CH 82

[This concludes the athletic festival.]

The students in charge of the event are clearing away the chairs and event tents, and the teachers are giving them their instructions. The sports festival has just ended.

“……”

Not that I hadn’t thought about it, but it’s not that I didn’t expect it either. In short, we had settled on the expected outcome.

I look back at the closing ceremony. After the announcement, the winning class was……

[The winner is 1st year class 2 ! They have won the championship !]

The winners of this sports festival were the 1st year class 2 led by Yukihana Hisui and Nanase Natsume. The 3rd year class 1, to which I lent a hand, came in second place. In conclusion, I failed to stop the chairman’s plan. The adults’ derby went smoothly, and I’m sure there’s a lot of money in the bank by now. But since this one did not directly involve us students, I honestly thought it would be OK if I failed.

(Well, there were still some positives to take away from it.)

I learned a few things from this sports festival. First, the chairman favors the Yukihana family. The chairman was involved in several of the MVPs that were chosen at the end of the sports festival.

And most of the students chosen by the chairman were from the 1st year class 2. In terms of points in the competition, the 3rd year class 1 was higher, but they were overtaken by a big difference in the additional points. Incidentally, even though there were people who were involved in the organization of the sports festival as the student council, such as my step sister, the MVP was not selected for the 3rd year class 1.

(And the second one, apparently, did just fine.)

The photographer who was filming us on this field was already gone. But I caught him right before he disappeared. I even heard his voice.

[Hey, you, get over here.]

[W-who are you?]

[If you don’t come, I’m going to turn you in. Come on, while I’m still being nice.]

With these words, Yukihana Hisui took the person who had been working as a cameraman somewhere. And when he emerged from the back of the school building, his face was swollen and he walked out of the school with his arms restrained and a tattered camera slung over his shoulder.

(I ended up leaving it to someone else, but this much is fine. With the right person in the right place.)

Just before the relay began, I handed Yukihana Hisui a brief note. The contents were as follows.

[There are people nearby who are taking voyeuristic pictures of Nanase Natsume and your sister.]

He looked doubtful when I handed him the paper without making eye contact with him, but he frowned even more when he saw what was written on the paper. Then, just before the relay started, he said a couple of words to me and pressured me, but I blurred out the truth by ignoring him.

In addition, I disappeared as soon as the first relay was over. I would further impress him by showing him how I could outrun him. Then, he would be able to get the contents of the note out of his head, including mine. So, in order to confirm that the contents of the note were true, Yukihana Hisui made a direct move. Or, rather, I should say, I made him do it.

The inclusion of Nanase’s name was an insurance policy. I thought that if I put Yukihana’s name in the list, he would move in all likelihood, but in order to make it as plausible as possible, I wanted to use the most conspicuous person at this sports festival who was likely to be more or less friendly with him, and from that point of view, Nanase Natsume was the most likely person. From that point of view, Nanase Natsume was the perfect name to put in the memo this time.

(The first one ended in failure, but the second one was a success, even if it was left to others.)

I haven’t seen Miura since then, because I’ve been busy cleaning up after the sports festival and the events that will take place later. Well, we exchanged contact information, so he might contact me later. I’ll try to talk to him then.

“……”

I suddenly saw my step sister giving directions next to Miura. Probably my step sister’s the only one who knows my true identity. My name was called during the relay. I better think of an excuse. I’m not sure if I have the best excuse.

I’ve been observing the outside world, but now I’m focusing my attention a little more on the people around me. Specifically, the people in my class.

[Sigh….we’ve lost to the 1st year～”

“Well, we’ll do our best next year.”

“No, can we win that one?”

And rather many of them were depressed. Since many of our class members were in the sports club, they were very enthusiastic about the sports festival. In fact, depending on the situation, we could have won at least one competition. This time, however, we had no luck at all.

“Don’t stay down forever, everyone. Get your bags and go back to class. We’ve got an after-party to go to afterwards”

saying so, they followed Kisaragi’s instructions and went back to the classroom. Yes, there is an evening festival coming up after this.

I had thought that this kind of celebration was usually held after the cultural festival or other such events, but it seems that this school has a tradition of holding an after-party after the sports festival. Moreover, a rather serious campfire is held. Now all the classes are temporarily returning to their classrooms to prepare for the event. By the way, either uniforms or gym clothes are acceptable, and we were allowed to go home.

(Well, I doubt anyone would change into a uniform.)

So I left the field and went back to the classroom. Then my homeroom teacher, Shichinomiya sensei, arrived late and held a brief homeroom. Then it was time for a short wait.

“……”

I looked right next to me and saw Yukihana fiddling with her phone and trying to communicate with someone. Was it a rendezvous with someone at the after-party? Or was she discussing the fact that she was going home and leaving such an event behind? Either way, I think it’s useless to make plans for the after-party since it’s mandatory to attend.

(The other party might be her brother…..hm?)

As I was thinking about it my phone vibrated. It’s rare to receive a call from someone, so I look at the screen of my phone. For a moment I thought it was from Miura, but it was from my step sister.

[I’ll be waiting for you at the flower bed at the end of the grounds during the after-party.]

That was the only message. As I recall, the area where the flowerbed is located is just in the shadow of the corner of the gymnasium, so that it’s not visible during the campfire. Perhaps she wanted to talk alone with me.

(It’s unusual for my step sister to send me something like this and invite me.)

Up until now, the kind of contact I’ve received from her has been errand running, like shopping. At least, this was the first time for me to meet up with her in this way. And she initiated it first.

(Well, that’s one way of putting it.)

As a step sister and student council president, she would probably want to know what happened this time. To be honest, I could talk to my step sister about a lot of things, but I don’t want to disturb the situation by doing something unnecessary. After all, there are going to be a lot of changes in my school life from now on.

(For now, it would be bad if I don’t go.)

I’m going to see my step sister at home anyway. The bomb has to be dealt with as soon as possible. I just hope that the bomb is as small as possible. There’s really only so much I can do in this case.

“Fufu……”

On the other hand, Yukihana was looking at her phone with a smile on her face, in contrast to me who was feeling down. It seems that she’s looking at the photos taken at the sports festival this time.

I didn’t want to be in the picture, so I always observed the photographer and the students with their phones and made sure not to be in the picture. I wanted as little record of my presence as possible. Except for the last relay.

Since I moved Yukihana Hisui this time, maybe it will have some effect on him, but I’ll think about it then.

[Then, all students, please get ready and come to the ground !]

And I head down to the place where my step sister is with the students who are heading to the after-party.