Opening

On the day of the Sports Festival, the sky was clear and cloudless.

The entire student body changed into athletic shirts and filed onto the field as they had during practice.

They were supposed to be marching in formation, but most simply walked as usual, as long as they stayed in order.

I have to put on a good showing in front of Shiraishi today!

Yoshida psyched himself up, but his eyes kept straying toward Asuka Shiraishi nearby. Shiraishi was talking to Nishikawa and hadn't noticed him at all.

At the opening ceremony, Fujimaki from Class 3-A delivered the opening declaration.

A scattering of spectators stood around the field, looking like school employees or adults who worked nearby.

The school didn't seem to have imposed any particular restrictions. Takahashi Ren occasionally saw them waving in their direction, smiles on their faces.

By contrast, the teachers watched over the entire field with expressionless faces. There were also a few adults in the crowd who appeared to be medical personnel.

The school had even put up a small hut that could hold around twenty people, equipped with air-conditioning and a water dispenser. The preparations were as thorough as they had been on the Uninhabited Island.

The Red Team and White Team had tents set up facing each other across the track. Aside from competing, the two sides had almost no opportunities to interact.

"They really thought of everything. They even installed a camera for judging the finishes," Toba Shigeru said.

There was indeed a camera set up at the finish line. Takahashi Ren took one look and understood.

The school intended to make every result indisputable. Even a gap of a nose would be settled with a photograph. That was precisely why there wasn't a single event that was difficult to score, such as a cheering competition.

"Which heat are you in for the hundred meters? I'm in the fourth," Ishida asked.

"The fifth," Takahashi Ren said.

"I'm in the seventh," Toba Shigeru said.

"Let's all give it our best," Ishida said.

"Hopefully we won't run into anyone too strong," Toba Shigeru said.

"Just do your best," Takahashi Ren said.

The first-year boys headed onto the field first. Events such as the hundred-meter dash began with the first-year boys and ended with the third-year girls; after a break, the order would reverse, starting with the first-year girls and ending with the third-year boys.

The heats were arranged according to the lists each class had submitted beforehand. Only on the day itself could they see exactly whom the other classes had entered and how they had arranged them.

Each class entered two students per heat, with eight runners lining up abreast. There were ten heats for the first-year boys.

Soon, it was time for Ishida's fourth heat. Matoba Shinji from Class A was in the same heat as Ishida.

At the whistle, the runners shot forward together. Matoba took second, and Ishida sixth.

Next came Takahashi Ren's fifth heat.

Yoshida stood in lane three, next to Takahashi Ren in lane four. He loosened his ankles, his heart pounding.

Beside the track, Shiraishi and Nishikawa stood among the spectators.

He glanced toward Shiraishi again. As it happened, she was looking this way, and their eyes met for an instant.

She was looking at me. No doubt about it.

Yoshida drew a deep breath and slowly lowered his body.

I have to beat Takahashi in this race.

The whistle blew.

As though he had ignited every ounce of strength in his body, he pushed off and shot forward. Wind roared past his ears, and no other runners were in sight.

First. I've been first the whole way. All that remained before his eyes was the white finish line.

I won. I did it.

By the time he crossed the line, Yoshida was already grinning.

Panting, he wiped away some sweat and heard people calling behind him, "Nice one, Yoshida!" and "Awesome!" He nodded distractedly, his eyes searching the crowd.

Where's Shiraishi?

There she is. She was walking this way with Nishikawa.

Yoshida's heart sped up again. He pushed aside a classmate who was trying to clap him on the shoulder and took two steps toward Shiraishi.

Then he saw Shiraishi stop beside Takahashi Ren.

The one who had come third.

Not him.

Takahashi Ren had his head lowered and was saying something to Shiraishi. Yoshida couldn't hear him. All he saw was Shiraishi handing over the water she was holding, then smiling.

Why?

The congratulations washed over him like a tide, then seemed to be drained away by something.

Yoshida stood where he was, his grip tightening around the water bottle in his hand.

I was the one who came first. I ran faster than Takahashi Ren.

Yet Shiraishi's gaze hadn't turned his way for even an instant.

Someone came over and patted him. "Yoshida, let's go. We still have to check in for the next event."

He snapped out of it and tugged up the corners of his mouth. "...Got it."

He looked away and didn't glance over again. The joy of winning seemed to be drained out of him little by little.

So what if I came first? Shiraishi still didn't look at me.

Takahashi Ren knew nothing of the storm raging inside Yoshida.

After crossing the finish line, he didn't stop immediately. His momentum carried him forward a few more steps before he gradually slowed and headed toward the tent in Class A's section.

"Takahashi."

Shiraishi and Nishikawa walked over from the sidelines.

"Have some water first." Shiraishi held out a bottle.

"Thanks." Takahashi Ren took it, unscrewed the cap, and had a small sip.

"You were slow off the line. Otherwise, you would've done better than third," Shiraishi said.

"Yeah," he replied, without much emotion. "Third is fine."

"You don't seem to care about your placing at all," Shiraishi added.

"The race is over. I can't change where I placed."

"You certainly take things in stride, Takahashi." Shiraishi smiled.

In the distance, the referee's whistle sounded again, and the next heat was already off. Wave after wave of people crowded the trackside, with cheers and laughter rising all around.

Toba Shigeru's heat ended as well. Totsuka, who was in the same heat, took fourth. Hirata and Ayanokoji from Class D placed first and fifth respectively, while Toba Shigeru came third.

Takahashi Ren noticed that Ayanokoji didn't seem to have put much effort into his run.

There's no real benefit to holding back at the Sports Festival. Maybe he just doesn't want to stand out?

After the first-year boys' hundred-meter dash ended, the boys returned to their seats and turned their attention to the girls' races.

Takahashi Ren didn't watch the whole time. He looked up for a while when it was Ai Morishita's, Yamamura's, and Shiraishi's turns, and also caught sight of Shiina along the way.

She wasn't fast, but she wasn't flustered either. She was quiet, just as she was when she spoke.

"Hermes's blessing"-that was what Ai Morishita had said in the classroom that morning, declaring with absolute certainty that she would win today.

In the end, Ai Morishita came last in her heat.

Takahashi Ren walked over, feigning puzzlement. "Did Hermes skip work today?"

"No." Ai Morishita considered it for a moment, then said with complete seriousness, "He must be on commerce duty today."

"Then remember to have him send you his shift schedule first next time," Takahashi Ren said.

"Good point." Ai Morishita nodded earnestly. "I'll send him an email tonight."

Takahashi Ren said no more. Sending emails to gods wasn't something he could take part in just yet.

Once the hundred-meter races for all year groups had finished, it was time to tally the scores.

Before the next event began, the initial scores for the Red Team and White Team were announced: 2,110 points for the Red Team and 1,891 for the White Team.

Though things had only just begun, the Red Team had already gained a slight advantage.