Until the sports festival, other than deciding the participants of the contests, there are a mountain load of other things that need to be done. Preparations that need to be done to ensure the sports festival goes smoothly account for the majority of them. Marches as well as practicing from the moment of admission into the competitions to its end. The majority of physical education classes were declared as free periods and students were each given permission to tackle any sort of practice they desire.

"I've borrowed it".

For the physical education period the next day, Hirata submitted an application to the school and obtained the grip strength measuring instrument. Horikita's plan which was adopted, based on priority of athletic superiority, was a plan that would simply bring together those confident in their strength. It's simple but it'll function well enough as a yardstick.

In particular, there are more than a few competitions in which the boys will be competing that purely require strength.

"Let's do it in order. Let's measure the grip strength of our dominant arms shall we? If you tell me the results then I'll record them. I've borrowed two so we can measure more efficiently and save time".

Saying that, he distributed one each to Hondou and Yukimura who were beside him. It's probably him deciding to measure in both a clockwise and anticlockwise direction. But Sudou, who did not feel like it, instead forcibly grabbed the instrument and stole it away.

"Let's start from me, Hirata. Becauses by starting with me, it'll be possible to set high standards".

It wasn't a logic I understood well but I did understand that he wanted to boast about his own strength.

"Umm.....then let's have the other one start with Sotomura-kun besides Sudou-kun".

Having had the order be forcibly changed, the starting point had to once again be adjusted.

"Keep looking, Ayanokouji. This is the strength of the man who will be carrying this class".

Sudou confidently laughs and shows off his ability as the one who forcibly became the first one up.

"Uraaa!".

Filled with fighting spirit, Sudou's shoulder shook as he gripped the instrument in his right hand.

The digital numerical values rapidly rise. In an instant it rose above 50 and hit 60 and continued to climb up to 70. Then, the value digitally displayed in the end was 82.4 kg. The surroundings briefly went into an uproar.

"You're way too freakishly strong!".

"Heh. It's because I've always been training. This is natural. Hey, you do it too, Kouenji".

Almost as though it were a provocation, he showed off the value to Kouenji while handing over the instrument.

"I am not interested. You may ignore me".

Polishing his fingernails, Kouenji then blew on his fingertips.

"Are you scared of losing to me? Well, after seeing a value like this it's understandable".

He made such a cheap provocation, but it appears Kouenji has no intention of responding to him as he did not turn to look at him.

"Tch...hey, Ayanokouji".

Since I was beside Sudou, I was forcibly handed the grip strength measuring instrument.

"No, I can do it later".

"Huh? You too? Don't fuck around. Do it in order".

I'd rather not be told that by Sudou who forcibly stole the turn for himself but certainly if we're going in this order then next up would be me. However, to think the second person to be measured would be me.....I know Sudou's 82.4 kg is a considerably high value but I wonder what the average would be for a 1st year high school student?

I've gripped hundreds of thousands of such measuring instruments in the past, but I've never before heard what the average is for those of my generation. Because nothing except my personal records were kept.

"Hey, Sudou. About how much would be the average for a high school student?".

"Huh? I don't know. Shouldn't it be around 60?".

"60, huh....?".

I gripped the grip strenght measuring instrument I received such that the monitor was visible to me. Your grip strength isn't something that's simply proportional to the thickness of your arm.

Of course it's not like they are unrelated but what's important is the brachioradialis muscle located in the forearm and the bundle of muscles known as the flexor carpi radialis muscle. The mechanism is that as the muscles of the forearm contract, it pulls on the tendons and causes the fingers to bend. As such, one can improve their grip strength by training this particular bundle of muscles. In other words, as long as you possess a certain amount of muscle mass, then depending on how you train it's possible to exceed 100 kg.

Naturally, to achieve this, nothing but long periods of training involving gripping are necessary.

Slowly adding force to the lever, I gripped it. Then, once I had passed 44 I began to fine tune it. Once I had passed 55 I performed further minute adjustments and once it had reached slightly over 60 I stopped adding to it.

".....I can't, I can't move it any further".

Saying that, I released my grip on the measuring instrument and handed it over to Ike beside me. Then, I headed over to report to Hirata.

"I got 60.6".

I uninterestedly reported it like that.

"Heh...you're pretty strong, Ayanokouji-kun".

As though impressed, Hirata turned towards me and gave me a smile.

"Ehh? No, that's about average right? Was it such a remarkable value?".

"I think the average is lower than that though? I'd say about 45 or around 50?".

"Hirata---. I got 42.6. Give me a little bonus and make it 50".

Ike comes over to report. It was a request for a not-so-little bonus. Even as he smiles bitterly, Hirata writes down 42.6 on the notebook.

Sotomura got 41, and Miyamoto who came afterwards got 48 and certainly, there were a lot of results under 50.

"I see.....so 60 was high....".

Apparently I was wrong for having asked someone like Sudou about the national average. There's no possible way he would know all that. I had thought to avoid participating in the contests by firmly staying in the middle but it was a huge miscalculation. At this rate it may become necessary for me to participate in some Recommended Only Participation events.

As a result, leaving aside Kouenji, I ended up as 2nd place in the class. I've made a blunder.

Next up, 3rd place is Hirata with 57.9.

As I thought, an omnipotent man like him could produce unwavering results even here.

On the other hand, Sudou who intends on carrying the entire class in the sports festival, did not hide his disappointment at the results of his classmates.

"How unreliable, my class that is.....except for me everyone else is like trash. Currently it might as well be over after Ayanokouji".

Even if it's a fact, that he's able to say that with the people in question right beside him is one of the amazing things about Sudou.

After the boys all finished measuring, this time they handed over the measuring instrument to the girls. I suppose it's obvious since there are mixed competitions where strength will be required of them just as it is of the boys.

Currently, Hirata was filling in the total measured results into the Recommended Only Participation events frame and putting them together on the notebook.

"Tug of war and omnidirectional tug of war can simply be in the order of grip strength then. Sudou-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, Miyake-kun and me".

"Hey, I'm curious about something but I've never heard about that omnidirectional tug of war. I've never heard of it you know".

"I haven't heard of it either so I researched it. Exactly as it sounds like, it seems like a contest where you pull a rope in all four directions. From 4 classes, their chosen 4 each with 16 in total pulling on the rope all at once, it appears to be that sort of contest".

Unlike the normal tug of war where it can be left up to strength, it seems like tactics will be important here.

Hirata writes out the participants for the omnidirectional tug of war.

"Hey, Hirata, aren't we getting any chances?".

"It's not like that. For instance, in scavenger hunt, rather than athleticism I think luck is what's being tested".

"Luck, huh? Then how will we decide it?".

"Simple is best. How about we go with rock-paper-scissors?".

I had thought it was unlike the serious Hirata, but surprisingly it may be a reasonable proposal.

In an individual's life, luck is unexpectedly a huge factor. It's uncertain, but through fluctuations in luck it's possible for an individual's life to make a 180 degree change. There are people who, while talented, remains employees of a firm while there are also those who, while incompetent, manage to climb up to the position of president.

That is indeed proof that the element of luck is involved as well.

Of course, generally factors other than that are the cause most of the time though. The scavenger hunt of the sports festival, if we're only going to be deciding the participants for that then rock-paper-scissors should be sufficient.

Dividing them up into groups of several people, we narrowed down the ones who will be competing. Of course, I have no intention of participating. Praying only for a loss, I took on the first round and that in itself is a victory. Then, praying with even greater fervor to lose I took on the second round (as a matter of fact the final round). However, I brilliantly ended up winning.

Three boys and two girls. The participation of the five who win in rock-paper-scissors was decided.

"Ayanokouji-kun, Yukimura-kun, Sotomura-kun, Mori-san and Maezono-san. The five of you, then".

Then adding Sudou too, the six of us will be participating in the scavenger hunt.

"Kopou! I-I have been chosen for the scavenger hunt! Kopou!".

The Professor despairs with a bubbling vigor.

"Why did I choose rock? Kopou".

"Well we're in agreement there...".

At times like this, I wonder whether it could be called fortune or misfortune. It's absolutely misfortune.....

"I'm jealous---".

Ike expresses his envy of the winners.

It's interesting that depending on the person, the viewpoint of luck also changes. No, really...

I'd like to say I'll hand over my position but that one sentence alone could spark a discussion so I chose not to. I could also see dissatisfaction from students like the Professor who did not want to participate.

Then, even as various expectations turned complicated, the frame of the contests were all properly filled out.

"Done".

Hirata turned over the notebook after having finished deciding on the participation of each individual student in all contests.

Seeing that the class has regained its calm, Hirata sighs in relief. However, this is only a provisional matter, and depending on future practice and information gained from the other classes, there will likely be portions that will undergo huge changes.

"The information we've just decided on is of extreme importance and is something we don't want the other classes to know about so for your own turn and partner I'd like you to write it down. To make sure no photographic records are left behind".

Hirata who takes everything into account. That forethought is appropriate. If a phone were to be used to simply record the list on the notebook then there's no telling where it'll be spread around.

The notebook is passed around from person to person. Horikita said this towards me as I was watching over the situation of the class.

"What's wrong, Ayanokouji-kun? You have a rather meek look on your face".

"Several unwilling participations have been decided on after all. I'd feel melancholy".

"I can't be helped. In this class, there's an overwhelming gap between students who are athletic and those who are unathletic".

"Certainly that's true".

The ratio of participation in the Recommended Only Participation events that was fought over is now decided. As expected, the one with an overwhelming amount of participations is Sudou. He'd be in all the contests to the point you'd worry about his stamina. As for girls, starting with Horikita, a lot of students will be participating in 3 events. On the other hand, misfortune accumulated for me and I'll have to participate in 2 events. Of course, it's still not like it's the final decision but merely a provisional placeholder and if, prior to the actual event, a suitable individual were to appear I'd probably be able to switch with them. At such a time I intend on manfully handing it over. No, by all means I'd like to hand it over.