The weather was perfect, with gentle sunlight casting scattered shadows across the entire track field.
Since it was a physical education class, there were no other students around, though a few piercing gazes flickered from the school building under the morning light.
At the front of the group, the P.E. teacher blew his whistle.
After taking attendance, he led Class A through a set of warm-up exercises.
By the time the warm-up routine was over, Kaoru's entire body had heated up.
He then joined the others in practicing formation drills in preparation for the upcoming sports festival.
Perhaps due to a week of practice, Class A had already grown familiar with the entry and exit formations, earning a satisfied nod from the P.E. teacher.
Soon after, the teacher dismissed the class, allowing students to practice their respective events at their own pace.
Katsuragi had already sent someone to the storage room beforehand to borrow the necessary equipment.
He also divided the track field into several sections so students could focus on different events.
At that moment, Kaoru noticed Sakayanagi Arisu approaching him with Kamuro Masumi in tow.
"Let's find a quiet place to practice," Sakayanagi suggested first.
"That's fine, but why are you wearing that outfit?" Kaoru eyed her gym clothes—a short-sleeved top paired with long pants.
The faint outline of her modest chest was barely concealed beneath the thin fabric, exuding a youthful energy.
"One must maintain the proper attitude," Sakayanagi smiled faintly.
Her silver-white short hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, resting by her ears.
Then, leaning on her cane, Sakayanagi headed toward a less crowded area.
Kaoru followed without hesitation.
"We can't practice the relay race or scavenger hunt together, so let's start with the three-legged race."
As soon as they arrived, Sakayanagi handed the rope to Kamuro.
"Tch. Feels like I've turned into a puppet between the two of you," Kamuro grumbled but obediently crouched down to tie their legs together.
She was also wearing a tracksuit, but perhaps for greater ease of movement, the bottom half was shorts.
Even without deliberately focusing on her ass, her long, straight legs were even more distracting.
The exposed skin of her thighs was dazzlingly white, looking incredibly supple and downright delicious.
Moreover, with Kamuro's movements, the hem of her clothes or the cuffs of her sleeves would occasionally reveal glimpses of smooth, fair skin, hinting at graceful curves.
Since she was squatting on the ground, Kaoru could even peer down her collar slightly, where the smooth nape of her neck seemed to conceal a pair of soft curves.
"How long are you going to make me squat here?" Kamuro noticed his gaze—girls were always sensitive to such scrutiny.
Kaoru silently squatted beside her, took the rope from her hands, and proceeded to tie their legs together.
"Mitoma-kun, are you starting with your right foot or left?" Sakayanagi chimed in from the side.
"I'll take the left, and Kamuro-san can take the right. Then we'll count 'one-two, one-two' together to keep the rhythm," Kaoru instructed out of habit.
"Hmm, quite the expert, aren't you?" Sakayanagi grinned at him.
"But right now, I'm the one giving orders. Kamuro-san is 165 cm tall, right? How tall are you, Mitoma-kun?"
"180 cm. Is there a problem?" Mitoma asked.
"Of course there's a problem. There's a height difference between you two, meaning your legs are naturally longer than Kamuro-san's, right?" Sakayanagi analyzed.
"At first, it might just be a one or two-centimeter gap, but it'll gradually widen. Your strides will get bigger and bigger, and eventually, Kamuro-san won't be able to keep up."
"It's not that exaggerated. I'll keep an eye on him," Kamuro retorted stubbornly.
Kaoru thought for a moment before speaking.
"Let's see how it goes in practice first."
"I'll cheer you on from the sidelines," Sakayanagi said with a faint smile. "The race distance is 100 meters, and the passing time is 45 seconds—faster than a normal walking pace. You'll have to run for it."
The so-called "passing time" was actually the slowest record from last year's sports festival.
It was unclear where she had dug up this information.
When Sakayanagi had shared these details with the class earlier today, even Kaoru had been surprised.
"Run it is, as long as no one drags me down," Kamuro said dismissively, subtly jabbing Kaoru in the process.
Standing side by side, Kaoru naturally brushed against her shoulder and caught a faint floral scent—not perfume, likely her natural fragrance or perhaps the body wash she had used that morning.
"Alright, ready—go!"
At Sakayanagi's command, Kaoru and Kamuro started moving.
Tap-tap—
They had barely run a few meters before tumbling to the ground together.
"As expected, it's not working," Sakayanagi remarked, shaking her head at their misfortune.
"No, no, it's his fault for running too fast!" Kamuro suddenly lifted her head.
"I wasn't paying attention, and the rope tripped me."
Kaoru lay sprawled on the grass, sighing.
"My bad. Let's try again."
With that, the two stood back up—only to fall again less than ten seconds later.
After over a dozen attempts, every single one ended in failure without exception.
Fortunately, the grass provided some cushioning, otherwise their knees would probably have been red by now.
"Maintain the right distance between you two, and keep your steps synchronized," Sakayanagi remarked with amazement.
"Aren't you two usually in perfect sync? Logically, you should have succeeded quickly."
"It's because this guy's pace keeps changing—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—so I don't even know how to match it," Kamuro said, lying on the ground and breathing lightly.
"No, you're the one who keeps changing speeds. I was the one trying to match you," Kaoru replied, lying beside her with a lifeless look in his eyes.
"Nonsense! I was the one trying hard to keep up with you!" Kamuro raised an eyebrow, her temper flaring after so many falls.
Kaoru gave her a look that said, "Yeah, sure, whatever," and stopped arguing.
"This is strange. Have you two been at odds recently?" Sakayanagi asked, puzzled.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Kamuro paused. "Besides, I have no reason to be in conflict with this guy."
Sakayanagi turned to Kaoru and sighed.
"Have you not made it up to Kamuro-san yet?"
"Could you not say something so gross?" Kamuro's face darkened.
"As you can see, Kamuro-san is quite the sulky child," Sakayanagi said with a slightly apologetic expression.
"It seems my earlier behavior made her unhappy."
"I am not jealous!" Kamuro shouted.
As the words fell, the surrounding crowd cast extremely peculiar glances in their direction.
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