Chapter 458: Using Saika's Beauty Trap
"Good job, everyone."
As the girls came off the field, Hachiman greeted them with towels and water.
Receiving the items he handed out, the girls' expressions softened.
"We did it. Now it's up to you," Yukino said.
Yui nodded in agreement. "That's right, Hikki, it's all on you now."
Even Saeko and Kotonoha chimed in with their encouragement.
Hearing their words, Hachiman's face lit up with a confident smile.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
He then opened a bottle of water for each of the girls and handed them over.
On the other side, seeing this, Yumiko and her team couldn't help but feel a bit envious. They knew that, as opponents, Hachiman wouldn't be offering them towels and water.
But would Hachiman care about such things? Picking up some towels and bottled water, he approached Yumiko and her group.
"Here, Yumiko. You guys worked hard too."
Seeing him offer the supplies, the girls couldn't help but feel happy.
After all, if a guy cares about you despite being opponents, isn't that something to be happy about?
Although Hachiman was their opponent, Yumiko couldn't help but say, "Do your best out there, don't embarrass me."
Hachiman smiled slightly at her words.
"Don't worry, I won't hold back."
With that, he returned to his team.
It was now time for the boys' competition.
The boys' event was the "Pole Push" suggested by Ebina. In her words, there was nothing more exciting than watching a bunch of boys fighting over a pole.
However, just as Ebina was about to broadcast her corruptive commentary, there was a loud "snap," and the sound cut off.
Back at the red team's camp, Hachiman saw a group of red team members huddled together, looking at something.
Curious, he made his way through the crowd and understood the situation.
Standing in the middle was a petite figure dressed in a black captain's outfit.
It was Saika.
According to the rules, the captains of each team had to be the club presidents of sports clubs. The white team's captain was Hayama, the soccer club president, while the red team's captain was Saika, who had just become the tennis club president.
Seeing Hachiman approaching, Saika's face lit up with a radiant smile, and he jogged over to his side.
"Hachiman, you're here!"
Watching Saika's almost girlish running style, Hachiman felt a bit strange but still greeted him, "Ah, Saika. Hello."
"Hello, Hachiman."
Saika's smile became even brighter at Hachiman's greeting, but then he seemed to grow a bit bashful.
"Hachiman, do you think I look weird in this outfit?"
Caught off guard by Saika's girlish demeanor, Hachiman was momentarily stunned. He quickly collected himself and shook his head.
"Not at all. I think it suits you perfectly, Saika. You look great."
"Really? That's wonderful."
Saika's smile grew even more radiant, and perhaps out of sheer happiness, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
Seeing Saika's captivating appearance, the surrounding team members were all smitten.
No wonder fans used to say that if Saika had been born a girl, there wouldn't be any competition for Yukino and Yui—Hachiman would have made his choice long ago. Even Hachiman, despite knowing better, felt a twinge of affection looking at Saika's current appearance, let alone the other team members.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded in the red team's camp: a group of boys smiling blissfully at another boy.
The few who remained unaffected, besides Saika himself, were Hachiman and Zaimokuza.
Hachiman was largely immune to Saika's charms, having experienced so much already. Zaimokuza, on the other hand, was a hardcore otaku who didn't find real-world girls appealing, let alone a boy like Saika. His dream was to marry a female voice actor to experience the feeling of having a 2D girlfriend.
Seeing the state of his teammates compared to the white team's members, who were all ready and raring to go, Hachiman couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.
After some consideration, Hachiman made a decision.
He decided that he and Zaimokuza would lead a group of ten boys to charge, while the rest would protect Saika, the commander, and their flagpole.
This Pole push or Bo-taoshi game involved fifty members on each side. If it weren't for the need to keep things reasonable, Hachiman believed he could take on fifty opponents by himself. However, to avoid shocking the spectators too much, he chose to include Zaimokuza and others in the charge.
The red team members had no objections to this plan. After the cultural festival, Hachiman had earned some respect. Once the charging team was selected, Hachiman and the others began their warm-up exercises, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Soon, Ebina's voice came over the loudspeakers.
"Alright, everyone. Up next is the highlight of this sports festival, the boys' 'Bo-taoshi' match. Let's introduce the commanders of both teams."
"First, the white team's commander, the soccer club captain, Hayato Hayama!"
Cheers erupted, particularly from the girls, as Hayato's charming looks and sunny disposition had made him quite popular among them.
Then it was Hachiman's turn.
"And for the red team, the commander is the tennis club captain, Saika Totsuka!"
Saika's name prompted a cheer as well, with both girls and boys joining in. With his adorable looks, it was no surprise Saika appealed to everyone.
With the introductions complete, it was time for the commanders' motivational speeches. While Hayato's speech was enthusiastic, Saika, encouraged by Hachiman, stepped forward a bit shyly.
"Um... everyone, I'm Saika Totsuka, the commander of the red team."
"Let's all do our best together and make sure we win!"
Saika's adorable smile accompanied these words.
Inspired by Saika's "charming" encouragement, the red team's spirits soared.
Seeing this, Zaimokuza gave Hachiman a thumbs-up.
"As expected of you, my friend. Using beauty to rally the troops!"
"Hey, as long as everyone's motivated, it's all good,"
Upon hearing this, Hachiman shrugged and then turned his gaze towards the opposing team, where Hayama and others were already poised and ready.
Just then, Yukino stood between the two sides, holding a starter pistol.
"Bang!"
With the gunshot, the match officially began.
The vanguard units of both sides charged forward directly.
Seeing this scene, Ebina, as the announcer, couldn't contain her excitement and spoke again.
"Alright, it's finally started! The highly anticipated Bo-taoshi match!"
"A contest purely among men, a battle of pole-pushing between men! Both sides entangled, attackers and defenders clear at a glance, robust bodies pushing and shoving against each other, heavy breathing... Ah!"
Just as Ebina was getting overly excited, another "bang" was heard, and then her voice cut off once more.
Unlike Hachiman's team, Hayama's white team had dispatched half of their members to charge.
Even though Zaimokuza could handle three opponents alone, some managed to break through to the rear. However, Hachiman had planned ahead, and a large number of defenders surged forward, blocking these intruders.
The two sides became entangled, each struggling against the other without clear dominance.
However, being in the red team's rear area and benefiting from numerical superiority, they quickly suppressed the charging members of the white team.
Unlike the others, Hachiman confidently strode towards the white team's flagpole.
However, Hayama swiftly led his team to block his path.
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