Then, after a string of victories in the ball toss, tug-of-war, obstacle course, and 200-meter dash, I was in the tent, watching Tsugumi's upcoming race.
"Things are going well. We've won all the team events, and you and Sudo-kun have taken first in all of your individual events. Honestly, most of the points are thanks to you guys."
"My individual events weren't so great. That's because the top-tier students, including Hirata and Miyake, didn't do so well... It was just bad luck with the matchups."
While not as good as us, many students who could have easily placed were pitted against top-tier opponents. The draw for the heats wasn't great. As I considered another possibility, Horikita, sitting beside me, quietly asked a question, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
"What do you think about the event roster?"
She didn't spell it out, but it was easy to read her intent.
"I'm not sure yet. Class C is dominating the individual events, but... it could be that they just have good luck with the matchups, or it could be exactly as you're thinking."
"Currently, Class C's winning percentage against Class D is 30%. If it were any other class, it might be a coincidence, but..."
"The opponent is Ryuuen, after all. There's a chance he got his hands on our roster somehow."
"...But if that's the case, then setting aside you, who hid your abilities, why would he pit top-tier students against Tsugumi-kun and Sudo-kun? Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
Right. As Horikita said, if we assume the roster was leaked, it's too half-hearted. Since they had a chance of losing the team events, they should have made more certain matchups to secure a victory. But looking at the program, the combinations don't seem like they're seriously trying to win.
"There's no point in thinking about it now. Look, Tsugumi's race is about to start. Aren't you going to cheer him on?"
"...He's going to win anyway, isn't he? There's no point in cheering now."
"You're only hurting yourself by being shy. Here, look over there."
I pointed to a large group of girls led by Karuizawa.
"Go, Saitou-kun!"
"Sweep them again!"
"We're cheering for you!"
"Oh! Thanks, everyone!"
Tsugumi gave a thumbs-up to the girls waving at him. His fan service was excellent.
"I heard that making an appeal like that can make all the difference... but you don't seem to be doing too well on that front."
"...You're going to regret that later," Horikita replied.
It was a cheap taunt, but it seemed to have successfully lit a fire under Horikita. She walked into the group and yelled out to Tsugumi, who was stretching before his race.
"Do your best! The victory of Class D rests on you!"
"...I can't lose now. Thanks, Suzune-chan!"
Tsugumi's fighting spirit seemed to have been maximized by Horikita, who had never come to cheer him on before.
"...Hmph," Karuizawa grumbled as she watched. I see. I might have provoked her carelessly, but it seemed to have put Tsugumi in a difficult position.
---------
With that, Tsugumi started his race. Of course, he didn't lose and took first place with an overwhelming lead.
"As expected. He didn't even need our cheers to win."
"That's right. I can't even imagine him losing."
"But he was a little slower than you. I wonder what kind of training you did to get that fast." Horikita said with a look of disbelief.
It's true that in races like the 100-meter and 200-meter, my time was slightly better.
"My raw physical abilities, like my muscle strength, are probably higher. But judging by his records in the hurdles and obstacle course, I think his motor skills and ability to learn new movements are superior."
He said that after watching a demonstration and practicing for about seven days, he could perform better than anyone else in a given group. I'm also the type to improve later on, but Tsugumi's improvement is abnormal. Recalling the martial arts and sports I learned in the White Room, I'd say he'd have no trouble there either.
As I was thinking that, Tsugumi came back looking frustrated.
"Ugh. I lost again."
"I trained to the death in the White Room. I'm not going to be surpassed so easily."
"Even though you didn't just train in track."
You didn't either, I thought to myself as I began preparing for the next event: the three-legged race.
This was the last heat. As I watched the race in front of us, I tied my right leg to Tsugumi's left.
"What's our goal?"
"Let's aim for a 10-second 100-meter time. It's probably impossible to get to the low-10s."
"Ugh, that's brutal. Then you have to match my pace, since you're the faster one."
"You got it."
Tsugumi and I were supposed to be paired with other people, but we ended up becoming partners after some things happened.
Tsugumi, why don't you and I team up for the three-legged race?
I don't mind, but wouldn't we win more if we were in separate groups?
I think it would be a good idea, since our builds and running speeds are nearly identical.
Hmm?
Ayanokouji-kun just wants to team up with you. After all the things he said about people being 'tsundere'... Honestly, aren't you ashamed?
...
Haha, I'm kidding. Sure, let's run together, Kiyotaka-kun.
...That brought back an unpleasant memory. I should look around and forget about it.
As I tried to escape reality, I saw Sakayanagi coming out of her tent. A nervous-looking female student was beside her.
"Hey, hold on. Why did you suddenly come out of the tent? You were told not to overexert yourself."
"I can't just sit still, Masumi-san. Tsugumi-kun and Ayanokouji-kun are paired up, you know?"
"Don't get too excited! Think about me, who has to take care of you."
"You don't want to watch?"
"...I do, but..."
"Then it's fine, isn't it?"
...I was worried Tsugumi would get bored, but it seems he's enjoying himself more than I thought. Our race finally arrived. I tightened the rope again and waited for the start.
"Everyone's expecting a lot from us, so let's blow them away."
"Sounds good."
Usually, in a three-legged race, you run a little faster than a jog, being careful not to fall. But with Tsugumi as my partner, I had no intention of doing such a boring run. This race was 100 meters. We were going to sprint all out.
"Let's go."
"Yeah!"
We took a standing start position with our tied-up legs behind us. At the start signal, we took our first step in perfect synchronicity. We moved our legs one after the other at the same speed as if we were running alone. We didn't lose our balance even once and reached the finish line.
"...That was amazing. I'm a little jealous that they're so in sync."
"If you dawdle, he might get taken... Ouch!"
"Let's not make those kinds of jokes, okay?"
"...Scary."
...I'm not interested in that kind of thing. I'm supposed to become popular, so I don't need any weird rumors spreading about me. After protesting in my heart to the anonymous female student, I began preparing for the next event: the cavalry battle.
---------
The way Arisu-chan was so excited about the three-legged race was so cute... Anyway, it's me, Saitou. Kiyotaka-kun, who wanted to be my partner, was also cute and funny. It was a heartwarming moment that felt like I was watching a male version of Suzune-chan.
Anyway, let's move on. The next event was the cavalry battle, the final individual event before lunch. I had been forced to prepare bento boxes for six people (myself, Kiyotaka-kun, Suzune-chan, Karuizawa-san, Kamuro-san, and Arisu-chan), so I wanted to finish lunch as soon as possible.
Our next event is the first-year boys' cavalry battle. The participants, please gather in the center.
I went to the center as instructed and met up with Kiyotaka-kun, Sudo-kun, and Yosuke-kun, who I would be fighting with.
"Alright. Let's do our best for the girls' sake, too!" Yosuke-kun said.
"Don't even need to tell me! I'll knock 'em down!" Sudo-kun replied.
"I just want to eat Tsugumi's bento already," Kiyotaka-kun said.
"Could you at least sound a little more serious?" I sighed. Kiyotaka-kun's last comment had nothing to do with the event. The girls' team had barely lost, as they just weren't as strong overall.
"Alright, let's form up. We'll be fine if we do what we practiced."
The AD alliance and the BC alliance, a total of 16 teams, faced off against each other. It was a spectacular sight. Our team from Class D and Katsuragi-kun's team from Class A stood in the center, waiting for the start signal.
And now! The first-year boys' cavalry battle... begins!
A starting pistol sounded with the announcement.
"Whoaaaa! Everyone, follow us!"
Our team, with its overwhelming mobility and power, charged forward. Our formation was me as the rider, Sudo-kun in front, Kiyotaka-kun on the left, and Yosuke-kun on the right. With Sudo-kun's monstrous power, the other two were there to support him, and I was chosen as the rider because of my martial arts experience. It felt pretty good during practice when I took back all three headbands from the opposing team by myself.
"Hey, you guys! Don't move alone, stick together!"
Just as we thought the two teams would clash, the opposing team, led by Ryuuen-kun, gathered in one spot under his command.
"Huh?! Are you running away?!"
"Unlike you brainiacs, we're actually using our heads," Ryuuen-kun said.
I calmed Sudo-kun down, who was about to lose it, and checked the opponent's formation. Ryuuen-kun's rider was Yamada-kun from before. Another team was glaring at us, protecting them. They were probably trying to pin us down here, judging us as the biggest threat.
"What should we do? Should we force our way through?" Kiyotaka-kun asked.
"We can, but it would be bad if we accidentally injured someone if we went all out... For now, let's just see what they do," I said.
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, too," Yosuke-kun agreed.
"Tch, fine," Sudo-kun said.
It would be terrible if they lied about being injured after we blew them away. Ryuuen-kun would definitely do something like that, and this strategy would pin down two of their most powerful teams. It wasn't a bad plan.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!"
While we were staring at each other, I heard a voice from a little farther away. It was Miyake-kun from Class D. He was an athletic student with excellent motor skills, on par with Yosuke-kun. Among the three riders besides me, he was the one I felt had the most potential.
Miyake-kun's team was in a brawl with a team from Class C. For some reason, Miyake-kun was conspicuously wiping his right hand on his jersey, and in that split second, his headband was stolen.
"...I see. Alright, everyone, when I give the signal, run horizontally at full speed."
I noticed something was off from his strange behavior. I called out to the three of them in a low voice so the opponents couldn't hear.
"---Okay! Go!"
In that instant, we took off at top speed. We had gathered the three most athletic students in Class D, so we easily overtook them.
"So you figured it out. Hey! Don't just stand there, chase them! It'll be a pain if they join the main group!"
Ryuuen-kun's team chased us from behind. Suddenly, a Class C team appeared in front of us.
"Stop!... Hey, hey! That's dangerous!?"
"One more signal, one meter to the left... Now!"
We were about to crash, so I tapped the shoulders of the two behind me, and we moved to the side. There was a sudden jolt, but we managed to endure it and snatched the opponent's headband as we passed.
"I guess they did mess with it. That was close."
I squeezed the headband in my hand, and a slimy sensation came through. They must have coated it in lotion or something.
"You're lying, right?! How did you get it?!"
How many times do you think I've had sex?! Don't think lotion will stop me! But thinking about it being soaked in some guy's sweat was gross, so I wiped the liquid from my hand onto Kiyotaka-kun's jersey.
"Hey!"
"Alright, let's go! Seven more to go!"
"...I'm telling Sakayanagi later."
By the time we regrouped, one team from both Class A and D had been eliminated, so we were at a slight disadvantage, with a 6-to-7 ratio. After that, two more of our teams were eliminated by the concentrated attack of Ryuuen-kun's teams and the combination of Kanzaki-kun's team, who was on top of the highly mobile Shibata-kun. I managed to steal three more headbands to tie the score, but time ran out, and the match ended in a draw.
"Damn it! They messed with our headbands, didn't they?!"
"It's not just that. The Class C teams acted as shields for Class B to prevent them from being eliminated. Ryuuen-kun's commands were spot-on," Yosuke-kun added to Sudo-kun, who was frustrated. We had to admit that our opponent's tactics were just better.
"That's surprising. I never thought Ryuuen would cooperate with a Class B student."
"I think it means he's getting more flexible with his strategy... Even if he's still cheating."
============
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