Chapter 143 – The second-year senior´s compromise
Seeing the outcome on the track, Yukio shook his head with a smile, thinking Nagumo was too foolish, not foreseeing anything at all?
He had prepared for every possible countermeasure, anticipating if the other side found their missing members or sought the school's intervention on how to respond. Yet, none of the prepared contingencies were needed.
Yukio decided to leave the shade tent, giving Ryuen a glance on his way out. Ryuen, looking somewhat sullen, gestured, "The fourth 100m dash is coming up."
"Got it," Yukio directed his attention to Albert and Ishizaki, who promptly stood to follow him, heading directly towards the second-year shade tents.
Ensuring Nagumo's class remained at the bottom was essential. Next, they needed to clear the path of those maliciously intending to obstruct, honoring the month of hard training by his classmates.
The shade tents for each grade were adjacent to each other, arranged according to class order, spanning across the edge of the sports field. Yukio's class was right at the fringe, with the second-year D class tent as their neighbor, very close by.
The second-year D class seniors were taken aback to see Yukio boldly entering their tent, deeming the first-year student too brave. This stemmed from their seniority culture, an unwritten rule where seniors dominate, and it's accepted for upperclassmen to bully their juniors.
This culture also protected personal interests, with seniors directly benefiting and juniors tolerating the abuse for a year, looking forward to passing it on to the newcomers the following year. Breaking this cycle would mean juniors suffered for nothing, unable to bully the next intake, an unacceptable scenario for many.
Thus, under a collective agreement, this bizarre culture of seniority flourished in schools.
But Yukio couldn't care less about such rules. With Ishizaki and Albert in tow, he entered with an imposing aura, scanning the room until his gaze met with a rugged-faced senior.
Over the month, aside from investigating the second-year A class, Nomura had also scoped out the other second-year classes. The rugged-faced male before them, looking more like a thug than a high schooler, was Asai, the representative of the second-year D class.
Asai, seemingly carrying the superiority of an upperclassman, remained seated upon Yukio's approach, hands in his pockets, occasionally rubbing himself.
Seeing the outcome on the track, Yukio shook his head with a smile, thinking Nagumo was too foolish, not foreseeing anything at all?
He had prepared for every possible countermeasure, anticipating if the other side found their missing members or sought the school's intervention on how to respond. Yet, none of the prepared contingencies were needed.
Yukio decided to leave the shade tent, giving Ryuen a glance on his way out. Ryuen, looking somewhat sullen, gestured, "It's my fourth 100m dash coming up."
"Got it," Yukio directed his attention to Albert and Ishizaki, who promptly stood to follow him, heading directly towards the second-year shade tents.
Ensuring Nagumo's class remained at the bottom was essential. Next, they needed to clear the path of those maliciously intending to obstruct, honoring the month of hard training by his classmates.
The shade tents for each grade were adjacent to each other, arranged according to class order, spanning across the edge of the sports field. Yukio's class was right at the fringe, with the second-year D class tent as their neighbor, very close by.
The second-year D class seniors were taken aback to see Yukio boldly entering their tent, deeming the first-year student too audacious. This stemmed from Sakurajima's seniority culture, an unwritten rule where seniors dominate, and it's accepted for upperclassmen to bully their juniors.
This culture also protected personal interests, with seniors directly benefiting and juniors tolerating the abuse for a year, looking forward to passing it on to the newcomers the following year. Breaking this cycle would mean juniors suffered for nothing, unable to bully the next intake, an unacceptable scenario for many.
Thus, under a collective agreement, this bizarre culture of seniority flourished in Sakurajima's schools.
But Yukio couldn't care less about such rules. With Ishizaki and Albert in tow, he entered with an imposing aura, scanning the room until his gaze met with a rugged-faced senior.
Over the month, aside from investigating the second-year A class, Nomura had also scoped out the other second-year classes. The rugged-faced male before them, looking more like a thug than a high schooler, was Asai, the representative of the second-year D class.
Asai, seemingly carrying the arrogance of an upperclassman, remained seated upon Yukio's approach, hands in his pockets, occasionally scratching himself.
Yukio couldn't help but think whether this senior Asai should consider purchasing some special shampoo or sulfur soap to properly wash away certain germs.
"Yukio, what brings you here?" With Nagumo targeting Yukio, Asai naturally recognized him, at least by appearance.
"I'm here to find someone." Yukio searched for the second-year student who had obstructed Oda during the first 100m dash. "There's someone from your class who interfered with our participant during the 100m dash. I'd like to personally thank them."
At these words, the students from the second-year D class immediately became tense, unable to hide their anxiety. Yukio's notorious methods were almost predictable to them. The missing students from Nagumo's class were likely attacked, hence their absence from the sports festival.
They guessed the attacks would result in injuries at most, as they couldn't imagine Yukio causing a serious accident within the school grounds. But injury, whether minor or severe, was something none of them wished to face. Who would willingly get hurt?
Moreover, the thought of Yukio's team lurking in unmonitored, shadowy corners ready to ambush them with a blunt instrument was genuinely terrifying.
No one dared to speak up, fearing Yukio's direct attention might bring retaliation. Even the student who had hindered Oda tried to blend in with his classmates, not daring to show his face, terrified of being recognized.
Do you think Yukio wouldn't dare to do it? It's a joke, considering so many from Nagumo's class were absent from the sports festival, a clear indication of Yukio's guts.
Asai had no choice. While others could hide, he, as the class representative, couldn't afford to back down. He had to stand up for his class, or he'd lose the ability to lead and unify them in the future.
Thus, Asai grimly stated, "Yukio, on the sports field, no one can control every moment. Our student was also pushed by others and accidentally blocked your class member."
"It was a misunderstanding. If you're particularly concerned about it, I, on his behalf, can offer an apology."
"A misunderstanding?" Yukio chose not to expose Asai's lies or argue further. Instead, he casually raised his hand and scratched his ear, "Ishizaki, make sure to note this down."
"This sports festival, every participating member from the second-year D class, I'd like to keep a tally, to see just how many 'misunderstandings' can occur."
"You!" Asai felt challenged by Yukio's insinuation, "Yukio! Are you threatening our class with violence?"
Asai didn't show extreme anger or force himself to remain calm; instead, he locked gazes with Yukio, like an experienced hunter setting a trap for his prey.
Yukio almost burst out laughing, "Pff, caught enough? Moving your hand in your pocket, do you really think no one noticed you were fiddling with your phone to record? Or is it genuinely uncomfortable? Should I let Ishizaki give it a scratch to relieve the discomfort?"
Asai's covert actions being suddenly exposed made him flush with embarrassment, and he couldn't maintain eye contact with Yukio, shifting his gaze away in a defeated manner.
In this moment, Asai felt an immense awkwardness. Those in the know would understand he was recording, while others might think he was bizarrely scratching an itch in public.
"Your eager expression for me to continue speaking, along with the unnatural movement of your hand in your pocket, do you think everyone else is blind?" Yukio realized why Asai was in the second-year D class.
Such conspicuous actions, lacking any subtlety, made it almost a mercy that his class wasn't ranked even lower.
"Enough!" Asai shouted angrily, interrupting Yukio's mockery. Unable to withstand further ridicule, he might have just walked away, "What do you really want?"
Hearing this, Yukio felt a sense of achievement, and casually gestured towards the track outside the tent, "Nothing much, just hoping everyone can enjoy the sports festival, compete fairly, without resorting to underhanded tactics."
Asai found these words nauseating. Yukio, who directly sabotaged participants, was now talking about fair competition and not engaging in scheming? Could he even believe his own words?
However, under Yukio's intimidation, many members from the second-year D class began to persuade their representative to just agree. No one wanted to be targeted by Yukio's class; the thought of being ambushed even while squatting was terrifying enough.
Besides, with Nagumo and Yukio, titans clashing within their grade, why should the second-year D class interfere? Even if they did, what substantial gain could they achieve? It was utterly unnecessary.
Considering the safety of his classmates, and perhaps his own safety as well, after a long hesitation, Asai nodded and compromised, agreeing to participate in the sports festival in a straightforward manner, steering clear of further involvement in this matter.
***
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