After the conclusion of the second round, most of the other students were weeded out of the competition. Kuri was lucky for less competition but felt bad that many of her talented classmates didn't get to be finalists.
Only the first four pairs to cross the line had made it to the final round. This included herself and Bakugo, Iida and Ochako, Midoriya and Tsu, and Tokoyami and Kuroiro from Class 2-B.
"Bakugo, I can't believe we actually won!" Kuri said yet again. He grinned.
"Of course, we won!" he said. Then, his smile faded a bit. "But during the next round, I'm gonna beat you for sure."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand. "It was fun working with you, though." She walked off so she could go get lunch with Mina and Jirou.
"You too."
Kuri whipped her head around, only to see Bakugo walking away as well. She smiled, then continued on her way. After a good lunch, Kuri headed back to the arena with her friends.
"Now that everyone has returned, it is time to announce what the third game is," Ectoplasm said.
Kuri watched as the large screen scrolled through the options and slowly came to a stop. A grin spread across her face.
No way...
"Sword fight," Ectoplasm said, reading off of the screen. "This game is simple, really. Both contestants will be given a wooden katana and won't be allowed to step out of the designated area unless they wish to risk disqualification. The goal is to either incapacitate your opponent, cause them to surrender, or make them step out of the ring.
"The one condition is that you are not allowed to use your quirk for combat; you may only use your quirk for defense or movement. Your sword is your only weapon," Ectoplasm added.
Kuri couldn't believe her ears. Sword fighting? One of the few things she was insanely good at? Not to mention that quirks couldn't be used for combat, which completely leveled the playing field. It must've been her lucky day or something.
"Mina!" Kuri exclaimed, shaking her friend's arm slightly. Mina looked back at her, sharing her grin. "Do you realize what this means?"
"You mean how you're totally gonna win? I told you there was nothing to worry about!" she said.
"The finalists will now draw lots to determine the bracket for the third round," Ectoplasm said. He gestured to a box beside him, called the finalists up to the stage, and they each drew a slip of paper from the box.
Kuri's paper had the number two on it, so that meant she and her opponent would be the second ones to fight out of the four pairs. In the back of her head, she hoped that she wouldn't have to fight Bakugo. Mostly because after an inevitable loss, he'd probably challenge her to a rematch, and that would be a bit of a hassle.
"Okay, everyone has drawn, so we'll now display the bracket," Ectoplasm said.
The large screen changed again, displaying the bracket with their names on it. The matches were as follows: Asui versus Kuroiro; Midoriya versus Nakano; Iida versus Uraraka; Bakugo versus Tokoyami.
Well, I'll be damned…
Kuri and Bakugo were on opposite branches, so they'd only have to fight if they both made it all the way to the final match! It certainly was her lucky day.
Then, Ectoplasm announced that there would be recreational games for anyone to play, but the finalists could opt out. Kuri decided to opt out since she didn't want to deplete her stamina before she even had a chance to compete.
Despite knowing that she was capable enough to most likely win, that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. And one of the few things that helped thoroughly calm her was solitude. Unable to think of a better place, Kuri decided to go to the forest surrounding the arena to find somewhere serene.
She settled down in the grass, pulling her legs into a criss-cross position and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, embracing the scent of fresh flowers and decomposing leaves. She could still hear the faint din of the arena, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet.
Kuri might have been relaxed if it weren't for one thing.
She was pretty sure she'd sprained her ankle during the second round.
What with having to be tied to Bakugo and the tumult of the repeated jumps paired with explosions, she hadn't been able to be as careful as usual and landed funny. The pain had been bearable enough to finish the race, but it was slowly starting to build, and Kuri wondered how long she'd be able to hold up.
However, she'd sprained her ankles so often that she assumed she'd be fine if she didn't put too much pressure on it.
Kuri was actually a bit shocked that she'd managed to sprain her ankle. Over the years, she'd learned to be careful when she landed, and landing safely was basically second nature to her at that point.
Maybe it was because her brain had been a bit preoccupied during the race… Yeah, it was definitely that. Throughout the race, Kuri had been wondering why Bakugo had chosen to partner with her. Sure they were friends, and sure their quirks worked well together for that game, but it still was strange.
Could he have had an ulterior motive? Probably not, Kuri had kept reminding herself. There was no way he liked her back. It just didn't seem possible. Unless…?
Before she knew it, it was time for the last event to start. Kuri sat in the waiting room while Tsu and Kuroiro fought, then finally, she was alerted that it was time for her first match to start. Hopefully, it wouldn't be her last.
Kuri stood at the entrance to the arena, listening for her cue to step in.
"It's time to introduce our competitors for this match!" Present Mic exclaimed. "First up, it's the boy whose power continues to amaze! From the hero course, it's Izuku Midoriya!" The crowd cheered, and Midoriya stepped out onto the grass. "As for our other fighter," Present Mic continued. "She transferred here from the U.S. last year! Also from the hero course, it's Kuri Nakano!"
Kuri hesitantly stepped out onto the grass and looked up at the crowd as they cheered for her. These complete strangers were whooping and whistling for her, so Kuri was slightly amazed.
"You can do it, Kuri!" someone shouted. It sounded like her brother. Kuri smiled and began walking towards the ring.
It didn't matter how nervous she was. With everyone she loved to cheer her on, there was no doubt in her mind that she could succeed.
Bakugo was fuming.
How the fuck did I lose? This is so fucking stupid.
The sports festival was over. The winners were on the podium receiving their medals. They were all beaming. Bakugo was not.
Nakano was too good. She'd won the match against Deku easily. Well, Deku was shit, so he'd expected that, but it was still insane.
Bakugo had expected his win against Tokoyami, considering their match the prior year. But he had not expected his loss against Ochako. He did have to admit that she was strong, but so was he.
It was probably because they had to fight using swords. Who's shitty idea was that?
Nakano's fight against Ochako had been particularly interesting. Also, though Bakugo really hated to admit it, Nakano looked kinda cool near the end of the match. Just a bit badass.
Now there she was, standing there. Basking in everyone's praise and waving to the crowd. It was insufferable.
Nakano then looked over to where Ashido and some of her other friends were standing and waved at them ecstatically.
And then she locked eyes with him. Despite every fiber of him wanting to break eye contact, he returned her gaze. She gave him a grin and waved.
Nakano's smile kind of made him want to melt, but he was still angry that he didn't win, so he scowled at her.
She rolled her eyes but smiled, as she always did when he was mean to her. Then, she mouthed something to him. And by some dumb luck, he understood what she'd said.
Good job.
