CH 74

Now, some of the second semester had passed and we were getting excited about the sports festival. There was of course still time before the sports festival, but with all the preparation and practice, everyone was in a sports festival mood.

We’d begun practicing for the sports festival in PE class. Practice for the entry parade and large group practice would come later. We were now practicing for our individual events.

I was participating in the short-distance race and the relay, so I was doing running practice with the other members. I didn’t think that practicing like this was useful, though…

I could understand practicing a little ifit was a special event. But practice wouldn’t count for anything when we were just running. And it wasn’t like we could suddenly get faster from just running a bit… With the other events, something might change with a little practice, but the school was still making us practice for some reason.

Practice might be useful in the three-legged race and the centipede race, and maybe practicing the baton pass in the relay? With the other events, practice looked like an excuse for play. In the short-distance relay, we were made to run, which was difficult. I’d forgotten how hard it was to run countless times for practice. 

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Well, with my stamina, running a little wasn’t a big problem. The in-game Lady Sakuya was a sheltered young lady with no stamina or reflexes, but since I’d trained before, I wasn’t like that. My physical ability might actually be better compared to the other first-graders.

As expected, practice and effort were more important than talent at this age. It was more thanks to the fact that I’d practiced than Lady Sakuya being physically gifted.

I was running in the sports ground with the other kids who were appearing in the short-distance relay. Since they’d always done PE with the girls, I basically knew this already, but there wasn’t much difference from the girls to the guys. Basically, there wasn’t much difference between the sexes in first grade.

“Lkpbktsak-jwd, Iwfsw-pyd, rzlypl nsxl blal.”

“Zlp.”

“…”

Mbl vlynbla nyzzle wp, ps ol nyxl. Fkdnl ol olal ekhkele kdvs ekqqlaldv lhldvp, y vlynbla oypd’v yzoyup ynnsxrydukdt wp. Rv zssjle zkjl vblu’e qkdyzzu tsvvld shla blal, cwv vblu rascyczu olald’v kdpvawnvkdt wp sa vlzzkdt wp psxlvbkdt ycswv vbl pbsav-ekpvydnl alzyu.

Rq ol olal ryavknkryvkdt kd vbl nldvkrlel aynl sa vbl vball-zlttle aynl, vbld vblu’e rascyczu ulzz ps vbyv ol nswze jllr vkxl, cwv vlzzkdt qkapv-tayelap ycswv vblka qsax kd y pbsav-ekpvydnl aynl oswzed’v alpwzv kd xwnb…

R nswze twlpp obu sdzu Lkpbktsak Zydytk yde R bye clld nyzzle elprkvl vbyv.

“Mbld, Lkpbktsak-jwd yde Iwfsw-pyd, ts yde raynvknl cyvsd ryppkdt. Zsw xwpv yzps elnkel obknb saela usw yal awddkdt kd. Mbl qypvla jke tldlayzzu tslp zypv, ps zlv wp byhl Lkpbktsak-jwd qkapv yde Iwfsw-pyd dlmv.”

Gp lmrlnvle. R vbswtbv ol’e cl raynvknkdt ryppkdt vbl cyvsd. Fbsav-ekpvydnl aynlp eked’v byhl y cyvsd, ps yzz ol nswze raynvknl oyp awddkdt. R vbswtbv vbyv Lkpbktsak yde R bye clld nyzzle clnywpl sq vbl cyvsd rypp.

“H-Hold on! I’m going first and she’s going last!? What is this!”

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“It is true that you may change the running order for a strategy. However, at times like these, it is normal not to use a strange strategy and begin with the slower kid. That is why you are going first and Kujou-san is going afterwards.”

In team competitions, the best person would normally go last, but in adult competitions, that strategy could be thrown out the window and the weakest person would go last; using that strategy, the others could grasp victory.

Deciding that you were going in order of weight, social class, or current accomplishments—those  were also strategies, as long as you decided to go in a certain order.

But there was a tendency to dislike those kinds of things in kids’ competitions. Even if you weren’t bound by rules and regulations that forbade you from doing so, it was fine to lose without using those absurd strategies and instead approach the competition honestly. 

“That’s why I should be last! Why’s this slow girl in my rightful place!?”

“…”

The teacher and I made eye contact. They shook their head and I shrugged. We didn’t need to talk. I knew what they felt, what they were trying to say, and what they wanted from me. They took my attitude as acceptance and opened their mouth.

“Oh~… I understand. Then, what about you both actually run? Is it okay for whoever wins to be last in the running order?”

“That is okay! I am definitely faster, so I will be last!”

He glared at me and bared his teeth aggressively enough that I could practically hear growling sounds. I didn’t really care about running order, but… in the end, Nishigori and I were going to have a competition to determine who was faster.

～～～～～～～

“Sakuya-sama, do your best~!”

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For some reason, everyone in class was watching Nishigori and I race. Well, the teacher was here too… It was easier to manage if all the students were watching us than if they went off on their own and got injured. 

“Heh! I’ll show you the difference in our skills!”

“…”

Why was Nishigori looking at me so hostilely…? What did I ever do to you? Or was it because of my relationship with Ibuki, since he was part of the Konoe monryuu? I couldn’t think of anything, but… this one-sided quarrel was a little stressful. I could just give him the position since I didn’t care which position I ran in, but… he also annoyed me a little. I wasn’t planning to lose.

“Then… take your positions… Okay, start!”

We ran at the teacher’s signal. I didn’t go into a crouch start. No one said that I had to, so I probably didn’t need to. Nishigori also didn’t do it. Well, because we were first-graders, it wasn’t that we “didn’t do it” but that we “couldn’t do it” or that “nothing would happen if we did do it”; rather, we’d probably “get worse”.

In the first place, I assumed that this was in relay format. Going into crouch start for a short-distance race was fine, but you couldn’t do that in a relay. There were kids who went into a crouching start when practicing for the short-distance race, but this was a relay competition.

Once we started, we both sped up at the same time. Nishigori must’ve been behind me since his footsteps and presence felt far away. I didn’t turn around, so I didn’t know how far away he was, but… I ran leisurely enough and crossed the finish line at the end.

“Kya! It’s Sakuya-sama’s win!”

Azami-chan’s cheer alone was way too loud… Since I’d already reached the goal, I turned around slowly, but Nishigori still hadn’t reached the goal.

“*pant*… *pant*… Th-This is a lie! Y-You probably cheated somehow!”

Oi oi… How could I cheat at a track-and-field race where I was running in front of everyone? You could really only cheat in these kinds of things by doping or a false start…

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Everyone had seen that I hadn’t falsely started; he probably knew that I hadn’t too. And there was no way I’d use doping with my first-grade body for something as trivial as practice for sports day. If I were to do that, I didn’t know what troublesome things would happen in the future. A young lady raised in a good household wouldn’t do such a stupid thing, right?

“Yes. Then, Nishigori-kun will go first and Kujou-san will go last.”

The teacher, who’d come over here, announced that. But Nishigori wouldn’t acknowledge it.

“Teacher! She has cheated somehow! This is strange!”

“Nishigori-kun, Kujou-san has not cheated in the slightest. Everyone has seen that. Don’t say things like that. Is it not a boy’s generosity to graciously accept his loss?”

Teacher… first-graders probably wouldn’t get it if you told them that…

“Then, let us now begin practicing baton passing.”

“…not yet! I have not lost yet! Let us practice baton passing! But do not decide on the running order yet! Please the person who wins during our last practice before sports day be placed last in the running order!”

Uwah… how tiresome… I didn’t mind him changing the running order if he wanted to run last, you know? But, this was kinda… tiresome…

My skill level was obviously very different from Nishigori’s. I wasn’t trying to say that I was absolutely amazing. After a few years, there’d be a difference between the sexes and I probably wouldn’t be able to win against Nishigori in a short-distance race. But currently, it was a problem of mentality and form, so I wouldn’t lose to Nishigori.

I was running pretty leisurely, but there was a huge difference in our times. No amount of specialised training in under a month could overturn that.

I didn’t know why he was looking at me so hostilely, but it was pretty annoying to fight like this. I honestly didn’t care, so I wanted him to stop fighting.

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“I do not really mind where I am in the running order. If Nishigori-kun wishes to be last, let us do that. It is a waste of time to continue further.”

“Don’t say that! I’ll win against you and be last with my own ability! That’s why we’ll have one more competition on the last practice before sports day! Until then, I’ll accompany you in the practicing the baton pass!”

Uwah… I didn’t like this… Why’d Lady Sakuya have to get into so many arguments? You could say that I was born under that type of star and that would be that, but… give me a break…

～～～～～～～

In the end, the teacher folded and let us have one more competition during the last practice where we would determine our running order. Afterwards, Nishigori and I seriously practiced the baton pass.

Knowing who would be first and last in the baton pass was essential. The first person was the first runner in the relay, so they didn’t need to receive the baton, but there was nothing wrong with practicing. Since both people needed to practice passing it, practicing receiving it would also help when passing it. If you didn’t receive it, you probably wouldn’t know the tricks and important points when passing it.

Because of that, we seriously did the baton pass practice, but Nishigori was looking at me hostitely from beginning to end. Even though we was seriously practicing…

It annoyed me that he one-sidedly considered me as an enemy even though I didn’t remember doing anything to him. You may wonder what a good adult was doing, getting so frustrated at a first-grader, but… anyone’d be annoyed, probably.

“Sakuya-sama… let us drive that audacious Nishigori out of Touka Academy.”

“H-Hold on, Azami-chan… Calm down…”

Azami-chan said that as we were all gathered together in the cafeteria at lunchtime as usual. She seemed quite angry at Nishigori for targeting me.

But I wanted to stop her from driving him out of the academy… No, seriously…

If she did that, I’d really reach the same end as the in-game Lady Sakuya. Lady Sakuya hadn’t actually done that in the game, but at the very least, rumours that she was oppressive, domineering, and had driven out someone she didn’t like behind the scenes would spread.

Even if I didn’t actually do that now, just saying something like that in the presence of rumour-mongers could lead to rumours that I was doing such things behind the scenes.

“But… I do not understand why Nishigori-kun is quite hostile towards me… If I knew why, I could perhaps set up a few countermeasures, but…”

“Hmm… that’s true~… And you and Nishigori-kun haven’t been involved in the past; rank-wise, he’s not part of a family that could challenge yours, Sakuya-chan!”

No, no… Yuzuriha-chan… your words were usually scary too… And that made it sound like I was hiding under the umbrella of my own family status to look down on those lower than me. I always tried to be humble, though? 

“Is there someone here who knows something about Nishigori-kun?”

“Hmm…”

Everyone tilted their heads and groaned. We weren’t really involved with him, so we didn’t notice his existence in the first place… also, I shouldn’t say something like that because it made me sound as arrogant as Yuzuriha-chan said…

In the first place, I was the odd one out to my classmates too, and not just Nishigori, so it just meant that I didn’t talk much with my classmates! It didn’t mean that I especially took no notice of him!

“What about asking Konoe-sama about the Nishigori family at the salon today?”

“Hmm… maybe…”

I nodded and vaguely answered. I wanted to avoid being involved with Ibuki, but… if I asked Ibuki about the Nishigori family, I got the feeling that something pointlessly complicated would happen.

The Nishigori family was part of the Konoe monryuu, so it wasn’t like I didn’t understand what Satsuki-chan was saying, but… maybe directly asking Ibuki was a bad move… I might still be able to ask Enju or Mizuki… But if Ibuki were to find out that I asked them first without even asking him, it might become a whole issue again… What on earth should I do?

In the game “Love Flowers”, Nishigori Yanagi hadn’t appeared. Because I didn’t have any prior information, I was lost on my decision. If he had been a main character or a love interest, then I’d have some information about him, but…

I couldn’t save or reset. I didn’t have prior information. That was pretty obvious for real life and not a game, but… when I had no confidence,  I sincerely thought that it’d be great if that did exist.

I could just ignore it, but… getting involved in this one-sided fight was pretty stressful, so I was at the point where I wanted to do something…