INTRODUCTION
It was morning as I, Suzune Horikita, stood on the faculty side, watching the students gather on
the field.
On the stage that had been set up for the event, Student Council President, Miyabi
Nagumo-senpai was giving the opening address.
Guests from outside the school who had been invited looked at the students. There were only a
few dozen of them.
Even still, the students were uneasy at the sight of these outsiders.
With a positive attitude, everyone is about to give their best in this sports festival. The student
council had told in advance that guests had been invited, but the number of guests was more
than I had imagined.
They come from the political and other circles that have played a role in the creation of this
school. There were no politicians that I had seen on TV, but I was sure that they were important.
Everyone is dressed up in suits and has a harsh expression on their faces as they watch.
It was as if they were monitoring prisoners. Even in the midst of all of this, Student Council
President Nagumo maintained his composure and proceeded to speak with dignity. He was
gracefully fulfilling his role as my brother once had in front of students.
After the speech was over and the students applauded, the teachers once again informed
everyone of the precautions that would be taken at the sports festival.
Finally, the time arrived.
From this point on, the students were free to do as they pleased.
They may compete in the events they are currently entered in as long as they follow the
regulations, or, despite the fact that they must gain points, they may abstain and compete in
another event on short notice if they observe their opponents and believe they are at a
disadvantage.
It's also worth noting that students who have completed all of the competitions or who do not
want to compete are required to cheer in the allocated area.
If you are caught chatting, resting, or Bypassing around in unrelated areas, you will be
disqualified from participation and your points will be taken away.
Students who are capable of winning are chosen from each other's classes for the team
competition, and the number of students competing is balanced.
The maximum number of students who could participate in a group competition were limited, no
matter how good the other students were.
This is a contract to lend a hand in up to three events per person in the team competition, in
order not to hold only outstanding talents such as Sudo-kun and Albert Yamada-kun for long
periods of time. The above arrangement was also included in the contract to limit the number of
events to those that can be entered in advance.
It wouldn't make sense to have a dispute on the day of the sports festival, asking for cooperation
in this or that.
We don't have a rule that prevents us from working with other students, such as Ichinose-san's
or Sakayanagi-san's class.
If there is a competition that needs teamwork with others to gain points then, we are able to
team up according to the situation.
Fortunately, I had already devised a strategy with Katsuragi-kun and had gone through it several
times to ensure that it would not be an issue.
Although I am less concerned about the competition's opening because of the high number of
competitors in the competitions I have scheduled, I must remember to meet with my classmates
every hour to check for any potential problems and make minor adjustments.
The 100-meter dash is the first event in which I'll compete. There is no need to rush because
the start time is 15 minutes after, but I wanted to be there early to check on the participants.
"Come on, Horikita! It's time!"
Ibuki-san came sprinting up to me at full speed as soon as the assembly was disbanded and we
were free to leave.
She was out of breath and staring at me.
"Are you stupid?"
"Huh! What is this all of a sudden? Are you afraid you're gonna lose? Is that what you mean?"
"No I am not…"
I immediately denied it.
"What is the competition you are going to do now? Catch your breath and then answer."
"Of course, the 100 metre dash. I made a deal with you, and I'm not going to forget it."
"Yes, the 100 meter run. We both entered in the first race. That was the deal. That means we'll
be running right after this. If you know we're going to race, why would you use up your energy
now? Needless to say Shouldn't you wait for me at the designated place?"
I guess she understood the situation as I told her.
"Anyway, it's time, let's go!"
"Don't worry. You don't have to tell me to go."
Ibuki-san is not an easy opponent. Last year, I won the 100-meter run by a narrow margin. If it
were possible, I would avoid competing with her, but I am greatly indebted to her.
If not for Ibuki-san's help, Kushida-san might not have come to school yet. Even then, I can't
lose to her. I know she doesn't want that either, so I'm going to compete with her and win fair
and square.
Ibuki-san didn't seem to like walking side by side with me, so we separated and headed for the
first entry.
A pleasant sense of tension is building up.
First up was the battle for the second-year girls only.
Not much had changed from the prior reservations, and the only potential rival was Ibuki-san.
But to think that it's fortunate would be naive. If I have an easy fight, it indicates that my
classmates will have to compete against harder opponents in several events.
PART 1
The 100-meter sprint was the first competition I took in the sports festival, and the first
competition regarding the deal with Ibuki-san.
I came out on top by a razor-thin margin. Surprisingly, it was almost identical to the previous
year. After crossing the finish line Ibuki-san kicked up the dirt and made a lot of excuses,
claiming that she had run as fast as she could before the race.
My next competition with her was in the fourth event, the long jump. For the two events in
between we went into separate events.
The steeplechase was the second event, in which I placed first, and the team tug-of-war was
the third event, in which I placed third..
So far, I've accumulated a total of 21 points, including 5 points at the start, 10 points for the two
first places in the individual competition, 3 points for the tug-of-war for third place in the team
competition, and 3 points for the participation prize. It was a promising start.
Then, around 10:00 a.m. The second round of the long jump with Ibuki-san began.
I had just finished the competition and the record I set was 5 meters, 79 centimeters.
Not bad. I think I almost set a personal best record in a situation where no mistakes were
allowed.
Ibuki-san, who was three places behind me in the lineup, was looking at the record and
regulating her breathing.
There were three jumpers left. By jumping into provisional first place, she was much closer to
scoring points in this event.
"Suzune! I found you!"
As I was watching the next long jumper, I heard a voice calling me from behind. I turned around
to see Sudo-kun running up to me and Onodera-san walking behind him.
They are the pair that I have high hopes for as the point scorers in this sports festival.
"From the looks of it, you seem to be in good shape."
"Sudo-kun has won three in a row in the opening round. And he was completely at ease."
"Well, yeah. But you also competed in two events and won first place in both. Right, Onodera?"
"But I was a little lucky on both."
Onodera, who has no equal when it came to swimming, also showed off her talent in track and
field.
"When I first entered the school, I didn't have the impression that you were that fast. Where did
it come from?"
I was curious about this because I always see her in P.E. class.
"I don't really like running, and I'm not interested in anything but swimming, so I'm just doing it at
random, I guess."
"You said you never do long distances."
"It's super tiring, and I can't run that fast, and that's not a good thing."
They have been practicing together every day since they decided to pair up, and it seems to be
a much more natural pairing than I had imagined.
"It's true. Anyways I really wanted to fight with Koenji if possible. He participated in three events
and took first place in all of them, and it looks like he's still going to extend his winning streak."
"That's no good. It's not a good idea to crush each other as classmates. You know that, right?"
Both Sudo and Koenji have the potential to take first place.
I understand their desire to compete in the same race, but they have to give priority to their
class.
"I know, I'm kidding."
"It'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on him for that, don't worry."
"Yes, that's good. The more I can leave it to Onodera-san, the less I have to worry about it."
"I guess I ain't trustworthy..."
He seemed dissatisfied, but when I looked directly at him, he averted his gaze uncomfortably.
That's a sign that he's reflecting on how he's behaved in the past.
"Sudo-kun and the others are going to participate in a series of pair competitions after this,
aren't they? Good luck."
"Oh. I'm going to extend my winning streak."
That's very encouraging. And here the last runner stood at the starting line.
I stopped the conversation and turned my gaze toward Ibuki-san.
"Well, sorry to interrupt. Let's go scout the next competition."
"Let's do that. See you later, Horikita-san."
"Yeah."
I gave them a light sideways glance as my attention was on Ibuki-san, who had started to get
ready for her turn.
I fully understand that her ability is close to mine. In other words, it is conceivable that she could
surpass the record I set.
I was torn between two emotions: one, I wanted her to fail, and the other, I wanted to compete
equally with her at full strength. Despite the fact that she should be under a lot of stress, her
motions were graceful and agile.
She leapt, landed on the dirt and fell forward.
With dirt on her face, her eyes immediately turned to the record keeper: 5 meters, 81
centimeters.
A mere two centimeters, but still two centimeters short, and my loss was confirmed.
"I did it!"
Ibuki-san sat in a gut-punching stance, beaming like a child. She made a spectacular leap that
barely cleared my own mark..
"See! I won! You lose!"
I understand she was pleased to the point of insistence, but it is, as one might anticipate, a little
frustrating.
"I guess you had the advantage of less air resistance after all…"
If there was no difference in our abilities, that is the only possible difference between us...
"Huh? Air resistance?"
"It's nothing."
"Stop messing around and just admit defeat."
"Don't get carried away. Now we both have one win and one loss. We're even again."
Even though I warned her not to get carried away, Ibuki-san had a smile on her face the whole
time.
I guess I should regret missing first place on my part, but when she is so pleased with herself, I
can't help but feel that I have no choice besides beating her in the next round.
"I win! I win! I won and you lost!"
… I still can't believe it.
Instead, I feel like my mental stress has increased a lot.
Now I have one win and one loss.
I'd like to play the third match right now, but there are other high-scoring team events coming up
after this, so I'll have to settle the score with her later.
PART 2
The sports festival began without Ayanokoji-kun.
The gymnasium is equipped with an electronic bulletin board so that students can check the
results of their classes at any time.
It was at the start of the festival that Ryuen-kun's class took first place, but it wasn't long after
that we, Class B, took first place, and we have maintained that position ever since.
Ichinose-san's Class C is in third place, and Sakayanagi-san's Class A is in fourth place, an
ideal ranking.
I hope things will continue to go on like this without any trouble until the end of the event.
However, since there was still some time before the next competition, I moved to the cheering
section to pass some time.
"I just wanted to congratulate you for your hardwork, Horikita-senpai!"
Yagami-kun, a first-year Class B student, approached me.
"It seems that Yagami-kun's class is also fighting quite well. You are now in second place by a
narrow margin."
"It's more surprising that my senpai is in first place. I can't believe you started in Class D last
year."
Is it meant to be a compliment? Or is there sarcasm mixed in?"
"No way. I genuinely respect you. But not as much as Student Council President Nagumo."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that at this very moment Student Council President Nagumo
broke through the finishing line tape.
"The third-year senpais were talking earlier, and they said this is his fifth consecutive first place
finish."
As the girls cheered, the guests of honor turned their attention to the student council president.
Student Council President Nagumo, on the other hand, walked away from the scene with a
blank expression on his face, telling the girls who called out to him that he would like to be alone
and walked away.
"I expected him to say something, but he doesn't seem pleased."
"Even if he wins or loses, it's not as if this competition matters to him in the slightest. His
graduation from Class A is already secured. So, I don't think he would be enthusiastic about it."
Certainly, the results of the sports festival are irrelevant to the student council president, who is
in a strong position in terms of rankings; he is aiming for first place because he doesn't want to
look bad in front of present students and visitors, I imagine.
"I'm going to have a little talk with the president."
"I see. I have another competition, so I'll leave you now, senpai."
After exchanging a few words with Yagami-kun, I decided to approach the student council
president. Beside him, another third-year girl called out to him.
She is Kiryuin-senpai, a third year Class B student. She is someone I have heard rumors about
from time to time in my interactions with third-year students. I know that she is an exceptional
student on the OAA.
Since I couldn't interrupt the conversation, I chose to stay put and wait.
"Congratulations on your fifth straight win, Nagumo."
"What do you want?"
"You don't have to be so rude. I'm just concerned that you don't look happy with your success. It
seems there were more than one or two people giving you a cheer."
"I'm not really in the mood for jokes. How can you call winning a game like that a success?"
"You could have gathered the weak and forced them to participate in order for yourself to get
first place, but I don't think the members of the race just now were a group like that."
Kiryuin-senpai pointed out that he wasn't trying to cut corners.
"I heard a rumor that Ayanokoji is absent, is that the reason for the gloomy look on your face?"
Ayanokoji-kun. Once again, his name keeps popping up in places like this.
Without looking back at Kiryuin-senpai, the student council president let out a soft sigh…
"I thought that guy would finally be able to give me a challenge. I guess I was wrong."
"You poor thing. I'll be your opponent, then, how about it?"
At such provocative words, student council president Nagumo gave a sideways glance at
Kiryuin-senpai, the first time he looked over. However, when he saw her fearless smile, he
looked away once more.
"That's a cheap lie. Even if I wanted to, I can't imagine you'd ever compete with me."
"Hmph. I guess I've been found out. Haven't I?"
Hunching her shoulders, Kiryuin-senpai, who had come up to Student Council President
Nagumo's side, says so.
"One more event and I have fulfilled my minimum obligation. After that, I plan to relax and watch
the games."
"I'm sure you will."
"You should no longer be concerned with juniors. At least you've dominated your grade level
and secured Class A. You're the student council president. That's enough. I suggest you
graduate quietly."
As if to offer some advice, Kiryuin-senpai told him that.
"You're advising me? What's gotten into you? I've talked to you more in the past six months than
I did before Ayanokoji got involved."
"Maybe so."
"Don't worry, Kiryuin. I don't need you to tell me that I should give up on playing with Ayanokoji.
He chose not to fight me. There's no point in going after him too hard."
"If he loses the direct confrontation with the student council president, Ayanokoji will not be able
to remain as composed as he has been in the past. Take into account his desire to run away. He
has a cute side to him."
Fighting against the student council president? Ayanokoji-kun?
Perhaps that's why he was called to the student council room the other day, to talk about this?
It also corresponds to the message Nagumo-senpai entrusted me with.
Kiryuin-senpai lightly glanced at me, but walked away without saying anything.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Suzune. What do you want from me?"
"Ah, well, I was going to ask you the same thing as Kiryuin-senpai. I saw student council
president Nagumo-senpai take first place, but you didn't look happy at all. Also... you seem to
have promised Ayanokoji-kun that you would compete with him in the sports festival?"
"Clearly, it didn't work out in the end. He seems to be absent. That's the end of it."
Ayanokoji-kun told me that his absence was due to a plan involving Sakayanagi-san, rather than
illness. That fact appears to be unknown to Student Council President Nagumo, and it would be
best not to let him know.
"When it's time for lunch break, come hang out with me for a bit."
I couldn't refuse the request and agreed to do so.
A short time later, during the lunch break, I was looking at the lunches provided on the grounds.
I could choose what I wanted from this bunch of meals.
Sandwiches and other light meals. The lineup was diverse, ranging from a variety of dishes
such as pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice to more stamina-and strength-enhancing
dishes.
Sandwiches and other light meals are available. The menu was wide, with items ranging from
Katsudon to more stamina and strength-boosting options.
[T/L Note : Katsudon is pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice.]
I'm both impressed and appalled at how prepared and thorough this school is.
Moreover, the prerequisite is that the food must be consumed, and you can take more than one.
Most of the students just picked one, but I observed that there were some boys who took more
than one. I saw a large student who happily carried three or four of them on his chest.
I've seen this student before in the first grade, but...if he ate all of that and was ready to
compete this afternoon, he either still underestimated this school or he's confident in himself.
"Thanks for waiting."
I was just reaching for a light meal when I was approached by the student council president.
"No problem, senpai. However, I have a meeting, so if you could make this quick, that would be
great."
"Ah. Well then, I want to know something about Ayanokoji. I heard he got sick, but how did he
suddenly get sick?"
Although he didn't point it out earlier, apparently he is suspicious of Ayanokoji-kun.
"I only received a notice in the morning apologizing for his absence, because an absent student
loses 10 points. If he is sick, I can't force him to show up."
I am the only one who knows he was absent for another reason. Naturally, I need to cover that.
"I hope he's really sick."
"What does that mean?"
I don't think I gave it away from my attitude. I wonder if the student council president has
another reason to think otherwise.
"You heard what Kiryuin said. Maybe he didn't want to be humiliated and decided to stay
indoors."
"I suppose it's always a possibility."
I gave a safe response so as not to provoke him.
"Right well... I guess that'll end up costing your grade."
"What... Do you mean by that?"
"Well, the only way to make up for his absence, is to take it out on someone else, right?"
He didn't directly answer my question, but mumbled to himself.
The student council president then raised his hand lightly to let me know he's leaving and
walked away without picking up his lunch.
"Take it out on our year? What does he mean by cost...? I wonder what it meant…"
It seems like Ayanokoji's reputation is really all over the place. I, too, was impressed with him
again today at the sports festival.
When he told me that he would be absent, I was nervous about what would happen, but as it
turned out, Sakayanagi-san was also absent.
Without a doubt, Ayanokoji did something to hold off Sakayanagi-san. And the results are
evident in the current Class A scores and rankings.
If suddenly the commander is unable to appear on the scene, it is not surprising that they
cannot work well together.
It's a pity, but this is a serious game.
I'll make sure I rack up wins whenever I can.
PART 3
After a midday break, the sports festival resumed in the second half of the day.
More than half of the students had already completed the minimum required five competitions,
with those who showed confidence in their athletic talents progressing to the sixth and seventh
competitions.
Without their captain, the Class A students like Matoba and Shimizu were struggling against
other classes because of leaders like Horikita and Ichinose, who were assessing the contests'
participants and members minute by minute.
"Next is doubles table tennis in the gymnasium. Satonaka reported earlier that there were no
strong rivals. There are two more seats available. There is a good chance we can win it."
"We have to keep winning games and at least try not to finish in the bottom of the standings."
Sakayanagi's non-participation discouraged many of the students of the second year Class A,
but on the other hand, there were many who were motivated by it.
They abandoned the penalty shootout competition they had planned to participate in and rapidly
began moving after learning that the tennis doubles tournament, which was about to close in 10
minutes, was running low with talented students.
Ishizaki, who was walking in the opposite direction as the two students, had a slightly downcast
expression on his face and was not looking forward.
Shimizu moved to the right to avoid the approaching Ishizaki, but Ishizaki also moved to the left
at about the same time.
Shimizu tried to get away from him as quickly as possible, but he was unable to do so, and their
shoulders bumped. The collision was twice as immense as expected and could not have
happened by chance.
Shimizu tried to raise his voice when he realised he had been hit forcibly, but….
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"
Before he could react, Ishizaki yelled and walked up towards him.
"You were the one walking forward, and I could have been hurt!"
Shimizu from Class A and Ishizaki from Class D glared at each other.
"You're the one who wasn't looking ahead!"
"Huh? What… are you pretending to be the victim? So, you hit me on purpose?"
"What, no? You bumped into me on purpose, no matter how you look at it. Right?"
Shimizu calls for help and asks Matoba to cover him.
"Ah. You weren't looking straight ahead."
"I wasn't looking away. You two are making accusations against me. That's dirty."
"Dirty? It's clearly your fault."
"Huh? Me? When you guys were too busy talking to watch me."
The blame-shifting continues, and time passes without any sign of Ishizaki's attempt to
apologize. Matoba, convinced that they were right, told Shimizu to calm down.
"Let's Leave him alone."
"I'm not convinced."
"I know how you feel. I feel the same too, but we have priorities right now."
"... That's right."
He was sensitive to Shimizu's feelings, but he also reminded him not to forget that he had to
participate in the competition and win.
Shimizu nodded, glared at Ishizaki, and walked away.
"You better be careful next time."
"Ouch…"
"What?"
As he was about to walk past, Ishizaki suddenly held his left shoulder and mumbled,
"I was caught up in the moment, I didn't notice... I think I might have been hurt by that."
The two couldn't grasp what he was saying for a little while, but they quickly realised what he
was saying. They realised Ishizaki had prepared a simple trap for them.
The two looked at each other and laughed. However, the situation takes a sudden turn
immediately after that.
"You're making a ruckus? What's the matter, Ishizaki?"
"Ryuen-san! Please listen to me! They are messing with me!"
Ryuen appeared just as things were starting to get tense.
"So Ryuen is involved? What a troublesome guy. I didn't expect him to use such obvious tricks."
"What are you even talking about? I only came here because I heard the stupid commotion."
"You've got to be joking, right? You know you two have a record."
"A record? Certainly we may have a record. So, what?"
"You know what I mean."
"But you know what? Even if we do have a record, it is completely irrelevant to whether we did it
this time or not. If an innocent little person was hurt by Class A's tricks then it will be a big
problem right?"
"What with the "innocent little person"? Stop with the act. You're the one who talked him into it,
aren't you? I'm calling the sensei…!"
"Kuku. Of course, you call the teachers when you're in trouble. That's pretty funny considering
we're the victims here. I'll explain it thoroughly, so don't worry. Right, Ishizaki?"
"Right. I'm the victim."
"What victims? You clearly aren't even taking the sports festival seriously, so does it even
matter to you? Go call sensei."
Matoba decides that it is unavoidable and tells Shimizu to call sensei, and sends him running
somewhere.
Shimizu, who had gone to call the teacher, returned shortly after with a harsh expression on his
face.
"What's wrong? Where's Sensei?"
"No, that's…"
Shimizu didn't bring back a teacher but Hashimoto Masayoshi, who was in the same class.
"I saw Shimizu running all panicked so I asked him about it. If he called the teacher, the
commotion would get bigger. If you decide to turn it into a situation, you might not be able to
participate in the competition."
"But—"
"I know. Don't forget that's what Ryuen wants, to make a big commotion. Don't play into his
hands."
Instructing him to relax, Hashimoto placed his hand on Shimizu's shoulder.
"I'll talk to him for now."
"I understand. Deal with him fast please."
Matoba, who had no choice but to leave the situation to Hashimoto, watches from a short
distance away.
"Please keep it civil, Ryuen."
Hashimoto, who heard the story, approaches with calm steps amid the commotion.
"Ah? It was them who initiated it. We only bought the fight that was sold to us."
"Sure. But if you don't back off, we'll both be in trouble. We're the breadwinners of the sports
festival, and it's still holding back the main force. I'm sorry to say this, but Ishizaki can only
achieve a certain level of results, right?"
No matter how you look at it, it is clear that it benefited the Ryuen side.
Hashimoto took advantage of this point to hold back Ryuen so that he could end the debate.
"Don't be arrogant. Ishizaki has been working hard for this day. To show that he has the
potential to compete on equal terms with the breadwinners you speak of. Isn't that right?"
"Lies."
Hashimoto, who had seen Ishizaki playing around on a regular basis many times, could not help
but be disgusted.
"Damn. You always push things to the edge."
Hashimoto knew that he could not win in a proper debate, but he couldn't resist scratching his
head.
"However, this clarifies the situation. Isn't it true that you really want to crush us in this sports
festival, and that's why the elite first-years are sticking around like freaks?"
He noticed early on that the physically gifted first-year students were following the talented
second-year Class A students around as they competed in the competition. However, there was
no way to stop the entries once they were noticed, and so far they have only achieved less than
expected.
"Because of the princess' absence on the day of the competition, we're pretty desperate to
avoid the bottom of the standings. If we make an enemy of you too, we won't stand a chance.
Let's just call this Itamiwake."
[T/L Note - Itamiwake (痛み分け) is a Sumo term which refers to a match declared Draw due to
injury, or here damage to both sides.]
"Itamiwake?"
Ryuen's attitude, which had been relatively friendly until now, changed drastically, and his smile
disappeared.
"I don't know what's going on in Class A. We are in D class. I'm doing everything I can to climb
up from the bottom. If you think you can simply end it after saying that, you're mistaken."
Hashimoto's expression, which had been thinly veiled in a smile, froze for a moment as Ryuen
became serious.
"Then what should I do? Am I supposed to apologize unilaterally to you?"
"That's exactly what I'm referring to. I am not attempting to get money from you. All I want is an
honest apology. Ishizaki, right?"
"Sure. The pain in my arm has subsided a bit, so that's good enough for me."
What hurts more than anything is the loss of more time.
After confirming that no special money or other demands would be made, Hashimoto decided to
accept the proposal.
"Give me some time to persuade Shimizu."
"Hurry up. We have another competition coming up."
Since the argument began, more than five minutes have gone. It's almost too late to apologise
and make it to the gymnasium on time.
"You heard me. I know you're not convinced, but you should apologize honestly here."
"Don't be silly. You said you would take care of it, so I kept my mouth shut and listened. I'm not
going to go along with it."
"So it's not a big deal if we don't win? You might be able to save your pride by being stubborn
and standing up for yourself in this situation. Will this, however, persuade you if we lose by five
or ten points?"
"Well, that's…"
"What matters now is that the class wins. Right? You stepped into some shit, so apologize and get over it."
One word of apology and you can head right back to the competition.
"Damn! Why should I…"
Shimizu, who showed great irritation, finally cooled down and reluctantly agreed and stepped
forward to apologize to Ishizaki.
"Wait, Shimizu. Matoba is just as guilty as you. Claiming I was looking away and all that."
"Matoba…"
"Okay…"
The two students have no choice but to stand next to one other and bow slightly to Ishizaki.
"It was our fault. We're sorry... Is this okay?"
They quickly raised their lowered heads and were about to leave, but Ishizaki quickly stopped
them.
"Ryuen-san, are you seeing this? I don't really see any apology from these two?"
"It's like they're faking it. I don't feel like he's received a full apology. You don't have enough
sincerity."
"Are you insane, Ryuen? I won't back down any further."
Hashimoto had already attempted to negotiate for Shimizu's sake, but he had also concluded
that this was as far as he could go at this point.
Hashimoto hurried over to the teacher, deciding that there was no other option except for the
teacher to intervene.
After about a minute, he returned with the teacher.
"What in the world is the matter here?"
"Actually…"
"I accept your apology."
Hashimoto was about to tell the teacher what happened, but just before he did, Ishizaki
accepted the apology.
"Please accept my apologies, Ryuen-san. You stood up for me, but I wasn't mature enough to
admit it was just a minor annoyance. So, because these two just apologised to me, I believe I'll
make it up to you later. Is that all right?"
"If you're okay with that, it's none of my business."
As soon as the teacher had arrived, Ryuen and Ishizaki cut the conversations short.
Hashimoto, who had brought the teacher along because he knew Ryuen could not turn his back
on the teacher, was also confused.
The teacher, seeing the situation, came to a conclusion.
"You two bumped into Ishizaki and apologized. And he accepted it. Is that correct?"
"That's—"
Shimizu tries to speak up as the problem seems to have been solved, but Hashimoto stops him.
"Yes. That's it.."
"Good then. Avoid further trouble during the festival, okay?"
Hashimoto pushes the two, who seem to be about to explode in anger, away from the place.
"Go quickly while the teacher is watching."
They turned around several times to glare at Ishizaki and Ryuen, but eventually they blended in
with the crowd walking towards the gymnasium.
Ryuen and the others also dispersed at the same time.
When no one was left around Hashimoto, he lamented deeply.
"You did this in front of all these people... I don't want to make enemies with you at all."
Hashimoto was unsettled, but he said this and laughed alone in joy.
PART 4
3:00 p.m.
With less than an hour left, the sports festival is finally coming to a close.
We are still in first place going into the last phase of the competition, with only 17 points
separating us from second year Class D, who are closing in on us while in second place.
The team's perseverance was beyond our expectations, and we had to assume that
Ryuen-kun's strategy was working.
Despite this, there was no conflict among us second-year students, and we were working well
as an alliance.
However, there's a good probability of a disorder in rankings if we don't score more points in the
final hour. I stood in the gymnasium's corner, staring at the remaining competitions, their
regulations, and schedules.
Then Ibuki-san, not even bothering to hide her annoyance, approached me.
"Let's play another match!"
"That's strange to say. I won by two wins and one loss, didn't I?"
"I didn't participate!"
"I don't know about that. It's your fault for not showing up at the exact time, isn't it?"
"I…! I just got the time wrong…"
It was the third round of our competition, and it closed for entries at 1:20 p.m.
Ibuki-san was unable to compete since she did not arrive in time to submit her entry. Of course,
I wasn't left out, and despite missing out on first place, I came in second and earned three
points..
"I know you're not happy about it, but in the real world, that's called losing."
"One win, one loss! It's not settled yet!"
She keeps fussing in my ear, and she has no intention of stopping.
"I participated in a total of nine competitions. One more event is available…"
"That's it! Tell me what you're participating in."
"If you want to ask me to compete, you'll have to behave accordingly.."
"Ugh!"
"Do you want me to compete or not?"
"Oh, please... Please… fight with me... while you're playing!"
Ibuki-san asks, trembling with anger as if she is about to spit out flames from her mouth.
"Happy now?"
"Yes, That makes me feel a little better."
The situation is changing by the minute and the competition slots are filling up. Should I go with
the original plan or aim for an even higher score?
"Now, answer me, what are you going to participate in?"
"Could you please be quiet for a minute?"
"I can't!"
Ibuki-san yells as she provocatively lifts up a certain finger in my face.
I don't want to deal with her right now, but if I ignore her, she will only get louder.
"I was planning on joining the shuttle run after this."
"Is the shuttle run the one where you go back and forth endlessly until you drop out?"
"Yes, that's right. It's also called a round-trip endurance run."
"I remember doing this in middle school. It's good for the final battle."
She nodded her head in satisfaction and tried to run out to the entry.
"Why aren't you coming?"
"If you want to join, go ahead."
"No, you're in it too, right? It doesn't make sense if we're not in the same group."
"I'm just considering it. I haven't finalized it yet."
"What?"
"To be honest, right now the last competition I want to compete in is volleyball."
"Volleyball? Volleyball has six participants, right? From the looks of it there's no way you're
going to get six people together now."
One of the competitions announced on the day of the event, a separate competition for men and
women with participation from all grades.
We decided to not participate in the event in our class, judging that the need for six competent
members would be troublesome, but the teams participating in the current volleyball tournament
seemed unexpectedly weak, as if the other classes were thinking the same thing.
"There are still three spots available with 10 minutes left to enter. From what I've observed, the
teams competing don't appear to have many formidable opponents. It will be worthwhile to
forego the shuttle run if we win this competition. A lot hinges on the ability of the excellent
students in a team challenge where teams must adapt. We'll have a better chance of winning if
we can acquire one or two additional students who are confident in their abilities."
"So what about the thing I desperately asked for?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to give up."
Ibuki-san was astonished. I thought she was going to get angry again, but it turned into
disappointment and resignation.
It all started with her own misunderstanding of the entry time.
"All right. Then I guess the game is over here…"
"Why don't you join the volleyball competition?"
"I will need five people to fight you. There is no way I can gather them. I'll pass."
"You don't have any friends"
"Neither do you."
"I think I at least have classmates who are willing to help if I call on them."
"I don't know. I was hoping to settle it, but I'll save it for another time."
I won for the record, but that's OK.
"Are you going to participate in the shuttle run then?"
"All I'm interested in is settling this with you. I'm not going to go out of my way to contribute to
Ryuen."
"That's convenient. The less points you score, the closer our class is to winning."
I think it would be better to let this go on without provoking her. That's what I thought, but for
some reason, Ibuki-san didn't want to leave.
"Is there anything else?"
"If you don't have enough people for volleyball, aren't you going to join the shuttle run?"
The deadline for volleyball is 2:20.
The shuttle run deadline is 2:25.
Ibuki-san noticed the part I didn't mention.
"Looks like you noticed something I didn't mention. I didn't realize you had a brain to use."
"Shut up. I'm going to stick with you for a while longer."
The worst-case scenario is that if volleyball does not have enough people, Ibuki-san and I will
have to settle for a shuttle run.
Well, that might not be so bad. I look to the girls in my class in the cheering section for available
talent.
However, there was no way I could find such convenient students right away, and time passed
by without much thought.
I noticed that Ibuki-san, who was sitting beside me, was yawning.
Give up already and just compete in the shuttle run. That's what her face was saying as she
looked back at me.
"Ah~ Isn't that Horikita-senpai and Ibuki-senpai? I want to congratulate you both for your hard
work, senpais!"
As we waited for a possible member to invite, first-year student Ichika Amasawa called out to
us.
At that moment, Ibuki-san, who was sitting down, stood up and glared at her.
"Oh, no. You look kind of scary. — Could it be girl's day or something?"
Amasawa-san teases. But half the words didn't seem to reach Ibuki-san.
"If you can still participate in events, why don't we compete?"
"I haven't played much today. We don't have a lot of opportunities to play when we're in different
grades, so it's no use. I think it's better not to play. You'll lose anyways, senpai."
"You should be thankful you didn't get paired with me."
"You're still so stubborn, aren't you? By the way, what are you two doing here? If you're not
going to participate in the competition, you might as well be cheering us on."
"How about you shut up and join the shuttle run? Then we can compete."
"Oh, were you planning to participate in the shuttle run? I'm-"
"I finally found you."
As we were talking, Kushida-san showed up. I wondered if she wanted something from me, but
she didn't even look at me, just at Amasawa-san.
"I thought someone was following me, but it was Kushida-senpai, wasn't it? What do you need?
If it's okay with you and Horikita-senpai, I'll listen to what you have to say."
"Horikita-san? What are you…"
It seemed that she was so focused on Amasawa-san that she was unaware of our presence.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kushida-senpai. It looks like my friends are all there, so I should get going."
In the direction she was pointing, I could see Nanase-san, another first year student, and four
unfamiliar girls.
"I came to the gymnasium to join the volleyball thingy. It's my first experience with volleyball~"
Apparently, Amasawa-san plans to participate in the volleyball tournament.
I guess the first-year students have moved on after all, seeing the situation of the participating
teams, which are short-handed.
"Then I'll see you later. Good luck with the shuttle run~"
After coming over on her own accord and talking as much as she wished, Amasawsa-san joined
up with the group.
"So she's joining the volleyball competition."
Ibuki-san said, glaring at her back.
"Seems so."
"Then I'll join too. You wouldn't be able to get five members without me anyways."
"What?"
"I said I'm going to be there. I hate the idea to work with you, but it's a chance for me to beat
that cocky little freshman."
If Ibuki-san is willing to help us, she's a perfect asset to the force.
"Don't decide on your own. I haven't said I'll take you on the team yet."
"Huh? You haven't even gotten a single student so far. What choice do you have?"
"Points are distributed evenly in team competitions. Isn't it natural to prefer to fill in the gaps with
students from your own class over students from other classes?"
Even if I had scored more points, Ibuki-san was in the second place class.
In other words, the point difference would not open up at all.
"I don't know anything about that. I'm fine as long as I can see Amazawa's frustrated face."
"Anyway, it depends on the other members. Our class must make up a high percentage of the
total."
"Then why don't you let me join you?"
Kushida-san, who had been watching Amasawa-san's back as well, utters this without changing
her gaze.
"What are you trying to do, Kushida-san? I don't think you've changed your mind and are now
cooperating with us."
I spoke my mind frankly, and Kushida-san didn't deny it. However, it bothered me that her eyes
were strongly directed toward Amasawa-san, instead of me while talking.
"Me and this first year, Amasawa, have something to settle.."
"With Amasawa-san…?"
"You too?"
Me and Ibuki-san both said at the same time.
"I'm not going to tell you why, but I'd be happy to lend you a hand in returning the favour."
"I'm fine with that. You're a great classmate and a great asset."
It is often said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
And just like that we started to gather a team.
"But she will definitely be a formidable opponent."
"Surely."
Ibuki-san had already started warming up and getting into the swing of things.
Amasawa-san watched her from afar and giggled. Ibuki-san and I experienced firsthand how
amazing Amasawa-san was, but I don't know the details of the other students.
I remember that Nanase-san's physical ability was relatively high, but I have no impression of
those who came after her.
I'm sure I can remember the names of the students who got close to A's, on the OAA, so I'm
sure they were just below a B at the highest estimate.
More problematic is that we are still three students short. It's a bit of a catch to analyze our
opponents when we haven't even met the requirements for participation.
"What are the requirements for the remaining three? You don't want them to be from
Ryuen-kun's class, right?"
Kushida asked about the selection of people.
"Yes, that's right. Of course, it's better to have our own classmates as much as possible. But the
priority is the match and the strength of the team."
"Okay. Then wait a minute."
With that, Kushida-san left our side and started to walk away.
"Okay, but what is she going to do? We can't find help easily."
Ibuki-san and I followed her as she went to Rokaku-san, who is in Class A. After talking with her
for a while, the four of us went on to meet Fukuyama-san, who was also in the same class.
Finally, we went to the gymnasium to see the students who were cheering for the other
competitors.
"That girl over there is Himeno-san from Ichinose-san's class right?"
It took a few dozen seconds for the four of us to talk, there were two from Class A and one from
Class C.
Then Kushida-san returned with Himeno-san.
"She's going to join us in volleyball. Himeno-san isn't a good volleyball player, but she agreed to
join the five of us. Just leave the competition to us, and we'll take care of it, okay?"
Kushida-san speaks in a kind tone to Himeno-san. She's seemingly turned on her charm mode
once again.
I can't hide my surprise that the two Class A students were so open to lend us a hand.
"We're also in a hurry because we're about to lose, and even if we don't win at worst, we want
to leave a record that we contributed."
The two look at each other and nod. They want credit because they are in Class A, which is
largely in last place.
While seeing through that psychology, Kushida-san instantly recognized them as capable
students. Even though I could not remember their specific grades at OAA, as a friend of
Fukuyama-san and Rokaku-san, she had a firm grasp of how physically capable they were.
"This is something you will never be able to do, Ibuki-san."
"Shut up. You couldn't find anyone either."
"There were still five or six students in the gymnasium that I could talk to, but I think this is
probably the best group we can make right now."
At any rate, the six members of the volleyball team, who had been in doubt about their ability to
participate, were all here.
The difference in the number of members from Ryuen's class is only one person. Winning the
match and earning 10 points, on the other hand, would be significantly more satisfying than
competing in the shuttle run and earning only 2 or 3 points.
The fact that even if we lose, the gap between us and them will never close is also an
advantage for us.
The top two players consisted of me and Ibuki-san plus Kushida-san and the other students
who were available, such as Rokkaku-san, and Fukuyama-san.
Although there was a slight loss in skill due to the addition of Himeno-san, the strength of the
team was more than enough to make up for the loss.
PART 5
We won our first match with ease, and then started watching the match of Amasawa's team.
Nanase had the initiative in the game. With her movements, she dominated both offense and
defense, and overpowered her opponents and teammates alike.
"Nanase was no-mark, but isn't she much better than we thought?"
"Well, she isn't actually as good as I had feared. I thought she was kidding when she said she
never played before, but…"
She might be holding herself back on purpose, but it didn't look like that at all. Of course, this
was still better than nothing at all, but she shouldn't be that much of a threat.
Suddenly, Ibuki also started to get serious.
In just one match that didn't even cross ten minutes, Amasawa had shown great improvement.
It couldn't be explained just with her physical strength; she also had good reactions and
game-sense.
As Amasawa started showing glimpses of what she could really do, Nanase decided the game
with a spike.
"We're facing them the match after the next one. They might get even better by then."
"Even if they do, they have only a few matches under their belts; they have no experience. We
can win."
Too much optimism is a dangerous thing, but Amasawa doesn't even have to actually touch the
ball, Nanase can carry the entire team to victory.
We won all our matches one by one, and faced our decisive match when the time passed 3:40.
In sports, the rules for unofficial and an actual match are very different, Volleyball is no
exception.
Servers must be rotated, and to win the match, you have to get ahead by 10 points, or have
more points after ten minutes.
If you still have the same score after the ten minutes are up, the team that scored last would
take a serve, and the match would continue until one of the teams got ahead.
"It's about time I see your losing face."
"Is winning in volleyball really all you care about in life, Ibuki-senpai?"
"First, I'll beat you in volleyball. Then, I'll beat you in a fight."
"A-ha-ha-ha. If that's how you wanna go, sure."
Amasawa didn't really care about what Ibuki was saying, she just messed around a bit while
waiting for the match to start.
Amasawa being here was a bit ominous, but Nanase was more dangerous.
"I'll be the attacker, just like the last match. I'm gonna smash everything into the court facing
me."
Ibuki was fired up and made her challenge.
Her control isn't great, but it's true that her spikes can be dangerous. As the decisive match
began, Ibuki scored a point with a serve.
Nanase scored back with a spike right away.
I thought it might go on like this for a while, but somehow we managed to get a 4 to 2 lead on
them.
Nanase was about on the same level as Ibuki and me, but our side was a bit better.
At the middle of the round, with five minutes left, the situation changed.
Ibuki took three steps back, dashed forward, jumped and hit a spike.
The same spike that had won so many winning points until now, but Amasawa suddenly
appeared on the other side of the net and blocked it.
No, she actually scored a point after the block. The ball dropped down onto our side of the
court, and we lost a point to a year 1 team.
"That's so unfortunate, huh, Ibuki-senpai? Nanase-chan, what was that kind of play called
again?"
"It's called a dash attack, I believe. I don't know much about it, but…"
"Well, we already know everything about Ibuki-senpai's attacks, so we're not gonna let anything
else through from now on!"
"You! I'll definitely score next time!"
"Calm down. Next time, pass the ball to me."
The score was 5 to 3. Our serve.
I hope we can end it now, but…
If it's an out, the opponent gets a point, so I have to be careful.
If I make it too simple, they'll return it.
We have to keep our defenses strong. I passed the ball to Ibuki.
"This time, for sure!"
She changed her rhythm and took two steps this time, and launched the best spike of this
match.
The two year 1 students couldn't even touch the ball. It was coming down onto the ground, but
Amasawa was there to block it.
She received it in beautiful fashion, as if she knew exactly where it would go, and the ball went
flying into the air.
With her golden hair flowing through the air, Nanase leaped upwards, and hit a spike towards
Himeno's direction.
As Himeno was frozen still, Kushida forcefully stepped in front of her and tried to receive it, but
failed to control the ball's momentum.
The final match with the year 1 students who crawled their way up from the bottom was now at
a tie.
6 to 6. About two minutes left. With this pace, it just might end with a time over.
"I'll take the next one too!"
After being blocked two times by Amasawa, Ibuki swore to herself that this time for sure, she
would score.
I signaled my teammate, and the game started up again.
As the give and take starts, First years created an opportunity for Amasawa to finally hit a spike.
"You think I'll let you do that!?"
Ibuki leaped for a block, but Nanase suddenly appeared behind Amasawa.
"Out of luck again, huh?"
Amasawa laughed, she was faking.
They planned for Nanase to hit the spike from the start.
Ibuki tried to reach out, but she couldn't touch the ball.
Right as it was about to hit the floor, Kushida leaped to the ground and received it, then passed
the ball.
"Ibuki!"
All eyes were on Ibuki, and the year 1s hurriedly took defensive positions.
Amasawa was waiting for an attack from Ibuki-san with a relaxed expression.
"..—The hell!?"
Even after trying so hard, the course of the match still didn't change.
Ibuki wanted to keep trying, but she swallowed her pride and tossed the ball.
I took in Ibuki's rage, and released the strength that I had saved up in my body until now.
I hit a spike towards Nanase who was very tired; she couldn't control the ball, and it went out of
bounds.
If she wasn't so tired, she might have handled it well.
Now, it was 7 to 6. Not much time left, and we have a 1-point lead.
The match would be over in one minute no matter what. Our turn to serve.
"Then, I'll show them what I can really do."
Amasawa said so, as if she was not being serious until now. Nanase blocked Ibuki's serve with
ease.
The ball lost its momentum, and slowly started flying straight up. All eyes were on the ball.
"My target is..!"
As if she was doing so on purpose, the ball slowly fell towards me. My reaction was too slow,
and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach the ball.
I heard the sound of it hitting something.
"Out!"
It was lucky that I wasn't fast enough to reach the ball; it was just halfway over the court line.
"Sorry, Nanase. I missed. It's hard to control the ball well, isn't it?"
"That was close… However, we really can't take her lightly."
The whistle blew, and Nanase was in shock, Amasawa, who was about to hit the ball
towards us, landed on the floor without swinging her hand down.
"Time over. It was just getting interesting, but…"
Amasawa had no regrets, she was just happy that she got to play volleyball.
I talked with Nanase a bit, and left the court.
Even though they lost, they would still get points for being second place.
Of course, as the first place, we would get the most points.
"I feel a bit strange… I almost feel like we didn't actually win, or something."
"It was pretty close there for a while. I can't help but think about what would have happened if
they hadn't ran out of time."
We should have relaxed after winning, but we couldn't help but be worried. Even still, this was a
huge win, and a fine match to close out our sports festival.
When I came to myself, I started hearing the crowd clapping.
PART 6
The sports festival was slowly coming to its final parts. The gymnasium was very lively as the
finals of team competitions were beginning here and there.
"The match is starting soon, Sudou. Are you prepared?"
Sudou and Onodera, who participated in many pairs competitions, were now advancing to the
finals in mixed gender doubles tennis.
"Yeah…"
After Sudou's not so enthusiastic answer, Onodera continued.
"Still, don't you think we make a great combination? 4 matches and 4 wins so far in the pairs
competitions. I bet everyone from our class is surprised, too."
The pair won their matches both against the same year students, and against year 3 students
as well, and now they were headed for their fifth victory in a row.
In addition, including individual battles, Sudou had won 9 matches. He was headed for his 10th
win.
Onodera, on the other hand, was not first place in all 9 matches like him, but still kept high
ranking.
"You've been staring at that year 1 student, what's going on?"
"Huh?"
"It was Housen… Right? He looks too big for a year one, and seems pretty strong. However, I
don't think that's what you're concerned about. What's going on?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
The Housen pair won their match with ease, and their opponent for the next match was decided.
The two absentmindedly looked towards Housen while talking, but Housen and Onodera's eyes
suddenly met.
Until now, they were comfortable enough, but they were clearly starting to get worried.
They were together not just today, but most of the time in this sports festival.
They went to school together in the morning, practiced together, and ate together.
So, Onodera knew how to notice the changes in Sudou's expressions. Even he had his
weaknesses.
He was rough, and quick to anger, and easy to read. Because of these faults, there were times
when Onodera was held back.
"The finals are about to start. Please get prepared."
As they were sitting down and resting, one of the staff made the announcement.
"Let's quickly get this win, then!"
Sudou and Onodera pretended to be relaxed.
They were worried about Housen, but they didn't think it would be that much trouble.
"Okay!"
Sudou and Onodera took their rackets and got ready.
Their classmates also started coming into the gymnasium to support them, and even quite a few
adults seemed to be interested in the final.
"Things are getting busy here, huh?"
"Yeah, it almost feels like a real tournament."
"This feeling of tension is pleasant and uplifting."
The two knew that they were a strong pair, so they weren't worried about losing. But…
"I never thought my finals would be with you, Sudou."
"Housen!"
When Housen approached the net and starting talking to Sudou, the atmosphere quickly
changed.
"So you think you can win against me if it's tennis? It's gonna be fun destroying you."
The time came and the doubles match started.
4 points per match, best of 3.
Serves would be by the side that lost a point, and there would be one server per team.
The curtains opened with Housen's crazed attack.
The massive and strong Housen served a ball that was too fast to be caught, and it easily hit the
floor of the court.
On the other hand, Sudou's serve was lacking in power, and the score quickly became 3.
Onodera was rightfully worried. Housen's attacks were terrifying.
"What's going on, Sudou? This is too damn easy!"
"Damn it!"
Sudou held the racket tight and wanted to smash it into the ground.
"Stop it, Sudou!"
"Tsch!"
"You need to calm down, or we're gonna lose!"
"Bu-but!"
Sudou was in a state of utter stress.
Seeing this from the other side of the net, Housen was laughing.
"I'm not one to show off either, but you're playing much worse than before."
Sudou was stressed and was moving very roughly.
"I can't let you take the serve."
Onodera took the ball, and signed Sudou to go on defense.
She shot with a beautiful line, as if she wasn't unexperienced in tennis, but Housen quickly
approached the ball and beautifully returned it, as if the racket was a part of his hand.
Sudou reached out with his racket, but the ball hit the racket's shaft, and the year one team got
a point, and the match.
"You really are pathetic, Sudou. I'm gonna beat you like a dog."
Compared to Housen who was clearly enjoying the match, the Housen pair's faces was painted
with fear.
Housen had handled everything in the match, and it was more like a 2 versus 1 than a pairs
match.
In the second match, they thought that Housen's crazed attacks would continue, but something
else happened.
Housen's attacks weren't as fast as before, and could easily be returned.
When they thought that Housen was finally getting tired, it suddenly happened.
He launched a smash that couldn't be seen with human eyes. He hit it straight ahead, as if he
was targeting Onodera.
Her face was grazed by the ball and she was in pain. In her shock, she dropped the racket to
the ground.
"You bastard, you did that on purpose, didn't you!?"
"Huh? Things like this are only natural in tennis, right? I have to be careful not to shoot the ball
too far out. You don't even know that? Stop complaining so much."
"Damn it!"
Housen was clearly showing his character.
Onodera hurriedly picked her racket back up.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a scratch. Besides, he's right. It seems like these things do happen
a lot in tennis."
"So what? This is just a sports festival, not a professional tennis match."
Sudou was targeted by another serve, but it was out.
He returned the second serve, but Housen easily answered it. It wasn't too fast, so Sudou
beautifully returned the ball.
As the rally continued, Onodera took the front and hit the ball.
Housen closed in, swung his arm down and smashed the ball back.
"Ah!?"
In her fear, Onodera could barely move her racket. Sudou tried returning the ball to his
opponent's side, and Housen targeted Sudou once again with a volley.
It was as if Housen was just messing around.
The score: Team Sudou 3 (40), Team Housen 2 (30).
Onodera was struggling, trying to do something, but she was still too scared to play properly. So
much so that she twisted her left leg and fell down on the spot.
"Onodera!"
Sudou covered for Onodera who couldn't even stand up, and returned Housen's strike.
The ball dropped barely inside the court, and Team Sudou took the second set.
However, with this, instead of cheering up, Sudou became even angrier.
"Come on already! Can't you play fairly!?"
"How many times do I have to say it? It's not my fault that she sucks. So damn boring."
"Calm down, Sudou. This is what he wants."
Onodera ignored Housen, and tried to calm Sudou down.
"I know that, but this isn't okay!"
"Even the referee is suspicious, but you're making him doubt himself. You get that, right?"
Housen didn't even care about the match; he just wanted to make the two suffer as much as he
could.
He wanted to scare Onodera, and maybe even hurt her.
"Anyway, we need to calm down."
Even as she was in pain, Onodera tried to calm herself and Sudou down.
Sudou was still angry, and glared towards Housen, but he looked at Onodera, and realized what
must be done.
Onodera's graze was taken care of by the medics.
"That's unfortunate... I dropped a round. But, you losers are gonna have to play another round
against me now. That must be hell for you."
Housen yawned and looked at the two, and started talking to his partner.
"That bastard... He lost on purpose, just to play with us until the end."
Sudou said so in a worried voice, while looking at Onodera's foot.
"Are you alright?"
"Well, somewhat. But, how pathetic... I got scared of the ball and hurt my foot trying to run…"
Laughing at herself, she finished taping up her ankle and lightly hit her foot to check it.
"You're not without reason. I hate that guy, but I gotta admit, he's good at this."
Even Sudou feared the volleys he launched using his strong, muscled body. He couldn't help
but panic when facing Housen.
"I... I've always thought highly of you, Sudou. Ever since I first got into this school."
"Huh? What are you talking about now? Just finish up your ankle."
"Come on. I'm wounded, right? I just want to make some time to relax."
"You're stubborn... Anyway, is that really true?"
"Mhm. You were number one on my list of people not to mess with, though. You were pretty
rough, so…"
"Uh…"
"Everyone thought badly of you since you never studied, but I respected you as someone who
tries very hard in club activities, and supported you. You're actually pretty strong and
hardworking, Sudou, aren't you?"
"You can tell?"
"I can. When I had to return home at a late hour, I always passed by the gymnasium. I saw you
cleaning it up and taking care of everything."
"What, you saw that? That's Embarrassing…"
"But... Right now, people still look down on you."
"Oh?"
"Back when you got angry for me. I'm not saying I didn't like it, but you're way too quick to anger.
That may get you into some trouble in the future."
"...That's…"
"You should work on that."
"I... I get it, but…"
"Even in sports, that can lead to failure, right?"
"Well, that's true. My shooting percentages and such may be dropping because of that…"
"I'm like that too. When I get annoyed, I get fired up and try to play better, but I end up being
even worse than normal."
"Onodera, that happens to you too?"
"One time, after losing an important match, I was so depressed and angry that I started
punching the lockers in the changing room, and hurt my hands. That was a bad time."
She peeked her tongue out a bit in a playful manner, as if ashamed of her past self.
"That's when I understood, that getting so angry would be no help, and actually hurt you
instead."
"How did you manage to stop getting angry?"
"With magic, of course!"
"Ma... Magic?"
"Yep. I'll teach it to you too, Sudou. The magic that lets you push your anger away."
"How do you do it?"
"Well, the peak of your anger is actually just a few seconds long. So, if you want to yell or
scream, yell out once in your mind, then count until 10."
"So... It's like delaying your anger by ten seconds? That's it?"
"That's right. I think it'll work, so try it out."
"...Alright."
Sudou reluctantly made a note of this conversation in his mind.
"Sudou, I wanted to team up with you, because I believe in you."
"Onodera…"
After taking care of her ankle, Onodera checked her condition once again and stood up.
"It's fine. No matter what happens, this round will decide everything. If we lose, we lose. But, if
we take the round, we win."
"Right."
Round 3 started.
Housen continued targeting Onodera, who already had an injury.
Even if it would cause him to lose a point, it was all that he focused on.
3 (40) versus 1 (15), Team Sudou has the lead.
It was Housen's match to lose with just one point, but he kept trying to hurt Onodera instead of
focusing on the match.
She couldn't dodge this time, and the ball hit her left foot. She screamed in pain.
"How the hell can this be called a match? You bastard..!"
Sudou remembered the magic that he learned from Onodera earlier.
While glaring at Housen, he screamed in his mind.
1... 2... 3... He took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.
8...9...10... The words that he wanted to yell out at Housen came to a halt inside his mouth.
The anger didn't completely disappear, but he managed to calm himself down enough to see
everything clearly; The suspicious eyes of the referees, Onodera, the match that must be won,
the time left.
If Housen does the same thing again, the match will be stopped.
"Onodera, do you believe in me?"
"...Of course. That's why I'm with you now, isn't it?"
Sudou took a deep breath, and hit the best serve of the day. Housen returned the ball, and the
rally started.
They were both furiously hitting the ball, without giving an inch.
After Housen returned a ball that was too easy to handle, Sudou smashed it into the opposing
court's floor.
"Yeaaaah!!"
Holding his racket tight, Sudou screamed loud enough to echo throughout the entire
gymnasium.
"We did it! We did it!"
Housen was annoyed after losing to those who he sees below him, and smashed his racket into
pieces.
"We won, Onodera! It's all thanks to you!"
Sudou excitedly ran over to Onodera, and hugged her tight.
For a moment, Onodera didn't understand what had happened, and panicked.
"Ah, it hurts! You're hurting me, Sudou!"
After she yelled out in pain while squeezed between Sudou's arms, Sudou calmed down.
"So... Sorry!"
Leaving aside the score, he was also happy about finally learning to control his anger, so Sudou
was in a great mood.
"Congratulations on your victory, Sudou."
"Thanks, Onodera. Without your strength, it wouldn't be possible."
"That's not true. I actually held you back…"
"Back when you were hurt, I thought we had lost. Nevertheless, you managed to calm me
down."
"I see. We make good partners, huh?"
"Yeah! It was so easy to trust you and work with you. You really are the best, Onodera. I hope
Suzune is watching this."
There were too many visitors around to spot Horikita.
"Suzune..?"
"Huh? Where? Where is she!?"
"Ah, sorry, my mistake…"
"Damn. Maybe she's on the other side…"
"We should have dinner after the next club activities."
"Huh? Well, why not? More importantly, help me look for Suzune! Suzune, where are you!?"
"A-ha-ha-ha. No way."
"Hey, Sudou. You don't actually think that you're good or anything, right? You would have lost if I
actually took this seriously."
Not caring that the match was over already, Housen closed in on the two.
"Why don't we play around in the back a bit?"
"Come on now, that's…"
Onodera faced Housen and was about to say something, but Sudou quickly calmed him down.
"I've had some trouble with this guy in the past, he can't help himself."
"But, still!"
Sudou understood that Onodera was just trying to keep him from trouble, and smiled. Then, he
faced Housen.
"Sorry, but I'm not gonna play along this time."
"Huh? Do I look like I give a damn?"
"I told you, I'm not doing this!"
After being denied again, Housen held his fist tight with rage and smashed it into Sudou's
abdomen.
Sudou fell onto his knees.
"Sudou!"
Sudou gently pushed Onodera away, and stood back up.
Even when the teacher came rushing, Sudou said that nothing happened.
"...Ugh. I already knew that you were a good fighter. Back then, I was at fault too, so I'm letting
this one go, but if you keep going, I'll go to the teacher."
"Are you kidding me? Why don't you hit me back, you coward!?"
"I wonder why... Onodera, let's go."
"Ri... Right!"
"Boring bastard. Don't talk to me again."
Sudou felt safe after the words "don't talk to me again".
He figured that, from now on, there wouldn't be any more trouble if he didn't start it himself.
He could see now that things could be much different if he didn't let his anger control him like
before.
"I gotta thank Housen. Seeing how he looks from the outside, I can understand how lame I used
to be. Also, I used that thing you taught me too, and it really calmed me down. It almost made
me wonder how I was so angry all this time until now…"
Sudou was grateful for his tenth victory in a row.
He was grateful to both Onodera, this gymnasium and the Sports festival.