Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 5: Chapter 13.3 - A Desirable Outcome

"Then let's go with that," Ryuuen shrugged without much discussion.

He agreed with Hirata's decision so readily which made us wonder if they're even planning to take this seriously. Class D was already one of the leading classes when it came to running competitions, but they're certainly the top class among the first-years when it came to physical strength.

"Alright, let's win this!" yelled Ken.

The strategy was straightforward and simple. We'll split the attacking and defending teams by class. We'll change roles only if we lose the round. Ryuuen and his class agreed to be the defenders for round one.

Shibata, Kanzaki, Beppu, and the other guys from Class C could be seen leading the fronts for the White Team's attacking group. Kitou, Hashimoto, Katsuragi, and the Class B folks were the ones assigned for defending. Their strategy was the same as ours, which made a lot of sense. None of us have directly cooperated because we were always on guard against each other. Half-baked strategies like these were the most effective considering the little time we have to prepare.

"Sudou-kun, I'll leave the attack to you. Please lead us," said Hirata.

Ken nodded before facing forward. 

"Let's do this, you bastards!"

"Ohh!"

Our class seemed hype about this. Class B had more athletic guys than us, but it didn't matter. None of them could beat Ken. We just have to try and attack. Ken will do the heavy lifting for us.

When the signal went off, Ken instantly charged ahead of us. 

According to the rules, the attacking sides of each team weren't allowed to make contact, so our forces just brushed past each other. Flagrant violence was obviously prohibited, so kicking or punching will be dealt with harsh punishments. However, the school would overlook a certain degree of roughhousing since actions like pushing or grabbing were expected in a competition like this.

"I'll pave the way for you guys! Attack!" Ken yelled.

Our forces began flowing in like an echelon of birds.

The battle was man-to-man for the most part, some of us were getting double-teamed or triple-teamed like Ken, but that means we could do the same to them. It didn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things, but Koenji's absence made our situation a bit more strenuous than it should've been.

"Get outta my way!"

"Move it!"

"Agh-!"

It was pure pandemonium, but even if my teammates' attention were away from me, I still needed to exert myself in some way to avoid getting scrutinized. Fortunately, I didn't have to create the situation for myself. Two students have already marked me since the beginning of the round.

"Yo, Ayanokouji. Our classmates look like they're having fun. Wanna join them?" Hashimoto asked.

Kitou Hayato was beside him, ready to receive whatever move I do.

"Did Sakayanagi put you guys up for this?" I responded with a question.

"That much is obvious, right? She's giving you an offer. Would you like to accept?"

"Offer?" I already knew what he meant, but I decided to play dumb.

"You, Hirata, and Sudou are key players for the Class A boys. Once you're gone, it will certainly benefit us. Kitou and I were tasked to remove one key player from this competition. Sakayanagi told us to pick whoever we wanted, so we chose you. She told us to give our target an offer. If you cooperate, things will be easier for you."