Miyabi wondered what Houtarou was talking about.
This was ridiculous.
"I'm not taking advantage of anything. I can go first because my class earned this through hard work!" He said.
Then he dashed forward, ready for the relay.
Sixth runner!
The moment he received the baton, Miyabi shot forward like the wind.
His placement in Class B was solely due to his personality — his physical abilities were genuinely Class A level, carefully selected.
He was even stronger than the average Class A student. Having played soccer and basketball since childhood, he also maintained a strict routine of running 5 kilometers every morning. With all this effort behind him, he refused to lose.
His motto was simple: opportunities belong to those with both talent and dedication. He embodied both.
His speed was absolutely incredible!
By the time Miyabi had covered nearly fifteen meters, second place had just reached their sixth runner position.
"Shibata, it's up to you!" Called the fifth runner from Class 1-B, a swift-footed girl from the tennis club.
"Leave it to me!" Wearing a white headband, Sō grabbed the baton, pivoted, and burst forward like a gust of wind.
He began his pursuit of Miyabi.
Though Rokusuke's performance at the start had been intimidating, Sō still saw hope — Class 1-B still had a chance.
Their Class B had already lost in the Red and White Competition after being assigned to the White Team, but they could still compete for their grade's class rankings.
Everyone in class aspired to reach Class A — they couldn't afford to lose any more points! This leg carried all their combined efforts!
Ryūji's persistence, Chihiro's determination, even Honami's dedication despite not being athletic — all their class's hopes and efforts now rested with him. This was his mission!
So Sō chased after them with everything he had. His goal: overtake Miyabi!
But this would remain just a beautiful dream.
Because...
"Now it's my turn to shine!" In that moment, someone suddenly burst forward with explosive power.
It was Ken. The same person who had dominated the boys' individual events was back on the field — and if Sō was an elite student, then Ken was simply in another league.
He charged forward with overwhelming force.
Rokusuke had given Class C a 25-meter advantage, but by the fifth runner Kikyō, it had turned into a 15-meter deficit.
Now Ken was the final runner. Gripping the baton tightly, he could feel his classmates' eyes fixed upon him.
His parents were nothing but violent drunks who spent their time fighting — he was determined not to follow their path.
Unlike them, he had been blessed with athletic talent!
This was his moment to shine!
"Goodbye!"
Ken burst forward, overtaking Sō before charging toward Miyabi ahead.
"Ugh!" Sō's confidence crumbled instantly.
Still, he held onto the baton and pressed on. First place was out of reach, but second place — they needed second place. With it, their class still had a chance at victory.
The total scores for the first-year classes in the Sports Festival stood at:
Class 1-A: 1741 points
Class 1-B: 1800 points
Class 1-C: 1205 points
Class 1-D: 1795 points
As part of the White Team's loss in the Red and White Competition, they faced a 100 Class Points deduction.
However, since Class 1-D's Kakeru had accepted a bribe and forfeited, their final score would remain at 1795 points. This meant Class B still had hope in this relay race.
The All-Grade 1200m Relay would award 150 points for first place, 90 for second, 45 for third, 30 for fourth, and 15 for fifth. With Class 1-A trailing them by 59 points in the total scores, even second place would be enough for Class B to maintain their overall lead.
This meant the Sports Festival's -100 points would be offset by their +100 Class Points — keeping their standing intact!
Class B's chances were still very much alive!
So Sō pushed through the pressure, unleashing an extraordinary burst of speed as he struggled to close the gap with Ken.
Meanwhile, Ken had closed to within 10 meters of Miyabi.
"It's quite lively up ahead." Houtarou said, "And, President Horikita, you've really had it tough!"
During the fifth runner handoff, Class 3-A's runner was accidentally tripped by a Class 3-B student, causing them to fall behind by 10 meters.
She still hadn't arrived at the handoff point.
Houtarou's Class A fifth runner Masumi was approaching, while Manabu's fifth runner remained 50 meters behind.
"You should go ahead." Manabu said, maintaining his composure.
As Class 3-A's representative, he had dedicated himself to working alongside his classmates.
He recognized that despite being in Class A, his classmates were roughly on par with Class 3-B students — and in some areas, they might even fall short of certain Class B students.
Yet this didn't discourage him. They had persevered together, journeyed far as a group, and united here with shared purpose.
As one of them, he wished to see everyone graduate from Class A together.
So he would wait patiently and take responsibility for making up their lost ground.
"Running first wouldn't make things interesting." Houtarou replied.
He checked the system prompt that appeared.
〖 Side Task: Defeat, Do Not Lose! 〗
〖 Task Requirement: Defeat Miyabi Nagumo in the All-Grade 1200m Relay! 〗
〖 Task Duration: Sports Festival Day 〗
〖 Task Punishment: Deduction of 100,000 Private Points! 〗
〖 Task Reward: Special Ability — Equivalent Exchange! 〗
Houtarou calmly reviewed the mission reward.
〖 Equivalent Exchange: Allows "equal" exchanges of objects based on their modern market value, with up to 10% price difference allowed. Effect is controllable and has no current limitations. Can be used on people, though human bodies are valued at zero by default, meaning exchanges typically only affect the value of a person's clothing. 〗
This Side Task seemed straightforward enough.
The penalty wasn't severe — 100,000 points meant little — and defeating Miyabi simply required catching up and passing him.
But...
"By the way." Houtarou said, keeping his objective in mind, "You saw your sister just now."
"..." Manabu paused, "Yes, I saw her work hard. I thought she had withdrawn midway."
Which meant he had noticed his sister was injured at the 200-meter mark.
"That was just a ploy." Houtarou said, "Class C's participation form was leaked, and the students couldn't be motivated."
"Oh, I see. Still, managing to mobilize Kōenji and Sudō shows some achievement, doesn't it?" Manabu said.
As Student Council President, he understood the school's mechanisms well. He also knew how challenging Class D could be.
But this year's students were exceptional. From Class A's Houtarou, Arisu, and Kōhei, to Kakeru, Honami, Rokusuke, and others — they all stood out compared to previous years.
"Though it's a shame they'll lose in this relay." Houtarou said.
"Isn't that fine too?" Manabu replied, "They've demonstrated their abilities. While only graduating from Class A earns the school's promised rewards, I've always believed that persevering at this school transforms students. When they graduate and enter society — whether pursuing higher education or work — they'll be different from outside students.
When facing life's challenges, they'll have more solutions and experience. Though the special exams are complex, the thought patterns, problem-solving strategies, and teamwork they learn become valuable assets. That's why I've never agreed with Nagumo's philosophy."
Miyabi's philosophy was strength above all — directly eliminating weaker students while the strong climbed up.
This would essentially abandon Classes D and C, something Manabu firmly opposed.
Houtarou remained silent.
Such thinking was exactly why Manabu was called the most excellent Student Council President.
Now that he had spoken his mind, perhaps this meant he was satisfied with his sister's answer sheet?
As for Houtarou, his objective was complete.
If he chose the future Suzune, then Manabu — being reasonable — wouldn't create obstacles during future visits.
'Ah, interpersonal relationships are so complex.' Houtarou sighed internally.
But it was fortunate that Suzune's brother was Manabu. After all, their similar traits made them both relatively easy to persuade.
"Oreki—"
While Houtarou was contemplating his interactions with the Horikita siblings, the fifth runner Masumi arrived.
She looked at him with bewilderment. Despite holding the baton in his left hand, Houtarou made no move to start running.
Instead, he simply stood there, holding the baton to one side.
"Good work." Houtarou said, "I made an appointment to race with President Horikita, so it would be impolite to run first."
Masumi: "..."
Oh, how wonderful. She had just given her all, managing to close a 5-meter gap with great difficulty.
And this was how he acknowledged her efforts?
Though internally displeased, Masumi kept her composure.
Then she heard his voice again.
"You just closed the distance, exceeded your limits, and worked really hard, Kamuro-san." Houtarou said.
Oh. So he had noticed her efforts after all.
With her mood lifted, Masumi stepped aside. Her role as fifth runner was complete — staying would only be in the way.
Houtarou remained motionless, baton in hand, as other classes' final runners passed by. One class, then two — yet he didn't budge an inch.
He maintained his position alongside Manabu, who observed this scene with a slight smile.
Houtarou's unusual behavior quickly drew the audience's attention. The spectator stands, sensing something extraordinary, turned to watch as one.
Class 3-A's fifth runner Akane Tachibana, who had fallen to sixth place, noticed this too and burst into her fastest sprint to reach them.
As Manabu and Akane exchanged the baton, he made the declaration that Miyabi had wanted to make.
"This will be the beginning of a new era! Oreki, you can run to your heart's content now. Even I want to understand the limits of human speed!"
⍟⍟⍟
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