Published at 16th of August 2019 9:08 pm

Volume 2, Chapter 4: Invaders of the Sports Festival!?

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Sunday, May 10th

It was the day of the sports festival. The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard, and there were practically no clouds in the sky.

“It seems we made the right choice in coming here.”

“The courtyard is quieter, too, and there's not as much dust...”

Koutarou and Harumi were in the courtyard.

The morning games had ended, and they had headed here in order to eat lunch.

The schoolyard was full of people, and the dust was flying with the wind.

That was why they had snuck away from the schoolyard and came here.

“But actually, I'm embarrassed spreading out my lunch in front of people...”

“There's no need to be embarrassed. It looks delicious!”

“Really?”

Harumi covered herself with the colorful cloth she had wrapped her bento in and stole a glance at Koutarou's expression.

Harumi had prepared today's lunch for the both of them.

She normally let her mother prepare it for her, but she was determined to prepare the lunch herself for the school festival.

“Yes. It doesn't look like someone with no experience in cooking made it.”

“Thank god... I was a bit worried.”

Hearing Koutarou's response, Harumi removed the cloth from her face and let out a sigh of relief.

She was worried she might have disappointed Koutarou.

“There's no need to be worried; it's really well made.”

“But... I don't think I'll be of much help in the obstacle marathon, so I at least wanted to get you something to eat...”

“Senpai, you worry too much. Men are simple, so they're just happy a girl made them lunch, regardless of how well made it is!”

“B-But I'm really worried about the quality of the lunch....”

“It must be hard being a girl... Well, thanks for the food.”

Koutarou quit chatting and put the food in his mouth.

He had been working hard since the morning and was now starving.

Five blue ribbons were lined up on Koutarou's gym outfit.

The ribbons showed off your placing, and blue stood for first place.

Koutarou had taken the first place in all five events he had taken part of.

Because of that, he had used up a lot of stamina and was now starving.

“It's... delicious!”

“Ah...”

Harumi was smiling brightly due to Koutarou's words.

Her food didn't just look good, but tasted good as well. She was so happy she could break out in dance.

In reality, her lunch was actually splendid.

Her omelette, hamburger and wiener along with the basic side dishes might have been plain but they had been made with care.

The taste was also remarkable; it was a praiseworthy lunch for a beginner.

Koutarou, who grew up in a motherless family and cooked for himself, understood that very well.

What to say?... Having someone make food for you without an ulterior motive is a great thing.

That is what Koutarou felt as he ate one dish after the other.

Having lost his mother early on, it was rare for someone to cook food for Koutarou out of good will.

Kiriha had lately been making the food, but that was because she was aiming to take over Room 106.

“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 took his words back.

And Harumi began feeling nervous.

“What was bad?”

“There's not enough!”

“W-What is there not enough of?”

The taste? The time spent cooking? Or my experience?

Harumi couldn't help but feel worried.

“The amount. If it's this delicious, I can eat three times this amount!”

“T-The amount...?”

Having gotten back an unexpected response, Harumi spaced out for a while.

“Well, there are more events in the afternoon, so this might be just right. If I eat till I'm full, it'll be hard to move around.”

“...”

“Next time, please make lots of it when I don't have to move.”

“Next time...”

Koutarou began moving his chopsticks with a smile.

Seeing that, Harumi also began to smile.

Next time... Next time, he wants to... eat more... He likes it...

Harumi was so happy, words escaped her.

So this is what it's like to have friends...

Harumi had a weak constitution and was going in and out of the hospital constantly.

Though the children at the hospital and the nurses were her friends, she had no friends around her own 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, interested in Harumi, who had fallen silent.

And he saw Harumi with her cheeks blushing red and with moist eyes.

Koutarou started panicking when he saw Harumi, who looked like she would cry at any moment.

“A-Are you okay!? D-Did I say something stupid!?”

Koutarou couldn't understand how Harumi felt.

Ever since he was young, he had, starting with Kenji, always had a lot of friends, so he couldn't even begin to imagine how Harumi felt.

That was why he felt he had done something wrong and started panicking.

“I'm fine... I just got some dirt in my eyes... So I'm going to go clean my face!”

Harumi stared down to avoid Koutarou's glance and hurriedly stood up.

She could hear her own heart beating quickly, and she was worried if Koutarou could hear it too.

If I don't calm down, I'll say something strange that would trouble Satomi-kun...

Harumi ran out from the courtyard with her throbbing heart and dizzy head.

“Senpai...?”

Part 2

Being left behind, Koutarou couldn't swallow what had happened and simply tilted his head.

However, Sanae who was hanging onto Koutarou, could faintly understand Harumi's feelings.

“...That kind of ticks me off!”

Sanae began wringing Koutarou's neck for revenge.

She was already hanging onto Koutarou's neck in order to taste the lunch, so wringing his neck was easy from the position she was in.

“Guh, Guaaaa!?”

“Dammit! Ahhh! It's really getting on my nerves!”

“W-What are you doing all of a sudden!?"

“Think of the situation you're in instead of getting carried away! If you don't win today, you know what will happen!”

“Sa-Sanae, d-don't think the same trick will work over and over again!”

Koutarou kept himself from passing out and reached into his pocket with his right hand.

And he pressed what he picked up onto Sanae.

“Gyafu!?”

At that moment, a small explosion occurred and blew Sanae backwards.

“Alright! Thank you, grandma!”

Koutarou had a small charm embroidered with golden thread in his hand.

And thankfully, it held quite a bit of power against ghosts like Sanae.

Family Safety.

Those golden words bathed brilliantly in the sunlight.

“What are you doing all of a sudden!?”

Sanae returned with her right hand on her head.

She floated in front of Koutarou and started to complain.

“That's my line! You're always trying to choke me for some absurd reason! You try being the one who passes out for no reason!”

“Don't whine about something like that! You're a man; don't get hung up on those kind of things! It's only normal for ghosts to harm people!”

“Then don't complain when people defend themselves! You evil spirit!”

“I don't believe you! You can't call someone as cute as me an evil spirit!”

The two's foreheads collided, creating a loud sound.

It seemed like their quarrel was about to get out of hand when a third person got in between them.

“It seems you're quite the star, Koutarou.”

“Kiriha!?”

Kiriha had shown up.

With 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 attached to Kiriha's chest.

Three blue and two yellow, to be precise.

She had taken first place in three events and second place in two.

“What are you staring at her chest for, Koutarou!? You really are a pervert!”

“You're wrong! Just look at that!”

“Like I want to look at someone else's breasts! 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 Kiriha's results!”

“Yes, I'm sure you'd give Kiriha's breast a perfect score.”

“Listen to what I'm trying to tell you, stupid ghost!”

“What, I also have some pride, you know!”

“Is a ghost's pride that it's transparent!?”

Koutarou and Sanae butted heads yet again, and at that point yet another person appeared in the courtyard.

“It's good you're still full of vigor, pleb. There would be no meaning in making you crawl on the ground if you weren't!”

Theia and Ruth had shown up, and behind them there were rough-looking men led by Theia.

Theia had four ribbons on her chest, all of them blue.

In reality, Theia had participated in six events since this morning, but she had thrown away any ribbons from second place or lower.

And the cheerleading squad who had been helping and cheering for her were covered in sweat.

By the way, Ruth had two ribbons, a yellow and a green one, meaning second and third place.

“Just be quiet, Tulip! I'm busy at the moment!”

“That's right! There's no place for you here, Cliff Chest!”

Koutarou and Sanae didn't look over to Theia and were instead staring each other down.

And Theia couldn't stand it.

It was vexing enough that Koutarou wasn't showing any respect, but at the same time, Sanae had brought up the subject she hated the most.

Because of that, Theia immediately blew her top.

“Are you picking a fight with me, you mongrels!? I should turn you into ashes right away!”

“You can't, Your Highness!”

Even with Ruth trying to stop her, Theia would no longer back down.

Theia headed over to Koutarou and Sanae and butted heads with them.

“Just do it if you can, Tulip!”

“I'll turn you into ashes after fixing your rotten character!”

“Hey! Listen to me!”

And as the three of them were butting heads, the close quarter quarrel started.

“Your Highness, Satomi-sama!”

“Leave them be, Ruth. They don't hate each other as much as they say they do.”

“Stop saying such tasteless things, Kiriha-san! Of course I hate these things!”

“What do you mean with these things!? Call me Your Highness Theia, you pleb!”

“Take that back Koutarou! How could you call someone as pretty as me tasteless!?”

“I meant it just the way I said it, you idiots!”

Their quarrel escalated as they exchanged insults.

“Satomi-kun♪”

“Hellooo♪”

“Hm?”

The sudden casual shouts calmed Koutarou down.

The voices belonged to the six girls in the cosplay society.

Koutarou, Sanae, and Theia's quarrel was interrupted by the girls' appearance.

“It looks like you're having fun, Koutarou-kun.”

They were pushing their president forward with a handcart and approached Koutarou and the others.

The cosplay society members were not cosplaying, though; they were in the standard gym outfit.

They followed the rules and wouldn't cosplay unless they got permission to do so.

What are they doing?

What caught Koutarou's interest was the handcart the girls were using to push their president.

Inside of it was a large sack that measured more than a meter that would twitch 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, and following suit, the ten girls greeted each other.

Theia's cheerleading squad stood in attention and didn't say a word.

As the girls finished greeting each other, the president called out to Koutarou.

“You can 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.”

"...That was just you.”

While the girls were talking the sack would move from time to time.

“...!...!...!”

Well, what does it matter...

Koutarou was curious about the contents of the sack, but he chose not to question it.

It was around this time that Harumi returned to the courtyard.

“Satomi-kun...?”

There were now lots of people around Koutarou.

And there were over 20 people in the courtyard now; Harumi had seen a few of them before.

“Oh, aren't you quite the cutie!”

“Ah, S-stop, don't touch me!”

“Wouldn't you like to join our club?”

“I refuse! As if I'd join your suspicious club!”

“What a shame~”

“Well then, what about you two?”

“If Theia-sama won't join, I will have to decline.”

“I'm in the track and field team, so I'm afraid I can't, senpai.”

“Tulip, did you join the cheerleading squad?”

“That's right. Unlike you, these men have unwavering loyalty to me. Isn't that right!?”

“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”

“They've been completely brainwashed...”

“Well, it seems the true cheerleading squad is no longer around...”

Everyone was cheerfully talking and smiling.

And even Koutarou made expressions Harumi had never seen before.

“I... can't possible approach them...”

Harumi stood perfectly still. Her throbbing heart had slowed down and her uplifting feelings had changed.

Harumi realized she only knew a fraction of the true Koutarou, and that saddened her.

“Satomi-kun doesn't really think I...”

Harumi couldn't move.

She just couldn't mix in with the commotion taking place.

The mere 20 meters felt like a hopelessly long distance to her.

Part 3

Suddenly, several fireworks went off in the blue sky.

Although it was still broad daylight, when so many of them were fired at the same time, they stood out.

It was the signal that the obstacle marathon for clubs was soon about to begin.

The obstacle marathon course was 5 kilometers long and had 10 different obstacles to overcome.

Since this event mixed men and women, the women were given easier obstacles as a handicap.

And because the obstacles were not just about physical prowess, the winning team changed every year.

Since Kitsushouharukaze High School was filled with clubs, and so many clubs participated, this event naturally turned into the main event.

“Fufufu, the moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived...”

Koutarou stretched his arms while looking around him.

There were over 100 people gathered at the start line.

Harukaze had over 50 clubs of varying size.

And with the majority of them participating, it was only obvious there would be this many people.

The outfits they were in varied, with the majority of them wearing their club uniforms.

The remainder was mostly comprised of liberal clubs wearing the standard gym outfit.

“Kou, you seem awfully confident.”

“Can you tell?”

“I haven't been your partner for years for show.”

“As expected from my comrade Mackenzie!”

Having finished warming up, Koutarou slapped Kenji on the back with his big hand.

“Owowow!”

“Today's victory will go to me!”

“Don't be so naive. Even your head is full of muscle; there's no way you'll win. I'm not even sure if you can beat me!”

“Those are some big words. Then, would you like to make a bet, Mackenzie?”

“You're on. Whichever one of us cross the goal line first wins!”

“The loser owes the winner a meal, got it?”

“Got it!”

Kenji grinned; he had confidence in his footwork.

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 betting that he would be able to beat Koutarou in this event, which tested the participant's collective strength.

“Hah, you've made a stupid bet, Kou. I hope you're prepared to buy me the special lunch!”

“I don't want to hear you calling me stupid when you're wearing something like that!”

“Just shut up. I'm in the drama club, so it can't be helped.”

Kenji wasn't wearing a gym outfit, but rather, a pure white tuxedo. A crimson rose decorated his chest.

It was a stage outfit the drama club was using.

“Oh, it looks like you two are doing something interesting.”

“Landlord-san!”

As the two finished up their conversation, Shizuka appeared.

Shizuka had been asked to help the cooking society in the marathon, and was wearing an apron on top of her gym outfit.

It was a strange outfit, rivaling even Kenji's.

“Would you mind if I join in on your bet?”

“Kasagi-san too? We're quite confident in this, you know.”

“Well, I'm asking because I'm quite confident myself.”

“But―”

Kenji tried to dissuade Shizuka, but Koutarou held the opposite opinion.

“What does it matter Mackenzie. Let landlord-san join in too.”

“Would that be ok?”

“Yeah.”

Besides, I don't know if I could beat landlord-san or not...

Unlike Kenji, Koutarou was fully aware of how strong Shizuka was.

Koutarou didn't think Shizuka would fall behind in this event after she took down the 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 three people”

“I won't lose, you two.”

“Just bring it on, landlord-san!”

Fufufu, with this, Mackenzie will have to buy two meals...

After Shizuka's participation had been decided, the bleachers next to the start line began cheering for Kenji.

“Kenji-kun! You're so cool!”

“Rosenchevalier-sama! Look this way!”

Several camera flashes followed.

They were Kenji's fans.

Kenji had had fans ever since middle school.

“Go on and wave, Rosenchevalier-sama. Your fans are calling for you.”

“Shut it!”

“Koutarou-kun! Point the chevalier this way!”

“Sure, sure.”

“H-Hey!?”

Koutarou grabbed a hold of Kenji's head and forcefully turned him towards the bleachers.

And the camera flashed start up again.

“There's no need to be shy. You're only pissing off the guys around you; me too, of course.”

“Would you stop it, Kou!?”

“Oh right, sorry. That girl would get sad, after all.”

Next to Kenji was a girl wearing a crimson dress.

She was a member of the drama club, and the clothes she was wearing were also from an old play.

Today they were cast as the Crimson Maiden and the Rosenchevalier.

“Excuse me, I'm the one that invited Matsudaira-san to the club. I don't think he has any interest in going out with me...”

“You're mistaken, miss. You're falling for his normal tricks!”

The Crimson Maiden attempted to cover for Kenji, but she wavered when faced with Koutarou's force.

“I'll kill you, you bastard!”

“Kyaaa, save me, Sakuraba-senpai! Mackenzie is bullying me!”

“S-Satomi-kun!?”

As Kenji began to get angry, Koutarou laughed and hid behind Harumi.

“H-Hello, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Hello, Matsudaira-kun.”

When Harumi and Kenji faced each other, they were oddly flustered.

“Um... Eh...”

“That's playing dirty, Koutarou!”

Though time had passed and they had gotten used to one another, Harumi was still uncomfortable around Kenji.

Which was why Harumi fell silent immediately.

Kenji understood how she felt and didn't want to say anything unnecessary.

“Senpai, while we're at it, say hello to the drama club member next to Mackenzie and Landlord-san.”

“Y-Yes, hello!”

“Hello, Sakuraba-san.”

“Hello, Sakuraba-senpai!”

Harumi bowed to the Crimson Maiden and Shizuka.

“L-Let's give it our all today.”

“I'm worried if I'll be able to reach the goal in this outfit...”

“Ahaha, that dress is wonderful.”

After finishing their greetings, the atmosphere calmed down around Harumi.

“...”

“What's with that look, Mackenzie?”

Koutarou noticed Kenji giving him a stinging glare.

“Kou, can't you do that in a way that's easier to get?”

“What are you talking about?”

"...I give up.”

Kenji dropped his shoulders and scratched his head.

Having known Koutarou for a long time, Kenji understood that he had been used to forcefully pull Harumi into the group.

And as he let out a small sigh, Harumi greeted him again.

“I'm sorry for before, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“N-No, it was nothing.”

“Sakuraba-senpai, as Satomi-kun says, Mackenzie-kun seems to be quite the lady killer, so stay on your guard!”

“...R-Really?”

“That's a lie, that's definitely a lie!”

Good luck, Sakuraba-senpai...

Koutarou turned away from the four and looked around the starting point again.

And like before, there were various people around.

“...It doesn't look like they'll just let me win.”

There were large and strong looking people, and small and agile people around the area.

In order to put Harumi on the podium, he needed to clear all the obstacles and reach the goal before anyone else.

“Alright! Let's do this!”

Koutarou pumped himself up in order to keep himself from letting his guard down.

“Hey, Koutarou.”

“Hm?”

At that point Sanae, who was floating next to Koutarou, clung to his back.

She wrapped her thin arms around his neck while smiling.

“You know, you're unexpectedly...”

“What?”

“It's nothing. Nyahaha!”

In the end, Sanae didn't say anything and instead showed a large smile.

Koutarou, however couldn't see it since Sanae was clinging onto his back, and Sanae herself wasn't quite aware of it.

Hm?

Sanae noticed what Koutarou was looking at; it was two baseball club members wearing their uniform.

“...Koutarou, can I ask you a question?”

“What?”

“If it keeps bothering you, why don't you just play baseball?”

“Eh?”

Surprised, Koutarou looked at Sanae.

I knew it...

Sanae did not miss the surprise and hesitation Koutarou showed.

“You've been looking at 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 his feelings and opened his mouth.

“Well, I love baseball. It's not the kind of sport you can do while living on your own, though.”

“Hmm...”

Koutarou had a nostalgic and lonely look, and seeing that, an idea popped into Sanae's head.

If I helped with the housework, Koutarou might be able to play baseball...

Cooking, washing, cleaning, preparing the bath.

If Sanae took over the household chores Koutarou was doing everyday, he might get the free time he needed to play baseball.

That was the idea that popped in Sanae's head, but she quickly denied it and panicked.

“J-Just what am I thinking!?”

I'm chasing him out! I have to chase Koutarou out of that room no matter what! So why would I think of helping with the housework!?

Sanae was puzzled by her own feelings; she couldn't believe she wanted to help someone who she was supposed to chase out.

And what really made Sanae hesitate was the fact that she didn't have any unpleasant feelings about helping Koutarou.

“What?”

“It's nothing! Absolutely nothing! Just leave it!”

When Koutarou worriedly called out to her, Sanae felt even more perplexed.

Just what am I doing!?

However this time, Sanae was perplexed about more than Koutarou.

Meanwhile, Theia was also in the crowd by the starting point.

She was standing in front the cheerleading squad, in the middle of a speech.

“All of you, 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 on me like you're the one who's participating with me!”

She was wearing the squad leader's armband, with both her hands on her hips and standing tall.

However, Theia's small body was hidden in the crowd.

But the crowd couldn't cover up her loud voice and it reached the squad members who stood upright.

And the cheerleading squad responded to her with full power.

“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”

The men's loud voices carried across the starting point and shook the earth.

“The problem is not who will accompany me! The problem is if I will win or not!”

“For Her Highness Theiamillis' victory!! Glory to the Forthorthe royal family!”

The cheerleading squad's morale was high. The harsh training they had endured up until today had strengthened their unity.

Their goal was Theia's victory, not their own.

Because of that, they endured their harsh training.

If Theia ordered them to die, they would probably do so.

That was the loyalty that Theia sought for.

“Good luck, Your Highness”

“Yes, leave it to me Ruth. I'll be sure to win.”

Ruth wasn't the one who would participate with Theia, but rather the strongest and fastest member in the cheerleading squad.

Because of that, Ruth was 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 headed for the starting line whilst grinning.

Meanwhile, Kiriha was already by the starting line.

Because they would be competing, she had nothing to lose from starting at the front line.

“We'll start soon, Kiri-chan. Let's give it our all!”

“Of course, Takahashi-senpai.”

“...Karama, how is it going?”

“Everyone is in position. Korama confirmed it from above-ho.”

Kiriha whispered, and a response was whispered into her ear.

A camouflaged haniwa was floating next to her.

“It seems there are no traitors-ho. Just leave the rest to us-ho!”

“Alright, I'll leave it to you.”

“Understood-ho!”

All that's left is to wait for the start...

After finishing her final check, Kiriha revealed a small smile.

And Takahashi, who was next to Kiriha, noticed her smile.

“Kiri-chan, what are you smiling for?”

“Actually, I made a bet with my friends.”

Though startled, Kiriha naturally responded and smiled.

“A bet!? Is it with a boy!?”

“Yes.”

“What did you bet?”

“The loser has to hand over something precious to the winner.”

Kiriha mentioned part of the truth.

Kiriha had made a bet with Koutarou and the rest, and the loser would have hand over part of their tatami territory to the winner.

“Kyaa! How bold! But wouldn't the outcome be the same regardless of who wins!?”

But Takahashi had no idea that Kiriha was fighting over territory and had completely misunderstood.

Speaking of misunderstandings, the cosplay society positioned at the rear had made the biggest misunderstanding.

Out of the six members, even the five not participating were cosplaying.

Today, all of them were wearing matching maid outfits.

The only one with a different design was the president who was wearing an armband and a headdress.

She was dressed as the head maid.

After looking at her clock, she called out to the vice president next to her.

“It'll be starting soon. Vice-president, get Yurika ready, please.”

“Very well, right away.”

Yurika and the president would be the two to represent the cosplay society in the obstacle marathon.

In order to educate the new member, they would form a pair and participate.

However, oddly enough, Yurika was nowhere to be seen.

“Everyone, bring Yurika over!”

“Okaaay!”

When the vice-president gave the other members the signal, they brought out a handcart.

The handcart was loaded with the sack Koutarou had taken notice of before.

However, unlike during the lunch break, the sack wasn't moving at all.

“And now, open it up!”

“Okaaay!”

The girls loosened the rope around the sack and turned it upside down.

And Yurika in a maid outfit came falling out.

She was gagged and bound with rope.

Yurika, who was against cosplaying, had been forced to wear the maid outfit against her will and then restrained up to now.

And the girls quickly loosened her restraints.

“Uuuhhh... I-I'm finally free...”

Though freed, Yurika had toppled to the ground and did not move.

She curled up as tears streamed down from her large eyes.

“W-Why do I have to go through something like this...”

Nobody would listen to Yurika when she said she hated cosplaying.

Everyone had made the misunderstanding that Yurika loved cosplay but just couldn't admit it.

“...I can't get married anymore...”

“You look beautiful, Yurika-chan~”

“Give it your all today!”

“Being a bride is in the past! You'll be permanently employed by the cosplay society from now on!”

“I don't want tooooo!”

Yurika aside, the cosplay society was in high spirits, especially the president, whose eyes were sparkling.

“Would you stop it, Yurika-chan? You'll ruin your make-up!”

The president wiped off Yurika's tears and pulled out her own make-up set to fix Yurika's appearance.

Though she couldn't be called a professional, she was considerably skilled. Yurika became more and more beautiful.

“Let's surprise Koutarou-kun during the race, okay?”

“I don't want to surprise him wearing this outfit!”

As always, nobody listened to Yurika.

Ironically, she looked more beautiful than anyone as she continued to cry.

Part 4

The principal stepped up on a platform next to the starting point.

It was the principal's job to give the starting signal for the main event.

The people gathered at the starting point watched as he stepped up the stairs.

The schoolyard fell silent, and everyone was anxiously waiting for the race to start.

The principal pointed a starting pistol up into the sky, and the commentator's voice came out from the speakers.

“On your mark! Get set...”

Following the commentator's lead, the principal squeezed the trigger of the pistol.

The pistol made a shrill sound that echoed through the schoolyard.

And the schoolyard that had quieted down immediately let out a roar.

As expected from the event everyone had waited for, the excitement culminated instantly.

“Here we go, Kiri-chan!”

“Yes, Takahashi-senpai!”

The two members of the girl's track and field team dashed into the lead.

With a beautiful form, they continued to accelerate.

It was an excellent start that only the track and field team could do.

“We fell behind!?”

“Dammit, after them!”

“Don't let the girl's track and field team get ahead of us!”

As the others followed the girl's track and field team, something unexpected happened.

Several club members at the front had fallen.

It seemed like their legs had gotten tangled in the confusion at the start.

“Ouch, don't step on me; move away, you guys!”

“Owowow, it hurts!”

“That's my leg! Don't bend it in some strange way!”

“Hey, don't touch me in weird places!”

The lead group collapsed, and a large commotion followed.

Those who weren't involved in the commotion were unable to move forward because of those who had collapsed, and the start line turned into a standstill.

“Lucky! I don't know what happened, but this is our chance, Kiri-chan!”

“Yes, senpai!”

This was a big plus for the girl's track and field team.

Having dashed into the lead and with the lead group behind them collapsing, they were able to leave the other competitors behind.

Kiriha and Takahashi ran next to each other and swiftly turned.

After half a lap around the school's track, the course went outside of the school.

The two of them had finished running half a lap before the collapsed people could stand up again.

“Fufufu...”

Just before they left through the school gates, Kiriha looked back at the commotion and showed a small smile for just a moment.

Kiriha swiftly ran under the school gates and vanished.

“We've been had! Damn that Kiriha, to think she was planning something like this!”

Along with Theia's shrill voice, a large man in an old-fashioned uniform stood up.

And below the large man was Theia, who had an irritated expression.

Theia had also gotten involved in the incident, but she didn't seem have been hurt.

When the accident happened, she had her partner cover her.

“Did she seduce them, or did she bribe them?... Either way, I've been totally had! Dammit!”

Theia assumed this commotion was one of Kiriha's strategies.

The collapse had occurred immediately after the girl's track and field team had dashed into the lead.

Theia couldn't believe that it was just a coincidence.

“As I thought, I can't let my guard down around that woman!”

As Theia assumed, this commotion was one of Kiriha's strategies.

Kiriha had bribed several powerful clubs and caused the collapse.

By bribing them, she reduced the number of rivals while also gaining a large lead.

Twice the value for a single bribe; it was a splendid strategy.

“I won't let it go the way that woman's plans. Throw me over to the other side!”

“Hail to the princess!”

The large man began moving as he heard Theia's orders.

He easily lifted her up and threw her like he would throw a basketball.

It was a feat made possibly only 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!”

Having been thrown, Theia flew over the collapsed group and landed with both of her feet on the tracks.

And she continued to run without looking behind her.

She was a quick runner for her small size.

“A-Are you okay, Sakuraba-senpai!?”

“Thank you, Satomi-kun. But what happened?”

“I don't know, it looks like the front group collapsed at once.”

After falling a few seconds behind Theia, Koutarou lifted up Harumi and carried her with both of his arms.

As the front group collapsed, Koutarou and Harumi were in the middle of the group.

They had been trapped between the front group and the people pressing from behind, but they had finally gotten free and were now picking themselves up.

“Eh!?”

At that point, Koutarou saw Theia running.

Having finished running the track, Theia was heading for the school gates.

Not good, we've fallen behind!!

Koutarou looked at the front group that was still in a commotion.

“What to do... Even if I try to pass through there...”

It didn't look like the commotion would die down any time soon.

But at the same time, he knew that Kiriha and Theia were in the lead.

“Koutarou, over there! Those three!”

“Oh?”

Sanae, who was hanging onto Koutarou, pointed towards the front.

He saw three powerful looking men who were trying to stand up.

The rugby club, judo club and sumo club. They were all wearing distinct outfits.

“Now's our chance!”

As he saw them, he began to smile and run.

“Let's go, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Satomi-kun!?”

Koutarou ran towards them, increasing his speed.

“Hold on, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

“Juuuuump!”

And Koutarou trampled on the rugby club, judo club, and sumo club members and forcefully jumped.

They were 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 fluttered in the air as they flew over the leading group.

Because of the sudden action, Harumi was desperately holding on to Koutarou, trying not to fall off.

Both of Koutarou's feet were firmly planted onto the track.

Their combined weight exceeded 100 kilos.

Because of that, there was a large sound as they impacted with the ground.

“Kyaa!?”

“Are you okay, Sakuraba-senpai!?”

Before Harumi could recover from the shock of landing, Koutarou continued running.

“That's my line! Are you okay, Satomi-kun!?”

“I'm fine! I'm well trained, after all!”

Recovering from the shock, Harumi was worried about Koutarou's body, but Koutarou himself showed a smile full of confidence.

Koutarou, who was a catcher up until middle school, used to wear protective gear weighing several kilos including the glove.

In order to train his ability to move, he would practice while wearing the protective gear or run around while dragging a tire along behind him. His lower body was very robust.

“...Really?”

“Please leave 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...

Having been born with a weak body, Harumi was surprised by Koutarou's strength.

Oh?

As Harumi relaxed, she suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

The commotion at the starting point was still going on, so there weren't many people running on the track, and the spectators were watching the two of them running.

“What's the matter?”

“Well, Satomi-k―”

When she was about to respond to Koutarou next to her, she realized the reason for her unease.

“Senpai?”

“Ah, ahhh...”

Harumi was at a loss for words and her eyes opened wide in surprise.

Koutarou was much too close. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. She could feel his arms on her back.

And Harumi had her own arms around Koutarou's neck, embracing him as her body tensed up.

“Oh, Senpai, please keep tensing up like that; it makes it easier to run.”

“Um... S-Satomi-kun? Ehh!?”

Koutarou sped up, oblivious to Harumi's confusion.

As Harumi tensed up and her body got stiffer, it became easier for Koutarou to balance and speed up.

At the same time he put more force into his arms and pushed her closer to him.

And because of that, 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 with this!”

Flustered, Harumi tried to get off, but Koutarou shook his head.

It would be faster if Koutarou carried her for a while instead of her running on her own.

Koutarou wanted Harumi to finish the race, so he was planning on getting as far as he could like this.

“T-This is troubling me!”

“Why is that?”

“...”

Harumi was unable to respond; instead, her face became dyed red.

She was unable to say that being carried like this was embarrassing.

Moreover, she didn't dislike her current situation.

As she turned her face down, her heart began throbbing and she began to feel dizzy.

She was having trouble breathing. It might have been easier on her to run on her own.

“Just hold on tightly like that, please.”

"...Um.. Excuse me!”

“Yes?”

“I-It's nothing!”

As always, Koutarou didn't notice Harumi's current state and kept running.

Because there was no one else running, the crowd began staring at Koutarou and Harumi.

“Ah, Ahh... Auuu...”

Harumi decided not to think about the glances she was getting.

If she didn't, she felt that her heart would explode.

“Alright, I'm in top condition today!”

"...I feel like I'm going to lose my mind...”

The public observed Koutarou carrying Harumi around the track and as they ran under the school gate, continuing along the course.

Part 5

As Koutarou left the schoolyard, the commotion at the starting point died down and the competitors started taking off.

“Dammit, that first-year brat won't get away with this!”

“You want to get him, judo club!?”

“Damn right! What about you, rugby club and sumo club!?”

“You don't even need to ask! I'll show him!”

“Gottsan desu!”

“I hate him stepping on me, but even more so for being with a woman!”

“That's right! Unforgivable! Damn envious!”

“Gottsan desu!”

While some were wresting with their emotions, most students had now left the starting point behind them.

However, there was one participant who hadn't started.

“Uu... Uuuuuuu...”

This person laid on the ground, staring up into the sky.

This person's partner had vanished in the commotion, and she was now all alone.

“W-Why does this always happen to me...”

She was wearing a black one piece with an apron on top and a white headdress. The supposedly beautiful outfit was covered in dirt and had several foot prints on it.

A footprint had been left on her face as well.

She had fallen during the commotion, and the other competitors had trampled her.

“But I need to go, or I'll lose even more points... Uuu...”

That person slowly stood back up.

After standing up, she tried to brush off dirt from her outfit, but even then the footprints would not disappear.

“F-Fight! Y-Yurika Fight! Fight!”

Her name was Nijino Yurika.

It was the girl known for her excessive cosplay hobby.

Eventually, Yurika dragged her body forwards and began shakily running.

“I at least wanted to show it to someone before it got dirty...”

Just up until a moment ago, she had been close to tears due to being forced to wear her outfit and make-up, but now that it had gotten dirty it seemed that she had changed her mind.

However, even Yurika's tears seemed like some sort of joke with that footprint on her face.

The first obstacle was 500 meters away from the starting line.

After running half of the 400 meter long track and exiting the school, this meant that the first obstacle was roughly 300 meters away.

It was next to a playground by the foot of a small mountain.

After passing by the first obstacle, the course continued onto a promenade into the beach district.

The course then continued along the road along the coast.

And there were obstacles placed along the parks and resting areas along the way.

Koutarou reached first obstacle around the same time Theia had passed it.

Theia showed a provocative smile as she continued running.

“Hahaha, you're finally here, pleb! But at this rate, you have no chance of beating me! You'd do best to give up early on!”

“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 have to chase after Kiriha!”

Theia said so and began to run.

Once she started running she no longer turned back to look at Koutarou.

“Crap, Kiriha is already up ahead!? Senpai―”

“Yes!”

Koutarou put Harumi down on the ground and approached the first obstacle.

And Harumi followed behind him.

Sanae, who had been following after Koutarou, looked at Theia for a moment before following after Koutarou.

The obstacle at the playground was a math problem.

There were several desks that had been prepared in the playground, and they had to solve 10 easy math problems.

And they were not allowed to continue until they had correctly solved all of them.

The option of giving up was also possible, but in that case the competitor would be forced to wait one minute for each problem they were unable to solve.

It was a rule to prevent competitors from getting stuck on an obstacle for too long.

“Ahh, I don't get it. Help me, Kiri-chan!”

There was already someone sitting by a desk.

That would be Kiriha's partner, Takahashi.

Since she was less intelligent, she had been left behind by Kiriha.

She was desperately working away at the problems, but she had only solved half of the problems so far.

At this rate she would probably be forced to give up.

Koutarou took a seat next to her, picked up a pencil and got to work on solving the problems and Harumi did the same.

“Come on Koutarou, don't space out! Hurry up and solve it! Theia has already gone ahead!”

“Let's see here... 5682 + 7940 is...? Wow, what a pain...”

All ten problems were math problems at elementary school level.

However, the numbers were larger, making it a pain to calculate.

“Damn, I wish I had a calculator... 2 then 4 and 8 then carry one into 9 and 6 and 1...”

Koutarou was bad at calculating, so he slowly counted using his fingers.

“That's so easy! Just hurry up and solve it!”

“Don't just call out to me all of a sudden, I'll lose track of where I am!”

“Geez...”

Sanae floated in front of Koutarou, crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks.

She was getting frustrated when Koutarou couldn't solve a problem even she could solve easily.

Sanae's points were riding on Koutarou's success, so she couldn't help herself.

“Alright, next one is...”

And when Koutarou had solved his third problem, Harumi, who was next to him put down her pencil.

“I'm done.”

“Eh, you're already done!?”

“Yes. What about you, Satomi-kun?”

“I still have a ways to go. Go on ahead please, senpai.”

“But...”

Harumi peeked at Koutarou's problems; she couldn't just leave him behind.

Koutarou noticed this and smiled as he called out to her.

“Go on without me, please. I'll catch up with you right away!”

“Satomi-kun...”

“You're finishing the race 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 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 and put her up on the podium. In order to do that, he needed to leave her on her own as well.

If Harumi was forced to run at Koutarou's pace, she would eventually collapse.

They would eventually need to run separately.

“Then we'll meet each other later.”

“Let's finish this, senpai!”

“Yes, Satomi-kun!”

Harumi left a smile behind and handed her paper to the committee member in charge of this obstacle.

“Senpai...”

Her smile was more positive and powerful than ever.

Seeing her smile, Koutarou wanted to put her on the podium even more.

Because of that, he needed to make sure he caught up to Theia and Kiriha no matter what.

“Hey, was that girl your girlfriend?”

At that moment Takahashi, who sat next to Koutarou, pulled on his gym outfit.

“Ahaha, that would be nice...”

Koutarou smiled wryly and dropped his shoulders.

"...You don't see many with that personality nowadays. You should get her while you can!”

“I'd love too, but I'd feel bad for senpai if she was stuck with someone rough like me.”

“Ahaha, I don't see many with your personality either!”

“Really?”

Koutarou and Takahashi laughed and then continued to solve the problems.

As Koutarou began working on the final problem, Sanae, who had kept quiet up until now, opened her mouth.

“You really are stupid, you know...”

“Just leave me alone!”

“Why do you need to spend so much time on problems like these? Geez!”

Sanae complained as several participants arrived at the first obstacle.

As Koutarou was struggling with the calculations, many participants had caught up, and several had already gotten past.

Takahashi from the girl's track and field team had completed the obstacle just a few moments ago.

“I'll be going ahead, Satomi-kun!”

“Uhahaha, I'll be going on ahead Kou! The lunch is mine now!”

Before Koutarou could finish solving the last problem, Shizuka and Kenji left their desks.

Although they had arrived after Koutarou, since they had no problems calculating they were done in an instant.

“You two are already done!?”

“You're just too slow!”

“See ya!”

“Uwa, Kasagi-san, wait for me!”

“Geez, I'll tell you the answer already!”

“You can't, Sanae!”

Sanae panicked as Kenji and Shizuka left and attempted to give Koutarou the answer, but he swiftly blocked her mouth.

“Fugagaga! Fugaugaga!?”

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 us.”

If this had just been about Koutarou and the invaders, he might have listened to Sanae.

However, Koutarou wanted Harumi to win, and he didn't want to do that by cheating. She wouldn't be satisfied with that either.

On top of that, there was the bet with Kenji and Shizuka.

He couldn't simple just let Sanae answer for him.

As Sanae heard Koutarou's response, she pulled his hand away from her mouth.

“Then hurry up already!”

“I know, I know. Don't rush me!”

Koutarou continued solving the last problem.

“Geez, you're not just stupid but stubborn as well!”

Sanae let out an amazed voice.

But... Friends are a nice thing...

On the other hand, Sanae was envious of Koutarou's relationships.

“You can do it, Koutarou, there're probably no more than ten people in front of you!”

“Yeah!”

Part 6

Koutarou dashed onto the road with Sanae cheering for him.

The road Koutarou was running had hedges on either side.

On top of that, it was properly cleaned and gave off a nice atmosphere.

Around this time in the middle of May, the sunlight was strong and the temperature was high.

However, the gentle breeze from the sea cancelled that out. As Koutarou was running, he didn't feel that much heat.

“If we keep going at this pace, we might win!”

“It would be nice if that was the case...”

Koutarou had fallen behind because of the first obstacle. After that, things went more smoothly. However...

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 them both on the first try, and he was gradually passing by the other competitors.

“Koutarou, look up, it's Theia! We've caught up!”

“Great, we'll get past her on the next obstacle!”

And just before the fourth obstacle, Koutarou had finally caught up to Theia.

Theia was also doing well, but she had fallen behind on the third obstacle.

In reality, having been brought up as a princess, she was rather clumsy.

And since she was an alien, she was pretty bad at events she had never done before.

“Is that you, pleb!? Tsk, to think you've already caught up!”

“Wahahaha, you'd be better off if you had longer legs!”

Noticing Koutarou, Theia slightly increased her pace.

Koutarou also raised his pace and pursued her.

And with the fourth obstacle in front of them, they hurried along.

“Even though you're my vassal, you're always like this! Why are you always so harsh on me!?”

“Because I don't want to be your servant!”

“Why don't you learn from the cheerleading squad, you incompetent servant! They became my vassals after you, but they're already dedicated to me!”

“I refuse, you spoiled princess!”

“Whaaat!?”

“You two never change...”

“As if I'd change! Me and Koutarou are having an important discussion!”

“This is a crucial moment! I'll reform this idiot's personality!”

Though the two were blaming each other, when Sanae complained they replied in perfect harmony.

“...But wouldn't it be easier to run if you're not talking?”

“How could I run if I throw away my pride!?”

“That's right! How could I just let this idiot keep talking!?”

“...You two really are...”

Wouldn't the two of them actually get along really well?

If she had said that, they would deny it immediately, but she couldn't help but feel that way.

“Wahahaha, It's my victory, Tulip!”

As they reach the ballpark where the fourth obstacle was, Koutarou declared his victory.

“What was that!? This can still go either way!”

“No, it's my win! It seems fate favored me!”

There was a reason for Koutarou's declaration.

The fourth obstacle was speed eating jam-filled bread.

This left Koutarou at an advantage.

“Koutarou has an endless stomach, after all. This'll be easy.”

“So this was an event for dirty lower class citizens!?”

“Shut up!”

“You are my vassal, right!? Please eat with grace! If you just stuff your mouth you'll embarrass me! I could even wait here for a moment if you'd like!”

“That's none of your business!”

As they entered the ballpark, Koutarou and Theia were given a jam-filled bread each.

Compared to Koutarou's, Theia's bread was slightly smaller.

It was a handicap for women.

“Ahhh, don't just stuff it into your mouth! Take smaller bites and eat it gracefully!”

“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 with the bread.

“Waaa!! Would you think of my position for one moment pleb!? I'm ashamed to have such an embarrassing vassal!”

As if I caaaare!

And as Koutarou was chewing the bread in his mouth, another voice called out to Koutarou.

“Satomi-kun!”

“Saku...chomp...ba...chomp...pai!”

The voice belonged to Harumi.

She was tearing off small bits of the bread and putting it in her mouth.

“Like that, gracefully chewing like that is how the upper class― Hey, I'm not done talking to you, pleb!”

“Se...chomp...ai!”

“Ku, that woman again!? Curse you, Sakuraba Harumi! That man is my vassal!”

Theia stomped her feet irritatedly.

“There's no need to be so jealous.”

“Who are you calling jealous! That plebeian belongs to me! I'm just angry he's been taken away!”

“That's what they call jealousy.”

“You're wrong!”

Theia, who had gotten so excited her face turned red, put too much force into her hand and altered the shape of her bread.

Oblivious to Theia's feelings, Koutarou ran off to Harumi.

Koutarou swallowed the bread he was chewing on and began 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 problem.

The lead she had gained there made up for her slow speed, and she had gotten there before Theia.

“But I'm not good with this obstacle...”

“Yes, you look like you'd be bad with this kind of thing, senpai.”

Though things had gone smoothly for Harumi, the speed eating had stopped her.

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 eating.”

“Boy's really are amazing...”

“This is my only specialty...”

“Fufu, I'm quite envious.”

Harumi put on a small smile and showed her bread.

“Satomi-kun, don't mind me and continue on ahead. It's going to take me a while longer.”

“But―”

“That was our promise, Satomi-kun!”

That's right. I should let senpai run 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?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Harumi nodded greatly and continued eating her bread.

“Then I'll go on ahead.”

“Good luck, Satomi-kun.”

“You too, senpai.”

“Ah, wait up, Koutarou!”

“Don't leave me behind, pleb!”

Koutarou left Harumi behind and continued running towards the next obstacle.

Part 7

Harumi didn't leave the fourth obstacle until several minutes after Koutarou.

During that time, several participants had passed her and she had fallen far behind.

“I figured this would happen...”

Despite running on the marathon course, several participants passed her, and by the time she had cleared the fifth obstacle she was in last place.

“But I promised Satomi-kun I'd finish, so I need to give it my all!”

However, Harumi was still cheerful and smiled as she steadily ran on the course.

“Only half of the course left, I can do this!”

Satomi-kun will be waiting for me at the goal!

The newest member of the knitting society was waiting for her by the goal.

With that in her mind, Harumi was able to continue running.

“Uuu, I can't run any further...”

Unlike Harumi, the person next to her looked like she was about to give up any moment now.

She had a gloomy expression, her body was wavering and her steps were heavy.

Despite sharing last place, they were complete opposites.

“R-Retire, that's right, I just need to retire and this will end...! B-But if I retire my tatami will...! But I have no chance of catching up now! I can just drop out and rest, right? I gave it my all...”

This person had only experienced misfortune since the starting point.

She had fallen over and several participants had trampled her.

She had struggled with the calculations at the first obstacle. On the second obstacle, she had set a new low record of two meters.

At the third obstacle, she had dropped the ping pong ball five times. At the fourth obstacle, she had dropped her bread and it had been covered in dirt.

At the fifth obstacle, which was vaulting, she had failed her landing and planted her face into the ground.

“I'm at my limit... I'm overheating... Aha, ahahaha...”

Her name was Nijino Yurika.

She was a self-proclaimed magical girl fighting on her own.

Yurika was wavering so much she was unable to run straight.

Her sweat had messed up her make-up and her maid outfit was covered in dirt. Nothing of her previously beautiful look was left.

She was at her limit, both physically and mentally. She looked like she would fall apart at any moment.

“I can't...”

“Hang in there.”

“...?”

As Yurika was about to fall over, Harumi had gently held her up.

“T-Thank you very much. B-But it's fine. I'll just retire here...”

“Don't give up, please; you've already completed half of the course!”

Harumi desperately tried to encourage Yurika while keeping her from falling over.

Harumi couldn't leave Yurika who was sharing last place on her own.

“I can't win, nobody is looking and nobody will praise me...”

“You can't. If you give up here, you will have lost to yourself. Even if nobody else is looking, you're still looking at 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, 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 happen!

Yurika clenched her teeth and poured force into her body.

Doing that her body began to feel light again.

“I...!?”

It was a mysterious feeling for Yurika.

Harumi hadn't used magic, but power returned to Yurika.

“Hang in there, put power into your legs!”

“Y-Yes!”

Yurika was able to recollect herself thanks to Harumi.

Though she had given up, Yurika now felt that she could continue fighting.

“...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 should help each other out.”

To Harumi, who had a weak constitution, this was normal for her.

She knew how painful it could be, more than anyone, and that's why she couldn't just leave Yurika on her own.

She's so strong... She's probably several times stronger than me

That was how Yurika felt as she looked at Harumi smiling.

Although Harumi had no power, Yurika felt she would lose to her.

And she admired her for that. She wanted to be like her.

“I'm Sakuraba Harumi. And you are?”

“Y-Yurika! Nijino Yurika!”

Though they had barely missed each other a couple of times, this was the first time they had properly met.

Part 8

As Harumi and Yurika met, the lead group had now reached the eighth obstacle.

The first one to reach it was Kiriha.

She had managed to preserve the lead she had gained from the start.

Being able to do everything well, this kind of event suited her just fine.

“The eight obstacle is...”

But as Kiriha looked around the eighth obstacle, a couple of people came running up.

“There she is! That girl is the leader!”

“We finally caught up!”

“Not good, they finally closed the gap...”

She had lost steam since the start of the race, 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 and the boy's track and field team, several clubs that required stamina, had caught up.

“Oh, it's Kurano-san.”

“Kurano-san? Ah, it's true.”

Shizuka and Kenji were among the participants that had caught up.

The two of them seem to have struggled quite a bit. Kenji's stage outfit and Shizuka's apron were both covered in dirt.

The two ran up to Kiriha with smiles.

“Welcome, you two.”

“I finally caught up to you, Kurano-san!”

“To think I'm almost losing to girls... Kurano-san and 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 along with Koutarou.

Despite that, two of his female classmates had been running in front of him.

“Fufu, well, you did catch up.”

Kiriha smiled at Kenji, but she was actually relieved.

As I thought, Kasagi Shizuka is not normal... I'm happy she's not my opponent...

Unaware how Kiriha felt about her, Shizuka happily looked at the eighth obstacle.

At the halfway point of the marathon course, it turned around and headed back towards the school.

Because of that, the eighth obstacle was by a vacant lot next to the school.

“So the eighth obstacle is a balancing beam... But it seems pretty long.”

There were five long beams at the eighth obstacle.

The beams were on average about 30 meters long, and specially-made.

From here, the participants needed to select one of the beams and cross over, but that selection was a difficult one.

The five beams varied in thickness.

The middle one had a standard thickness, and there were two thicker and two thinner beams.

It didn't need to be said that the thinner the beam, the harder it would be to cross.

But it wasn't just a simple matter of choosing a thicker beam.

Depending on the thickness of the beam, the path branched off.

The thicker the beam was, the longer the detour.

If they fell off the beam, the participants would be covered in white powder, and the thicker the beam was, the longer the course they would have to run again.

So choosing the right balancing beam was very important.

Would participants pick a thinner beam to gain a lead, or play it safe and pick a thicker beam?

It was an important selection that would influence the development of the marathon.

“I'm at a loss... Mackenzie-kun, what 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 lets out an embarrassed laugh, a loud voice could be heard from afar.

Hearing that voice, the three stopped moving towards the beams.

“Why would you swear loyalty to that weak woman over me!?”

“It's because of your small heart! How about you show a bit of self-awareness, Tulip!?”

“What!? Try saying that again, you stupid vassal!”

“I'll say it as many times as I have to! Your size, breasts, and heart are small! You useless princess!”

“My size and breasts have nothing to do with it! Take back those insults!”

“I'm so sorry, you useless princess! The only thing small is your heart! Are you satisfied now!?”

“You're not putting any feelings 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 have something to say, you useless vassal!? Take this! And that!”

“Ow, Owow! You want to fight!?”

Koutarou and Theia came running whilst shouting at each other.

Sanae was next to them, but Kenji and Shizuka were unable to see her.

Koutarou and Theia would bump shoulders and kick each other as they ran.

They would probably have been able to run faster if they didn't, but those two were stubborn and just kept doing it.

Despite that, the speed they were running at was quite fast.

With a rival at their side, they refused to lose.

“Kou!? That idiot's already caught up! And Theia-san is with him!?”

“Hmm... as expected from Satomi-kun.”

“The only thing he has is strength and stamina, after all...”

When he saw Koutarou, Kenji changed his mind on what beam to cross.

Koutarou is just reckless; he'll definitely pick the thinnest beam! So I'll pick the second thinnest one! I'll give up on the safe play!

Kenji, who had been planning on taking the middle beam, was unable to take it slow now that Koutarou was closing in.

He instead decided to take the balancing beam next to his 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.

Kenji hurriedly followed after her.

However, Kiriha had something else in mind.

“Alright.”

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 I can't, there's still the ninth and tenth obstacle!

Kiriha began crossing the middle beam that Kenji and Shizuka had planned on crossing.

Even if Shizuka and Kenji hurried, they couldn't get past the people in front of them.

Which was why Kiriha had picked the middle beam no one 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 balancing beam! This must be hard for you since you're so unbalanced, Theia!”

“Just keep barking, plebeian! I'll show you the difference between us!”

Koutarou and Theia arrived at the obstacle.

And just as Kenji had predicted, Koutarou went for the smallest beam.

Koutarou was not one for petty tricks and went for the shortest path.

“Hurry up and cross it, Koutarou! We're close the goal now!”

“Leave it to me!”

Based on the situation it looked like Theia would follow after Koutarou, but instead she went for the thickest beam.

“Hey, Koutarou.”

“Hm?”

“Theia went that way.”

"...You're right. That's quite timid of you, Princess Tulip!”

Even though Koutarou was provoking her, Theia showed no signs of anger.

“Kukuku. More haste, less speed: I've only adhered to that proverb. Impatience is unfitting for royalty!”

Theia smiled as she began crossing the beam.

Because of the thickness of the beam, there was next to no chance of losing balance.

And Theia was able to move several times faster than Koutarou.

Amongst them, the first one to cross the halfway point was Kiriha.

Following her was Theia, Shizuka and Kenji in that order.

Koutarou was the last of the five.

He had joined in later, and the thin beam had made it difficult to cross.

Part 9

And although it looked like it was a just a simple matter of crossing the beam, an unexpected ambush happened.

“There they are! It's the leaders!”

“We've finally caught up! Now where is that one-year brat!?”

“Gottsan desu!”

It was the three upperclassmen Koutarou had stepped on at the start.

The rugby club, the judo club and the sumo club.

The men who were burning with anger approached the balancing beams.

“Uwa, they're here!?”

Sensing a hostile aura from behind, Koutarou turned his head to look.

Though Koutarou was 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 do we do!?”

“Even if you say that...”

Not good!

Koutarou turned his face down and tensed up.

He was hoping to cross the beam before they found him.

“Damn! Where is that brat!?”

“You don't remember, rugby club!?”

“It was just for an instant, so not clearly...”

However, the three men were quicker to forget than Koutarou.

None of them remembered his face.

“Alright! Luck is on our side!”

Lucky!

As Sanae cheered, Koutarou celebrated on the inside as he crossed the beam, trying not to stand out.

“Gottsan desu!”

“Hm? 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 women! You noticed just the right thing!”

“Rugby club! Over there! The only one with a woman is that guy! We've finally found him!”

“Good work! It's time for revenge!”

“Gottsan desu!”

The three set their eyes on a certain male student on top of a balancing beam.

“Mackenzie-kun, something strange is happening behind us...”

“Eh...?”

Of course, the person they had set their eyes on was Kenji, who was with Shizuka.

“Heey! First-year brat! How dare you use us as stepping stones!”

“And with a woman! I'm so envious!”

“Gottsan desu!”

The earth shook as the three giant men headed towards the beam.

Several students who planned on crossing the beam got out of their way.

“You can't run away any more!!”

“W-What's wrong!? Just what is going on!?”

Kenji, who didn't have a grasp of the situation, tilted his head as the beam shook as the three men approached him.

Why are they so angry!? And why are they closing in on me!?

They had mixed him up with Koutarou, so Kenji had no idea of what was going on.

“Are you trying to play stupid!? Don't tell me you forgot stepping on us at the start line!!”

“That alone is enough to punish you, but what's with you!? You're even with such a cute girl! I'm so envious!!”

“Gottsan desu!”

“You've made some kind of mistake! I haven't stepped on you at all!

“You're the only one with a woman! You can't fool us!”

“You heard him! Introduce us, you bastard!”

“Gottsan desu!”

Kenji desperately tried to persuade the three behind him, but they wouldn't listen to a word he said. They slowly closed in on him.

“T-They're here!”

“Kyahaha, stop touching me in strange places, Mackenzie-kun!”

“S-Sorry!”

Kenji tried to run up ahead. but with Shizuka in the way, he was stuck.

“Dammit you first-year brat! What kind of envious things are you doing in this situation!?”

“That's it, I've had it! What's with this difference in response, just because you have good looks!?”

“Gottsan desu!”

To the three men, capturing Kenji had a higher priority than winning the race, so they didn't mind falling off the balancing 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 looked at the three men approaching Kenji, he put his hands together.

“...Koutarou, you really are sly!”

“You think so?”

“Ah, so that's how it is! It's your fault, isn't it, Kou!?”

Looking at Koutarou putting his hands, together it suddenly struck Kenji.

The three men were chasing after a boy/girl team that had gotten an early lead.

The only team who fit into that criteria was Koutarou and Harumi.

“Don't try to involve innocent people, Mackenzie-kun!”

“Oh dear, how impudent of you... You're the one who involved them...”

“That was that and this is this. 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 cold glance.

However, Koutarou was indifferent.

“He's right! Don't be so unsightly, you first-year brat!”

“You're wrong! That guy, Kou, is the true culprit!”

“That brat is on his own, and unpopular no matter how you look at it! You're a terrible liar!”

“Gottsan desu!”

Despite Kenji desperately trying to persuade them, the three men showed no signs of taking their eyes of Kenji and they had now closed the distance to a few meters.

At that point, Kenji finally made up his mind.

“...At this point, I'll get caught and fall off the balancing beam! That's why I'm taking you with me, Kou!”

“What are you trying to do!?”

“This!”

The next moment, Kenji jumped off the beam and tried to kick Koutarou, who was crossing next to him.

It was Kenji's attempt at a recovery.

Rather than being thrown off by the three men, he would kick Koutarou off his beam and then make a run for the marathon course, losing the three men.

Though he might lose to Shizuka, as long as he didn't lose to Koutarou, there were no problems.

This was the best plan he had to come out on top in his current situation.

“Take this!”

“Look out, Koutarou! Dodge it!”

Being childhood friends, Koutarou and Kenji were no strangers to fistfights.

Which was why as soon as Kenji jumped, Koutarou prepared to intercept him.

I'm on top of a balancing 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, what if I do this!?”

Koutarou swung his right arm and hit Kenji's extended foot.

“Nuaaaah!?”

Because of that, Kenji's aim was thrown off, and he fell towards the mat covered in white powder.

“Uaahhh!?”

Having deflected Kenji's attack, Koutarou lost his balance and was now desperately waving his arms, trying to regain it.

“Don't think you've won just yet!”

However, just before Kenji fell onto the mat, he reached out his hand.

He was planning on grabbing Koutarou's flailing arm and dragging him down.

“Koutarou, watch out for the hand!”

“Damn you, Mackenzie!”

“Wahahaha, Kou, I'm taking you down wi―”

Just before Kenji reached Koutarou, his foot touched the mat.

However, that didn't matter to him, as long as he could grab Koutarou's arm.

Kenji's plan 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.

...Normally anyways.

BOOM!

However, regardless of how amazing Kenji was, he had no chance against the sudden explosion at his feet.

Because of the tiny explosion, Kenji vanished.

And Koutarou, who was on the verge of losing his footing, was fortunately pushed by the following shock wave and regained his balance.

“W-What!? What just happened!?”

However, despite having regained his balance, Koutarou was in shock from the sudden explosion.

“W-W-Wha?”

“Koutarou, are you okay!?”

“Satomi-kun, what about Mackenzie-kun!?”

Of course, Koutarou wasn't the only one who was shocked.

Sanae, Kiriha, and Shizuka were equally surprised.

And Kenji, who had been involved in the explosion, had no time to be surprised as he rolled along the mat.

There were very few who weren't surprised by the sudden event.

“Hey, the drama club member with the girl just exploded!”

“What!? The kind of guy you'd find at a club was blown away!?”

“Gottsan desu!”

“Did you hear!? The playboy bastard with glasses just self-destructed!”

“What!? He failed at seducing a woman!?”

“That's what I like to hear!”

Several men at the obstacle chimed in.

“Hooray, hooray, hooray!”

And they cheered with smiles on their faces.

“Ohohohoho!”

There was one more person who wasn't surprised by this situation.

“How frightening! This is why barbarians at the fringe of the universe are so frightening! To think they would bury landmines just to win at a sports festival! Truly frightening!”

The person who was laughing loudly on the furthest away beam was none other than the seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

“Landmines!? You mean this is your doing, Tulip!?”

Hearing her high pitched laugh, Koutarou was certain she was behind the mines.

“Ohohoho! I have no idea what you're talking about! Keep your false accusations to yourself!

However, Theia was feigning ignorance.

There was no evidence, so Theia was quite confident.

“Quit lying! The only ones who would do something as annoying as this are you and Sanae!”

“Wait just a minute! Why am I included in this!? You take that back and say you believe me more than anything!”

“C-Calm down, it's just a figure of speech!”

Being grouped up with Theia angered Sanae, and she began shaking Koutarou's head.

Since he was still on top of the beam, Koutarou tried desperately not to fall off.

At this point, a famous foreign song began playing.

The source of the song was the cellphone in Koutarou's pocket.

It was the theme song from a popular secret service movie.

Koutarou had set that as his ring tone whenever he got a call from Ruth.

“You need to stop taking me for a troublemaker!”

“W-Wait, I've got a call from Ruth!”

“Do you think you can fool me with that!?”

“Just be fooled for now!”

While being shaken by Sanae, Koutarou pulled his cellphone out and answered the call.

“R-Ruth-san!”

“Satomi-sama!”

Ruth's hasty voice could be heard from the cellphone.

She was speaking rapidly, and her voice was trembling.

“Damn! Did Ruth catch on!?”

Sensing that Ruth was on the phone with Koutarou, Theia's confident smile vanished.

“I have terrible news, Satomi-sama! 128 neutralizing mines are missing from Blue Knight's―”

“Blue Knight, commence wide area jamming! Shut down all communication!”

“AS YOU WISH, MY PRINCESS."

However, Ruth's voice stopped mid-sentence.

“Ruth-san, what was that about landmines!? Ruth-san!?”

Flustered, Koutarou called out to Ruth repeatedly, but the call ended with a beep.

He tried to call her back, but he was unable to connect to her.

The cellphone's display showed a no signal message.

“No signal!? Impossible, why would this...?”

“It's Theia! She's doing something again!”

“Dammit, Tulip! What's the meaning of this!? What did she mean by 128 mines!?”

“How terrifying... If 128 neutralizing mines really are buried here nobody would be able to escape. Terrorism really is terrifying!”

“You bastard, you think you can just play stupid!?”

“Koutarou, I don't think you have to right to say that...”

Koutarou ground his teeth, but Theia showed a confident smile.

Based on the situation, 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 of her triumph.

It was just as she said. Knowing that they could fall into landmines, nobody would advance like before.

This held true the faster they went and the thinner the beam was.

Everybody stopped moving.

“Princess!”

“Ah, you finally caught up!”

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 cheerleading squad member began crossing the thickest beam without hesitation.

And not with the steps of someone being cautious of landmines below them.

They were powerful steps without hesitation.

“I got it! Theia-dono, there are no mines under that beam, correct?”

Kiriha pointed at the beam Theia was crossing and exclaimed.

“So that's why she went for the thickest beam!?”

“It was that kind of trap!? That's playing dirty, Tulip!”

“Ohohoho! Stop with your baseless accusations! I and the cheerleading squad are merely crossing the beam equipped with unbreakable will, unwavering courage, and absolute loyalty! You can stay while lamenting over your own weakness for as long as you'd like!”

Theia boasted triumphantly as she grouped up with the cheerleading squad.

“Let's go! You and I will finish first and second!”

“Hail to the princess!”

Theia had taken 128 mines from the Blue Knight's weapon storage.

They had been buried here yesterday night by the cheerleading squad.

The only safe passage was the thickest beam.

Anywhere else had been packed with mines.

You were too naive, plebeian and Kiriha! Did you think I would fall into your trap without any plans!?

This minefield had been set up as a counter measure due to Kiriha's suspicious movements.

“Hey! It looks like there's nothing set up under that beam over there!”

“So all we need to do is cross that!?”

“That's it! Let's go!”

“Cross it!”

“W-What!?”

However, something Theia had not planned for happened.

When the other students had realized that all other beams were no good, they all began to cross the beam Theia was on.

“U-uwa, c-can't all of you cross it a little bit slower!?”

“P-Princess!”

Because a large amount of people began crossing the beam, it started shaking.

This caused by troubles for the large cheerleading squad member.

Unable to control his high center of gravity due the shaking beam, he quickly lost his balance.

“Hey, keep it together!”

“But! Prin― Uwaaa!?”

“L-Let go of me, you fool! Ahhhh!”

And the cheerleading squad member fell off the beam, taking Theia with him.

Falling off of the beam, the cheerleading squad member and Theia turned pure white from the powder on the mat.

Theia got up in a fluster, grabbed the cheerleading squad member's chest, and started shouting.

“You idiot! Why did you bring me with you!? If you're falling, just fall on your―”

BOOM!

However, Theia was unable to finish scolding her partner because a landmine exploded by their feet.

“W-Why?...”

Blown away by the landmine, they rolled on the mat and turned pure white once again.

“I told you to keep the beam at the edge clear...”

“P-Princess, I was certain that you meant the beam for the handicapped...”

In the obstacle marathon, clubs involved with volunteer work also participated.

Because of that, students who had been injured and were using wheelchairs also participated.

Because of that, there was a special beam kept separate from the others for handicapped students, and the cheerleading squad had not planted any mines there.

This was because Theia had told them to keep the rightmost beam clear of mines.

Hearing that, the cheerleading squad had been moved by her kindness, but sadly, that was not her intention.

“You fo-fool... It seems the loyalty... and courage... brought unfavorable results... Ugh...”

“I am truly, so... Ugh.”

“Uwaaaa, 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 figured that the thickest beam was safe and had begun crossing all at once, but not even this beam was safe.

They no longer had anywhere to run.

It wasn't just Koutarou and the others, but all of the students were now at a standstill on top of the beams.

However, with so many people being pushed around, that didn't last for long.

“Waaaaa! I can't keep it up!”

“Kyaaaaaaaa!”

“Mommyyyyyy!”

Several students fell from the beams, and looking at them, several more students lost their footing.

“Why!? Is this heavenly punishment for being too beautiful!?”

“I guess it's always the same for ugly men no matter where they go!”

“Gottan desu!”

Several flashes and explosions could be seen and heard at the eighth obstacle.

It could be described as a battlefield.

The only saving grace was that the neutralizing mines didn't harm anyone, but for those caught in the explosion, that fact wasn't of much help.

Part 10

Though there was a huge commotion at the eighth obstacle, that did not concern Harumi and Yurika, who had just passed the sixth obstacle.

They were still a kilometer away from the eight obstacle.

“Woah!”

“Are you okay, Nijino-san?”

“I'm okay, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“We still have a long way to go, so hang in there.”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

They encouraged each other as they dragged their heavy and tired bodies towards the goal.

The two girls running on the road created a very calm atmosphere, the complete opposite of the atmosphere at the eighth obstacle.

The two got along very well. Harumi, who was normally withdrawn, did not mind being with Yurika for some reason.

The reason might have been when she had met Yurika, she was struggling. Yurika also had a childish personality, and the fact that they were participating in the same marathon seemed to have all worked together and lowered Harumi's guard.

And because Harumi actually listened, Yurika liked her as well.

In other words, it seemed like they would make good friends.

They both felt that it would be fine to just keep running towards the goal at their current pace.

“Sakuraba-senpai, why are you trying so hard?”

“Fuh... Hah... Actually, I promised my friend in my society that I'd finish the race.”

Harumi was breathing roughly as she answered Yurika's question.

And her words would cut off from time to time due to her heavy breathing.

It seemed like she was about to reach her limit; however, even then, Harumi was smiling.

“That's why... I want to... reach the goal. It's a precious... promise with my friend...”

Having missed out on school a lot when she was younger, she had very few people she could call friends.

Which was why Koutarou held a special meaning to her.

Although the promise to reach the goal might not have meant much to him, it was a very important promise for Harumi herself.

“Friend... What kind of person is it?”

Harumi's friend.

Not realizing it was Koutarou, Yurika asked Harumi.

“That's―”

But Harumi's words were cut off, and her legs stopped moving.

Yurika, who was running normally, took a few steps in front of Harumi.

“Sakuraba-senpai?”

As Yurika stopped and turned around, Harumi body started leaning.

“...”

Harumi's face was pale and her pupils were shaking, as if she was trying to say something.

But Harumi didn't say anything and instead looked at Yurika with an apologetic look and fell towards the concrete pavement.

“S-Sakuraba-senpai!!”

However, Harumi didn't slam into the ground.

Yurika unexpectedly moved swiftly to catch Harumi.

“Please hang in there, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“...N-Nijino-san...”

Blood drained from Harumi's face. Her lips turned purple and her limbs were cold.

Though it wasn't impossible, it seemed a five kilometer marathon was too much for Harumi.

Despite having trained a bit, her body was still screaming.

Before she met Koutarou, Harumi might have retired halfway through.

However, Harumi had given it her all in order to fulfill her promise with Koutarou.

“So-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 rough.

And although her body temperature had dropped, her heart was throbbing.

Yurika, panicking, looked around her surroundings, but there was no one else around.

She tried to stand up to go find some help.

What stopped her was Harumi's weak voice and her cold hand grasping on to Yurika's hand.

“Niji... no-san... Sorry I couldn't... be with you... until the end...”

With those last words, Harumi lost consciousness.

The cold hand holding onto Yurika slowly let go and fell onto the ground.

“Sakuraba-senpai! Sakuraba-senpai!”

Despite Yurika desperately calling out to Harumi, she didn't regain her consciousness.

This is bad! There's no time to spare! In that case!...

Yurika gently put Harumi down on the concrete and stood up with a determined expression.

She extended her right arm and declared loudly.

“Come! Angel Halo!”

A blue spherical light appeared in front of Yurika's extended arm.

When the blue sphere of light vanished, a decorated staff was floating in its place.

As Yurika grabbed the floating staff, she 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 flash covered her body, and her outfit instantly changed into another.

From the maid outfit into the magical girl outfit.

It was the outfit Yurika was wearing when she had first appeared in Room 106.

“Just wait a second, Sakuraba-senpai. This magical girl, Rainbow Yurika, will save you!”

After changing her outfit, she grabbed her staff and focused once more.

This time, she pointed the tip of the staff at Harumi's chest.

Harumi had her eyes closed and was not moving a muscle.

Being unconscious, she was unaware of what was happening around her.

“Remove Disease ― Modifier Maximus!”

As Yurika shouted, the blue light from the cane wrapped around Harumi's body.

When Yurika used magic, there were seven different types of lights that could appear.

The blue light was when Yurika was trying to summon something.

All three spells she had used today had a blue light.

She was magical girl, Rainbow Yurika.

A magical girl able to use the seven colors of the rainbow.

Unfortunately, nobody was around to see her save the day.

However, at that point, Yurika didn't care about herself.

The only thing she was concerned with was saving Harumi.

“Wake up, Harumi-senpai!”

Yurika grasped the staff harder as she shouted.

And the blue light glowed brighter and covered Harumi in several layers.

Yurika desperately tried to wake Harumi up.

“You're going to reach the goal, right!? You made a promise with your friend, right!?”

“...”

However, Harumi showed no signs of opening her eyes.

She had been born with her sickness; it wasn't that simple of a task.

It wasn't something that could be cured right away, even using magic.

“I'll run with you! So please!”

Even then, Yurika kept calling out to Harumi with a loud voice.

Harumi was the one who had taught her not to give up.

“Ah!?”

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

The light flowing from the staff started changing, almost as if responding to Yurika's voice.

“Eh!? W-What is this!? I've never heard of white magic!”

The light had turned from blue to pure white before she knew it.

And the light was shining much brighter than before.

It was almost as if a tiny sun had appeared, and the white light surrounded Yurika and Harumi.

“W-Why!? Even my own wounds!? And even the pain is gone!”

The magic Yurika had used on Harumi increased in power and started affecting not only Harumi, but Yurika as well.

Yurika had several wounds after being trampled, but when enveloped in the light they vanished as if nothing had ever happened.

Even her exhaustion weighing her body down disappeared.

“What is this!?”

Eventually, the light turned into a pillar extending to the sky.

And Yurika stood in the middle of the pillar with a blank look on her face.

“What is this power!?”

The magic Yurika had used on Harumi was only intended to cure a single person from their sickness.

It didn't have the power to affect multiple people, and definitely not heal their wounds and remove their exhaustion.

That was another spell entirely. On top of that, the effect was abnormal.

“Could this be the power concentrated in Room 106!?”

Yurika wasn't sure of the origin of this power either.

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 color returned to her face and limbs.

Her low body temperature returned to normal. Her pulse and breath slowed down.

The only important thing was that Harumi was okay.

Nothing else really mattered to Yurika at that point.

Part 11

“D-Dammit! I can't... lose here... I n-need to put... senpai on the podium!”

“Hang in there, Koutarou; you're almost there!”

Returning to the schoolyard, Koutarou's whole body was covered in wounds.

Koutarou was unable to walk straight, and it was only a matter of time before he passed out and collapsed.

He was using a branch he picked up on his way as a cane and almost dragged his body under the school gate.

As Koutarou entered the schoolyard, the audience on the bleachers stood up.

Although he was struggling, he was currently in first place.

Despite the obstacle marathon being an annual race, the Knitting Society had never taken first place before.

Because of that, the tension of the audience in the schoolyard was at an all-time high.

However, even their loud shouts of joy were unable to reach Koutarou's ears.

“Just a little bit more, the goal is so close...”

“Look, it's the tenth obstacle! It's only 30 meters away!”

The only voice that reached the exhausted Koutarou was Sanae's.

He was only relying on her words as he dragged his legs forwards.

The reason Koutarou was in this state was because of the minefield at the eighth obstacle.

The ninth obstacle only served to worsen his current state.

However, Koutarou didn't fall because he wanted Harumi to win and because of Sanae cheering him on.

Without that, he would have collapsed long ago.

“If you do that you're done!”

“Done? I-I'm already done?”

However, Koutarou made a big mistake.

He had missed part of what Sanae told him, thinking she had said ”You're done”.

“Waa, Koutarou, no, you can't stop now!”

“I'm finally done...”

Usually, this small mistake wouldn't be any problems.

But for Koutarou, who had reached his limits, once he lost his will there was no coming back.

Koutarou's body shut down and he simply fell down with a satisfied smile on his face

“I did it!”

“You didn't! Would you listen to me!?”

“Uhehehe, you don't have to praise me that much, Sanae...”

“I'm not!”

Sanae's screams were in vain as Koutarou shut his eyes.

Being exhausted, Koutarou had already lost his consciousness.

“Zzzz...”

Having passed out, Koutarou had an expression of relief.

It was the expression of a man who had completed his task.

“Why are you falling asleep with such a satisfied smile!? What are you going to do about my tatami!?”

However, to Sanae, Koutarou's relieved expression and satisfied smile were truly unpleasant.

When Koutarou who had dominated first place collapsed, the schoolyard fell into disarray, and the commenter raises his voice in response.

“Oh, this looks to be big trouble! The Knitting Society's representative Satomi Koutarou went down just before the tenth obstacle! The nearby committee member is shaking his head! It seems like he's completely passed out!”

And before the female commentator could finish, the crowd's tension rose once again as the second place and third place participants entered the schoolyard.

“There you are, Sanae! Koutarou is... Aha, after coming this far he passed out! That's alright; as my vassal, when I win you will be rewarded as well!”

“Which means the winner between the two of us will be declared victor...”

Theia and Kiriha entered the schoolyard.

There must have been quite a large gap between them and the rest of the participants because no one else could be seen.

As they entered the schoolyard, cheers start pouring down from the bleachers.

“Kurano-san! You can do it!”

“Kiriha-chan! Win this and capture the funds for the culture festival!”

“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess! Victory for her Highness Theiamillis! Glory for the Forthorthe royal family!”

But just like Koutarou, the two of them were exhausted and were unable to respond to the cheers.

There were covered in white powder and their clothes had scorch marks.

They had both fallen off the balancing beams.

After that, they had fought 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 step.

“It was quite the dramatic race, but it seems we need to settle this now.”

“That was my intention from the start. Let's settle this, Theia-dono.”

Despite that, the two of them dragged their legs forward and ran on the track.

The tatamis for Room 106 depended on this obstacle race.

There was no way they would simply back down.

As the two of them got closer to Koutarou, they called out to Sanae next to Koutarou.

“Sanae, is Koutarou alright?”

“Yes, he's just sleeping...”

“I see, that's good.”

“Kukuku, it seems you chose the wrong partner, Sanae!”

“Shut up, leave me alone!”

“I think I'll do just that, fuhahahahaha!”

They ran past Koutarou and reached the tenth obstacle.

“Welcome back, master, and welcome to the last stop, the tenth obstacle~♪”

The ones welcoming Theia and Kiriha were none other than the five members of the cosplay club.

And they spoke in chorus.

Apart from Yurika and the president, the five of them, who didn't get to participate, served as the staff at the tenth obstacle.

Because of this, they were wearing maid outfits and an armband that had 'staff' written on it.

“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 them with a box 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 note from this box and borrow the thing written down on it from someone in this schoolyard. Once you've borrowed, it head for the goal!”

“I got it!”

“Same here.”

Theia quickly thrust her hand into the hole at the top of the box, with Kiriha following suit.

And when they pulled their hands out, they were holding pieces of paper that had been folded twice.

“Well then, you two, please read your note!”

Following the vice-president's lead, the two of them read their notes at the same time.

“T-This couldn't be!?”

“You're telling me to bring this thing in!?”

The two of them were left astonished, and as they noticed one another, they peeked on the other's note.

“Fufufufufufu!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

After peeking at their opponent's note, they both began to laugh.

However, despite their laughing they were glaring at one another.

And they clenched their fists as they took a stance.

It looked like they were about to start a fistfight.

“I thought it would come to this... The road to invasion is covered in blood...”

The following was written on Kiriha's note:

'Borrow an A-cup or smaller bra.'

“Hah, bring it on, Kurano Kiriha!”

And the following was written on Theia's note:

'Borrow a D-cup or bigger bra.'

Kiriha was disappointed and Theia was excited.

Though they held opposite feelings, they were about to do the same thing.

What they needed was right in front of them.

They were both planning on beating each other down and taking what they needed.

Having started running again, Harumi and Yurika began passing other participants.

It was in part due to the majority of the leading group retiring at the eighth obstacle, but they were also running faster than before.

“I wonder what happened to me... Not only do I feel much better, but I'm running 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.”

After Harumi had regained consciousness, the two of them were for some reason running faster.

And no matter how quickly they ran they didn't run out of breath nor did they feel any exhaustion.

Anyone would find it odd, let alone Harumi.

“But, I'm really curious...”

“Then think of it as my magic. I'm not wearing this outfit just for show!”

“Nijino-san... Fufufu, I think I'll do that. That way would be more interesting, wouldn't it?”

Thanks to Yurika's cheerful words, a smile returned to Harumi's lips.

Even though there was no such thing as magic, it would be more fun to think there was.

After hearing Yurika's words, that was what went through Harumi's head.

“Yes! I'm the magical girl of love and courage and dreams and hope!”

Seeing Harumi's mental health restored as well, Yurika couldn't help but feel happy.

In return, Harumi was convinced that Yurika was a cosplayer, but Yurika had no intention of correcting her.

Even though nobody would believe Yurika when she talked about magic.

This isn't magic, this is thanks to Sakuraba-senpai's hard work.

In reality, it was the white magic that Yurika had used. If she convinced Harumi of that, however, it would be the same as denying all of her hard work.

That was why Yurika insisted that it was a stroke of luck due to Harumi's efforts.

I'm fine with being called a cosplayer if I have to... I just want Sakuraba-senpai to believe in herself.

She had hated the obstacle marathon just a few minutes ago, but now she was having a lot of fun.

“L-Look, Nijino-san, we can see the school gate from here!”

“You're right! We're just a little bit away!”

The goal the two of them were desperately trying to reach was now very close.

“Gua!?”

“Guha!”

As Harumi and Yurika ran under the school gates, Theia and Kiriha's fists connected with each other's face.

“That settles it! As Kurano went for a right jab, Theia went for a cross-counter; however, Kurano readjusted her aim and hit her mark! They both have hit each other with a heavy blow and have knocked each other out!”

Their fists impacted on each other's cheek, and they stopped moving in their current position.

“Let's listen to the boxing club's advisor, Tange-sensei's explanation! Sensei, what do you think?”

“Close, so close! If Theia just had a little bit more reach it would've ended up very differently! This was not her fault! If only she had a little bit more reach!”

An excited voice explaining the events filled the schoolyard.

Meanwhile, Theia and Kiriha remained motionless, but eventually ran out of power and collapsed at the same time.

“Both of them have been knocked down!”

“Well done, Theia! The match may have been a draw, but in regards to boxing you were the winner!”

The crowd in bleachers stood up as cheers of joy and applause shook the schoolyard.

However, the praise didn't reach Theia or Kiriha, as they had both 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 this tenth obstacle truly troubled them.

“S-Satomi-kun!? Even Satomi-kun was!...”

“W-Who did this to him!? I don't want a fist fight!”

Koutarou was passed out next to Theia. Seeing that, Harumi and Yurika grew even more anxious.

“It's not really that hard of an obstacle.”

“...R-Really?”

As Sanae, who was with Koutarou said that, Yurika let out a small sigh of relief.

“Koutarou collapsed because he was tired. And those two were just fighting each other.”

“I see, thank God...”

Normally, Yurika was terrified of Sanae but right now she was too surprised by so much else to notice, and she showed Sanae a large smile.

However, Sanae was still in a bad mood.

She was angry at Koutarou, who still hadn't woken up.

“Nijino-san, who are you talking to?”

“N-nobody! I'm just talking to myself!”

Harumi couldn't see Sanae, and of course Sanae's voice didn't reach her either.

Which was why when Yurika was talking to Sanae in her current outfit, it looked very strange.

“I see. That's good...”

Harumi instinctively let out a sigh of relief.

If it was just cosplay it could be covered up by calling it a hobby, but if she was talking to someone when no one else was around it was quite scary.

Which was why Harumi was relieved when she heard Yurika was simply talking to herself.

“Welcome back, master!”

Shortly thereafter, Harumi and Yurika arrived at the tenth obstacle.

And it was, of course, the cosplay society that greeted them.

“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 notes! There are some people ahead of you, but if you hurry you can still make it!”

The vice-president explained in a hurry and presented the box to them.

The cosplay society members obviously wanted Yurika to win, so they rushed her on.

At the current moment, Yurika and Harumi were in seventh and eighth place.

Although, with Koutarou, Theia, and Kiriha knocked out, they were actually fourth and fifth.

Which meant there were three others ahead of them.

Those three had entered the crowd to find what they needed, so if they hurried along they still had a chance.

“Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Yes!”

Yurika and Harumi put their hands in the box and drew a note at the same time.

Unlike Theia and Kiriha, they did so calmly; they had no intention of beating down the other party.

“Ah...”

“Auu...”

As they opened their notes, Harumi's expression lit up; however, Yurika's expression turned gloomy.

“I got this. What did you get, Nijino-san?”

“I got this...”

The two of them showed each other their notes.

Harumi had 'A junior in your club' written on hers, and Yurika had 'A friend' written on hers.

“Alright, let's go, Nijino-san!”

“Auu... Go on ahead, Sakuraba-senpai. I will retire here.”

Yurika dropped her shoulders with a sad look on her face.

Her eyes were dim and she let out a big sigh.

“Why?”

“I still don't have any friends...”

Harumi only needed to bring Koutarou with her, so she had no problems.

But finding a friend in the city when Yurika had only recently gotten here was too big of a request for her.

“So just go on ahead, please.”

“It'll be okay, Yurika-san.”

However, Harumi kept on smiling, she talked to Yurika gently.

“Your friend is right here.”

“Eh...”

“Or am I not enough?”

“N-No, not at all! I-It's an honor, Sakuraba-senpai!”

Yurika's instantly smiled and nodded repeatedly.

She was shedding tears of joy, revealing how much it meant to her.

“But I would like you to do me a favor.”

“A favor?”

Yurika stared with a blank look and blinked repeatedly.

Seeing that, Harumi happily winked at her, and put on a smile she rarely showed anyone.

“Could you help me carry Satomi-kun?”

“O-Of course! For as long as you like!”

“Thank you, Nijino-san.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you!”

And as they two of them laughed cheerfully, they ran over to Koutarou.

Translator's Notes and References

1. ↑ A shortened version of Gochisou san desu (Thanks for the meal) used by sumo wrestlers who tend to speak with their bodies more than their mouths.

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