Cheerleader Riot Shield and Legal Bug Exploitation
Sigelica stood in front of the dressing room mirror, staring at the ball of fluorescent pink fabric in her hand.
"I won't wear it."
Linnai had already put on her dress and was twirling on tiptoe when her skirt flew up, at which point she reached out to hold it down.
Linnai:(≖‿≖)✧
"Sister Xixi, everyone has to wear it. If you don't, the group will lose points."
"Deduct it if you want! I don't care!"
Chisaki folded her skirt into a square, while a data model was running on the tablet.
Chisaki:(·ω·)⊃
"I've calculated it. Considering Xixi's leg length and proportions, this outfit is 12% less revealing than a school swimsuit, so theoretically there's no risk of wardrobe malfunction."
"Theory. Are you wearing it?"
Chisaki looked down at her neatly folded dress and adjusted her glasses.
"I need to control the formation; wearing this will make my movements too exaggerated."
Aimis poked half her head out of the cubicle, a rubber band dangling from her mouth.
Aimis:(≧∇≦)ﾉ
"Ugh, I'd rather run a 400-meter relay in this. I absolutely love this dress."
She paused for a moment after speaking, then slapped herself on the forehead with a crisp sound.
Sigelica crumpled the fluorescent pink fabric into a ball and stuffed it into her backpack. She then opened the bottom locker of the changing room and pulled out a riot shield with one hand.
The shield slammed against the bench with a dull thud. Logistics Department asset label, number LB-4037, was affixed to the lower left corner, with the status bar indicating "Pending Scrapping."
Linnai took a step back, and the flower ball almost fell to the ground.
Linnai:(´థ౪థ)
"Are you going to do cheerleading or suppress a riot?"
Article 17 of the Logistics Department's regulations states that assets awaiting disposal may be temporarily used by current employees for any purpose before formal destruction.
Sigelica hefted the silver flower ball in her left hand, twirled the riot shield halfway around in her right, and made a high-raised gesture in front of the mirror, with the fluorescent pink flower ball peeking out from the edge of the shield.
"That's all."
Chisaki snapped a picture with her tablet.
Chisaki:(◉ω◉)
"The curvature of the riot shield can refract sunlight, creating a blind spot that can theoretically block 63% of your exposed body area."
She adjusted her glasses.
"Perfectly reasonable."
Sigelica didn't reply, but instead pushed open the locker room door, shield in hand.
Colorful flags fluttered in the air on the playground, and the opening ceremony announcement over the loudspeaker trailed off at the end.
"Next up is... the preparatory class 3 cheerleading squad!"
Sigelica walked at the front, wearing a fluorescent pink top, athletic shorts, a silver pom-pom in her left hand, and a half-person-high riot shield in her right hand that reflected the morning light.
Her face was expressionless, and her steps were as steady as if she were marching in formation.
Linnai followed behind her, holding the flower ball above her head, trying to force a smile, but her lips were twitching.
Linnai:(￣▽￣)~*
"Look over here, everyone! We are the most sunny and energetic Preparatory Class 3! Sigelica, please stop blocking my face with your shield!"
Chisaki walked on the outside of the group, a map of the playground projected on a tablet, her finger swiping across the screen.
Chisaki:(｡ŏ_ŏ)
"Linnai moved thirty centimeters to the left, Aimis took two steps back. The visual center of gravity of the formation has shifted to the optimal point of the shield's reflective arc. Excellent."
Aimis walked at the back, swinging her bouquet higher than anyone else, her smile sweeter than Linnai's, but her voice trembled with tears.
Aimis:(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
"I love twisting and turning here! I've never been so happy."
She raised her hand and slapped herself across the face, the sequins from the pom-pom sticking to her cheek.
In the stands, a student's soda bottle slipped through his fingers and hit his foot, but he didn't feel any pain.
"Is that a flower ball or a riot shield?"
"It's a shield, a piece of waste material awaiting disposal from the Logistics Department."
Is it allowed for cheerleaders to carry shields according to the rules?
"The sports meet rules only state that participants can bring their own auxiliary equipment; they don't say that shields are prohibited."
On the platform, Lupa picked up her teacup, the rim resting on her lips.
Moning touched the attendance sheet with the tip of her pen, and the ink spread out even wider.
Moning:(≖`‿´≖)
"Principal, could you please take charge of the Logistics Department?"
"The Logistics Department is under Zhou Yu's jurisdiction."
"Zhou Yu is not under anyone's jurisdiction."
Lupa a sip of her black tea.
"Isn't that great? The cheerleading formation of Class 3 in the preparatory course is the only one in the entire stadium with tactical depth."
Moning's pen poked a hole in the attendance sheet.
At the side of the track, Zhou Yu unfolded a folding chair, with a thermos cup at his feet, and wore a fluorescent yellow vest with "Safety Supervision" printed on it.
Dania stood beside him, her mouth stuffed with bear-shaped cookies, her cheeks bulging.
Are you nervous?
A little.
She chewed the biscuits and then pulled another handful from the bag.
Zhou Yu unscrewed the thermos and pointed to the finish line at the end of the track.
"See that red ribbon?"
Dania stared at it for three seconds.
"I saw it."
"Think of it like the limited-edition giant seafood pizza from Lahai-Roi, with double the amount of shrimp and stretchy cheese, so you can take the first bite as soon as you reach the finish line."
Dania stopped chewing the cookie crumbs in her mouth and swallowed.
Dania:(๑•̀皿•́)و
"It's mine!"
Zhou Yu withdrew his hand, and the screen of his digital watch flashed.
The loudspeaker at the check-in area went off.
Class 3 was assigned to lane 3, while lane 4 was for the sports specialty class. The boy in the lead had a buzz cut and glanced at Class 3.
Linnai stood at the first baton position, her ten fingers intertwined.
Linnai:(;´Д`)
"Brother Zhou, the guy over there has legs thicker than my waist."
"Those with thick legs can't turn corners easily, so you have an advantage on curves."
"Which eye of yours saw that I have an advantage on the curves?"
Zhou Yu took a sip of tea.
"Logistics Department data shows that you set a record of 47 consecutive days of sprinting to secure cafeteria food stalls this quarter, with an average acceleration rate higher than the college record holder."
Linnai was stunned.
How did you know?
"The step count data for queuing at the cafeteria windows is managed by the Logistics Department."
Chisaki tapped Linnai's elbow with her tablet.
Chisaki:(◕‿◕✿)
"Brother Zhou used your cadence data to run simulations, and it showed the most stable timing on curves and the most consistent baton handover."
Aimis was in second place. She squatted down to tie her shoelaces, and her mouth started to run wild again.
Aimis:(≧≦)
My legs are so weak, I feel like I could fly.
Chisaki reached out from behind and gently patted the back of her head.
"Save your energy, you've slapped me enough times."
Sigelica stood on the third baton, bending over to stretch, her Achilles tendon taut like a blade.
Zhou Yu walked around behind her, stopping just short enough for her to hear him.
How much of your scholarship money do you have left?
Sigelica paused in her stretching motion.
"Tch, damn it! (Roy Tribe slang) Could you please bring this up another day?"
"If you finish in the top three, I'll have Chisaki prepare a 'Scholarship Tax Optimization and Deduction Plan' for you, reducing the interest rate by 0.3%."
Sigelica straightened up and turned to stare at him.
Sigelica: (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)
"You used my scholarship money to help me optimize my taxes."
If that doesn't work, then 0.4 points.
"...0.8."
"Make a deal."
Dania stood at the end of the line, crumpled the empty bag of bear-shaped cookies into a ball and stuffed it into her pocket, then bent down to take off her left shoe and re-tied the shoelaces.
Each knot was tied as if in some kind of ritual.
The starter loaded blanks into the chamber, the metallic clanging sound echoing clearly across the parade ground.
As Zhou Yu walked to the starting blocks and bent down to adjust his shoelaces, his fingertips brushed against a loose spike on the track next to him.
Beside him, the man with the buzz cut was wiggling his ankles, completely unaware that the starting pegs beneath his feet had been coated with a layer of gray invisible to the naked eye.
Zhou Yu stood up, peeled open a strawberry hard candy, and popped it into her mouth.
"Bang!"
The moment Linnai rushed out, the four men with buzz cuts next to her suddenly slipped and almost fell on the starting line.
In an instant, Linnai leaned forward so much she almost fell, but at the second marker she steadily cut back onto the inside lane and surged to the top.
The cacophony from the stands suddenly fell silent.
On the podium, Moning dropped her pen, but she didn't pick it up.
Lupa used the lid to lift the tea bag from the cup, a smile spreading across her lips.
"The unstable factor in the Logistics Department you mentioned earlier, are you referring to the one currently in first place on the curve?"