Chapter 148 – I'm not the same person I used to be!

Once the pole-toppling competition results were announced, earning triple points in the sports festival, the scoreboard on the large screen in the stadium updated the rankings of the twelve classes.

The first place went to the third-year A class, where Horikita Manabu was, currently leading with 620 points. Yukio's class was hot on their heels in second place with 590 points, a very close margin.

In stark contrast, the last place was undeniably Nagumo's class, still marked by a glaring zero on the scoreboard.

As Yukio's class cheered while watching the scoreboard, a massive conflict erupted in the first-year D class on the opposite side.

Sudo, furious about his class's failure in defending their pole, couldn't help but vent: "I fought with everything I had, holding back four of them! How could you lose?!"

"Are you all useless? Can a handful of people from Yukio's class really knock down our pole? Did you even try?!"

"Is everyone just lazing around? Who was guarding the pole just now? Stand up and take a punch from me!"

Sudo's outburst was reminiscent of a gamer who, having held off four enemies on a flank, turns around to see his teammates wiped out by a solo opponent, resulting in a game-ending defeat. Anyone would explode in frustration at such a result.

But the thing is, communication between people can sometimes be so difficult. Maybe occasionally there can be mutual understanding, but most often, understanding each other is just wishful thinking.

Faced with Sudo's furious ranting, calling everyone useless and threatening to punch his classmates, the boys in D class, already bullied by Yukio's class, were not just going to take it lying down.

"Rather than leading the class to victory, you just wanted to show off yourself, right?!"

"Yeah! You charge in without thinking, get surrounded, and then turn around and blame us for not doing our part! How is that fair? If we had thought through the battle plan properly, maybe we could have won."

"Sudo, it's wrong to even think about hitting the teammates who were guarding the pole."

With his face contorted in anger from trying too hard, Sudo glared at his classmates: "Excuses, all just excuses. Dead tired, lost, and now you throw the blame on me instead of looking at your own faults?"

Perhaps it's the strength in numbers, or maybe it's because nobody wants to confront the crowd, but once the guys in D class realized they weren't alone in their frustration, why not join in the blame game?

Compared to admitting "we were broken through by Albert alone from the opposite side," it surely fits better for most that "Sudo's impulsive actions lost us the game," doesn't it?

With such a collective mindset, the blame resumed, and even the normally peaceable Hirata couldn't hold back the crowd: "What do you mean 'passing the buck'? Sudo-kun, why do you have to speak so harshly now?"

"Can't you reflect a little? If you hadn't charged forward and got surrounded by the people from Yukio's class, we could have had a chance to win. But because of your impulsiveness, you ruined our class's chance of victory."

"Fuck, fuck you all!" Sudo's eyes reddened, unable to accept this situation where he was being publicly blamed. He had exerted a lot of effort for the class during the sports festival.

But now, he was met with misunderstanding and unreasonable blame-shifting, which his hot temper couldn't stand.

"Whoever dares to spout nonsense again, I'll make sure they learn the taste of my fist!"

Just then, the girls from both classes came over, bringing water and towels for the boys who had just competed. They caught Sudo's roar.

Yukio's class enjoyed the show, eagerly watching. The girls from D class, unaware of what had happened, looked around bewildered, hoping someone would explain.

The boys from D class, initially frightened by Sudo's outburst, then remembered that their own girls were present. Driven by the typical adolescent boy's desire not to look bad in front of girls, they retorted even more fiercely: "What are you talking about? A guy who owes money and hasn't paid it back for half a term, what right does he have to act all brash?"

"Yeah, just because you're good at sports, do you think you can walk all over us? If we really counted it up, you're actually the dead weight during exams!"

"Enough, enough." Karuizawa frowned and clapped her hands, stepping between Sudo and the boys like the big sister of the class. "Everyone, cut it out. There's a rest period after the pole-toppling event, and if we don't go back soon, our lunches will go cold."

This was Karuizawa's small ambition. She had significant influence among the girls in her class, but because of her fierce style, she wasn't very popular with some of the boys.

In order to better support Yukio, she saw this as an opportunity to give both sides a way out and thereby extend her influence among the boys in her class.

Unfortunately, the timing and setting she chose were not right, and she misjudged Sudo's mood. Unaware that the hot-headed and sensitive Sudo would react so poorly to being called out on his debts and academic performance, Karuizawa inadvertently escalated the situation.

Seeing Karuizawa trying to play peacemaker was enough for Sudo. Unable to contain himself any longer, he surged forward, fists ready to vent his frustration: "The hell with it! Karuizawa, why are you playing nice now?! I've been sick of your act for a long time!"

Karuizawa's eyes widened in shock, realizing the situation was spiraling out of her control. Everyone was from the same class; didn't they just need a way to de-escalate? Why was Sudo lashing out physically now?

As the punch flew straight towards her, Karuizawa felt a twinge in her left side, a reminder of a past scar—bullying that had left both physical and psychological marks. Although the scar was healed and bandaged long ago, it still throbbed occasionally, as if eager to awaken her old fears.

"No again!" Karuizawa thought as she watched the fist coming towards her. The pain from the old wound was flaring up, but she was determined not to let it defeat her. She clenched her teeth and cried inside, "I'm not the same person I used to be!"

How could she just submit to this punch?

And as for the scar on her left side—if it really could, it should just tear open again, painful enough to burst its stitches. If not, it should just stay quiet.

In the past, the sight of someone approaching would scare her. The sight of a hand or a fist would drain her strength, leaving her feeling like a mere skeleton, vulnerable to everyone's torment.

But now, she had been reborn. There were people who cared about her, valued her!

And most importantly, that person was watching her right now.

She couldn't bear to disappoint Yukio, not in any way, not in front of him.

This was absolutely unacceptable.

With a resolve forged from deep within and fueled by her complex feelings for Yukio, Karuizawa overcame her fears and suppressed the nightmares of the past. She stared down the increasingly large fist, her heart pounding and her brain trembling, every instinct screaming at her to close her eyes and dodge—to react to the imminent threat as all humans do.

But Karuizawa didn't close her eyes. She didn't move her feet.

Instead, she forced her eyes to open as wide as possible, almost to the point of tears, and watched motionlessly as the fist grew larger in her vision. Just as it was about to smash into her face, she deftly dodged with a swift turn of her head.

The wind from the missed punch stung her ears.

"Sudo!"

"What are you doing!"

Reacting too late at first, the boys and girls of Class D could no longer sit idly by. They rushed over and separated the two, launching into a torrent of accusations against Sudo: "Pathetic! You're just too much! So violent!"

"You're nothing but trash! Why do we even have someone like you in our class!"

"If we had known what kind of person you were, we never would have pooled our points to help you!"

"No, it's not like that..." Sudo, having missed his punch, seemed to regain some sense. He looked bewildered, unsure of what to say to make things right.

Trapped without an easy way out, the situation became painfully awkward for him, and he was somewhat at fault for his own mess.

***

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