Chapter 122: Sports day

The sports festival arrived before I knew it. Unlike Korea, where sports festivals were held on weekdays, in Japan, they were held on weekends. Perhaps that’s why Takamari Academy’s sports field was packed with people, even though it wasn’t exam season.

Someone might complain about coming to school on a Saturday morning, but having survived my senior year in Korea, weekend classes seemed almost… manageable.

“Wow…”

Even though Takamari Academy was small, it still had 600 students, including middle and high school. Most were children of prominent figures in politics and business, or, like me, students who scored in the top 0.01%.
Perhaps that was why Takamari Academy’s sports festival was a grand affair, almost like a local festival, with even external vendors participating.

Large banners for the “White Team” and “Blue Team” fluttered at either end of the field, and students from different grades chatted amongst themselves. It felt more like a social gathering than a sports festival.

“Rina-tan, how are you feeling? Are you nervous?”

Mizuki asked playfully. I grinned and shook my head.

“Of course not. It’s the relay race, the highlight of the sports festival! The White Team is going to win.”
“Hehehe. That’s the Rina-tan I know. But I’m in the relay race too, you know?”
“Eh… Mizuki… Don’t tell me…?”

Mizuki was wearing a blue armband, while I was wearing a white one.
At Takamari Academy, with only five classes per grade, the teams weren’t divided by class, but randomly. So Mizuki and I were on opposing teams for the relay race.

“I should have held back on buying you that chocolate at the convenience store yesterday.”
“Hmph, you think I’d go easy on you? I’m pretty fast!”
“So am I! I beat you in the swimming competition, remember?”
“Th-That was… because we were in the water…!”

As we bickered playfully, a clear voice came over the loudspeaker.

[Good morning, students and parents.]

“It’s Aya-ring~!”

Aya was on the stage, acting as the emcee for the opening ceremony. She always looked beautiful, but she was especially radiant under the morning sun. And she was wearing a white armband!

[We’re about to begin the Takamari Academy Autumn Sports Festival, which we’ve all been waiting for! Let’s all do our best and make this a fun and memorable day!]

The students and parents cheered and applauded Aya’s elegant greeting. Seeing her on stage, so perfect in every way, always made my heart flutter.

After the opening ceremony, the first event began. Many of the events were unfamiliar to me, having only experienced Korean sports festivals.

‘Cavalry battle… it’s different seeing it in person than on TV…!’

I watched, mesmerized, as the students formed human pyramids, the students on top trying to snatch each other’s hats. It was chaotic and intense, almost like a battle, but the atmosphere was filled with laughter.

“Go, Blue Team!”
“Don’t give up, White Team! Fighting!”

The cheers from students and parents echoed through the field as the game continued.
Then Mizuki nudged me, smiling.

“Rina-tan, you can’t just stand around watching, you know~? We’re student council members, so we have to work when we’re not participating in the events.”
“Ah, right…”

Mizuki’s words brought me back to reality. I looked over at the student council booth near the stage, and the other representatives were already working.

“There you two are.”

A boyish voice. I turned around and saw Arisu approaching us, holding some documents.

“We have to go to the booth after the cavalry battle. We need to help prepare for the next event.”

Arisu said with a gentle smile. I hesitated for a moment, surprised by her casual demeanor, then nodded.

“Okay, we’ll be right there.”
“Good. I’ll go ahead. Watch a little longer if you want, and then come over.”

Arisu waved and headed towards the booth. It was hard to believe that just a short while ago, things had been so awkward between us. We’d worked together yesterday as well, but this was the most significant change since the start of the semester.

****

The sports festival was a three-day event. The most popular ball games – soccer, basketball, and baseball – were held on separate days.

Today’s main event was the basketball tournament. The indoor gymnasium was packed with students.

The student council members were also busy. There were four basketball games – girls’ and boys’ divisions for both middle and high school – and our task was to assist the basketball club members, who were acting as referees.

“Go, White Team!”
“Blue Team, don’t lose!”

The cheers from the stands grew louder.
I watched the game from the sidelines, assisting the referees.

The current game was the high school girls’ division.
And there, standing tall in the center of the court, was Aya. She was always tall and athletic, but on the court, she was captivating, like an idol on stage.

As soon as the game started, Aya used her height to her advantage, blocking shot after shot. When the ball came to her team, she swiftly moved across the court, joining the offense. Despite being a center, she moved with the agility of a forward, a constant threat to the Blue Team’s basket.

Swish—!

“Wow!”
“White Team is the best!”
“Yukikawa, marry me!”

Every time Aya scored, the stands erupted in cheers. Listening to the roar of the crowd, I blurted out,

“Aya… is a goddess descended upon the mortal realm.”
“Huh? What did you say?”

Arisu, who was recording the game stats beside me, glanced at me.
My face flushed.

“Ah, n-nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“Were you talking about Aya?”
“…Well, yes.”

Arisu smiled faintly.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she? Tall, beautiful, athletic. She’s perfect.”
“Yeah…”

I nodded, and Arisu’s smile widened mischievously.

“But what am I going to do? I’m on the Blue Team, so I can’t cheer for her.”
“…Arisu.”
“Sorry, Rina. But a game is a game.”
“Aren’t you enjoying this a little too much?”
“Of course~! It’s fun!”

Arisu stuck her tongue out playfully and flipped through the Blue Team’s score sheet.

I looked at Aya again. She was still shining on the court. Arisu was right. Aya was so perfect that just watching her made my heart race. Just then,

“Rina-tan~! Arisu~! I need the score sheets!”

Mizuki waved at us from across the court.

“Okay, we’re coming!”

We quickly gathered the score sheets and handed them to Mizuki.
As I recorded the game stats, the cheers from the gymnasium grew louder, and I found myself getting caught up in the excitement.

The final score was 38-32.
The White Team won the high school girls’ division.
Aya’s performance had been instrumental in their victory.

‘Heh… My girlfriend is the best!’

After the four basketball games, the White Team and the Blue Team each had two wins. A student who was over two meters tall had appeared in the middle school boys’ division, stealing the show. Arisu, seemingly uninterested, continued recording the stats with a blank expression. But with her handsome looks, she was attracting a lot of attention from the girls, even receiving requests for pictures.

“Wow, he’s so tall… Is he really a middle schooler?”

I muttered to myself, and Arisu looked up and replied with a neutral expression,

“Well, some people are just… tall.”

Arisu returned to her score sheet, seemingly uninterested.
It was clear that the rumors about Arisu liking girls were… not entirely inaccurate.

After the basketball games, it was lunchtime. Various food stalls had been set up around the field for students and their families. We left the booth and enjoyed our lunch. The food was delicious.

The lively atmosphere of the sports festival continued after lunch. Smaller events, like the standing long jump, were held to keep the energy up.

And as the clock neared 3 PM, the final event of the day approached.

The relay race. The highlight of the sports festival, the event everyone had been waiting for.

[All relay race participants, please gather in the center of the field!]

I stretched nervously and headed towards the starting line. Mizuki, on the other side of the field, waved at me, brimming with confidence.

“Rina-tan~! Go easy on me today~!”
“Sorry, no can do! I’m winning today!”

600 students were cheering for this final event.

‘I can’t lose! Especially since Aya won her game!’

The runners were arranged randomly by grade. The high school girls would start, and the second-year middle schoolers would finish. The setup was exactly the same as in the novel… I smiled inwardly, already anticipating our victory.