CH 80

[The final event of the day, the relay, is about to begin!!]

The ground was filled with a mixture of light announcements and inversely loud cheers. I joined the line of third-year students and sat down on the ground with my heart pounding. It seems that I will sit here and wait until my turn comes around.

(……)

Diagonally in front of me, there were Kisaragi, Yukihana, Shinkai, and other familiar faces. And next to me is…..

“……”

“……”

I was looking at Yukihana’s younger brother, Yukihana Hisui, who was glancing at me to see what was going on. Apparently, we will be running in the same lane.

Or rather, even though he was her younger brother, sitting next to Yukihana Hisui felt strange. I never thought that following my sister, I would be next to the younger brother.

Is this what fate calls “karma”? I didn’t believe it, but maybe it’s true.

Then the announcement was made again.

[One of the boys in the 3rd year class 1 has been injured, so a different student will be substituting for him. In order to ensure fairness, he wants to hide his true identity, so he will be wearing a mask.]

An announcement about me apparently rang out. The announcement drew a lot of stares at me. It made me quite uncomfortable, but I managed to hold it in and feign calmness. If I’m drained at a place like this, I will not be able to give my all at the crucial moment. Well, it’s all based on experience.

I glance at my step sister, who’s waiting in the opposite place from here. I don’t know what she’s thinking right now. But I trust her. I’m sure she will do her best.

(But first, I have to take care of something.)

Just before the relay was to begin, I held out a piece of paper next to me.

(I had to take care of something first.)

I held out a piece of paper next to me, just before the relay began.

[Now, let’s start the final competition, the relay !]

(What should I do? I got really nervous after saying that to him…)

The brother is nervous without knowing it, but the sister is just as nervous. I don’t know why he did that, but I decided to keep quiet about it for now.

At first I tried to warn him, not as his sister, but as the student council president. Why is he trying to compete with the other grades? Why was he hanging out with Miura kun? In the first place, why is he in my class……

The questions are endless. There’s no end to them.

Originally, I should be careful. I should have given him a stern warning, so he didn’t get expelled. But I didn’t do that this time. No, I couldn’t do it.

Why was I unable to do so? I don’t know that either. But somehow I felt like I shouldn’t tie him up now…….

[Then……start !]

“!?”

I was pondering about this, and before I knew it, the relay had started. I looked behind and saw that the first runner, a girl friend of mine, had just run off. I looked at her and saw that she had risen to third place out of six classes. Not fast, but not slow either. She was close enough to pull off a chance of victory.

(I need to focus on the relay now. Everyone has been working so hard. What am I going to do if I’m just sitting around here?)

I will do my best to change my mind and focus on the relay. But then…..

“Hey, could it be……Haruka senpai?”

“Are you……Nanase san?”

When someone next to me poked my shoulder with a finger and looked to the side to see what was going on, Nanase Natsume, a first-year student, was sitting next to me. She seemed to be running in the same running order as me.

“Thanks for the drink the other day. But I won’t hold back.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Fufufu, I’m going to run through it all at once.”

Unlike me, Nanase was in high spirits and seemed to be excitedly waiting for her turn to run. Even though my body has become dull and heavy because of the tension. No, it’s my heart that is getting heavier.

“Senpai, you don’t look happy.”

“Fufu, do I look like that?”

“Yup. I’m really good at detecting that kind of thing.”

It seems that Nanase has the power to see through people’s true nature, perhaps because she has been harassed by adults in the entertainment world for a long time. And surprisingly, it may not be wrong. No, I don’t even know why I feel this way.

(What do I want to do? No, what should I do?)

In front of me, the first runner was passing the baton to the next kid. Once the baton was passed to the next kid, it was immediately my turn.

“Ah, Senpai, it’s our turn next.”

“Yes, that’s right. Let’s go.”

“Okay, I’ll be on my toes!”

Nanase and I stood up and moved to the top of the lane. The blur in my chest grew bigger with each step I took. And then, at the worst possible moment, the baton was passed to the third child. That child is running frantically toward us.

(Enough about Nanase san. Right now……)

I looked at the lane across the street. And there was a person wearing a rabbit mask standing in the lane. Hm, it looks like he’s stretching while talking to someone…….

(……)

A few more seconds.

I closed my eyes and remembering something

[Well, um…….]

[…..? ?]

[Thanks.]

[!?]

Yeah, that’s it !

I……I……

I had something I wanted to tell him !

(……I have to go, I have to get to that boy)

I found that my legs had stopped shaking. My heart was beating in inverse proportion, but somehow my whole body felt strong. My heart seems to be engulfed in a warm flame.

Melting snow. Such a word flashed through my mind.

Yes, it was so easy. I couldn’t say something so simple.

“Haruka chan !”

I opened my eyes to hear my classmate’s voice from right behind me. And next to me was Nanase san with a fearless smile on her face. Apparently, my class is currently in first place and leading the race. I turn around and look at my classmates who are coming toward me as fast as she can. There are about…..2 seconds to go.

I ran a little faster. At that moment

“I’ll catch up with you right away~”

I heard Nanase san’s challenging remark, but now I will use even that as a springboard. What I can do now. What I must do. That;s……

“Haruka chan, please !”

“!”

The moment I received the baton, I ran as fast as I could. I was never fast. But, I want to pass the baton to him as soon as possible…..

“Haa….. haa……”

I don’t know if it was because I had been working at a desk all day or if it was just my nature, but I was already out of breath. I’m really not an athletic person. I never thought I’d be this slow at running. I hadn’t done any fitness tests recently, so I didn’t know.

“Okay, let’s go !”

[ [ [Good luck, Nanase san-] ] ]

As soon as I fell into such regret, Nanase san’s class cheered. It seems that the baton has been passed to her. Nanase san had caught up with Kisaragi san, who was supposed to be in the track and field club, in an instant. I’m sure she will……

(Oh, no. If I’m going to be caught up anyway, I’ll at least do my best to keep the gap as open as possible…….)

While I was thinking that, I heard a tremendous rushing sound behind me. But at the same time, I saw him at the finish line. All that remained was to pass the baton to him……

:Ah.”

At that moment, a gust of wind rushed past next to me. Then I saw Nanase san’s back right in front of me. O had finally been overtaken. This means that my class will be……

(No, I don’t care if we win or lose anymore.)

I picked up my running pace and pulled it up a gear. It was nothing compared to Nanase san, but this was the speed that broke through the limit of what I could do now. But still, instead of catching up, I was far ahead.

“Haa……haa……”

And Nanase san got far ahead of me and passed the baton to the next runner. And that kid also runs away at a speed that is second to Nanase san. To be able to catch up with that one……

(No, that doesn’t matter right now)

And I finally ran to the boy with the rabbit mask on. I really had something else to tell him, but I’ll do that after this sports festival.

I will pass the baton to him……Including running up and things like that, I passed the baton with perfect timing. It was as if I was connecting my feelings. Or perhaps it was Kanata who connected it to me.

I can’t say what I want to say right now. So instead, for now, I just want to say one word.

“Win !”

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