Invaders of the Sports Festival!?
Sunday, May 10th
On the day of the sports festival, the sun was shining brightly. There were practically no clouds in the sky and the good weather continued well into the lunch break. The sun’s rays beamed down on the courtyard surrounded by the school building.
“It looks like we picked a good spot, Senpai.”
“The courtyard is quieter too, and there’s not as much dust...”
After the morning events, everyone was taking a break for lunch. The schoolyard was full of people and dust that had been kicked up by the wind. Because of that, Koutarou and Harumi had snuck away to the courtyard. It seemed they were the only ones who had thought of it, because they had the place all to themselves.
“The truth is that I’m embarrassed to take out my lunch in front of other people...”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. It looks delicious.”
“Really?”
Harumi covered her mouth with the colorful cloth she had wrapped her bentou in and stole a glance at Koutarou. She was unconfident and somewhat embarrassed. Today, Harumi had prepared lunch for both of them. She normally let her mother make her lunch, but she was absolutely determined to do it for herself and Koutarou on the special occasion of the school festival.
“Yeah. This doesn’t look like something an amateur made.”
“Thank god... I was a bit worried.”
Hearing Koutarou’s response, Harumi stopped hiding behind the cloth and let out a sigh of relief. She had been truly worried that she might disappoint Koutarou.
“You have nothing to be worried about. It looks really well made.”
“Well... I don’t think I’ll be of much help in the obstacle marathon, so I at least wanted you to get something to eat... so I...”
“Senpai, you worry too much. Men are simple. Any guy would be happy that a girl made him lunch, regardless of how well made it is.”
“B-But I really wanted it to be good...”
“It must be hard being a girl... Thank you for the food.”
Koutarou quit chatting and started putting food in his mouth. He was starving after working hard all morning. But his hard work had paid off. Five blue ribbons were pinned on Koutarou’s gym uniform. The ribbons signified placing in an event, and blue meant first place. Koutarou had had sweeping success in all five events he had participated in. That was why his fuel reserves were so low now.
“Oh, it’s delicious!”
“Ah...”
Harumi was elated at Koutarou’s simple praise. Getting a passing grade not just on looks, but taste too, she was so happy that she was ready to break out in dance. In reality, her lunch was splendid. Her omelet, Salisbury steak, and wiener along with basic side dishes might have been a little plain, but they were all made with care. It was good home cooking, and certainly worthy of praise for a beginner. Growing up without a mother and having to cook for himself, Koutarou could appreciate that quite well.
What can I say? Having someone make food for you without any ulterior motives is a wonderful thing.
Koutarou felt an honest gratitude as he ate one dish after another. Having lost his mother at a young age, it was rare for someone to cook for Koutarou simply out of kindness. Lately, Kiriha had been making him food, but that was because she was aiming to take over room 106. In the purest sense, this was the first lunch someone had made for him in a long time.
“Is there anything you don’t like?”
“Not really... Well, I can’t say there’s nothing.”
At first Koutarou couldn’t think of anything, but he quickly regretted his words. The blushing Harumi became visibly nervous.
“What was bad?”
“There’s not enough.”
“Wh-What is there not enough of?”
Was it the seasoning? Is it not cooked enough? Or does he mean I’m not good enough?
The anxiety kicked Harumi’s mind into high gear.
“Everything. It’s so delicious, I could eat three times this much.”
“E-Everything...?”
Harumi was stunned at Koutarou’s unexpected answer.
“Well, we still have the afternoon events, so this might be just right. If I eat till I’m full, it’ll be hard to move around.”
“...”
“But next time, I’d love to be able to eat until I’m stuffed.”
“Next time...?”
Koutarou smiled and kept eating. Watching him, Harumi’s smile grew bigger and bigger.
Next time... Next time, he wants to eat more... He likes it...
Harumi was so happy, she couldn’t speak.
So this is what it’s like to have friends...
Harumi had a weak constitution and was constantly in and out of the hospital. Though she considered the nurses and children there her friends, she didn’t have any other friends her age. Koutarou was the first. It was enough to make her want to cry tears of joy.
“What’s wrong, Senpai?”
Koutarou looked up from his lunch when he noticed that Harumi had fallen silent. Her cheeks were crimson and her eyes were moist. Seeing that she looked like she might cry at any moment, Koutarou started to panic.
“A-Are you okay?! D-Did I say something stupid?!”
Koutarou had no idea how Harumi felt. Ever since he was young, starting with Kenji, he’d always had a lot of friends. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Harumi was going through. That was why he was so sure he must have done something wrong.
“I’m fine... I just got some dirt in my eyes... I-I’m going to go rinse my face...”
Harumi turned away to avoid Koutarou’s glance and hastily stood up. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was worried Koutarou might be able to hear it too.
If I don’t calm down, I’m going to end up saying something strange to Satomi-kun...
Harumi ran out from the courtyard, her heart throbbing and her head dizzy.
“Senpai...?”
Being left behind, Koutarou sat there looking confused. He couldn’t get his head around what had just happened. However, Sanae, who was clinging to Koutarou’s back, could faintly understand Harumi’s feelings.
“...That kind of ticks me off.”
And as revenge, she began choking Koutarou. It was an easy feat considering she was already hanging on to his neck.
“Guh— Gwaaah?!”
“Damn it! Aaah! It’s really getting on my nerves!”
“Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Think of the situation you’re in instead of getting carried away! Did you forget what happens if you lose today?!”
“Guuuh... S-Sanae, d-don’t think the same trick will work over and over again...!”
Koutarou desperately tried to keep himself from passing out and reached into his pocket with his right hand. He pulled out something and pressed it against Sanae’s forehead.
“Ack!”
As he did, there was a small explosion that blew Sanae backwards.
“All right! Thanks, grandma!”
There was a small charm embroidered with golden thread in his hand. It held quite a bit of power against ghosts like Sanae.
The golden words “family safety” shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?!”
Sanae returned with her right hand on her forehead. She floated in front of Koutarou and began complaining.
“That’s my line! You’re always trying to choke me for some absurd reason! You try being the guy who passes out for no reason!”
“What a whiner! You’re a man! Don’t get hung up on stuff like that! It’s perfectly natural for ghosts to attack people!”
“Then it’s only natural for people defend themselves, you evil spirit!”
“I can’t believe it! You can’t call someone this cute an evil spirit!”
They butted heads and glared at each other. It seemed like their quarrel was just about to get out of hand, but a third party got in between them.
“It seems you’re quite the star, Koutarou.”
“Kiriha?!”
It was indeed Kiriha, her long hair fluttering in the refreshing wind. She had snuck up on Koutarou and Sanae.
“You seem to be quite the star yourself, Kiriha-san.”
Several ribbons were pinned to Kiriha’s chest too: three blue and two yellow. She had taken first place in three events and second place in two.
“What are you staring at her boobs for, Koutarou?! You really are a pervert!”
“You’re wrong! Just look at that!”
“Like I want to look at someone else’s boobs! Are you trying to tell me you can see her bra or something?!”
“Of course not! I’m talking about the ribbons! I was looking at how well she’d done!”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’d give Kiriha’s boobs a perfect score.”
“Listen to me, you stupid ghost!”
“What?! I have my pride too, you know!”
“Is a ghost’s pride the kind you can see right through?!”
Koutarou and Sanae got in each other’s faces again, but more people were coming in to the courtyard now.
“It’s good to see you’re still full of vigor, pleb. Forcing you to crawl on the ground wouldn’t be as much fun otherwise!”
It was Theia and Ruth, but they were followed by a group of rough looking boys. Theia had four ribbons on her chest, all of them blue. In reality, Theia had participated in six events that morning, but she had thrown away any ribbons from second place or lower. The cheerleading squad, who had been cheering for her all the while, were exhausted and covered in sweat. Ruth actually had a yellow and a green ribbon herself, one for second place and one for third.
“Just be quiet, Tulip! I’m busy at the moment!”
“Yeah! There’s no place for you here, plateau boobs!”
Koutarou and Sanae didn’t even bother to look over at Theia as they shouted. They just continued staring each other down. This, of course, infuriated Theia. It was bad enough that Koutarou wasn’t showing her any respect, but Sanae had brought up the subject she hated the most. Between the two of them, they pushed all of Theia’s buttons, and she immediately blew her top.
“Are you picking a fight with me, you mongrels?! Shall I turn you into ashes this instant?!”
“You can’t, Your Highness!”
Even with Ruth trying to stop her, Theia wouldn’t back down. Theia marched over to Koutarou and Sanae and butted heads with both of them.
“You just try it, Tulip!”
“I’ll turn you into ashes after fixing your rotten character!”
“Hey! Listen to me!”
The showdown between the three of them was only getting started.
“Aahh, Your Highness! Satomi-sama!”
“Leave them be, Ruth. They don’t really hate each other as much as they say they do.”
“Please don’t say something so disgusting, Kiriha-san! Of course I hate these things!”
“How dare you call me a thing?! Address me as Your Highness Theia, you pleb!”
“Take that back, Koutarou! How could you call pretty little Sanae-chan disgusting?”
“I meant exactly what I said, you idiots!”
Their quarrel escalated as they exchanged insults. Fortunately, there was a sudden interruption.
“Satomi-kuuun!”
“Hellooo!”
“Hmm?”
Koutarou recognized the voices of the cosplay society girls as they casually called out to him. He immediately calmed down, putting his spat with Sanae and Theia on hold
“It looks like you’re having fun, Koutarou-kun.”
They cosclub approached with the president pushing a handcart in the lead. They were all wearing their gym clothes rather than cosplaying. Intent on following the rules, they wouldn’t change until they had permission to do so.
What are they doing?
The handcart that the president was pushing caught Koutarou’s interest. There was a large sack inside of it that twitched from time to time.
“...! ...!”
It looked like the sack was alive.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Satomi-kun. And hello to your friends.”
The president smiled and greeted everyone. Following suit, the other nine girls exchanged greetings too. Meanwhile, Theia’s cheerleading squad silently stood at attention. After the girls all greeted each other, the president looked at Koutarou again.
“Look forward to the obstacle marathon, Koutarou-kun. Today’s outfit is a masterpiece.”
“We stayed up all night to make it!”
“That’s right. I lost count on how many times we stabbed our fingers on needles.”
“...You mean how many times you did.”
While they talked, the sack continued to move from time to time.
“...! ...! ...!”
Well, whatever...
Koutarou was curious about the contents of the sack, but he decided to leave it be.
It was around that time that Harumi returned to the courtyard.
“Satomi-kun...?”
Koutarou was now surrounded by people. In total there were over twenty people in the previously empty courtyard. Harumi recognized a few of them.
“Oh, aren’t you quite a cutie?”
“Hey, s-stop it! Don’t touch me!” Theia barked.
“Hey, why don’t you join our society?”
“I refuse! As if I’d join your shady club!”
“What a shame.”
“Well then, what about you two?”
“If Theia-sama won’t join, I will have to decline as well.”
“I’m sorry, Senpai. I’m already on the track and field team.”
“Tulip, did you join the cheerleading squad?”
“That’s right. Unlike you, you insolent fool, these men have unwavering loyalty to me. Isn’t that right?!”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
“They’ve been completely brainwashed...”
“Ah, it seems the true cheerleading squad has disappeared.”
Everyone was energetically talking and smiling. Koutarou was even showing expressions that Harumi had never seen him make before. It was like this was a Koutarou she didn’t know. This kind of interaction was totally foreign to her.
“I... couldn’t possibly go over there...”
Harumi stood perfectly still. The beat of her throbbing heart had slowed down, and before she knew it, her heated emotions had cooled down too. She stood their realizing that she only knew one side of Koutarou, and that saddened her.
“I’m not really all that important...”
Harumi couldn’t move. She felt frozen in place. She just couldn’t mingle with the others. They were a mere twenty meters away, but it felt like they were worlds apart.
Suddenly there were fireworks bursting in the blue sky. In broad daylight, the flashes were hard to see, but so many were fired at the same time that they still stood out. It was the signal that the obstacle marathon for clubs was about to begin.
The obstacle marathon was a five kilometer course with ten different obstacles to overcome. Since the event was coed, the girls were given easier obstacles as a handicap.
The obstacles required more than just physical prowess, so the winning club was different almost every year. And since Kisshouharukaze High School had so many participating clubs, the marathon naturally turned into the main event of the sports festival.
“Heh heh heh, finally the moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived...”
Koutarou swung his arms to warm up and took a good look around. There were over a hundred people gathered at the starting line. Harukaze High had more than fifty clubs of varying sizes, and the majority of them were participating. The turnout for the race was big, but expected. About half of the participants were wearing their respective club uniforms. The remainder, mostly liberal arts clubs, were just wearing their gym clothes.
“Kou, you seem awfully confident.”
“Can you tell?”
“I haven’t been your partner all these years just for show.”
“As expected from my comrade, Mackenzie!”
Having finished stretching, Koutarou slapped Kenji on the back with one of his big hands.
“Ouch.”
“Victory will be mine today.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re such a muscle head, there’s no way you’ll win. I’m not even sure if you can beat me.”
“That’s some big talk, Mackenzie. Why don’t we bet on it?”
“You’re on. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins.”
“The loser owes the winner a meal, got it?”
“Got it.”
Kenji grinned. He was confident in himself. Koutarou had the upper hand when it came to physical strength, but Kenji had dexterity and intelligence going for him. That was why he was sure he could beat Koutarou in an event that challenged the well-roundedness of the competitors.
“Hah, you’ve made a stupid bet, Kou. I hope you’re prepared to buy me a nice lunch.”
“I don’t want to hear you calling me stupid in that outfit.”
“Shut it. I’m in the drama club so I didn’t have a choice.”
Kenji wasn’t in his gym uniform. He was wearing a pure white tuxedo complete with a crimson rose on his lapel. It was a stage outfit the drama club was using.
“Oh, it sounds like you two are up to something interesting.”
“Landlord-san.”
Shizuka appeared as the two boys sealed the deal on their bet. She had been called in to help by the cooking society. Wearing an apron over her gym clothes, she looked almost as silly as Kenji. .
“Mind if I join in on your friendly wager?”
“You too, Kasagi-san? We’re both quite confident about this, you know.”
“Well, I’m only asking because I’m quite confident myself.”
“But—”
Kenji tried to dissuade Shizuka, but Koutarou knew better.
“What does it matter, Mackenzie? Let her join in too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
After all, I don’t even know if I can beat Landlord-san...
Unlike Kenji, Koutarou was fully aware of how strong Shizuka was. He couldn’t imagine Shizuka falling behind in this event after how he’d seen her take down four invaders with just her bare hands. She was also about as smart as Kenji was.
“Then we’ll add in Kasagi-san and make it a three-way bet.”
“I won’t lose, you two.”
“Just bring it on, Landlord-san.”
Heh heh, now Mackenzie will have to buy two meals...
With Shizuka on board, Koutarou was secretly chuckling to himself. Shortly after, cheers for Kenji started coming from bleachers next to the starting area.
“Kenji-kun! You’re so cool!”
“Rosenkavalier-sama! Look this way!”
Following the cheers were several camera flashes. This was Kenji’s fan club that had been growing since middle school.
“Go on and wave to them, Rosenkavalier-sama. Your fans are calling for you.”
“Shut it.”
“Koutarou-kun! Point him this way!”
“Sure, sure.”
“H-Hey!”
Koutarou grabbed ahold of Kenji’s head and forcefully turned it towards the bleachers. The camera flashes instantly started up again.
“There’s no need to be shy. You’re only pissing off all the guys here. Me included, of course.”
“Give me a rest, Kou!”
“Oh right, sorry. You’ll make her sad, after all.”
Next to Kenji was a girl wearing a red dress. She was also part of the drama club, dressed in a costume from an old play. Today she and Kenji were cast as the Crimson Maiden and the Rosenkavalier.
“Excuse me, I’m the one that invited Matsudaira-san to the club. Just to clarify, I don’t think he has any interest in going out with me.”
“You’re mistaken, miss. You’re just falling for his usual tricks!”
The Crimson Maiden tried to cover for Kenji, but she was no match for Koutarou.
“I’ll kill you, bastard!”
“Kyaah! Save me, Sakuraba-senpai! Mackenzie is bullying me!”
“Ah, um, S-Satomi-kun?”
As Kenji actually started to get angry, Koutarou laughed and hid behind Harumi.
“H-Hello, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“Hello, Matsudaira-kun.”
Ending up face to face, both Harumi and Kenji were oddly flustered.
“Uh... Um...”
“That’s playing dirty, Koutarou!”
Though time had passed and she had gotten used to him somewhat, Harumi was still uncomfortable around Kenji. She was immediately reduced to mumbling. Kenji knew how she felt and didn’t pursue it any further.
“Senpai, while we’re at it, say hello to Mackenzie’s club mate and Landlord-san.”
“Y-Yes, hello!”
“Hello, Sakuraba-san.”
“Hello, Sakuraba-senpai.”
Harumi bowed, and the Crimson Maiden and Shizuka followed suit.
“L-Let’s all do out best today.”
“I’m worried about reaching the goal in this outfit.”
“Ahaha, but it’s a wonderful dress!”
The three girls each had mild personalities, so the three of them talking went a long way to relaxing the atmosphere.
“...”
But Koutarou noticed Kenji giving him a stinging glare.
“What’s with that look, Mackenzie?”
“Kou, could you be more obvious about stuff like that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“...I give up.”
Kenji’s shoulders slumped and he scratched his head. He had known Koutarou for a long time. Kenji understood that Koutarou had used him to forcibly pull Harumi into the group. He let out a small sigh and tried greeting Harumi again.
“I’m sorry for before, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“N-No, it was nothing.”
“Sakuraba-senpai, according to Satomi-kun, Mackenzie-kun seems to be quite the ladykiller, so stay on your guard.”
“...R-Really?”
“That’s a lie! He was lying!”
Good luck, Sakuraba-senpai...
Koutarou turned away from the four that had begun chatting and looked around the starting area again. There were all kinds of people gathering around. The strong, the small, the agile, and the clever were all here to try their best at the race.
“...It doesn’t look like they’ll just let me win.”
In order to put Harumi on the podium, he needed to clear all the obstacles and reach the goal faster than all of them.
“All right! Let’s do this!”
Koutarou pumped himself up in order to keep from letting his guard down and getting the rug pulled out from under him.
“Hey, Koutarou.”
“Hmm?”
Sanae, who had been floating next to him, decided to cling on to him. She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and smiled.
“You know, you’re surprisingly...”
“What?”
“Nothing. Nyahaha...”
In the end, Sanae didn’t say anything. She just smiled instead. Koutarou couldn’t see it since Sanae was behind him, but she herself wasn’t aware of it either.
Huh?
Looking over his shoulder now, she realized that Koutarou was watching some other students. It was two members of the baseball club in their uniforms.
“...Koutarou, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“If it bothers you that much, why don’t you just play baseball?”
“Huh?”
Surprised, Koutarou looked at Sanae.
I knew it...
Sanae picked up on his surprise and hesitation.
“You’ve been watching the baseball club whenever you get a chance. I can tell.”
“...Oh.”
Koutarou took his eyes off Sanae and looked back at the baseball club members. He felt he had no need to hide it.
“Well, I love baseball. But it’s not the kind of sport you can commit to while living on your own.”
“Hmm...”
Koutarou looked nostalgic and wistful. Seeing that, Sanae had an idea.
If I helped with the housework or something, Koutarou might be able to play baseball again.
Cooking, washing, cleaning, preparing his bath... If Sanae took over the household chores Koutarou was doing every day, he might get the free time he needed to play baseball. That was the idea that had popped into Sanae’s mind, but she quickly shook her head and snapped out of it.
“J-Just what am I thinking?!”
I’m chasing him out! I have to chase Koutarou out of that room no matter what! Why would I even think of helping with the housework?!
Sanae was puzzled by her own feelings. She couldn’t believe she had considered helping someone that she was trying to chase out. The most confusing part was that, in the moment, she really did want to help him out.
“What?”
“It’s nothing! Absolutely nothing! Just leave it!”
When Koutarou showed concern for her, Sanae felt even more perplexed.
What is wrong with me?!
This time, however, Sanae was perplexed about more than just Koutarou.
Meanwhile, Theia had joined the crowd by the starting area. She stood by the bleachers, giving a speech to the cheerleading squad that was lined up before her.
“Men, you’ve done well to endure until today! Although only one of you will participate with me today, it was thanks to your daily training! Cheer me on like you’re the one who’s participating with me!”
She was wearing a gym uniform accented with the squad leader’s armband around her upper arm. She had both hands on her hips and stood tall. Her small stature was lost in the crowd, but there was no covering up her loud voice. In response, the squad members answered in full force.
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
Their deep, booming voices carried across the entire starting area and shook the ground.
“It’s not a matter of who accompanies me! It is simply a matter of whether or not I win!”
“Victory for Her Highness Theiamillis! Glory to the royal families of Forthorthe!”
The cheerleading squad’s morale was high. The harsh training they had endured for this day had strengthened their team spirit. Their goal was Theia’s victory, not their own. That was what they had trained so hard for. For victory. And for Theia. If she ordered them to die, they were prepared to lay down their lives. That was the kind of loyalty that Theia demanded.
“Good luck, Your Highness.”
“Leave it to me, Ruth. I’ll be sure to win.”
Instead of Ruth, Theia had chosen the strongest and fastest member of the cheerleading squad to be her partner. Because of that, Ruth was sitting with the remaining members in the bleachers.
“Your Highness, it’s almost time.”
“Very well then. Let’s go.”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Kurano Kiriha...”
Theia grinned as she headed to the starting line.
Meanwhile, Kiriha was already at the starting line. Considering the competition, she wanted the best possible starting position.
“We’ll be starting soon, Kiri-chan. Let’s give it our all!”
“Of course, Takahashi-senpai.”
With Kiriha was her track and field senior, Takahashi. Kiriha made small talk with her as she secretly prepared for the battle to come.
“...Karama, how is it going?”
“Everyone is in position, ho! Korama confirmed it from above, ho!”
Kiriha discreetly whispered to the camouflaged haniwa that was floating next to her.
“It seems there are no traitors, ho! Just leave the rest to us, ho!”
“All right, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.”
Then all that’s left is waiting for the start...
After finishing her final check, Kiriha flashed a small smile. Takahashi couldn’t help but notice it.
“Kiri-chan, what are you smiling for?”
“Actually, I made a bet with my friends.”
Despite the sudden question, Kiriha didn’t so much as flinch as she gave a canned response. Not knowing what Kiriha was actually thinking, Takahashi’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in.
“A bet? Was it with a boy?!”
“Yes.”
“What did you bet?”
“The loser has to hand over something precious to the winner.”
Kiriha was honest in part. She had made a bet with Koutarou and the rest, and the loser had to hand over part of their territory to the winner.
“Kyaah! How bold! But won’t the outcome be the same regardless of who wins?”
Of course, Takahashi completely misunderstood the situation. She had no idea Kiriha was deadlocked in a territorial dispute.
Speaking of misunderstandings, the biggest misunderstanding of all concerned the cosplay society positioned on the rear lines of the starting area. All six members, even the ones not participating in the race, were cosplaying. Today they were in matching maid costumes. The only one wearing a different design was the president—her outfit included an armband and a headpiece as the head maid. After checking her watch, she called out to the vice president next to her.
“It’ll be starting soon. Vice president, get Yurika ready.”
“Very well. Right away.”
Representing the cosplay society in the obstacle marathon would be Yurika and the president. The new member and the president were pairing up for the sake of their club. But oddly enough, Yurika was nowhere to be seen.
“Everyone, bring Yurika over!”
“Okaaay!”
When the vice president gave the signal, the other members came over, pushing a handcart. It was loaded with the sack Koutarou had taken notice of before. However, unlike during lunch, the sack wasn’t moving at all now.
“And now, open it up!”
“Okaaay!”
The girls loosened the rope around the sack and turned it upside down. As they did, Yurika in a maid outfit came tumbling out. She was gagged and bound with more rope. The cosplay club had forcibly stripped her and put her in the maid costume. Since she was cosplaying against her will, they had kept her restrained until now, but the cosclub girls quickly loosened her bonds.
“Uuuhhh... I-I’m finally free...”
Though freed, Yurika had toppled to the ground and remained motionless. Curled up in the fetal position, tears were streaming down from her large eyes.
“Wh-Why do I have to go through something like this...?”
Nobody listened to Yurika when she said she hated cosplaying. They were all under the impression that Yurika loved cosplay but just couldn’t admit it.
“I... I can never get married now...”
“You look beautiful, Yurika-chan!”
“Give it everything you’ve got!”
“Forget getting married! You can be a part of the cosplay society forever!”
“I don’t want thaaaaat!”
Yurika aside, the cosplay society was in high spirits. That was especially true of the president, whose eyes were sparkling.
“Would you stop it, Yurika-chan? You’ll ruin your makeup.”
“Waah haa haa...”
The president wiped away Yurika’s tears and pulled out her makeup kit for a touch-up. The president was no professional, but she had a certain talent with cosmetics. When she was done, Yurika looked even more lovely than before.
“Let’s surprise Koutarou-kun during the race, okay?”
“I don’t want to surprise him wearing this outfit! Waaaaah...”
As always, nobody listened to Yurika. As she continued to cry, she ironically looked more beautiful than anyone else.
The principal stepped up on an improvised platform that had been set up next to the starting area. It was the principal’s job to give the starting signal for the main event, and everyone watched as the principal got into position. The schoolyard fell silent with anticipation. The principal pointed the starting pistol up at the sky, and the commentator’s voice echoed out from the loudspeakers.
“On your marks. Get set...”
At the commentator’s cue, the principal squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
The sharp crack of the starting pistol rang out across the schoolyard. The obstacle marathon had officially begun. Following the signal, the previously quiet crowd broke out into a clamor. As expected from the main event of the day, the excitement instantly peaked.
“Let’s go, Kiri-chan!”
“Yes, Takahashi-senpai!”
The two members of the girls’ track and field team dashed into the lead straight away. With beautiful form, they continued to accelerate. It was an excellent start that only the track and field team could manage.
“We’re falling behind?!”
“Damn it! After them!”
“Don’t let the girls’ track team get ahead of us!”
As everyone tried to chase after Kiriha and Takahashi, there was unexpected chaos at the starting line. Several club members at the front had fallen. It seemed like their legs had gotten tangled and they had all tripped over each other in the confusion at the start.
“Ouch, don’t step on me! Get away, you guys!”
“Owowow, it hurts!”
“That’s my leg! Stop bending it like that!”
“Hey, don’t touch me in weird places!”
Most of the lead group collapsing caused quite a commotion. Even those who hadn’t fallen were unable to move forward because of the bottleneck. The starting line had turned into a standstill.
“We got lucky! I don’t know what happened, but now’s our chance, Kiri-chan!”
“Yes, Senpai!”
It put the girls’ track and field team at a huge advantage. Having dashed ahead before the commotion, they left their competitors in the dust. Kiriha and Takahashi ran next to each other and swiftly turned the corner. After half a lap around the school’s track, the race course left the school grounds. The two girls had already made their way around the track before the confusion at the starting line started to clear up.
“Heh...”
Just before they made it to the school gates, Kiriha looked back and flashed a smile in the direction of the starting line. Kiriha then sprinted through the gate and was out of sight.
“We’ve been had! Damn Kiriha! So this is what she was planning!” Theia’s shrill voice screamed.
A large man in an old-fashioned uniform stood up in the crowd. Below him was Theia, looking quite irritated. Theia had also gotten caught up in the incident, but she didn’t seem be hurt. In the midst of everything, she’d had her partner protect her.
“Did she seduce them or did she bribe them...? Either way, I’ve been totally had! Damn it!”
Once she was up, Theia grit her teeth in frustration. She was certain this was Kiriha’s doing. The collapse occurred immediately after the girls’ track and field team had stolen the lead. Theia couldn’t believe that was just a coincidence.
“As I suspected, I can’t let my guard down around that woman!”
And Theia was right on the money. Kiriha had bribed several influential clubs to get them to fall at the start of the race. Doing so reduced the number of potential rivals while also giving her a substantial lead. It was a splendid strategy, killing two birds with one stone.
“I won’t just let that woman have her way! Hey, throw me over to the other side of the crowd!”
“Hail to the princess!”
The large man immediately took action upon hearing Theia’s orders. He easily lifted her up and threw her so effortlessly it looked like he was tossing a basketball. It was a feat only made possibly because of Theia’s small size and the man’s strength.
“I will go on ahead! Meet up with me later!”
“Hail to the princess!”
Theia sailed right over the human traffic jam and landed with both of her feet on the track. She then sprinted off without even looking back. She was a quick runner for her small size.
“A-Are you okay, Sakuraba-senpai?!”
“Thank you, Satomi-kun. I’m fine, but what happened?”
“I don’t know. It looks like almost everyone in the front group fell over at the same time.”
A few seconds after Theia had made a run for it, Koutarou lifted up Harumi and was now carrying her in his arms.
When the front group collapsed, Koutarou and Harumi were in the middle of the pack. They had been trapped between the people who had fallen and the people who were pushing forward from behind. Even now, they were just picking themselves back up.
“Huh?!”
That was when Koutarou saw Theia running. She was already finished with the track and heading for the school gates.
Not good! We’re already behind!
Koutarou looked ahead to the starting line, but it was still in an uproar.
“What to do...? Even if I try to pass through there...”
People were clustered up and it didn’t look like they were going to disperse any time soon. But Koutarou had to do something. He knew that Kiriha and Theia had taken the lead.
“Koutarou, over there! Those three!”
“Oh?”
Sanae, who was clinging on to Koutarou in her typical fashion, pointed to the front of the crowd. There he saw three robust boys trying to stand up. They were members of the rugby club, the judo club, and the sumo club, each clearly distinguishable by their outfit.
“Now’s our chance!”
The moment he saw them, he smiled and made a break for it.
“Here we go, Sakuraba-senpai!”
“Satomi-kun?!”
Before Harumi could even respond, Koutarou was running straight for them and gradually speeding up.
“Hold on, Sakuraba-senpai!”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
“Juuuuump!”
Koutarou deftly trampled the members of the rugby, judo, and sumo clubs in turn, making a daring leap off of the last one. Their backs made the perfect stepping stones as they were trying to stand up.
“Sorry! Excuse me!”
“Who’s stepping on me?!”
“I’m being used as a stepping stone?!”
“Gottsan desu?!”1
Koutarou and Harumi seemed to hang in the air as they soared over the group crowding the starting line. It was all so sudden that Harumi was desperately holding on to Koutarou, afraid of falling. Their combined weight was over a hundred kilograms, so there was quite a sound as they hit the ground. But Koutarou landed with both feet firmly planted on the track.
“Kyaah!”
“Are you okay, Sakuraba-senpai?!”
Before Harumi could recover from the shock of landing, Koutarou was already running again.
“That’s my line! Are you okay, Satomi-kun?!”
“I’m fine! I’m well trained, after all!”
Collecting herself, Harumi was worried about Koutarou’s well-being, but he was smiling confidently. As a catcher in his middle school baseball days, Koutarou was used to wearing protective gear weighing several kilos including the glove. In order to train his mobility, he would practice while wearing the heavy gear or run around while dragging a tire along behind him. After all that, his lower body was very robust.
“...Really?”
“Please save that line until you’ve gotten fatter, Sakuraba-senpai.”
Koutarou smiled as he ran around the track while carrying Harumi.
He seems fine... You’re amazing, Satomi-kun...
Harumi was a frail girl, so Koutarou’s strength made quite an impression on her.
Oh?
After letting out a sigh of relief, Harumi realized something felt odd. There was still a fuss at the starting area and there weren’t many people on the track, so the spectators had their eyes on her and Koutarou. After looking around, she still couldn’t put her finger on it.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um, Satomi-k—”
Just as she was about to respond to Koutarou, Harumi realized exactly what was so strange.
“Senpai?”
“Uh, uhh...”
Harumi was at a loss for words and her eyes were wide open. Koutarou was much too close. She could feel his breath on her cheeks, his arms across her back and legs, and his chest against her side as he carried her. Worst of all, she had wrapped her arms around Koutarou’s neck.
“Oh, Senpai, please keep tensing up like that. It makes it easier to run.”
“Um, S-Satomi-kun— Whaaat?!”
Koutarou sped up, oblivious to Harumi’s stupor. As she tensed up and her body got stiffer, it became easier for Koutarou to balance and run faster. At the same time, he put more force into his arms and pulled her closer to him. In turn, Harumi tensed up even more.
“L-Let me down! I can run on my own!”
“It’s okay! We’ll gain a bit of a lead this way.”
Flustered, Harumi tried to get down on her own, but Koutarou shook his head. It would be faster for him to carry her for a while instead of her running on her own. Koutarou wanted Harumi to finish the race, so he was planning on making it as far as he could like this.
“Th-This is troubling me!”
“Why is that?”
“...”
Harumi was unable to respond. Instead, she started blushing furiously. She couldn’t say that being carried like this was embarrassing. Moreover, she didn’t actually dislike her current situation. All she could do was look down. Her heart was throbbing, she began to feel lightheaded, and she was having trouble breathing. It might have actually been easier for her to run on her own.
“Just keep holding on tight like that.”
“Um... Excuse me!”
“Yes?”
“N-Never mind!”
As usual, Koutarou was ignorant of Harumi’s feelings. He just kept running. They were the only two on the track still, so the crowd naturally kept watching Koutarou and Harumi.
“Ah, ahh... Auuugh...”
Harumi tried not to think about the people looking at her. Otherwise, she felt like her heart would explode.
“All right! I’m in top form today!”
“...I feel like I’m going to lose my mind...”
Eventually, they finished their run on the track, passed through the school gate, and made it out onto the road.
As Koutarou left the schoolyard, the commotion at the starting area finally started to die down as the competitors started taking off.
“Damn it! That first-year brat won’t get away with this!”
“You want a piece of him too, judo club?”
“Damn right! What about you, rugby club? Sumo club?”
“You don’t even need to ask! I’ll show him!”
“Gottsan desu!”
“I hate him for stepping on me, but even more so for having a girl!”
“That’s right! Unforgivable! Damn enviable!”
“Gottsan desu!”
While some were wrestling with their emotions, most students had now left the starting line behind them. However, there was one participant in particular who hadn’t even thought about starting.
“Uh... Uuuuuhh...”
She was lying on the ground and staring up at the sky. Her partner had vanished in the commotion and she was left all alone.
“Wh-Why does this always happen to me...?”
She was wearing a black dress with an apron over it and a white headpiece. The once beautiful ensemble was now covered with dirt and footprints, complementary to the one smack in the middle of her face. When she’d gotten caught up in the chaos, the other competitors had trampled her.
“But I need to go, or I’ll lose even more points... Uuuhh...”
The girl slowly stood up. She then tried to brush the dirt off of her outfit, but try as she might, nothing would get rid of the footprints.
“F-Fight! Y-Yurika, fight! Fight!”
It was Nijino Yurika, the girl known for her over the top cosplay hobby. Eventually Yurika dragged herself forward and began shakily running.
“I at least wanted someone to see it before it got dirty...”
Just a few moments ago, she was in tears because she was forced into the outfit and makeup, but now that it was dirty and ruined, she felt like crying all over again. However, even Yurika’s tears seemed like some sort of joke with that footprint on her face.
The first obstacle was five hundred meters from the starting line. After running half of the four hundred meter track, it was roughly three hundred meters outside the school gate. It was next to a playground by the foot of the small hill that the school was situated on.
After passing the first obstacle, the course continued on to a promenade through the coastal area, and then down the road that followed the coastline. The other obstacles were placed at parks and rest areas along the way.
Koutarou reached the first obstacle just as Theia had finished it. She flashed him a provocative smile as they crossed paths.
“Hahaha, you’re finally here, pleb! But at this rate, you have no chance of beating me! It would be best for you to just give up now!”
“Shut up, Tulip! As if I’d lose to the likes of you!”
“Your mouth sure flaps a lot! I’d like to teach you a lesson, but I don’t have time to play with you now! I’m going after Kiriha!” Theia shouted as she ran off. Once she got going, she didn’t turn back to look at Koutarou.
“Crap, Kiriha is already up ahead? Senpai...”
“Yes?”
Koutarou put Harumi down and quickly approached the first obstacle. Harumi followed after him. Sanae, who had been clinging to Koutarou up until this point, watched Theia as she ran off into the distance for a while before chasing after Koutarou.
The first obstacle was a math quiz. Several desks had been prepared in the playground, and there they had to solve ten easy math problems. Participants had to get all ten answers right before moving on. There was also the option of giving up, but that meant the competitor would be forced to wait one minute for each problem they were unable to solve. It was a rule put in place to prevent competitors from getting stuck on a single obstacle for too long.
“Ahh, I don’t get it. Help meeee, Kiri-chan!”
There was already someone sitting at one of the desks. It was Kiriha’s partner, Takahashi. Since she was less intelligent, Kiriha had left her behind. She was desperately toiling away at the problems, but she had only solved half of them so far. At this rate, she would probably be forced to give up and wait it out.
Koutarou took a seat next to her, picked up a pencil, and got to work on solving the problems. Harumi did the same.
“Come on, Koutarou, don’t space out! Hurry up and solve them! Theia’s already gone!” Sanae barked.
“Let’s see here... ‘What is 5,682 plus 7,940?’ Wow, what a pain...”
All ten problems were elementary school level arithmetic, but the numbers were large enough to make them a pain to calculate.
“Damn, I wish I had a calculator... Two, then four and eight... Carry the one into nine and six, then...”
Koutarou was so bad at math that he slowly counted it up using his fingers.
“That’s so easy! Just hurry up and solve it!”
“Don’t shout at me like that! I’ll lose track of where I am!”
“Jeez...”
Sanae floated in front of Koutarou, crossed her arms, and puffed up her cheeks. She was getting frustrated that Koutarou couldn’t solve a problem even she could handle easily. Her points were riding on Koutarou’s success, so she couldn’t stay out of it.
“All right, next is...”
By the time Koutarou had solved his third problem, Harumi put down her pencil.
“I’m done.”
“Huh? Already?!”
“Yes. What about you, Satomi-kun?”
“I still have a ways to go. Please go on ahead, Senpai.”
“But...”
Harumi peeked at Koutarou’s answer sheet and furrowed her brow. She didn’t want to leave him behind. Koutarou realized that and smiled at her.
“Really, go on without me. I’ll catch up with you in no time.”
“Satomi-kun...”
“You’re going to reach the goal, right, Sakuraba-senpai? If you bother too much with me, you might not be able to finish.”
Though Harumi was hesitating, as soon as Koutarou mentioned finishing the race, she nodded her head.
“I understand. I’ll go on ahead. But in return, promise me this...”
“Yes?”
“When I get stuck, leave me behind too.”
“I understand. I promise.”
Koutarou agreed without hesitation. He wanted her to run at her own pace while he worked his hardest to put her up on the podium. In order to do that, he would need to leave her on her own as well. If Harumi was forced to run at Koutarou’s pace, she would eventually collapse. They needed to split up at some point.
“Then we’ll meet up again later.”
“Just focus on finishing, Senpai.”
“Of course, Satomi-kun.”
Harumi left with a smile and handed her paper to the committee member in charge of the obstacle.
“Senpai...”
Her smile was more positive and powerful than normal. It made Koutarou want to put her on the podium even more. But in order to do that, he needed to make sure he caught up to Theia and Kiriha no matter what.
“Hey, was that your girlfriend?”
That was when Takahashi, who was sitting next to Koutarou, tugged on his shirt.
“Ahaha, that would be nice.” Koutarou smiled a little and shrugged.
“You don’t see that type a lot nowadays. You should get her while you can,” whispered Takahashi as she watched Harumi running out of the playground.
“I’d love to, but I’d feel bad for her getting stuck with someone crude like me.”
“Ahaha, you don’t see a lot of your type either.”
“You think?”
Koutarou and Takahashi laughed as they got back to solving the problems.
As Koutarou began working on the final problem, Sanae couldn’t keep quiet anymore.
“You know, you really are stupid...”
“Just leave me alone!”
“Why do you need this much time on problems like that? Good grief!”
It was only natural for Sanae to be so dumbfounded. She’d watched several participants come and go while Koutarou was still struggling with basic calculations. Even Takahashi from the girls’ track and field team had just completed the obstacle just a few moments ago.
“I’ll be going on ahead, Satomi-kun!”
“Wahaha, eat my dust, Kou! I’m looking forward to my lunch!”
Before Koutarou could finish solving the last problem, Shizuka and Kenji got up from their desks too. Although Koutarou had a head start on them, neither of them had any trouble with math. They were done in a flash.
“You’re both done already?!”
“You’re just too slow!”
“See ya!”
“Uwah, Kasagi-san, wait for me!”
“Jeez, just let me tell you the answer already!”
“You can’t, Sanae.”
Sanae started feeling rushed as Kenji and Shizuka left. She tried to give Koutarou the answer anyway, but he swiftly covered her mouth.
“Mrrmmph! Hrrmmph?!”
What does it matter?! We’ll lose at this rate!
Sanae protested with her eyes, but Koutarou simply shook his head.
“You can’t. This isn’t just between you and me.”
If this had just been about Koutarou and the invaders, he might have listened to Sanae. However, Koutarou wanted Harumi to win, and he wanted to do it fair and square. She wouldn’t be satisfied with cheating either. On top of that, there was his bet with Kenji and Shizuka. He couldn’t simply let Sanae answer for him. As Sanae listened to Koutarou’s response, she pulled his hand away from her mouth.
“Then hurry up already!”
“I know, I know. Don’t rush me.”
Koutarou smiled dryly as he continued on solving the last problem.
“God, you’re stubborn on top of stupid!” Sanae cried, both exasperated and amazed.
But... friends, huh? I want friends too...
But even so, she was jealous of what Koutarou had.
“You can do it, Koutarou. There’s probably no more than ten people in front of you!”
“Yeah!”
Koutarou dashed across the road with Sanae cheering for him. With hedges on the coastal side and a neatly arranged line of trees on the inland side, it was actually quite scenic. The area was clean and well maintained, which also made it rather charming. Around this time in the middle of May, the sunlight was strong and the temperature rose as the afternoon came. However, the gentle sea breeze alleviated the heat. Running down the coastal boulevard, Koutarou was relatively comfortable.
“We might win if we keep going at this pace!”
“I sure hope so.”
Koutarou had fallen behind because of the first obstacle, but things had gone smoothly after that. The second obstacle was throwing a ball a certain distance, and the third was carrying a ping pong ball with a spoon. Koutarou had completed both obstacles on the first try, and he was gradually gaining on the other competitors.
“Koutarou, look! It’s Theia! We’ve caught up!”
“Great, we’ll get past her on the next obstacle!”
Koutarou finally managed to catch up to Theia just before the fourth obstacle. She was also doing well, but she had fallen behind on the third obstacle. In reality, being brought up as a princess and having others do things for her meant that she was actually rather clumsy. Moreover, being an alien put her at a disadvantage. She was pretty bad at events she had never done before.
“Is that you, pleb? Tch, to think you’ve already caught up!”
“Wahahaha, you’d be better off if you had longer legs!”
Upon noticing Koutarou, Theia slightly increased her pace. Koutarou followed suit and pursued her. With the fourth obstacle ahead, they both lightly sprinted forward.
“Even though you’re my vassal, you’re always like this! Why are you always so insolent with me?”
“Because I don’t want to be your vassal! Isn’t that obvious?!”
“Why don’t you learn from the cheerleading squad, you incompetent?! They became my vassals well after you did, but they’re already dedicated to me!”
“I refuse, you spoiled princess!”
“Whaaat?!”
“You two never change...” Sanae sighed.
“As if I would! Koutarou and I are in the middle of an important discussion!”
“Yeah, this is critical! I’m going to teach this idiot a real lesson!”
They were cursing at each other, but when Sanae objected, they replied in perfect harmony.
“...But wouldn’t it be easier to run if you weren’t talking?”
“I couldn’t run a single step if I threw away my pride!”
“That’s right! How could I just let this idiot keep blabbering?!”
“You two really are...”
Are you sure you don’t get along...?
If Sanae had said it out loud, they would have both denied it in a heartbeat, but she couldn’t help thinking it.
“Wahahaha! I win, Tulip!”
As they reached the fourth obstacle at the ballpark, Koutarou declared his victory.
“What was that? This can still go either way!”
“Not this time! Fortune is smiling on me!”
There was a reason for Koutarou’s bold declaration. The fourth obstacle was speed eating jam-filled bread. Koutarou’s huge appetite gave him the upper hand.
“Koutarou has an endless stomach after all. This’ll be easy.” Sanae scoffed.
“So this was an event designed for greedy lower class citizens?!”
“Shut it!”
“You are my vassal, right?! I beg you to eat with grace! If you just stuff your mouth, you’ll make me look bad! I don’t mind even waiting here for you while you do if you’d like!”
“What I do is none of your business!”
As they entered the ballpark, Koutarou and Theia were each given a jam filled bun. Compared to Koutarou’s, Theia’s was slightly smaller. That was a handicap for the girls.
“Aaahh! Don’t just stuff it into your mouth! Take smaller bites and eat it graciously!”
“Are you stupid? As if I’d waste time on that in the middle of a race!”
Koutarou ignored Theia’s complaints and stuffed his face.
“Waaah! Would you think of my position for one moment, pleb?! I’m ashamed to have such a barbaric vassal!”
As if I care...
And as Koutarou was still chewing, a different voice called out to him.
“Satomi-kun!”
“Safurafahmmpai!”
It was Harumi. She was tearing off small bits of the bread and putting them in her mouth.
“Like that! Such delicacy is how the upper class— Hey, I’m not done talking to you, pleb!”
“Fmmphpai!”
The moment Koutarou saw Harumi, he ran over to her and left Theia behind.
“Ugh! That woman again? Curse you, Sakuraba Harumi! That man is my vassal!”
Theia angrily stomped her feet and grit her teeth.
“There’s no need to be so jealous”
“Who are you calling jealous? That pleb belongs to me! I’m just angry he’s been taken away!”
“Yeah, that’s what they call jealousy.”
“You’re wrong!”
Theia got so worked up that her face turned bright red and she clenched her fist, accidentally crushing her bread. Insensible to Theia’s feelings, Koutarou made his way to Harumi.
“Mghm!” He swallowed the bread he was chewing on before talking to Harumi. “Senpai, it looks like you’re putting up quite the fight.”
“I had a hard time throwing the ball, but I’ve managed so far...”
Though Harumi was weak, she was able to clear the third obstacle without any problems thanks to her dexterous, careful, and deliberate hands. The lead she had gained there made up for her slow speed, and she had reached the fourth obstacle before Theia.
“But I’m not very good at this one...”
“Yeah, you look like you’d be bad with this kind of thing, Senpai.”
While things had been going well for Harumi, the speed eating had stopped her in her tracks. On top of having a weak constitution and being slow to eat, she had no appetite after running for so long. Because of that, despite having arrived at the fourth obstacle some time ago, she still had more than half of her bread left.
“How about you, Satomi-kun?”
“I just finished mine.”
“Boys really are amazing...”
“It is my only good point...”
“Heehee, I’m quite envious.”
Harumi gave him a small smile and showed her remaining bread to Koutarou.
“Satomi-kun, don’t mind me and go on ahead. It’s going to take me a while yet.”
“But—”
“That was our promise, Satomi-kun.”
That was indeed what Koutarou had promised when he made Harumi go ahead of him at the first obstacle.
That’s right. I should let Senpai go at her own pace. If I rush her, she might not be able to finish.
“Got it, Senpai. Please make sure you catch up later, okay?”
“I promise.”
Harumi gave an emphatic nod and continued eating her bread.
“Then I’m off.”
“Good luck, Satomi-kun.”
“You too, Senpai.”
“Ah, wait up, Koutarou,” Sanae called after him.
“Don’t leave me behind, pleb!”
And so Koutarou left Harumi and the fourth obstacle behind.
Harumi didn’t leave the fourth obstacle until several minutes after Koutarou did. During that time, she watched as several other participants moved on and she fell further and further behind.
“I figured this would happen...”
Even after she began running along the promenade again, several more participants passed her. By the time she had cleared the fifth obstacle, she was in last place.
“But I decided that I would finish the race, so I need to give it my all! I promised Koutarou too!”
However, Harumi was still cheerful and she steadily ran along at her own pace.
“Only half of the course left! I can do this!”
While she had fallen in rankings, she was still in high spirits.
Satomi-kun will be waiting for me at the goal!
The newest member of the knitting society would be waiting for her. With that thought in her mind, Harumi felt like she would be able to complete the second half of the race as well.
“Hhnnn... I... I can’t run anymore...”
Unlike Harumi, who was brimming with willpower, the person next to her looked like she was about to give up any moment now. She was overcome with gloom, and her body was teetering as she trudged along. Despite sharing last place, they were complete opposites.
“R-Retire... That’s right... I just need to bow out and this will all be over...! B-But if I do that, my points will...! But there’s no way I can catch up now! I can just drop out and rest, right? I did my best...”
This girl had only experienced misfortune since the starting line. She had fallen over and several participants had trampled her. She had struggled with the calculations at the first obstacle. She had set a new low record of two meters at the second obstacle. She had dropped the ping pong ball five times at the third obstacle. She had dropped her bread in the dirt at the fourth obstacle. And at the fifth obstacle, vaulting, she had flubbed her landing and planted her face right into the ground.
“I’m at my limit... It’s just not possible... Aha, ahahaha...”
It was Nijino Yurika, the self-proclaimed magical girl. She was doing her best on her own, but Yurika was wobbling so much that she was unable to run straight. Her sweat had messed up her makeup and her maid outfit was covered in dirt. None of her initial beauty had survived. She was at her limit both physically and mentally. She looked like she might fall apart at any moment.
“I can’t...”
“Hang in there.”
“...?”
As Yurika was about to fall over, Harumi gently held her up.
“Th-Thank you very much. B-But it’s fine. I’ll just retire here...”
“Please don’t give up. You’ve already completed half of the course.”
Harumi desperately tried to encourage Yurika while keeping her from falling over. She had to help her last place comrade.
“I can’t win. Besides, nobody is cheering for me and no one is going to care...”
“But you can’t. If you give up here, you will have lost to yourself too. Even if nobody else is rooting for you, you have to root for yourself... Besides, I’m here with you. If you stop, I’ll be sad.”
“Ah...”
After hearing those powerful and kind words, Yurika began to see a small glimmer of hope. Having gone for so long without anyone listening to her, Harumi’s gentle voice worked wonders.
“Now, please stand up! If you give up here, you’ll lose to yourself in the future too.”
I’ll lose to myself again...? I can’t have that!
Yurika clenched her jaw and poured power into her body. Doing that, she began to feel light again.
“I-I...?!”
It was a mysterious feeling for Yurika. Harumi hadn’t used any magic, and yet Yurika’s strength had returned.
“Hang in there. Now put power into your legs!”
“Y-Yes!”
With Harumi’s voice in her ears and Harumi’s hand on her back, Yurika was able to pick herself up. She was ready to give up before, but now she felt like she could try for a little while longer.
“Um, thank you very much.”
Yurika deeply bowed to Harumi. She was grateful from the bottom of her heart. She was only able to continue thanks to Harumi.
“That’s okay. When we’re in trouble, we’ll help each other out.”
To Harumi, who had a weak constitution, this kind of setback was normal for her. Since she knew how painful it could be better than anyone, she wasn’t going to leave Yurika alone.
She’s so strong... She’s probably several times stronger than me...
That was how Yurika felt as she looked at the smiling Harumi. Although Harumi had no power, Yurika felt she would lose to her right now. She admired Harumi. She wanted to be like her.
“I’m Sakuraba Harumi. May I ask your name?”
“I-I’m Yurika! Nijino Yurika!”
And so Harumi and Yurika met. Though they had barely missed each other a couple of times before, this was the first chance they had to introduce themselves.
As Harumi and Yurika were meeting, the lead group was reaching the eighth obstacle. The first one there was Kiriha. She had managed to preserve the lead she’d gained at the start for the whole race so far. Being so well-rounded, this event played to her strengths.
“The eighth obstacle is...”
But as Kiriha looked around the eighth obstacle, a few other students came running up.
“There she is! That girl is the frontrunner!”
“We finally caught up!”
“Not good. They’ve finally closed the gap...”
As the race reached the final stages, Kiriha had lost steam and her speed had dropped. That was why the participants with stamina to spare had been able to catch up to her. The soccer club, the boys’ track and field team, and other clubs that required endurance were on her heels now.
“Oh, it’s Kurano-san.”
“Kurano-san? Ah, you’re right.”
But Shizuka and Kenji were also among the participants that had caught up. The two of them seemed to have struggled quite a bit along the way. Kenji’s stage outfit and Shizuka’s apron were both dirtied, but they approached Kiriha with smiles nonetheless.
“Welcome, you two.”
“I finally caught up to you, Kurano-san.”
“To think I’m almost losing to girls... Kurano-san, Kasagi-san, you two are amazing.”
Kenji found himself impressed with the two girls. He was confident in his stamina since he had been in the baseball club together with Koutarou. But in spite of that, two of his female classmates had consistently kept in front of him.
“Heh, but you did catch up.”
Kiriha smiled at Kenji, but she was actually relieved.
As I thought, Kasagi Shizuka is not normal. I’m glad she’s not my opponent...
Unaware of how Kiriha felt about her, Shizuka happily looked over the obstacle.
At the halfway point of the marathon course, it had looped back around towards the start. Because of that, the eighth obstacle was in a vacant lot not too far from the school.
“So this one is balance beams, huh? But it seems pretty long...”
The eighth obstacle was a row of five balance beams. They were on average thirty meters long, but they were all specially made for the event. From here, the participants needed to select one of the beams and cross over, but that choice was a difficult one.
The five beams varied in thickness. The middle was considered standard, and there were two thicker and two thinner beams. It went without saying that the thinner the beam, the harder it would be to cross. But the choice wasn’t as simple as that. There was an additional catch depending on the thickness of the beam. The thicker the beam, the longer the detour. If a participant fell off a beam, they would be covered in white powder and forced to run a track longer than the thickest beam.
Ultimately, choosing the right balance beam was a critical decision. Would the racers pick a thinner beam to try and gain a lead, or play it safe and pick a thicker beam? Their choices would influence the outcome of the marathon.
“I’m at a loss. Mackenzie-kun, which beam will you cross?”
“Hmm... I’m thinking of the middle one. It’s not too hard and it’s not too long.”
“You’re quite the careful one, Matsudaira-san.”
“Well—”
As Kenji flashed an embarrassed smile, loud and energetic voices could be heard in the distance. Hearing those voices, the three participants who were already on the way to their chosen balance beams stopped.
“Why would you swear loyalty to that weak woman over me?!”
“It’s because of your lack of humanity! How about you show a bit of self-awareness, Tulip?”
“What? Try saying that again, you stupid vassal with nothing but muscles to show for yourself!”
“I’ll say it as many times as I have to! Your height, breasts, and humanity are all lacking! You useless princess!”
“My height and breasts have nothing to do with it! Take back those insults!”
“I’m so sorry, you useless princess! The only thing you’re missing is humanity! There! Are you satisfied now?!”
“You’re not putting any feeling into it! It doesn’t sound like an apology at all!”
“Of course it doesn’t! I have no intention of actually apologizing!”
“You... You always have something to say, you hateful vassal! Take this! And that!”
“Ow! Owowow! You wanna fight?!”
Koutarou and Theia came around the corner in the middle of screaming at each other. Sanae was with them too, but Kenji and Shizuka were unable to see her. Koutarou and Theia bumped shoulders and kicked at each other as they ran.
It was clear that they could go faster if they didn’t do that, but being as stubborn as they were, they continued nonetheless. Despite that, however, they were both going at a good clip. With an enemy putting up such a fight, they completely forgot about their exhaustion.
“Kou? That idiot’s already caught up! And Theia-san is with him?!”
“Hah, as expected from Satomi-kun.”
“All he’s got is strength and stamina, after all...”
The moment he saw Koutarou, Kenji decided to pick a different beam.
Koutarou is just reckless. He’ll definitely pick the thinnest beam! So I’ll pick the second thinnest one! So much for playing it safe!
Kenji had planned on taking the middle beam, but with Koutarou’s arrival, he didn’t have the time to waste on that. Instead, he decided to take the balance beam next to the one Koutarou would chose and cross it as fast as he could.
“I’ll be going on ahead, Mackenzie-kun.”
“Kasagi-san?!”
However, Shizuka got on it before he could. She was thinking the same thing he was, and Kenji hurriedly followed after her. However, Kiriha had something else in mind.
“All right.”
Instead of crossing a beam with others on it, I’ll pick one I can get right across! With no one in my way, I can easily make up for the time lost on the detour! Even if it doesn’t work out, there are still the ninth and tenth obstacles!
Kiriha began crossing the middle beam that Kenji had abandoned. The beams were single file, so she avoided getting on the same beam as Shizuka and Kenji. Even if she hurried, she wouldn’t be able to get past the two of them. That was why Kiriha had picked the middle beam no one else was crossing. She was planning on dashing through it. The beam was longer, but she figured that she would be able to cross it faster with nobody in the way.
“It’s a balance beam! This must be hard for you since you’re so unbalanced, Tulip!”
“Just keep barking, pleb! I’ll show you the difference between us!”
That was when Koutarou and Theia arrived at the obstacle. And just as Kenji had predicted, Koutarou went for the narrowest beam. He wasn’t one for tactics, so he went straight for the shortest path.
“Cross it, Koutarou! We’re close the goal now!” Sanae cheered.
“Leave it to me!”
Based on the situation, it seemed like Theia would follow after Koutarou, but instead she went for the thickest beam.
“Hey, Koutarou.”
“Hmm?”
“Theia went that way.”
“...You’re right. How awfully timid of you, Princess Tulip!”
Even though Koutarou tried provoking her with as much malice as he could, Theia showed no sign of anger.
“Heh heh heh, slow and steady wins the race. I’ve always abided by that wisdom. Impatience is unbecoming of royalty!”
As Theia declared her strategy with a smile, she began crossing the beam. Because of the thickness of the beam, there was next to no chance of losing her balance. With that, she was able to move several times faster than Koutarou.
Out of everyone on the balance beams, Kiriha was the first to pass the middle, keeping up her first place lead. Following her were Theia, Shizuka, and Kenji in that order. Koutarou was behind all of them. Not only had he arrived last, he’d chosen the most difficult beam to cross.
And while it seemed like this obstacle would be a simple matter of crossing the balance beams, there was an unexpected ambush awaiting.
“There they are! It’s the leaders!”
“We’ve finally caught up! Now where is that first-year brat?!”
“Gottsan desu!”
The ambushers were the three upperclassmen Koutarou had stepped on at the start from the rugby club, the judo club, and the sumo club. The three boys approached the balance beams with an angry fire in their eyes.
“Uwah! Those guys are...”
Sensing something threatening from behind, Koutarou looked back and spotted the three giants. Though Koutarou was usually quick to forget, he clearly remembered those distinct uniforms he had used as stepping stones at the start of the marathon.
“Koutarou, it’s those three! It looks like they’re looking for you! What are you going to do?!”
“Even if you say that...”
Not good!
Koutarou looked away and kept his head down, doing his best not to stand out. He was hoping to cross the beam before they spotted him.
“Damn! Where is that brat?!”
“You don’t remember, rugby club?!”
“It was just for an instant, so not clearly...”
Fortunately, the three boys were even quicker to forget than Koutarou was, and none of them remembered his face.
“All right! Luck is on our side!”
What luck!
Sanae cheered out loud, but Koutarou was still trying to keep a low profile and kept his celebrating to himself.
“Gottsan desu!”
“Hmm? What is it, sumo club?”
“Gottsan desu!”
“What? He was with a woman at the time? That’s right! Good thing the sumo club doesn’t admit girls! You picked up on just the right thing!”
“Rugby club, over there! That guy’s got a girl with him! We’ve finally found him!”
“Good work! It’s time for revenge!”
“Gottsan desu!”
The three set their eyes on a certain male student crossing the balance beams.
“Mackenzie-kun, something strange is happening behind us...”
“Huh...?”
Of course, the person they had mistakenly set their sights on was Kenji for being with Shizuka.
“Hey, first-year brat! How dare you use us as stepping stones?!”
“And you’ve got a girl! I’m so jealous!”
“Gottsan desu!”
The earth shook as the three giant men barreled towards the beam Kenji was on. The other students planning on crossing the beams quickly got out of their way.
“You can’t run away anymore!”
“Wh-What’s wrong, Senpais?! Just what is going on?!”
Having no idea what was going on, Kenji was thoroughly confused. The beam he was on shook as the three boys approached.
Why are they so angry? And why are they closing in on me?!
He had no way of knowing that he was just taking a bullet for Koutarou.
“Are you trying to play dumb?! Don’t tell me you forgot about stepping on us at the starting line!”
“That alone is enough to execute you, but what’s with you?! You’re even with such a cute girl! I’m so envious!”
“Gottsan desu!”
“This must be a misunderstanding... I haven’t stepped on anyone!”
“You’re the only one here with a woman! You can’t fool us!”
“You heard him! Introduce us, you bastard!”
“Gottsan desu!”
Kenji desperately tried to persuade the three of them, but they wouldn’t listen to a word he said as they climbed up on the balance beam.
“Th-They’re coming!”
“Kyahaha, stop touching me in strange places, Mackenzie-kun!”
“S-Sorry!”
Kenji tried to run forward, but with Shizuka in the way, he was trapped.
“Damn it, you first-year brat! What kind of enviable things are you doing in this situation?!”
“That’s it! I’ve had it! What makes you think you can act like that just because you have good looks?! We’re just three guys!”
“Gottsan desu!”
All the while, they were gradually gaining on Kenji. To the three of them, capturing Kenji had a higher priority than winning the race, so they weren’t concerned about falling off the balance beam. That’s why they were crossing the beam much faster than Kenji and Shizuka. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they caught up to Kenji.
“Oh dear. Sorry, Mackenzie...”
As Koutarou watched the three men close in on Kenji, he put his hands together and apologized from afar.
“...Koutarou, you really are sly.”
“You think so?”
“Ha, I see how it is! This is your fault, isn’t it, Kou?!”
Seeing Koutarou with his hands together, it hit him. They were chasing after a boy and girl team that had gotten an early lead. The only team who fit into that description was Koutarou and Harumi.
“Don’t involve innocent bystanders, Mackenzie-kun!”
“Like you’ve got any room to talk. You’re the one who got him involved...”
“Apples and oranges. Surely you don’t want to lose, Sanae-kun.”
“Well, that’s true. Now that I think about it, you’ve always been an awful person...”
“You think so?”
Sanae gave Koutarou a dirty look while floating next to him, but Koutarou was completely indifferent.
“He’s right! Don’t be so uncouth, you first-year brat!”
“You’re wrong! That guy, Kou, is the true culprit!”
“That brat’s all by himself! Besides, he just looks like the kind of guy that’d never be popular! You’re a terrible liar too, you ladykiller bastard!”
“Gottsan desu!”
Kenji had figured out the truth and was doing his utmost to convince the upperclassmen, but it was all for naught. They continued to pursue him and were just a few meters away now. Kenji steeled himself.
“...At this point I’ll get caught and fall off the balance beam! I’m going to take you with me, Kou!”
“What are you trying to do?!”
“This!”
The next moment, Kenji jumped off the beam and kicked at Koutarou who was crossing next to him. It was his attempt at recovering from a hopeless situation. Rather than being thrown off by the three men, he would kick Koutarou off of his beam and then lose the upperclassmen by escaping through the mandatory track. Though he might lose to Shizuka, as long as he didn’t lose to Koutarou, he was willing to take what he could get. This was the only plan he could come up with to cut his losses.
“Take this!”
“Look out, Koutarou! Dodge it!”
“As if, Mackenzie!”
Being childhood friends, Koutarou and Kenji were no strangers to fighting each other. That was why, despite his initial shock, Koutarou was prepared to intercept Kenji as soon as he jumped.
I’m on top of a balance beam with poor footing, and my opponent is coming at me with a flying kick... I have no way of blocking it!
“In that case, I’ll just do this!”
Koutarou swung his right arm and hit Kenji’s extended right ankle.
“Nuaaaah?!”
It was enough to throw Kenji off, and he fell towards the mat covered in white powder.
“Uwaahhh?!”
Meanwhile, Koutarou had warded off Kenji’s attack, but he’d lost his balance and was now desperately waving his arms trying to regain it.
“Don’t think you’ve won just yet!”
And just before Kenji fell onto the mat, he reached out his hand. He was planning on grabbing Koutarou’s flailing arm and pulling him over.
“Koutarou, watch out for his hand!”
“Damn you, Mackenzie!”
“Wahahaha, Kou, I’m taking you down wi—”
Kenji’s foot touched the mat first, but he didn’t care as long as he could still grab Koutarou’s arm. Really, Kenji’s strategy was flawless. His quick decision-making when cornered, the following flying kick, and even reaching out his hand at the last moment were all according to plan. If the situation had been normal, things would have worked out just as he wanted.
BOOM!
However, regardless of how amazing Kenji was, there was nothing he could have done to be prepared for the sudden explosion at his feet.
Kenji vanished in the explosion of smoke and white powder. Koutarou, who was on the verge of losing his footing, was fortunately pushed by the following shockwave and regained his balance.
“Wh-What?! What just happened?!”
However, despite having regained his balance, he was still in shock from the sudden explosion.
“Wh-Wh-Wha?”
“Koutarou, are you okay?!”
“Satomi-kun, how’s Mackenzie-kun?!”
Of course, Koutarou wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Sanae, Kiriha, and Shizuka were equally surprised. Caught in the explosion, however, Kenji had no time to be surprised as he rolled along the mat the same way his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
And then there were the students who were surprised at the sudden calamity, but for different reasons.
“Hey, the drama club member with the girl just exploded!”
“What?! You mean the guy who looks like he’d live a charmed life off of his looks blew up?!”
“Gottsan desu!”
“Did you hear that?! The playboy bastard in the glasses just self-destructed!”
“What?! Did he fail at seducing a woman?!”
“That’s what I like to hear!”
They were mostly the unpopular male students that had made it to the obstacle, including the three upperclassmen that had been following Kenji.
“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”
They all rejoiced, cheering and smiling.
“Ohohohoho!”
But there was one student who wasn’t surprised at all.
“My, how frightening! This is why barbarians at the fringe of the universe are so scary! To think they would bury landmines just to win at a sports festival! How truly frightening!”
The person who was laughing loudly on the far beam was none other than the seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.
“Landmines? You mean this was your doing, Tulip?!”
Hearing her high-pitched laugh, Koutarou was certain she was behind the explosion.
“Ohohoho! I have no idea what you’re talking about! Keep your false accusations to yourself!”
However, Theia was feigning ignorance. As there was no evidence, she was quite full of herself.
“Quit lying! The only ones who would do something like this are you and Sanae!”
“Wait just a minute! How did I get thrown in there?! You take that back and say you believe me more than anything!”
“C-Calm down, I was just saying...”
Being lumped in with Theia angered Sanae. She grabbed ahold of the nape of Koutarou’s neck and began shaking it. Since he was still on the beam, Koutarou desperately tried not to fall off.
In the midst of his struggle, a famous foreign song began playing from Koutarou’s pocket. It was his cellphone. The song was the theme from an old, popular secret service movie that Koutarou had set as his ring tone whenever Ruth called.
“Stop pegging me as a troublemaker!”
“W-Wait! I’ve got a call from Ruth!”
“Do you think you can fool me like that?!”
“Just for a minute!”
While being shaken by Sanae, Koutarou pulled his phone out and answered the call.
“R-Ruth-san!”
“Satomi-sama!”
Ruth’s panicked voice came through the line. She was speaking rapidly and her voice was trembling.
“Damn! Did Ruth catch on?”
Realizing that Ruth was on the phone with Koutarou, Theia’s expression turned grim.
“I have terrible news Satomi-sama! There are 128 neutralizing mines missing from the Blue Knight’s—”
“Blue Knight, commence wide range jamming! Shut down all communication!”
“As you wish, my princess.”
And so Ruth’s voice was cut off mid-sentence.
“Ruth-san, what was that about landmines?! Ruth-san!”
Flustered, Koutarou called out to Ruth again, but the call ended with a beep. He tried to call her back up but he was unable to reach her. His phone displayed a “no signal” message.
“No signal?! Impossible, why would—”
“It’s Theia! She’s doing something again!”
“Damn it, Tulip! What’s the meaning of this? What was she saying about 128 mines?!”
“How terrifying. If 128 mines really are buried here, nobody would be able to escape. Terrorism truly is terrifying.”
“You bastard! You think you can just spout barefaced lies?!”
“Koutarou, I’m not sure you’re in any position to be saying that...”
Koutarou grit his teeth, but Theia’s confident smile didn’t so much as waver. Considering the circumstances, it was clear that Theia was the culprit, but there was no real evidence.
“What will you do now, pleb? Do you dare advance knowing there are landmines below you?!”
“You bastard...”
Theia boasted triumphantly. It was just as she said. Knowing that they would fall on mines, nobody could advance like before. It was especially true for the faster runners and the people on the thinner beams. Everybody stopped moving.
“Princess!”
“Ah, you finally caught up!”
That was when Theia’s partner, a member of the cheerleading squad, arrived at the obstacle.
“Hurry up and come to my side!”
“Hail to the princess!”
The cheerleader began crossing the thickest beam without hesitation, following right after Theia. They weren’t the steps of someone being cautious of landmines below them. They were powerful steps without any sign of fear.
“I get it! Theia-dono, there are no mines under that beam, are there?”
Kiriha wasn’t in a position to put on her usual act in this kind of situation. She simply pointed at the beam Theia was crossing and demanded an explanation in a strong tone.
“S-So that’s why she went for the thickest beam?!”
“It was that kind of trap?! That’s playing dirty, Tulip!”
“Ohohoho! Enough with your baseless accusations! The cheerleading squad and I are merely crossing the beam with our unbreakable will, unwavering courage, and absolute loyalty! You can stay here lamenting your own weakness for as long as you’d like!” Theia boasted exultantly as her flunky met up with her. “Let’s go! You and I will finish first and second!”
“Hail to the princess!”
Theia had indeed taken 128 mines from the Blue Knight’s weapon storage, and each and every one had been buried at the eighth obstacle last night by the cheerleading squad. The only safe passage was the thickest beam. Everywhere else had been packed with mines.
You were too naive, pleb! You too, Kiriha! Did you think I would fall into your trap without any of my own?!
This minefield had been set up as a countermeasure due to Kiriha’s suspicious movements before the sports festival.
“Hey! It looks like there’s nothing set up under that beam over there!”
“So all we need to do is cross that one?”
“That’s it! Let’s go!”
“Cross it!”
“Wh-What?!”
However, there was something Theia hadn’t anticipated. When the other students realized that all of the other beams were trapped, they naturally flocked to the one she was on.
“W-Waaah! H-Hey, cross it a little bit slower!”
“P-Princess!”
The beam started shaking as more and more people climbed up onto it. Since Theia was small, it didn’t affect her too much, but the same wasn’t true for the large cheerleading companion. Unable to control his high center of gravity due the shaking beam, he quickly lost his balance.
“H-Hey, keep it together!”
“But Prin— Uwaaah?!”
“L-Let go of me, you fool! Ahhh!”
The cheerleading squad member fell off the beam, taking Theia with him. Hitting the ground, they were both immediately covered in the pure white powder from the mat. Theia jumped up in a fluster and grabbed the cheerleading squad member by the collar and started shouting at him.
“You idiot! Why did you take me with you?! If you were going to fall, you should have just fallen on your—”
BOOM!
However, Theia was unable to finish scolding her partner because a landmine exploded underneath them.
“W-Why...?!”
The blast knocked them both to the ground and covered them in the stark white powder once again.
“I... I told you to keep the beam at the edge clear...”
“P-Princess, so that’s what you meant... I... I was certain that you meant the other beam for the disabled...”
At Harukaze High, almost all of the school clubs participated in the obstacle marathon. That included students who had been injured during their club activities and those who were in wheelchairs, so the volunteer work clubs had set up a special beam just for them. It was the only beam the cheerleading squad hadn’t planted any mines under. This was because Theia had told them to keep the rightmost beam clear of mines. The cheerleading squad was moved by her kindness, but sadly, that wasn’t at all what she had meant.
“Y-You fool... It seems your loyalty and courage have backfired... Ugh...”
“I am truly so... Ugh...”
Theia and her flunky both stopped moving as their eyes rolled backward.
“Uwaaah! There are bombs buried under this one too!”
“Turn around! Run away!”
“Don’t push! Stop pushing! I’ll fall!!”
“The mines! The mines will...!”
The remaining students panicked. They beam they’d clung to for safety turned out to be a lie. They no longer had anywhere to run. It wasn’t just Koutarou and the others now; all of the students were at a standstill on top of the beams. But with so many people pushing each other around, that didn’t last for long.
“Waaaaah! I can’t keep it up!”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
“Mommyyyyy!”
It was only a few moments before several students fell from the beams. In surprise, several more students lost their footing.
“Why?! Wasn’t this supposed to be heavenly punishment for being too handsome?!”
“I guess it’s always the same for ugly men no matter where they go!”
“Gottsan desu!”
Obstacle eight was alive with blinding flashes of light and the thunderous roar of explosion after explosion. Describing it as a warzone seemed fitting. The only saving grace was that the neutralizing mines didn’t actually harm anyone, although that was of little consolation to those actually caught up in the blasts.
But none of commotion at the eighth obstacle concerned Harumi and Yurika, who had only just passed the sixth. They were still a good kilometer away from the fallout.
“Whoops...”
“Are you okay, Nijino-san?”
“I’m okay, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“We still have a long way to go, so hang in there.”
“I’ll do my best. Thank you, Senpai.”
They encouraged each other as they dragged their heavy, tired bodies towards the goal. The two girls making their way down the promenade together was a touching sight, quite the opposite of the grizzly disaster at the eighth obstacle.
The two of them actually got along very well. Harumi, who was normally withdrawn, didn’t think much of it when she was with Yurika. She didn’t have a reason to feel self-conscious around struggling, childish Yurika. The fact that they were sharing last place gave them a sense of camaraderie. And because Harumi actually listened, Yurika quite liked her as well. In other words, it seemed like they would make good friends. They would be quite happy to reach the goal together.
“Sakuraba-senpai, why are you trying so hard?”
“Whoo... Hahh... Actually, I promised a friend in my society... that I’d finish the race.”
Harumi answered Yurika’s question between gasps for air. Her breathing was so labored that her words grew further and further apart. It seemed like she was about to reach her limit. But even then, Harumi was smiling.
“That’s why... I want to... reach the goal... It’s because... of a precious promise... I made with my friend...”
Having missed a great deal of school when she was younger, Harumi had very few people she could truly call friends. That was why Koutarou was special to her. Although the promise to reach the goal might not have meant much to Koutarou, it meant the world to Harumi.
“A friend... What is your friend like?” Yurika asked, not realizing she meant Koutarou. Even though her joints were aching, she felt a little at ease when she was talking.
“That’s—”
But Harumi suddenly stopped speaking and her legs stopped moving. Still doing her best to run, Yurika ended up a few steps ahead of Harumi before she realized something was wrong.
“Sakuraba-senpai?”
When she stopped to turn around, she saw Harumi starting to tip over.
“...”
Harumi’s face was pale and her eyes were quivering as if she was trying to say something, but no words left her lips. All she could do was give Yurika an apologetic look before falling towards the concrete pavement.
“S-Sakuraba-senpai!”
Fortunately, Harumi never hit the ground. Yurika demonstrated a surprising amount of agility for her usually clumsy self and caught Harumi mid-air.
“Please hang in there, Sakuraba-senpai!”
“...N-Nijino-san...”
Blood drained from Harumi’s face. Her lips turned purple and her limbs went cold. Yurika felt a strange chill as she held on to her. Despite doing her best, the five kilometer marathon proved to be too much for Harumi.
While she had trained a little bit, her body was aching and screaming now. If she hadn’t met Koutarou, Harumi might have retired halfway through. But she had given it everything she had in order to fulfill her promise with Koutarou.
“I’m... sorry... I have... a weak body...”
“P-Please wait! I’ll call for help right away!”
I need to hurry or something terrible might happen!
Yurika understood that Harumi was far from okay. Her face was pale and her breathing was uneven. Even though she felt cold to the touch, the pulse Yurika could feel with the tip of her fingers was stupidly fast. Yurika looked around in a panic, but there was no one else nearby. She decided to go find help, but Harumi’s weak voice and the grasp of her cold hand stopped her.
“Nijino-san... Sorry I couldn’t... be with you... until the end...”
And with those words, Harumi lost consciousness. The cold hand that had grabbed Yurika’s slowly let go and fell to the ground.
“Sakuraba-senpai! Sakuraba-senpai!”
Despite Yurika’s desperate cries, Harumi didn’t wake up.
This is bad! There’s no time to spare! In that case...
Yurika gently laid Harumi down on the ground and stood up with a determined expression.
She then held out her right hand and loudly declared, “Come! Angel Halo!”
A blue, spherical light appeared in front of Yurika’s extended hand. When the blue sphere of light vanished, an ornate, decorated staff was floating in its place. Yurika snatched the floating staff. She firmly grasped it with both of her hands and focused.
“Next is... Costume Change! Modifier: Quicken! End: Permanent!”
When she raised the staff above her head, a blue light covered her body and her outfit instantly changed. Suddenly, she was in her magical girl outfit instead of the maid uniform. It was the same outfit Yurika had been wearing when she first appeared in room 106.
“Just hold on, Sakuraba-senpai! Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika will save you!”
After changing her outfit, she tightened her grip on her staff and focused once more. This time, she pointed the tip of the staff at Harumi’s chest. Harumi’s eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving a muscle. Being unconscious, she was unaware of what was happening around her.
“Remove Disease! Modifier: Maximize!”
As Yurika shouted, blue light from her staff shrouded Harumi’s body. Depending on the type of spell Yurika cast, one of seven different lights would be used. The blue light was for when Yurika was trying to summon something. All three spells she had used today had the effect of a blue light: calling forth her staff, changing her clothes, and now trying restore Harumi’s vitality.
This was Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika—the magical girl with the power to wield the seven colors of the rainbow. Unfortunately nobody was around to see her save the day, but Yurika didn’t care about that right now. The only thing she was concerned about was saving Harumi.
“Wake up, Harumi-senpai!” Yurika shouted, grasping the staff as hard as she could.
As she did, the blue light glowed brighter and covered Harumi several times over. Yurika desperately called out to Harumi in an attempt to wake her up.
“You’re going to reach the goal, right?! You made a promise with your friend, right?!”
“...”
Even then, Harumi showed no sign of opening her eyes. She had been born with her sickness, and it wasn’t something that could be cured easily, even with magic.
“I’ll run with you! So please...!”
But that didn’t stop Yurika. She kept calling out to Harumi. Harumi was the one who had taught her not to give up.
“Ah?!”
But the surprises for the day weren’t over. As if responding to Yurika’s voice, the light flowing from the staff changed.
“Huh?! Wh-What is this?! I’ve never heard of white magic!”
Before she knew it, the light had turned from blue to pure white. On top of that, it was shining much brighter than before. It was almost as if a tiny sun had appeared. The brilliant white light surrounded Yurika and Harumi.
“H-How?! It even healed me too?! The pain is gone!”
The spell Yurika had used on Harumi had increased in power so dramatically that it started affecting her as well. Yurika had several wounds after being tramped, but when she was enveloped in the light, they vanished as if nothing had ever happened. Even the exhaustion weighing her body down disappeared.
“What is this?!”
The light took the shape of a pillar and extended up towards the sky. Yurika stood in the middle of it all with a blank look on her face.
“What is this power?!”
The spell Yurika had used on Harumi was only intended to cure a single person of an illness. It didn’t have the power to affect multiple people, and it definitely wasn’t meant to heal their wounds or remove exhaustion. Those were different spells entirely.
“Could this be the power concentrated in room 106?!”
Yurika herself wasn’t sure of the origin of the power, but she knew one thing for certain...
“No, the reason doesn’t matter! With this much power, I can save Sakuraba-senpai!!”
Harumi’s pained look disappeared and her complexion improved. Her body temperature returned to normal, and her pulse and breathing slowed down to a healthy rate. The only important thing was that Harumi was okay. Nothing else really mattered to Yurika at this point.
“D-Damn it...! I can’t... lose here... I need to put Senpai... on the podium...!”
“Hang in there, Koutarou! You’re almost there!”
Returning to the schoolyard, Koutarou was a mess. He couldn’t walk straight, and he looked like he might collapse at any time. He was using a branch he picked up along the way as a walking staff, practically dragging himself through the gate.
But as Koutarou entered the schoolyard, the crowd on the bleachers cheered. Even though he was visibly struggling, he was currently in first place. Since Harukaze High had so many clubs, the knitting society had never gotten first place in this event. Because of that, the tension in the audience was at an all-time high. However, even their loud cheers were lost on Koutarou as he trudged his way across the track.
“Just a little bit more... The goal is so close...”
“Look, it’s the tenth obstacle! It’s only thirty meters away!”
All Koutarou could hear was Sanae’s voice. He was relying on only her words as he dragged his legs one in front of the other.
The minefield at the eighth obstacle was responsible for Koutarou’s current miserable state, but the ninth obstacle and all the other running only made things worse. However, even in this condition, Koutarou refused to fall because he wanted Harumi to win and because Sanae kept cheering him on. Without that motivation, he would have collapsed long ago.
“Once you do that, you’ve finished!”
“Finished? I... I’ve already finished?”
However, Koutarou made a grave mistake. He missed part of what Sanae said, and only heard, “You’ve finished.”
“Waah! Koutarou, no! You can’t stop nooooow!”
“I see, I finished...”
Ordinarily, this kind of misunderstanding would be easy enough to correct, but for Koutarou who had already reached his limits, he was past the point of no return. His body shut down and he simply fell forward with a satisfied smile on his face
“I... I did it! Yeaaah!”
“You didn’t! Would you listen to meeeee?!”
“Heh heh heh, you don’t have to praise me that much, Sanae...”
“I’m not!”
But Sanae’s screams were in vain as Koutarou closed his eyes. He was already out cold.
“Zzzz...”
Once he passed out, Koutarou appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Even asleep, he had the contended, triumphant grin of a man who had accomplished what he had set out to do.
“How can you fall asleep with such a self-satisfied smile on your stupid face?! What are you going to do about my points?!”
However, to Sanae, his peacefully sleeping face was truly an unpleasant sight.
When Koutarou, who had dominated first place, collapsed, the schoolyard fell into a big stir.
The commentator narrated, “Oh no! What a turn of events! The knitting society’s representative, Satomi Koutarou, went down just before the tenth obstacle! A nearby committee member is shaking his head! It seems like he’s completely passed out!”
But before the female commentator could quite finish, the tension in the crowd rose once again as the second place and third place participants appeared.
“There you are, Sanae! Koutarou is... Aha! After coming this far, he ran out of steam! Lucky for you as my vassal, when I win, you will be rewarded as well!”
“This means that it’s just between you and me now...”
Entering the schoolyard were Theia and Kiriha. There must have been quite a large gap between them and the rest of the participants as no one else could be seen behind them. As the two girls approached, cheers rallied from the bleachers.
“Kurano-san! You can do it!”
“Kiriha-chan! Win this and secure the funds for the culture festival!”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess! Victory for Her Highness Theiamillis! Glory to the royal families of Forthorthe!”
But just like Koutarou, they were so exhausted that they were unable to respond to the cheers for them. They were covered in white powder and their clothes were scorched. Both of them had fallen off the balance beams.
After that they had skirmished against one another and gradually lost their stamina. By the time they entered the schoolyard, they were barely able to move. A drop of sweat would slip down the white powder every time they took a shaky step.
“It was quite the dramatic race, but it seems that you and I need to settle this.”
“That was my intention from the start. Let’s settle this, Theia-dono.”
Despite that, they both forced themselves forward as they ran down the track. How much control they had over room 106 depended on this obstacle race. There was no way they would simply back down. As the two got closer to Koutarou, they called out to Sanae next to him.
“Sanae, is Koutarou all right?”
“Yeah, he’s just sleeping.”
“I see. That’s good.”
“Heh heh, it seems you chose the wrong partner, Sanae!”
“Shut up! Leave me alone!”
“I think I’ll do just that! Fuahahahahaha!”
They ran past Koutarou and reached the tenth obstacle positioned at the end of the track.
“Welcome back, ladies! And welcome to the last stop—the tenth obstacle!”
Welcoming Theia and Kiriha in sing-song fashion was none other than the cosplay society. The five members who weren’t participating in the race were serving as the staff for the final obstacle. Because of this, they were wearing maid outfits armbands that had ‘staff’ written on them.
“I have no time to play! What do I need to do here?”
“There’s no need to rush”
The vice president, who was in charge of the obstacle, approached the girls carrying a box colorfully decorated with ribbons and flowers.
“What’s with this box?”
“I’m glad you asked. For the tenth obstacle, we’ll have you participate in a scavenger hunt. Draw a card from this box and find the thing written down on it. Once you have it, head for the goal.”
“Got it!”
“Then I’ll do the same.”
Theia quickly thrust her hand into the hole at the top of the box, with Kiriha following right after her. They each pulled out a white piece of paper that had been folded twice over.
“Well then, you two, please read your notes!”
Following the vice president’s lead, they each took a look at the paper in their hands.
“Th-This is...?!”
“You’re telling me to bring this to the goal?!”
Both girls were left astonished, but noticing one another’s surprise, they peeked at the other’s notes.
“Hehehehehehe!”
“Hahahahahaha!”
They both laughed at was written on the other’s piece of paper. Despite their laughter, however, they were glaring at one another. They clenched their fists as they squared off. It looked like they were about to start a fight.
“I thought it would come to this. The path to invasion is a bloody one...”
Kiriha’s note read: “An A-cup or smaller bra.”
“Hah! Bring it on, Kurano Kiriha!”
And Theia’s note read: “A D-cup or bigger bra.”
Kiriha was sad and Theia was excited. Though they felt the complete opposite about it, they were about to do the same thing. What they each needed was right in front of them. They were both planning on beating the other down and taking what they needed by force.
Once they started running again, Harumi and Yurika began moving up in the rankings. That was in part due to the majority of the leading group retiring at the eighth obstacle, but they were also running much quicker than before.
“I wonder what happened to me... Not only do I feel much better, but I feel faster than before I collapsed...”
“You don’t need to worry about that at all, Sakuraba-senpai. It would be a different story if you weren’t feeling very good, but you’re fine now after all!”
Although Yurika dismissed it, Harumi was right. They were both inexplicably moving at a faster pace than before. It was as if they had actually become trained marathon runners. No matter how quickly they ran, neither one felt out of breath or slightest bit of exhaustion. Anyone would have found it odd, especially Harumi.
“But I really am curious...”
“Then just think of it as a spell I cast. I’m not wearing this outfit just for show, you know!”
“Nijino-san... Heehee, okay. I think I’ll do that. That would be more dreamlike wouldn’t, it?”
Thanks to Yurika’s cheerful words, a smile returned to Harumi’s lips. Even though she knew there was no such thing as magic, it would be more fun to think there was. That was how Harumi began to think of it.
“That’s right! I’m the magic girl of love and courage! Of hopes and dreams!”
I’m glad. Sakuraba-senpai’s gotten a lot more energetic...
Seeing Harumi so animated in both mind and body, Yurika couldn’t help but feel happy. Harumi was now convinced that Yurika was a cosplayer, but Yurika had no intention of correcting her despite her daily struggle to do so with everyone else.
This wasn’t magic. This was good luck brought about by Sakuraba-senpai’s hard work...
In reality, it was the white magic that Yurika had used. But if she convinced Harumi of that, it would feel like denying all of her hard work to get here. That was why Yurika insisted that it was a stroke of luck in Harumi’s favor.
If it’s for her, I’m fine with being called a cosplayer. I just want Sakuraba-senpai to believe in herself.
Yurika had hated the obstacle marathon just a few minutes ago, but now she really was enjoying it. She wasn’t even quite sure herself why that was.
“L-Look, Nijino-san! We can see the school gate from here!”
“You’re right! We’re almost there!”
The two girls could see the Kisshouharukaze High School gates from the road now. Their long-sought goal was just ahead of them.
“Gwahh?!”
“Gwhah!”
As Harumi and Yurika ran through the school gates, Theia and Kiriha’s fists connected with each other’s faces.
“Did that settle it?! As Kurano went for a right jab, Theia went for a cross-counter! But Kurano saw through it and readjusted her aim! It looks like they both landed a heavy blow and have taken each other out!”
It was true. They’d both taken the full power of a punch to the face, leaving their heads turned in very odd directions. It seemed as though they were frozen like that.
“Let’s hear a breakdown from the boxing club advisor, Tange-sensei! Sensei, what do you think?”
“So, so close! If Theia just had a little bit more reach, it would’ve ended up just like she had planned! This was not her fault! If only she had a little bit more reach!”
The excited voices of the commentators echoed through the schoolyard. Meanwhile, Theia and Kiriha remained motionless, but they eventually ran out of power and both collapsed at the same time.
“It’s a double KO!”
“Well done, Theia! The match may have been a draw, but you were the real boxing champion here!”
The crowd in bleachers stood up. Their cheers of joy and applause flooded the schoolyard. However, neither Theia nor Kiriha heard any of it. They had indeed knocked each other out.
“B-Boxing...?”
“Is the tenth obstacle a fist fight?!”
Harumi and Yurika anxiously ran past Theia and Kiriha who were collapsed on the track. They both disliked fighting, so the prospect of tenth obstacle like that truly troubled them.
“S-Satomi-kun? Even Satomi-kun was...!”
“Wh-Who did this to him?! I don’t want a fist fight!”
Koutarou was on the ground not too far from Theia and Kiriha. Seeing that, Harumi and Yurika got even more anxious.
“It’s not really that hard of an obstacle,” Sanae, still floating over Koutarou, scoffed.
“...R-Really?” Yurika let out a small sigh of relief.
“Koutarou collapsed because he was tired. And those two were just fighting each other because they had the chance.”
“I see. Th-Thank god...”
Normally Yurika would be terrified of Sanae, but right now she was surprised by too much else to let it get to her. She flashed Sanae a big, relieved grin. However, Sanae herself was still in a foul mood. She was angry at Koutarou, who still hadn’t woke up.
“Nijino-san, are you talking to someone?”
“N-Not at all! I’m just talking to myself!”
Harumi couldn’t see Sanae, much less hear her. Seeing Yurika talk to Sanae while wearing the outfit she was in did look a bit... strange. Even to Harumi.
“I see. That’s good...”
Harumi was honestly relieved. Cosplaying was one thing, but talking to someone who wasn’t there was a little scary. Surely just talking to herself was fine though.
“Welcome back, ladies!”
Shortly thereafter, Harumi and Yurika arrived at the tenth obstacle. Greeting them was of course the cosplay society.
“Vice president!”
“You’re finally here, Yurika-chan!”
“Um, what is the tenth obstacle?”
“It’s a scavenger hunt! Hurry up you two and draw your items from this box! There are some people ahead of you, but if you hurry, you can still make it!”
The vice president quickly explained the situation and presented the box to them. The cosplay society members obviously wanted Yurika to win, so they all cheered her on.
Currently, Yurika and Harumi were in seventh and eighth place. Although technically with Koutarou, Theia, and Kiriha all passed out, they were actually fourth and fifth. That meant there were only three people ahead of them. They had already dashed into the crowd to find what they needed for the scavenger hunt, so Harumi and Yurika did still stand a chance if they hurried.
“Let’s do this, Sakuraba-senpai!”
“All right!”
They put their hands in the box and drew their cards together. Unlike Theia and Kiriha, they did so calmly. Yurika and Harumi were bonding through friendship, not bloodlust.
“Ah...”
“Auugh...”
As they opened their notes, Harumi’s expression lit up while Yurika’s turned gloomy.
“I got this. What did you get, Nijino-san?”
“I got this...”
They revealed their cards to each other. Harumi’s read: “A junior in your club.” Yurika’s read: “A friend.”
“All right! Let’s go, Nijino-san!”
“Auugh... Go on ahead, Sakuraba-senpai. I have to retire here.”
Yurika’s shoulders slumped as she looked down despondently. Her eyes were dim and she let out a heavy sigh.
“Why?”
“I don’t have any friends.”
Harumi only needed a junior in her club, so she just had to bring Koutarou with her. But Yurika needed a friend. Being new in town, that was a tall order for her.
“So just go on ahead without me.”
“It’ll be okay, Yurika-san.” However, Harumi gave her a gentle smile. “Your friend is right here.”
“Huh...?”
Harumi held her hands in front of her chest and lightly tilted her head.
“Or am I not sufficient?”
“N-No, it’s not that at all! I-It’s an honor, Sakuraba-senpai!”
Yurika’s mood instantly changed. Tears welled in her eyes, a sign of the joy she felt.
“But in exchange, I would like you to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor?”
Yurika stared blankly at Harumi and blinked a few times. Seeing that, Harumi happily winked at her and put on a special smile she rarely showed anyone.
“Could you help me carry Satomi-kun?”
“Ah... O-Of course! For as long as you like!”
“Thank you, Nijino-san,”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
The two of them laughed together and ran over to Koutarou, who laid collapsed by the tenth obstacle.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login