WE JOINED A POST TOWN RELAY RACE (DAY TWO)
“You did it, Laika! I’m so glad! And you set a new record!” I called.
“Thank you, Lady Azusa!” Laika was beaming with the knowledge of a job well done.
And then we shot past her.
Yeah, we were slowing down, but the behemoth still couldn’t brake completely and let us talk. Once we reached the flat area about three hundred meters ahead, we finally came to a stop.
We met up with Laika and gave her the kudos she deserved.
“Congrats! All that jogging was worth it! Participating in that race was time well spent, I’d say!”
Even if we lost our places tomorrow, it was still more than I could ask for. This called for a hug—she seemed a little embarrassed, but she didn’t refuse.
“Oh, no, I still have so much to work on. I wasn’t able to take first place, after all.”
“It was probably because you started so far back. You set a record—no one’s ever run that leg as fast as you. I won’t fault you for being modest, but you are being way too modest.”
“This is all because of your instruction, Lady Azusa.”
That felt a bit like a backhanded compliment (I didn’t give her a second of instruction on the relay race), but it still wasn’t a good thing to be overly humble. Although I’d just told her that.
“Yeah, training’s never really done. Just keep up the good work, okay?” I patted her on the head.
“Yes. I will aim for the top without any self-conceit! And, um…”
Yes?
“Could you pat me on the head more…? It rarely happens, so…”
Oh, she wanted more pats.
“Sure thing, I’ll pat you all you want!”
Now was the perfect time to spoil her with rewards.
But not everyone was happy for her.
“Hmph! Your results are nothing for you to be proud of!” Flatorte approached us with a scowl. “Listen up, Laika. Tomorrow, I, the great Flatorte, am going to get a time even better than yours! I’m gonna set a new record!”
“Uh, Flatorte, Laika was day one, leg five, and you’re day two, leg one, so you’re not going to break Laika’s record, you know… You’d be setting the record for something else…”
I didn’t think Flatorte understood the rules. The routes there and back were opposite, after all.
“What…? Well, whatever. I, Flatorte, will surpass Laika so hard, I’ll get best overall!”
Yeah, she didn’t understand the rules.
But Laika had the upper hand in this situation. “Very well. The least you can do is work to try and match my record if you can. Hee-hee.” She puffed out her chest in a theatrical manner.
Ah, so that was her strategy—she was trying to rile up Flatorte and give us an even better team score.
“Fine, when you see how awesome I am tomorrow, you’ll be sorry!”
Our day would start with a fiery Flatorte tomorrow, so…there was a real possibility that DKRBPU would end up in first place. It was honestly fantastic that we got second place on the first day.
But after Flatorte, the belt would go to Misjantie, Vania, Beelzebub, then me—were any of us super fast?
Was I fast? I knew I had better speed stats than the average human, but could I beat athlete-level demons?
This was the reason why I wished I had less of an important position in the race… If I got the belt at second or third place only to have other people start rushing past me, that would be really embarrassing…
All the other university runners from third place and later dashed across the finish line, and thus, the first day of the race came to an end.
Some runners came in injured. Maybe this race was a little too hard.
As I turned to leave, Vania grabbed my arm and pulled. “Please wait a second,” she said; apparently, there was some more entertainment on the way.
Just as she did that, Kuku the almiraj stepped onto the stage.
She had her lute draped over her shoulder—Ah, so she was going to play and sing.
“Miss Kuku will be singing the theme song for this year’s event.”
Oh yeah, she did mention she was going to be singing the theme song for some kind of big competition…
“She really made it, huh? She’s so popular,” I mused.
There was some sort of magic that acted as a microphone, and her voice reached everyone.
“Well done on your first day, runners. I’m Kuku the minstrel. Maybe it’s a cliché, but it’s been so inspiring seeing you all work so hard. I’m delighted to have been given the chance to write the theme song for this race.”
I guess every world had theme songs for competitions like these.
“This is ‘Life of a Substitute.’”
Life of a Substitute
Words & Music: Kuku
The runners’ sweat glistens in the winter sun
The audience along the road waves school flags
I wear my school uniform, yelling my voice dry
I squeeze my way through the crowd
This is the life of a sub, life of a sub
I’ll never be top-level, just among the masses
This is the life of a sub, life of a sub
I’ll never be famous, never be a loser, always on the sidelines
(subsequent verses omitted)
What a weird theme song!
“I believe they chose the wrong person… She cannot write happy songs at all.”
Beelzebub was astonished. This was bad, even for demons.
When the first song was over, the crowd had cooled down nicely. I’d think she wouldn’t understand what was going on if she riled everyone up.
“Thank you for listening. That is my first song over. My next song is called ‘What Comes After Doping.’”
I could tell already by the song title that it was not going to be good! Ah, this is gonna be dark! I don’t want to hear this!
“Hmm? Oh, we’re out of time? Oh, I see…”
The staff had sensed the impending disaster, so the second song was canceled.
I had a feeling Kuku was going to struggle in the future if she didn’t expand her art style.
Next, Pecora came to stand on the stage.
“Thus concludes the first day of the Post Town Relay Race; well done, everyone~ We’ve had a bit of a scandal again this year, and I was a bit worried what might happen to the event, but I am glad we were able to hold it without incident~ ”
So Pecora starts off mentioning scandal, too…
“I honestly had not imagined that My Own Royal Bounty Provisional University would reach second place. I simply cannot keep my eyes off them, either. Of course, I am rooting for them.”
Was the demon king allowed to declare which team she was supporting…? And I noticed that she modified the university’s name whenever she used it.
“Whether today ends in joy or tears, tomorrow is the last day. Give everything you want to do an explosive finish. Well, I don’t want to keep you for long, so I shall end it there. ”
I could say we were all thankful that the demon king could read the room.
“Also, Elder Sister, please come see me after this.”
She called me up!
I couldn’t not go, so I made my way over to her.
Pecora was in a warmed tent—very royal. Inside, she sat at a table and was drinking tea.
“What do you want? I have a meeting for tomorrow right now.” I was the anchor for tomorrow, so I had a big responsibility.
“What do I want? I want to see my elder sister.”
She was very straightforward when it came to this stuff.
“However, I have instructions for you as your younger sister,” she said as she elegantly sipped her tea.
“Instructions from you are never a good sign… I’m not sure if I want to hear this.”
“But I am technically the president of DKRBPU.”
That was when I realized something.
“I knew it! We’re just puppets dancing in your hands again…”
“No. If you were worried, I must let you know that I am not planning any tricks. I am being perfectly sincere about this. To put it bluntly—”
Pecora stood and poked me in the stomach.
“—You must nurture your friendship with Miss Beelzebub.”
“Uh, what?” I genuinely didn’t understand what she meant.
“Is that all you have to say? You two have a long history together now, no? A wonderful relationship indeed. But I believe recently, you have been taking her for granted. Are you sure you are not resting on your laurels simply because you have known each other for so long?”
For some reason, Pecora was criticizing me.
I hadn’t done anything to warrant this.
What was so bad about resting assured in our relationship, just because we’d known each other a long time now?
“I still don’t understand what you want to say.”
“You and Miss Beelzebub have not gone through anything significant together. Well, I suppose strictly speaking, what was supposed to be an ordeal turned out to be an easy hurdle since you both are so powerful. It hardly felt like an accomplishment. I am certain you understand what I’m trying to say now, yes?”
Uh, not really, no…
“You must both push your limits together! You are the last runner, Elder Sister, and Miss Beelzebub is the runner before you! You must create great results with the power of your friendship!”
Did she seriously just cite the “power of friendship”?
“Friendship… Friendship? With Beelzebub? I know we’re friends, but…friendship…?” I think anyone would falter if someone told this to them.
If anyone came up to me and started spouting something about our bonds of friendship, that would really freak me out. I didn’t want bonds of friendship. It’s like someone you haven’t spoken to since graduation suddenly messaging you and trying to sell you stuff.
“Aww, see~? You’re so unsentimental about this; you two are so laid-back since you got to know each other after growing up into adults. No one will see you as old school friends.”
“But…we’re not…”
And the story was contradicting itself now, wasn’t it? Were we supposed to be DKRBPU students right now, or old friends from college? Or did she mean high school?
“No! You must be more emotional with each other!”
“You sure are passionate today, Pecora…”
“Indeed. I recently reread this book and learned exactly what passion is.”
Pecora picked up the book lying on the table and showed it to me.
Our Pandemonium! Part 1
The cover showed two college-girl demons running hand in hand through a dungeon.
“So it’s the book’s fault!”
“Aww, it doesn’t matter~ All sorts of things influence you in life~ Sometimes it’s people, sometimes it’s books~” Pecora pouted. She had a point; it was a little strange to cheapen the influence books could have over us.
“Fine. I’ll give you that one.”
“Thank you! And tomorrow, please foster your friendship with Beelzebub! You just promised me!”
Huh? I think she’s putting words in my mouth…
“Wait, wait! I didn’t agree to the friendship part!”
But she was already gung ho about making me do this. This tricksy little demon had weaseled me into this, and now I couldn’t back out.
“I understand how embarrassing it must be! But friendship is precious! And it is completely separate from our sisterly relationship, so I have nothing to complain about with regard to it! Instead, I am happy to support you! Please do not worry about it!”
“I’m not worried at all!”
“Now, Elder Sister, I am looking forward to a beautiful display of friendship tomorrow. That is all the direction I have for you as your president!”
“Are you a president or my younger sister?!”
“Details, details. Anyone can enter university at any age, and anyone can establish a university at any age. So it is entirely possible for an elder sister to become an athlete and the younger sister to be the president.”
“Your logic is all over the place!”
“We are not accepting feedback at this time! The president is leaving now! Do your best tomorrow~”
When Pecora was done, she left the tent and flew away…
But what Pecora said stuck with me—not the part about Beelzebub, but the rest of it.
We had our dinner at the inn where all the other students were staying, and I was thinking the entire time. She was right—ever since I realized I’d maxed out my level, I hadn’t really done anything that seriously challenged me.
I didn’t think it was right to tackle everything at maximum effort. I honestly thought it was best to take everyday life at a leisurely pace. If I was working at 100 percent the whole time, then I would be going over my limits of what I could actually handle. You can only really put your all into something if you’re not doing it all the time.
Therefore, it wasn’t a terrible thing to give 100 percent in pursuit of a goal. It was much better to have those experiences instead of not. And it wasn’t a bad idea to tackle those things with someone else.
Well, both Beelzebub and I knew exactly what we were capable of, and if our place in the race plummeted, then it depended entirely on factors beyond ourselves. We couldn’t control everything.
“Mm, do I have something on my face?” Beelzebub realized I was staring at her.
“No, nothing. I was just thinking how you’re going to be handing off the belt to me tomorrow.”
“Indeed I am. ’Tis nothing to get worked up over. We are essentially entertainment. I would be more than satisfied to hand off the belt to you in the middle of the pack.”
Beelzebub didn’t have much motivation to win to begin with…
“Victory does not have any substantial financial benefit, and this entire cobbled-together university has no good name to uphold. There is nothing to gain from this event.”
“I think you’re overstating it.”
I disagreed—and I hadn’t realized at first that I did.
“Mm… Was what I said that peculiar?”
“I think you’re right in that this team was put together purely for entertainment. But everyone took the race seriously today—”
“Even Fighsly? She was advertising her business. So was that goddess.”
Godly Godness scratched her head with a sheepish giggle.
Hey, I was trying to be serious—don’t pull the rug out from under me!
“S-sure, there were exceptions, but we finished today at second place, and that’s really good. At this point, we should aim for the total win!”
But Misjantie and Vania, two of our runners for tomorrow, seemed worried.
If I counted Beelzebub, then that meant most of us had no honest intention of winning!
I think I’d pushed it too far. I got excited because of Pecora’s pep talk, but this wasn’t like me at all…
Beelzebub gave a deep sigh.
I had a feeling I was the odd one out here.
“Very well,” Beelzebub said, to my surprise. “I understand. I shall do what I can. I have no intentions of betraying your feelings. I shall play along with you.”
Oh, she accepted my suggestion.
Pecora had told me to foster our friendship, but Beelzebub and I were still friends right now.
“Thank you, Beelzebub!”
“But still, do not come crying to me if we do not secure ourselves a good position in the race, hmm? Our second-place result on day one was simply too good to be true. None of us are professional runners. ’Twould be more likely than not that we will be left in the dust.”
“Yeah, and that’s when we give it our all.”
“Satisfied, then? Hell’s bells, I suspect our first-place prize would include a letter of complaint from the race committee…”
“Oh, that’s true…”
It’d be like a team of comedians winning Japan’s version of this event.
“Well, if they do, perhaps I will simply complain that the rest of them are too slow.” Beelzebub scratched her head.
We were of the same mind now. All I had to do next was do my best.
I wasn’t entirely convinced we’d be able to secure the top spot, either, but not putting our all into the competition would be a disservice to the other universities—not to mention Laika and her day-one record.
The next morning, all of us day-two runners hopped onto an escort carriage first thing in the morning and went down the mountain.
We dropped off people one at a time at the places where they’d be handing off the belt.
I got off at the last leg, which was near the town around the castle. I was also handed a small box.
I wondered what it was at first, but it turned out to be a magic streaming device.
“Here are our runners, waiting to set off on leg one. Everyone seems to be brimming with energy.”
I could hear the commentator’s voice—it was practically a TV!
“The competition between first and second place is fierce. The runner from Hell Plateau Karma University will start, and the runner from the Demon King’s Royal Bounty Provisional University will start five seconds afterward.”
The rules there were exactly the same as Japan’s big race… The teams that all came after the first-place team don’t go until that time difference had passed, so a team that crossed the finish line two minutes after the first team would start their race two minutes after the first team.
Still, I really appreciated this TV (I’m just going to call it a TV now). Just waiting with no news for Beelzebub to show up would have been torture. I would’ve been so jealous.
I could see Flatorte on the screen—she looked motivated, hopping in place to warm up.
I hoped she didn’t get too excited and ended up flying… That would disqualify us. I’d have to make Flatorte write some letters of apology for that.
I had absolutely no idea if we’d get a chance to satisfy Pecora, but I’d do what I could.
The first-place runner on the screen set off running, and a few seconds later, Flatorte took off.
She was going at top speed right off the bat.
“I knew this would happen! She’s not pacing herself at all!”
She was running as hard as she could. Her leg was about twenty kilometers—was she going to have enough energy to finish…?
“My, my! First and second places have swapped on the first uphill climb, before we even start going downhill! Flatorte is running like the demon king is after her!”
The commentary was calling her desperate. She was going fast enough for a sprint, after all…
Not long afterward, Flatorte reached the long downhill route.
When she did, I got a flashback to yesterday.
“Gaaah! I can’t stop! I can’t stop at all!”
Uh-oh, Flatorte was yelling…
That’s because you’re sprinting downhill!
But she wasn’t exhausted at all; instead, she only got faster.
“I was gonna stop at a flat spot, but it’s all downhill!”
She wasn’t paying attention to the course at all… All she had in her noggin was get-up-and-go…
“Oh dear! DKRBPU’s Flatorte has greatly increased her speed as she rushes downhill! The gap between first and second grows ever wider!”
The commentator was surprised, too.
I could comfortably call this her full speed. I wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop at all…
“However, the course ahead becomes a narrow, cliffside road. Can she handle the curves at this speed?”
Good question. I could see the road was getting narrower. I just hoped she didn’t go tumbling off the cliffside…
Flatorte was the only one in the shot now. She’d put considerable distance between her and the person behind her.
Then came a sharp turn in the road—
“I can’t turn!”
—and she missed it entirely, sailing right off the edge.
“She fell!” My head settled in my hands.
Guess this means we’re out of the race… The commentator, too, was talking about how it was all over for us.
“Oh, hold on a minute. Flatorte has not left the race!”
I looked back at the TV and saw Flatorte running along the course, totally fine.
“That cliff was nothin’!”
“Flatorte is running on the path at the bottom of the cliff! That was quite the drop, yet she seems okay! Has she just found a major shortcut? We’ve just received word from the staff. She did not fly, so this is acceptable according to the rules. They have allowed her shortcut!”
What the hell, Flatorte…?
Due to the huge gap Flatorte had put between her and everyone else, I couldn’t even see the escort car behind her anymore.
Flatorte eventually reached the plains and handed the belt off to Misjantie for leg two of day two.
“Take it!”
“First place? Seriously, man…? Way to pile on the pressure…”
The camera stayed on Flatorte for a while after she finished running. The commentator was saying something about a new record for that leg. They told Flatorte about this, too. There was an interviewer saying something or other about it.
“A new record? Yes! I, the great Flatorte, am the winner!”
Flatorte was radiating pure joy, and she looked ready to go another round. She still had strength… Laika was a heck of a dragon, but Flatorte might have her beat in raw power.
“It was a way better time than Laika, right? No, I don’t care if our legs are technically ‘different,’ just tell me who had the better time!”
All she was thinking about was competing with Laika’s time…
The interviewer asked if she had planned for this to happen.
“Plans? Plans are too much for blue dragons. You can make all the plans you want, but you still don’t know if it’s gonna work until the time comes. So why bother making them?”
That sure was Flatorte for you…
The interviewer then asked how she felt about her big first-place upset.
“I saw someone running ahead of me, so I concentrated on passing them. That’s it. But they weren’t really running that fast. It was like they were trying to save energy.”
Well, yeah, that’s what runners normally do…
“Anyone who isn’t giving their all is an idiot. That’s why I, the great Flatorte, took first place!”
An idiot, huh?
I had a feeling constantly running at top speed and constantly putting in 100 percent effort were a little different, but what she said stuck with me.
“I guess I’ll look silly if I don’t run as fast as I can, huh?”
The TV switched to Misjantie, the pine spirit.
Since Flatorte put in a huge gap between first and second place, Misjantie was simply running quietly by herself.
But something looked off about her number.
So she did add an advertisement to it… I guess it was small enough to be allowed.
She was waving a lot to the crowd on the sidelines. What a show-off. It wasn’t like she was a very fast runner to begin with, so I didn’t think she could maintain the lead that Flatorte had created for her.
But by the time she reached Bleach Lake, I noticed something else was strange.
There were a lot of pine trees by the water, and every single one had some cloth hanging off it.
“She’s using the pines!”
“Well, it seems the same wedding advertisement has been put up on all the pine trees. After seeing so many ads, I suppose someone would want to use these services, but…I don’t know.”
The commentator was speaking his mind. I knew how he felt.
The advertisements continued all the way to the narrow sandbar, where they took a quick pause.
And just as Misjantie reached the end of the sandbar, Hell Plateau Karma University in second place and Basilisk Pharmaceutical College in third place were creeping up closer to her.
I knew that once they got out of the sandbar and the path was wider, they were both going to shoot right past her.
Both second and third place came up to challenge her.
Well, Misjantie did her best, but I guess this was it for her.
But then something strange happened.
Trees fell before the second- and third-place runners, blocking the path—pine trees, specifically! And they were all behind Misjantie, so she was unaffected.
“She’s totally using her spirit powers!”
With their paths blocked by the fallen trees, the second- and third-place runners were waffling between climbing straight over them or going around. Crafty.
The escort carriage came into the shot. I could even hear Laika say, “Miss Misjantie, please run properly!”
“Is this against the rules? I’m not entirely sure…”
The commentator was bewildered, too… Once again, DKRBPU was in danger of being disqualified. We were honestly an awful team in many ways, since we’d had the judges called on us so much already.
“Ummm… There is no article in the rules forbidding the use of spirit power, so it is not a problem. This is certainly causing a big headache for all the runners behind her.”
Phew… Glad we didn’t end up losing because we broke the rules.
Yet, even despite the setback, the second- and third-place runners still sped past Misjantie.
To be honest, I was kind of hoping they would. What Misjantie did was basically illegal anyway.
Even though we had now dropped back to third place, it wasn’t as though Misjantie had set us all back too horribly, and she still handed the belt off to Vania.
The interviewer once again came to ask Misjantie some questions.
“Boy, what a wild coincidence, man, those pines falling down behind me. Those tree roots can’t really hold in the sand, y’know, so that’s probably what happened. It’s not against the rules. I totally didn’t break the rules, man; I dunno why you’re still asking me. Look, man, if I did anything wrong, we’d be disqualified. But we’re still in the race, so water under the bridge, right? Hey, could you stop pointing that thing at my face? I didn’t consent to this, man!”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an athlete who asked not to be filmed.
Our leg-three runner, Vania, was doing her best to chase after places one and two, but they were slowly getting farther away from her. I knew they’d have an advantage over a regular person (well, leviathan, I guess) as pros.
Also, now in the second half of day two, there was a huge gap between the top and bottom teams.
The camera switched to show the relay spot.
The runners from the teams that were lagging behind were panicking because their belts still hadn’t come yet.
“Oh dear, Crionlé from Endless Desert College still hasn’t come to the relay spot. If he is unable to pass on the belt, then the next runner will start without him!”
I guess they had some mercy if they couldn’t pass on the baton—er, the belt.
I wasn’t totally sure on the rules, but it sounded like if there was too much time between runners, then the next person could go without the previous person having to hand it off.
“Crionlé from Endless Desert College is just finishing his leg. Will he make it? He seems to be in pain. Will he be able to hand off the belt? Five seconds left! He might just miss that window! Three, two, one, out!”
At that moment, the next runner from that school set off without the belt.
Then, at the same time, something by Crionlé exploded.
I blinked and peered at the screen. The demon was collapsed on the ground, his face burnt.
“Now, all our fans will already know this, but when a runner is unable to make the handoff, the explosive spell in the belt detonates. The belt is how they prove they’ve seeded in the race, which means no seed for next year. What a devastating rule that is for them.”
That was seriously harsh! They were merciless!
“But that’s how it is, and we’ve all accepted it, organization and fans alike. Some of us, deep down, are simply dying to see runners crumble into tears when they can’t hand off the belt. All of us demons have some cruelty inside us, and we won’t run away from that fact. And our first sacrifice today was Endless Desert College!”
The demon world sure was terrifying…
“But he was just a hair’s breadth away from making it. Truly close. If those pine trees hadn’t fallen and required him to take a detour, then I’m sure he would have managed to hand it off. What an unlucky break.”
Misjantie’s influence was reaching far!
“Oh, we have contact from leg two. Apparently, the fallen pines are now standing again. There is still much we have to learn about the natural world, I see.”
Oh, so the pines weren’t dead after all. I guess the pine spirit wouldn’t kill her own trees. Still, did she really have to block the path like that…?
And now the camera returned to the front of the race.
In first place was Hell Plateau Karma University, and in second was Basilisk Pharmaceutical College. Vania was still in third, but she was having a tough time.
Once again, another runner passed her.
Laika and Momma Yufufu were cheering for her from the escort carriage, but Vania was definitely in pain.
“You can do better than this, Vania! Come on!”
I heard a familiar voice from the sidelines and spotted Fatla, waving a flag with Vania’s name on it.
“The fight has only just begun! You can do this! Take your spot back!” Fatla was really yelling loud for her little sister.
“You’ve got this, Vania! Almost there!” I yelled at the screen, not that she could hear me.
Vania smacked her own legs and then rushed forward.
She came up close behind the runner who’d just passed her—and he stuck out his leg.
Oh, right. It was totally legal to trip others.
But leviathans were powerful members of the demon world. She gave him a good roundhouse kick, and the runner now formerly in third place sailed through the air.
Vania’s face said, How’d you like that? and this time, she flexed her arms. Definitely gloating.
“CTU’s third-place runner has fallen! Vania from DKRBPU has taken third again!”
“Yes! Good kick!”
That rule was starting to corrupt me.
Being able to attack someone must have lifted her spirits, because she started running at a brisk pace. Your mentality was hugely important in sports.
Still in third place, Vania handed off the belt to Beelzebub.
“The belt is heavy…”
“Third, hmm? Not bad… I suppose I shall run as I did long ago…” Beelzebub took off running in leg four. If she could close the gap just a bit, then we could probably come back and take first place.
Beelzebub was running with purpose. She wasn’t relaxed and treating this like work. I could tell she was trying to get the belt to me, the anchor, as soon as possible.
That’s right—we had to give it our all, since we decided to participate. Otherwise, weren’t we wasting our time here?
I could also clearly hear Laika and Flatorte shouting from the escort carriage.
“They are not far enough ahead for you to give up! Aim for first!”
“You can still get past them! Show ’em what a minister can do!”
“I know, I know! I shall do what I can! This will be the most serious run I have taken in centuries!”
But the video switched to the fight between first and second place. All in all, that was way more important. They only showed Beelzebub right after she started running.
Both the first- and second-place runners in leg four were demons who had antlers like deer, long legs, and some real speed. They were neck and neck—with a little effort from second place, they would easily switch.
What happened next, then, wasn’t particularly surprising.
The second-place runner from Basilisk Pharmaceutical College dashed toward the first-place runner from Hell Plateau Karma University and tried to trip him from behind. I guess that was his bid for first.
It was enough to make the runner from Hell Plateau Karma University stumble, but not enough to send him sprawling to the ground.
So he fell right on top of the other runner!
This was the “if I can’t run, then neither can you” approach.
Leg technique was being fought with leg technique, resulting in a stalemate.
“The Tyrant of Leg Four and the Hyena of Leg Four have clashed! What a match we have today!”
The heck are those nicknames…?
But this fight between first and second place worked to the advantage of the third-place runner, Beelzebub.
I could faintly see Beelzebub’s face approaching the battling duo from behind on the screen.
“You’ve got this! Go, go!” I yelled.
First and second place both realized that Beelzebub had caught up to them, so they took off again. Of course, if they stayed locked like that forever, someone would get ahead of them eventually.
Regardless, Beelzebub didn’t keep her distance. She was settling into a rhythm and slowly gaining ground.
With sweat dripping off her, she vigorously pumped her arms.
I honestly knew such a high-ranking demon would give these guys a run for their money. But there was nothing elegant about how she ran that told me she was high-ranking… There was a stubbornness to her…something like self-made tenacity.
“I am putting my all into this, Azusa, so I will accept nothing less than your absolute best! If even one runner passes you, you shan’t hear the end of it from me!” Beelzebub yelled.
She wasn’t close enough for me to hear at all, but it almost felt like she was right there talking to me.
Of course I was going to run. I hated being forced to work, but it was my decision to run, so I could wear myself out once in a while. Well… Maybe that was going overboard for me, so I’d just do what I could within the realm of my limits.
Then, a certain voice came through the screen.
“You can do it, Miss Beelzebub~”
Hmm? That voice…
“Glory and victory are right before your eyes.”
“Animals are so good at running. Do your best.”
Those were Falfa, Shalsha, and Sandra’s voices! I’d never mistake them.
But they aren’t along the side of the road—where are they?
They were in the sky.
The three of them were riding a wyvern and cheering Beelzebub on.
Fatla was also riding on the same wyvern, so this was probably her idea. I hadn’t heard anything about this beforehand, so this was a surprise to me.
Which meant it would be the same for Beelzebub.
“You have given me strength! Nothing scares me anymore!”
A bright smile crossed her face, and her legs were pounding the road harder than ever.
She clearly got a lot of motivation from that… She knows how to get what she wants…
“I must run for my daughters!”
“They’re not yours!!”
Beelzebub slowly approached first and second place’s tight race.
They both glanced back at her and accelerated.
This was going to be much closer than I thought.
“Hey! I want to show off, so get out of the way! I do not know what burdens you are running with, but I am certain you are not running for your daughters! Your motivation is no match for miiiine!”
I said stop calling them yours!
Still, this was a heck of a run. She was right behind them; they couldn’t outrun her.
I know some cheers can only add to pressure, but those cheers purely gave her a burst of energy.
At long last, the leg-four runners came into view.
Hell Plateau Karma University was still in first place. Right behind them in second was Basilisk Pharmaceutical College. And a little behind them in third was Beelzebub. The distance between her and the rest was a lot shorter than when she first started running.
We could get first. It all depended on how I ran.
In a way, this run was saddling me with an unbelievably huge responsibility.
“Here, here! I did what I could! It is time you lived up to your claims of yesterday, Azusa!”
“I know! I don’t really have a choice after seeing you run like that!”
I took the belt from her and hoisted it over my shoulder.
“Whoa… This is really heavy…” It was like a wrestler’s champion belt.
“No whining—run! Run to the goal in Vanzeld!”
I’d go as fast as I could without completely draining my batteries.
The belt was heavy, but I felt light. That was probably more because my body was still seventeen years old rather than due to my level being high. And I led a very healthy lifestyle.
It was too early for any attacks. I would just keep going forward while keeping an eye on first and second place.
I could also hear the escort carriage following behind me.
“A good pace, Lady Azusa! I doubt they will leave you behind!” Laika’s voice sure carried well.
“That is a good pace to keep until halfway! I believe you will be able to take second simply like that!”
Like she said, I could see the gap between first and second getting wider, although it was less that first had broken away and more that second was falling behind.
The silhouette of Basilisk Pharmaceutical College’s second-place runner was growing. A silhouette that seemed to be carrying some kind of spiked shell on his back.
Wouldn’t a shelled back make it more difficult to run…? Well, at least that made my job easier. It was time to go in for the attack.
The runner also seemed to know he couldn’t keep up the pace and started glancing back at me.
He was planning on kicking or tripping me. I was starting to understand some of these tactics now that we were on the last leg of the last day, much as I didn’t want to.
Problem was, I didn’t know how to dodge. If he really did kick his foot out at me, would I be able to avoid it?
The spiky back of second place was getting closer. He was slowing down intentionally. If I moved to the side, so did he.
Then the second-place runner stuck out his leg at just the wrong moment for me to jump out of the way.
So my own foot stayed on track and ended up kicking him straight in the thigh.
There was a dull thunk, and the second-place runner tumbled forward…
I could hear “Nice kick, DKRBPU!” from the side of the road.
“It’s because my attack is so high…” Well, it was his own fault; I didn’t even try to kick him.
“Yes, Mistress! Crush them!”
Flatorte was cheering for me from the escort carriage. Crush really was an apt word for this whole race…
But it wasn’t a huge loss for them, so it was fine. I could even say that one of my rivals was down now.
Right, one more.
The runner from Hell Plateau Karma University was a cat-eared beast-person. His tail was whipping all over.
I upped my pace a bit.
I decided I was going to get ready to snipe first in a final sprint right at the end. And if that sapped me of all my energy, then I’d deal with it later.
I had a feeling the cheers coming from the sides of the road were getting louder, too. The struggle for first place was happening right at the end, on day two, leg five. Of course more people would come cheer us along.
I finally saw the massive walls of the town around Vanzeld Castle rising in the distance.
We were back at last. Time to take first—and if I didn’t, at least I’d have given it my best shot!
I could feel the sweat dripping down my cheek. No matter how high my level was, running for an extended period of time was still tiring. But it wasn’t like my batteries were done yet. My legs kept doing their job, hitting step after step. I was almost tempted to call it good exercise.
And at this point, the ones following behind would have the psychological advantage!
But my opponent was a pro. He shifted his gears up, and I could see him gaining distance.
Hmm, was I at a disadvantage because I was out of my element here…? I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to approach this.
“You can do it! You can do it, you can do it! I know you can do it!”
Who was that?!
There was a high platform temporarily built on the side of the road, and Pecora was standing on top.
“You can do it! Go, go, go! …Oh, I am cheering for everyone. Do you hear me saying any names? No, the demon king is not cheering for one specific team. Although I am the president of DKRBPU, so am I allowed to cheer for my elder sister?”
It didn’t matter. I knew exactly what she was doing anyway!
In reality, in that moment, a strange sensation came over me.
How long had it been since I last put my all into something, or even worked toward a certain goal?
I could probably safely say that I hadn’t pushed myself to my limits ever since I maxed out my level, at least. In battle, I really could gravely injure any of my opponents…
But this was sports. I finally felt like I’d earned the right to truly compete.
My legs were still in good shape. They weren’t cramping or anything at all. I wondered if that was because of my level, too.
When I entered the castle town, there were more and more people who came to watch and cheer us on.
But my daughters found me right away.
“Mommy, Mommy!”
I could hear Falfa’s voice.
There they were; Fatla must have dropped them off. They were with Halkara and Rosalie, waiting right at the edge of the road for me. I also saw other residents of the demon world, like Pondeli and Nosonia.
Some say that athletes with the highest expectations in the Olympics usually crumble under that weight, and maybe that’s how it is in a sudden-death round, but I didn’t suddenly start panicking or freezing.
Their cheers simply became my motivation.
“Yeeeaaah!” I yelled and pushed ever forward. I had a goal. I was going to be number one.
People turned in my direction and waved.
If I ran straight toward my goal, and if he didn’t pick up more speed, I could close the distance between us.
Right—it was obvious that my effort was going to pay off, and that encouraged me. The distance was closing.
And I could hear voices coming from the escort carriage the whole time.
“Pull ahead, you fool! You are simply lazy if you cannot get first now!”
Beelzebub was right.
I didn’t want to give up when first place was right within reach.
“I’ll keep going, even if I’m all sore tomorrow! I’ll work hard today so I can rest well the next day!”
I pushed forward until I was finally near my target. I came up next to him…then got ahead!
Yes, I’m in first!
Of course, the cat-eared runner wasn’t going to let me get away that easily.
I had a feeling he was going to try and kick me.
But I wouldn’t let him.
I went full speed ahead and put distance between us.
My team’s gonna be number one, so, sorry! Don’t follow me!
I got even farther ahead. I was running much harder than when I’d passed first place.
“Maybe we were just supposed to be for show, but now that I’m a part of the competition, it’s only right that I do my best!”
The belt was heavy, but it didn’t bother me. I was only wearing it for today, after all.
I could see the finish line coming up.
But I wasn’t the only one desperate to win this race.
The runner from Hell Plateau Karma University was coming up behind me. I didn’t know his name, but he was doing well for going against me.
Neither of us was going to give up!
I was pushing off the ground so hard that I was leaving dents in my wake. But it gave me a huge boost, and I rocketed forward.
“C’moooon!”
To be honest, it felt like I went too high in the air. Others might think I was trying to fly… Well, now I know what would happen if I tried jumping all the time…
I’m not flying, okay? It’s just a jump, okay? I was going to be pissed if I got disqualified because of that. Let me just emphasize that.
Shaken, I slowed down a bit.
If I landed on this trajectory, I knew my legs would go numb for a while, which would stall me—but it was too late for that! I’d think about it when I got there!
And then my body collided with some thin, white fabric as I connected back with the ground.
“What? Is this? Oh, is it…the finish line ribbon?”
My legs tingling, I grabbed the thin piece of fabric.
When I did, the loudest cheer I’d heard all race came surging forth.
“DKRBPU crosses the finish line!” I heard someone yell. Wow, I finished.
“I won… I won, right…?”
It didn’t really feel like I’d done it after such an unorthodox sprint. I knew I ran my hardest, but I hadn’t ever imagined I’d be crossing the finish line in first place.
I didn’t know if I should keep standing there or what, so I took a few steps forward when the escort carriage overtook me, slowly turned to face me, then stopped.
“You did it!”
Beelzebub flew through the air right at me.
I didn’t have the physical or emotional strength to catch her. My mind was practically blank after running so hard.
“Gaaah!”
We both fell right over.
“Why, Azusa, you’ve no energy at all,” Beelzebub commented as she sat on top of me. Thanks, Beelzebub.
“Obviously. I space out sometimes, too…”
“Well, you did run at full speed, no? I didn’t think you were taking it easy.” She grinned.
“I have to run. It’s in the rules, and I don’t want to break the rules. That doesn’t conflict with my lifestyle. I haven’t exactly been training for this day or anything, either.”
Living a relaxed life didn’t mean being lazy about everything I tried my hand at.
“I saw how hard you ran, too,” I said, returning fire.
“I simply took my job seriously! There is nothing embarrassing about it!”
“I know. You put up a good fight, Beelzebub.” I extended my hand.
“And I was quite impressed by you, Azusa.” Beelzebub grasped my hand in turn. It was an awkward position, what with her sitting on me, but whatever.
Then another shadow fell over my face.
Flatorte was flying straight toward me.
“Congrats, Mistress!”
Whoa! This is just a wrestling move!
It was even heavier with Flatorte on me, too.
Beelzebub started complaining under the weight.
Well, it didn’t hurt as much as getting kicked during the race, so it was all good.
An hour later, we all stood on the winner’s podium.
We wore some intense-looking medals with skulls on them. I would’ve guessed we were a band of criminals, not the winning team.
Even though our team had been hastily thrown together, I was still happy we won. Flatorte jokingly bit into her medal, which I guess people did in all worlds.
“Now I can add to the sign at my gym: Winner of the Post Town Relay Race,” Fighsly said. I doubted the race had much to do with what she taught at her gym, but I guess she just added what she could.
After the ceremony, Pecora stepped onto the podium again. “My… I had no idea My Own Royal Bounty Provisional University would take first… I worry we may have gone too far… Perhaps this was a miscalculation on my part…”
I kind of got how she felt. In a way, we’d totally embarrassed all the teams that’d practiced for this…
“But instead of apologizing, I will only take the opportunity to ask all the original competing teams in the race to work even harder! Think about how best to shorten your time at the beginning, or if proceeding forward is more advantageous than concentrating on taking down other teams!”
Her strategy was to scold them instead. Not a bad choice.
“Additionally,” Pecora said, shifting her attention to our team, “I have a feeling friendships have been fostered within My Own Royal Bounty Provisional University, and that is all right with me.”
Beelzebub scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
Friendship talk always sounds kinda silly, but we were all on the same team, so of course we’d built up some camaraderie.
“And well done today, all of you. You did a wonderful job. I believe this was the most interesting race of all that I’ve seen. We had a few teams that exploded without passing on their belts, too.”
I guess that was always a thing, huh…
“Also, today’s broadcast was streamed live on my channel, but anyone will be able to come back and watch it, so please subscribe~ ”
Don’t hog the video!
“And don’t forget to hit the like button~ ”
She’d added even more features since last time!
“And now, I would like to announce the dissolution of My Own Royal Bounty Provisional University.”
DKRBPU was K-A-P-U-T.
We were temporary college kids, but now we were back to who we used to be.
When Pecora stepped down from the podium, Beelzebub turned to me. I guess we didn’t have enough of a conversation right when I finished running.
“I am quite happy to get this medal.”
“You ran as hard as you could, so I couldn’t afford to lose.”
We high-fived each other. I was three hundred years old, but here I was acting like a kid.
“I shall be snoozing all day long on my day off tomorrow.”
“And I think I’ll have Pecora let me stay at the castle so I can chill.”
I had the right to ask the “president” to treat us for our hard work. I just hoped my muscles wouldn’t be screaming tomorrow.
“I thought you might say that. Let me have the girls at my house so you can relax.”
“What happened to snoozing all day…? Is that the reason why you talked to me again?!”
It was true, though, that I wanted to give my body a rest, so I’d take it easy here for a bit before going back to the house in the highlands.
But there was still one last item on the program for the Post Town Relay Race.
Kuku came onto the podium. “Well done, everyone. To finish off, I will be singing the Post Town Relay Race’s official theme song.”
Oh no! She was going to sing that song again!
The somber lyrics of “Life of a Substitute” echoed around us.
We left under a cloud of depression.
The demons really need to pick their theme songs better.
The End
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