Indeed, things weren't looking good for Ken.
One after another, runners who had gained the lead found themselves overtaken by two figures moving like the wind, left standing dazed as they watched the silhouettes disappear into the distance.
There was simply no comparison!
It was a crushing blow to their spirits — even Ken from Class C, who had regained his confidence and wanted to prove himself, was no exception.
"Holy crap! Wasn't Oreki supposed to be super fast? Then why the hell did they need to check with Kōenji about speed?" Ken couldn't help but gripe.
Yet despite his strengthened mental fortitude, he was startled to discover unusual movement behind him — two monsters just like Rokusuke were racing up from behind!
Still focused on the race, Ken quickly turned his head forward and continued running.
At the finish line, Arisu raised the camera her father had bought her. It was meant to help her feel involved by capturing scenes of her classmates' efforts.
Due to her health condition, she hadn't been able to attend regular school since childhood. She had relied on private tutors and, after mastering the basics, pursued self-study.
Though excellent and gifted, she remained alone. Not experiencing youth and learning alongside peers her age left a void in her life.
When her father took over as Chairman from her grandfather, he secured her a spot at this school. After evaluation, she was placed in Class A.
Now she simply hoped to integrate into the class and find her youth at this school.
She understood her father's intentions and was grateful for the camera he gave her.
The camera proved to be the right choice — while the school-issued phones were specially made, their resolution couldn't match a proper camera's ability to take clear photos.
She stood at the finish line as the final outcome was about to unfold.
Up ahead, first place was approaching.
Miyabi, who had started first and was naturally fast, held the lead position. Less than 10 meters behind him was Ken, that powerhouse from Class C, with Sō from Class B following close behind.
Surely, a winner would emerge soon.
Arisu's brow furrowed slightly as something unexpected happened.
Ten meters from Miyabi and five meters from Ken, Sō — who had been charging forward — suddenly fell when someone came rushing like the wind, his dazed state causing him to block the track.
Though blocking the track, this sudden incident didn't faze the two runners charging from behind.
They simply leaped over him without losing momentum.
"This is quite something." Arisu commented sarcastically.
Ready with her camera, she captured Sō from Class B desperately chasing forward.
As the leader of her faction, Arisu had access to information without needing to gather it personally.
Class B students, being natural rivals to Class A, were the subject of extensive intelligence gathering by her classmates.
Sō was known for his exceptional physical abilities — so much that people would joke, "Shibata, you cheater, you must be using hacks".
He had proven his worth, refusing to back down even when facing powerhouses like Miyabi and Ken.
Yet this determined student fell when he turned to look behind him, sensing someone's explosive approach. What he saw left him stunned.
Third-year Class A's Manabu and first-year Class A's Houtarou were racing up from behind, their presence overwhelming.
He lay there stunned on the track while Ken watched in disbelief.
Despite Ken's determined effort to maintain his pace and momentum, Houtarou and Manabu effortlessly flew past him.
They overtook him without a second thought.
Being experienced in sports, Ken quickly accepted his defeat.
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At the front, Miyabi was just 30 meters from the finish line.
He noticed Arisu, the cute first-year Class A transfer student, raising her camera.
Was it aimed at him?
He felt invincible in this moment.
'This is the dawn of a new era'... He had wanted to declare this to Manabu, confident he wouldn't lose.
Though slightly behind Manabu academically, Miyabi believed his athletic prowess was superior. After all, the President's official duties left little time for physical training, surely causing his abilities to decline.
Miyabi held first place, maintaining what he considered an impressive pace.
Yet he couldn't hear Ken's footsteps from Class C behind him.
As expected, he had tried his best too. His earlier worries were unnecessary.
Still, running without targets or reference points was rather boring, even with the finish line in sight.
"Manabu and Houtarou, eat my dust!"
Though he hadn't made his declaration to Manabu earlier, Miyabi was determined to prove himself — if Manabu wouldn't give him the Student Council President position, he'd seize it himself!
What Miyabi wanted most was to see Houtarou watching helplessly from afar, unable to catch up.
His good mood propelled him to increase his speed to maximum.
"See that, super cute Arisu? Everyone else isn't even worth mentioning."
Just then, a sound of cutting wind came from behind — a sound only those with exceptional physical abilities could detect.
Without looking back to see who was approaching, Miyabi exploded into his fastest speed. The finish line was right ahead.
Hesitation meant defeat! He wouldn't look back!
The judge swiftly announced the results.
"First place, third-year Class A! Second place, first-year Class A!"
Miyabi: "..."
He stared in shock at the two figures who had left him behind.
His classmates rushed to help him away. After being overtaken, he had experienced severe physical discomfort — his legs simply gave out completely.
By the time he regained his senses and stumbled toward the finish line mere meters away, first-year Class C's Ken had caught up. Miyabi barely managed fourth place.
The terror was real. It was impossible not to be terrified, and two others shared this feeling.
"Thank goodness I wasn't the last runner!"
Masayoshi, Class A's first runner, had been mortified enough by falling at the start. Though his image had surely suffered, he now felt grateful he'd only been scared at the beginning rather than the end.
The most unfortunate was first-year Class B's Sō, who fell in his dazed state. He had finally found his resolve and was working hard to chase after powerhouses like Miyabi and Ken.
But his intense shock and confusion left him unable to rise for a long time. Not only did he block the track, but his fighting spirit crumbled after being blocked. Two upperclassmen passed him from behind, leaving him to finish last in seventh place.
He was crying now.
Since only the top 5 places received point rewards, Class B would enter the final grade competition with their unchanged total of 1800 points.
Class 1-A: 1741+90 points=1831 points
Class 1-B: 1800 points
Class 1-C: 1205+45 points=1250 points
Class 1-D: 1795 points
In the competition, Class 1-B had secured second place in points.
The point distribution was as follows: first place would receive 100 Class Points (+100), second place would maintain their current points (+0), third place would lose 50 Class Points (-50), and fourth place would lose 100 Class Points (-100).
Though Class B achieved second place, keeping their points unchanged, their situation was far from ideal.
Being part of the losing team in the Red vs White Competition meant Class B would leave the Sports Festival with only losses — specifically, a deduction of 100 Class Points.
The once-optimistic Sō was left devastated by this outcome.
'How tragic.' Thought Hiyori Shiina from Class D, who had foreseen this from the beginning.
{T/N: It will possibly be shown in the next chapter, but since I'm anxious, I'll tell right away how many Class Points each class got in the Sports Festival, not the overall Class Points: Class A with 200 CP, Class B with -100 CP, Class C with 0 CP and Class D with 50 CP.}
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