The Odd One Out

Chapter 9.2 - So Close Yet So Far

Ken started off aggressively but Kito didn't back down. Ken tried to use his physical strength to push Kito in order to free up some space for a shot, but Kito wouldn't budge. Realizing it didn't work, Ken stayed cool, moved back the the three-point line, giving some space between him and Kito.

He charged at Kito who predicted that Ken would head straight for a lay up. However, Ken suddenly stopped his feet, much to Kito's surprise, and putting some distance between both of them.

He shot.

Ken's jumper was smooth. His form was clean, and the ball swished through the next.

"Yeah!"

"Let's go Sudou!!"

The score was 2-0 in Ken's advantage. Ken's first shot went in, making Class D erupt in cheers.

The match ended up with Ken winning with a score of 11-6. Class D won the first event.

"We won!"

"Victory!"

With that, Class D's morale was through the roof.

Straight after, it was time for the second event.

The second event was the English Test put forth by Class A. The winning will be the one the highest total score. The commanders are allowed to answer one question on behalf of one student. Each class had to pick 8 students.

Class D were already prepared. They had decided that for events with a large amount of participants, they won't hold back some of the gifted students. In other words, they will pick students who won't participate in Class D's certain events.

Satou, Karuizawa, Shinohara, Inogashira, Okitani, Minami, Sonoda, Ichihashi were chosen. Class D chose to sacrifice 8 students and chose to lose. In the end, it was an overwhelming victory for Class A, who finished with 651 whole Class D scored 443. Class A didn't even pick their most academically gifted students. This showed the simple difference between the two classes.

However, Class D expected to lose this event, they bet everything on their own events. They were betting on their luck.

The third event was the Typing Speed Test that Class D had proposed and chosen. The commanders were allowed to notify participants of one mistake they made during the test.

This test was strongly suited for those gifted in the skill, making it biased and subjective depending on the classes.

"Time for me to be the main protagonist," The Professor said as he was the one chosen to participate.

The Professor was chosen for Class D while Class A chose Yoshida Kenta.

The results were 90 points for Hideo and 83 points for Yoshida, cementing Class D's second win.

"Yeah!"

"Good job Professor!"

The class cheered as they secured a second win over Class A, making the score 2-1 in their favor.

The fourth event was the Mathematics Test put forward by Class D, requiring 4 students for 50 minutes with the same procedures as the English exam.

For this, Horikita, Yukimura, Kushida and Mii-chan were chosen, earning Class D a total of 356 points. However, Class A ended with an even more impressive 363 points, narrowing beating Class D. Arisu decided to intervene by answering one of the difficult questions which helped Class A in earning a few extra points. Hirata on the other hand couldn't help the participants as he himself couldn't answer the hard questions.

Getting beaten at their own event was a direct hit to Class D's morale. The score was now tied with two wins each.

The fifth event was Flash Mental Arithmetic, requiring 2 students for 30 minutes. This event was suggested by Class A, with the commanders being allowed to answer any one question.