The third class practice session in preparation for the sports festival.

Minaki Suzu observed the other students gathered on the school grounds with cold eyes.

“…It seems the Houjou group has fallen apart. Sooner than I thought.”

Something was off about Houjou Noa’s group, who make up a third of the class.

Houjou Noa, the central figure, had been alone for a while now, and Shinonome Yukari, who was always by her side, was looking dejected and standing away from the group.

Gobai Miya, who usually gave instructions in a loud voice, was also quiet, and Sakura Sanae, the sports committee member, looked troubled.

The other members weren’t exchanging unnecessary chatter either, and a heavy atmosphere permeated the entire class as a result.

“Let’s rehearse one of the events with high point values.”

Only Isshiki Shizuku was behaving as usual.

Without seeming to notice the abnormality in the class, she calmly says while looking at the event list.

“Shooting is impossible, but I think we should practice hand-to-hand combat.”

“Ah, sure. Who will be the practice opponent?”

“…Well then.”

Isshiki Shizuku directed her gaze towards Gobai Miya.

However, Miya was looking away and showed no interest.

As Shizuku tilted her head in thought, Kurosaki Ren stepped forward.

“Then I’ll do it.”

She had a confident look on her face.

Ren is tall for a girl and has long limbs.

Shizuku made a reluctant expression.

“…There’s quite a difference in physique, are you sure?”

“I’m fine. There aren’t weight classes at the sports festival, right?”

When Suzu gave her approval, Kurosaki Ren laughed.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”

“…If you’re doing this, then hurry up and get into position.”

Suzu said that and stepped onto the track.

She lightly stretched her body while looking straight ahead. Ren was licking her lips.

Naturally, a circle began to form around the two of them.

“The basic rules are the same as the sports festival: you lose if you fall down. If you feel like you’re going to get hurt, stop immediately.”

Isshiki Shizuku stood between the two as the referee.

“Alright. Shorty, are you ready?”

“Anytime.”

Suzu didn’t change her expression and slowly raised her fists.

She was used to being looked down on.

“Then, begin!”

With the signal, Suzu kicked off the ground.

The hand-to-hand combat used by the Army and the Seikadan is a fighting style designed for real close-quarters combat.

Inevitably, its emphasis is not on strikes or kicks, but on throws and grappling techniques.

As soon as the match began, Suzu quickly closed the distance against Ren, who stepped back to create space.

“Hah!”

Ren’s kick, thrown as a feint, grazed Suzu’s shoulder.

She lowered her waist and slipped into close range.

“First strike.”

A light impact sound echoed, and Ren retreated.

Small murmurs rose from the surrounding crowd.

“…So you’ve been trained too?”

Ren, who had received a blow to the abdomen, distorted her expression in pain.

Suzu said nothing and simply kept her fists raised.

Silence continued for a moment as they measured the distance between them.

Having changed tactics due to being hit, Ren now closed the distance again.

As she tried to grab Suzu’s collar, Suzu once again swung her right arm.

“Hah!”

Immediately, Ren kicks backward with a spinning heel kick.

It was a kick that took advantage of the height difference, but there was a large opening.

Suzu immediately jumps in and delivers another blow to Ren’s stomach.

Ren groans. Another strike with her left hand.

“Damn it!”

Ren’s unsteady hand grabs Suzu’s collar.

She closes the distance further, driving her knee into Ren’s abdomen.

“Ugh.”

Ren’s hand releases Suzu’s collar.

Suzu, in turn, grabbed Ren by the collar and hooked her leg.

Ren loses her balance and falls backward onto her back.

“Ippon!”

Isshiki Shizuku immediately steps in between them.

Suzu brushes the dust off with both hands and looks around.

The entire class is silent, and no one even clapped.

“Are you alright?”

She calls out to Kurosaki Ren, who is lying on the ground.

“Shit…”

Her knee must have struck her in a bad spot when she fell, because Ren kept coughing.

She glared at Suzu with a resentful look in her eyes.

“You… intentionally focused on strikes, didn’t you?”

“Well, maybe. I’m short, so tackles aren’t my forte.”

Suzu says this and returns to Kaminari Nene and Aihara Yura, who were watching from afar.

“Su-Suzu-chan, amazing!”

“Yeah! Kurosaki-san also seemed like an experienced fighter!”

She gave a wry smile at the two, who were looking at her with sparkling eyes.

“She’s not an experienced fighter. She’s just a little accustomed to brawling.”

When she returns her gaze to Kurosaki Ren, she sees her getting up with Himura Ririka’s shoulder as support.

She is met with glaring looks from the four members of the Kurosaki group, but Suzu ignores them.

“There’s no need to be scared just because of how they look. If anything happens, tell me—I’ll handle it.”

“Y-You’re so cool…”

She glances around. She sees Toudou Mizuki approaching.

“Minaki-san, you were amazing. Did you take lessons?”

“W-well… yeah. A little, since I was young.”

Suzu suddenly breaks into a grin.

She puffs out her non-existent chest and looks proud.

“Too bad volleyball isn’t one of the events this year.”

Nene sighs regretfully.

“Then I’m counting on you for the final relay instead.”

“Y-Yes! I’ve done a lot of running practice too! I’ll do my best!”

Then Mizuki turns his gaze to Yura.

“Aihara-san, did you play any sports?”

“I only ever did skiing… I haven’t really participated in track and field.”

“Oh, are you from Hokkaido? Do you ski for gym class?”

“Well, it depends on the location within Hokkaido, but I think it was mostly skiing during the winter. In places where it doesn’t snow much, they focus on skating, apparently.”

Since she started spending time with Kaminari Nene, the number of times Suzu has interacted with Toudou Mizuki has increased.

Suzu quietly gazes at Mizuki’s profile.

In his rare appearance in a jersey, his slenderness is more noticeable than when he’s in uniform.

Especially the narrowness of his waist gives off a strange sexiness, and Suzu swallows audibly.

“Next, let’s try cavalry battles! Those who want to participate, come over here.”

Isshiki Shizuku calls out, and several students head into the track.

Suzu’s gaze remains fixed on Mizuki, drawn to him like a magnet.

And because of that, she noticed it—that Mizuki was concerned about Otonashi Nagi, who was standing alone at a distance.

After thinking for a moment, Suzu decided to speak to her herself.

“Did you do any sports in middle school, Otonashi?”

“…No, I wasn’t in any club.”

Mizuki shows an expression of relief.

Suzu confirms that her actions were correct and continues the conversation.

“Hmm. Well, just take it easy. We’re the lowest-ranked class anyway.”

“I don’t think I can contribute much either, so it’s okay! We’re comrades!”

Aihara Yura says encouragingly.

Suzu is unintentionally dumbfounded by her seemingly selfless attitude.

“I can’t do any exercise at all either. I’m counting on Nene-chan and Minaki-san to work hard.”

Mizuki shrugs his shoulders.

Suzu glances at Kaminari Nene.

Unlike Yura, Nene doesn’t show any sign of talking to Otonashi Nagi.

(Well, that’s how it’ll be.)

May was just around the corner.

That means the second gene donation is coming up.

For Kaminari Nene, who had been chosen as the assistant for the first round, Otonashi Nagi—whom Toudou Mizuki had begun to pay attention to—was an obvious threat.

With the Houjou group now in disarray, it was no longer impossible for Kaminari Nene to monopolize Toudou Mizuki.

“M-Mizuki-kun, can I sit over there?”

“Yeah.”

Nene stood up and sat right beside Mizuki. Then, without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him.

“A-Are you tired? M-Maybe I should be your chair! Just kidding!”

Suzu watched the way Nene’s ample chest was getting squashed against him with a bored, unimpressed look.

Then her eyes drifted toward Otonashi Nagi.

Despite Nagi’s quiet, modest appearance, the front of her jersey looked like it was about to burst open.

(…No way he’s choosing based on that, right?)

Feeling suddenly ridiculous, she turned her eyes toward the mock cavalry battle her classmates were rehearsing.

Kisaragi Hiyori, acting as one of the riders, was dominating the others with a visibly irritated expression.

“Sorry, I’m going to step out for a bit.”

Unexpectedly, Toudou Mizuki stands up.

Kaminari Nene, who had been hugging him, lets out a weak voice.

“Ah.”

Assuming he was just heading to the restroom, she responded without giving it much thought.

One of the horse formations crashed into another, collapsing with a loud impact as cheers rose around them.

“……”

Something felt off.

Most of the students participating in the cavalry battle belonged to Houjou Noa’s group. And yet—there were no cheers from Houjou Noa herself.

Suzu stood up and looked around.

Houjou Noa had disappeared from the track at some point.