After the hurdle race, the next event was the inversion contest, involving all the first-year boys. The rules were simple: knock down the opponent's flagpole, and the first team to capture two poles wins.
Hikigaya had never been interested in team competitions and pretty much gave up participating in such events during junior high school sports festivals. Still, the rules seemed straightforward enough. It felt like losing one person wouldn't make much of a difference.
Following Kanzaki and Shibata, Hikigaya joined up with Ryuuen and the rest of Class C.
"We, Class C, are attacking. You, Class B, do whatever you want."
Leaving those words behind, Ryuuen led his followers straight toward the White Group's camp, showing zero interest in teamwork.
"That guy, Ryuuen, seriously lacks any cooperative spirit," Hikigaya muttered.
"Feels like he doesn't take us seriously at all," one of the more athletic boys from Class B grumbled.
The sports festival was a golden opportunity for athletic students to show off. Most of them cared more about individual performance than anything else. Following Ryuuen's strategy meant Class B wouldn't get a chance to shine, which would probably hurt their individual rankings.
Hikigaya had a different perspective, though. Other classes might be striving to show off, but Class B seemed to be more focused on proving their worth as a group. Their frustrations were less about personal glory and more about how their team would be judged.
"You don't have to worry so much," Shibata said with a hearty smile. "I'm sure Ryuuen has some sort of plan. Plus, Class C has more athletic people than us. Letting them handle the attack might give us a better shot at winning."
"So, what are we supposed to do? Just stand here?" Watanabe asked, confused.
"That's not ideal," Shibata agreed before glancing over at Kanzaki.
Kanzaki scanned the surroundings and said, "Me, Shibata, Hikigaya, Watanabe, Hamaguchi, Beppu, Moriyama, and Nakanishi will keep an eye on things. If we see an opening, we attack. If not, we'll focus on defense. The rest of you, stay back and guard the flagpole."
"Sounds good. No objections, right?"
As the group confirmed their roles, Hikigaya just sighed, feeling out of place. Kanzaki's choices made sense — he picked people who seemed alert and good at adapting. As for Hikigaya, he had no say in the matter.
The first match kicked off with Class D leading the attack. Their red-haired powerhouse, Sudou, bulldozed through the field, plowing through three or four people at once. Hikigaya couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Against that level of strength, he'd get flattened in an instant.
Fortunately, Class C had their own muscle — a giant black-haired guy who seemed even stronger than Sudou, although his athleticism was far inferior. Hikigaya only just noticed there were foreigners in this school.
But that wasn't important. What mattered was that he didn't seem to be needed. Standing idly in the White Group's camp felt awkward, so he decided to find someone to spar with.
Lone wolves attract lone wolves.
It didn't take long for Hikigaya to find a target — a guy with a weird flying fish head hairstyle.
"You'll do," Hikigaya muttered to himself, approaching Ayanokouji. Their eyes met, and Hikigaya offered a slight smile, as if acknowledging the unspoken bond between loners.
He raised his hands and pushed forward gently. Ayanokouji raised his hands in response, giving a light push.
"Wait... What the hell?" Hikigaya stumbled back two steps, feeling confused.
It wasn't a powerful push, but there was something off. The reaction was too smooth, too calculated. This wasn't how a fellow loner was supposed to respond.
Could it be? Had he been wrong about Ayanokouji all along? Was this guy not a loner at all?
Feeling betrayed, Hikigaya scowled. "How dare you deceive me..."
Ayanokouji looked at him, puzzled. "What's your problem?"
Hikigaya sighed. Once you pick your opponent, it's hard to back out. So, he prepared to defend himself against this fake loner. Fortunately, the sound of a flagpole crashing down interrupted them.
Class C had won.
In the second round, Hikigaya decided to try his luck elsewhere. His "loner radar" clearly needed a tune-up. Ayanokouji was definitely a weirdo, but not the right kind of weirdo.
Scanning the crowd, Hikigaya's eyes landed on another guy — someone with lifeless eyes and thick, dark circles under them.
Now, this guy was a loner. A pro, even. His presence was so minimal it felt like he wasn't even there. If anyone ranked first in gloominess, it had to be this guy.
Hikigaya sneaked over to him, their eyes meeting with a mutual sense of recognition.
He reached out and gave a gentle push. The guy took a cautious step back, and they continued like this in awkward silence.
"You're... Onizuka, right? From Class D?" Hikigaya asked, carefully choosing his words.
"Yeah. What do you want?" Onizuka's voice was distant, like someone used to being ignored.
"I thought Ayanokouji was a fellow loner, but he's clearly a fraud."
"Ha. That guy's just pretending," Onizuka scoffed. "You can tell by the way he talks to girls — no stuttering, no honorifics. He's trying to hide his strength and draw attention to himself. It's pathetic."
Hikigaya felt a sting of envy. Onizuka's ability to observe others was impressive. Clearly, he had walked the path of the loner far longer than Hikigaya had.
The dust kicked up by Class C's diversion tactic filled the air, making everyone cough. Ryuuen and his lackeys were taking advantage of the chaos to stomp Sudou into the ground.
Hikigaya's eyes widened. "Uh... your classmate is getting trampled over there. Aren't you going to help him?"
"Nah." Onizuka shook his head and started shuffling away. "Let's move somewhere else. The dust is killing me."
Hikigaya couldn't believe how nonchalant Onizuka was. But then again, that was the true essence of a loner.
Looking back at Ayanokouji from a distance, Hikigaya thought to himself:
"That guy's definitely hiding something. No way is he a real loner."
Yet, compared to Onizuka, Hikigaya felt like an amateur.
Maybe he still had a lot to learn.
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