15 Chapter 15 : Sports Festival

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(A/N: Woww we have just touched the second milestone!!! Thank you for the powerstone and I hope you will also review this novel so that the rating of this novel can be seen!

P.S: I'm a little sad that someone deleted the review of this novel:( )

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On the way back, while walking and vaguely thinking about tomorrow's reconnaissance, I felt something heavy hit my back.

Matsushita: "Boom!"

Jin: "Hey, Matsushita?"

Matsushita: "Good work, Horagasaki-kun."

Jin: "Good work."

We chatted casually and walked back to the dorm together.

Matsushita: "How about you? Are you good at sports, Horagasaki-kun?"

Jin: "Well, I'm average... How about you?"

Matsushita: "Hehe, I'm probably the same."

I'm glad and relieved that there are opposite-sex friends who casually talk to me like this in class. As the conversation shifted away from her, she began to ask me questions, seeming hesitant.

Matsushita: "Um, you know... My friend said she saw you, like, dating Kamuro-san or something?"

She probably saw us together and told someone, but since we're not actually dating, I'll deny it for now.

Jin: "We're not dating."

Matsushita: "Huh?"

Jin:"I phrased that wrong, we're not dating."

Matsushita: "I see, sorry for asking a weird question."

(A/N: Yes I know that their relationship is unclear but hey you've had sex a few times and you show concern for her. JUST ADMIT IT!) 

Maybe she still doesn't trust me, so to avoid an awkward atmosphere, I change the direction of the conversation.

Jin: "Don't worry about it, let's just focus on doing our best at the sports festival, okay?"

Matsushita: "Yeah! See you tomorrow then."

Jin: "See you."

With that, our conversation ended, and we arrived at the girls' dorm and parted ways.

…..

Then came Saturday. The time for my appointment with Ayanokoji was approaching, so I took the elevator to make sure I wasn't late.

While I can't say for sure if it was a coincidence, I ended up sharing the elevator with Horikita.

She probably didn't want to participate in this reconnaissance mission, but she was likely persuaded by Ayanokoji.

When Horikita and I arrived in the lobby, Ayanokoji and Kushida were already sitting on the sofa. Kushida noticed us and stood up.

Kushida: "Good morning, Horikita-san, Doigasaki-kun."

Despite Kushida's presence, there was no small talk between the four of us, so we quickly headed to the ground, our destination.

At the ground, the soccer team was having a mixed-grade scrimmage. Among them, I spotted Hirata playing with his speed.

Jin: "Wow, he's so cool."

Horikita: "It's not that impressive. Even though it's called reconnaissance, we can only see so much."

Kushida: "But, Horikita-san didn't think so, right?"

Ayanokoji: "Yeah. You can never have too much information."

One thing is for sure, even if we succeed in our reconnaissance and gather a lot of information, we don't know which group we'll end up in. As I was thinking about this, I noticed another familiar face besides Hirata.

Jin: "Isn't that Shibata?"

Horikita: "Yeah, Hirata often praises him for being better than me. They seem to get along well."

Shibata is not only skilled, but also possesses speed that surpasses even Hirata. I thought his athleticism was pretty good when we played volleyball together on the same team, but in terms of speed alone, he might even surpass Sudo. That's too fast.

Jin: "He's doing great. He's always full of energy, it's great."

At that moment, a cheerful and refreshing voice came from behind. I turned around and saw Nangou-senpai approaching.

Jin: "Oh, Nagumo-senpai."

Nagumo: "Oh, it's Horagasaki. What's up, man? Double date?"

Nagumo-senpai pokes me with his elbow while grinning.

Jin: "Well, I was just curious, so I came to see."

Nagumo: "Then, take your time. Our team is always serious. It's perfect for measuring your skills."

It seems like he knows what I'm thinking, but Nagumo-senpai probably doesn't have any complaints either. We're in the same red team after all. He probably wants us to win too.

Ayanokoji: "Hey, is it okay to juggle between student council and regular club activities?"

As Nagumo-senpai ran towards the field, Ayanokoji muttered.

Jin: "It's not strictly forbidden, but I heard he's resigned now. According to Shibata, he's still the best even after quitting."

Certainly, during the student council briefing, they said that double-duty was "principally" prohibited, but I think there are conditions under which it's okay or unavoidable.

When Nagumo-senpai entered the field, the ball immediately gathered around him, and the marking became stricter. Despite this, he easily passed one, then two, and finally three defenders and took a shot from the middle. The ball, with a big curve, evaded the goalkeeper's reaction and pierced the goal net.

Jin: "Wow..."

I couldn't help but marvel.

Ayanokoji: "This proves that the title of the next student council president is not just for show."

Horikita: "...His athletic ability, huh."

Since his brother is the student council president, Horikita refuses to acknowledge Nagumo-senpai outright. According to what I've heard, he seems to be leading the school in a direction different from what Horikita's brother wants... What kind of platform he's running on is still unclear. Actually, I don't even know what Horikita's brother wants. At the very least, what I can say is that the student council president's decision can change the school's policy 180 degrees.

After the soccer match ended, the team took a break. Immediately after, Hirata and Shibata, who were talking to Nagumo-senpai, ran over to us.

Hirata: "Good morning, all four of you. It's unusual to see you all here."

Shibata: "Good morning, Kikyo-chan. And Ayanokoji, Horikita-chan, and Horagasaki... Horagasaki!? Are you guys on a double date?"

This guy again... I have to shut him up quickly.

Shibata: "Even though Kamuro-chan is here, you're talking about a double date... huh?"

Shibata, feeling ashamed by my low voice, froze in a pose of caution without saying a word. I grabbed Shibata's cheek just like before.

Jin: "What's the matter? Do you understand? If you don't stay quiet, I'll have to make you."

Shibata remained silent with his cheeks being pinched by me.

Shibata: "I-I'm Sorry"

I Silenced Shibata and let go of his hands.

The others, including Kushida, looked puzzled, and Hirata seemed to be saying, "Eh, Horagasaki-kun?"

Hirata: "What are you guys doing today? It's an unusual combination."

Ayanokoji: "We're on a reconnaissance mission. We're gathering information from other classes."

Shibata: "Oh, so did this high-speed Shibata-man mark you?"

He's already marked. With that speed, of course, he marked me.

Hirata: "You really have to watch out for Shibata-kun. He's the fastest in Class B. I wouldn't want to race against him in the same group."

Shibata: "Hehe, but don't let your guard down, Yousuke. You're fast too."

I think you'll see scenes like this at a general school sports festival. Who's fast, who's good, but it seems like there's no need for high school students to be so distrustful of each other.

Hirata and Shibata returned to the ground, and we left the area to look at other clubs.

Kushida: "Let's just walk for now."

We agreed with Kushida's suggestion and headed to the gymnasium, our original destination.

They were playing basketball. It seems they were also having a red-white scrimmage, with Sudo participating. The two C-class students who had a dispute before were on the bench.

Kushida: "Sudo-kun is amazing, as expected."

Kushida commented as she watched the game.

Of course, Sudo is incredibly talented to have become a regular in his first year.

Kushida: "I heard he's the only first-year student who made it to the bench."

Jin: "...Oh, probably."

Horikita: "Then there's nothing more for us to gain by staying here. There don't seem to be any other first-year students participating."

Information from other grades is not useful at the moment. But Sudo... Horikita didn't even look at Sudo's play and left the gym. What a shame.

Kushida: "Horikita-san, are you going home?"

Horikita: "Yes. I've seen enough. Sorry for dragging you along."

To maintain the appearance that it was Horikita who suggested leaving and not Ayanokoji, Horikita explained. Kushida might be suspicious, but she didn't press the issue here.

Kushida: "No, it's not a problem. Besides, I thought it was nice of Horikita-san to consider the class."

Horikita: "I do what's necessary. It can't be helped."

Kushida: "I have to do my best too."

Horikita seems to have softened a bit compared to before, and Kushida doesn't show any signs of dislike at all. It's hard to tell if these two have a strained relationship. At the very least, it doesn't seem like there are many people who can see through it.

Horikita also started walking towards the dorm. Ayakoji had also started to leave, so I decided to go home too.

...….

The sports festival has finally begun.

After the entrance march and opening declaration, the competitions started immediately. The first event was the 100m dash. All participants start with individual events, beginning with the first-year boys, then progressing to the third-year girls, with a break in between before switching to the first-year girls and ending with the third-year boys.

To participate in the competitions, the first-year boys started heading to the field one after another. Sudo was in the first group at the start, I was in the third group, and Ayanokoji was in the fifth group, if I remember correctly.

In each class, the assignments for each group were revealed for the first time. Besides Sudo, I couldn't recognize anyone else. Well, I don't really have many friends, do I?

But as Ike said, Sudo's victory is almost certain.

Each group consists of two students from each class, competing with a total of eight participants. From Class D, Sudo and another student, Tonomura, were selected.

Then the signal sounded, and they started.

Everyone rose at the same time, but Sudo was in a league of his own. From the beginning, he pulled ahead by about two body lengths, and in the end, he crossed the finish line in first place with an overwhelming lead.

Sudo: "Alright!!"

Sudo struck a victory pose at the finish line. And at that moment, Tonomura finally finished in last place.

Without delay, they moved on to prepare for the next group. I guess they have to pack the schedule like this to fit all the events.

It takes about 30 seconds from one group's preparation to the finish. With 10 groups each for first-year boys and girls, it will take about 30 minutes for everyone to finish running.

While this was happening, the order continued to advance. When my turn came, I started at the signal, "Bang," and took off at the same time. It was my turn in the third row. I was flanked by Kanzaki and Katsuragi, who should be wary opponents. Then there's Ike from the same class, among others. By the way, Koenji was supposed to run in the same lane, but as expected, he didn't participate. Maybe Koenji doesn't intend to participate in any of the events from now on. Then Kanzaki and Katsuragi declared war on me.

Kanzaki: "We'll take this seriously."

Katsuragi: "Horagasaki and Kanzaki... Let's both do our best."

Jin: "Right, let's give it our all. Ah... I want to go home..."

They declared before facing off with us. Since walking like during the entrance exams was not an option, I had to try a little harder.

To sum up, I won, Kashizaki came in second, and Katsuragi followed in third place. I felt a bit embarrassed for getting too excited. Perhaps because Kanzaki and the others were there, our lane was greeted with cheers.

??: "Woohoo!!!"

From the stands, there were voices like "Kanzaki-kun is cool!" or "Horagasaki is too fast!?" or "Horagasaki can do anything unexpectedly..." It seems that many students were surprised to see me, who is usually not very motivated, running seriously and realizing that I can actually run fast. But still, it's too bad that there's no cheering for Katsuragi...

After that, in the fifth group where Hirata and Ayanokoji were, Hirata took first place by a narrow margin, and Ayanokoji settled for fifth place. In the fourth group, there was Ryuen, who took first place. Within five minutes, it was already time to switch to the first-year girls, and the first group had already started.

Meanwhile, I noticed that there was a commotion coming from the cottages. It was just as Sudo was about to strike Koenji.

Jin: "Oh, man... Seriously..."

However, Koenji effortlessly took the blow without any problem. That alone told me the situation. Given Sudo's personality, he was probably trying to confront Koenji for not participating. With Hirata's intervention, Sudo reluctantly backed off, but Koenji's high specs surprised me every time. In the midst of this, I heard the starting signal for the third group had been given.

Jin: "Horikita and... Ibuki, was it?"

Mio Ibuki. During the deserted island test, she played the role of a spy sent to Class D by Ryuen. As the starting signal sounded, the girls burst out. As expected, Ibuki and Horikita pulled ahead. Among them, Ibuki slightly won the start dash.

A fierce battle ensued, with the two neck and neck. At the halfway point, Horikita edged slightly ahead.

Then came the final sprint. At this point, Ibuki slowly closed the gap. In a delicate balance of whether to tie or not, both of them reached the finish line.

In the end, it seems Horikita won the close match. There was a fixed-point camera near the finish line, so they probably used video replay to determine the winner. It was almost impossible to judge the difference with the naked eye.

Miyake: "Hey, Horagasaki!"

I was standing still on the field, and my friend, the high-spec Miyake, who was my partner in the two-legged race, called out to me.

Miyake, who doesn't prefer group activities, often acts alone, but lately, he's been less so... I wonder? He gets along well not only with me in the two-legged race but also in other aspects, so it's easy to get along with him. In fact, Miyake might be the closest to me in the class.

Jin: "Miyake, huh?"

Miyake: "It seems you were in first place, right? Katsuragi and the others were quite tough, weren't they?"

Jin: "Well, yeah... How about you?"

Miyake: "I came in second. I wanted to win if I could."

Jin: "I see. But you ran with Shibata, right? He's fast, but it was a close race, wasn't it? It's surprising how you can do anything."

Miyake: "Hey, that's not true. You're the one who surprises me by being able to do anything."

I chatted with Miyake.

Ah, it's easy to talk. He's a good guy.

"...Hmm, that's Kamuro."　

I saw my sex friend Kamuro standing by in the 8th group of girls, so I decided to watch the race.

As soon as we started, two students jumped out. One is Kamuro and the other is Ichinose.　

Miyake: "Hey, that's pretty fast..."

Miyake says so after seeing the close battle between the two. Regardless of her personality, Kamuro seems to be surprisingly good at studying and is pretty good, and so is Ichinose. Apparently those two had athletic ability, and were as fast as Ibuki and Horikita.

The two finished almost at the same time. However, Kamuro won by a small margin

Ike: "Awesome! Did you see that?"

Yamauchi: "Oh, that was crazy!"　

Ike and Yamauchi said excitedly. As with Ibuki and Horikita, there was a small round of applause from the audience. In the audience seats

Ike: "Today's day is decided!"

Yamauchi: "Of course!"

Ike: "Those breasts are shaking!!!"　　

Those guys are the worst. Look at Miyake next to you, he's giving you a really cold stare.

Next up is the hurdle race, with hurdles set up for a 110m section just like in official track and field. However, there's a significant difference in this sports festival hurdle race. While touching regular hurdles or even knocking them down is not a problem, this time there's a penalty for such actions. For each knocked-down hurdle, 0.5 seconds are added, and for contact, 0.3 seconds are added to the finishing time... 

Referee: "Hey, is Tonomura not here? If absent, it will be a disqualification."

A warning from the referee at the starting point.

Tonomura: "I-I have a stomachache... Can I withdraw?"

Sudo: "Huh? Use any means necessary to finish, even if you have to die."

Tonomura"I-I'm here! I'm here!"

Giving in to Sudo's intimidation, he entered the course with fear. Well, even if he finish last, he still get some points. It's better than disqualification... In the end, Sotomura, who had hardly practiced hurdling, predictably knocked down all the hurdles with his hands and reached the finish line.

Tonomura was in the first group, and I am assigned to the second group this time. And there...

Shibata: "Yo, Horagasaki! Good luck, I won't lose, okay?"

Jin: "Shibata. Seriously, you're annoying..."

Shibata: "Don't say that!?"

There was the fast Shibata, a B-class guy. I teased him while Shibata clung to me as if saying, "Wait for me."

Geez, he's annoying!

But well, except for Shibata, everyone else seemed neither fast nor slow, more like mid-level players. I'm in the second lane, Shibata in the third. Ready, go! We both started at the same time, and Shibata took the first step a bit faster. Since I started a bit late, I closed the distance on the straight, jumped over the hurdles side by side with Shibata, and every time we jumped, he caught up, ran away again... We repeated this until the ninth hurdle, where Shibata passed me.

But in the straight run after that, I was superior, so I caught up with Shibata. I pulled ahead again when jumping, and he caught up again while running... Repeating this, I jumped the ninth hurdle, and that's where Shibata overtook me.

But in the straight run from there, I was in the lead, and I won by a narrow margin, with Shibata finishing second.

Jin: "Ahh... I'm tired."

Shibata: "You're too fast, Horagasaki! Did you play track and field or something?"

Shibata, who had engaged in a close race with me, complimented me.

Jin: "If I remember correctly... from kindergarten to the third year of middle school, I played soccer."

Shibata: "That's why you're fast! But why didn't you join the soccer club?"

Actually, I played soccer, but in high school, I wanted to join the non-athletic club, so I didn't join the soccer club. I explained this, and Shibata understood.

Jin: "Even so, you're fast too. If there were one more hurdle, I would have lost."

Shibata: "Wow! It's great to be praised by you! Hehe."

Shibata proudly puffed out his chest. According to what I heard, Sudo is aiming for first place in the grade by betting on the way he addresses Horikita. Sudo is not allowed to be laid-back either. Shibata is also a candidate for first place in the grade. But I couldn't help but think... Could I, who defeated Shibata, also be a candidate? So from now on, I decided to take it easy and challenge. For now, I left the scene and returned to the D-class tent.

All the first-year boys have finished running, and next is the first-year girls.

In the first group of D-class, Horikita and Sakura are selected. Horikita doesn't seem nervous, but Sakura is in a tense state due to nervousness.

Jin: "It's a bit of an unfavorable matchup, Horikita."

Horikita: "Oh, really?"

Jin: "Yeah. The fastest in Class C, Yajima and Kinoshita from the track and field club, are there."

Horikita: "Oh..."

They start, but Horikita can't take the lead. Although she's hanging on, unfortunately, there's no sign of the gap closing. In the end, Horikita finishes third. The two girls mentioned by Hirata achieved a one-two finish.

Jin: "Well, that's how it is."

Hirata: "...Horagasaki-kun, isn't this a bit strange?"

Hirata, who was watching next to me, murmured with a puzzled expression.

Well, that's a natural reaction.

Jin: "Indeed... it's too perfect."

D-class didn't put fast people in the same group to win. However, in Class C, they put two fast people in the same group. If they had that speed, it would be a good strategy to put them in different groups and aim for first place in both. C-class didn't do that, and Ryuen, is there some other strategy? It became a race with a lingering sense of unease.

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