"This strategy is really a little..."
For once, the usually eloquent Saegusa Mayumi found herself unable to think of a tactful way to describe what she was seeing.
"But isn't this a little against the spirit of sportsmanship...?"
Kitayama Shizuku said with some difficulty. This style of fighting didn't sit well with her; in her eyes, it seemed to go against the spirit of sports.
"It's completely within the rules. Didn't you see that the referee didn't call a foul?"
"But, Brother, is there really any need to use such an excellent strategy right now? I think Honoka's good enough to at least make it to the finals."
"Wouldn't she be guaranteed to win if she used this strategy then?"
When she saw Mitsui Honoka win by a margin of nearly half a straight stretch over the second-place swimmer, Shiba Miyuki asked, puzzled.
"I think there was a good reason to use this strategy now. I've seen her these past two days, and she's seemed rather lacking in confidence."
"If this competition can give her enough confidence, then it was worth it."
Kudo Mitsunobu rubbed his chin and said.
"I didn't notice her lacking confidence. The moment she heard Tatsuya would have time to handle her CAD, she was so excited she could barely sleep all night."
Kitayama Shizuku muttered under her breath.
The group waited at the entrance for Mitsui Honoka to change after her preliminary race. But once she'd changed, Mitsui Honoka acted as if she hadn't seen anyone else there.
Her target: Shiba Tatsuya.
She spread her arms wide and threw herself onto Shiba Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya-san, Tatsuya-san!"
"I won! I won!"
As Mitsui Honoka clung to Shiba Tatsuya, she kept nuzzling against him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Normally, Shiba Tatsuya would have pushed her away. But