Chapter 210: Man and Horse as One
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 210: Man and Horse as One
The morning schedule had been a whirlwind.
Starting with group jump rope, we fought one battle after another through soccer and volleyball without a moment's rest.
Of course, due to protests from the other classes, I was barred from competing in the main rounds, but I trusted the remaining members to fight well.
After all, if our team’s strength were to plummet just because I was out, we couldn't have dreamed of winning in the first place.
And then, as always, came lunchtime.
"You know, it feels like it's been a while since this exact group had lunch together."
"Where did that come from?"
"Just felt like it needed to be said."
We were all gathered in a small group in the school's backyard, eating our lunch boxes.
In truth, the members of our lunch group were always changing.
The core, fixed members were Rika, Sasha, Karen, and the Class President.
I sometimes ate in the student council room, and Satoru, with his wide circle of friends, would tag along with all sorts of groups.
Ryuji usually ate with just Yaguchi, but it seemed Hattori had been following him around lately.
"By the way, Tojo, why do you always come to our class to eat? You don't have any friends in Class A?"
At Satoru's thoughtless question, Tojo shot him a look of disbelief.
"Do people normally ask that to someone's face?"
"It's not like we just met. What's the big deal?"
Tojo snorted and chewed on a piece of karaage.
"I just don't feel the need to get close to anyone other than you guys."
"Wow... Spoken like a true loner."
"Do you want to die?"
As Karen glared at him with sharp eyes, Satoru flinched and started whistling, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.
Thinking he was just asking for a beating, I turned to Ryuji next to me.
"So, Ryuji, what events are you in?"
"Me? I'm in the three-legged race and the centipede race, I guess?"
That was unexpected.
For Ryuji, who was probably the most athletic person in our class besides me, to be in so few events.
When I stared at him with a surprised look, Ryuji scratched the back of his head shyly.
"I don't really like being in the spotlight. It just draws unnecessary attention."
"That's a shame. If you had competed instead of me, our class's chances of winning would've gone up a lot."
「That's because our contractor is so shy.」
「Ryuji's always been like that.」
I heard the two ghosts following Ryuji chime in, but since there were normal people around who had no connection to the underworld, I had to do my best to pretend I hadn't heard them.
Just then, the Class President, who had been eating a rice ball, spoke up.
"More importantly, the first event this afternoon is the cavalry battle. Do you have any kind of strategy in mind?"
"A strategy?"
"Even if it's you, Yoo-Sung, if you get ganged up on by the other classes, you won't be safe... No, wait. My mistake."
The Class President corrected herself, as if she’d belatedly realized what a ridiculous assumption that was.
It was the right call, so I didn't point it out and let it slide.
"Anyway, the cavalry battle is worth a lot of points, so I'm counting on you. If you do well in this one, we can make up for most of the points we lost in the group jump rope."
"Got it. I'll give it my all."
I had my own problems to deal with, so I couldn't afford to go easy on the other classes.
When you need to be ruthless, you have to be ruthless.
After our conversation ended, I was about to go back to my lunch.
"......"
The others were staring at me and the Class President.
"What's wrong?"
I asked, puzzled. Rika spoke up on behalf of the group.
"Since when did you two get so close?"
"What?"
I looked at Rika, taken aback by the unexpected question.
The Class President seemed just as flustered, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose.
"What do you mean, 'since when'? We've always been close."
"For 'always being close,' you seem a lot more friendly with each other than before."
At Sasha's comment, Karen nodded in agreement.
"It's like that subtle distance between you two has disappeared, you know?"
It was unfair.
I could confidently say that I treated the Class President no differently than before.
"Ayase, say something."
When I nudged her, the Class President made a strange "Huh? Uhh?" sound before composing herself and speaking firmly.
"I know exactly what you're all thinking right now, and I can assure you, it's absolutely not like that."
The three of them fell silent.
After a moment, Sasha was the first to speak.
"True. There's no way our by-the-book class president would do something like that."
Rika clapped her hands.
"That's right~!"
Finally, Karen reflected on her own actions.
"I really need to fix this habit of suspecting people."
At last, the cheerful atmosphere returned.
Feeling a huge sense of relief, I was clutching my chest when Satoru casually remarked:
"What a player."
...Since my actions probably looked no different from a guy leading girls on, I couldn't think of a comeback.
*
Lunchtime flew by in a flash.
With our stomachs full and our morale recharged, it was time for the next match.
"So, with this, the members for our class's cavalry battle are all set, right?"
"That's right."
At Satoru's question, Ayase, who was leading the strategy meeting in front of the platform, put down the chalk.
Each class would field a total of three cavalry units.
With three teams from each of the eight classes, it was a battle royale with a total of twenty-four teams.
Each unit consisted of three male students acting as the "horse" and one female student as the "rider." The goal was to clash with enemy teams and snatch the opposing rider's headband.
It was a simple game where the last team standing would be the winner.
"Now, we need to decide on the most important role: the person who will ride on Yoo-Sung's back..."
Only girls could be riders.
So, if we were going to put someone up there, it had to be one of the stronger girls. In my mind, only one person came to mind as the strongest girl in our class.
"I nominate myself."
As expected, the first to raise her hand with confidence was Sasha.
The daughter of an active mafia boss and a Russian girl with the blood of her motherland.
In a way, putting her on my shoulders was as good as a guaranteed win.
But the person who raised her hand to challenge that notion was someone completely unexpected.
"How about me?"
"Nagasawa, now of all times?!"
The classroom suddenly buzzed with excitement.
And for good reason. Nagasawa Kanna, the ace of the volleyball team and an idol to countless female students, had suddenly thrown her hat in the ring.
They might have expected it from Sasha, since she and I were always together, but it seemed no one thought Nagasawa would volunteer.
With the two top physical monsters in the class stepping up as candidates, the other girls didn't dare raise their hands.
In terms of combat ability, Hattori the ninja was no slouch either, but she didn't seem particularly interested.
Standing in front of the blackboard, Ayase looked back and forth between the two with an intrigued expression.
"Is there any particular reason why you think you have to be the one?"
Sasha was the first to answer.
"I'm a black belt in martial arts. I've been training since I was a child, so I'm confident in my physical abilities. Just put me on Kim Yoo-Sung's shoulders, and I'll snatch all the headbands from the enemy riders."
It was a pretty convincing reason.
The other students were nodding along as they listened to Sasha's explanation.
But Nagasawa's counterargument was just as formidable.
"When it comes to physical ability, as an athlete, I'm no pushover either. And as you all know, the most advantageous physique for a cavalry battle is being tall, right? If I get on top of Kim Yoo-Sung, I can snatch headbands almost completely unopposed."
She had... a point!
Sasha was about 170 cm, so she was by no means short for a girl, but Nagasawa, the volleyball ace, was a towering 186 cm.
Add my current height of 190 cm, and if Nagasawa sat on my shoulders, it would theoretically create the ultimate cavalry unit.
The other students seemed to be picturing the same thing I was, their expressions showing they were quite tempted.
Sensing a crisis, Sasha quickly added,
"But I weigh less. Agile speed is also a crucial factor for gaining an advantage in a cavalry battle. If Nagasawa rides on Kim Yoo-Sung's shoulders, he'll be weighed down and his movements will become sluggish."
"Who are you calling heavy?!"
Even if she was treated like a prince, Nagasawa proved she was still a girl by flaring up at the mention of her weight.
But Sasha didn't back down an inch, her expression brazen.
"Isn't it obvious I'm lighter?"
"That's only because I'm taller!"
This was going to turn into a real fight if it wasn't handled carefully.
As the atmosphere grew tense, the Class President shouted, "That's enough!" and stepped in to mediate.
"This is getting us nowhere. It seems like either of you would be a strong choice, so if you can't decide, just settle it with rock-paper-scissors."
Sasha and Nagasawa stared into each other's eyes.
As everyone else watched with bated breath, the single-round match that would decide their fate began.
"Ready, set!"
"Rock, paper!"
""Scissors!""
The long-awaited winner was—
"блять! Я победила!"
The roaring daughter of Russia.
*
The rider agreement was dramatically settled.
As a result, three teams were formed.
The rider for the first cavalry unit was the Class President, who would act as the commander.
The rider for the second unit was Nagasawa. Though she had narrowly lost the competition, she was still a powerful dark horse.
And finally, the rider for the third cavalry unit was Sasha, the only daughter of Ivan, a living legend of the underworld and a God of Destruction.
A truly powerful teamfight composition of 2 damage dealers and 1 support.
"Kim Yoo-Sung, tell me if it's too hard."
Squeeze!
As I felt the soft press of her thighs on both my cheeks, I inwardly thought this was a pretty good deal, and I told her I would.
And then, the moment all twenty-four teams had entered the field—
Peeeeeeep!
The deadly battle royale of snatching and being snatched of headbands began.