104 School Cross-Country - Part 1

It was the morning of the cross-country.

"Mizuhara... you ready?" Kimura was still lethargically pulling himself out of bed.

"I guess."

I was sitting on my bed, finishing the last of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It was a pretty short novella, so it only took a few days in total, even with all the disruptions. Closing the book one final time, I placed it on my bedside table.

Kimura slowly did his morning routine before joining me at the front door.

"What are you aiming for?" he asked.

"Probably top 50."

"Really? You look pretty athletic to me."

"I guess I don't do too much running."

As we made our way down the hall, Kimura whispered something to me.

"...the results of this event are going to be very interesting~"

• ───────────────── •

Everyone gathered near the large banner, which was held up at the starting line. A large area was circled out on the edge of the oval. One of the teachers walked to the front and held out a megaphone.