Thirty Minutes After
Participants from every department began filing in, four runners per team. Students gathered around the track in clusters, some settling into the bleachers while others lingered near the railings, voices blending into a low, restless buzz.
A faculty member stepped forward, clipboard in hand.
"All participants, please proceed to your designated positions."
As everyone moved into place, Robert reached out and gave my shoulder a light pat. His gaze flicked briefly toward Arianne and Anathasia before returning to me.
"No need to hold back," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Just run."
All three of us nodded.
Then, without another word, we headed to our positions.
Once I settled into mine, I glanced back. Robert stood a few hundred meters away. Arianne was… well, she looked like an ant from here.
No kidding. She was practically on the opposite side of the oval.
Anathasia, meanwhile, bounced lightly on her feet before dropping into a side stretch. She straightened, shook out her hands, then rolled her shoulders.
For a moment, I thought—
[It's necessary. Don't mention it.]
[…Alright.]
She shot me a brief glance, then turned her attention forward again.
Before I could dwell on it, the starting pistol cracked.
BANG!
Cheers erupted as the first legs launched forward. As expected, the runner from the Social Sciences department, a tall guy with loosely curled hair pulled ahead immediately.
Arianne followed just a few steps behind him.
The rest of the runners were already falling back, left in the dust.
As Arianne closed in on the first exchange, Robert began moving, slow at first.
Then the baton changed hands.
He exploded forward.
The distance between him and the second runner vanished in seconds.
He's way too damn fast…!
I turned the moment he came within range, arm stretching back.
The handoff was clean.
And just like that, the second leg from Social Sciences was behind us, our time shaved down dramatically as I surged forward.
A hundred meters ahead, Anathasia was already preparing for the final handoff.
On the sidelines, our entire department wasn't cheering anymore.
They were roaring.
"Let's go! Take it, you four!"
"Robert, you muscle freak! Nice one!"
"Abe!" someone yelled. "If you take too long, I'm eating the cupcakes you made again!"
?!
I spared a split-second glance toward the voice—
Then snapped my attention back forward.
Anathasia was only a few meters away now, already moving into position.
The moment the baton hit her hand—
She was gone.
Meters ahead of me in an instant.
I slowed to a stop beside the track, chest heaving slightly, and glanced back toward the stands.
A familiar bastard stood there, waving his arm over his head like an idiot.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand.
Noah… that bastard…
I shook my head and let out a quiet laugh.
The crowd erupted again, this time even louder, even though Social Sciences was only just completing their final handoff.
My body turned instinctively toward the finish line.
Anathasia was already there.
Standing.
Not breathing hard.
Not sweating.
Not even looking remotely strained.
What the…?
Instead, she ran a hand through her hair, each strand catching the sunlight as she turned toward me. She gave a thumbs-up—then smirked, like a cat that got the cream.
I knew she was fast… but I didn't even look away for more than ten seconds, did I?
I didn't notice anything weird either…
I couldn't help but stare at her, standing just past the finish line, waving both hands at me like this was nothing more than a warm-up.
A few seconds later, the final runner from Social Sciences passed me. Even from the side, it was obvious. They were barely holding on.
Then I looked back at Anathasia.
She was already walking toward me, grin wide, while the rest of the participants from each department were still hundreds of meters away.
"Now we're free to not attend for an entire week without worrying about attendance," she said, planting her hands on her hips beside me.
"Told you it was decided."
"…Yeah," I let out a flat chuckle. "I can see that."
After everyone else finished, we walked back to where our department was waiting. Our program head stood off to the side, arms folded over his chest, casually nodding before stepping forward to meet us.
Anathasia spoke first.
"So, about the attendance and additional points…"
He nodded.
"Congratulations on your win. As promised—non-mandatory attendance for the week, along with additional points for all participants."
I glanced at Anathasia as she stood in front of him.
Her shoulders were trembling.
Then she slowly turned back to me.
"Heh… heheh…" she muttered.
"I can binge-read manwhas and still get additional points now…"
—
The sports festival resumed immediately after.
Anathasia's plan of loafing around for the rest of the day?
Canceled.
Before we knew it, people were already flocking toward us. The reason was obvious enough.
"Dunaleff barely talks or even participates, but you're actually really athletic, huh?" one girl said.
"And didn't she get full marks on that first-year presentation?" another added. "I remember that."
"So she's smart and athletic?" someone else gasped. "That should be illegal."
"No, wait—look at her boyfriend for a second," a guy suddenly said.
For some reason, everyone paused.
Then they all turned to look at me.
"He's… kinda pretty," the guy said.
They nodded.
"And really brainy."
More nods.
"And he's athletic too. I mean, his face looks gentle, but those abs and muscles definitely don't."
My expression flattened immediately.
"Oi…" I said. "That was unnecessary…"
"Okay, okay," a voice cut in.
Robert stepped forward, the crowd parting like the sea as he walked through.
"Give the couple a break," he said, turning to face everyone. "They just won a sport for our entire department."
He glanced around.
"Shouldn't we at least let them rest? They've earned that much, haven't they?"
The crowd quieted, then nodded in agreement.
After a few more murmured exchanges, people gradually dispersed, leaving Robert standing in front of us. He looked over his shoulder with a small smile.
"There," he said. "I noticed you two were getting sandwiched."
"And Dunaleff mentioned wanting to head home early, didn't she?"
Then he stepped past Anathasia.
Too close.
He leaned in beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder, and whispered—
"Glad I could help."
I stiffened.
Before I could say anything, he was already walking away.
"The hell…?"
—
After a short notice to the faculty and a brief meeting with the program head, we finally managed to leave through the campus gate, free from sudden interviews and lingering attention.
And like usual, the moment I took another step, we were already in front of the house.
Anathasia sauntered inside, her clothes shifting seamlessly into an oversized hoodie and a pair of shorts.
At this point, it barely registered.
Not that there was anything normal about living under the same roof as a Godhead.
Let alone dating one.
…Then again, she did mention something about us getting married someday anyway.
But that was a different matter.
I stepped inside after her and dropped onto the couch across from where she'd settled. My clothes shifted as well, changing into my usual lounge wear, just a plain shirt and shorts.
Home.
"'Give the other departments a bit of hope,' huh…"
She stared at the ceiling as she muttered, then suddenly sat up, eyes locking onto my hands.
"What?" I sat up too, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
Anathasia hummed. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch, nodding slowly to herself.
"Yeah," she murmured. "I think this'll work."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, ornate red box, its surface faintly glowing with something both divine and eldritch.
"Here." She placed it in my palm. "Payback for the ring a few weeks ago."
She pulled her hand back, watching me with a genuine smile.
"Open it. I think you'll like what's inside."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I've been making it every free second I got these past few weeks."
…Huh?
Eh?
When I glanced at her, her eyes practically bored into me. The anticipation in them was undeniable.
After a moment and a bit more silent pressure, I finally opened the box.
Slowly. Carefully.
I wasn't sure why I was being so cautious.
Inside was a ring.
Silver, just like the one I gave her. But instead of the small infinity symbol etched into it, there was—
"A flower…?"
"A mirrored lotus, actually," she cut in, watching as I slid the ring onto my finger. "It's a symbol of purity and all that."
She went quiet.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the ring now resting on my hand.
"…And 'Eternal Love,'" she added softly. "Like from that one anime I watched."