Once the sports festival started, Hikigaya realized just how well-equipped and professional the school’s staff and facilities were. They even had high-speed cameras.
If the sports festival was treated like an exam, then it was essentially a physical test—one that measured the students’ athletic ability. Normally, the high-achieving A and B Classes had an advantage in academics, but when it came to sports, they weren’t as dominant. On the other hand, many students from C and D Classes might not have the best grades, but their athletic skills were just as strong.
That’s why the way the school divided the Red and White Teams was so carefully planned.
For Class D, the swimming lessons at the beginning of the school year had already revealed several students with athletic potential. Koenji, Sudou, and Hirata were among the top performers. On the girls’ side, there was Horikita and Onodera, who had joined the swimming club.
But Koenji was uncontrollable and hard to turn into an effective force. As for Sudou, due to Ike’s expulsion and the hidden camera incident, he wasn’t in good shape either, which was a big blow to Class D.
The competitions were being held one after another. Since the school didn’t have a huge number of students and had professional staff organizing the event, everything was running smoothly. Before long, Hikigaya heard the announcement calling for students in the three-legged race to check in.
Since this was a team event with class restrictions, each pair was made up of students from two different classes.
"Hikigaya-kun, you’re so late!"
As soon as they met, Ichinose couldn’t help but complain. Though it sounded like she was complaining, it was actually just playful teasing. However, the students around them, who didn’t know the situation, were all glaring at Hikigaya in frustration.
Teaming up with the famous Ichinose for the three-legged race, yet acting like he didn’t care at all—how infuriating!
Most of the ones feeling this way were students from Class B and Class C. After all, they knew just how ’troublesome’ this dead-fish-eyed guy was.
Hikigaya and Ichinose were in Group 7, with a total of eight teams in their group. The top three would advance to the next round.
While waiting, Ichinose suddenly said, "Hikigaya-kun, p-please don’t mind it. I’m fine."
"But..."
You’re fine, but I’m not!
Hikigaya forced a smile.
Just then, Ichinose stepped in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes. The atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.
"Alright."
Hikigaya let out a sigh. Since Ichinose herself didn’t care, it felt silly for him to keep hesitating. He could only try to suppress the guilt of ’taking advantage’ of a girl.
Ichinose nodded expressionlessly, then crouched down to start tying their legs together. But soon, the corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile.
Before long, it was their turn. Even before the referee gave the signal, Ichinose had already pressed up against him, looping her arm tightly around his. Since they were both wearing short-sleeved sportswear, Hikigaya instantly felt something soft against his arm—like marshmallow. He froze on the spot, as if he had just been shocked.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?"
Ichinose asked with concern.
"I’m fine."
Hikigaya kept a straight face, but his stiff posture completely betrayed his true feelings. Of course, Ichinose noticed it right away.
"As long as you’re fine."
She responded casually, as if she didn’t care. But Hikigaya failed to notice that after saying that, the tips of her ears had turned bright red.
As soon as the starting signal went off, Hikigaya and Ichinose quickly lifted their legs and took off. Surprisingly, even though they had struggled a lot during practice, during the actual race, their coordination was unexpectedly smooth.
"Hikigaya-kun, Hikigaya-kun!!!"
Suddenly, Ichinose turned to him with a bright, excited smile.
"We won!!"
"We... won?"
"Yeah! We were the first ones to cross the finish line!!!"
Ichinose was so happy that she hadn’t even untied the rope around their legs yet. She just grabbed Hikigaya’s wrists, laughing in excitement.
Huh? We won? Just like that?!
Hikigaya’s mind was still filled with thoughts of marshmallows. By the time he snapped out of it, they had already crossed the finish line in first place.
From there, they kept winning round after round, making it all the way to the finals. In the end, they even placed second—something far beyond what either of them had expected.
Even Hirata came over to praise them.
"Hikigaya-kun and Ichinose-san, your teamwork was amazing! If you hadn’t fallen a bit behind at the start, you might have even won first place!"
Even now, Hikigaya still felt dazed. Wasn’t he supposed to be taking it easy? How did he somehow end up in second place?!
Ichinose soon realized their posture was a little awkward. Trying to act natural, she quickly said goodbye to Hikigaya before hurrying away.
Hirata walked over and patted Hikigaya on the shoulder. "Hikigaya, I know it’s not my place to say this, but I think a man should be loyal."
"Huh?"
Hikigaya was completely lost. Hirata, what are you even talking about?
"Kushida and Ichinose are both good girls. Don’t break their hearts."
With that, Hirata walked away, leaving Hikigaya standing there, confused.
—
After the three-legged race, the next event was the girls’ obstacle course.
"I think Horikita is in this one."
Hikigaya watched the race. Unlike the 100-meter sprint, which was all about speed, the obstacle course required handling different challenges. Horikita was both athletic and smart, but she still came in second. The winner was Yajima Mariko from Class C, followed closely by Kinoshita Minori, also from Class C. Both were part of the track team and had impressive skills.
In the last 50 meters, Hikigaya noticed something strange—Horikita suddenly turned her head to look behind her at Kinoshita. That brief moment of distraction gave Kinoshita the chance to catch up. And then, the next second, the two of them tripped and fell together!
Just like that, Horikita went from second place to dead last.
Kino, however, seemed to have injured her ankle. Horikita came back shortly after, and when she saw Hikigaya, she froze for a second. For some reason, she instinctively avoided eye contact.
"Horikita, are you hurt?"
"No, I’m fine!"
Horikita quickly realized she was trying to hide her injury from Hikigaya. Or maybe... she just didn’t want him to see her in a weak moment, even though he had already seen everything.
—
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