Volume 5, Epilogue: Beginning of a New Era Part 2

Volume 5, Epilogue: Beginning of a New Era Part 2

"...that was super fast".

After the contest, Karuizawa said that to me while averting her eyes from me.

"Isn't it just that my opponent happened to be slow?".

"No, no. Are you really saying that after seeing everyone's reactions?".

"Leaving jokes aside, ultimately I didn't beat the student council president, did I?".

"Well, there's no helping that. The person running in front of you fell".

As the two of us closed in on him at an astounding pace, the runner in front of me panicked and fell and ended up blocking my way.

I dodged him but that slight delay proved to be significant and Horikita's older brother ended up overtaking me.

I don't know what the result would've been without that accident but I don't really care for such things. At the very least, all that's certain is that I've gathered attention from all over the school with this final contest.

A lot of the ones who had finished running looked at me inquisitively.

"Ayanokouji! Aren't you a fast one! Have you been holding back until now!?".

Sudou, who came running over to me, forcefully slapped me on the back. Since he put all his strength into it, that hurt.

"Running is about my only forte after all. But that was overdoing it. I guess this is what you'd call hysterical strength".

And not just Sudou, but also several students who were surprised by my run came over to me and called out.

"That still doesn't explain it. That speed, I mean. You liar".

Slightly dragging her foot behind her, Horikita came over. She used her hand as though it were a blade and stabbed me in the abdomen.

"You guys, this isn't the sort of treatment you should be giving a soldier who fought his best.....it hurts".

Since Horikita came over to me, Karuizawa took her distance from me so as to not be a disturbance.

From afar, Sakura was also looking at me but since there's a crowd around me, she did not approach.

"If you had run like this from the start, then things would've been different. But why did you suddenly get serious? Now you'll be basking in attention".

That's exactly it. Unlike Hirata or Shibata, students who were already recognized as being fast from way back or Sudou, who's been giving it his all since the very start of the sports festival, I've been half assing it up until now.

That gap will definitely have an influence but that depends on the way you think about it.

It's not particularly difficult to make it look like tampering with the list on the participation table, keeping me in reserve until now and all the manipulations behind the scenes were all part of Hirata and Horikita's strategy.

It's particularly effective against someone like Ryuuen, who likes to outplay people.

"Looks like they're going to be announcing the results soon. Let's go".

It appears the results will be announced at the same time as the closing ceremony. All the students turned towards the giant electronic notice board.

"Now then, we will be announcing the results for this year's sports festival---".

On the electronic notice board, we were divided up between the Red Team and the White Team and the tallying of the numbers began. The numbers began to rise.

The total acquired points from all 13 events. The winning team is.......

"The Red Team wins".

The points were displayed alongside those letters. It truly was a hard-won battle but the Red Team, composed of the DA coalition, appears to have won.

"Next up, we will announce the overall points for each class".

Dividing up the 12 classes into three categories on the display, the overall points for each class were displayed all at once.

For us, the breakdown for the 2nd and 3rd years mean nothing. What's important is what position Class D is in.

1st Place: 1st year Class B

2nd Place: 1st year Class C

3rd Place: 1st year Class A

4th Place: 1st year Class D

"Ugyaah! As I thought! We've lost!".

"...well, I guess it'd end up like this".

It's great that the Red Team won but apparently we 1st years have been quite a liability.

I suppose it's an inevitability, having two absentees in the form of Kouenji and Sakayanagi ended up being a major factor in it.

For both the 2nd and 3rd years, Class A took 1st place with an overwhelming difference in points. Class D too, took 2nd and 3rd place and that displayed a high level of stability.

However sadly enough, despite having won as part of the Red Team, Class A only placed 3rd in terms of overall points and so that's a minus 50 points for them.

Since Class D is the lowest ranking one, that would be a minus 100 points.

Due to the White Team having lost, Class C will also have 100 points subtracted. As Class B is 1st place in terms of overall points, they'd gain 50 points and lose 50 points due to the White Team's loss and so it ended as a step back for all the classes.

Now that it turned out like this, I feel like everyone's overwhelmed and exhausted. Even after they've tried their best, their class points still decreased so it felt like it didn't pay off.

Of course, students who won out individually will be able to supplement any future exams with this so I won't go as far as to say it was all pointless.

"Lastly, we will be announcing the MVP for each school year".

This is the part Sudou's looking forward to the most in all likelihood.

If he can take 1st place, Sudou would be over the moon from having gained permission to call Horikita by her first name.

However---

The MVP for the 1st years is Class B - Shibata Sou.

That was displayed on the electronic notice board.

"Guaaaah! So that's how it is after all!".

Having lost his last hope, Sudou screams out. Shibata has consistently taken either 1st or 2nd place repeatedly. Sudou had placed 1st in all individual competitions but as expected, being absent had a significant effect.

The fact that he had also lost the relay that would've awarded him a high score was the final nail in the coffin.

He continued to stare at the electronic notice board in frustration even after the closing ceremony had ended.

"Sudou-kun, you didn't place first in our school year. You do remember the promise right?".

"...yeah, it's regrettable though. But a promise is a promise. I'll call you Horikita from now on".

"That's some impressive dedication".

Horikita laughed in a slightly teasing manner.

"I forgot to tell you this but I just remembered that you onesidedly pushed those conditions onto me and I haven't made any requests in turn yet".

"What's that mean?".

"If you take 1st place, then you'll call me by my first name. You proposed such selfish terms to me so isn't it natural that I make a request in turn now that you've failed to achieve that?".

"Well, that's, right.....".

"That's why I will punish you for not being able to achieve your objective. Never again will you use violence without a justifiable reason. I forbid it. Can you promise me that?".

"...it's a punishment, right? I'll keep that promise".

"Of course, don't forget that you're not the one who gets to decide what a justifiable reason is. That's either up to me or a third party".

Sudou obediently abided by that as well.

From this incident, he may have realized his own foolishness and may have decided to act more mature.

Horikita slowly turned her back and started to walk off.

"That's right...during this sports festival, much like you, I was unable to live up to everyone's expectations".

"Ahh? It can't be helped, right? Since you got injured and all".

"Even so, I cannot forgive myself. That's why I also need to be punished".

Horikita said so as she turned around and then, she said this.

"That's why if you wish to do so, I don't mind allowing you to call me by my first name".

"Hah? O-Oi?".

"That is my punishment".

It's Horikita's own way of making a compromise, it's what they call 'finding common ground'.

"Although we're in last place, thanks to that I was able to gain hope for the fights to come. I am truly grateful".

"...o-oh".

Sudou shyly rubbed the bottom of his nose and looked in the other direction, blaming the setting sun for his reddened cheeks.

"Uoooooooooooohhhhh, alriiiiiiiiiiight!".

Sudou shouted loudly as though to blow away all fatigue and raised both his hands to the sky.

"This sports festival is awesome! It's awesome, Suzune!".

"Good for you, Sudou".

"Yeah!".

"Sorry about butting in while you're celebrating but do you have some time to spare?".

Just as we decided to wrap it up and approached the school building, someone called out like that. The one who said that was a composed looking girl.

I don't know her name and I don't know her personality either but the only thing I could tell was that she's a student from Class A that I noticed during the cavalry battle.

"After this, after you've finished changing that is, would you accompany me for a bit?".

".....why me?".

"Because I have something to tell you. 5 o'clock. Come to the front gate".

"O-Oi, Ayanokouji. What's up with that, what's up with that? What's up with that kind of situation!?".

For a moment, I too imagined something along the lines of a confession but I can't sense anything like that from this girl.

"Oi. What do you mean by having something to tell---".

I tried to stop her but without even paying any further attention to me, the girl left.

"What's up with that? Has the springtime of youth come for you as well?".

"It doesn't seem like that's the case though.....".

"There's still the possibility that the girl, after seeing you show off as the anchor, fell in love with you at first sight".

"...good grief...".

Still, my heart isn't strong enough to ignore her when I've been called for a meeting.

After seeing off that unfamiliar girl, I changed clothes in the locker room and then returned to the classroom.

Since they were instructed to disperse at the closing ceremony, half of the students were already on their way back.

When Horikita, now in her uniform, came back to take her seat beside me a while later, I called out to her.

"This round was a complete defeat. Truly".

Horikita, who replied as such, showed not a hint of gloom on her face.

"But as for me, I feel like I was able to mature during this sports festival. I never thought the day would come when I'd use the words 'using failure as fuel' but.....truly, that's what I feel".

"That's right. If you feel like you were able to mature then isn't that just fine?".

"This class will become stronger. And we will definitely ascend to the upper classes".

"That doesn't suit you. It's sending shivers down my spine".

"...I suppose so. That is unlike me".

Perhaps she herself was bewildered by this as Horikita shyly averted her eyes.

"But there are still tons of problems before we can do so. There's a domestic problem we have to clean up too. But firstly, in order to do so, I'm going to need to kowtow".

"Kowtow?".

That word which suddenly came out concerned me but Horikita didn't really try to expand on that.

"It's something that has nothing to do with you. Thank you for today".

***

Having exhausted themselves in the sports festival, the students began leaving the classroom one after another, looking spent.

Since there doesn't seem to be any club activities today, Sudou-kun left while chatting with Ike-kun and the others.

My neighbour, Ayanokouji-kun, also appears to be leaving, as he hurriedly got up from his seat.

Perhaps he became curious about me, since I had yet to get up from my seat, as he looked towards me.

"You're not going back yet?".

"Yes, you see.....I have some business to take care of".

"Even though you usually always go back early, this is rather unusual".

"Such things do happen sometimes. Well then, that's enough for today".

"Yeah. I'll see you the day after tomorrow then".

Then, one after another they all left and in no time I was the only person left in the classroom.

As for why I've stayed behind, I don't even need to say the reason.

To respond to Ryuuen-kun's summons.

Throughout this sports festival, I had been made to dance in the palm of Ryuuen-kun's hand the entire time. It was too late by the time I had become convinced of that.

I was unable to take any countermeasures against it and I just kept on being beaten.

But---

Somehow, I felt refreshed. I am aware that I was completely and thoroughly crushed.

I was able to understand the fact that I am far, far weaker and more pathetic a person than I had imagined myself to be.

I feel like I need to thank him if only for teaching me that.

Nevertheless, the debt he's after isn't a light one by any measure. Because it's not just me, but a lot of other students who have been made to bear that burden. The fact that a million private points will be transferred to Class C means that I need to keep the possibility of a future struggle to myself all the more.

"Sorry I've kept you waiting, Horikita-san. I just got caught up in a conversation with my friends, sorry".

Kushida-san, who left the classroom with her friends once, came back while putting her hands together.

"No mind, looks like there's still some time left until the appointed time. Shall we go then?".