Someone Like You (Continued)

In any case, he can submit the content he has drawn now without having to go through the trouble of searching for it elsewhere.

"Give."

"...?"

With an incredibly smooth motion, Asakusa Toru pulled a Voice Recorder from his pocket.

Seeing Asakusa Toru running straight towards them, and the Voice Recorder and note handed to him, the student in charge at the finish line was stunned for a moment before reaching out to take the note and Voice Recorder.

Well... it's not uncommon for people to draw items they already have at the start of the game.

But...

He glanced down at the words on the note.

You really do carry Voice Recorder with you even during the game?!

A competition involving borrowing items.

Finish.

Four-way tug-of-war.

Finish.

A mixed-gender three-legged race.

Start.

Bound, pressed tightly together, the girl's calves faintly radiated warmth from the close contact, Ichinose Honami's scent was as clear as ever.

The moment the signal flare went off.

Asakusa Toru's catapult start.

Ichinose Honami's hair swayed in the air, her well-prepared training allowing her to remain calm and composed even in the face of such unexpected speed, preventing her from falling.

The audience was incredibly noisy.

Crossing the finish line.

Then victory.

Thus, the Sports Festival came to its finale.

1200-meter relay race.

Although they upgraded many facilities in preparation for the visit, demonstrating their dedication as much as possible.

However, the school still couldn't afford to spend money overnight to upgrade the track to a single track that could accommodate twelve people at a time.

That's still a bit of a shame.

This means they need to rely on chaotic battles to make their sprint more impactful.

Fortunately, if a lead is achieved, the inside lane can be used to avoid a chaotic situation.

In other words, the class that maintains its lead from beginning to end has the greatest advantage.

The first baton was passed to Shibata by Asakusa Toru.

He is the fastest player in the class in terms of Soccer Club, second only to him. Establishing an early lead minimizes the risk of defeat.

The physical fitness levels of high school students vary quite a bit. If we don't consider a few exceptionally gifted individuals, it's really hard to find a student who is significantly better than the others.

At least for now, among the second and third-year students taking the first leg, there is no one faster than Shibata.

"... You actually got the ticket to the game, huh?" Miyabi Nagumo, whose expression was slightly gloomy, glanced at the order of the first runners while waiting with Asakusa Toru in the last position and spoke.

Surprisingly, although Asakusa Toru won first place in each group match and accumulated a perfect score, Miyabi Nagumo did not start to interfere with his matches.

This was certainly not because Miyabi Nagumo underestimated her opponent and thought he was no match for her.

In fact, after watching the game all day, he had come to realize just how formidable this guy was.

He will lose.

Seeing Asakusa Toru the finish line multiple times, Miyabi Nagumo had this thought in her mind.

To secure his victory and hold onto his 20 million points, he had to take action.

That's what I think, and that's what I feel.

However, when Miyabi Nagumo saw the girl in the stands who had been made to cry during halftime, she became somewhat unable to move.

Leaving aside the first-year homeroom teacher, their second-year homeroom teacher was also paying close attention to the situation over there, frequently glancing in the direction of the audience.

Considering the invitation system for this Sports Festival, he could easily imagine what important figures would be in the stands.

If you can make a good impression on the other person, it will likely be a significant advantage after graduation.

This was Miyabi Nagumo's first reaction.

Therefore, he inquired about the situation from his homeroom teacher.

Then, however, I received an extremely unexpected answer.

"That's Shiina Mashiro, a world-class oil painting prodigy, the active one." The homeroom teacher's calm words revealed a hint of adult relief. "And he's still a minor."

"You'd better not mess with her, or else..."

The class teacher gave him a stern warning.

But Miyabi Nagumo didn't take it to heart at all.

An active... world-class genius?

This was a realm even he could hardly imagine, a realm he could hardly reach.

Although Miyabi Nagumo has always considered herself a genius and has never met a match over the years, consistently holding the top spot.

But he wasn't so arrogant as to compare himself to a world-class player.

Shouldn't world-class achievements be just background noise, something casually mentioned in school curricula, existing only in textbooks and the news?

How could it exist in reality?

And...

Still someone my age.

Girls of the same age?

If I were to say...

If we could defeat them... wouldn't that be like rising to the top in one fell swoop?

Although he found it somewhat absurd, the thought still popped into his head subconsciously.

It is not based on one's own abilities, but rather by riding on and relying on the abilities of others.

He did indeed have that thought.

So when he saw Asakusa Toru and Shiina Mashiro staring at each other, his body moved forward before his mind could react.

Approaching people, showing off, and belittling others.

A common tactic.

An unexpected setback.

The first-year student was one step ahead of him in winning over the innocent girl who was known as a genius.

Jealousy, disbelief, and then...

The homeroom teacher issued another warning.

"I've told you time and time again, don't mess with her, don't mess with her, Nagumo, won't you listen?"

"You think you're so great and awesome just because you've got the second year under your control, huh?"

"Let me tell you! Someone like you would be slapped to death as soon as you leave school!"

"Asakusa? A first-year student?"

"Are you kidding me? That's a first-grader thing, a first-grader problem. If you're not convinced, then show me how to win her heart!"

"But this is on the premise that the other person doesn't dislike you."

"If she reports even one bad word about you to the school."

"Then you just wait and see what happens to you."

The homeroom teacher's words were very harsh, excessive, and downright explosive.

The words were so irritable that they shouldn't have been uttered by a homeroom teacher; so excessive that they shouldn't have been uttered by Miyabi Nagumo's homeroom teacher; so explosive that they shouldn't have been spoken by an adult.

But this is precisely the kind of advice that a class advisor should offer...

Brother, I finally managed to pull a top-tier SR card in Class B and was promoted to Class A. Both the bonus and the experience are within my grasp.

So you're telling me this SR character just because they saw a first-year SSR character making contact with a world-class character outside of school, and then decided to rush in and get themselves killed?

I'd be a disgrace to the class if I didn't give Nagumo a good dressing down.

The school values Shiina Mashiro so much, it's one thing for a first-year student like herself to act crazy and not bother to stop her.

Am I not even able to stop you, Nagumo?

Don't get arrogant because of a little achievement at school.

There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding.

What? Twenty million? You bet twenty million with that first-grader?

Win this head-on.

If you dare to make any small moves against a first-grader in front of her...

I definitely can't save you.

So, give me a head-on victory.

When you can prove your talent.

Arrive.

Therefore, Miyabi Nagumo felt extremely frustrated and kept to her own behavior.

We've waited until now.

I can't hold back anymore. Shiina Mashiro is Shiina Mashiro, and you Asakusa Toru, are Asakusa Toru.

What kind of skill is it to rely on a woman!

Mockery, mock him mercilessly, make harsh statements, and then utterly crush him!

"But it doesn't matter. No matter what happens, I will be the one who wins in the end." Miyabi Nagumo coldly watched Shibata Hayate was leading the pack.

There are still too many weak students and too few strong students in their class. Excluding themselves, they simply cannot gain much of a lead.

But it's okay.

He had investigated and found that the fastest batter in Class 1-A was Shibata Hayate from the Soccer Club; the remaining batters would quickly regain the lead.

The advantage lies with me.

"Nagumo, and then... Asakusa?"

With a furrowed brow, Horikita Manabu, the Student Council of Class 3-A who was on the same line as the last baton, cast his gaze.

"What are you doing...?"

"They made a bet, wagering twenty million on the winner of this Sports Festival, didn't you know, President?" a third-year student explained.

"No... I think I mentioned it before." Horikita Manabu pondered for a moment, then quickly recalled, "The scale of one or two of them is truly impressive."

Even for him, it's hard to say whether he could easily come up with 20 million during the crucial third year of high school.

The more you progress, the more crucial your Private Points become.

Being able to put up a bet of 20 million, whether it's the party that proposes it or the party that accepts it.

They all look pretty casual.

"Horikita, if I could, I'd really like to have a close match with you." Miyabi Nagumo said softly, "But unfortunately, before I can face you, I might have to deal with some first-year students who don't know how to respect their seniors."

Miyabi Nagumo was making threats over there.