COTE : Backed By Black Technology System-Chapter 176 - : Ryuen : Kanda, Just Watch Me Take Care of Suzune!

If there was anyone who would invite Kanda Shuichi to Keyaki Mall Shopping Center for a meal out of sheer boredom, it was, of course, Ryuen Kakeru.

Unlike last time, when the invitation came through Shiina, this time, Ryuen personally extended the invite.

The restaurant was the same yakiniku place as before, but the difference was that this time, Ryuen hadn't touched a single piece of food before Kanda Shuichi arrived. He was waiting for Kanda to do the grilling.

Seeing how considerate Ryuen was, Kanda Shuichi suddenly felt a little bad about messing with him.

"I heard your Class D has been practicing really hard these past few days."

Ryuen dipped a piece of grilled meat into the sauce and casually fished for information.

"Yeah, I guess. Why? Are you getting scared?"

Kanda Shuichi quickly flipped the beef slices on the grill with the tongs.

"Scared? I thought I already told you—fear isn't in my dictionary."

"Then why are you here talking to me?"

Kanda Shuichi placed a piece of grilled beef on his plate and looked at Ryuen.

"I'm just here to announce my victory. I've already figured out how to crush Horikita Suzune. This sports festival will break her completely, both physically and mentally."

Hearing that, Kanda Shuichi paused slightly, the beef still held between his chopsticks.

"I think it's better to show some mercy when you can."

He backed down. That guy actually backed down!

Ryuen was pleased.

"What's the matter? Are you scared?"

Ryuen threw Kanda Shuichi's own words right back at him. If that wasn't karma, what was?

"Scared? My vocabulary is definitely richer than yours, and yeah, it includes the word 'scared.' But I'm really not worried about what you'll do to Horikita." Kanda Shuichi set down his chopsticks and looked Ryuen in the eye. "I was only giving you a heads-up because her brother's the student council president. But hey, if you don't appreciate the warning, that really hurts my feelings."

"Hmph. This is a fight between first-years. He has no right to step in." Ryuen stuffed another bite of beef into his mouth, chewing forcefully with a fearless grin. "But if he does want to get involved, I'll be more than happy to take him on too."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"After I'm done with Suzune, you're next." Ryuen picked up another slice of beef. "Of course, if you want to join me, I'd welcome you with open arms. Hiyori's been missing you these days, you know."

...Like hell she has. Shiina definitely doesn't know you're saying this.

Ryuen clearly wanted someone like Kanda Shuichi on his side—especially considering the guy had millions of private points.

"Well, if you really manage to take down Horikita Suzune, I might give it some thought."

Kanda Shuichi didn't shut the door completely. In fact, he made things even harder for Horikita with that comment.

"Hmph. I'll be looking forward to that day."

To be honest, if Ryuen didn't value Kanda Shuichi's skills, he probably would've already resorted to his usual dirty tricks—like straight-up violence.

But now, Ryuen wanted Kanda Shuichi as an ally. Beating Horikita was his way of showing strength, a display meant to win Kanda Shuichi over.

However, if Ryuen ever decided he couldn't get Kanda Shuichi on his side, he wouldn't hesitate to crush him by force. Sure, he'd regret it, but at the same time, he'd enjoy watching someone like Kanda Shuichi break under pressure.

If Kanda Shuichi knew what was going through Ryuen's head, he'd probably just sigh and think, *Yep, people really do have a dark side.*

After they finished eating, both of them went their separate ways. Ryuen headed deeper into the shopping street, while Kanda Shuichi stopped by the supermarket. He hadn't cooked for himself in weeks, so he figured it was time to make a proper meal and treat himself.

Days passed, and the students kept practicing for the sports festival. Finally, it was the last week before the big day.

That week, something more important than practice needed to be handled—deciding the order of participants for each event.

They had already made a rough plan earlier, but this time it was the final lineup. There was no room for sloppiness.

Today was the deadline, so they had to lock in the participants for every event.

As soon as Hirata stepped onto the podium, Kushida turned to the blackboard, chalk in hand, ready to write everything down.

"Alright, let's decide the final lineup for all events and matchups."

Over the past few days, Hirata had gathered tons of data on their classmates. His notebook was packed with details, including daily performance logs and even charts tracking each student's progress. It was about as detailed as it could get.

Then, Hirata calmly explained the best combinations they had agreed on, along with the optimal order for maximizing their chances of winning.

Kushida jotted everything down on the blackboard as he spoke.

Kanda Shuichi watched Kushida writing quickly on the blackboard, feeling a bit impressed. Her chalk handwriting was pretty neat, and she was writing at an impressive speed.

But after listing out more than ten events, her wrist must be sore. Serves her right for trying to show off!

After that, the students wrote down the events they were assigned to and their order.

No one had any objections to the final lineup. Everything went smoothly without any arguments.

Sudou's events were always first, and his partner was Ike. On the other hand, Kanda Shuichi's event was near the end, and his teammate was Miyake.

As for the recommended events, Sudou signed up for all of them, while the rest were gradually filled.

These events included the scavenger hunt, the mixed-gender three-legged race, the four-way tug-of-war, and the final 1,200-meter relay.

The 1,200-meter relay needed six runners—three boys and three girls.

Class D's lineup was Horikita Suzune, Onodera Kayano, Maezono Yuna, Miyake Akito, Hirata Yosuke, and Sato Ken.

Except for Maezono Yuna, whom Kanda Shuichi hadn't interacted with before, the rest were familiar faces.

Well, Onodera wasn't exactly a close friend, just someone he'd talked to a few times.

"—Alright, for the final leg of the 1,200-meter relay, can we agree on Sudou?"

"Of course! Leave it to me."

Sudou confidently patted his chest. As the fastest runner in the class, he felt it was his duty to secure a strong finish for the relay.

From a practical standpoint, this arrangement made perfect sense.

But not everyone was happy with the lineup.

One person, in particular, clearly didn't agree, though she tried to hide it.

Her expression, however, completely gave away her true feelings.

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