Chapter 385: The Marathon Ends
"Ha~ finally…"
Shijo Maki sat on a park bench, panting heavily.
She had just been dragged by Sakurai Saki to run a two-kilometer distance. For her — someone who hadn't exercised in a long time — this was more painful than being killed.
"There are a lot of people who couldn't keep running."
Sakurai Saki held the signed registration sheet in his hand and looked around, seeing many people resting.
It was only 4 km… yet some had already given up. He didn't know what to say; no wonder the school didn't organize an official marathon — they couldn't even handle a mini marathon of one-fifth the distance, let alone 42 km.
"Even the members of the sports clubs probably have to rest after running 8 km, huh?"
Shijo Maki opened a water bottle, drinking in small sips, her voice weary as she spoke.
Not everyone was like Sakurai, who could run that long and still barely sweat.
"For girls to rest, I think that's reasonable, but for boys, it's a bit strange…"
This wasn't any kind of gender discrimination — there was a natural difference in physical ability between men and women, something innate.
Moreover, Maki's words had a premise — they referred to members of sports clubs.
For example, Nakano Yotsuba, who practiced track and field every day, was probably almost finished by now, wasn't she?
"Alright, go on already." Shijo Maki waved her hand as if shooing a fly away.
Seeing her expression, Sakurai Saki could guess what she meant.
I'm not some kind of demon — how could I possibly drag her to keep running?
More importantly… she's way too slow!
Two kilometers in over twenty minutes… impressive, barely faster than walking.
At this rate, by the time the second-year students start running, she still won't be done.
...
Today's event was divided into three rounds, and the times for each grade were deliberately staggered. That was why the Media Club went into the broadcasting room — probably to liven things up so people in the school wouldn't get bored.
"Watanabe-san, the soccer club captain, is about to reach the finish line! And right behind him is— unbelievable, it's Shijo Mikado!!"
"And where's General Affairs Sakurai!? What, he's still at the second checkpoint!? No way, did he give up on winning entirely!?"
"Ah!!! General Affairs Sakurai is talking with Shijo Maki again!! Call Hayasaka-san!! Call Hayasaka-san right now!!"
"Ahhh Ai-chan!! Your boyfriend's running with another girl!!"
"Karen, if we make up stories like this about Sakurai-san, won't he come after us later?"
"Probably… not? Sakurai-san's really gentle."
The voices of Kino Karen and Kose Erika echoed from the broadcast speakers.
Near the starting area at the athletic field, the second-year marathon was about to begin.
"Didn't expect Sakurai-senpai to have no intention of competing for the championship," Ishigami Yuu said as he listened to the broadcast, speaking to the person beside him, Iino Miko.
"Sakurai-senpai isn't like other boys who love to compete," said Miko — Sakurai Saki's little fangirl — who felt that his actions surely had a reason.
Maybe he ran into someone who needed help along the way?
"Could be."
After all, Sakurai had already wasted a few minutes at the start, beginning much slower than the others.
In Ishigami Yuu's eyes, it seemed Sakurai didn't care about the competition at all; winning or losing made no difference to him.
Near the athletic field, a large screen was live-streaming the race.
Shuchiin Academy had a car following the marathon group to record, and each checkpoint had cameras installed.
"It's President Shirogane!? I can't believe he's right behind Shijo-senpai and Watanabe-senpai!?" Miko looked at the screen, exclaiming in surprise.
Shirogane Miyuki wasn't even part of any sports club — she hadn't thought he could run that fast!
"Myuu-senpai too!?" Ishigami Yuu's excitement rose as well.
On the screen, the three of them were staring straight ahead, all starting to accelerate at once.
Just one kilometer left!
They had conserved their stamina in the first half — now was the time to unleash it!
After a few minutes of shoulder-to-shoulder sprinting, all three of them almost simultaneously passed through the checkpoint set before the Shuchiin Academy gate.
The ribbon marking the finish line was torn by Shirogane Miyuki as he crossed.
"The champion has appeared!!! Let's all congratulate President Shirogane!!!"
...
After the champion was determined.
Nearly ten minutes later, Sakurai Saki finally reached the finish line.
When he arrived, quite a few other students crossed the line at the same time, most of them being members of sports clubs. Counting from the start, only about forty-five minutes had passed.
Sakurai's plan to control his pace had worked; if Shijo Maki hadn't slowed him down, he probably would've avoided most of the attention.
Now, let's hear what the Media Club is saying on the broadcast.
"Shinomiya-san, she's… she's competing with Chika-chan again."
"As everyone knows, Shinomiya-san is the ace of the Archery Club. As a member of a sports club, her explosive strength must be very strong, but her endurance… Archery isn't exactly a sport that uses much leg power."
"Chika-chan, on the other hand, jogs with her dog at the park every week, so her stamina shouldn't be bad. But since she's carrying a 'heavy load,' it might be a bit harder for her."
"'Heavy load'?"
"Girls with large chests are at a disadvantage when running, but it looks like Chika-chan is wearing a specialized sports bra."
"Yeah, that's right, Karen, you nailed it. As for Kaguya-san, hers are rather… um~?"
"Say one more word and it's dangerous (whispers)."
Sakurai Saki happened to run past Chika and Kaguya.
But both of them were focused on running and didn't notice him.
This truly was a battle between the "flat" and the "busty," and Sakurai could completely understand it.
To be honest—
Kaguya really didn't need to care about that size issue at all.
It's fine, small ones are cute too.
Running a bit slower, having a bit less endurance—no problem. Just lasting five minutes was already impressive.
Standing near the finish line, Sakurai waited for about ten minutes. Amid the cheers of the surrounding crowd, he saw the two girls panting heavily as they ran toward the finish.
"Shinomiya-senpai!!! You can do it!!!"
"Chika-chan, don't give up!!"
In the end, the winner was Kaguya.
Sakurai Saki handed her the towel he had prepared in advance.
Kaguya took the towel, wiped the sweat from her forehead, then, with a serious yet thrilled tone, said, "Sakurai-san, I won!!"
Sakurai Saki honestly had no idea why she was so excited.
Beside her, Chika pouted, looking clearly unwilling to accept the result.
A few seconds later—
She suddenly thought of a way to turn the tables.
"Kaguya-san, you're sweating so much, let's go take a bath together."
"...Eh, ehm."
Kaguya seemed to have been hit right in her weak spot and immediately fell silent.
Even though she'd won, it seemed she hadn't won completely.
...
Watching the two of them walk away, Sakurai Saki decided to go to the Kendo Club's locker room to change his clothes.
Since he had run today, he was wearing the school's sports uniform.
After changing back into his regular uniform, Sakurai returned to the athletic field.
There, he unexpectedly ran into a "little wild bunny."
"Yotsuba?" — he blurted out.
Nakano Yotsuba, her hair still damp, was sitting on a bench near the athletic field.
"Sakurai-san?"
Hearing his voice, she turned her head and waved for him to sit down beside her.
Yotsuba had finished slightly earlier than Sakurai Saki, so she had taken the chance to go shower first.
...