As the sun began to set, the final event of the day—the academic decathlon—was set to begin. Ryo, now thoroughly exhausted from his earlier activities, sat next to Mei at a table in the center of the school courtyard. The decathlon was a big deal for their class, and Mei was determined to win.
"Focus, Ryo," Mei said quietly, her eyes scanning the competition. "This isn't just for fun."
"I know, I know," Ryo muttered, rubbing his eyes. "But seriously, how do you still have energy after everything today?"
Mei shot him a sidelong glance. "I pace myself. Unlike someone who got roped into three different events."
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in."
The decathlon began, and to Ryo's surprise, he managed to keep up with the questions. Maybe Mei had been right about him being smarter than he gave himself credit for. As they reached the final round, it was neck-and-neck between their class and the rival team from Class 3-B.
The final question was announced: "Solve the following equation…"
Mei's eyes darted to the board, her hand moving faster than anyone else's as she scribbled down the answer. The tension in the air was palpable as the seconds ticked by.
Finally, Mei put down her pen and raised her hand, her expression calm but confident. "The answer is 3.14."
The judge looked over the answer sheet, then nodded. "Correct."
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Ryo found himself grinning as their class was declared the winner.
Mei turned to him, her usual stoic expression softening into a small smile. "See? I told you we could do it."
Ryo chuckled. "I guess I owe you one."
"Yes, you do," Mei said, adjusting her glasses. "But don't get too comfortable. There's still a lot of studying left to do."
Ryo groaned, but he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. Despite all the chaos and confusion, he'd survived the sports festival. More than that, he'd actually had fun.
As the day came to an end and the students began to head home, Ryo found himself surrounded by his classmates—Hana, Saki, and Mei—all of them smiling and laughing together. It wasn't the peaceful high school life he'd once imagined, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all.