I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Even though Baoquan hasn't achieved any significant victories yet, his ability to suppress Albert and his two companions demonstrates that he is among the top performers in the second year.

There are probably no more than five people who could truly and overwhelmingly defeat Baoquan.

Because of his repeated setbacks in previous battles with the second-year students, Baoquan's prestige in Class D has plummeted. The only reason he can still maintain his position as the class leader is by using absolute violence to suppress those who disobey him or dare to resist him.

Although this approach made Baoquan even more disliked among his peers, he still managed to maintain order in Class D. However, Baoquan was also well aware that his high-pressure rule would eventually be overthrown by those people, who might even deliberately plot to force him to drop out of school.

Therefore, in order to consolidate his position, Baoquan has been looking for an opportunity to rebuild his prestige.

When the instructor first proposed the competition, Baoquan was very excited. In his opinion, as long as Tianyin didn't make a move, he would be fearless no matter who came from the second grade.

However, he felt that the probability of losing the competition was too high. No matter how outstanding his performance was, if the first-year students lost in the end, then his performance would be worthless. Therefore, Baoquan planned to give up the competition. However, he was persuaded by Hayasaka. Baoquan thought that Hayasaka's analysis made a lot of sense. With good luck, he might be able to catch the second-year students off guard.

In addition, Hayasaka also guaranteed that he could persuade Hiko to participate, which completely convinced Takarazumi. In Takarazumi's plan, he was sure that everything would go smoothly. As long as the first-year students could produce another tough character to win a game, even if they lost the last two games, it would still be a draw. It wouldn't be shameful to draw with the second-year students. In the end, Takarazumi chose to listen to Hayasaka and decided to take a gamble.

As a result, when Baoquan saw Tianyin start warming up, the painful memories he had experienced in the gymnasium immediately came back to haunt him, and this time Baoquan refused to go on the field no matter what.

Because Amane had already made a move against Nanase and Amasawa, Yagami judged that Amane knew about their actions and feared that Amane would take the opportunity to retaliate, so he directly chose to withdraw from the competition along with Takarazumi.

The argument between the first-year students was sparked by their withdrawal from the competition.

"Hey, what are you guys up to? The match is about to start in ten minutes, and you're going to withdraw now? Baoquan, didn't you just say that beating three or five second-year students was a piece of cake? Why are you acting like a coward now?"

Utsunomiya complained to Hosen, who stood to the side with his arms crossed, seemingly ready to watch the show.

If it were an ordinary person, being ridiculed in public like that would definitely make them furious. But Baoquan is a seasoned veteran. Having struggled in society, he knows better than anyone when to bully others and when to cower in fear. The prerequisite for saving face is having strength. Without strength, who will give you face?

When Baoquan saw that Tianyin was about to fight, he immediately judged that the first-year students were bound to lose. So no matter how much Utsunomiya mocked and ridiculed him, Baoquan remained unmoved, which infuriated Utsunomiya.

After realizing that Baoquan was determined to surrender, Utsunomiya could only place his hopes on Yagami. In his memory, Yagami had never had any conflicts with the second-year students, and Yagami had also gained some fame among the second-year students. Even if the other party were to attack, they wouldn't go too far. So, the reason why Yagami withdrew from the competition left Utsunomiya even more puzzled.

“I can understand that Baoquan is afraid to play because he’s scared of being beaten, but what’s wrong with you, Yagami? If I remember correctly, your physical abilities are second only to Miyako among the first-year students, right? If neither you nor Baoquan play, what will happen to our core players?”

The first-year students originally planned to use Masahiko as their trump card, with Iori as his replacement. If the opponent used Amane, they would use Masahiko to counter Amane. If the opponent didn't use Amane, it meant that the second-year students didn't value the competition too much, and the first-year students had no need to be the villains, so they would send Iori to the field.

However, the result was that Yagami and Takarazumi simply quit, and now, apart from A-level Masahiko and D-level Kuwahara Asami who have been confirmed, all the B-level and C-level personnel are suddenly vacant.

"I am Miyako Masahiko's substitute. If the second-year students send out Miyako Amane, it will definitely be Miyako Masahiko, who is the younger brother, who will face her. I can't replace Hosen as a B-level contestant. What else can I do if I don't withdraw from the competition?"

Yagami's reasons and motives were very valid, which caused Utsunomiya to fall silent right from the start. However, the most urgent task now was to quickly pick two capable first-year students to fill the gaps. Otherwise, if their roster hadn't been changed by the end of the match preparation time and the players didn't show up when roll call was called, they would most likely be judged to have lost. If the first collaboration among the first-year students ended in this way, Utsunomiya could hardly imagine what a terrible situation the first-year students would be in when the special exams actually started.

Hayasaka coldly observed everything that had just happened. She was quite speechless at Utsunomiya's behavior. The other party had clearly refused to participate, so what? Did Utsunomiya have the ability to persuade the other party to come back? If Utsunomiya had such eloquence, he wouldn't be stuck in Class C.

After inwardly despising Utsunomiya's behavior, Hayasaka began to seriously consider the personnel arrangements for the future.

The biggest advantage of first-year students is that although they lack a large number of top talents, they have a large number of well-rounded players. Finding someone with a B-level physical ability is not a big deal at all.

However, the problem is that there are simply too many well-rounded talents like this.

There are more than ten girls with physical abilities at level B, and more than twenty boys. On paper, their strength is in no way inferior to that of the second-year students. But that's the problem. Too many outstanding talents are restricted to level B, making it extremely difficult for Hayasaka to find a reliable person at level C.

Is Hayasaka-san having a headache over choosing a C-level participant?

A person who was both familiar and unfamiliar appeared in Hayasaka's field of vision. The reason for the familiarity was that, as a former member of the Miyako family's Shadow Aya, Hayasaka had already thoroughly investigated Ayakoji's information when she first came into contact with her, and even knew some of her plans.

However, none of these things can be discussed openly. In this school, Hayasaka, the female leader of Class 1-B, and Iwasaki Eri have never had any contact. Their relationship can be described as that of complete strangers. Yet, the other party deliberately came to her at this time, feigning concern for her in the matter of selecting people.

It was almost obvious what Iwasaki wanted to do.

After reviewing Iwasaki's information, Hayasaka made his own arrangements before the boring conversation could even begin.

“Yes, I was having a headache over who to choose next, but that worry disappeared when I saw Iwasaki-kun.”

"See me?"

Iwasaki looked at Hayasaka, who was standing in front of her with an arrogant attitude, completely bewildered. She had no idea what this class leader, with whom she usually had little contact, was planning to do.

"No doubt about it, it's you, Iwasaki-kun. From now on, you're a C-level contestant."

Hayasaka patted Iwasaki on the shoulder. A flash of disgust crossed Iwasaki's eyes, but he maintained his faint smile.

"So sudden? I wasn't prepared at all... Maybe you should consider someone else, Hayasaka-san..."

Seeing that Iwasaki was still trying to put on an act in front of her, Hayasaka didn't mind playing along. Hayasaka rested her chin on her finger as if she was thinking seriously.

Iwasaki panicked upon seeing this. Based on Iwasaki's judgment, Ayanokouji, with her C-level physical abilities, was most likely to be assigned to participate in this competition. That's why she decided to volunteer herself and become a contestant, hoping to create an excuse for normal contact between herself and Ayanokouji through a 'battle' with her.

That's it.

But she didn't expect that Hayasaka would immediately ask her to take the stage as if she were scrambling for a substitute. Iwasaki was just about to say a few polite words and then reluctantly accept Hayasaka's arrangement to participate, but it seemed that Hayasaka really had the idea of ​​replacing her, which made Iwasaki anxious.

If Hayasaka hadn't allowed her to compete from the beginning, that would have been one thing. But now that the other side has agreed, she's willing to give up the chance to fight Ayanokouji. Isn't that a problem with her thinking?

"Um... although I'm not fully prepared yet, since it's something you arranged, Hayasaka-san, I'll do my best to complete it!"

"Huh? Are you alright? Maybe Iwasaki-san shouldn't push herself. I'll find someone else."

"No, no, no, I'll go! I haven't made any contribution to the class since I came to this school. Please let me contribute my strength to the class this time!!"

With a determined gaze and a serious tone, Hayasaka almost fell for his tricks if she hadn't already known he wasn't a good person either.

"Hmm...then Iwasaki-san, I'll leave it to you."

"Please don't worry, Hayasaka-san!"

Having resolved Iwasaki's problem, the next step was to select the B-level contestants. Hayasaka, who was rapidly flipping through the list of first-year students with B-level physical abilities, suddenly stopped his hand on a certain student's file.

"I almost forgot, I myself have a B+ level physical ability, so I'll go on stage. Using only three or four tenths of my strength shouldn't cause any fatalities, right? Probably..."

Hayasaka looked at his hands with some uncertainty.

Unlike the other girls' fair and soft hands, Hayasaka's hands were a bit darker than the healthy wheat color. Her fingers were covered with unsightly calluses and countless tiny scars left by knife cuts. Because of this, when Hayasaka appeared as a gyaru (a type of female stunner), she was rumored to be the female boss of a certain middle school, which made the entire Class B class treat her with extra respect.

However, Hayasaka has an instinctive aversion to these hands. These hands are her glory as a shadow, but also the ugliest scars as a girl. So Hayasaka usually wears leather gloves to cover the scars on her hands so as not to frighten others.

"Haasaka."

Just as Hayasaka was lost in her past memories, Hiko's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Young Master Jiang Yan, is there anything you need?"

"You can call me Hiko or Miyako here. Um... I have something to discuss with you."

Hearing Masahiko use the word 'discuss', Hayasaka couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Given Jiang Yan's status, he would never use such gentle words with her. It's likely that Jiang Yan and she were discussing something related to Tianyin this time.

Only Tianyin could make Jiang Yan show such a shy expression.

"What do you want to discuss with me?"

"I hope to have a match with Sister Tianyin in this competition."

As Hayasaka had expected, the only person who could make Masahiko speak to her like a normal person was probably Amane. If it were any other time, Hayasaka would have agreed immediately, since she also wanted to see who was better, the real genius or the artificially cultivated imitation. However, the rules of this competition were not something that Hayasaka could arrange simply by saying that Masahiko and Amane could compete.

“I have no problem with that, but the rules of this competition stipulate that the order of appearance for the participants is predetermined. I can't guarantee that you, Jiang Yan, and Miss Tianyin will be opponents, unless…”

"unless?"

Originally, Masahiko was just trying his luck. He had already learned the rules, but he couldn't figure out how to make himself and Amane a 100% match. That's why he came to Hayasaka to see if Hayasaka had any ideas. To Masahiko's surprise, Hayasaka seemed to actually have a way to do this.

"Unless you, Yan, go to the second-year students' area and arrange with Miss Amane for a certain match."

"What kind of method is this? The second-year students will never agree to this."

Upon hearing this simple method, Jiang Yan instinctively refused. It was difficult to predict the outcome of his match against Tian Yin, but Tian Yin was certain to win a game, regardless of Jiang Yan's chances; this was a predetermined result.

It's unlikely that a second-year student would trade a sure-win game for a game with an unpredictable outcome without any benefit.

Second-year students aren't stupid.

"But... how do you know it won't work if you don't try? Besides, you already know this method now."

After Hayasaka finished speaking, he focused on checking his phone, seemingly not wanting to continue talking to Masahiko.

Masahiko knew that Hayasaka was right, but he still didn't believe that a second-year student would agree to such a request. However, with no other options, Masahiko had no choice but to try it as a last resort.

"Amane-kun, there's a first-year student named Miyako Masahiko who wants to see you."

Amane, who was enjoying Ichinose's shoulder massage, stood up with interest when she heard that Masahiko had come over. She wanted to hear what Masahiko had to say to her. Surely he wasn't coming over to say something stupid like that, like that he wanted to settle things with her.

"Hey~ Isn't this Jiang Yan? What are you doing here at this hour? Aren't you afraid your classmates will accuse you of being a traitor?"

Seeing that Tianyin was teasing him, Jiang Yan quickly shook his head.

"Sister Tianyin, please stop joking with me. There's not a day that they don't think I'm a traitor. But there's nothing we can do about it. Compared to those stupid guys, I'm definitely more inclined to side with Sister Tianyin here..."

Jiang Yan's words suddenly stopped. Regardless of how the first-year students would react if he continued, he couldn't express his invitation to compete with Tianyin with such a start.

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. You must have something to say to me, right? Let's get down to business. I'll make this clear from the start: even though Jiang Yan is my younger brother, I won't hold back if you stand against me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan took a deep breath. For him, issuing a challenge to his most beloved older sister required a bit of courage.

He knew better than anyone else that although Tianyin appeared to be very enthusiastic towards everyone, the real Tianyin was definitely not capable of such rich emotions or making such gentle expressions.

Even now, he still remembers Tianyin, who single-handedly knocked down all the thugs who bullied him, and that fearless, god-like figure who stood in front of him like a war god.

"Hey? Kid, are you alright?"

Despite her icy tone and rude words, which were completely unlike what one would expect from a young lady, Miyako Amane was undoubtedly a hero to Miyako Masahiko, who had been bullied for years.

Are they alright?

"You're injured like this, do you still have time to care about those scumbags? Even if you look at me with those pitiful eyes like a stray dog, I won't save them. It's already merciful for those weak fools who still try to inflict violence on others to disappear from this cruel world. It's much better than... falling into the hands of a pervert someday."

From that moment on, Jiang Yan knew that Tian Yin was definitely not a good person, but what could he do?

He's a good person, yet he gets bullied, while Tianyin, who seems like the real villain, has the power to easily save him.

The world is truly ironic.

Although Jiang Yan and Tian Yin didn't spend a very long time together, it was like feeding a pet—they would occasionally climb over the wall to check if he was still alive; it was a fragmented, free-range approach.

But that heroic figure remained forever etched in the heart of that weak boy who yearned for power.

……

"Sister Tianyin, please, you must promise to be with me—!!!"

Recalling Tianyin's figure gave Jiang Yan great courage and encouragement, but when he bent down to make a request to Tianyin, he realized a problem.

He didn't reveal his purpose at the beginning, which made the second-year students curious and gathered around to see just how strong this first-year 'Tianyin' really was.

As it turns out, Jiang Yan, who appears tough on others, is actually a severe social phobia sufferer. The reason he didn't attend the job fair at the stadium was because he wasn't comfortable with group activities. Now, surrounded by people, his invitation to others was immediately interrupted.

"Wait, tell me clearly what you came to see me for? If you confess your feelings, I'm calling the police."

"That's not how you feel, Big Sister! I just want to fight alongside you!"

"Huh? What are you doing fighting me for? Are you having another bout of chuunibyou? Besides, Jiang Yan, you're no match for me at all, are you?"

Tianyin's refusal was exactly what Jiang Yan had expected. It was just that his invitation was too abrupt. Everyone knew that Tianyin was basically guaranteed to win a game. And you, the leader of the first year, came here to challenge Tianyin to a one-on-one match.

Isn't this just plain crazy?

Who would have the time to skip a sure-win game and go and challenge you to a one-on-one duel?

It was unreasonable and illogical. Even if it wasn't for the sake of the grade's interests, Jiang Yan felt that Tian Yin would definitely not be willing to kill him, so it was expected that Tian Yin would refuse.

However, Tianyin's statement that he was no match for her aroused Jiang Yan's competitive spirit.

Since Amane and Sakayanagi moved to Kyoto, he has been subjected to even more rigorous training in accordance with Amane's original training methods. Although the group of experts who were responsible for training Amane were dismissed, Miyako Masatomi found many replacements to train Masatomi.

The purpose is to enable Jiang Yan to surpass Tian Yin one day.

"I want to defeat Sister Tianyin."

Jiang Yan earnestly uttered these words, which he only dared to say to Tian Yin in his dreams when he was a child.

"Oh? Are you serious, Masahiko?"

Tianyin also put away the playful expression on her face.

"I'm serious, so please, Tianyin-jie, give it your all in this competition and fight me! I've been looking forward to this day for ages..."

"I refuse."

"..."

Jiang Yan fell silent after being rejected again. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out why Tian Yin rejected him. Did she really not want to hurt him?

Hmm, given Tianyin's personality, that shouldn't be possible. So where is the problem?

"I told you, you are no match for me. If you don't believe me, Jiang Yan, you can try to attack me and see."

Upon hearing that Amane had asked Masahiko to make a move, Horikita immediately tried to stop Amane.

"Tianyin! You have absolutely no need to take any risks. If he wants to fight you, he can just draw lots by chance. Why bother talking to him so much?"