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At last, the day had come. The curtains were about to rise on the sports festival, and it looked to be a long day. The entire student body, all wearing their jerseys, marched together as one onto the sports field.
"All right, time to really show off for Kikyou-chan!" Ike shouted.
It was hard to imagine how he planned to do that when he was bad at sports. He really was the definition of all bark and no bite.
Fujimaki from third-year Class A delivered a speech during the opening ceremony. Although there weren't many, a number of spectators watched from the outskirts of the school grounds. They were probably adults who worked on campus. The school didn't seem to have placed any strict restrictions on who could attend the festival. Occasionally, one of the spectators smiled or waved.
Meanwhile, the teachers watched the students without the slightest hint of a smile. Nearby, medical personnel were setting up a tent. It looked large enough to fit around twenty people and was equipped with an air conditioner and a water cooler.
Tents had been prepared for both the Red Team and the White Team, facing each other from opposite sides of the track. The school clearly wanted to prevent the teams from mingling, except during competitions.
"Man, they really went all out. They even installed cameras to help with the final decisions," Ike muttered.
The first event of the festival was the 100-meter dash, and specialized camera had been set up facing the finish line. For a mere high school sports festival, the school put an unusual amount of effort into things like this. Then again, that was probably what you would expect from a government-funded school.
"What group are you in for the 100-meter dash again?" Horikita asked the person standing beside her.
"Seventh," Ayanokouji answered as he glanced at the program table listing the participation order and schedule.
"Hopefully no one exceptionally good shows up. I'll be cheering you on for the class's sake."
"I'll do my best not to come in last, then," he replied.
With that unambitious goal, Ayanokouji headed to the track with the rest of the first-year boys.
The festival ordered events such as the 100-meter dash by grade level. It started with the first-year boys and ended with the third-year girls. After that came a break, and the order reversed. The competitions would resume with the third-year girls and finish with the first-year boys.
The competition was about to begin.
All the pairings had already been decided based on the printouts each class had received beforehand. Only now did the students finally learn who would run from which class, and in what order. The first-year boys were divided into ten groups in total, with Ayanokouji placed in the seventh. Each group consisted of eight people, two from each class. Sudou was assigned to the first group.
All of Class D watched in silence, holding their breath.
The outcome of this festival depended heavily on Sudou. If they could win this opening event, they planned to have him run first in later races, using his momentum to crush their opponents' morale.
"From where I'm standing, nobody here looks like a big deal. I see plenty of fat guys and twigs. Sudou's got first place locked down!" Ike shouted.
Ayanokouji glanced around the field but couldn't spot anyone particularly noteworthy from the other three classes in Sudou's group. Just as Ike said, Sudou's victory seemed almost guaranteed.
"Then again, depending on how you look at it, this could be a loss for us."
Ideally, if Class D was going to use an exceptional athlete like Sudou, it would have been better to pit him against stronger runners.
"Well, there's nothing we can really do about that. It's just luck."
Still, there was something reassuring about seeing Sudou crouched at the starting line, muscles tense and ready. It inspired a sense of absolute confidence. Even if he somehow tripped in the middle of the race, he would be fine.
He could do this.
As soon as the signal sounded, Sudou shot forward like a bullet. In an instant, he pulled ahead of the other boys, leaving them behind. By the time he crossed the finish line, the gap was overwhelming. No one else even came close.
It was a complete landslide.
As expected, Sudou claimed first place while everyone watched. Meanwhile, the Professor, the second Class D runner in the first group, finished dead last. That outcome had been expected as well.
The signal to start the next race came right away, without any time to bask in the afterglow. Each start came at intervals of about twenty seconds, which meant it would take roughly four minutes for all the first-year boys to finish. This same event would be repeated for both boys and girls across all three grades, so the 100-meter dash as a whole would wrap up in around thirty minutes.
"Just as you'd expect from Sudou-kun," said Hirata, Ayanokouji's partner, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Yeah. Looks like the other classes were pretty stunned, too."
Sudou hadn't just taken first place. He had made a strong impression on everyone watching.
There were still several students from other classes to watch out for. Ayanokouji wondered which groups included athletic students like Kanzaki and Shibata, and which had strong presences like Ryuen or Katsuragi.
Before long, the third group stepped up to the starting line.
"Oh, Baldy's—I mean, Katsuragi's—in the first lane," Ike said, pointing at Katsuragi's head. Sunlight reflected off his scalp, giving it a noticeable shine.
Kouenji, who was supposed to be in the third group, was nowhere to be seen. Lane 5, which had been assigned to him, remained empty. No one from the school went looking for him. They simply marked him as absent and started the race right away.
Many expected the third group to be a close match, but Kanzaki proved the be the faster. Katsuragi wasn't slow by any means, but he was clearly outclassed in terms of raw ability. The race ended without much drama. Kanzaki took first place, while Katsuragi finished third.
"Ayanokouji-kun. There," Hirata said as soon as the race ended, gesturing toward a medical cottage that had been set up nearby.
Inside, they spotted Kouenji and Kumagawa. One was busy fussing over his hair, while the other calmly read a copy of Jump Magazine.
"Looks like he's not participating," Hirata said, reffering to Kouenji
Kouenji had cooperated up until the opening ceremony, but it seemed he had decided to bow out of the competitions entirely. If he didn't participate at all, he wouldn't earn any points, not even for last place.
Kumagawa, on the other hand, was more cooperative than Kouenji, at least to some extent. He was supposedly planning to take part in the scavenger hunt later. There was no clear confirmation, but since Kushida, who was in charge of him, hadn't said anything, most people assumed it was true. Still, given his whimsical nature, nothing was certain.
The competition continued smoothly, and before long it was time for the seventh group. Ayanokouji stepped into Lane 4, with Hirata beside him in Lane 5. Yahiko from Class C was there as well, along with several other boys he didn't recognize.
This was Ayanokouji's first sports festival. At the start, he ran at a moderate pace, neither fast nor slow. Hirata gradually pulled ahead and joined the leading runners. Four backs were visible in front of Ayanokouji, putting him in fifth place.
Since there wasn't much difference in speed, the group stayed tightly packed. Their positions barely changed as they ran. In the end, Ayanokouji finished fifth, while Hirata narrowly claimed first place.
"Whew. Good job," Hirata said, taking a deep breath.
"Sorry. I dragged us down."
"That's not true. Everyone was fast. It was a good race," Hirata replied.
Despite the result, Hirata didn't blame him at all. He simply smiled as they hurried off the track and back toward the tent. The next group was about to start, and they were in the way.
Once the first-year boys finished the 100-meter dash, they returned to their seats and focused on the girls' races with intense interest. The results mattered, of course, but many of them were clearly more interested in watching the girls run.
"Where's Sudou?" Ayanokouji asked as he looked around. Sudou should have been back by now.
"Who knows? Bathroom, maybe? Come on, man, we've got better stuff to look at. Check out those bouncing boobs!" Ike said cheerfully.
Ayanokouji felt a bad premonition. Knowing Sudou, he should have been cheering Horikita on. His absence felt wrong.
"No way..."
Ayanokouji looked toward the medical cottage and saw that his suspicion was correct. Sudou was heading straight for where Kouenji and Kumagawa were.
"This isn't good. We need to stop them," Ayanokouji said.
"Yeah," Hirata agreed.
Having noticed the same thing, they both ran toward the cottage. By the time they reached it, the situation was already heated. Sudou stood there, his hand clenched into a fist as he confronted Kouenji.
"Hey, you! What's your problem, sitting this out?! Don't ignore the rest of us, jerk!"
As they opened the door, Sudou's threatening voice filled the room. He looked ready to throw a punch at any moment, but Kouenji paid him no attention. Instead, he calmly admired his reflection in the hand mirror, which only made Sudou angrier.
"Looks like you won't understand unless I beat you up, Kouenji," Sudou growled.
"No, you can't do that, Sudou-kun. If the teachers find out—" Hirata tried to intervene, but Sudou wasn't listening.
"I don't care! This is a class problem, right? It doesn't matter if I beat him up as long as this punk doesn't go crying to the teachers!"
"You're quite crude, I came here to enjoy some time to myself. As you can see, I'm feeling unwell today, so I decided to withdraw. I wouldn't want to be a burden. Isn't that right, Misogi-boy?" Said Kouenji as he glanced toward Kumagawa.
Sudou ignored him. "Don't give me that crap! If this was practice, that'd be one thing, but you're skipping the real event!"
Unable to fully rein in his anger, Sudou threw a punch straight at Kouenji.
"No, don't, Sudou-kun!" Hirata shouted.
Sudou likely meant to knock some sense into him, but before the punch could land, a dull clap echoed through the cottage. The punch was stopped before Kouenji even had to raise his hand.
『Sorry to interrupt while you're all busy, but could you keep your voices down? You're bothering the other patient. 』
"But... There isn't any other patient here besides you two," Ayanokouji replied.
The medical cottage had only been completed about thirty minutes ago, just before the first event started. There shouldn't have been anyone else inside.
『Well, aren't I a patient too? Are you discriminating against me, Ayanokouji-kun? 』
"Well..."
『I know you're the emotionless type who doesn't care about anyone's feelings but your own. So instead of saying you're bothering a patient, how about we say you're bothering the medical staff instead? 』
"..."
What a troublesome person.
『Oh, sorry. I don't really understand things like righteousness or compassion. But when it comes to people's hearts, I can tell when someone gets hurt by what I say. Did that hurt your feelings somehow, Ayanokouji-kun? 』 He asked it so shamelessly that Ayanokouji couldn't even get angry.
"Not really. It's no big deal," He tried to keep up his appearances as he speak.
Still, while pretending to be composed was easy enough, what exactly was he trying to achieve by doing so? It might be time to reconsider how he presented himself. If this kept up, someone would call him emotionless again.
『Ah, how nice. I knew I could count on you. I wouldn't have minded if that hurt your feelings, you know. I thought it might help you get more in touch with your emotions, so I decided to insult you. 』
"How very considerate..."
It was far too specific to be a casual remark about personality, not to mention based on the strange idea that someone needed to be insulted in order to understand their own feelings. Even so, Ayanokouji went along with the conversation while Kumagawa simply sat there, smiling. He had no doubt that Kumagawa had already seen through him during the island exam. But whether that smile was meant to help him, or simply to mock him, was impossible to tell.
So unfathomable.
『In any case, 』he said, 『Why are you forcing someone who doesn't want to participate? It's pointless to make people do something they don't want to do. Besides, isn't he sick? 』
"Hah?! In what world does he look sick? And why are you taking his side?" Sudou roared.
His anger was close to exploding. Sudou had always been hot-tempered and prone to violence, but today he seemed even more unstable than usual. Even a small disagreement, or something that went against his expectations, was enough to trigger a harsh reaction.
『No, no. Why would I be on his side? 』
"Then what's your deal?"
『Hmm. I don't really understand things like picking sides or supporting someone. In the first place, I'm never on anyone's side. Except for the weak,』 Kumagawa said. 『And you don't really know anything about Kouenji-kun, right? Just because he looks healthy doesn't mean he actually is. He could be like one of those side characters who hide their illness before the final battle so the protagonist won't worry. Then, after everything is over, they quietly die at the end of the story. 』
His reasoning was all over the place, which made it very much something he would say.
『Kouenji-kun might be just like that. For all we know, he could be a sickly, sheltered young master deep down. The type who can't do anything unless someone takes care of him. 』
"Haha, you seem terribly busy trying to prop me up and tear me down at the same time, Misogi-boy. But yes, it's true. My proud and perfect body merely disguises my poor health," Said Kouenji
"So you're planning on skipping the rest of the competitions too?" Sudou asked.
"If I recover, I will of course participate. If I recover," Kouenji replied. "In any case, please leave. I'm not feeling well."
"You bastard!"
Before Sudou could throw another punch, Hirata quickly stepped between him and Kouenji. "Let's all just calm down a little. Kouenji-kun's attitude is a problem, but if he says he's not feeling well, then he has the right to rest. Besides, violence is bad, no matter the circumstances."
"But he's definitely lying! He said the same thing back on the island," said Sudou, as he couldn't contain his anger anymore,
But as things stood, they couldn't afford to wait around for Kouenji. The competition was still ongoing. Besides, trying to persuade a mass self of ego driven by such overwhelming selfishness such as Keounji had already proven to be a useless endeavor.
"The next event is about to start, Sudou-kun. You're our leader. If you're not there, it'll affect everyone's morale," Hirata said, changing his approach to calm him down.
"....Fine. I'll head back," Sudou muttered angrily.
"Thank you," Hirata replied with relief.
Ayanokouji and Hirata escorted Sudou out of the medical cottage and returned to the red team's tent. That left only Kumagawa and Kouenji inside the quiet cottage.
"Now then."
『Hmm? 』
Rokusuke Kouenji, who had been leaning against the headboard, slowly straightened his posture and sat at the edge of the bed. He looked directly at Kumagawa, who had been in the same relaxed position the entire time, casually flipping through his magazine. The sudden action caught Kumagawa's attention.
"Since it is such a rare privilege for you to have me all to yourself, why don't we have a conversation? What do you think, Misogi-boy?"
『Uh... I thought you didn't like talking to me, Kouenji-kun?』
"It seems you are under a slight misconception," Kouenji replied calmly. "It is not that I dislike speaking with you. It is simply that your presence is unpleasant enough to discourage me from doing so. There is a clear distinction. Besides, it would be painfully dull if we were to sit here in silence while each of us indulges in our own amusement."
『Hmm...』
This might have been the first time Kumagawa had seen Kouenji act this way. They weren't close, neither metaphorically nor literally in terms of connection. In fact, Kouenji usually avoided him whenever possible, so seeing him take the initiative was in itself was unusual.
A long, heavy silence followed.
At last, Kumagawa closed his magazine.
『All right. What do you want to talk about, Kouenji-kun? 』
"I don't particularly have anything I wish to discuss with the likes of you. However, it seems you've done something rather amusing recently, haven't you? Even I, a man of perfection, can admit that you are somewhat unpredictable. Still, I did not expect you to stir up such an incident."
『Oi, oi, what are you saying all of a sudden, Kouenji-kun? I don't have a clue what you're talking about. If you're going to throw around baseless accusations like that, then our relationship of mutual dependence will be over, you know? 』
"Hah. As if we ever had any sort of relationship to begin with. But setting that ridiculous remark aside, perhaps you could indulge me. What exactly happened?"
Kumagawa could describe his attitude and tone as the same as what he used with everyone else. Kouenji treated everyone in the same, consistent way—looking down on them as if it were only natural for him to stand above the rest.
"If you have no intention of answering, then forget I asked. After all, I was the one who brought it up. Even if I prefer things to proceed as I intend, it does not mean they always will."
『Huh, I thought you had a spoiled personality, considering you were born into a rich family. I didn't expect that from you, Kouenji-kun.』
"There are many things you do not know about me, Misogi-boy," Kouenji said, his tone laced with condescension as he idly played with his hair. "As someone who will lead Japan in the future, it is only natural that I understand how the real world works."
Despite his personality and behavior, Kouenji seemed to have a grounded understanding of reality. If that were true, then in a sense, he was already far ahead of most of the students in this school in terms of mindset and character.
『Is that so... I suppose you might be right. Kouenji-kun, are you what people call a genius these days? Or is this just the effect of being born into a rich family? How enviable. It makes me want to replace you as the son of the Kouenji conglomerate.』
"Fufu, what a shallow conclusion. Still, I cannot fault you for your ignorance." Kouenji rose from where he sat and slowly walked toward Kumagawa, who did not react in the slightest.
"Do you know why I find you such an eyesore, despite your somewhat interesting personality, Misogi-boy?" He said.
『...What is it? 』
"Because, despite being one of those so called geniuses, you fail to carry yourself in a manner worthy of your standing."
At that moment, Kouenji locked eyes with him.
"You see, every person in this world has their proper place. There are those who stand at the top, and those who remain at the bottom. But you instead live in constant contradiction with what you are and what you present yourself to be. That dissonance is precisely what I find distasteful."
『...Huh? Me? A genius? Hmm... I'm grateful to hear that, but... aren't you going off track somewhere with that kind of conclusion?』
"What exactly are you referring to?"
『The part where you call me a genius. 』 He said 『I don't know how you came to that view from a failure like me, but "genius" is the farthest word from someone like me, who lives his whole life half heartedly. 』
"Hmph. Regardless of your own opinion, there is no chance that a perfect being such as myself would misjudge the nature of a person."
This elicited such a response from Koeunji, who placed great importance on his own self image. It could even be said that he was infatuated with his own perfection as a human being, to the point that he would not accept any opinion other than his own. His tone carried such certainty that it left no room for further questioning.
"Besides, for someone who calls himself a failure, you did quite well to blackmail all of the second years and secure yourself a win against them."
It seemed that Kouenji already knew the full story behind the incident Kumagawa had caused.
『Hmm? So you already know about that?』
"Even if that other vice president keeps the second years on a tight leash, it is not as though he can control every single individual."
Kouenji had likely heard about it from the second year girls who often spent their free time around him.
Since Kouenji deliberately kept his distance from the class, people often wondered what he did during his free time, aside from admiring himself with the hand mirror he always carried.
In truth, Kouenji was quite popular with the girls, especially those from the upper classes who gathered around him, drawn to his status and presence. Kouenji himself did not mind the attention. If anything, he seemed to enjoy it in his own way during his time at the school. And because of that, those girls often brought him useful information in exchange for his attention.
Because of this, aside from the truth and outcome of that incident, Kouenji most likely already knew how Nagumo Miyabi kept the second-year students on a tight leash.
『Ahaha, it can't be helped if you want to spread that news and drag Nagumo-senpai's reputation through the mud. It would definitely leave a permanent stain on the student council's image, but if that's what you want to do, then there's nothing I can say other than it's not my fault. 』
"Hah. I don't know whether you're looking down on me or not, but you seem to have misunderstood something. I would never stoop to something so boorish and troublesome. For someone like me, merely knowing what already transpired is more than enough amusement. And as expected, it did not disappoint."
By this time, Kouenji already back to his previous position as he lean againts the headboard, and was playing with his hair once again.
『But despite being an elitist yourself, you seem to have such a narrow-minded point of view, Kouenji-kun, that you arrived at such a wrong conclusion. 』
"Hooh? Then go on. Explain where I was wrong."
Kouenji eyes glowed.
It was a gaze that could be mistaken for hostility at a glance, yet it held no real malice. Even his posture turned slightly more imposing, though it carried more confidence than aggression.
『What makes you think that I'm the one who won in the end? There's no evidence that I managed to snatch a victory, right? I mean, I even had to endure the hardship of being assaulted. So I don't see how you concluded that I managed to win against the second years. That would be impossible. 』
"Hah. You can toy with words as much as you like, but you won't deceive me. I can clearly tell the difference between victory and defeat. In the end, it is obvious that you were the one who had the last laugh." Kouenji replied.
『Heeh~ what a touching response. But that is not necessarily the truth. Or rather, that's not how the world works. 』
"....."
Kouenji was silent.
Rather than falling silent out of trouble or a lack of words, he was silent out of curiosity, waiting to hear what Kumagawa would say next.
『When do you feel that you have "lost"? 』
Kumagawa said with a smile.
『Ah, you look as if you're wondering why I'm asking something so obvious. But this can be a rather fundamental question in life. Whether or not you can prepare a proper answer to it can have a great influence over your life. I'm not exaggerating. When do you become conscious of your defeat, aware of your inferiority, and recognize your loss? 』
"Loss, you say? How quaint. Whether it is victory or defeat, I have never once acknowledged such things in my life. But fine, I will humor you. Rather than asking when one 'loses,' it is far more fitting to consider what it means to 'win.' After all, I am someone who stands above others. That is the way I live my life."
『We should think of it not in terms of losing, but winning? It's not defeat, but victory that has great influence over your life? Indeed. Or rather, that's an excellent point. That has to be the case, Kouenji-kun, especially for someone in your position, it's fundamentally the right thing to do for you to look at things optimistically. 』
"No need to be modest. It is rare for me to indulge in a philosophical exchange like this, but even so, you truly are a fundamentally distasteful person, aren't you, Misogi-boy?"
Kouenji sneered as he said that. There was no real malice in his tone, only amusement.
『There's no need to get worked up like that. I don't have any ulterior motives in using the word "fundamentally". In the first place, it's not like you can perfectly divide right from wrong, and thus the world is quite hard to understand. It may be correct for you to define things in terms of winning rather than losing, but if you pursue that idea too one-sidedly, you'll end up like me. 』
After leaving behind that vague line, Kumagawa continued.
『You don't want to end up like me, right? 』Said Kumagawa, tilting is head.
"I see. That much I can understand, though it is impossible for me to become like you. However, I fail to see where you are going with this. What exactly are you trying to explain?"
『Then let us return to the initial question. When do you feel that you have "lost"? 』
Kumagawa repeated the same line as before. For some reason, hearing it again felt unpleasant to Kouenji. It was not like the irritating sound of a broken record, even though the exact same words had been spoken twice. And yet, it didn't change the fact that it sounded unpleasant. In every sense of the word.
『There's a quote that goes, "There is a mysterious victory in winning, but there is no mysterious defeat in losing." That means it is easier to define what constitutes a loss than what constitutes a win. In a sense, it directly contrasts your way of thinking, that we should look at things not in terms of losing, but winning. You might think you have emerged victorious, while others may see you as having lost. And you could be filled to the brim with a sense of defeat, yet others might see you as the clear winner. 』
"Hmph. That sort of contradiction does not occur. If one truly wins, then there will be results to prove it. If one loses, then the consequences will make it obvious. There is no need for vague interpretations," he replied.
His tone sounded condescending, perhaps even a little cold, depending on how one chose to interpret it. But in truth, there was nothing condescending or cold about it. In the end, he was simply stating what he believed to be fact.
『That doesn't happen? Well, I don't know about that. 』
Kumagawa quietly rejected his view.
Kouenji did not seem particularly surprised. Nor did he show any intention of arguing over that rejection.
『Do you know why I gathered our upperclassmen, which led to that little incident? Believe it or not, it was for the sake of the student council.』
"Hahaha, do you expect me to believe that? Don't bother with such an obvious lie."
『Ahaha, believe it or not, that was my original intention. But somewhere along the way, it just so happened that I ended up blackmailing them, that's all. So you see, originally it was for the betterment of the student council, yet in the end I managed to make enemies of all the second years.』
"Isn't that rather extreme?"
『It's an extreme example—however, there aren't very many examples that aren't extreme, in the same way there aren't very many lives that aren't extreme. My life is certainly rather extreme, and, Rokusuke Koeunji, your life is rather extreme as well. 』
"..."
The thought process, the line of reasoning, felt twisted somewhere along the way, even for Kouenji, who himself lived to the extreme because of his philosophy and the standards he set for himself.
But from what he had seen so far, Kumagawa was not merely interesting. With such an extreme way of thinking, he did not seem to live a normal life at all.
『Well, even so, I'm definitely not saying that you shouldn't be concerned with short-term wins and losses and instead focus on the long-term—after all, there's no one that concerns themselves with short-term results more than me. In that sense, aren't we somewhat alike, Kouenji-kun?』
"Do not compare our desire for instant gratification as if they are the same. Even if I do live in an extreme way, there is a clear difference in quality between us."
That wasn't a lie.
Although he was somewhat offended by Kumagawa's claim that they were alike in some way, he did not say it in a boastful or pretentious tone.
As Kouenji himself had said, he lived in an extreme way, and he was fully aware of it. He even took pride in that way of living. But there was an inherent difference between their extremes. Whether. Whether Kouenji became aware of the difference in their extremes through this brief conversation or simply by instinct, he had already grasped the essence of it. The distinction lay in the fact that Kouenji's extremeness was of a "high quality," while Kumagawa's extremeness was of a "low quality."
From that distinction alone, it was clear which of the two stood above the other.
『Ahaha, how cruel. Anyway, for reference, I think I have lost when I decide that I have lost. No matter how much logic or conditions I try to apply, that is the conclusion I always reach. No matter how much someone tells me it will benefit me in the future, no matter how much they say it is practically a victory, or that I lost the battle but won the war... to me, I lose if I believe I lost. 』
"That certainly does not sound logical."
『It isn't logical, is it? And by that logic, against the second year... I lost in that illogical way. Not only that, it was a complete defeat. 』
Kouenji fell silent.
To some, this might have been the first time seeing him like this. The condescending expression that usually rested on his face, as naturally as breathing, slowly faded. In its place was a more contemplative look.
"Hmm..."
After a long and heavy silence.
Kouenji finally opened his mouth.
"It seems my decision to keep my distance from you was the correct one after all. We are completely incompatible, aren't we, Misogi-boy?" he said, looking straight at Kumagawa across from him. "In any case, it's about time we part ways. From the looks of it, you have no intention of removing yourself from someone like me, and I have no patience to remain in the same room as you any longer. You may consider it an honor that you have managed to make me leave such a comfortable place."
『No, no, no, no. There's no need to be so strangely considerate. If you're worried about me, don't be, I don't mind at all. But it's true that I don't want to leave this comfortable place, so I think it's best if you don't concern yourself with me, Kouenji-kun. It'll only rot your eyes. 』
As they spoke, Kouenji looked at Kumagawa Misogi across from him and into his eyes.
Those eyes were as clear and pure as a quiet river. At the same time, they felt as if they could suck him in.
When they first met, he had thought of him as slightly distasteful, yet at the same time interesting. For someone like Kouenji, who had his own strict standards for judging people, it should have been impossible to place someone into two completely opposite categories. In his mind, something interesting could not be distasteful, and something distasteful could never be interesting. The two were mutually exclusive.
But that was before he came to know a person named Kumagawa Misogi.
Now that he had spoken with him, even for a short while, Kouenji could finally grasp a part of what kind of person Kumagawa Misogi was.
Before this, he had only heard rumors. By nature, Kouenji had no interest in involving himself with Kumagawa, and he did not care for what others said unless it was something he had personally seen and understood. Because of that, he had never bothered to learn more than what he considered necessary.
If someone had asked him what he thought of Kumagawa Misogi, then he would have answered without hesitation that he thought nothing of such a person.
But after this brief conversation, that no longer seemed to be the case.
"Hahaha, how considerate. It has been a while since someone I completely dislike has managed to amuse me this much."
Kouenji slipped away from his position across of Kumagawa as if his gaze meant nothing. He did not seem even slightly daunted, despite being stared at with those repulsive eyes that still looked as clear as a river.
What mental toughness.
『Then that's good... for you, I suppose? It seems the only thing I can do is entertain you, Kouenji-kun. 』
"Hahaha, don't misunderstand my intention, Misogi-boy. Being able to amuse me is not something just anyone can do, whether I like them or not. It requires a certain balance." Kouenji said. "But I suppose that is not something someone like you would understand."
『Is there anything else you want to talk about, Kouenji-kun? 』
"There is nothing else," he declared lightly.
It was a clear and final statement, leaving no room for interpretation or any chance to add more. And he acted exactly as he said. Kouenji left the tent without another word, as if remaining in Kumagawa's presence any longer would have been a needless waste of his time.
And as soon as he left the tent, someone else stepped inside.
"Uh.... What happened to him, Kumagawa-kun? I don't think I've ever seen Kouenji-kun wear that kind of expression before. Did you say something that offended him, by any chance?"
『Why do you always assume I'm the one who offended someone? Hearing you say that makes me realize I'm not growing as a person at all and still have a long road ahead of me. What are you going to do if I'm never able to grow as a person? 』
"You growing as a person... I can't really imagine it though? Is that even possible?"
『Even if it's ninety-nine percent impossible, as long as there's one percent of hope, I won't give up! 』
"No matter how much it goes against human intuition, a ninety-nine percent chance of failure is still a ninety-nine percent chance of failure. If you think about it normally, that's basically hopeless, right?"
『So lines like that only work in Weekly Shonen Jump, huh... 』
"Well, if it actually succeeded, it would basically be a miracle."
『... 』
"..."
『Speaking of which, what are you doing here, Kushida-chan? 』
A girl with brown hair and a voluptuous figure.
After finishing her race, her body was covered in sweat, and her hair glistened from the effort she had just put into the competition. The sight gave her a faintly seductive air. It was no wonder many boys were infatuated with her, and just as little wonder that many of them held a quiet grudge against Kumagawa for being her childhood friend.
As she approached, Kumagawa remained lying on the bed. She walked closer—no, she dragged her tired legs forward—and stopped right in front of him.
"...Can you not look at me with that lecherous gaze, with those rotten eyes of yours, Kumagawa-kun?"
『A tracksuit-clad beauty, huh? But if you would allow me a small indulgence, I don't particularly like competition tracksuits. 』
Kumagawa closed the shounen magazine he had been reading.
"I have no intention of indulging you by going to change. And honestly, isn't it a bit insensitive to say that to a girl who just did her best?"
『Isn't it a childhood friend's duty to indulge the dreams of their fellow childhood friend? 』
Kumagawa tilted his head.
"Your options are far too limited. What exactly do you think a childhood friend is? And for the record, I didn't come here to indulge you either." With a cool expression and a cool tone of voice, she continued. "Hirata-kun told me you clapped your hands pretty hard... You know, it's not really something people should say out loud, but hurting yourself like that is a bit strange, isn't it? What are you thinking?"
『It's mostly healed, though. Look.』
Kumagawa raised his palm in front of Kushida.
Kushida looked at his hand, still wrapped in bandages.
It was almost healed, so even if he put a little more strength into his palm, it would not cause any new damage. Even so, the wound had ruptured from the inside before and caused internal bleeding, so it was the kind of injury that left a dull ache deep in the flesh, especially since the palm is densely packed with nerves.
But from the way he looked, it was as if he did not feel it at all.
『That being said... To think that the only ones who worried about me clapping my hands were only you and Hirata-kun... It seems my only true allies in this school are just the two of you. 』
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not so free that I can spend my time being your ally, Kumagawa-kun. If you're feeling unwell, why don't you go to the medical staff over there? Perhaps she can be your ally instead."
She said it in a rather blunt way.
『Ahaha, even though you say such cruel things, you seem to be in quite a good mood, aren't you? Do you have something to tell me? 』
"Hmm?"
『You have that look on your face. 』
Even though her mask had grown a little stronger and her act had improved, it seemed she still could not hide things from Kumagawa.
『Well, you came at just the right time. Now, don't hold back. Come and sit on my lap and tell me what put you in such a good mood. 』
"...Your creepy ideas are always welcome, but could we save this kind of banter for later? At this rate, you're going to ruin my good mood. You'll put me in a dilemma."
『Haha. Then you don't know me as well as you think you do, Kushida-chan. I would never put you in a dilemma, because I am always on your side. As long as I am with you, even if it sends me to hell, I would never cause you trouble. And if it comes to that, even if we both end up in hell, as long as I'm with you, I'm sure even hell wouldn't be such a bad place. 』
As he spoke those overly earnest words of friendship, without any awareness of how much trouble they would cause for their so called friendship, Kushida could only stare at Kumagawa with a look of disgust, struck by a sharp sense of betrayal from the very person who claimed to be on her side.
"Ugh, instead of being in a good mood, I somehow feel disappointed now. I came here with news that was supposed to lift my spirits, but it got trampled instead. What are you going to do about this? I need some kind of compensation."
『In that case, you have my condolences. 』
"I don't need that. If you have any other ideas, I'd like to hear them."
『Ohh? Is that all you want from me? Ideas? If that's the case, I wouldn't mind showing you my bow of defeat if you so desire.』
"I need that even less."
What was he even trying to show a girl? This guy was hopeless.
『What a difficult manager to deal with... Still, that puts me in a tight spot. It's not like I can make my actions as if they've never happened, that's impossible for me right now. So instead of me pretending it's as if it's never happened, why don't you just start over from the beginning, as if it's never happened? 』 Kumagawa said with a smile, as if his proposal came from a place of pure benevolence.
"..."
Kushida cleared her throat and decided to start over.
Whatever the case, there was no longer any point in keeping up appearances. It would only make her look like an idiot.
"Anyway, you know that Horikita-san was placing a lot of importance on this competition, right?"
『Horikita-chan was? Well, for someone who lives her life in such a razor-edge way, isn't that only natural?』 he replied.
"A razor-edge?" Kushida tilted her head. "Anyway, Horikita-san already finished her race earlier. She was up against Ibuki-san from Class B. You remember her, right? The tomboyish one."
『Ibuki...? Who's that? 』Said Kumagwa, tilting his head.
"Uh..."
Well, it wasn't that surprising, considering Kumagawa was the type of person who could forget even his own parents' names, or the name of a food he just ate.
"You know, the one with that ahoge sticking up from her head...?" Kushida added, though even she didn't sound fully confident. She usually didn't pay attention to such trivial details, but she was fairly sure Ibuki had one. It seemed she was right.
『Ah, you mean "Traitor-chan," right? What about her? Did she have some kind of altercation with Horikita-chan? 』
Kushida had no idea what kind of meaning that "traitor" label carried, and she had no desire to think about it either.
"Back to what I was saying earlier, so, Horikita-san was racing against Ibuki-san, right? The tomboyish one from Class B. I knew she was quite athletic, but for some reason she was unusually motivated when facing Horikita. So, when the match started, the two of them took the lead right away. At first, Horikita-san was in front, but then Ibuki-san caught up and they ran side by side, and at one point she even managed to overtake Horikita-san."
Kushida's voice, is getting excited by second whenever she talks.
Kushida's voice grew more excited with every word.
"I don't know about you, but seeing Horikita-san's composed expression turn into shock when Ibuki-san passed her was quite a sight for me."
『Eh...? 』
"But even though Horikita-san won in the end, it was only a close victory. Ibuki-san lost by just a few milliseconds. Considering Horikita-san's pride, there's no way she'd be satisfied with a win like that. I'm sure it left her feeling frustrated instead."
Kushida finished her short story.
From the look on her face, she seemed quite satisfied after telling it. It was as if she had already forgotten the earlier frustration that had ruined her mood.
『So, from what I understand, you were in a good mood because Horikita-chan won by a narrow margin instead of overwhelming her opponent. And since Horikita-chan prides herself on being superior to others, winning in that manner wouldn't satisfy her, which in turn made you feel better? 』
"Shouldn't I be happy seeing her suffer from such a minor inconvenience?"
Kumagawa laughed.
『Good grief. To think you're the type who can be satisfied by something so small when it comes to your enemies. 』
"What? Is it wrong for me to be a little petty?"
『Ahaha, no need to get so fired up, Kushida-chan. That's exactly what I expected when I appointed you as my manager. If anything, you exceeded my expectations with how petty you can be, hahaha. 』
"I see..."
There was no point in arguing back. If she pushed any further, she might end up being led around by his words again. So she let it go and allowed the conversation to move on.
『More importantly, how do you know that Horikita-chan would be dissatisfied and frustrated with the result? 』
"Huh? What do you mean?" She asked.
『I mean, since when did you come to understand how Horikita-chan feels? 』
"Isn't that just common sense?"
『No, no. Even considering her personality, how can you be certain she'd feel frustrated instead of relieved? Horikita-chan is the type who values results over the process, isn't she? If so, wouldn't relief make more sense than frustration? And yet, from the way you spoke just now, you sounded quite certain she'd feel frustrated rather than relieved, didn't you? If there were someone else with the same line of thinking as you, in the same situation, and with the same level of dislike toward Horikita-chan... if that person saw the same result, wouldn't the more natural reaction to her victory be frustration instead of satisfaction? 』
"Uhm...."
This is quite bad.
While Kumagawa's words could be a little roundabout at times, and sometimes resembled a Zen dialogue that was hard to understand—and rather than a Zen dialogue, it felt more like an impossible dialogue. Even so, in certain moments, it was frighteningly blunt.
Given their short history together, only a couple of months of acquaintance and just a few months of truly knowing each other, the words that were usually hard to understand now sounded crystal clear to her.
But rather than the Zen-like phrasing, what worried Kushida was the implication behind that sentence.
"I-it's just what it is, alright!"
『Huhuhu, so you chose the mysterious route, huh. That's fine by me too. Although, if you came to know me a little better than Horikita-chan, life might become a bit more fun. For both of us.』
"It's not..."
It's not like that, was what she wanted to say, but she could not even bring herself to flatter him with such empty words.
『Speaking of which, what about the competition? 』
"What about it?"
『I'm asking about the result of the competition. As you can see, I'm quite busy with life at the moment, so I can only rely on you to tell me how it turned out. 』
As he said that, Kumagawa once again opened his beloved shounen magazine, the movement strangely filled with affection.
To think that the "life" he claimed to be busy with existed entirely inside those pages.
If that was meant to be a joke, it was not a very funny one. If anything, it felt more like a self-deprecating and slightly surreal kind of humor. Just imagining what kind of future he might end up with, given that personality of his, made it feel a little pitiful.
"Well, the competition has only just begun, but we're slightly ahead in terms of points. The upperclassmen were pretty impressive, actually."
『Hmm, is that so? Then tell me, what's the score right now? 』
"If I remember correctly, it's 2011 points for the red team and 1891 points for the white team."
The upperclassmen were, in fact, carrying the team, especially for those who were not very athletic. In Kushida's eyes, the first-years also produced some good results, but she did not really care about the overall outcome of the competition.
What she was actually jealous of was Kumagawa's complete lack of effort in this event.
She wished she could laze around like that too.
Even though she was fairly athletic compared to most girls, it did not mean she enjoyed physical activity. In fact, she would rather avoid it altogether if she could, especially when it involved competition.
They say a competitive nature is the fate of all people, but even that has its limits. Not everyone is like her. Not everyone is as simple as she is, the kind whose skin crawls at the mere sound of competition. Though in her case, it is less that her skin crawls and more like losing her motivation.
Still, it was not something she could avoid forever.
If she did, she would lose her greatest weapon in life.
That said, she did enjoy a bit of light morning exercise.
『So that means we're winning? 』
"It's only the tallied points from the first event, you know? Calling that a win is a bit short-sighted."
『But aren't you also a little short-sighted, Kushida-chan? 』
"What exactly do you mean by that, Kumagawa-kun?"
『I mean, aren't you being a bit petty over Horikita-chan's feelings? 』
"This is one thing, and that is another."
"Um, I know I probably should have said this earlier, but if you're going to have a discussion, could you do it somewhere else? Even if there aren't any patients right now, shouldn't you have some decency?"
Where had that last sentence come from?
Kushida and Kumagawa had been so absorbed in their banter that it felt like someone had suddenly intruded. They both turned to look and found the school's medical staff, who had been on standby in the medical tent ever since it was set up, now staring at them with clear annoyance.
"I know this place is only for minor injuries, and that anything serious like strains gets sent to the infirmary, but even so, you shouldn't be bothering the medical staff when they're trying to work, even if they aren't busy," the staff member said.
『Eh? Is that true?』
Kumagawa tilted his head.
"I think that's... more or less true...?"
Kushida was fairly sure that was how it worked, but the part about "even when they aren't busy" still felt a little off with that logic. Now even she was starting to get confused. Without realizing it, spending so much time around Kumagawa had begun to throw her common sense slightly off balance.
"I-in any case, don't bother the medical staff!"
『END』
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Here you go peasants, another chapter.
Anyway, that's it for today's chapter.
Hope you enjoyed it.
[Thanks for reading!]