Chapter 136 – Unified class

"I don't care about a 'thank you.'" Yukio eyed her slantwise, seeing Sakayanagi's sincerity and couldn't help but push his luck a bit: "If you're really prepared to thank me, why not provide some more information on the school's rules?"

Sakayanagi couldn't hold back this time and let out a burst of genuine laughter, showing off her teeth as white and pristine as pearls, "Yukio-kun, you're being too greedy now."

"The days ahead are long, and there will always be opportunities for deep exchanges." With these parting words, Sakayanagi left with her classmates, moving away from the sports ground and indicating that she wouldn't allow her classmates to cause any more disturbances or investigations.

Despite their interesting encounter last year, neither dwelled on the past, each having their tasks to focus on. Yukio had some arrangements to make, while Sakayanagi needed to slowly reintegrate her class.

After agreeing to talk more later, the two parted ways.

Without Sakayanagi's class members causing trouble, Yukio calmly instructed his classmates. Those with good athletic abilities continued their training, aiming to excel at the sports festival.

Since the event required the majority of the class to participate, Yukio naturally had the option to compete in all events and score highly himself, but he didn't want to exhaust.

If others were willing to strive for good results, why should he compete with his subordinates?

As for the smaller group of students without outstanding athletic abilities, except for Shiina, he had them investigate the second-year Class A.

There was an unexpected boon here; Yukio's classmates weren't very familiar with the older students, but Kushida, the social butterfly, was well-acquainted with the upperclassmen.

With virtually all the necessary information at her disposal, Kushida's assistance made the surveillance of the second-year Class A by Yukio's students smoother, making him appreciate Kushida's usefulness.

Nagumo's lack of response to Yukio's investigation seemed like an act of self-confidence, as if saying, "Look all you want, you'll still lose at the sports festival."

This underestimation amused Yukio, who wondered if Nagumo could maintain such an attitude on the day of the sports festival. If the situation were reversed, Nagumo's expression would certainly be interesting.

Yukio looked forward to the sports festival.

As the entire school's students engaged in diligent training, time had advanced to late September. During the afternoon physical education classes, students on the sports field were training hard, sweating, and burning their irreplaceable youth away.

The setting sun's rosy hues illuminated the clouds, and the golden sunlight shone on their faces, casting a slightly tanned glow on their faces over the month. Even the occasional sweat droplets couldn't hide their spirited determination.

In Yukio's class, just after sprinting across the finish line, Kondo, panting heavily, wiped off his sweat: "It's not fast enough! Compared to the sprinters from other classes, I might still lose!"

Kaneda handed over water and a towel: "What are you talking about, Kondo? How many times have you run the 100 meters? How fast do you expect to run when you're out of energy?"

"Thanks," Kondo said, unceremoniously taking the towel, hastily wiping his head, and then, rather than drinking the mineral water, he boldly poured it over his head to cool off the heat engulfing his body.

Such a bold move left Kaneda, the academic achiever, stunned, wanting to remind him that if he was so hot, why not drink the water before using the towel to wipe off?

"Let Kondo push himself and try to break his limits," Komiya, also drenched in sweat from his long-distance running event, joined in. "This time, everyone is really putting their all into it, wanting to make Yukio-san proud."

"Some believe that pushing to the limit can break the limit. Let Kondo give it a try."

"I get that," Kaneda adjusted his glasses. "Even though I'm not competing due to physical reasons, I've been doing the background work. I came to deliver water and towels after finishing the investigation on the second-year Class A."

"Anyway, with all that Yukio-san has done, we can't just lie around, acting like dead weight, waiting for Yukio-san to carry us. We need to achieve something on our own."

After many events, the unity in Yukio's class had strengthened, and the camaraderie among the students deepened. Such scenes were not isolated incidents.

On the girls' side, although their training wasn't as intense as the boys', their physical stamina wasn't as robust either. They were all exhausted, managing to persevere solely because of the class's fighting spirit.

Ibuki was equally exhausted, having participated in many events, and was thoroughly drenched in sweat after an afternoon of training...

Nishino timely handed her a sports drink to replenish some energy.

Barely having the energy to speak, Ibuki nodded at Nishino and grabbed the bottle, gulping down half of it in one go. She wiped the corner of her mouth, turned to thank Nishino, but found that Nishino had already left to instruct other girls in the class, such as the correct posture for long jump and how to synchronize in a three-legged race.

Ibuki was astonished. Was this the same Nishino who was known as the solitary female wolf, just like her?

In Yukio's class, both Ibuki and Nishino were known for their athletic abilities but found it difficult to blend into the girls' circles, preferring to be loners.

While Ibuki could still mingle well within the top circles of Yukio's class, Nishino was the true lone wolf, not fitting into any circle.

Even during the special exam on the cruise ship, when Yukio asked the class to surrender their phones, it was Nishino who first stood up in protest.

Such a person was now earnestly teaching her classmates, who listened attentively and asked politely. Could this really be happening to Nishino? It even made Ibuki doubt her own eyes.

But no, there was no mistake. The class was indeed this unified.

Lost in thought, Ibuki slowly began to smile: "That's so like him."

The current version of Yukio's class had clearly made significant progress, a stark contrast to the class in April, with an incomparable sense of unity.

If the past class were to clash with the current one, it would be like tofu hitting a steel plate, instantly shattering.

"Can I take that as a compliment?" Yukio's voice came through.

Ibuki quickly turned around to see Yukio approaching with about a dozen middle-aged men in white robes: "Alright, this is the place."

Then, the staff got busy setting up tables, laying out rich ingredients, and setting up barbecue stands, leaving Ibuki utterly dumbfounded: "What's this, Yukio? What are you doing?"

"To console the class members busy with training," Yukio said, looking at the diligently training class members with a relieved smile, just like Ibuki. "After such hard training, a good meal as a reward isn't too much, right?"

***

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