Chapter – 11 (Do Not Baton Us Winning)
So, this was a familiar situation, wasn't it?
I had lost count of how many times I was called up during certain school events to speak a few words on behalf of the entire student body. Usually, it would be a couple of sentences thanking the participants or a brief welcome speech that had no fanfare attached to it in any way.
But as I stood atop the bleachers, manning the microphone while I faced the rows of Shiomi High students at our race track, I recognized that this wasn't familiar territory.
All of their eager faces, ready to go to war in the name of our school greeted me, awaited a rousing speech or a strong battle cry to rally them. I knew what was being expected of me, as the de facto leader of the bunch. They wanted something special.
Unfortunately, I wasn't energetic or naturally charismatic like Raizou or Kasumi.
"What the fuck am I even supposed to say here?"
My thought process was all over the place as I took a deep breath.
Not sure what I should say, I simply retreated to stating the basics since I was sure one could never go wrong with that.
"Today is the start of the inter-school festival!" I stated, my voice reverberating through the nearby speakers, "We will be competing against Hakuo Academy from today till Saturday! So, I only have this to say…"
It was all such rhetorical stuff but strangely, the crowd cheered!
"Just quote something…"
Without missing a beat, I followed the instructions I gave myself and decided to spit out a quote that I had learnt from a popular English movie from the ye old days.
"WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGH…er…DAY!" I shouted, "WE WILL NOT VANISH WITHOUT A FIGHT! THEY MAY TAKE OUR…err…POINTS BUT THEY WON'T TAKE OUR VICTORYYYY!"
I gulped when I knew I had messed up by mixing up two different quotes from two movies completely.
But it worked!
I was blown away by the barrier-shattering roar my fellow students made in response to that "rousing" shout from me. Fists pumped in the air, bodies jumping around excitedly and resounding claps filled the air in just a matter of seconds. Even the teachers were applauding!
It only served to further cement what I had known about the school spirit going into the festival.
Not sure how to react, I grinned rather awkwardly before I gingerly shuffled back down, standing next to my fellow Student Council members.
Our small group also cheered me the moment I rejoined them. I kinda wanted to join in as well but since our teachers were ready to lead us out of the school grounds, I settled for the handshakes, fist bumps and smiles that they gave me.
I was fairly close to getting goosebumps over all the attention and jubilation that was thrown my way. I had always assumed I never wanted that but it seemed as though there was an underlying thirst for "fame" that I had not discovered yet.
Fortunately, I was pulled off before I could get on my high horse, simply by glancing at Raizou and Chihiro who were laughing and smiling at me respectively.
Despite what my position at my school suggested, I was still your normal high school student; no more and no less.
It was around 9:10 am when I stood outside our school with my sports backpack behind me, staring off into the road that would lead me to Hakuo Academy.
The meetup at the race tracks had ended and most of our school had headed off immediately towards the rival school, chanting and riding together like some sort of an adolescent army. Of course, with one of the leading individuals being Raizou, it was not hard to imagine them as a makeshift military group.
Since everyone was either taking the bus or riding their own bicycles, I was left with a small group who were content with going the whole distance on foot, albeit for different reasons.
I would've loved to hitch a ride or even drive myself to Hakuo if it wasn't for my problem with motion sickness.
As I waved off the last group of students who had left our school grounds, I was alone on the road, mentally prepared to take on an almost insurmountable challenge; the first of which being the relay race which was scheduled for the afternoon sessions.
It was pretty poetic to see myself alone on the street as no one else was-
"E-Esashi-kun?"
"EH?!"
I almost leapt out of my shoes the second I heard Chihiro speak softly right near my left ear. I had no idea she was still hanging around me as I could've sworn she had left with the initial group. It was startling whenever she appeared without warning and she almost seemed to have an impeccable sense of knowing when my guards were down.
"C-Chihiro-san?" I asked out of pure instinct before facing her.
Like most of the students who didn't have any part to play in the events for the day, she was wearing our school uniform albeit without a bag and only holding a bottle of water.
Even after my initial surprise waned, I could never get tired of seeing her; especially since she changed her hairstyle to a sportier look since the previous week.
"A-Are you going to take part today?" she asked.
I knew instantly that she was asking that due to me still wearing the school uniform. She must've expected me to be in a sports attire already as I was supposed to be part of the relay race later on.
"Yes" I replied, "I probably have something to do at the opening ceremony so I'm waiting until that finishes to change" I added, tapping my backpack.
Thankfully, she nodded instead of acting embarrassed.
"Where's your bicycle?" I asked.
Out of our small circle of friends, I was the only one without a bicycle and since everyone who had their own rides brought them, I was a bit perplexed to see Chihiro without hers.
And that's right…even someone as timid as Chihiro had more confidence in driving than me!
"Ryuzaki-san wanted to…um…b-borrow it" she answered.
"Huh? He wanted to?…he has one himself, right?"
Although Raizou had not brought out his bicycle for a long, long time, I often saw it outside his house and it was never in an unusable condition so I was puzzled that he would borrow someone else's instead of riding his own.
Granted, we had lost each other when the students left the school so I couldn't be certain if Raizou had used his own bicycle or not. He definitely had not brought it with him when we entered the grounds together but he could've always asked his underlings to grab it for him.
"He said it was for a friend of his" Chihiro added.
"He said that?" I arched an eyebrow, "That's strange…" I mumbled, "…are you okay with it though? I mean, you'll have to walk and it's not a short walk either."
As she started to hesitate and stutter a bit, I understood my mistake.
"I-I mean, you're welcome to join me!" I quickly added, "I'm going to walk as well…hehe…we can go together if you want."
"U-Uh…I'd…umm…I'd love to" she replied.
To escape from the rather awkward situation, I whipped my phone out to check the time as an alibi.
"9:12" I said, "We should probably leave as well. Everyone else has gone."
"A-Alright!"
Without wasting another second, we began to head towards our destination for the next two days.
Failure to show up before 10:00am at Hakuo Academy was a non-concern for the moment as I was infinitely more concerned with preventing another difficult interaction arising, similar to the ones I just had a couple of days before.
The winter morning was not as chilly as I had thought it would be; although that could be equated to me getting flustered at almost unleashing the nervous side of Chihiro. The air was quite fine and refreshing as well but my insides were pounding with anticipation of participating in a big event with her and the rest of my friends.
I had thought that walking by myself towards Hakuo would've been symbolic of how I felt about my place in our school but having Chihiro by my side was a reminder that it was wrong to think I would be alone.
"We still have fifteen minutes to go" I told my companion, putting my phone back in my pockets.
Chihiro nodded knowingly.
"I-I've never gone inside before" she told me.
"Neither have I."
We were literally a single step away from entering the prestigious Hakuo Academy for the first time in both of our lives.
The entrance we happened upon had neat brick pillars which had the name plate "Hakuo Academy" attached to them. A long metal fence wrapped around the entire institution which was so large that I couldn't easily locate where the corners were.
It was basically the size of a national park and the numerous lines of trees that adorned the pathways added to that particular aesthetic.
Even when we were several blocks away, we could point out a number of magnificent buildings within the confines of the fences. The most distinct was the clock tower which stuck out from almost a mile away.
Security booths were also, of course, a must for such a glamorous school and in other days, we would've been shooed away by security for even standing in front of their school.
We couldn't stay flummoxed by the grandeur of Hakuo Academy for too long though.
Fifteen minutes might have appeared to be ample time for us but in reality, we still had to find the indoor stadium where the ceremony would take place.
"There…um…are a lot of trees" Chihiro spoke up.
"Yeah…" I grumbled, "If only these things weren't here, we'd find the stadium a lot quicker."
"There are no students around."
I looked around and in front of us and indeed, not a single student was in sight. Our own students were nowhere to be found too!
That ramped up my urgency a bit more. It was clear everyone was already at the venue.
"Let's just find it by ourselves" I suggested, unconsciously taking my first step within Hakuo Academy grounds.
The backpack I had on me was starting to bother me a bit as well and I wanted to find a place to prop it down as soon as possible.
Chihiro quietly walked behind me as I adjusted my pace so as to not leave her side abruptly.
The path was made up of bricks and were flanked by path lights. Benches were scattered here and there which really made it feel like we were walking through a park rather than an educational institution.
That illusion would've been significantly more realistic had we not fortunately stumbled upon a large sign that directed us to where some of the important buildings were.
"Soooooo…the stadium's to the right and the race tracks are nearby…" I reiterated what the sign said, "…and the clock tower's straight ahead…kinda obvious."
"Esashi-kun?"
I turned to face Chihiro who was standing next to me.
"What is it?"
"Are you going to…um…lead the race team today?" she asked meekly.
I decided to go for a sarcastic reply for some reason.
"Oh! Yes, I think I will" I nodded before shrugging, "That's what Hirayama-sensei wants from me. Though I would have wanted to sit at the stands like you guys if it was up to me."
Suddenly, she bowed in front of me.
"P-Please do your best, Esashi-kun!" she said as loud as she could…which wasn't that loud at all.
"I'll give my all" I chuckled, "I watched a series about European superhuman athletes yesterday actually. I'll be using some of their strategies if somehow they put me in the starting lineup for the relay race."
That got me thinking for a second about what other sports had TV series about them. I knew I could find something regarding kendo if I searched the internet hard enough. Baseball also wouldn't be a problem but I already knew I wouldn't be playing a part in it.
An idea then formed in my head.
"You've been to chess practice a lot, haven't you?" I asked her right out of the blue.
"U-Um…I-I…I…" Chihiro stammered, blushing wildly.
"Are you part of the chess team?"
She first stared at the ground for a few seconds, quivering a bit before she glanced at me and nodded lowly.
"Y-Yes…" she replied.
I would've burst with pride but I restrained my emotions so as to not overwhelm her any further. Even if I wanted to celebrate Chihiro taking another step in getting out of her shell, I knew an overreaction from my side might cause her to walk back home out of pure embarrassment.
"There's actually a series about chess airing right now" I told her, "I haven't watched it but I've heard good things about it! You could binge it if you like…I mean, chess is on Thursday so you have enough time if you want to learn more from that series."
Slowly, she looked up and we locked eyes. I could see a glimmer in her eyes and that was all what I needed to see from her.
"I…I'll give it a watch then" she said, smiling.
"Okay!" I triumphantly exclaimed, "Let's keep going then!"
We then continued on our journey, silently wishing to reach our destination on time.
As for the TV series I had mentioned, it was nothing more than an innocent suggestion to a friend. But if I hadn't had my mind so focused on the festival, I would've the wherewithal to remember something about Chihiro and her being easily influenced.
"This isn't a stadium…" I muttered, "…this is a goddamned colosseum."
"Huh?"
"Uh…er…I mean, the stands are jammed, I can't see 'em" I lied sheepishly.
"See who?"
"My…uh…my friends."
Luckily for me, Katsura-san ceased pressing on the subject any further and she kept her attention at the arena-like stage at the bottom of the stadium.
To keep it short, Chihiro and I managed to reach the indoor stadium less than five minutes before the ceremony had started. However, she was escorted away from me and I was ushered to a pavilion high up in the stands.
The stadium was kept dark and with the floodlights illuminating only the center stage, it was hard to discern how many tiers of stands were inside the gigantic domed structure. I was already astounded by how humongous it appeared from outside so I was certain it was similar on the interior side of things.
After I was separated from Chihiro, I was taken to a special pavilion in the stands which had a dozen or so comfortable looking seats. Save for the central arena, it was the only other place that had the lights turned on.
I wasn't surprised at all to find that I was made to sit right next to Katsura Hinagiku. We barely had enough to exchange pleasantries as an important person from Hakuo started the ceremony suddenly.
Despite our short interaction, I could tell that Katsura-san had changed into a more formal demeanor, quite dissimilar to what she had in our previous meeting.
"I think Shiomi High students are seated in the Northern stands" Katsura-san helpfully pointed out.
"Ah…okay…but it's difficult to see them while the lights are out…" I stated the obvious.
I hadn't been able to pay attention to Kuzuha-san or whatever the brown-haired woman's name was. She was busy handling the introductions and handing out welcomes to both Hakuo Academy students and Shiomi High students from the center of the stadium.
"…and here she is! The mad genius behind this unprecedented event! Our Student Council President! Katsura Hinagiku!"
That part I heard loud and clear.
I instantly glanced at the person who was sitting next to me.
I expected a cool and calm expression on Katsura-san's face but instead, she genuinely appeared to be quite annoyed at something.
The crowd sitting in the dark was cheering and applauding loudly as she adjusted her skirt, preparing to stand up from her seat. I could only sit in confusion, not knowing why she was already looking so ticked off even before the festival had officially started.
"I need to have a talk with her later" I heard her mumble before she rose from her seat.
Some stagehands quickly placed a microphone stand in front of her like they were a Formula 1 pit crew in disguise. Katsura-san remained unfazed as she held the live microphone with one hand while holding up the other.
In an instant, the students fell silent as if someone had smothered all of the noises they had made. Somehow, I knew that was but a fraction of the power that a Hakuo Academy Student Council President held.
"Good morning, faculty members and students from both Hakuo Academy and Shiomi Municipal High School" she said in a loud and clear voice.
I silently squirmed in excitement from my own seat as I recognized the true nature of Katsura-san. It was every bit of what I had thought of her and it was liberating to learn that I was right! Despite all of her modest remarks, she was an exceptional and admirable person down to her core.
"This inter-school festival has been in the works for a fair amount of time and I am pleased to witness the official opening of an unprecedented event that has brought our two institutions together in a friendly, competitive setting" she continued, "On behalf of the Hakuo Academy students, I would like to formally welcome every single individual representing Shiomi Municipal High School and give my utmost appreciation for their efforts in making this event a reality."
Her choice of words and the flawless manner in which she transitioned from one sentence to another without stuttering or even making a mistake was truly magnificent! It was such a far cry for that cheap "battle speech" I had made before we left our school just an hour earlier.
Then, I suddenly noticed she fell silent for a couple of seconds. I glanced at her and caught her looking at me for a split second before she continued speaking.
"Let us not forget the main reason for the organization of this festival" she added before holding a fist high in the air, "Let the games begin!"
It seemed like a small earthquake had shaken the building from the base to the ceiling the moment Katsura-san finished her short speech.
Such was the sheer force of the thunderous roar emanating from the crowd!
I also joined the applause in response since I genuinely thought her speech was great.
The passive expression she sported dissipated as soon as she saw me smiling at her with adoration. She returned the gesture as she sat next to me again.
"I never doubted you, Katsura-san" I told her immediately, "I always knew you were like an idol over here."
"They're just happy the event's starting" she rejected the idea I had, "It has nothing to do with me."
"I cannot believe that" I chuckled, "There's no need to deny it."
"Are you telling me to embrace it?" she asked, giggling a bit.
"I actually don't know. I mean, you're already doing quite well by the looks of it" I stated, "Maybe you don't need to accept it either."
She sighed.
"I guess leaving things as it is might not be bad" she said before she opened her closed fist, revealing a piece of paper.
I leant towards her a bit, trying to figure out what was written on it.
"I was intending on giving this to you right now" she revealed as she took the piece of paper away from view, "But I've now learnt I have to change a few things first."
"Hehe…I won't ask what it's all about then. Probably better to leave it as a surprise" I replied, trying my best to curb my curiosity.
"Remind me about it towards the tail end of the festival, alright?" she said.
"Of course!" I nodded.
With our little conversation done, we listened intently as Kishida-sensei walked towards the central arena in order to give a speech on behalf of our school.
I almost laughed out loud upon hearing a few groans coming from our side of the stadium. Those lot were most likely dreading whatever boring speech our teacher had prepared.
As for me, I was left in a perpetual state of intrigue by what Katsura-san had revealed.
However, I could only imagine what she had written down on that mysterious parchment for the time being. My mind, thankfully, didn't wander down the obvious route of assuming it to be a love letter. That would've been absolutely embarrassing once I learnt it wasn't the case.
Of course, what I had guessed at the time wasn't that much better either.
For some reason, I had a gut feeling that it contained words of wisdom regarding presidency that I had never heard before and a few other things designed to help me be like her.
I couldn't let it dominate my head for long though.
With the first event coming up in a few hours, I had to get myself pumped for the relay race as well as the subsequent events. I simply couldn't betray the trust and hope my fellow students had under my leadership.
Even if we got absolutely stomped when the events rolled around, I had already promised myself I'd give my all.
At the end of the opening ceremony, the superintendent of Hakuo Academy announced that the first event would be the cycling sprint event which was to be held at a scarily convenient cycling track they had recently installed.
I was a bit relieved that cycling was first as it meant there would be a lot of time in between that and the relay races for me to prepare myself in the off chance that Hirayama-sensei stuck with his original plan and kept me in the lineup. Plus, it also meant I could root for Souya who was taking part.
Once the ceremony had ended, I had to fight through a wave of palpably disgusted Hakuo Academy students to get to where my friends were. In fact, the hatred and sense of rivalry in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife…and it would flop around on the ground for all to see afterwards!
Before I was able to do that, I was made to shake hands with a short, heavily bearded old man who was apparently on the Hakuo Academy board of directors. Contrary to what I thought the higher ups at the school might look like, he was wearing a fisherman's jacket and a rather ordinary hat and he spoke to me in a fairly normal way.
I had this weird feeling that I had seen him before but of course, I wouldn't risk the chance of asking him about it so I ended the exchange not too long after.
Suffice to say, I was successfully reunited with Raizou, Chihiro and Kasumi-senpai near the entrance to the indoor stadium.
Kasumi-senpai did her best to bring the fire out in me as we had neared our first events and also urged me to attend every event that didn't clash with my own schedule. It didn't take much for me to promise to her that I would follow her advice without fail.
Chihiro had informed me that the cheerleading team would be practicing inside the indoor stadium so she apologized in advance in the event that she missed the relay races. It was understandable, seeing that her close girl friends were part of our cheerleading team.
As for the big idiot Raizou, Kasumi-senpai revealed that he had almost started a riot during the opening ceremony, mainly due to Katsura-san having a chance to say something and I wasn't given any. He then told me that it was a huge sign of disrespect from Hakuo Academy which I necessarily didn't agree with.
In fact, I was glad I wasn't asked to say something since I knew I would've been brutally eclipsed by Katsura-san.
So, we were off to the cycling tracks next for the first clash between our two schools.
I had half-hoped to have a friendly chat with almost anyone from Hakuo Academy on the way over there but they all avoided me like the plague as I was the face of our school…or perhaps it was because Raizou had asked his goons to surround me and the rest of the Student Council like we were VIPs being escorted around.
The whole unnecessary display kinda made me wish the festival would reach its conclusion before long so they'd drop all of their annoying antics.
Because of the makeshift security that accompanied me, I was unfortunately a bit late in reaching the cycling race track Hakuo Academy had specially prepared for the inter-school festival.
There were whispers from our camp regarding concerns that Hakuo Academy might've rigged some of the events in their favor. I was wary about shutting those rumors down myself but luckily, Kasumi-senpai was on hand to stop them from causing further rifts between our two schools.
Anyway, by the time I had made myself comfortable under the roofed stands, the cyclists representing our school and Hakuo Academy were already at the starting line of the straight race track. It was easy to distinguish our participants from theirs as we had agreed on using bluish outfits in contrast to Hakuo's reds.
The area where the cycling track was located had been neatly cleared of any obstructive tree lines and there was enough space around the main track to prevent collisions with foreign objects in case of accidents.
And from my vantage point at the top of the stands, it was easy to keep up with the action from start to finish.
BANG!
I had barely settled in and had finished adjusting myself when the starting pistol went off without any warning.
I was startled by the resounding "bang" and effectively caught off guard by the loud shouts of support from both schools. People were jumping up and down around me which made it impossible to view the race from a seated position.
The energy in the crowd beckoned me to stand up as well and what I saw left me in shock.
All other cyclists had barely reached a quarter of the total distance when the lead cyclist was nearing the finish line.
Unfortunately for us, the student who was edging towards victory was from Hakuo Academy and as he crossed the line, it was like someone had died in our stands.
The lively atmosphere was instantly deflated when realization dawned upon us that we had just been promptly humbled by that lone student's superb performance.
Only a few people still had the piece of mind to applaud Souya as he barely managed to grab a third-place finish ahead of the rest of the participants.
While the Hakuo Academy students surrounded their representatives, a dejected and subdued Shiomi High crowd welcomed Souya and the other cyclists back into our fold.
However, it made me a bit optimistic to know that Souya had managed to grab a place on the podium at least. Raizou seemed to share that sentiment as well as he tried his best to liven up our students once more.
With that resounding victory, Hakuo Academy had the advantage already.
Before we headed over to the cafeteria to have lunch, I picked up on a number of our students talking about how the first-placed student from Hakuo used to be our student!
However, I was too embarrassed about not knowing who the devilishly fast cyclist so I kept myself out of that particular conversation.
After all, once we had our fill, I had to focus on the relay race.
I was the first to enter the changing room as well as the last to exit.
Having seen what the race track looked like, I didn't feel the need to waste any energy trying to find out any discrepancies lurking throughout the length of the track.
It was quite similar to the race track we had back at our school except it was in a much better condition than ours and like the cycling track, there weren't any hazards nearby and if one was unlucky enough to stumble off the tracks, their fall would be cushioned by a nice, wet patch of freshly sprinkled grass.
While the rest of our team had already gone outside, I sat by myself, reassessing the fact that I was actually going to be fighting for the sake of our school!
This was the moment I had been waiting for and I was not gonna blow it by not fighting for my life.
After I had properly psyched myself up, I grabbed the handle of the door and exited into the open area outside.
What awaited me on the other side were admiring gazes and fired up cheers from my fellow Shiomi High students.
I basked in the adulation they were showering me with; a culmination of the support and hope they had thrust upon me ever since the inception of the festival. I had never expected them to be behind me to such an extent. It was like I was their champion, their hero and the one who would give them victory.
For a second, I felt invincible.
It took me several moments to shift my attention away from the cheers given my way to the rest of the Shiomi relay race team. And more importantly, Hirayama-sensei was calling out to me.
"Esashi! Get over here!"
I almost burst out laughing upon hearing that Mortal Kombat quote from our teacher's mouth without warning. Somewhere in the stands, I knew Raizou was bellowing in laughter because of that.
"Yes, sensei!" I shouted back, rejoining my teammates in just a few footsteps.
Unlike our supporters, they were keen on attaining our first victory over Hakuo so they had no time to applaud my inclusion. Actually, they already had their moment of jubilation over my joining them two weeks before so they had pretty much gotten used to my presence.
That was, save for the always nonchalant Wakabayashi Ui, who had never showed the slightest bit of interest in me…which I greatly appreciated.
From the corner of my eye, I could see the Hakuo students taking up their places at several points on the oval race track. I was close to trying to identify the optimal route I could take when Ui pulled me into a team huddle.
"So, we won't change the order we used in our practices" Hirayama-sensei stated, "We'll go with our usual strategy of gaining as much of a lead as we could muster through Wakabayashi and then, we'll finish strong with Esashi, alright?"
"Okay!" the four of us said in unison.
"Alright! Take up your positions and good luck!" our sensei told us as we broke the huddle.
Another round of cheers erupted from the Shiomi High crowd but we were too focused on the task at hand to even acknowledge their support for the time being.
As I scanned the race track in its entirety, I realized that the Hakuo team were wearing red shirts and white shorts as well as fancy sports shoes. It was quite different from the plain white shirt and blue shorts that our team wore and I would even bet my left lung that the combined cost of all our track shoes would still be less than one of the pairs they had on them.
And then, I saw her.
All of the bravado I had worked up took a back seat abruptly the second I laid my eyes on Katsura-san who was on the other side of the race tracks.
"Great…really great…" I sighed.
"Uhh…what's the matter, Esashi-senpai?"
The speaker was the youngest member of the team, Yamauchi Keiichi.
"Nothing…" I grumbled as I began to walk towards the 300m mark.
And just as I had feared, Katsura-san was stretching right next to my destination.
It was no longer possible for me to have my thoughts only fixated upon the race and the strategies we were given. Seeing Katsura-san as part of the Hakuo team was not part of the information I had been given prior and I was certain that her presence would be a key factor in determining our victory.
It wasn't that I was scared of her. I was just simply wary of her capabilities.
"We're looking at a spicy finish, aren't we?"
Ui asked me in her usual monotone voice as I dazed past her. I instantly understood what she meant.
"I'm…uh…a lot bigger than her so I'll win, right?" I asked with false hope in my heart.
It wasn't baseless though as Katsura-san had never struck me as an athlete…at least not quite to the extent of what Kasumi-senpai and Ui were. Although she was most likely light on her feet, she didn't have that same sporty aura surrounding her.
"That's what we're counting on" Ui cryptically replied as she took a deep breath.
I had no idea if I should feel comforted or disheartened but I couldn't disturb Ui any more.
There was this strange sensation in the back of my mind that warned me about what lied behind Katsura-san's green tinted eyes. An unstoppable monster could have been lurking underneath her and when finally unleashed, she could utterly dominate us in a whim. Underestimating her was not an option.
Sure, she kinda looked a bit smaller and not at all physically intimidating even in her sports attire but I had a hunch she would surprise me once more.
So, I simply resigned to accepting that and holding my mind open for any unexpected turn of events.
I could still feel my feet slightly sinking into the rubbery crust of the race track as the sun beamed down upon me. With each step I took towards the 300m mark, my heart beat faster and faster, warning me of the imminent clash I would be having with Katsura-san.
"Well…this is a surprise…" I said with a smile as I stood right next to her.
In an instant, she paused her warm up and stared at me.
I have to say, even though I thought she didn't give off any "athlete" vibes, she certainly looked like one once I was up close to her. Unlike the other girls participating in the race, she hadn't tied her long hair to prevent an unwanted disadvantage.
"Good afternoon, Esashi-san" she replied as she regained a vertical base.
I actually couldn't deny that Katsura-san, in her sports shirt and shorts, was more on the cute side than on the sporty side and when she stood up, she resembled a young girl modeling sports-related accessories.
"I didn't think we'd be going up against each other so soon" I chuckled, standing on the same line as her, "What are the chances we're both the last in our respective lineups?"
"As expected of you" she nodded, "Taking up one of the most important roles in a relay race is really admirable."
"Really?" I raised my eyebrow.
"Most people wouldn't want the responsibility" she said, slightly leaning forward, "The final result lies in their hands."
"Oh…that makes sense…"
The referee lifted his hand, preparing to start the race.
"I'm glad we could do this, Esashi-san" she told me as she stared intently at her teammates.
A bittersweet feeling crawled its way into my heart for a few seconds. As much as I had wanted our school to emerge victorious when the dust settled, Katsura-san's point about responsibilities had me pondering about what would become of her reputation if they failed to win against us.
I was more than certain that I wouldn't face any grief from my fellow students even if we lost everything but the same probably could not be said for her.
Her reputation was at stake and due to my role, I would be complicit if the Hakuo Academy students lambasted her and blamed her for not finishing the inter-school festival with their school's dominance still left intact.
And I didn't want to have anything to do with that.
So, seeing that I still had time before the event started, I went for an abrupt change of plans.
Visibly cringing and clutching my calf, I kick started the ruse that would relieve me of the guilt I might inflict upon myself in case I beat Katsura-san.
Even if I couldn't compete, there was still Matsuda-senpai on the substitute list.
Letting out a small grunt, I hunched forward a bit.
"Oh man…I think I-"
"ARRGGGHHHHHH!"
I was promptly interrupted by an ear-piercing yell on the other side of the track.
A couple of our physios as well as my teammates instantly rushed over and surrounded whoever had screamed in pain. I was too struck by surprise that I couldn't even take a step from my spot and I was left watching on in sheer bewilderment.
"Seems like an unfortunate injury" Katsura-san remarked, "I hope he's alright."
I didn't respond right away. Instead, I waited until the physios stretchered our injured member away.
I let out a sigh upon realizing that the injury that Kawahara-senpai had suddenly received meant that I could no longer fake myself out of the situation I was in.
Matsuda-san, Kasumi-senpai's boyfriend soon sauntered over to the 100m mark to take up the spot after getting approval from both referees and Hirayama-sensei.
"Good thing your substitute was ready to step in" Katsura-san commented, inadvertently reminding me that I now had no choice but to go up against her.
"Ah…so that's our team then…" I laughed nervously, "…It'll be quite interesting in the first quarter."
Logical thinking dictated that I should be at ease due to our golden athletes Matsuda-san and Ui starting us off and giving us a substantial lead going into the 200m mark but I knew it only mounted more pressure upon me.
If we lost, it would be in my hands.
"Good luck, Esashi-san"
I glanced to my side and saw Katsura-san smiling at me.
Hiding the fear I harbored, I nodded.
"Likewise."
A rather loud bang of a pistol snapped me out of my thoughts and dragged me back down to reality.
The rapid sounds of two pairs of feet sprinting from the starting line on the race track was paired with the cheers and shouts of support from hundreds of students on the sidelines. The atmosphere was quite different from within the tracks then from the stands and it felt like there wasn't any disconnect between the supporters and the participants.
"Go on, Ui!" I instinctively shouted the moment I realized Ui had a firm lead over the Hakuo representative.
Closing in on Matsuda who stood at the 100m mark, Ui stretched her hand out, her face gripped with determination as she prepared to pass the baton before their opponents could do to the same.
The transition was smooth and precise and without even wasting a single millisecond, Matsuda-san sprinted as fast as his legs could take him, easily maneuvering through the bend in the oval race track. I observed carefully as the distance between him and the Hakuo athletes increased with each step.
"YES! Let's go, Yamauchi!"
I voiced my support for my kouhai who was waiting for Matsuda-san at the 200m mark.
As the exchange happened, Yamauchi ran with all that he could, closing his eyes at points of his short journey whilst his classmates yelled his name out as loud as they could.
It was almost time for me to jump in.
Yamauchi was halfway to reaching for me when Hakuo's team made their own transition.
However, to my shock, the person they handed the baton to zipped through the race track like a demon!
Despite his short stature, the boy was able to gain a burst of speed which was enough to close the gap with Yamauchi even more so than how Ui and Matsuda-san did so only seconds earlier.
And Yamauchi was running faster than I could run!
Tense and nervous, I held my hand out behind and put my right foot forward. Ready to kick off the moment the baton reached my hands.
Katsura-san also took up the same stance and with unmatched focus in her eyes.
Despite the disparity in their sprint speed, Yamauchi was thankfully able to take advantage of the gap his senpais had notched up and was on course to make the transition before his opponent could catch up to him.
Unfortunately, a misstep would derail everything.
Yamauchi accidentally tripped himself just a few meters away from me and the momentum threw him forward, rolling towards me while the crowd gasped in concern. I could only look on with widened eyes the second that stumble occurred.
That seemed to be the end of our run.
However, before anyone could react, the Hakuo athlete slowed his pace to a snail's pace, panting heavily as if he had exerted the last of his stamina trying to catch up to Yamauchi. He was basically dragging himself towards Katsura-san who was also perplexed by the turn of events.
I then heard grunts coming from the ground behind me.
To my surprise, Yamauchi was practically on all fours, crawling in my direction with the baton extended at me.
"S-Senpai…l-let's go!" he told me.
In a temporary state of confusion, I reached and grasped it tightly.
At that exact moment, I realized Katsura-san had also received hers as well.
Time seemed to stop as we gazed at each other, with neither one of us making a move to even run. The crowd had also grown silent in awe, waiting until we continued the race to respond.
Katsura-san then subtly pointed to the finish line in front of us.
"One" she whispered, loud enough for me to hear.
I instantly understood what she meant, and I turned my body, ready to act at a moment's notice.
"Two" I said.
As we smiled at each other one last time, we took up the same stance we made at the start.
"Three!"
The second we counted in unison, we bolted from our mark and sprinted towards the promised land that was the end of the race track.
Both Hakuo and Shiomi students erupted in an earthshattering roar as the faces of both schools were finally going head to head on equal footing and competing towards a common goal.
However, that wasn't the thought that was occupying my mind.
I recalled the 100m sprint race that I had with my fellow student council members and I invoked the spirit of competitiveness that I had during that.
My vision was shaky and my breaths irregular as I ran as fast I could towards the finish line. However, I couldn't see Katsura-san in front of me nor in my peripheral view so at least I was sure she hadn't out ran me.
I ignored the muscles in my legs crying out for relief and instead pushed them even further, attaining a short burst of speed out of sheer determination.
The sounds of Katsura-san's steady breaths were close enough that I could still hear them even though the students were shouting their hearts out. I couldn't hesitate even a bit lest my opponent would gain an advantage so close to the finish line.
Once I knew I was close enough, I planted my feet on the ground firmly. And with one mighty leap, I used the strategy Hirayama-sensei imparted upon me to gain a physical leverage over my opponent.
A grin came across my face as I realized I was about to secure my first victory.
And then, my right foot crossed the finish line and a moment later, I found myself fully crossing it.
"YYYEAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
A deafening cheer accompanied me as I stopped to catch my breath and regain my stamina. It was a truly euphoric feeling, knowing that I had given my all and it had paid off in the end. The sweat flowing from my brow like a leaky faucet was nothing but the result of necessary labours I had to strive through in order to get what I wanted.
As soon as I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked up and saw Raizou looking rather sullen. With the blood vessels inside my head thumping like crazy, I couldn't hear things clearly yet.
"…what…what do you think?" I asked him as I grinned.
"That was a close one" he said, still staring ahead.
"Definitely" I said, lowering my head to inhale, "So…we do this for the next four days…and we're golden, right?"
""We're golden"?" Raizou narrowed his eyes at me, "Well, I think we can get even closer."
I was a bit surprised to hear him say that after my victory.
"Huh? What…what more do you expect?" I asked, finally able to breathe normally again, "A victory is a victory!"
"Victory?" Raizou chuckled before his eyes widened with glee, "Wait! You thought you won, didn't you?"
"Eh?" I shook my head, "I won, didn't I?"
The idiot then laughed in my face while patting my shoulder relentlessly.
"Are you trying to steal this moment from me?" I asked annoyedly.
"What is there to steal?" he smirked, turning my head towards a large group of Hakuo students.
Apparently, they were celebrating something and were busy chucking Katsura-san up and down in a triumphant manner. I could find no sad or desponded faces amongst them as they seemed to be wrapped up in their little post-event ritual or something.
Suddenly, a searing wave of anger and frustration built up inside me.
"HOW THE HELL DID WE LOSE THAT!?" I yelled right there and then.
If I had taken a moment to check my surroundings, I would've easily noticed both my senpais and kouhais getting alarmed and anxious due to my sudden outburst. Luckily for them, I was very much fixated on the final result at the moment.
"You know that little hop you did at the end?" Raizou calmly asked.
Of course, I needed to clear my head a bit to answer that analytical question.
"Yes? What about it?"
"She jumped the same time as you did and she managed to cross the line just before you did" Raizou grinned, "I still can't believe she got more out of the jump than you did; you're a lot taller than her!"
That explanation, though brief, satisfied my sudden thirst for decrypting what secret technique Katsura-san had used to snatch victory from me.
With the initial rage having subsided a bit, it was time for the disappointment to set in.
"I'm at least five inches taller" I grumbled, "I should've won."
I had done everything perfectly!
From my initial sprint to the acceleration I attained, I had followed Hirayama-sensei's instructions and our training perfectly! Even the final jump I made to get past the finish line faster than my opponent was calculated and practiced countless times!
"You know, if long jump was a part of the events, I'd bet on her to win it" Raizou said casually.
A number of Shiomi High students had already made their way towards the exit seeing that there weren't any events left for the day. Though we had started off with a crushing defeat at the cycling event, a narrow victory by Hakuo Academy in the second one undoubtedly had a more negative effect overall on the mentality of our school.
"Why are you suddenly talking like you support them?" I asked, questioning his unusual comments.
"I'm not" he chuckled, "You expect me to rile up our troops, don't you? It's not exactly time for that right now. I'll do it tomorrow, you know, with a fresh start and all."
I let out a heavy sigh.
"That…that'll be needed" I mumbled, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm counting on you to do that."
"Noted!"
Giving me one last pat on the back, Raizou left my side and went towards Souya, Mitsumi and Chihiro who were just on their way to talk to me.
Fortunately, Raizou told them to give me some time to assess the loss though in reality, I wouldn't have minded speaking to them. But I appreciated not having to listen to words of encouragement so soon after a morally crushing defeat.
Even my own teammates and coach had left me alone on the race tracks so as to not disturb me while I took in what had transpired.
However, thanks to Raizou's calm talk with me, I was more than ready to move on and focus on the next tasks at hand.
"Maybe I'd have done better if the sun wasn't so bright" I said to myself while laughing.
The sun could've been a big factor in exhausting my stamina in the latter stages but I knew that I was just clutching at straws.
Katsura-san and her team had won fair and square.
Curious about the celebration that was still going on, I glanced at the crowd of Hakuo students and found that they were still tossing Katsura-san up and down jubilantly.
It made me wonder if our school would do the same if I had won something for them.
"She's not gonna like that" I laughed again.
Katsura-san was flailing rather wildly and trying to get away from the celebrations. Given her fear of heights, I could only imagine how pissed off and scared she must've been with dozens of hands lifting her and throwing her into the air repeatedly for nearly a minute now.
Actually, scratch that.
I would be scared too if that happened to me.
Not because I was afraid of heights…but because it would absolutely get messy and borderline gross.
But I was sure I didn't want my personal problems to stop us from winning at least one thing.
After what they had showed in the first day of our battle, my hunger for victory and a desire to witness even just a single nanosecond of genuine celebrations from our school dwarfed the fear of being caught up in such a trivial problem.
We may have been one down, but we still had four more days to fight back.