." He could make that worthless rabble in his class recognize his strength once more and obediently prostrate themselves at his feet.

He refused to live like this any longer!

He, Ryuen Kakeru, was going to dominate Class C, dominate the first year, and finally dominate all of Advanced Nurturing High! Step by step, he would climb to the very top!

Just as he was still indulging in his fantasies of successfully unifying Advanced Nurturing High—finally dragging out that insidious mastermind, forcing him to kneel and lick his shoes—the sports field's optional checkpoint appeared before his eyes without the slightest surprise.

The usual setup—a sunshade and a few staff members. On the table were several electronic grip strength dynamometers.

Just as expected!

Ryuen's mouth split open. He licked his dry, cracked lips.

In this kind of competition, right after it started, he could have his underlings compile and aggregate the tasks at each location. Then he could select the check-in points most suited to himself and the optimal route, saving time to the greatest possible extent.

Hmph!

Ryuen let out a cold sneer.

He was different from that Class D blond gorilla who relied on nothing but brute physical strength. He—relied on his brain to win.

His thoughts reaching this point, Ryuen swiftly pulled out his phone and screeched to an emergency halt before the check-in point.

[Mission: Proof of Strength]

[Physical fitness is the comprehensive quality manifested through the coordinated operation of the body's various systems. It directly impacts our health, work, studies, and daily life. And ever since humanity learned to use tools, the pursuit of pure, raw strength has been etched into the very genes of civilization. Please complete the following challenge.]

[Right-hand consecutive grip strength test, three times. Take the highest value. Male ≥ 55kg | Female ≥ 35kg]

As expected! This optional checkpoint was the simplest one out of all the check-in points!

Just as Ryuen curled the corner of his mouth and prepared to snatch up the grip strength dynamometer before him—

A blond figure suddenly burst out from the side. With lightning speed, he reached out and snatched the dynamometer right before Ryuen's eyes.

[65.8kg]

Beep! The phone app chimed in response. Check-in successful.

Swiftly setting the dynamometer back onto the table, the blond figure spun around and, as though somewhat puzzled, shook his head and strode off into the distance. The entire process had taken less than ten seconds.

The hand he had extended froze rigidly in mid-air. Ryuen mechanically turned his head and stared at that blond figure, already receding into the distance. The veins on his face instantly bulged and throbbed. His fist clenched so tightly it emitted grating, grinding creaks.

"Nagumo Miyabi." Ryuen's gaze, like bone-corroding venom, clung deathly to Nagumo's figure. "You really are something else..."

Naturally, he knew of that bastard who claimed to have ruled over the entire second year.

But now was not the time. Once he claimed victory in this competition and unified the first year—

In the future... he would slowly settle accounts with him.

A dozen or so minutes later.

Beside Advanced Nurturing High School's iconic artificial lake.

A massive fountain erupted from the bottom of the pool, its column of water leaping high into the air. Under the sunlight, it refracted a rainbow of iridescent halos before crashing back down with a thunderous splash. The scattering droplets of water transformed into a fine, dense, cooling mist, bringing a thread of precious, refreshing coolness to the sweat-drenched, sprinting students.

"Beep!"

The notification chime of yet another successful check-in rang out.

Nagumo gazed at the digits pulsing and dancing on his phone screen. A flamboyant, showy grin rose upon his face. Casually, he flicked his blond hair, damp and matted with sweat.

Although he hadn't managed to achieve complete dominion over the second year, the manpower he could mobilize was, without question, the greatest in the entire school. Naturally, the intelligence he had gathered was also the best in the entire school.

Sasuga, Horikita-senpai. To have already reached seven—soon to be eight—all on his own.

Fuyuji wasn't bad either—already at eight. And to have actually thought of such an amusing, entertaining solution.

That Kiryuin woman was also at eight. Still, she'd already run into that mandatory checkpoint at the teaching building. It seemed she'd be stopped dead in her tracks there.

That student named Koenji Rokusuke—it looked like he'd finally cleared that mandatory checkpoint and was now furiously chasing after them.

As for the others—

His forward strides slowly came to a halt. A student with fiery red hair abruptly appeared within Nagumo's line of sight.

Across from him, Ryuen also seemed to have sensed Nagumo's gaze. He slowly turned his body around.

After an interval of a dozen or so minutes, the two of them had once again, unexpectedly, crossed paths at the very same optional checkpoint.

"..."

After staring at each other for a moment, a look of utter contempt simultaneously rose within both their eyes. A scornful, merciless sneer spat from both their mouths.

"Tch~"

As the saying went—rivals are natural enemies.

The moment their eyes met, they instantly recognized exactly what kind of character the other was.

"Oh, it's you." Nagumo was the first to break the silence. Toying with his phone in his hand, he leaned his body back and casually propped himself against the edge of the nearby desk. "Advanced Nurturing High's most renowned Crap-Eating King."

"You're pretty famous yourself. The Student Council Vice President who's forever stuck in second place. Though now, you can only obediently settle for third." A savage, vicious grin surfaced on Ryuen's face.

"Using your underling students to gather the tasks at each checkpoint—you've got a bit of cleverness after all. For a kouhai like you, I don't dislike it, you know. In the future, you might just prove to be a rather amusing toy."

"You don't look like much yourself. That bunch in the second year really is useless—to actually be ruled by trash like you."

"An interesting provocation. You've successfully piqued my interest." Nagumo was not angered. Instead, he studied Ryuen with keen, amused interest. "A pity I still have other matters to attend to right now. Otherwise, I might have had some interest in playing with you for a while."

"Those words—I'll return them right back at you."

Having flung their vicious threats, the two, with wordless, tacit understanding, entangled no further. They simultaneously turned to leave.

However—just as Nagumo had taken a single step forward, that faint, shallow smile perpetually hanging upon his face abruptly, violently froze!

He suddenly halted in his tracks. His neck snapped back. His nostrils flared with rapid, urgent twitches. His eyelids fluttered and blinked frantically. His Adam's apple bobbed. His palm pressed deathly against his philtrum. His jaw locked into a rigid, taut line. His chest froze mid-breath.

The very next second—

"ACHOO—!"

A single, earth-shattering, sky-rending sneeze—like a thunderclap exploding from the clear blue sky—resounded with a mighty, crashing roar throughout the entire artificial lake area. It startled the waterfowl beside the fountain into taking flight with a frantic, fluttering burst of wings.

The surrounding students retreated two steps in unison, staring at Nagumo in sheer, stunned shock.

"How... Achoo! Achoo!" Nagumo shook his head and raised a hand to rub his nose. "What the hell... I'm actually catching a cold?"

"..."

Ryuen, who had already shoved both hands into his pockets and was preparing to leave, turned his body sideways. He stared at this all-too-familiar sight on Nagumo's face. After a dazed, stupefied moment—the threads of his thoughts connected in an instant. The corner of his mouth instantly split wide open.

In the very next moment—his right hand was already raised high.

"Oi! Referee! Is this really allowed?! He's caught a cold, you know! Is he still going to compete on the same stage as me in a moment?! What if he passes it on to me?!" A voice, full of vigor and energy, resounded throughout the entire artificial lake.

Ryuen spread both hands wide and closed his eyes. "This really is troublesome. Didn't the school just issue a notice not long ago—that the moment any signs of physical discomfort appear, one must immediately proceed to the school infirmary for treatment? Isn't that right, Student Council Vice President?"

"You bastard." Nagumo's expression darkened. He immediately understood exactly what Ryuen was trying to do. "You think you can drive me off with something like this? I am the Student Council Vice President."

However—the two staff members wearing armbands, having witnessed this scene, exchanged a glance. Silently, they pulled out their walkie-talkies and reported in hushed, lowered voices. At the same time, with wordless, tacit understanding, they strode forward in great, sweeping steps, flanking Nagumo on either side and blocking his path.

"Wait just a moment! I am Nagumo Miyabi—Student Council Vice President! And before long—the next Student Council President! Achoo!" Nagumo stumbled backward two steps in flustered panic. "I'm not sick! My nose was just a little itchy! Achoo!"

The staff members remained utterly unmoved.

"Student. Please cooperate."

"Wait, wait—hold on! Let go of me! I still have a duel to finish—I haven't finished yet!"

Five minutes later.

The sound of sirens—bee-boh, bee-boh—rang out. A white ambulance, emblazoned with the school infirmary's insignia and flashing red and blue lights, came to a steady, stable stop beside the artificial lake.

"AAARGH! Ryuen Kakeru! Just you wait! I'm definitely going to kill you!"

Accompanied by a string of heart-wrenching, lung-tearing, agonized screams—Student Council Vice President Nagumo Miyabi, struggling and thrashing with all his might, was forcibly escorted onto the ambulance by the medical staff.

"You filthy, despicable, shameless, cheap bastard!"

"See if you can even get out first." A fearless, unrestrained grin surfaced on Ryuen's face.

A moment later, the ambulance started up. Its wheels rolled across the pavement, sweeping up a few scattered, withered leaves. Laden with the Student Council Vice President's towering, unfulfilled resentment and ambition, it drove off toward the school infirmary.

From within the gradually receding ambulance—a roar, like that of a vengeful demon, consumed by resentment and fury, suddenly burst forth.

"I'll definitely be back!"

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!