"Holy shit!"
At that moment, Albert's mind was filled with confusion. Earlier, he had easily pushed over a wooden pole, but now he struggled to move the second one.
The pole stood firm, as if welded to the ground.
In reality, it was Saiki Kusuo using his telekinesis.
Meanwhile, Katsuragi and the other Class A members were holding onto Albert, pushing him backward with all their might to keep him away from the pole.
Their efforts paid off, and even Albert's immense strength began to wane as he was gradually pushed in the opposite direction.
*"Albert's power isn't enough?"*
Ryūen's face showed a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected Albert to be at a disadvantage, especially after easily toppling the first pole.
*"But Katsuragi's team must be at their limit too. If we keep defending and take out their biggest threat, Sudō, we'll still win in the end!"*
Ryūen thought, then shouted for his teammates to focus on Sudō. Within seconds, a dozen more students blocked Sudō's path.
"You're not getting past us!"
Ryūen smirked, his eyes locked on Sudō.
"I'm feeling unstoppable right now!"
Sudō grinned back.
"I'm in the zone, like I've entered ZOOM or FLOW mode!"
*'Did he wander onto the wrong set?'*
Saiki Kusuo thought, his attention fixed on Sudō.
He'd been using his powers to assist Sudō, which required careful focus. One wrong move, and someone—or Sudō himself—would be sent flying.
Now, with Ryūen's group closing in, Saiki needed even more precision.
"We have to win this point!"
Sudō sprinted toward another pole, with Classes D and C in pursuit.
*'Let me give you a hand.'*
Saiki subtly used his telekinesis to guide Sudō's movements.
"This feels... like a god is helping me!"
Sudō's agility was unmatched, and he nearly broke free from Ryūen's encirclement with sharp stops and dashes.
*"This guy's physically impressive, but is he really this good?"*
Ryūen, already breathless, was furious. To him, Sudō was no different from an idiot—yet he couldn't beat him. Ryūen desperately wanted to crush Sudō.
Sudō sprinted, Ryūen's group in hot pursuit. Sudō dodged their attacks with incredible agility.
"Support Sudō!"
Hirata yelled, and other Class B boys rushed to help.
The spectators cheered wildly.
"This is amazing! I've never seen a match like this!"
"I didn't think Sudō was this agile! He's incredible!"
"He's great... but isn't this a pole-toppling contest? It's turned into a chase!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment after someone pointed that out.
"Damn it, is this guy a monkey?!"
Ryūen, gasping for air, looked exhausted.
*'Perfect. Use Sudō to win this. That way...'*
"Saiki, now's your chance! Go!"
Sudō shouted to Saiki.
*'Huh?'*
Saiki froze, then looked around. He was alone.
The field was split: Albert vs. Katsuragi on one side, and Sudō vs. Ryūen's group on the other. No one noticed Saiki, who was focused on his powers and unaware of his surroundings.
Sudō's chase had drawn all attention, giving Saiki a clear shot at the pole.
As Sudō yelled, everyone's eyes turned to Saiki.
*'Damn! I wanted to stay insignificant, but now I'm the center of attention. What do I do? I treated Sudō like a remote-controlled car and forgot my situation.'*
*'Should I fake a fall? No, that'd make my classmates hate me more than Dr. Saiki and Saru—Takagōji. I might get bullied. My desk would be filled with trash, and Ryūen would feel smug.'*
*'Looks like I have no choice...'*
Saiki knew his high school life would be over if he didn't topple the pole.
*"We're counting on you, Saiki!"*
*"What? There's someone there?"*
*'Isn't this a cliché from a sports anime?'*
Saiki smirked, walked to the pole, and thought, *'Everyone's trying hard, so I'll win this.'*
He pretended to struggle, then pushed the white team's pole over.
The red team won!
"Great job, Saiki!"
His teammates swarmed him.
"Kusuo... amazing..."
Sakura Airi watched, smiling.
"Nice work, Kusuo!"
Karuizawa added.
Saiki's face remained expressionless.
*'I won, but I'm not happy. I risked drawing more attention.'*
He glanced at Ryūen.
*"Damn it! How could we lose?!"*
Ryūen knelt, pounding the ground in frustration.
*'Cliché line, but when you cheat, you've already lost.'*
Saiki thought. Without his help, the red team would've lost, and many would've been hurt.
*"No way... I can't lose..."*
*'He tried to cheat, but why's he so shocked?'*
*"I had our pole reinforced yesterday! Even Albert couldn't move it! How did that skinny Saiki push it over?! It's impossible!"*
*'???'*
Saiki's mind filled with questions. He looked at the pole and saw reinforcement marks.
*'Damn, he cheated too?'*
*'If they find out I pushed a reinforced pole, I'm in trouble!'*
Saiki's mind raced. Ryūen approached the pole, confused.
At the last moment, Saiki used his restoration ability, erasing all reinforcement traces.
Ryūen reached the pole, stunned.
*"The reinforcement's gone?! How?!"*
*"I saw it reinforced yesterday!"*
*"Did they... replace our pole?!"*
Ryūen glared at Saiki and Yamauchi Haruki.
"You did this again, didn't you..."
Ryūen's veins bulged with anger.
"I'll destroy you, Yamauchi."
Yamauchi was oblivious to Ryūen's rage.
*"Damn, Saiki stole my moment! If it were me... I'd be the hero! Saiki's luck is annoying."*
*'Karma,'* Saiki thought.
"Sorry... My fault..."
Albert approached Ryūen, looking guilty—and terrified. He knew Ryūen would punish him for losing.
Albert was physically stronger, but Ryūen's relentless attacks terrified him. He felt Ryūen would keep coming, wearing him down.
"What happened, Albert?"
Ryūen's voice was sharp. He couldn't understand why Albert, who started strong, struggled later.
"I... just couldn't move the pole..."
"What?"
Ryūen's brow twitched. He called the teacher over.
"Check the red team's pole!"
He suspected the red team had tampered with it. The teacher pushed the pole, and it fell easily.
"It's fine."
"I see..."
Ryūen accepted it, though reluctantly.
*"No tampering... How? Albert couldn't move it... Did Albert betray me? No..."*
*"Or did Class A stop him? Why...?"*
Ryūen was baffled.
Among Saiki's teammates, Ayanokōji observed him.
*"Saiki stayed still the whole time. When Sudō drew attention, Saiki was in the perfect spot. He planned this?"*
*'I didn't think that much...'*
*"The red team should've lost, but Sudō exceeded my expectations. Saiki wanted the red team to win. Why?"*
*'I had no choice. I didn't want Ryūen to win.'*
Saiki replied in his mind.
Outside the field, a boy watched from afar: Horikita Manabu.
As a Class 3-A student, he was on Saiki's team.
"He saw both teams' tactics and stayed still on purpose. Everyone supported Sudō, but Saiki stayed put. It looks like luck, but he predicted this—Saiki Kusuo, right?"
Horikita adjusted his glasses, eyes on Saiki.
"Interesting."