Author's Opening Comments: Last chapter I said the same thing, but thanks again for all the comments!
__________
The day of the athletics festival has come. The weather is perfect and everyone is pumped.
As the events are going on, everyone else is free to do what they want on the sports grounds. As for the three of us, we're having fun watching all the events.
Egg toss, scavenger hunt, centipede race, tug of war, dance competitions and so many more events. It was pretty impressive seeing so many events in a row. Yukishiro-san did the egg toss and Hasuike did the tug of war. As for me, I decided to do the large skip rope. All the second years participated in the Sodan Bushi dance and the scavenger hunt was for the whole school.
After much time, the much anticipated 2nd year relay race finally arrived.
"You two do your best!"
Hasuike and I both give Yukishiro-san a thumbs up.
"I'll do my best as the first one up, everything's up to you after."
And after Hasuike's words, I do the same thing.
"The first runners for the relay, please line up!"
Hasuike leaves to line up as we hear the student council president's resounding gathering call. Yukishiro-san and I stand and watch Hasuike as he gets ready. From the speakers, we can hear the classic relay song "Hellish Orpheus'' playing.
"On your marks, get set, GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
Bang.
The pistol fires off its blank and the four runners begin their run.
"You can do it, Hasuike-kun!"
Yukishiro-san and all of our classmates shout words of encouragement as loud as we can. Our shouts reach him, and we can see his face light up. And with that, the tops pass over the baton to the next runners.
Our class has 31 students and with each baton pass, the relay keeps on going, inching towards the finale.
"What will I do... I think it's going to be my turn soon…”
Yukishiro-san turns white as her turn slowly approaches.
"Hey, calm down Yukishiro-san, this is what you've been practicing for. You'll be alright."
"Th-thanks. Hey, Ichinose-kun, can you put out your hand?"
"My hand? Sure."
I don't really understand what she wants with my hand, but I put it out anyways. She takes it with her hands and clasps it tightly.
"Huh..."
"I think that'll do. Thanks Ichinose-kun, I feel more confident now."
"Y-yeah..."
Her usually white face now has a shade of pink, glowing with vigour. I smile and wave as she leaves, but all I can think about is my racing heart.
As she takes the baton, her soft hair flutters in the wind as she runs as fast as she can. I find myself gazing at her intently. As she reaches the next runner, she manages to pass the baton successfully. Having fulfilled her duty, our eyes meet and we both smile at each other.
And all that's left is my job, the most important one.
Right now, Class 2 is leading the competition by a considerable margin, meanwhile our class is second with the third place class chasing our tails. The anchors take their positions. Kirigaya, the anchor for Class four, me and the anchor for Class three line up in that order.
Everyone is stretching their muscles and rolling their wrists except for me. I'm standing stock still. The guy from Class four turns to Kirigaya.
"Is the guy from Class 1 an amateur or what?"
I'm pretty sure the anchors from Classes 3 and 4 are members of the track team too.
"The anchor from Class 1 is in the track team too. But his girlfriend dumped him, so his mind is in a twist right now. Hahaha!"
"........''
It's obvious that Kirigaya is mistaking me for Hasuike.
"Well, it's not like he can ever win against me in anything. Not in running and definitely not in lov-"
"The baton's coming."
"A-ah, I'll be going then."
With a cocky smile, Kirigaya gets ready to take the baton, but not before he pushes his hand through his hair. And the gap between first and second becomes even more drastic. People from my class are anxious. Yukishiro-san and Hasuike especially, as they look at the oncoming runner with worry.
The runner from Class 2 runs up and she passes the baton to Kirirgaya.
With the stars of the show finally appearing on stage, everyone's attention focuses back on the running track. Under the shining May sky, the banging of drums, the enthusiastic cheers from the girls and the yells of encouragement from the guys are all united.
As the final runners get ready, the final song ends. All that's left is a straight dash to the finish line.
Alright then.
The guy from Class 4 takes off and I'm getting ready myself. Destroying Kirigaya is my only goal, nothing has changed. I've come this far, no backing out now. I get myself ready like how Hasuike has instructed me many times before.
The Class 4 anchor receives his baton.
And then, a few seconds later.
In my hand, my classmate hands over the baton to me.
Off I go.
I can feel the wind resisting me as I start springing forward. The noise of the cheering fades away and all I can hear is my own breathing.
In front of me, the Class 4 anchor seems to be frozen in time, so I easily pass him.
And second place is mine.
But that's not enough.
In my line of sight lies the back of Kirigaya.
I'll fucking pulverize him.
Just then, the tailwinds and headwinds shift.
With every step, I advance further, my feet kicking on the soft ground.
With every step, Kirigaya's back becomes bigger.
Just like the haughty hare, he thinks he's all alone running so far ahead of everyone else. His stiffening eyes as he sees me approaching is so satisfying.
With every step, the goal line becomes ever so clear as Kirigaya and I are neck and neck.
He really is the track team ace. His running speed is fast.
But I am a level beyond him.
"Fuu... Kuu..."
As I break the goal tape, I hear Kirirgaya's pained moans behind me.
All the students seem to be shocked silent, but the next second, thunderous applause is heard throughout the sports grounds. All my classmates come rushing towards me, pick me up and throw me into the air.
"H-hey everyone, calm dow-"
Since I'm all the way up in the air, none of my classmates can hear me. Oh well, might as well live in the moment.
As I look down, I see tears running down Yukishiro-san's face and beside her, Hasuike is weeping loudly, his face in his arms. Those two seem to be elated.
"Ichinose, you're one hell of a runner!"
"You were so fast!"
"I know right! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in first place!"
"You're so hot!!!"
"The anchor for Class 2 was the ace of the track team, Kirigaya-kun! You left him in the dust!"
"That piece of shit deserved what came to him given his cocky face before."
Seems like Kirigaya is trying his best to remain cool, but the girls in his class can see through his flimsy act. With reality hitting him, Kirigaya flops down onto the ground and stares dumbfoundedly into space. I manage to catch this from the corner of my eye.
The atmosphere for Class 2 definitely feels like a funeral, with an ashamed feeling going around everyone. With everyone abandoning him, Kirigaya turns his attention to the first year area.
As if it was just magic, my eyes find a first year girl furrowing her eyebrows and biting her lip. My eyes meet with that girl, Hanabi Kisaragi.
Oh no, her own boyfriend got beaten by her ex, how vexing. For fuck's sake. Well, I'm not really angry or anything, just mildly annoyed. Because of Hasuike, I was able to beat Kirigaya and with that, I have even more reason to not give a damn about Hanabi.
______
Translator's Notes: Such a satisfying chapter, the running sequence was pretty hype. Also, expect a delay for Chapter 10, I have a surprise in the works. Look out for that!
Author's Opening Comments: Last chapter I said the same thing, but thanks again for all the comments!
__________
The day of the athletics festival has come. The weather is perfect and everyone is pumped.
As the events are going on, everyone else is free to do what they want on the sports grounds. As for the three of us, we're having fun watching all the events.
Egg toss, scavenger hunt, centipede race, tug of war, dance competitions and so many more events. It was pretty impressive seeing so many events in a row. Yukishiro-san did the egg toss and Hasuike did the tug of war. As for me, I decided to do the large skip rope. All the second years participated in the Sodan Bushi dance and the scavenger hunt was for the whole school.
After much time, the much anticipated 2nd year relay race finally arrived.
"You two do your best!"
Hasuike and I both give Yukishiro-san a thumbs up.
"I'll do my best as the first one up, everything's up to you after."
And after Hasuike's words, I do the same thing.
"The first runners for the relay, please line up!"
Hasuike leaves to line up as we hear the student council president's resounding gathering call. Yukishiro-san and I stand and watch Hasuike as he gets ready. From the speakers, we can hear the classic relay song "Hellish Orpheus'' playing.
"On your marks, get set, GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
Bang.
The pistol fires off its blank and the four runners begin their run.
"You can do it, Hasuike-kun!"
Yukishiro-san and all of our classmates shout words of encouragement as loud as we can. Our shouts reach him, and we can see his face light up. And with that, the tops pass over the baton to the next runners.
Our class has 31 students and with each baton pass, the relay keeps on going, inching towards the finale.
"What will I do... I think it's going to be my turn soon…”
Yukishiro-san turns white as her turn slowly approaches.
"Hey, calm down Yukishiro-san, this is what you've been practicing for. You'll be alright."
"Th-thanks. Hey, Ichinose-kun, can you put out your hand?"
"My hand? Sure."
I don't really understand what she wants with my hand, but I put it out anyways. She takes it with her hands and clasps it tightly.
"Huh..."
"I think that'll do. Thanks Ichinose-kun, I feel more confident now."
"Y-yeah..."
Her usually white face now has a shade of pink, glowing with vigour. I smile and wave as she leaves, but all I can think about is my racing heart.
As she takes the baton, her soft hair flutters in the wind as she runs as fast as she can. I find myself gazing at her intently. As she reaches the next runner, she manages to pass the baton successfully. Having fulfilled her duty, our eyes meet and we both smile at each other.
And all that's left is my job, the most important one.
Right now, Class 2 is leading the competition by a considerable margin, meanwhile our class is second with the third place class chasing our tails. The anchors take their positions. Kirigaya, the anchor for Class four, me and the anchor for Class three line up in that order.
Everyone is stretching their muscles and rolling their wrists except for me. I'm standing stock still. The guy from Class four turns to Kirigaya.
"Is the guy from Class 1 an amateur or what?"
I'm pretty sure the anchors from Classes 3 and 4 are members of the track team too.
"The anchor from Class 1 is in the track team too. But his girlfriend dumped him, so his mind is in a twist right now. Hahaha!"
"........''
It's obvious that Kirigaya is mistaking me for Hasuike.
"Well, it's not like he can ever win against me in anything. Not in running and definitely not in lov-"
"The baton's coming."
"A-ah, I'll be going then."
With a cocky smile, Kirigaya gets ready to take the baton, but not before he pushes his hand through his hair. And the gap between first and second becomes even more drastic. People from my class are anxious. Yukishiro-san and Hasuike especially, as they look at the oncoming runner with worry.
The runner from Class 2 runs up and she passes the baton to Kirirgaya.
With the stars of the show finally appearing on stage, everyone's attention focuses back on the running track. Under the shining May sky, the banging of drums, the enthusiastic cheers from the girls and the yells of encouragement from the guys are all united.
As the final runners get ready, the final song ends. All that's left is a straight dash to the finish line.
Alright then.
The guy from Class 4 takes off and I'm getting ready myself. Destroying Kirigaya is my only goal, nothing has changed. I've come this far, no backing out now. I get myself ready like how Hasuike has instructed me many times before.
The Class 4 anchor receives his baton.
And then, a few seconds later.
In my hand, my classmate hands over the baton to me.
Off I go.
I can feel the wind resisting me as I start springing forward. The noise of the cheering fades away and all I can hear is my own breathing.
In front of me, the Class 4 anchor seems to be frozen in time, so I easily pass him.
And second place is mine.
But that's not enough.
In my line of sight lies the back of Kirigaya.
I'll fucking pulverize him.
Just then, the tailwinds and headwinds shift.
With every step, I advance further, my feet kicking on the soft ground.
With every step, Kirigaya's back becomes bigger.
Just like the haughty hare, he thinks he's all alone running so far ahead of everyone else. His stiffening eyes as he sees me approaching is so satisfying.
With every step, the goal line becomes ever so clear as Kirigaya and I are neck and neck.
He really is the track team ace. His running speed is fast.
But I am a level beyond him.
"Fuu... Kuu..."
As I break the goal tape, I hear Kirirgaya's pained moans behind me.
All the students seem to be shocked silent, but the next second, thunderous applause is heard throughout the sports grounds. All my classmates come rushing towards me, pick me up and throw me into the air.
"H-hey everyone, calm dow-"
Since I'm all the way up in the air, none of my classmates can hear me. Oh well, might as well live in the moment.
As I look down, I see tears running down Yukishiro-san's face and beside her, Hasuike is weeping loudly, his face in his arms. Those two seem to be elated.
"Ichinose, you're one hell of a runner!"
"You were so fast!"
"I know right! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in first place!"
"You're so hot!!!"
"The anchor for Class 2 was the ace of the track team, Kirigaya-kun! You left him in the dust!"
"That piece of shit deserved what came to him given his cocky face before."
Seems like Kirigaya is trying his best to remain cool, but the girls in his class can see through his flimsy act. With reality hitting him, Kirigaya flops down onto the ground and stares dumbfoundedly into space. I manage to catch this from the corner of my eye.
The atmosphere for Class 2 definitely feels like a funeral, with an ashamed feeling going around everyone. With everyone abandoning him, Kirigaya turns his attention to the first year area.
As if it was just magic, my eyes find a first year girl furrowing her eyebrows and biting her lip. My eyes meet with that girl, Hanabi Kisaragi.
Oh no, her own boyfriend got beaten by her ex, how vexing. For fuck's sake. Well, I'm not really angry or anything, just mildly annoyed. Because of Hasuike, I was able to beat Kirigaya and with that, I have even more reason to not give a damn about Hanabi.
______
Translator's Notes: Such a satisfying chapter, the running sequence was pretty hype. Also, expect a delay for Chapter 10, I have a surprise in the works. Look out for that!
