The day of the Sports Festival arrived in no time.
The morning sun spilled across the schoolyard. By now, nearly all the students from the three grade levels had gathered here, and the place was abuzz with excitement.
For the first-year newcomers, this was the first time they'd seen the school hold an event on such a grand scale—all three grades taking part in the Sports Festival together.
Soon enough, the students of each class followed the instructions and grouped up in their designated areas. All three grades' A and D classes were placed in the Red Team, while the B and C classes were placed in the White Team.
Shikime Natsu stood among the ranks of Class A, his gaze drifting idly across his surroundings.
At the edge of the schoolyard, a simple stage for the presiding officials had been erected, upon which a microphone and sound equipment had been set up.
For this opening ceremony, Fujimaki of Class 3-A would deliver the opening declaration.
Fujimaki stepped up onto the stage, stood before the microphone, cleared his throat, and then began to recite the opening address.
As for what exactly he said, Shikime Natsu didn't bother to listen intently—though, even without deliberately listening, Shikime Natsu could clearly commit the content to memory all the same.
Shikime Natsu shifted his gaze away from the stage, looking elsewhere.
For this Sports Festival, quite a few teachers were positioned off to the side, some standing, some seated in their places. Aside from watching their own classes compete, these teachers were also stationed here to guard against any sudden incidents that might occur.
Apart from the teachers, several white tents had been set up along the edge of the schoolyard—those were the temporary medical stations for the medical staff, stocked with some simple medical instruments and medicine.
In one corner of the schoolyard, the school had also constructed a small cabin capable of holding twenty people. Though the cabin wasn't large, it was fully equipped, containing air conditioning, a water dispenser, and chairs for resting.
Shikime Natsu glanced at that cabin, and a certain sentiment stirred within him.
During the special exam on the Deserted Island, the survival conditions the school had given them were quite harsh, but the wristbands they wore could monitor their physical condition at any time, ensuring their lives were never in danger.
And now, for this Sports Festival, the school had likewise made ample preparations.
Although this school championed "survival of the fittest," when it came to safeguarding the students' safety, it did show a measure of humane consideration—it wasn't as though they'd have students risk their lives in the struggle.
Thinking along these lines, Shikime Natsu continued to let his gaze sweep across the schoolyard.
It was at that moment that he felt someone's line of sight.
He turned his head slightly, following that gaze.
Nagumo Miyabi was standing among the ranks of the third-years, his eyes fixed squarely upon Shikime Natsu.
His expression was somewhat complicated—those eyes carried a trace of unwillingness, a trace of helplessness, and a trace of resignation as well.
After meeting Shikime Natsu's gaze, Nagumo Miyabi quickly looked away, his eyes landing upon another person.
Shikime Natsu followed his line of sight—that person was Horikita Manabu.
For this Sports Festival, the school had divided the students into the Red Team and the White Team.
Class A, where Shikime Natsu belonged, had been placed in the Red Team.
And Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu were in the Red Team as well.
In other words, all three of them were on the same team.
Being on the same team, however, didn't mean they couldn't compete.
After all, aside from the team events, the Sports Festival also had individual events.
Even people on the same team could pit themselves against one another in the individual events.
The reason Nagumo Miyabi's gaze had first fallen upon Shikime Natsu was that this fellow, Shikime Natsu, stood out quite conspicuously among the three grades. In the very beginning, Nagumo Miyabi had assumed he could handle Shikime Natsu however he pleased.
But after a period of contending with him, Nagumo Miyabi came to realize that on his own strength alone, there was absolutely no way to do anything about this fellow Shikime Natsu—whether in terms of physical prowess or academics.
This fellow Shikime Natsu was simply not human.
Although Nagumo Miyabi didn't want to entertain such a notion, at this point he had no choice but to acknowledge reality: against Horikita Manabu, he still stood a fighting chance, but against Shikime Natsu, there truly was nothing he could do.
Even though Horikita Manabu was hailed as the most outstanding Student Council President of all time, he still fell within the range of an ordinary person—whereas Shikime Natsu was already beyond the range of an ordinary person.
It had to be said, this sense of defeat actually cleared Nagumo Miyabi's head quite a bit. So it was true after all—there was always someone greater beyond oneself.
What's more... after learning that Asahina Nazuna and Shikime Natsu had become boyfriend and girlfriend, Nagumo Miyabi felt as though something within his heart had died. But the Nagumo Miyabi of now had no desire to delve into just what that something was.
Nagumo Miyabi mused on this in his heart, and then his gaze settled upon Horikita Manabu.
Defeating Shikime Natsu was an impossible feat.
But defeating Horikita Manabu—that was another matter.
There was still more than a semester left before Horikita Manabu graduated.
Nagumo Miyabi intended to seize this opportunity to have a proper contest with him.
After all, Horikita Manabu had always been his goal, the man he wanted to surpass.
Carrying himself this way now could be considered getting back on the right track.
Nagumo Miyabi thought this to himself, and then the corners of his mouth curled slightly upward, flashing a provocative smile toward Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Manabu happened to turn his head just then and caught sight of that provocative smile on Nagumo Miyabi's face.
His brow furrowed slightly, and a baffled expression crossed his face.
This fellow Nagumo Miyabi was growing more and more restless by the day.
But Horikita Manabu didn't dwell on it. He simply withdrew his gaze and continued watching the stage.
By the time Shikime Natsu's gaze returned to Fujimaki, his opening address had already finished, which left Shikime Natsu rather satisfied—thankfully, Fujimaki wasn't the type who loved to rattle on with a heap of nonsense.
What Shikime Natsu detested most was, during all manner of meetings, having the person standing on the stage drone on endlessly.
And once Fujimaki's speech concluded, the atmosphere at the scene quickly grew lively. The first event of this Sports Festival was the 100-meter sprint.
According to the rules, the race would proceed in order starting from the first-years, the boys running first, followed by the girls, going through all three grades in that sequence.
Shikime Natsu stood among the ranks of Class A, watching the first-year boys preparing on the schoolyard.
For this event, Shikime Natsu hadn't signed up, directly yielding the opportunity to those who had long wanted to contribute to Class A. After all, for all this time, Class A had basically relied on Shikime Natsu, so quite a few people wanted to get some of the spotlight as well.
At the very least, they wanted to prove they weren't just coasting to easy victories. Besides, Shikime Natsu had already done more than enough—for this Sports Festival, the event Shikime Natsu had signed up for was the 1000-meter run.
On Class A's side, those competing in the 100-meter sprint were a few of the first-year boys.
Hashimoto Masayoshi stood at the starting line, doing his final warm-up exercises. He rotated his wrists and ankles, then crouched down and gave his thighs a pat.
"No problem, the championship is definitely ours."
Hashimoto Masayoshi said to the teammate beside him, his tone carrying a hint of confidence.
"Don't go dropping the ball on us."
Another boy said with a laugh.
"Relax."
Hashimoto Masayoshi stood up, his gaze falling upon the starting line.
At this moment, Hashimoto Masayoshi's eyes were full of seriousness. This could be considered his debut match, couldn't it? Either way, he had to give it his all.
With a whistle from the referee, the race began.
The competition among the boys was quite fierce.
Every class had sent out its fastest runner, hoping to secure a good ranking in this event.
Class A's Hashimoto Masayoshi ran very fast. His stride was steady, his burst of speed powerful, and he seized the advantage right from the start.
The runners from Class B and Class C weren't willing to fall behind either, sticking tightly to him from behind.
But Class D's performance came across as rather mediocre.
Sudou Ken had already been expelled, and among Class D's first-year boys, apart from Sudou Ken, there was basically no sprinter worth putting forward.
Kouenji Rokusuke hadn't entered, and neither had Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
The few boys Class D sent out all looked quite unremarkable.
Their reactions off the start were slow, their bursts of speed lacking, and their strides not steady enough.
On the track, they were quickly left in the dust.
In the end, Class A fortuitously claimed first place in the 100-meter sprint.
As Hashimoto Masayoshi crossed the finish line, he excitedly pumped his fist.
"See, I told you—no problem!"
He shouted toward his teammates, a brilliant smile on his face.
As for Class D's few boys, they didn't show much disappointment as they returned to Class D's camp. After all, Class D's Class Points had already been reduced to zero by now, so no matter how many more points were deducted, it made no difference.
In this Sports Festival, only first place could earn the reward of Class Points—for Class D, this sort of thing truly left them without any fighting spirit, and most of them just wanted to throw in the towel.
After all, the penalty this time was merely a deduction of Class Points, not expulsion or anything of the sort, so there were indeed some in Class D who didn't take it very seriously.
Next up was the girls' 100-meter sprint.
The first-year girl competitors stood at the starting line, doing their final warm-up exercises.
Shikime Natsu's gaze fell upon Class A's camp.
Kamuro Masumi also gave her body a quick, simple stretch, and then her eyes settled upon Shikime Natsu amid the crowd.
"Masumi, do your best."
Shikime Natsu met Kamuro Masumi's gaze with a faint smile.
"Mm."
Receiving encouragement from her lover, Kamuro Masumi's fighting spirit instantly surged to the brim, and then she nodded toward Shikime Natsu.
"On your marks—"
The referee's voice rang out.
Kamuro Masumi bent forward, planting both hands on the ground, assuming the starting position.
"BANG—!"
The starting pistol fired.
Kamuro Masumi shot out from the starting line like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Her reaction off the start was remarkably quick—she launched forward almost the very instant the gun sounded.
Her strides were long, her cadence rapid, and she sped across the track at a blazing pace.
The wind howled past her ears, her hair streaming in the rush of air.
Her speed was clearly a good deal faster than the other girls'.
From the very start, she remained in the lead.
And what's more, that leading advantage kept expanding.
Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters—Kamuro Masumi ran faster and faster, and more and more effortlessly.
Her expression remained calm, her breathing steady, looking as though she wasn't running at full strength at all.
It was as if she were merely warming up.
The expressions of the other girls, meanwhile, weren't so pleasant. Seeing Kamuro Masumi run that fast, each of them hurriedly adjusted their strides in an attempt to catch up—but the gap was simply too great.
The track-and-field club members from Class C, upon seeing Kamuro Masumi run that fast, were utterly dumbfounded. At the kind of speed Kamuro Masumi was showing, she could join the track-and-field club as an ace runner without any issue.
In the end, Kamuro Masumi crossed the finish line first with an overwhelming lead.
Along the edge of the schoolyard, the spectating students all let out cries of astonishment.
"So fast!"
"Who's that girl? She's incredibly fast!"
"I think that's Kamuro Masumi from Class A."
"Amazing—at that speed, she's faster than a lot of the boys, isn't she?"
Chatter of this sort rose and fell throughout the crowd.
Horikita Suzune stood in Class D's camp, watching the sight of Kamuro Masumi crossing the finish line, and a flicker of surprise couldn't help but cross those wine-red eyes of hers.
As for her own physical prowess, while it might not necessarily rank first among the girls of this grade—
Horikita Suzune believed that her physical prowess ranking somewhere near the top was without question.
Whether in academics or in athletics, she had always held considerable confidence in herself.
But after seeing Kamuro Masumi's terrifying speed, she couldn't help but be stunned.
Could the gap between one person and another really be this vast?
Horikita Suzune couldn't help but quietly clench her fists.
What's more, from her impression, Kamuro Masumi's academic performance seemed to have improved remarkably quickly as well.
She was entirely above her now.
Thinking of this, Horikita Suzune felt a complicated stir in her heart.
She thought of Shikime Natsu.
She thought of those girlfriends of Shikime Natsu's—these girls who were on quite good terms with Shikime Natsu had all seen quite pronounced improvements in both physical prowess and academic performance.
It was at this moment that Horikita Suzune's gaze fell upon Sakura Airi standing off to the side. Sakura Airi stood there, her long pink hair tied up into a high ponytail, exposing her fair, slender neck.
She wore a set of white athletic wear, her whole figure looking fresh and adorable.
A smile graced her face as she chatted about something with Karuizawa Kei beside her.
Horikita Suzune watched Sakura Airi, her gaze falling somewhat unnaturally upon her chest.
Carrying something that large, could she really still run that fast?
The corner of Horikita Suzune's mouth twitched slightly.
She had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Sakura Airi's running speed was quite fast.
During their earlier training, Sakura Airi had run alongside her, and she had noticed it back then.
Even when she picked up her pace a little, Sakura Airi could keep up with ease. And even when she was already giving it her all, to the point where she could no longer accelerate any further, Sakura Airi still managed quite effortlessly.
If she'd wanted Sakura Airi to accelerate her running even more, no doubt the other girl could have done so with ease as well?
Thinking of this, Horikita Suzune felt even more conflicted inside.
One after another, their physical prowess and academic performance had all become far better than before.
Meanwhile, she herself was basically stuck marking time in place, even falling further and further behind the others. This feeling filled her with unwillingness.
But at this moment, Horikita Suzune thought of another question.
Why had those girlfriends of Shikime Natsu's undergone such dramatic changes?
Could it be that Shikime Natsu really possessed some special ability?
One that could enhance a girl's physical prowess and academic performance?
Horikita Suzune mused on this in her heart, her gaze drifting involuntarily toward Shikime Natsu.
Shikime Natsu was standing among the ranks of Class A, both hands tucked into his pockets, that faint smile on his face, looking quite at ease.
Watching that appearance of his, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but feel an emotion well up inside her—one she couldn't quite put into words.
This fellow—just how many secrets was he hiding?
And while Horikita Suzune was lost in her wild musings, Kushida Kikyou was also watching Shikime Natsu.
In her eyes lay a trace of complexity, a trace of dissatisfaction, and a trace of flustered indignation as well.
That fellow Shikime Natsu actually claimed that a kiss could enhance one's physical prowess?
What kind of joke was that!
Kushida Kikyou thought this to herself, and a flush couldn't help but rise to her face.
Kushida Kikyou recalled how that night she had sought out this fellow Shikime Natsu, then racked her brains trying to pry the words out of Shikime Natsu's mouth.
Shikime Natsu, at the time, hadn't thought to conceal it—he had told her outright: become his girlfriend, and then kissing every day could enhance one's physical prowess.
The moment she thought of this, that fair, tender face of Kushida Kikyou's couldn't help but be dyed crimson again—because the moment Shikime Natsu uttered that word "kiss," a scene of herself and Shikime Natsu kissing had unwittingly surfaced in Kushida Kikyou's mind. How could such a thing be possible?
In any case, as far as Kushida Kikyou was concerned, she would absolutely never develop things with Shikime Natsu to that extent. From the standpoint of choosing a partner, that hypocritical fellow Shikime Natsu was utterly not her type.
Still, it had to be said, that fellow Shikime Natsu's touch on that night aboard the cruise ship had left quite an impression in Kushida Kikyou's mind. Mm—of course, all of them were terrible impressions, naturally.
It was just that, even though Kushida Kikyou used the word "terrible" to describe that night's experience, if it came to whether she truly loathed it, then Kushida Kikyou genuinely hadn't harbored all that much resistance within her heart.
Could it be that she was...?
No, absolutely impossible.
Besides, how could the notion that kissing every day could enhance one's physical prowess possibly be true? Such a thing was simply too absurd.
And yet, the events of that night weren't fake either. Kushida Kikyou still remembered the sensation of her shoulder suddenly feeling lighter at the time. Things growing larger and smaller—that was something ordinary massage techniques couldn't accomplish.
At the very least, back when she was getting a spa treatment on the cruise ship, she had once asked someone about this very question, and it had made her lose face.
So... could it be that what Shikime Natsu said wasn't false after all?
Kushida Kikyou's gaze fell upon Horikita Suzune, standing not far away from her. This fellow probably loathed Shikime Natsu just as much as she did, right?
In that case, if she used Horikita Suzune, perhaps she could put it to the test—whether what Shikime Natsu said was true. If she went and directly asked those girlfriends of Shikime Natsu's, the answer she got would probably be the same as Shikime Natsu's.
But as far as Kushida Kikyou was concerned, the likelihood of Horikita Suzune lying was considerably lower.
It was just that... getting this woman Horikita Suzune into Shikime Natsu's hands would be no small feat.
Kushida Kikyou furrowed her brow and fell into thought.
____
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