Ajitani Hifumi, first-year of Trinity's Remedial Knights Club.
"Hah, haah. Phew… I somehow made it this far…"
Until now, she was a person who never failed to use the word "ordinary" when introducing herself.
Hifumi, who had planned to live an ordinary life, have an ordinary school experience, and graduate as an ordinary student, had, starting with yesterday's opening match, officially begun to shed that ordinariness here today.
Of course, plans were just plans, and life didn't always go as one wished. But at the very least, Hifumi herself was aware that this was far from an ordinary life.
Did Misono Mika even know?
Did she know that Hifumi, understanding just how desperately Mika craved victory, had secretly entered the jet ski event? Did she know that she had spent all her free time practicing, over and over again?
…Her grades had taken a slight hit as a result, but they had always been around average, if not exceptional. She figured a small dip was something she could easily make up for after the festival, so it would be fine.
In other words, she had chosen to look the other way.
[The final of the 1-person jet ski event. Introducing the final four competitors.]
The school affiliations and names were called out one by one.
From Gehenna Academy: first-year Natsume Iroha, and second-year Wanibuchi Akari.
From Trinity Integrated Academy: first-years Joumae Saori, and Ajitani Hifumi.
The moment Hifumi saw the familiar faces and names, she felt her confidence shrink.
They were all formidable opponents. The two from Gehenna were especially to be feared, having beaten even Azusa in their bracket to get here.
Until now, the Gehenna students had shown no unity whatsoever, each one fighting for themselves without any regard for their school affiliation.
But these two were different.
Iroha, who had entered with the intention of winning but was only competing half-heartedly out of boredom.
Akari, who had already won the medal she'd promised the Head Prefect and whose mind was now completely preoccupied with the eating contest.
The half-heartedness of these two had created an unexpected synergy, and in their previous match, they hadn't given Azusa a single opening. It was a truly Gehenna-esque process.
[This race has shaped up to be something of a team battle, with two competitors from both Trinity and Gehenna. Unlike the other Gehenna representatives, who have been focusing on their individual performance, these two have shown no signs of checking each other. We can likely expect a different dynamic from what we saw in the 2-person jet ski finals on the first day.]
This was an individual event, but in the grand scheme of the festival, more medals had to go to one's own school. In a situation like this, it should naturally become a team battle. But if any other students had made it to the finals, Gehenna's characteristic lack of unity would have been on full display.
[Well, that remains to be seen…]
[…What do you mean by that, Senior Administrator Amau?]
Today's commentators were Hanekawa Hasumi, Vice-President of the Justice Task Force, and Amau Ako, Senior Administrator of the Prefect Team.
Unlike the first day, the overzealous General Student Council President was not present, so unlike Mika and Makoto who had been able to watch the race at their leisure, these two had to actively engage in commentary.
[In the opening match, Ajitani Hifumi and Natsume Iroha were the drivers for the Head Prefect and the Tea Party Host, respectively. When the Head Prefect competes with such fierce determination, she is truly magnificent— Ahem.]
[…Indeed, the splendid performance our Lady Mika showed in the opening match was— Wait a moment. Weren't we supposed to be discussing something else?]
[Anyway. At the end of the opening match, the two drivers' competitive spirits exploded, causing both boats to capsize and preventing a clear winner from being decided, correct? And now, those very two drivers are here as representatives of their respective academies.]
Ako, who had been speaking calmly from the commentary booth, suddenly shot a sharp glare toward Akari.
[By my analysis, the only reason Natsume Iroha was able to cooperate with that problem child from the delinquent club was because she was not taking the previous matches seriously. With an opponent from an undecided match present, that tanuki will surely be serious in this final. This means that this race is highly likely to take the form of a 1 vs 1 vs 2 battle, or a complete free-for-all, Vice-President Hanekawa.]
[Problem child from a delinquent club… Tanuki…?]
[…I don't know what you're talking about. It's not important, so could you please disregard it?]
Ako applied unspoken pressure with a fresh smile. Hasumi, on the receiving end, nodded with a reluctant expression.
Meanwhile, Hifumi, perched atop her jet ski, let out a tense breath and gripped the handlebars. Then, to calm her nerves, she whispered to herself.
"Aww… I can do this. I can do this…!"
She had to maintain her composure to ensure a perfect start. The start was everything. If she got blocked once, breaking through would be incredibly difficult. If an opponent blocked her path and she rammed into them in frustration, both would be eliminated, and the one who was slightly ahead would be ranked higher. This meant that securing the lead was always the most advantageous strategy.
Perhaps for that reason, the course for the 1-person jet ski race was particularly complex. It was realistically difficult to decide the winner based on rank changes in the straightaways.
"Don't be so nervous over a simple mission like this, Hifumi. The gold and silver medals will both be ours. I would like to personally present Mika with her second gold medal, but I believe you have a higher chance of winning."
"H-Huh?! Aww, I appreciate you thinking so highly of me, but for someone as amazing as you, Ms. Saori, to say that… it's a lot of pressure…"
"Hmph. There's no need to be so modest. I've already resolved to support you with all my strength."
"Ahaha…"
Hifumi let out an awkward laugh, only to realize that the tension in her body had completely vanished. Saori's words had helped more than she'd expected.
[It seems the competitors have finished their preparations. The final of the 1-person jet ski race, with the pride of both academies on the line, is about to begin. Well, it's obvious we'll win anyway.]
[…Senior Administrator Amau, are you planning to be openly biased in your commentary?]
[Biased? I was merely stating a fact…]
Regardless of the bickering in the commentary booth, the race was about to start.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Hifumi focused all her senses on the starting signal, her hands gripping the handlebars.
Diiiiing—
With a roar, the four jet skis cut through the water.
[The race has begun! Taking an early lead is Trinity's Joumae Saori! For Senior Administrator Amau, who predicted a Gehenna victory, this is quite a shame— Pardon? What was that?]
Unlike Hasumi, who looked flustered by the unexpected news she'd just received, Ako opened her mouth, a smile that could almost be described as refreshing on her face.
[…Hmph. Joumae Saori has been disqualified for a false start. What a shame.]
The final, which had been shaping up to be a 2 vs 1 vs 1 battle, had just transformed into a free-for-all for the medals.
"Wa—ow?"
And Mika, who had just finished her work and arrived at the venue in the nick of time, heard this news, which felt like a bolt from the blue, and died on the spot.
With Seia's help, my Tea Party duties were finished in no time.
Azusa and Saori had surely entered the 1-person jet ski event as well, so I rushed through my work, imagining the two of them winning two medals for us. I thought that if they brought home that many medals, I could die happy.
But when I checked on my way to the festival grounds in the transport helicopter, I saw that Azusa had been eliminated before the finals. My heart sank, fearing a red flag had been raised, but my anxiety turned to relief when I saw the list of finalists. To my utter surprise, Trinity's Best Driver had secretly entered this event as well and had made it to the finals. On top of that, seeing Saori's name right next to hers, I thought, 'Ah, that's two medals for sure,' and my heart was at ease.
So why, the moment I arrived, was I hearing that Saori had been disqualified?
I know there are machines installed to detect false starts. But the starting signal is randomized to go off within a three-second window, making it impossible to predict. I don't understand how a false start could have happened.
Moreover, while I was heavily involved in the overall management of the festival, the detailed rules for each event were largely decided by the working-level staff from each school. If I had been involved, I would have imposed a lap penalty for a false start, not an immediate disqualification.
[A reaction time of 0.0043 seconds was detected from Joumae Saori. Considering the various factors, it seems less like an intentional false start and more…]
"Yeah, probably a mistake."
Everyone makes mistakes. Our Saori, who looks like she could never make a mistake, is no exception. No matter how strong she looks, she's still just a sixteen-year-old student.
[Lady Mika…?]
"Ahem. According to today's schedule, Lady Mika was not supposed to be part of the commentary team. What brings you here…?"
"It's been a while, Lady Mika… Hmm, I too would like to ask why you are here."
"It's been a long time. How have you been, Ako? And Hasumi, you look well. You're always working so hard! As for why I'm here…"
Seeing me barge into the commentary booth, Ako quickly muted her microphone and questioned me. Hasumi asked a similar question. The answer was obvious.
"Ahaha, it's simple, really. I wanted to see my kids in action. So I finished up all that tedious paperwork as fast as I could and came over! I just didn't expect to be greeted with such devastating news."
I answered them both and then asked an attendant to bring me a chair. Since things had turned out this way, I decided to watch the final from here.
I reached out, turned on the microphone in front of Ako, and leaned in close to her. A flustered Ako, conscious of the live mic, gently tapped my arm as if to ask what I was doing.
Why Ako and not Hasumi, who's from the same school? Simply because she was closer. There was no special reason.
[Saori, it's okay! There's no need to feel down. You've done more than enough, so just leave the rest to Hifumi!]
After I said it, I felt like something was missing. I wanted to add something more.
[Let's go, Trinity! Go, Hifumi—!!!]
And so, I sent out a message of support, my voice booming loud enough to shake the stadium.
To make sure Saori wouldn't blame herself. And to give strength to my proud junior, our only remaining hope.
◇─◇───◆─◈─◆───◇─◇
Want to read up to 50+ chapters in advance, Join me on Patreon at
[patreon.com /ArtumTL]
And you can also support me by giving power stones, as it helps a ton
2 bonus chapters