The Defeated Miyabi Nagumo

"Wow, so fast!"

A figure shot forward at incredible speed, leaving everyone stunned.

Quite a few girls cried out:

"Jingu-kun is so handsome! Go for it!"

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

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

But the boys nearby quickly cut in, their voices dripping with jealousy:

"Do you even know how to run? He's sprinting right from the start. Does he want to kill himself?"

The girls who'd been swooning immediately shot back:

"You think Jingu-kun is like you? He must have a reason for doing this. What would you know?"

"I definitely know more than you. You can't burn too much energy at the start of a long-distance run. Otherwise, once you're halfway through the sprint, you won't even be able to stand, let alone keep going."

Another boy beside him chimed in, "He's right. Anyone who knows their stuff understands this. If you don't, just watch and see. I guarantee he'll run out of energy in a moment."

"Hmph, you're just jealous he's handsome!"

The two boys fell silent.

They really were jealous now.

Over on Nagumo's side, Bai Ye's move had startled him at first. But once he'd calmed down, he couldn't help sneering.

"Let's see how long you can keep showing off."

Nagumo ignored him and focused on keeping his own pace. This time, he was going to break his personal record and see how Bai Ye planned to beat him.

Before long, though, another wave of cries rose around him. He glanced back and saw Bai Ye running right behind him.

There was no way Bai Ye had just waited in place for him. Nagumo's heart tightened as a possibility came to mind.

"You've already lapped me?"

To lap him so quickly—what kind of speed was that? It was practically a hundred-meter sprint.

At first, with Bai Ye constantly hanging behind him, Nagumo had been puzzled. But a moment later, a theory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The rabbit tactic?

The details were a little different, but the basic principle was the same.

Start strong and lap your opponent, then stick close behind them to conserve energy.

But now he couldn't slow down. If he did, Bai Ye would slow down too, giving him more time to recover.

And if Nagumo kept up his current pace, as long as Bai Ye didn't slow down, the psychological pressure on him would keep growing.

After all, Bai Ye still had another lap to make up. How could Nagumo possibly stay calm?

That left him with only one option: speed up, pull away from Bai Ye, and force them both to run until they were exhausted.

Nagumo stopped holding back and raised his speed.

The spectators immediately started shouting.

"Wow, the vice president's stepping it up too!"

"Go, Nagumo!"

"What do you know? The vice president's fallen for it!"

"He hasn't fallen for anything. This is the right move!"

"Want to bet?"

"Who's scared?"

A group in the stands argued heatedly.

The view shifted back to Ichinose.

Watching the two of them race around the track with all their might, Ichinose felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest.

"Kanzaki-kun, they're running a long-distance race, right? Not a hundred-meter sprint?"

"That's right." Kanzaki frowned deeply. "Strange. Why hasn't he run out of steam yet? Is he really in such good shape?"

"I knew I was right." Ichinose proudly lifted her chin, looking utterly adorable. "You're going to lose, Kanzaki-kun."

"Let's wait and see."

After another three laps, Bai Ye had overtaken Nagumo, and the distance between them kept growing until it reached half a lap.

At this rate, he could lap him again.

Then, just as he was nearing Nagumo, Bai Ye finally slowed down and began walking along the track.

Ichinose covered her mouth, unable to hide her worry. "Can he not keep going...?"

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

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

The track fell silent.

Then cries rang out from all around—some excited, some astonished. The teachers, who had hurried over after hearing the news, stepped forward and carried Nagumo to the infirmary.

With only that dazzling figure left on the track, Ichinose lightly covered her lips, her eyes shimmering with wonder.

"He actually beat the vice president..."

And not just any vice president—it was Nagumo.

Not long ago, he had summoned her and told her the "truth" about the school.

He had personally told her what a remarkable feat he'd accomplished: single-handedly getting Class B promoted to Class A. He had also invited her to join the Student Council, promising he'd make sure she got in.

She'd quite liked the powerful yet gentle vice president, but she'd been thinking about Bai Ye lately, so she'd turned him down.

Now, seeing him lose to Bai Ye, Ichinose felt something stir deep within her.

Shironami Chihiro looked at the girl standing there in a daze and waved a hand in front of her face.

"What's wrong, Honami?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Ichinose turned away, looking a little embarrassed.

"You're thinking about that Jingu guy again, aren't you?" Shironami Chihiro pouted.

Honestly, watching Bai Ye win just like that had made her heart flutter too. But she only had eyes for Ichinose, so no matter how well Bai Ye did, it had nothing to do with her.

The stronger this rival became, the more threatened she felt.

"How could I be? Chihiro, you're making things up again." Ichinose chided her, pressing down gently on her head.

Kanzaki said calmly, "I'd advise you not to fall for him."

"Even you, Kanzaki-kun..." Ichinose said with a troubled look. "Wait, could it be that you—"

"Of course not." Kanzaki's icy words dispelled her suspicion. "I'm just giving you some friendly advice. You won't be happy with him."

"We're not even together," Ichinose replied stiffly. "Besides, I'm not good enough for him."

Shironami Chihiro and Kanzaki exchanged glances.

Their class representative was seriously unwell.