Hikigaya sat tiredly on the chair, opened a can of MAX coffee, and took a sip. At this point in the competition, he was starting to feel a little exhausted. The women's obstacle course was underway, and two familiar faces from Class D were in the first group: Horikita Suzune and Himeno Yuki.
The two of them were quickly separated by two other girls. Horikita dropped to third place, while Himeno followed closely in fourth. It was hard to tell whether she was holding back on purpose.
Juke's performance was rather average, generally finishing between third and fifth place. But Hikigaya didn't think that was a problem.
If someone excels too much, people start to expect more. And when those expectations grow beyond what you can deliver, disappointment follows. To avoid disappointing others, those who are expected to succeed have to work even harder. This burden and responsibility fall solely on them. Meanwhile, those who impose those expectations take no responsibility for the pain they cause when they aren't met.
Hikigaya wouldn't criticize Juke's approach, nor would he expect more from her. She was doing her thing, and he respected that.
The first group of girls quickly moved across the balance beam. Horikita managed to catch up, closing the gap to second place. Himeno followed behind, staying close to the pack.
Hikigaya couldn't help but feel something was off. The two girls in the lead seemed familiar. They were often in the same group as Horikita, as if they were blocking her intentionally.
He hadn't paid much attention to Horikita's matches, only occasionally watching when he had free time. But if what he was thinking was true, it meant Class D's entry form had been leaked.
In the previous boys' horseback riding battle, Class A showed obvious signs of internal conflict, likely orchestrated by Sakayanagi. If she was focused on dealing with Katsuragi, there was no reason to target Class D's entries. That left only Class C.
But even that felt strange. The two girls in the lead were clearly good at sports. If Ryuuen from Class C knew Class D's entry form, why not avoid the stronger players instead of deliberately placing two skilled girls against Horikita?
Unless... Ryuuen had a bigger plan.
Hikigaya shook his head. These leaders all had their own schemes, and it had nothing to do with him or Class B. For him, it was just a show to watch.
At that moment, Horikita finally managed to overtake the girl in second place but kept glancing nervously over her shoulder. This slowed her down, allowing her pursuer to catch up. They collided and fell hard to the ground.
Juke, who had been trailing behind, took advantage of the situation and easily secured second place.
"Wow, that looks painful," Hikigaya muttered as he looked away, indifferent. "Serves her right."
Soon, the first group's race was over, and Juke returned to Class B with a dissatisfied look.
"You're so laid-back, drinking coffee like that. Why didn't you buy one for me?" Juke complained.
"Why should I buy one for you?" Hikigaya replied bluntly.
"Hmph, is it really okay for you to talk to me like this?" Juke teased as she plopped down beside him and snatched the can of MAX coffee from his hand. She took a sip and smiled. "Hey, not bad."
"I-I mean…" Hikigaya stammered, turning red as he realized her lips had touched the same spot he drank from. "It's easy for guys to misunderstand you when you do that. Could you be a little more polite?"
"No way. Only innocent boys like you would think that way." Juke smirked, her tone dripping with mockery. "You're seriously so pure, Hikigaya."
Hikigaya wanted to fire back with something harsh, but he held himself back. Juke was too quick-witted, and arguing with her would only lead to him being verbally cornered. He had to admit, he couldn't beat her in this kind of exchange.
"Why can't I talk to you like this?" Hikigaya grumbled, pulling another bottle of MAX coffee from his bag to change the subject.
"Oh~ I saw you paddling during the backstroke competition," Juke said disdainfully.
"So you saw that…" Hikigaya scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I was blocking someone anyway, so it didn't really matter."
"Such lame excuses. Ichinose and the others wouldn't accept that." Juke tapped Hikigaya's thigh and smirked. "If you know what's good for you, treat me to a meal as hush money!"
Hikigaya looked at the spot she had touched and replied dryly, "Congratulations on getting second place, by the way." The implication was clear: he knew she wasn't trying her best, either.
Juke's expression soured. "Wow, you really are shameless, threatening a girl like that."
"Good to see you understand." Hikigaya grinned proudly. "You thought I'd give in just because you're a girl? Keep dreaming."
"Fine." Juke let out a dramatic sigh. "Whatever. Just take me to Salia. It's not like I'm asking for something expensive."
"No, why should I treat you to dinner?" Hikigaya shot back. "There's literally no reason for me to do that."
"Forget it, then." Juke looked away, trying to hide her frustration.
Hikigaya continued to watch the matches indifferently. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. Why was Juke suddenly being so friendly with him? She had never acted this way before. Maybe her true nature was starting to show.
"It's not like there's anything interesting to watch anyway," Juke said, her tone still a bit pouty.
"Agreed…" Hikigaya replied. "Just a bunch of people trying to show off for no reason."
"Although, it's kind of funny when someone falls down like just now." Hikigaya chuckled.
"Oh, right. That girl Kinoshita from Class C kept calling out Horikita's name during the race. She was really trying hard," Juke mentioned.
"Who's Kinoshita?" Hikigaya asked, clueless.
"She's the one who fell with Horikita. You seriously need to pay more attention."
"Oh." Hikigaya looked over at Class C. Of course, Juke would know everyone's name.
"Speaking of weird things, Ryuuen let go during the tug-of-war on purpose. Made Class D fall flat on their faces."
"Classic Ryuuen," Hikigaya said, shaking his head. "He really loves to mess with people."
"But his tactics against Horikita are different from what he did to Sudou," Juke pointed out.
"What do you mean?"
"Ryuuen's call made Kinoshita fall along with Horikita. If you ask me, that was intentional. But why?"
"Maybe he's planning to threaten Horikita somehow." Hikigaya shrugged. "Whatever he's planning, it has nothing to do with us."
"Still… shouldn't we be cooperating with Class D? Or did Ichinose call that off?"
Hikigaya sighed. "Good question. But since Ichinose hasn't said anything about canceling the partnership, I guess it's still on."
"Yeah, but…" Juke frowned. "What's the point of cooperating with them if we're not even on the same page?"
"Exactly." Hikigaya couldn't help but feel frustrated. "What on earth are we even doing?"
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