Chapter 30: Sports Fest.
Sports Festival Day
"Call me flash from today!" Yuto cried a loud while running on the 1st year 100m dash. He had genuine tears in his eyes. He didn't need to pretend to be anymore. Albert and Sudo, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively, looked stunned by Yuto's astonishing speed. "Damn, that guy," Sudo cursed, a smile playing on his lips as the race concluded. Yuto beamed as he waved to the crowd, his grin widening as he turned and shouted to a certain someone, "Hey brother! Are you proud of me?" Manabu turned his head around without saying anything. "eh?" Yuto crumbled to stone. Suddenly, Yuto felt a sharp sting to see Horikita pinching him on his thigh, "What do you think you're doing?" He hissed.
Yuto's body began to twitch as Horikita pinched him harder, "Suzune-chan! I-I was just calling b-brother!" he stammered, his voice strained. Horikita's grip tightened further, her gaze piercing. "Brother?" she questioned, her tone laced with skepticism. Finally releasing her hold, she continued, "I still need you at the sports festival. Consider yourself lucky." Yuto nodded, his face flushing crimson as he desperately repeated a mantra in his head, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, 'I am not a masochist. I am not a masochist. I am not a masochist...'
Yuto walked to the Class D tent to see a fuss going on, "What's happening here?" he asked. "Damn Koenji is lying about being sick!" Sudo shouted. "Well, whatever. I'll fill his rolls." Yuto said with a stoic face. The girls and Hirata looked at Yuto with appreciation to settle down the fight. Yuto walked up to Ayanokoji and asked, "What's on your mind?"
Nothing. But what happened to you? I thought you were trying not to stand out," Ayanokoji asked, to which Yuto gritted his teeth and eyed Class A's tent comically. "A sly lolli took my freedom away!" He spat. Ayanokoji looked up as he mumbled, "Freedom..."
"What?" Yuto asked with raised brows. "What is freedom to you, Yuto?" Ayanokoji asked with a stoic face. Suddenly, everything went silent. The cheers from the crowd. The loud microphone noises. Even the strong breeze was silent. Time seemed to flow slowly as Yuto turned to Ayanokoji, his demeanor composed, "To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing."
Ayanokoji's eyes widened a little as he asked with genuine interest. "Have you achieved freedom?" Winds tousled Yuto's long, chestnut hair as he looked forward with a somber expression.
"No."
"Why is that?"
Yuto's lips curved into a small, wistful smile. "I'll only be free when I discover who I truly am."
Ayanokoji also turned forward, the winds gently caressing his hair.
"I see."
Time began to flow normally again. Yuto turned to Ayanokoji with a huge grin, "Let's go, Kiyo-chan!" Ayanokoji nodded as he thought, 'Am I free..?'
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First-Year Boys : Topple the pole
"I don't like this," Yuto said aloud. Hirata showed a quizzical look as he asked in a voice tinged with concern, "What do you mean, Kazuki-kun? Are you sick perhaps?" Yuto shook his head as a cold sweat trickled down his temple. Yuto shook his head, a cold sweat forming on his temple. "I'm scared," he admitted, surprising both Hirata and Sudo with his vulnerability.
But Yuto wasn't finished. "I mean, all boys are going to fight over knocking down a pole! They are going to gather around a pole! Who knows if there are gay men surrounding that pole!? I don't want to be touched by men!" Yuto added, biting his fingernails as his body twitched with anxiety. Hirata was taken aback by Yuto's reasoning, his chuckle tinged with awkwardness.
"I am getting scared now, Yuto," Ayanokoji remarked with a straight face while trying to imitate Yuto by shivering. No one believed him.
Yuto suppressed his laugh but then got slapped on the back. Whirling around, he clenched his fist, "What the heck are you doing, Baka musclehead!" he exclaimed, feigning anger comedically. "That's what I should be asking you, dumbass! And stop calling me that!" Sudo spat as he mirrored Yuto's stance. "Now, now, let's not waste our energy. We still have a game to play," Hirata intervened, diffusing the tension.
Yuto nodded grudgingly as he stared daggers at Sudo, who subsequently did the same. It was then that the horn rang, "LET'S DO THIS!" Sudo exclaimed as he began rushing towards the enemy pole. 'Idiot...' Yuto thought as he saw Sudo getting surrounded by Class C goons. Yuto began walking with his hands in his pockets.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yuto looked around and sighed, "Hey Kake-chan, let me go and I will owe you a coffee."
Ryuen burst into laughter as the Class C members closed in around Yuto. "I'll take that as a no," Yuto muttered, receiving no response. "Do it now, Hirata!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the crowd momentarily towards Hirata.
Ryuen was the first to turn his attention back to Yuto, who was... gone?
"Oldest trick in the book! Hahahaha," Yuto laughed loudly as he neared the enemy pole. "Damn it!" Ryuen cursed as he commanded his goons to fall back. However, it was too late. Yuto began rushing straight into the crowd surrounding the pole, who all were concentrated at the front to stop Yuto.
In that instant, Yuto shifted his centre of gravity towards the left, catching the mass off guard with his sudden maneuver. A few attempted to veer left as well, but navigating the dense throng proved impossible, leaving the left side nearly barren.
Yuto simply nudged the pole with one hand, causing it to fall to the right. "Let's go!" Sudo shouted while the crowd cheered along. "Hey, Baka musclehead, you did nothing," Yuto hissed, still holding the grudge of being slapped on the back. Sudo simply laughed it off as Yuto thought, 'Changing for the better, eh...'
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[A/N: I am genuinly curious if the jokes in this chapter are funny. Your thoughts?]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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kreakerss Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Chapter 31: Sports fest : Building
"Look at that!" a girl voiced, grabbing the attention of Yuto and the others.
"Was it a collision?"
Yuto didn't say anything and began running towards Horikita while Sudo said, "I'll go get the first aid kit!"
Kneeling beside her, Yuto gently lifted Horikita by the shoulder. "Are you okay, Suzune?" he said in a worried tone. "I might have gotten a minor sprain, nothing much," she said while being supported by Yuto, who looked at Kinoshita, the girl who collided with Horikita, with a grimace.
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Horikita sat on a bench, looking down at her slightly swollen leg. She turned to her right to see Yuto bringing the first aid kit. He knelt on Horikita's level with a small smile as he sprayed a sterilizer. "I can do it myself," Horikita said with a tinge of pain due to the sterilizer. "I insist," Yuto replied calmly. Horikita nodded hesitantly.
Her attention inadvertently turned to Yuto. His azure eyes, focused on her leg, framed by long, attractive lashes. A single auburn bang fell across his forehead. These details, unnoticed before, became apparent now. 'Too close,' she thought as he continued to stare at Yuto.
"It's done!" Yuto announced softly, looking up at Horikita.
'Eh?'
A faint pink hue tinged Horikita's features as Yuto's face flushed slightly. Their prolonged gaze broke, and Horikita cleared her throat. "Thank you," she managed. Yuto snapped out of his reverie, rising with a warm smile. "My pleasure."
Horikita silently looked at her bandaged leg, but her attention was cut when Yuto sat down next to her. She looked at him and opened her mouth to speak but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Her thoughts were interrupted when Yuto spoke while looking up at the tent, "Don't push yourself."
Horikita leaned down as she said, "I'm surprised you aren't trying to stop me." Yuto shrugged while looking at Horikita, who in turn looked at him as well. "Telling you is futile. I know you better than anyone, even better than your brother, I dare say." Horikita was immediately going to oppose this but stopped, struck by Yuto's comforting smile, who added, "I just have to make sure to take care of you so that you don't hurt yourself even more."
Horikita's face turned red as her widened eyes gazed at Yuto's infectious smile. Her heart began pounding a bit faster as she continued to stare at him with an expressionless facade. She got up and began walking away. "I need to get ready for the piggybank joust. See you later," she said as she walked away, leaving a confused Yuto behind.
Ayanokoji, who saw all this, sighed as he thought, 'I really do wonder how he can be so dense with Horikita.' He then narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yuto, who was looking down at the ground with a smile and thought, 'So my timer has started, I see... Within this limited time, I need to make Kazuki Yuto my tool. This may be what people call 'a once in a lifetime' opportunity.'
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"I see that they all targeted you," Yuto said as he sat down next to Horikita, who looked grim, and unresponsive. Yuto let out an audible sigh as he relaxed his body.
There was silence.
Glancing sideways at Horikita, Yuto's grin broke through the quiet. "You owe me a nice cold ice coffee if I win the piggyback joust," he declared, teasingly. With that, he rose to his feet, ready to depart. A faint smile appeared on Horikita's lips as she muttered under her breath, "You're impossible, idiot...."
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"Tsk!" Ryuen gritted his teeth as he looked at Yuto smiling at the crowd. "Team Red may beat us at this rate," he muttered to himself but then grinned. "Looks like I have to crush Suzune after all..."
"Ahhhh! Arigato!!" Yuto exclaimed with delight as he grabbed the coffee can Horikita had beside her. Downing the contents eagerly, he glanced at Horikita, who observed him intently. "Want some?" he offered, holding out the can with a neutral expression.
Horikita blushed slightly as she declined, prompting a nod from Yuto. As she took a sip of water, Yuto changed the subject abruptly. "There's a traitor in our class," he stated matter-of-factly, causing Horikita to almost choke on the water by how random the statement was. "I know. It's Kushida-san, right? Ayanokoji-kun told me," she replied. Yuto nodded, rising to his feet.
"Anyway, I have urgent matters to attend to. We'll meet after lunch," he declared, waving a casual farewell before Horikita could respond—though she wasn't exactly eager to engage in small talk anyway. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she pondered, 'Why do I always rely on him and Ayanokoji...'
An hour or so passed... Horikita was still sitting in the same position, looking down. That's when she heard a voice.
"Oiii, Horikita-san!" Kushida yelled as she came running to the tents.
"Can I help you, Kushida-san?"
"You see, Kinoshita-san got hurt real bad!" Horikita's eyes widened momentarily as Kushida continued, "Now they want you to come to the nurse's office!"
"Very well."
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"So, who is the traitor anyway?" Kei asked Ayanokoji, who was eating his food.
"I'm afraid I can't tell."
"Eh?! How come?" Kei shouted.
Ayanokoji simply ignored the question as Hirata asked, "If you knew who the traitor was, then why did you submit the leaked submission form?"
Ayanokoji looked at Hirata with a 'what do you mean?' expression as he replied calmly, "We didn't, though." Kei immediately spat out her food as she snarled at Ayanokoji, "Then how the hell are we losing from the girls' side?!"
Ayanokoji looked at her with a deadpan tone as he said, "Two reasons."
Hirata and Kei looked at him intently as he continued, "Firstly, we didn't change anything from the girls' side so that the traitor didn't know we changed the boys' sets."
"So the traitor is a girl then?"
Ayanokoji ignored the question as he continued, "Secondly, the girls don't have a Yuto." Hirata chuckled softly, understanding Ayanokoji's point, while Kei scowled. "It's not our fault Horikita-san got injured!" she protested, feeling unfairly targeted. Ayanokoji simply nodded, which made Kei even more pissed!
"But then, did you change the sets randomly?" Kei asked knowing that the original sets were carefully optimized.
Ayanokoji shook his head. "No, we based our changes on Class C's leaked submission form," This time, Hirata was the one to spit his food as Kei started to choke on water.
"WAIT! There is a traitor in Class C?!" Kei was the first to respond.
"No, there are 6 traitors in Class C," Ayanokoji said in a straight voice, causing Kei and Hirata to look at him with a 'WTF' expression
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[A/N: If anyone is wondering who the 6 traitors are. 3 of them from the special annex and the 3 who bullied Kei.]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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kreakerss
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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