"Like I said! I will participate in all the voluntary events!" Sudo cried out in excitement as the class discussed what to do for the Sports Fest. Yuto sighed as he got up and hobbled his way to the door, catching everyone's attention in the room. "Where are you going, Kazuki-kun?" Hirata asked with a smile. "Outside," Yuto replied, his expression tinged with a hint of annoyance. "Feel free to continue the discussion. I'm indifferent to whatever decision you make."
As he said that, Yuto left the classroom without waiting for Hirata's response. "He may be good-looking, but that guy pisses me off at times!" Kei voiced her frustration, her arms crossed in irritation. Everyone nodded in agreement. Hirata gestured his hand in denial as he said, "I'm sure Kazuki-kun is just upset about us talking about sports while his leg is in that condition." The entire class suddenly had somber faces as Hirata said that.
Meanwhile, Yuto was waddling down the corridor, thinking aloud, "Man! I really can't stand such boring discussions!"
"Aren't we the same? Fufufu."
Yuto smiled as he looked at Arisu in front of him. "Ah, lolli-chan! What a coincidence!" Arisu looked at him with her usual smile. "Indeed," she paused as her gaze fell on Yuto's splint, then back to his eyes. "Care to join me for a chess match?"
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"Fufu... Your performance is as commendable as always, Rodent-kun~," Arisu remarked, her gaze fixed on the chessboard. Yuto chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I still lost, you know..."
"Not everyone is as skilled as me, but you, Rodent-kun, almost pushed me against the corner with nothing but your king. If it was anyone else, I'm confident that they would've lost," Arisu praised. Yuto simply nodded, rising from his seat. "I'll take my leave then." Arisu didn't reply; instead, she simply stared at him with a stoic face. Yuto's smile twitched as he asked, "Or would you like me to accompany you to the dorms, seeing your steed isn't here." Arisu cracked a smile as she replied, "I would like that very much."
Yuto and Arisu began to walk towards the dorms. Too quiet...' Yuto pondered, stealing a glance at Arisu. Eventually, he sighed, breaking the silence, "What's on your mind, Lolli-chan?"
"Took you long enough to ask, Rodent-kun," she remarked. She stopped walking and gazed at the sea to her right. "What did you do in the Island exam?" Yuto's eyes widened slightly for a millisecond before he returned to his stoic face. "Let's see, I fractured my leg, drank piña coladas while relaxing—"
"I've already perused the school records; you never left the island," Arisu interjected, her gaze lingering on the sunset. Yuto sighed audibly, mirroring her stance towards the horizon. "It's hardly fair being the acting chairman's daughter."
"I must say, I was quite shocked when I saw Class A lose more points than I anticipated," Arisu admitted, throwing a glance at Yuto, who in turn looked at her. "Hey, Lolli-chan. We are friends, aren't we? I would appreciate it if you don't tell this to anyone."
"Yes, of course," Arisu smirked. 'Eh? For real?' Yuto thought with an honest surprised reaction. However, Arisu didn't finish speaking, "Under a condition, that is." Yuto's shoulders dropped as he mumbled to himself, "That's more like it. This devil Lolli will see the end of me!" before looking at Arisu with a slight grimace. "What do you want?" Arisu started giggling, looking at Yuto's frown. "It's simple really. Since we are a team, don't hold back at the sports festival."
Yuto nodded, as things were somehow going in his favor. Since he had already showed his athleticism by hunting a shark with Koenji, it would be suspicious if he performed poorly. He had originally planned to sit out due to his 'injury', the Sports Fest was later than he anticipated. Besides, he didn't want to even go to school, limping for another day! 'Quite an easy task, really. I just have to match her expectations and not go over it.'
"Mind walking me to the dorm the whole way?" Arisu asked Yuto, who was in deep thought on how to avoid the attention he would get. "Rodent-kun?" Yuto's thoughts snapped, "Oh, sorry, I was admiring the sunset."
"I'll take your word for it."
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The next day at the gym.
"I pulled 82.4!" Sudo exclaimed with enthusiasm as he held the dynamometer. The boys erupted into applause, commending his impressive feat. Meanwhile, Yuto simply observed with keen interest, "Give it a go, Yuto," Sudo urged, thrusting the dynamometer into his hands. "Baka muscle head," Yuto stated, his expression betraying no emotion. A vein bulged on Sudo's temple as he thrust the device towards Yuto once more, his voice escalating, "Let's see your grip strength then!"
Yuto put on a smug face as he began to pull on the dynamometer. Yuto looked at it with a pale face. Sudo burst into laughter, "You didn't even get above 70!" Yuto's face flushed crimson as he launched into a tirade, "69.89 is essentially 70, you imbecile! Muscle head!" Sudo was still laughing, uneffected by Yuto's outburst. Ayanokoji sighed at their antics as he picked up the dynamometer, while the other boys kept their mouths shut as 69.89 was still greater than whatever they could achieve.
As Yuto excused himself to the bathroom, he wiped nothing on his nose as he thought with a smug look, 'Playing chess with that cunning Lolli truly honed my acting skills! Speaking of acting, I wonder what that two-faced bitch is plotting?' He looked over at Kushida chuckling along with a group of girls. 'I wonder why she betrayed the class? Why did she reveal that she was the VIP?'
He shrugged dismissively, 'Eh, I never paid much heed to her. I'll just ask Kiyo-chan later.'