Chapter 42
At the starting signal, Vita began to run.
“Run, everyone—!”
The cheers rang out across the field as though they would tear her eardrums apart.
All eight runners began running at once. Before long, Vita could feel her breath rising to her throat and her legs beginning to tremble.
But Vita ran. Naturally, she couldn't stop.
‘I have to win…!’
She always believed there was no point unless she came in first.
She had to do her best.
And here, at least, she absolutely had to take first place. Even for the sake of her class ranking.
So Vita fixed her gaze ahead. Gritting her teeth, she stretched her legs out farther and farther.
The highlight of the sports festival.
[Running events are worth the most points of all the events!]
[We're about halfway through. Bianca of Class 3 is beginning to pull ahead—!]
At the same time as the announcement, Vita passed one runner.
“Waa—!”
“Run!”
The cheers around her felt almost like a hallucination.
Vita moved nimbly, like a squirrel.
Tap—tap—
The friends in the stands had been on their feet for some time already.
“F-fast…!”
“Bianca's really fast!”
“Oh… oh…!”
They looked at one another, checking each other's excited expressions.
They clapped and cheered.
Running was truly the perfect event for stirring everyone up. The thrill and tension of an outcome decided in such a short time.
There was a good reason it was called the highlight of the sports festival.
Even Carlisle, who was usually so sly.
Even Sasha Noa, Vita's eccentric partner.
“Run, Bianca—!”
It had the kind of charm that got everyone on their feet. And, in a way, Vita was one of the class's only two hopes.
She went from fourth to third, then from third to second! She had passed two runners.
[Class 2 is holding the lead, with Class 3 right behind!]
[Bianca Shamal is showing incredible strength!]
At the beginning, Vita had clearly been in about fourth place. She was at a slight disadvantage against the other runners because of her smaller build.
But as though she refused to betray everyone's expectations,
her slender ankles forcefully kicked off the ground again and again, and as her tied reddish-blond ponytail streamed in the wind, the distance gradually closed.
‘I'm going to win…!’
She had always been quite exceptional when it came to athletic ability. Other than Carlisle Schultz, she had almost no real rivals.
That was still true now that she had become a woman.
Vita had no confidence.
Not in losing, that is. Except when it came to the one person she alone acknowledged as a rival.
‘When it comes to running, chasing is easier than pulling ahead.’
Knowing that, Vita ran strategically. Starting in the middle of the race, she suddenly began to pull ahead.
‘Just a little more…!’
***
“Waa—!”
Matching the swelling cheers, Vita passed the girl in third place and then the girl in second. In the end, she even overtook the leader and ran ahead.
Cheers and gasps repeatedly erupted from the stands.
As she threw nearly her whole body across the finish line, a breathless, thrilling joy enveloped Vita in that fleeting moment.
‘I did it, in the end…!’
Vita collapsed onto the grass, but let out a silly, beaming laugh.
[Class 3! Class 3 has won the girls' running event—!]
[What an incredible comeback victory!]
This was what it was all about.
After catching her breath, Vita returned to her class's stands, where everyone's cheers welcomed her.
“That was insane! What was that?!”
“I seriously thought you were a cheetah.”
Even the teacher was grinning from ear to ear.
“Well done, truly. I didn't know you'd take first place.”
Of course, she thought. Lately, Vita felt as though everything was going her way, so she inhaled and smiled brightly. She even flashed a V sign.
“Ah, that feels good—!”
Then, when she stretched as hard as she could in satisfaction, her sweat-soaked bloomers rolled up strangely.
“Ooh…”
“Whoa!”
The boys in the class immediately turned red and looked away. Vita, unaware of that, bent over again and continued to catch her breath.
Just then, approaching footsteps sounded.
“What are you doing, idiot?”
He had an exasperated look. Carlisle Schultz, that guy.
Wait, why?
Vita turned toward Carlisle with a puzzled expression.
"Why, what?"
Carlisle let out a deep sigh at Vita's reaction, then—
Flop—
draped a men's athletic jacket over Vita.
“Cover yourself. Use this.”
Then, as though worried she might refuse, he immediately corrected himself.
“I have to go compete. Just hold on to it for me.”
“Uh, okay.”
Only then did Vita realize.
The sweat-soaked bloomers had been clinging to her. Worse, they had rolled up inside in a truly strange way, leaving her bare skin exposed.
So she had been embarrassingly exposed in all sorts of ways, but for some reason, Vita felt more embarrassed that Carlisle had covered her with his jacket than by that fact itself. She didn't know why at all.
[Next, the boys' division! Boys, please come forward.]
By the time the announcement came, Carlisle had already passed by her side, but Vita could only stammer and stand there, unable to move.
-What are you doing, idiot.
His words, sighed out by Carlisle, replayed in her head. When she looked toward the stands, everyone was looking this way.
The teacher's expression in particular had turned into that of a startled rabbit, making the situation intensely awkward.
So when Vita timidly returned to her place and kept her head lowered, she heard Sasha say,
“Ah, youth. Such youth.”
Vita raised her head.
“N-no, it's not like that! He just asked me to hold it…”
But her voice dwindled to a mosquito's buzz.
In the end, Vita's face ripened like a tomato, and she lowered her head again.
Let's just blame Carlisle.
‘Why does he suddenly come out with this stupid nonsense…’
Anyway, the boys' event began before long.
“Go, Carlisle—!”
“Show them Class 3's strength!”
When he was an enemy, he was so irritatingly superior and capable. Did she really need to watch?
‘Carlisle will take first place anyway.’
Even while thinking that, Vita couldn't take her eyes off him.
To begin with, they were on the same side now. There was nothing strange about analyzing a rival's performance.
Carlisle was running. He looked like a black panther racing across the field.
He was relaxed yet fast. He was superior to an astonishing degree.
“Wow… he's fast…”
“He's way ahead of second place.”
Vita found herself captivated by Carlisle.
‘He's a monster, seriously.’
The gap was as overwhelming as the students' reactions suggested.
Now that she was competing on the same side as him rather than against him, she realized anew that it really was like that.
[He's fast, Class 3!]
[Carlisle is in the lead.]
So I've been competing against a monster like that all this time.
She slowly nodded.
‘As expected, no one but me…!’
No one else was your match. The others couldn't even compete with him.
So Vita felt even a slightly strange kind of superiority. She did feel a little regretful, wondering what would have happened if she had been running alongside him.
Completely absorbed in the event, Vita rose to her feet without realizing it.
Vita cheered for Carlisle. Beside her, Sasha and the others were shouting too.
‘More, more…’
Show them what overwhelming speed looks like!
I can't forgive you for losing to anyone but me!
‘He's my rival. If you're going to lose, lose to me.’
Vita bit her lip.
A certain possessiveness had arisen without her realizing it.
As much as she disliked her opponent, she also acknowledged him.
So Carlisle Schultz—that irritating bastard—had to remain her one and only rival.
Yes, nothing more.
She didn't want to see him lose to someone else.
She couldn't even imagine it, but if he really did lose, she wanted it to be only to Vita.
‘Don't lose, seriously.’
Before she knew it, Vita had clasped both hands tightly. She was completely absorbed, standing in place.
[We're passing the midpoint!]
She couldn't let her guard down.
Still, the other runners were representatives too. Even if they weren't Carlisle's equal, they were fast.
At a glance, it seemed as though the distance between Carlisle and second place was narrowing.
[The gap is closing!]
[Could we see a comeback?!]
‘What are you doing?!’
Vita felt incredulous, yet increasingly desperate.
***
She bit down on her lip.
Anxious impatience welled in her.
‘I really won't forgive you if you lose.’
Because she simply couldn't forgive him…
‘If you lose, lose only to me.’
‘Run, more—!’
But had she been mistaken?
Carlisle suddenly began picking up speed again, decisively, and crossed the finish line first.
[Class 3, first place!]
The result was Carlisle in first place.
Cheers and applause spread across the field.
“As expected, it's Carlisle.”
“I thought they were going to catch him at the end.”
Everyone was caught up in the excitement.
“At this rate, we might take first place overall!”
“Yeah, exactly.”
Vita grinned brightly too. She hugged Sasha, and they shared in the joy.
For some reason, she felt proud and happy. It felt as though she herself had won.
‘Yeah, this is it.’
I absolutely can't forgive you if you lose to someone other than me!
Maybe because it was her first time being on the same side as Carlisle, and because he had taken first place for them, Vita felt happy and strangely unsettled at the same time.
So she looked toward Carlisle unconsciously, and their eyes met.
Gulp—gulp—
Carlisle, who had been drinking water, soon noticed her and gave a small, amused smile.
As if that weren't ridiculous enough, he swept back his sweat-damp hair as if he were trying to look cool.
‘…Wh-what is that? Is he insane?’
It felt thoroughly unpleasant. Like the food she'd eaten that morning was about to come back up.
That was what Vita thought, but she was also slightly flustered.
‘Does he think he looks cool doing that…?’
It was so absurd that her face grew a little warm. She was only irritated because it was so ridiculous.
Anyway.
The most important event of the sports festival was nearly upon them. The mixed-gender relay.
After a brief rest,
Vita and Carlisle stepped forward as their class representatives.
[They say the highlight of a sports festival is running, don't they?]
[And the biggest event of all is the mixed-gender relay.]
Two boys and two girls were selected from each class.
Four runners from each class would run a relay.
Vita and Carlisle had already run, but it had been a short-distance event. They still had plenty of stamina, so both volunteered again.
“I'll go last!”
Since the last runner was the most important, Vita naturally stepped forward, but apparently the girls' positions had already been decided.
‘Wait, isn't this kind of sexist?’
Since she liked being the center of attention in situations like this, Vita was a little dissatisfied, but she chose to be the third runner.
“You'd better do well!”
Since Carlisle Schultz had ended up taking the last position, Vita gave him a warning.
“Are you going to give me a prize or something…?”
At his words, Vita nodded.
There was no reason she couldn't give him something.
“Just win first, for now.”
First place was much more important. Nothing else mattered.
[Runners, please gather soon.]
Once they decided their running order and everyone gathered at the starting line, a tense atmosphere began to spread.
“Come on, let's go!”
After everyone shouted their cheer, the relay finally began amid thunderous cheers.
***
[Three, two, one…]
Whistle—!
All eight runners stepped off at once.
The mixed-gender relay had begun. The announcer's voice rang out alongside the heated cheers.
[Class 2 is pulling ahead! Then Class 4—!]
[What will happen?]
It was a little unfortunate.
Their class was in third place after the first and second legs.
Vita stamped her feet.
“Give it! Hurry—!”
The first- and second-place runners had just set off beside her.
“H-here…!”
Vita began running the moment she received the baton. Her tied reddish-blond hair streamed past the side of her cheek.
Vita's neat forehead was exposed to the air.
[As expected, she's fast!]
[It's Bianca Shamal, the winner of the girls' running event!]
Her breathing grew ragged. Her legs trembled.
Even so, Vita's shining amethyst eyes looked only ahead.
[She's incredibly fast! Class 3 is already in second place.]
Because of the distance they had fallen behind, she couldn't take first place.
Vita gritted her teeth, but Carlisle's figure came into view.
‘Yes, if it's you…!’
Somehow, she felt reassured.
Without realizing it, Vita broke into a bright smile.
“Take it, Carlisle—!”
Their fingertips met.
Carlisle snatched the baton Vita held out and immediately began to run.
His legs were naturally long, and his build was exceptional.
Carlisle Schultz's stride was distinctly different from the others'.
“Waa—!”
“What?!”
The rankings began to change.
[This is unbelievable!]
[Did Class 3 recruit a track-and-field athlete from somewhere?!]
[There's Bianca, and then there's Carlisle Schultz!]
The field nearly turned into a cauldron of excitement.
When he was an enemy, he was merely irritating, but now he was a dependable ally!
Vita's eyes continued to follow Carlisle's back. She regretted not being the last runner, but for now, she was all right with it.
‘As long as we can take first place…!’
And Carlisle never betrayed expectations. In the end, Carlisle passed near the finish line in the lead, and Vita finally felt relieved.
[The relay winner is about to be decided!]
[Class 3! It's Class 3!]
Everyone had contributed, but this comeback victory had been forged above all by Vita and Carlisle together.
Vita, feeling delighted, ran toward Carlisle.
“Well done, hey—!”
A radiant smile bloomed across her face.
Seeing Bianca Shamal bouncing around in delight, Carlisle wondered if she could really be that happy. He found it absurd, yet chuckled as he looked at her.
He had to hand it to that woman's competitive spirit.
But that was separate. He still had to make his demand.
“Don't forget the prize.”
At Carlisle's words, Vita's expression twisted.
“What are you going to demand this time?!”