"So they lost..."
Tohru let out a light sigh, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"They lost."
Sato repeated Tohru's words as he calmly looked toward Kanna, who was comforting Saikawa in the distance.
After all, when someone started spacing out right before going on stage, to the point where she could barely even move her feet, failure was practically inevitable.
"Don't worry, there are still plenty of events left."
Sato comforted Tohru, though he did not really understand why someone who had not even participated looked more disappointed than Kanna herself. Still, he patted Tohru on the shoulder.
"Sigh..."
Tohru sat down and rested her cheek against her hand.
Seeing this, Sato could not help but feel curious. He studied Tohru's profile thoughtfully.
According to the records preserved within the Hero Association, dragons seemed to possess an extremely strong competitive spirit. He had not really noticed that tendency in Kanna yet, but Tohru definitely gave off that feeling.
"Shouta! Do your best!"
Lucoa's voice suddenly rang out as she cheered for the little boy preparing to go on stage in the distance. The overwhelming bounce of her chest drew the attention of nearby men at every moment.
The surroundings were filled with the overlapping cheers of parents encouraging their children.
The schoolyard was filled with the lively atmosphere of excitement and the smell of sweat. Amid struggle and perspiration, the children worked hard to compete for the crown called first place.
At least in terms of atmosphere, this sports festival was undoubtedly a great success.
The children on the field were also giving it their all. Every single one clenched their teeth as they fought for honor on behalf of their classes, fully displaying the spirited determination and upward drive embodied by sports.
It was a... remarkably pure atmosphere.
The wording might sound strange, but it was something that could genuinely be felt and experienced firsthand.
Like Pheidippides running 42.193 kilometers, or Kuafu dying while chasing the sun, striving and struggling, proving oneself while drenched in sweat.
Sato's expression suddenly became somewhat absent-minded, and he let out another sigh filled with emotion.
If he remembered correctly, he had probably been like this too back in elementary school in his previous life. This life did not count, because in this life he had barely even seen that many people during elementary and middle school.
The entire Asahigaoka branch school only had a handful of students. They still symbolically held sports festivals, but as long as he participated, he would basically take first place.
By the time he reached middle school, high school, and university, the mindset of striving for collective honor had mostly disappeared. Even though everyone still looked forward to sports festivals, what filled their heads had already become "It feels great not having classes today."
Aside from those dragged in because their class lacked enough participants, sports festivals had become less and less related to actual sports. Other than people who genuinely liked athletics, almost everyone had become lazy enough to avoid going if possible. Those forcibly recruited would only let out a few miserable complaints.
Now, however, he was getting to experience that feeling again. That sense of striving forward made his blood boil a little too.
But in the end, he was old...
Sato quietly muttered to himself about how his mentality had aged, how he was no longer as youthful as before, and things along those lines.
In short, he had become increasingly laid-back and indifferent.
Aside from things that personally interested him, these so-called efforts to win glory for a collective had basically vanished from his life.
He did not know whether he had subconsciously ignored and forgotten those things, or whether he simply never had such opportunities anymore. Maybe the people above understood that the older people got, the harder they were to fool, so they gradually canceled those things altogether.
The sports festival proceeded in an orderly fashion.
This was also Sato's first time observing Japan's physical education system from such a close distance. He had to admit that it surpassed China's by several streets.
From morning until noon, there was a dazzling variety of traditional and fun sports events. Three-legged races, group jump rope, flag exercises, cavalry battles, every grade had a reasonable arrangement. Team competitions, individual contests, and fun events, none of them were neglected.
As for China, he only remembered... fifty-meter dash, hundred-meter dash, and thousand-meter run?
...
After the final third-grade event, group jump rope, ended in the morning, it was time for a break.
The parents spread picnic mats around the campus outside the field and took out all kinds of elaborate bento lunches, adding a different kind of color to the entire school.
"Congratulations on getting first place, Kanna!"
Tohru cheered excitedly for Kanna.
"No, this was everyone's achievement!"
Although Kanna's face still carried traces of joy, she seriously corrected Tohru's wording.
"It's basically the same!"
Tohru waved her hand indifferently. In her eyes, as long as Kanna participated in any first place, then Kanna herself was first place.
"Here, drink some water."
Smiling, Sato handed Kanna the water bottle she usually used.
It was a pink water bottle. At the very top was a cartoon dragon head design. After opening the clasped lid, a soft straw extended all the way to the bottom of the bottle. Once closed, the folded straw prevented any water from spilling out.
The lingering heat of late summer still blazed overhead. The scorching temperature felt even harsher than summer itself. Only beneath the shade of trees could one enjoy even a brief moment of cool comfort.
Kanna took the bottle and slurped down a few mouthfuls before closing the lid again.
"Ta-da!"
After Kanna set down the bottle, Tohru proudly opened the lunchbox in front of her, revealing the beautifully prepared bento inside.
"Not only did Sato-sama make bento, I made a lot too!"
"Kanna, hurry and eat! After that, go defeat those human hatchlings and bring glory to our dragon race!"
"Mhm."
Kanna gave a muffled response, then picked up a rolled omelet from the lunchbox and started eating.
Sato could not help rolling his eyes at Tohru.
"Then how about sparring with me, a human, and seeing whose strength is greater?"
"Ahem, there's probably no need for that, right?"
"Kanna, eat slowly. We'll keep cheering for you later."
"Mhm!"
Kanna nodded adorably. Suddenly, she paused and raised her head, looking at Sato with her lake-blue eyes.
"Sato!"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you!"
Kanna said seriously.
The confusion on Sato's face gradually shifted into something difficult to describe. Looking at the little blue-eyed dragon before him, he opened his mouth, then finally smiled and gently rubbed her head.
(P.S. The sports festival arc ends here. Turns out there wasn't much to write about, it got watered down, so I skipped ahead.)