Chapter 106: The Sports Festival
"Ugh…"
I was running through the school grounds early in the morning, the moment the curfew was lifted.
The cold wind brushed against my face, almost freezing it were it not for the sweat pouring down my forehead.
I felt calm and relieved as I breathed in the cold air, which seemed to reset me from the inside.
I had never tried running this early in the morning before, but it might actually be an excellent experience—away from crowds and beneficial as exercise for the body.
I ran through the light fog covering the entire school, feeling as though part of it had already seeped into my head and made everything around me unclear.
I kept recalling what had happened yesterday and what Ryuuen had said. He seemed determined to find the person behind Karuizawa's incident.
I didn't know whether I should care about this or simply ignore it. There were already things I had to take responsibility for, separate from this nonsense.
I stopped in front of the lake, watching the surface of the water from a distance before heading toward the vending machine to get a can of Max Coffee.
I crouched down to pick up the can, then continued walking toward the dormitory.
I enjoyed the taste of the coffee lingering on my tongue while being annoyed by the sticky sweat covering my body.
It would be better to take a shower before school.
I reached the dormitory, which was still quiet since it wasn't time for everyone to wake up yet. I immediately went upstairs to my room and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
After leaving the bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror, pushing my messy hair backward.
"There doesn't seem to be any progress…"
I stared at my body through the reflection, but I couldn't notice any real change apart from an improvement in my stamina.
I started drying my hair with a towel as I left the bathroom, then stopped in front of the shirt I hadn't put on yet.
I carefully put on the shirt. For some reason, I felt like it needed ironing, and after ironing it properly, I didn't want to ruin it.
I could deal with it normally after a week.
I carefully buttoned it up, then tucked the bottom of the shirt into my trousers before throwing the necktie aside and grabbing my bag to head toward school.
All the students were making their way toward the school in different ways after the end of the vacation. Their expressions ranged from anticipation for what was coming to nothing but sadness at the thought of returning to what resembled their personal hell.
I didn't know what I was supposed to feel right now. I simply walked toward the school with a blank expression while thinking about what was coming in the next stage.
Nothing was clear at all with this gloomy school system. You couldn't predict what would happen.
Perhaps the best way was simply to live one day at a time and deal with problems when they came.
I entered the school building and walked through the hallway. I noticed the class rankings posted on the wall.
There had been no changes except at the bottom.
Ryuuen's class had fallen to Class D, while our class had been promoted to Class C.
Our class would have a difficult time settling down, especially after the promotion. You couldn't enjoy even a little peace when Ryuuen was the person chasing you.
I entered through the back door of the classroom. It had been a while since I'd experienced the atmosphere of school and the dense morning conversations between the groups, as if everyone was eager to tell the others everything they had to say that morning.
Near the entrance was a group of boys blocking the view, apparently discussing something as important as world peace.
"Oh, Hikigaya. Morning…" Sudo called loudly after noticing me entering through the door.
He was standing with his usual group, but after I entered, both Ike and Yamauchi withdrew and quietly returned to their seats.
"Morning…"
"Didn't you hear what happened, man? Apparently, Karuizawa broke up with Hirata. Hahaha!" Sudo said while scratching his neck.
I turned toward the other side of the classroom, where Hirata was sitting calmly as if nothing had happened.
I had never directly heard about their relationship, but I had seen them together more than once. However, it seemed their relationship hadn't gone as expected.
What starts quickly ends quickly.
"Well, it has nothing to do with us, so there's no need to keep talking about it around here," I said as I walked toward my seat.
Sudo stood silently behind me for a moment before shouting loudly.
"Yeah, you're right! Come on, guys, let's forget about this for now!"
As if his friends understood that his words were directed at them, each of them silently nodded.
I sat in my usual seat and lightly ran my hand across the desk in front of me, waiting for the first class to begin.
It didn't take long before the sound of the bell echoed throughout the school, announcing the beginning of a new day.
Chabashira-sensei entered immediately afterward, carrying a neatly arranged stack of papers in her hands.
The moment the teacher stood on the podium in front of the students, silence returned to the classroom, as if everyone was listening carefully to what Chabashira-sensei was about to say.
Perhaps the summer trip hadn't merely consisted of two unexpected special exams. It had also been a form of development for the class in one way or another.
Its survival and progress depended on every individual within the group.
"The second semester begins today. Therefore, I want to inform you that from September until the beginning of October, there will be more physical education classes than usual in preparation for the Sports Festival…"
The atmosphere inside the classroom froze between surprise and confusion.
The students stopped at Chabashira-sensei's words, trying to understand the situation they were about to face.
But seriously, had that time of the year finally come again?
The time when you had to run in front of everyone while each class shouted the name of their star athlete in support, while no one would shout your name because nobody even knew who you were.
It seemed my memories of sports festivals were darker than pleasant.
I did enjoy myself a little during my second year at Sobu School. I wouldn't deny that…
Chabashira-sensei paid no attention to their reactions and began distributing the papers she was holding.
"I have distributed your new timetable, as well as the documents concerning the Sports Festival. You can also access the same information on the school's main website, so compare them if you wish."
I glanced at the papers in my hands.
They contained information about the revised class schedule, with a large portion dedicated to physical education classes. There was also information about the Sports Festival.
Things weren't much different from other schools, with the entire school being divided into two teams.
However, what caught my attention more was the fact that our class and Class B were on the same team, while Sakayanagi's class and Ryuuen's class were together.
This seemed like more than just an ordinary high school sports festival.
"Sensei, is the Sports Festival one of our special exams?" Hirata asked as he stood from his seat.
"You may consider it whatever you wish. Regardless, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on your class."
Although the situation was still unclear, an image was beginning to form in my mind.
The school hadn't officially stated that it was a special exam.
Just like the ordinary written exams, although this wasn't much different from a normal school event, its impact went far beyond that.
"For this year's festival, the entire school will compete divided into two teams, the Red Team and the White Team. You, Class C, will be with Class B on the White Team."
"Hmm…"
"This seems…"
"I'll lead our team to victory, no doubt about it!"
Confusion spread throughout the classroom as the students tried to understand how the exam would proceed.
However, Sudo, full of enthusiasm, jumped from his seat and raised his fist toward the ceiling to declare his challenge.
It was as if he'd finally found what he wanted—a chance to prove himself in his field, far away from pens and papers.
"The events consist of mandatory and optional events. The optional events award more points than the mandatory ones. It is also important to give your all in every event. The penalty for losing is severe…"
The students' eyes immediately turned toward the rewards and penalties. It was essential to know what they would be working toward.
"What are these additional points for the students who place first?"
"What do you mean by adding points to the written exams?"
"As you would expect, students who achieve high rankings will receive additional points that can be added to their next written examination. This could be very helpful in your exams," Chabashira-sensei said with a smile, spreading excitement throughout the classroom.
"Seriously?"
"Yes!"
"Hooray!"
It seemed the school had suddenly become generous when it came to rewards.
There had to be something terrible waiting on the other side.
I turned the page toward the penalties.
The students who finished among the bottom ten would receive a penalty.
If the students at the top were going to receive additional points, then could it be…
"Sensei, what is the penalty?" one of the girls asked, wanting to know about the part that could become a nightmare.
"The ten lowest-ranking first-year students will lose points on their next examination."
"What?!"
"That can't be…"
"That's not fair…"
The joy over the rewards immediately turned into confusion over what they might have to face.
Most students were already struggling to avoid failing their exams. Having a ghost constantly chasing them in the form of deducted points was a genuine nightmare.
I probably wasn't far from that situation myself. I might face a crisis like this.
Perhaps I should study harder for my upcoming exams, regardless of my results.
"The papers I distributed contain a list of all the events in this year's Sports Festival…"
The paper contained a total of thirteen events.
Most of us had probably tried at least some of them before, or at the very least watched them, so it was unlikely that the class would have much trouble practicing them.
But wasn't that a lot?
"We can't possibly do all of them in one day…"
"You can. There will be no cheerleading or dancing competitions. This will be an examination focused on physical fitness."
So that was the central point of this Sports Festival.
While written examinations measured what a student had learned through studying, this exam would evaluate the physical side of the students in its entirety.
"Decide among yourselves who will participate in each event and in what order. Fill out the participation forms and submit them to me," Chabashira-sensei announced, explaining the final point regarding how the exam would proceed.
The selection system might differ from class to class, but this would determine how the exam proceeded for each group.
"How much are we allowed to choose ourselves?" Yukinoshita asked as she raised her hand at the front.
"Everything. You can choose everything regarding the events, including who participates in which event," Chabashira-sensei said, drawing the final line that defined the structure of this exam.
"That is everything concerning this year's Sports Festival. If you have any questions, ask them now."
Chabashira-sensei waited for a response from the students in front of her.
After being met with silence, she left the classroom, seemingly giving them room to discuss what was in their hands.
Almost every part of the exam was already known, except for the rewards and penalties.
But the most important thing was the selection—who would participate in which events.
It was like playing cards.
All you had to do was play the right card at the right place and at the right time.
But what if your opponent knew what cards you had?
The competition would lose its balance.
"Guys, let's talk about the exam for a little while," Hirata said as he stood at the podium to lead the meeting after side conversations had spread throughout the classroom.
I stood from my seat and headed toward the door.
There was something I needed to make sure of before we started.
"Hikigaya-kun, where are you going? We're starting now," Hirata said after seeing me trying to leave.
"Ah… just start without me. I'll be back soon," I said as I walked out the door, ignoring the gazes of the class.
After closing the door behind me, I saw the teacher's back as she walked away down the hallway.
Good. She hadn't gone far.
"Sensei, there's something I want to ask you," I said as I approached her.
Chabashira-sensei stopped for a moment before turning toward me.
"I'm listening."