"Horikita, about the events—I have a question."
Ike Kanji raised his hand.
"What is it?"
"We need seven events, but what about the rest of us?"
"Who's 'us'? What do you mean?"
Horikita asked.
Ike scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Well... the less skilled students... Those not good at sports or academics. If only a few elites compete, many of us won't participate, right?"
---
Ike Kanji mentioned that there were seven events in total for the upcoming exam, and many students might not even need to participate.
"Football requires eleven players, baseball nine, and rugby fifteen... We can't rule out the possibility of other events with even more participants," Horikita Suzune pointed out immediately.
"I understand you want to take it easy," she continued, "but being forced to do something you absolutely don't want to do can undoubtedly burden your mind. Not to mention, precious rest and vacation time might be taken up."
"That's not what I meant," Ike scratched his head. *Damn, Horikita saw through my laziness!*
"Also, some events' team sizes depend on the opponent's rules. For example, if they propose volleyball, which is usually six-on-six, but what if they introduce a rule where everyone rotates every ten minutes in a thirty-minute match? How would that turn out?"
Horikita continued, "Moreover, while the rule states each student can only participate in one event, that's based on the assumption that not everyone in the class has already participated. If the entire class has already taken part, there's a possibility everyone will have to join an event."
"True..." *That's why I became the commander—to prepare for such situations,* Saiki thought.
Even if his class had enough students, the opposing class could force more students to participate due to the rules. This meant that no matter how much he tried to stay under the radar, he might still be dragged into the exam.
And those events with large participant numbers were usually sports-related, which was a nightmare for Saiki. The last sports festival had already caused him enough trouble.
Not to mention, Saiki already had a reputation in the class for being athletically gifted. If a sports-related event came up, there was a high chance he'd be called to participate.
Considering all this, the commander role was relatively easier.
Horikita and the other students then discussed the exam events, but nothing concrete was decided yet. With almost a week left, they had plenty of time for more detailed discussions.
After the meeting, Horikita called Saiki and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka aside for a private discussion.
"Do you two have any ideas?" she asked, leaning against the wall and looking at them.
Ayanokōji glanced at Saiki, who didn't seem ready to speak, and shook his head.
"Let me share my thoughts then. I just asked Sudō Ken about his basketball skills, and he's extremely confident. He believes he can win in a 1v1 match, and that's not just bragging. Based on his performance in the sports festival and club activities, I think he's capable. However, there can only be one 1v1 event in the exam, so I'm leaning towards a 5v5 basketball game."
Horikita explained seriously.
Yesterday, while Saiki was at the meeting as the commander, Horikita had already discussed with the class and understood their strengths.
"But there's one issue I think we need to address first," she added.
"What's that?" Ayanokōji asked.
"It's about Hirata. If he stays like this, it's not good for our class," Horikita shook her head. "Not only that, this time even Takatouji might join us as support, but Hirata might not be able to contribute... Hirata is a crucial asset for our class. If he doesn't pull himself together, we'll lose a reliable fighter... But..."
Horikita paused, then shook her head again. "I don't know how to talk to Hirata or help him recover. Do you two have any good ideas?"
She then looked at Saiki.
*It's rare for Horikita to admit her shortcomings. A year ago, she would've probably just verbally pushed Hirata, which might've made things worse,* Ayanokōji thought, turning to Saiki. *Saiki has a power that can change people—a power I can't even compare to.*
"Maybe Saiki should talk to Hirata," Ayanokōji suggested slowly.
*Wait, why are you suddenly dumping this on me?* Saiki thought, but before he could respond, Horikita spoke up.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. You're probably more familiar with Hirata, right?"
"...Fine." Saiki sighed internally but nodded in agreement.
*Hirata was nice to me before, and I don't want to owe him. Plus, if this keeps up, the class atmosphere might worsen, and who knows what trouble that could cause.*
During the earlier class meeting, Hirata Yōsuke's abrupt departure had left the students feeling uneasy.
As a mediator and leader in the class, his sudden change in behavior left many students at a loss.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'll go ask the others about the exam events later," Horikita said.
....
After parting ways with the others, Saiki headed to the school park. Using his clairvoyance, he had already located Hirata.
Hirata was sitting on a park bench, staring blankly at the sky.
*I'm still the same as before—unable to protect anyone. I could only watch as my friend jumped off a building and became a vegetable,* Hirata thought. *Will I end up like that too? I'm not as good at fighting as Sudō or Ryūen, but not many can take a full-force punch. Even if I tried, no one could fight back... I thought that if I stood at the top, trampling everyone else, there'd be no more bullying. If conflicts arose, I'd intervene, punish both sides equally, and make them suffer... I'm no different from a bully.*
*In the end, all the students were reassigned to new classes, which is why I ended up in Class D... I don't want that to happen again.*
Hirata's mind was in turmoil, filled with painful memories.
Just then, Saiki sat down next to him.
*Saiki? What's he doing here? Did he come to talk to me like the others?* Hirata wondered, but Saiki didn't say anything.
Saiki was also conflicted.
*I agreed to talk to Hirata, but this isn't how I planned it.*
*I don't even know what to say to him... But I'll sit here and think for a bit.*
*I was planning to handle this when I went to sleep tonight, but if I don't talk to him in person, Horikita and Ayanokōji might notice something's off.*
*I'll just keep things as they are for now and figure out what to say.*
Saiki sat silently next to Hirata, doing nothing.
*Saiki... He's not saying anything... I thought he'd try to convince me like the others, but he's just sitting here... Maybe he understands me better than I thought,* Hirata reflected. *He's probably here to silently share my burden.*
*Saiki is such a kind person... I feel a bit guilty for putting him in this situation.*
*I didn't say anything...* Saiki was surprised by the turn of events and didn't know what to say.
*The one who was most hurt was Saiki. Yamauchi Haruki kept spreading rumors about him to protect himself.*
*Whether it was the sports festival or other exams, it was all thanks to Saiki's efforts... And here I am, feeling sorry for myself...*
*Saiki's staying silent because he's considering my feelings...*
"Saiki, I know why you're here..." Hirata finally spoke after a long silence. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I'm not fit to lead the class. No matter how hard I try, I couldn't even protect Yamauchi... You understand, right, Saiki? I'm done. I tried to protect someone by ruling through fear, and I know that was wrong..."
Saiki didn't know how to respond.
Hirata was usually cheerful and friendly, but Saiki was at a loss in this situation.
Hirata's emotional resilience was much lower than others.
"I... I know what you're thinking, Saiki. You're speechless about my actions, right? I know what I've done is unreasonable... But I don't know what to do anymore."
Before Saiki could respond, Hirata continued, "I'm lost right now..."
*How do I convince him? Being too direct might backfire.*
*Saiki's waiting for me to finish talking.*
*Saiki became the commander to protect the class. With A-Class as our opponent, we might lose a lot of precious protection points—equivalent to 20 million personal points. If I keep this up... Saiki's points will be wasted too.*
*If Hirata knew I just wanted to slack off... He probably wouldn't believe me.*
*Everyone's working hard, but I'm running away from reality... I'm letting everyone down...*
With that thought, Hirata looked up at Saiki. The darkness in his eyes had faded, replaced by a glimmer of light.
"Saiki, I understand now."
*What do you understand?*
"If I keep this up, our class won't move forward. I can't let the protection points you're sacrificing go to waste!"
Hirata stood up from the bench and nodded at Saiki. "Thank you, Saiki! Talking to you helped me realize my mistakes. I can't keep going like this."
*But... I didn't do anything...*
Saiki had merely sat next to Hirata, and through observing Saiki's usual actions, Hirata had achieved a form of "self-enlightenment."
Saiki was confused by the sudden resolution.
*Did the problem get solved without me doing anything?*
"It was my incompetence before... I kept shouting empty slogans despite knowing I couldn't do it..." Hirata's eyes welled up, but he wiped away the tears. "Thank you, Saiki!"
After thanking Saiki, Hirata returned to the dorm, leaving Saiki alone and bewildered in the wind.
*What just happened?*
...
That night, Saiki returned to the dorm and, after ensuring no one would disturb him, used his teleportation ability to travel a thousand miles to a hospital.
He hovered in the air, unseen under the cover of night.
Saiki's gaze shifted to a specific hospital room. His vision penetrated the glass, focusing on the bed inside.
The person lying there was Hirata's friend—a victim of bullying who had jumped off a building, resulting in brain death.
The family still cared for him, hoping for a miracle, but it was nearly impossible.
Unless... one had superpowers.
Saiki slowly approached the bed and reached for the hairpin on his head.
---