The Defeated Nagumo Miyabi

"Wow, so fast!"

A figure surged forward at incredible speed, stunning the crowd.

Many girls shrieked in excitement:

"Jingu-kun is so cool, go for it!"

"If you win, I'll be your girlfriend!"

"If you win, I'll marry you!"

But these voices were immediately countered by the sour remarks of nearby boys:

"Do you even know how to run? Sprinting right from the start—does he not want to live?"

The girl who had just been swooning immediately retorted:

"You think Jingu-kun is like you? He must have his reasons for doing this, what do you know?"

"I definitely know more than you. In a long-distance race like this, you can't burn all your energy at the start. Otherwise, halfway through the sprint, you won't even be able to stand, let alone continue."

A boy next to him chimed in: "He's right. Anyone with professional knowledge understands this. If you don't know, just watch carefully. I guarantee he'll run out of steam soon."

"Hmph, you guys are just jealous because he's handsome!"

The two boys: "..."

Now they were truly jealous.

Over on Nagumo's side, he was initially startled by Bai Ye's actions, but after calming down, he couldn't help but sneer.

"Let's see how long you can keep up this arrogance."

Nagumo ignored him and focused on controlling his own pace. This time, he intended to break his previous record and see how Bai Ye could possibly beat him.

However, not long after, he heard another wave of exclamations from the crowd. He looked back and discovered that Bai Ye had already caught up to him from behind.

The opponent couldn't have just been waiting there for him. A chill ran through his heart as a possibility occurred to him.

"You actually lapped me?"

To lap him so quickly—what kind of speed was this? Even a hundred-meter sprint wouldn't be much faster.

Feeling Bai Ye trailing right behind him, he was confused at first, but in an instant, a hypothesis surfaced in his mind.

The rabbit tactic?

Although it was slightly different, the basic principle was similar.

Use force at the start to achieve a lap, then stick closely behind the opponent to reduce energy consumption.

But now, he couldn't slow down. If he slowed down, Bai Ye would also slow down, which would accelerate Bai Ye's recovery.

And if he maintained his current speed, as long as Bai Ye didn't slow down, his psychological pressure would only grow.

After all, there was still another lap to be lapped; how could he possibly stay calm?

Therefore, he only had one option: accelerate. Accelerate to shake off Bai Ye and force both of them to be completely exhausted by the end.

Nagumo stopped caring and pushed his speed up.

The spectators immediately shouted.

"Wow, the Vice President is starting to push too."

"Go, Nagumo!"

"What do you know? The Vice President has fallen for it."

"He hasn't fallen for anything; this is the most correct thing to do!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Who's afraid of who?"

A group of people in the stands were arguing incessantly.

Returning the perspective to Ichinose.

Watching the two figures racing fiercely on the track, Ichinose felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

"Kanzaki-kun, they are supposed to be running a long-distance race, right? Not a hundred-meter sprint?"

"That's correct." Kanzaki frowned deeply. "Strange, why hasn't he collapsed from exhaustion yet? Is his physical fitness really that good?"

"I knew I was right." Ichinose tilted her head proudly, her expression quite adorable. "You're going to lose, Kanzaki-kun."

"Let's keep watching."

After another three laps, Bai Ye had already overtaken Nagumo, and the distance between them grew wider and wider, reaching half a lap.

At this rate, lapping him again was entirely possible.

Then, just as he was about to approach Nagumo, Bai Ye finally slowed down, walking slowly along the track.

Ichinose couldn't help but cover her mouth, worriedly saying: "He wouldn't have reached his limit, would he..."

"No." Kanzaki shook his head, his expression grave. "It's already over."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nagumo's body collapsed heavily to the ground.

The sports field fell into a sudden silence.

Exclamations erupted from all around, filled with excitement and shock, and teachers who had rushed over upon hearing the news stepped forward to carry Nagumo to the infirmary.

Watching the dazzling figure remaining on the field, Ichinose covered her mouth slightly, her eyes shimmering with a brilliant, flickering light.

He actually managed to defeat the vice president...

One had to remember that this was Nagumo.

Not long ago, he had summoned her and revealed the "truth" of this school.

He had personally told her of the grand feat he had accomplished, single-handedly elevating Class B to Class A, and had extended an invitation to her, promising to ensure her entry into the Student Council.

She had felt quite favorably toward this powerful and gentle vice president, but because she had been preoccupied with thoughts of Bai Ye lately, she had turned him down.

Now, seeing him defeated by Bai Ye, Ichinose couldn't help but feel a deep tremor in her heart.

Shironami Chihiro watched the girl's dazed expression and waved a hand in front of her face:

"What's wrong, Honami?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Ichinose turned her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"You must be thinking about that guy Jingu again," Shironami Chihiro pouted.

To be honest, seeing Bai Ye win just like that made even her heart flutter, but since her heart belonged only to Ichinose, no matter how well Bai Ye performed, it had nothing to do with her.

The stronger this romantic rival was, the greater her sense of crisis became.

"How could that be? Chihiro, you're talking nonsense again." Ichinose playfully pressed down on her little head.

Kanzaki spoke up calmly at this moment:

"I advise you not to like him."

"How come even Kanzaki-kun is saying that..." Ichinose's face clouded with worry, "Hm? Could it be that Kanzaki-kun has feelings for me--"

"That's impossible." Kanzaki's cold words dismissed her speculation, "I'm just giving you some well-intentioned advice; you won't be happy if you're with him."

"We aren't even together," Ichinose said dryly, "and besides, I'm not good enough for him."

Shironami Chihiro and Kanzaki exchanged glances.

Their class representative was clearly suffering from a rather serious case of lovesickness.