The next day, Tiger arrived at school wearing his usual clothes, completely unaware that something special was happening that day. As soon as he entered, he noticed the atmosphere was different. Students were gathered around the school grounds, and many of them were already dressed for the upcoming event. A few students couldn't help staring at Tiger as he walked past. Some whispered about how different he looked, while others simply watched him in silence.
Tiger's teacher soon noticed him and walked over. "Tiger, you're wearing your normal clothes?"
Tiger looked down at himself in confusion. "What? Sir, was I supposed to wear something else today?"
His teacher looked at him for a moment before realizing Tiger had genuinely forgotten. "Did you forget? Today is the school's Hurdling Championship."
Tiger's expression changed slightly. "Oh... right. Sorry, sir. I should've remembered."
"It's fine," his teacher replied. "Just remember next time. The championship is about to begin, so go and get ready."
"Okay, sir."
Tiger made his way toward the large school ground, where students and teachers had already gathered. An announcement soon echoed across the area.
"First, all boys participating in the Hurdling Championship, please take your positions. After the boys' race is finished, the girls' championship will begin. When I count to three and fire the gun, the race will start."
Tiger quietly stood in his position alongside the other competitors. Ahead of them was the long track filled with obstacles. Everyone prepared themselves.
"Ready..."
The students lowered their bodies slightly.
"1..."
The entire ground became silent.
"2..."
Tiger focused ahead.
"3!"
BANG!
The race immediately began.
Almost every student started jumping over the hurdles normally—but Tiger was doing something completely different. Instead of simply jumping, he began moving through the obstacles with smooth flips and acrobatic movements. He jumped over one hurdle with a front flip, landed perfectly, and immediately continued toward the next.
The students watching were stunned.
"Wait... what is he doing?!"
"He's flipping over the hurdles!"
"How is he doing that so easily?!"
Tiger continued moving without slowing down. While the other competitors were carefully jumping over each obstacle, Tiger flowed through the track with one movement after another. Within moments, he reached the finish line.
Tiger won.
For a few seconds, the students simply stared at him.
Then several competitors immediately surrounded him.
"How did you do those flips?"
"Teach me that!"
"Seriously, that looked impossible!"
"Please teach us!"
Tiger suddenly found himself surrounded and looked completely confused by the attention. Before the situation became worse, his teacher stepped forward.
"Don't bother Tiger too much," he said.
Tiger quietly used the opportunity to escape from the crowd.
Before anyone could continue talking, another announcement echoed across the school grounds.
"Now, all girls participating in the Hurdling Championship, please take your positions!"
The attention immediately shifted toward the girls preparing for their race. Many students were already confident about who would win.
"Icchi is definitely winning."
"She always wins."
Several girls also gathered around Icchi, talking excitedly. Meanwhile, some students continued watching Tiger from a distance. Tiger eventually noticed.
Why are they always looking at me? he thought. What's so special about me?
The girls soon took their positions.
The announcer raised his hand. "This time, I won't fire the gun. The race will begin when I finish counting."
"1..."
Icchi focused ahead.
"2..."
Everyone waited.
"3... Start!"
The race began.
Icchi immediately moved ahead of the other competitors. Her speed was noticeably different, and she quickly passed one hurdle after another. The other girls attempted to keep up with her, but Icchi continued increasing the distance.
Tiger watched silently from the side.
Within moments, Icchi crossed the finish line first.
The students weren't particularly surprised.
"Of course Icchi won."
"She really is fast."
"She's never lost one of these races."
The other competitors eventually reached the finish line and congratulated Icchi. Just as the event seemed to be ending, the announcer suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, wait. I forgot to mention something."
Everyone looked toward him.
"There will be one final race."
The students became curious.
"This race will be between... Tiger and Icchi."
The entire ground immediately became silent.
Tiger slowly looked toward Icchi.
Icchi looked back at him.
Both of them seemed equally surprised.
The students suddenly became excited.
"Tiger versus Icchi?!"
"Seriously?!"
"This is going to be interesting!"
The announcer continued. "There won't be any prize for winning this race."
Everyone looked confused.
"But this race will help us see exactly how capable both of them really are."
Several teachers nodded.
"That actually makes sense," one of them said.
Tiger and Icchi walked toward their positions.
"Get ready!"
Tiger stood in front of the hurdles.
Icchi stood beside him.
"1..."
Tiger focused.
"2..."
Icchi slightly lowered her stance.
"3... Start!"
Both of them immediately ran forward.
Icchi moved quickly, clearing the obstacles with incredible speed. However, Tiger did something she hadn't expected. Tiger jumped toward the first hurdle and performed a smooth flip over it.
Icchi's eyes widened.
He's doing flips?!
Tiger continued.
One flip.
Another hurdle.
Another movement.
The race quickly became intense. Icchi was incredibly fast, but Tiger's unusual movements allowed him to move through the obstacles without losing momentum.
The entire school watched silently.
Tiger and Icchi were almost equal.
For a moment, it seemed impossible to tell who would win.
Then Tiger made one final movement over the last obstacle and crossed the finish line.
Tiger won.
The entire ground erupted into discussion.
"Tiger won?!"
"That's impossible!"
"Icchi has never lost before!"
"For the first time... someone actually defeated Icchi!"
Tiger stood near the finish line, catching his breath. A few moments later, Icchi arrived behind him. She looked toward Tiger with an annoyed expression and quietly picked up a small stone.
Tiger noticed the movement just in time.
Icchi threw it.
Tiger immediately moved aside.
The stone missed him.
Tiger looked at her.
Icchi simply looked away as if nothing had happened.
Tiger sighed and walked away.
Later, after the championship had ended, students continued discussing the race. Everywhere Tiger went, people seemed to be talking about his victory over Icchi. Tiger, however, didn't seem particularly interested in the attention.
After finishing up for the day, Tiger eventually began leaving the area.
But then someone suddenly appeared in front of him.
Tiger looked up.
It was Icchi.
She stood silently for a moment before finally speaking.
"Tiger."
Tiger looked at her. "What?"
Icchi stared directly at him.
"Will you work with my friend?"
Tiger's expression immediately changed.
"What?"
Icchi gave him a small, mysterious look.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Tiger stood there in confusion as Icchi turned and began walking away.