Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

After all, energy conservationists never do their best.

"But you did your best in the sports festival this time. Your individual competition points were quite impressive. I originally thought you would finish the sports festival in seventh place in every event."

"I was able to get such a good ranking only because I got a chance as a contestant. The other classes didn't send strong opponents to duel with me. Also, it would be very bad if I ended this sports festival with seventh place in every competition. I still need to make sure I won't be punished."

“Because the price is not expulsion, it feels like you would do that kind of behavior.”

Shibata answered thoughtfully.

"If you put it that way, it seems so..."

As if seeing that I was seriously considering the possibility of carrying out this action, Shibata hurriedly waved his hands in front of my eyes, signaling me to stop thinking about it.

"Don't take what I just said to heart. I was just complaining. Luo Jun is an indispensable fighting force in the class."

"I know. Although I don't think I have a strong sense of responsibility, I still have some responsibility for the class losing the game due to my absence."

After hearing my speech, Shibata slowly breathed a sigh of relief and covered his chest with a guilty look on his face.

"But then again, Shibata-kun took a really long time to deal with the 'nuclear explosion'. We almost all finished lunch before you came back. Are you okay?"

The topic I intentionally brought up made Shibata's body stiffen for a moment, but then he pretended nothing had happened and explained to me.

"Haha, this is probably because I ate chocolate on an empty stomach this morning. But it was just a small gulp, and now I'm fine."

"I see."

"Well... let's stop chatting here for now. I'm going to the designated area to eat first."

Shibata grabbed his lunch box, stood up and was about to walk out.

Although now is not the best time, getting a preventive shot in advance may have a better effect. In addition, if you don’t take the initiative, it is difficult to predict whether there will be similar opportunities in the future.

After some comparison, I made my own decision.

"...Shibata, can you still run?"

It was just a question, but it seemed to have magical power to freeze Shibata in place. For a moment, both of us seemed to be trapped in a forbidden time and space, until the summer breeze blew over, bringing with it the scorching heat.

"Of course it is certain—"

"Although I can't empathize with you, your body can't hold on any longer."

"I finished the [200m race] not long ago, but I still——"

"If I'm not mistaken, you just went to the school infirmary instead of the bathroom, and your stomachache was actually a lie, right?"

Shibata, who was interrupted by me twice in a row, also realized that I might know the truth, so he slowly turned around under my gaze.

"The scrapes on the calves may be easy to deal with, but the wounds on the back and waist are a bit unbearable."

As I said this, I pointed out the location of the wound with my hand, and this action immediately made it clear to Shibata that I knew the fact.

".............When did Luo know about this?"

"During the horseback battle, when you were thrown off your horse by Katsuragi's attack, I saw that you had a large area wrapped in gauze, and blood was oozing out of it. In addition, the pain on your face at that time was more than just the pain of a collision."

In fact I discovered it earlier.

Although it was a little hard to detect, I could still see the small red patches on the sports jacket that were different from the bright red. In a hurdle race, if someone falls in the same way as Shibata, the wound will not be as simple as the calf, at least the side and back will not be let off so easily.

"..........Sure enough, it was easy to be exposed at that time. I thought I had escaped..."

After saying this, Shibata looked around to make sure there were no other classmates around, then lifted up his sports shirt. He replaced the bandage with a new one, wrapping it around his waist and continuing to cover it upwards to secure it.

Of course, we cannot rule out the fact that there were injuries there as well.

"Was it also during the hurdle race that you got hurt?"

"Yes, it was at that time, but it was just covered by the bright red of the sports jacket. In fact, the shorts underneath were stained with a lot of blood. After that, I went to the temporary infirmary for a simple treatment, changed into a short shirt and came back."

"I'm surprised you managed to hold on for so long and act like nothing happened."

"I'm also surprised that Luo Jun was able to guess that I just went to the infirmary."

"........So how is your injury now?"

At this point, Shibata couldn't help but smile bitterly.

“In fact, the injury in the hurdle race was not a big deal. The staff at the temporary medical clinic treated me and said, ‘You just need to be careful and you should be able to continue the race.’ I thought I would be fine as long as I kept doing it, but something unexpected happened later.”

"The falling down in the pole-fighting and the jousting?"

"No, that's not the most fatal. The most critical moment is during the tug-of-war game."

"...Why a tug-of-war? Although the opponent suddenly let go in the second round and we fell to the ground, the degree of our fall was no less than your fall during the horse battle."

"It may look like that, but actually, before I fell to the ground in the second round of the tug-of-war game, I was hit by something hard, and the location was right in the middle of the wound, and the bleeding that had stopped originally broke out again........."

Shibata stopped talking here and did not continue to explain his situation, but there was much more I needed to know.

"You haven't explained clearly yet, what will be the cost if you continue to exercise with your current body?"

After hearing my next sentence, Shibata fell silent for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief.

"Luo Jun, you are really... unexpectedly perceptive."

"If it were anyone else, your words would be noticed. I won't tell anyone how serious your injuries are, but at least you have to let me know the truth."

After hesitating for a while, Shibata finally told me the conclusion he had just received from the school doctor, and this worst-case scenario was also within my expectations.

"............If I continue to exercise, the injury may not only affect me now, but may also cause lifelong problems."

For this reason, I remained silent for a while before continuing to speak.

"...Even so, are you still going to participate in the following recommended competitions? Not to mention the huge amount of exercise you will have to do in all four events, even if it's a tug-of-war, you should know that it will further aggravate your wounds."

Tug of war is a competitive sport that absolutely requires the strength of the waist.

"Even so, I want to continue to fight for the class. I can't let the fact that I was injured drag down all the students in the class. Besides... Luo Jun probably knows," Shibata paused, "about the leak of our class's entry list."

"........."

"Although Class Leader Ichinose didn't explain this to us directly, most of the students in the class have begun to guess this way. Also, my failure in ranking is my own problem, but I still can't help but think of external factors to excuse myself. As a loser, I am more or less aware of this."

"So can you please tell me... Is there a traitor in our A class who leaked our class's entry list?"

"........."

I cannot respond to Shibata's question, not only because the truth of the matter is ambiguous, but also because Ichinose has not told me this. Now all I can do in this regard is endless suspicion.

"You're not going to answer? That's how it is, isn't it?"

Shibata gave a wry smile, and I knew I couldn't remain silent like this.

"No, Ichinose didn't tell me the truth, and I don't know if there is a traitor in the class."

"Is that so...?" Shibata nodded in relief, and did not delve into the truthfulness of my words, but continued talking to himself.

"I know that my abilities are not strong, and my academic performance is only mediocre. I also cannot think of strategies to deal with difficulties like Class Leader Ichinose and Kanzaki. The only thing I can show off is my athletic ability."

"If I can't contribute to the class in this regard, then I really don't know where my value lies."

..........

What a touching speech. For the overall benefit of the class, even if it means sacrificing one's own life, it doesn't matter. It's hard for me to do that, but...

"But compared to a temporary victory, what will happen to your life in the future? It's fine to sacrifice personal interests for the sake of the overall situation, but your current behavior is destroying your future. In addition, if you work hard but don't get the results you want, isn't that more embarrassing?"

"but--"

Not far away, I saw that Ichinose had finished discussing with Hirata-san. It seemed that they had reached their own conclusions, so I also needed to solve the problem as soon as possible. So I interrupted Shibata's speech.

"I am just stating my point of view. You don't need to refute anything. Like I said before, I will not tell anyone about your injury. Whether Shibata participates in the recommended competition is entirely up to you. I will not interfere."

"But I still hope you can consider your personal safety. Even if we lose this sports festival, we won't suffer too much punishment, and we can also excuse our failure. If you get injured, we may lose the strength of a general in future mobile battles. I think the gain is not worth the loss. If it's Shibata-san, everyone will understand your physical inconvenience. In addition........."

"Since you know the limits of your abilities, you only need to do your best and leave the rest to us. Sometimes relying on others is also a kind of ability."

“Is relying on others also a form of ability?”

Chapter 170: Level I emergency triggered by [Borrowed Objects Race] - Opposite Sex

"Shibata-kun, are you okay?"

Ichinose and Kanzaki, who had just finished their meeting with the D class leader, had already arrived at their camp, and this greeting interrupted Shibata's thinking on the key issue. However, there was no loss for either of us, and I was not in a hurry. The rest would be left to time.

Shibata didn't respond immediately to Ichinose's first greeting. When he came to his senses, he turned his attention to me.

I knew what he wanted to confirm, so I shook my head, citing the excuse of stretching my sore neck.

"It's much better already.....Have the others finished eating? I was thinking of joining you now."

"Well, we've finished eating, but Asako and the others are still here. If Shibata-kun goes over now, it should still be in time... Just now I saw you and Luo-kun were having a great time chatting. Were you talking about some interesting topic?"

Ichinose took a step forward, looking back and forth between the two of us.

Judging from her current behavior, it seems that she has decided to hide the suspicion that there might be a traitor among us from the students in the class.

However, now is indeed not the time to let the truth come to light. Various suspicions and disputes about the previous exams are still flying among the first-year students. No one can make a promise until everything is clear.

Now we can only accept the reality as a matter of course. Even if it is a hidden danger or a disaster, we can only understand its full picture after it is detonated.

I would like to delay the current situation until the class's deficiencies are addressed to a level that is socially acceptable, which is the minimum requirement for the group.

However, in such a class, under such circumstances, can I really continue to do so calmly until the compensation comes?

Chaos can give birth to a new order, but I have no way of knowing whether it will be the result I want.

So instead of waiting for the unknown, I might as well treat the answer as an inevitable no, and then all I have to do next is to detonate it in advance.

The price of detonation is the sacrifice of one person.

"It's not an interesting topic, just about the arrangements for the next recommended competition at the sports festival."

"Recommended competition arrangement? What on earth is this......"

Ichinose gave a puzzled look, and Kanzaki beside him also frowned slightly in confusion.

I expected Shibata to find an excuse to get out of the discussion, but I didn't expect it to be so close to a straight ball. Is it appropriate to use the "darkness under the lamp" tactic in the current situation? Do you have your own unique insights?

"Ah, I was just casually asking about Luo Jun's [Borrowed Objects Race Walking] competition team, which group is he in? There's not much time left, so I'm going to have lunch first."

Shibata pretended to be nonchalant and raised the lunch box in his hand, but this action made me feel cold. Even if he told me some interesting things in the sports festival, it would be better than this excuse.

Just like that, Shibata left the pavilion of Class A's camp under our suspicious gazes, and after Shibata left, I was also greeted with questioning looks from Ichinose and Kanzaki.

"........Did Luo-kun tell Shibata-san about the traitor in the class?"

Ichinose asked the question first before Kanzaki, and I knew that if I didn't answer properly, the consequences would be disastrous, so I had to tell the truth.

"No, I just greeted Shibata-san and asked him how he was doing... Then Shibata told me about the leak of the entry form..."

"...Did Shibata-san realize this himself?"

"Yeah. Because he wasn't sure, and thought that I, who was following Ichinose, might know something, he wanted to find out the whole story from me. And judging from what Shibata said, other students in the class are also about to realize this, although Shibata doesn't seem to intend to make this guess clear to others........."

"........."

"Of course, I didn't give Shibata-san an accurate reply. I just said that Ichinose didn't tell me the details of the matter."

"I see........." After listening to my description, Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, and then gave me another instruction.

"If possible, I hope Luo Jun please don't tell anyone about this for the time being. At least wait until the sports festival is over."

"Ah, I didn't plan to do that... But speaking of that, has the matter of 'there is a traitor in the class who leaked the competition form' been confirmed? Are there any other possibilities?"

Ichinose glanced at Kanzaki beside him, hesitated for a moment, and finally gave a bitter smile.

"It has not been confirmed yet. Although there are other possibilities, this possibility is the most likely right now... I also hope that it was caused by other unexpected reasons."

"I see... If you need any help -"

"You seem to be discussing something quite interesting. May I join in?"

Just when I was about to ask about Ichinose and Kanzaki's next battle plan, Ryuen suddenly appeared at the edge of our camp's pergola. To say "suddenly" might be a bit of an exaggeration, after all, he walked up to us openly and even kindly informed us of his arrival.

He always likes to provoke and stimulate others. Although this method is a representative product of low-level despicable people, the fact that it has been passed down to this day shows its practicality. Ordinary students may be stimulated by this, but it is also one of the common ways to test whether a student has leadership ability.

"Ryuen-san, this is not Class C's camp."

"Do you think I don't know about this? Don't underestimate me."

Ever since this person appeared in my sight, he has continued to represent the word "fearless". This is a little hard for me to imagine, after all, constantly making expressions is quite tiring.

"Then you should know that we can't let you join in our class discussions."