On the day of the Athletics Meet, I went around with the teachers greeting the guests, so things were busy from the very start.124Please respect copyright.PENANA55O09RuQv5
I get the feeling that the teachers completely used my name as a proud Pivoine and Kisshouin clan member.124Please respect copyright.PENANA3FNBbk0gcf
And I think it was the same for Enjou who was standing next to me.
Immediately after that, I returned to the executive tent to be stationed as the person in charge of announcements.124Please respect copyright.PENANAznAVshtSUR
I had thought that people in the broadcasting committee would be doing this, but they’re in charge of the music for the event, and don’t have a mic.124Please respect copyright.PENANA4geQ7Ol8NY
The role of announcer is passed to whoever isn’t participating in a current event. People who aren’t good at the more ostentatious roles take a role in the background.124Please respect copyright.PENANAZb1VKGGAfc
Of course, I wanted to work behind the scenes as well. I’ve got stage fright, so when I was doing announcements my voice was totally trembling.124Please respect copyright.PENANAWJke4UqaWe
After checking that there wasn’t any misprint in the programmes and manuscript, I handed it over to an announcer.124Please respect copyright.PENANAtf9jGc0giV
Besides that, I also did the boring job of moving the point flags for the relays.124Please respect copyright.PENANA5cYw5Y2F89
It looks like I’ll get a lot of use out of the sunscreen that Okaasama plastered me with.124Please respect copyright.PENANABbC8iO1B8D
I carried out the odd jobs that the teachers assigned me, and then returned to the tent to finally have a breather.124Please respect copyright.PENANAcXgzaGC3xG
While drinking cold tea, I watched the obstacle relay in a daze.124Please respect copyright.PENANAKnGYc9CaLX
As you’d expect, they don’t have bread eating competitions in this school, huh~ Even though I would’ve totally gone if they had anpan.
“You’ve done a great job, Kisshouin-san.”
A teacher called out to me.
“You think so? Thank you very much.”
“You’ve been working all morning, right? In the afternoon, leave it to others, and rest a little. Which events are you participating in?”
“The borrowing race.”
I thought that it was a pretty safe game to enter, since it was more reliant on luck than physical ability.124Please respect copyright.PENANAGfanK6Woa1
Also I entered the dance, and the foot race, and the ball toss.124Please respect copyright.PENANAnPwOQnsivP
I’m sure not looking forward to the race~ At least let me get into the top three somehow.
It was time for the borrowing race now, so I returned to my class.
It’d be great if I didn’t get some weird item. Just glasses or something would be good.124Please respect copyright.PENANAFQO4xZllV7
Just to be safe, I looked over the guests to see who had what items.124Please respect copyright.PENANASMaT1GJySR
At the very least, I don’t want to show something shameful like panic.
The other kids who were entering said things like “Let’s do our best, okay?” to cheer each other up.124Please respect copyright.PENANAyltNaafxer
Uuu, my heart is pounding.
The borrowing race began, and the participants all ran this way and that to look for their items and people after drawing their cards.124Please respect copyright.PENANAexsrMJzKaz
Please let me draw something simple!124Please respect copyright.PENANA0xyNf0hqqE
My turn came up, and what I drew was ‘a fast-running friend’.
Who the heck is that?
Faster than my head could turn, my body ended up moving.124Please respect copyright.PENANAFbTBhz6ITq
There’s only one friend I know that runs fast.
“Akizawa-kun! Come with me!”
I pulled on the arm of the surprised Akizawa-kun and aimed for the goal.124Please respect copyright.PENANAWrXMV5Wylv
Although he didn’t seem to know what was going on, he ran with me.124Please respect copyright.PENANA7PJqr3AKVF
The boys who had been with Akizawa-kun were making a fuss. Don’t misunderstand, damnit.
When I reached the goal and handed the paper over to the attendants, they read it aloud.124Please respect copyright.PENANAz6ZjCUWxHE
As I recall, Akizawa-kun was in the baton relays.124Please respect copyright.PENANAovdmdIir0A
It looks like I somehow managed to contribute to my class.
“A fast-running friend, huh~? I sure was surprised.”
“Mn, sorry about that.”
He was the only one I could think of! If it was ‘fast-running person’ and not ‘fast-running friend’, then I might have found a number of people though.
“Everyone might get angry at me for helping another class.”
As he said that, Akizawa-kun smiled.124Please respect copyright.PENANAgsDqzQPVfY
I might have gotten him wrapped up in something troublesome. I’m reflecting.
“If anybody says anything like that, please do tell me. I shall deal with it.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
After that, while I was standing at the goal, somebody came to get me.124Please respect copyright.PENANAimCIIZEAdE
A boy from some other class pulled me and had me run. I’m the item?124Please respect copyright.PENANAu1YTDBmJff
We ran to the drawing spot once, and then back to the goal.124Please respect copyright.PENANAfXFFtILyQG
What they announced when we reached there was “a girl with a ribbon in their hair”.124Please respect copyright.PENANAnKv4XNMaBY
Thank goodness.124Please respect copyright.PENANA9pgrkGJjGY
It wasn’t “a girl with drill hair”.
Because many of the slips this time had things related to people, there weren’t any particular rumours about Akizawa-kun.124Please respect copyright.PENANAuV1kNatN0O
I was wondering if I had made trouble for him, so I was relieved to hear that.124Please respect copyright.PENANAQJlzYFT9rY
Incidentally, a slip that read ‘person you like’ appeared, and a girl was reckless enough to call out to Kaburagi, resulting in a splendid rejection.124Please respect copyright.PENANA5ebRpxWIdp
Don’t try the impossible.124Please respect copyright.PENANAFRqPChAvBK
In the afternoon was more work in the tent.124Please respect copyright.PENANAWPnvnkRIPG
Now that I had the knack of it, it was easier than in the morning.124Please respect copyright.PENANAkInyywrNVA
Right now I was sitting on a metal folding chair, and watching the events.
Besides the baton relays, there was also the main event of the Athletics Meet; the cavalry battle with the Year 5 and 6 boys.124Please respect copyright.PENANAQXNdtxPKIv
The classes were broken into two teams, and would snatch at each other’s headbands.124Please respect copyright.PENANARO9BEanLCL
Boys from my class also formed horseback units and participated, but people said there was a favourite team this year.124Please respect copyright.PENANAneP7lGHVRL
Kaburagi’s.124Please respect copyright.PENANAOw9e8XN94h
Naturally he was the rider.124Please respect copyright.PENANAiko80RUHFy
There’s no way that guy would be a horse.124Please respect copyright.PENANA7IVSauWOtb
Kikuno-chan who shared a class with him had told us excitedly, “With this, the cavalry battle will be our class’ win!”.124Please respect copyright.PENANAWVvhod9OQy
Even though he would probably just fall off right away and get laughed at.
I was a fool for thinking that.124Please respect copyright.PENANAJVUUhh1ye2
The moment the start signal rang, Kaburagi freely moved about on his horse, and snatched headband after headband.124Please respect copyright.PENANAPv7sqMT9fh
There were units that resolutely faced him down, but they would be rammed, have their arms twisted by Kaburagi, and sent tumbling from their horse free of their headbands.124Please respect copyright.PENANAnGlwdxOU8c
Honestly, it was just too huge a difference in power.124Please respect copyright.PENANAHBC6pSmDHO
I bet you lot practised heaps, to play Kaburagi’s horse so perfectly.124Please respect copyright.PENANARlwDjhTcSS
From their point of view, they’d make heaps of enemies if they let Kaburagi fall, so I’ll bet they practised like their lives depended on it.124Please respect copyright.PENANAtF9z2j2WkQ
For those units that ran away scared, the Kaburagi Unit would hunt them down from behind.124Please respect copyright.PENANAE3B1aI9Fo2
It was like the hunt of a carnivore.124Please respect copyright.PENANAEVMsN307Mb
I’ll bet they were scared.124Please respect copyright.PENANAfaciclAflJ
Before long at all, the units from my class were done. No, no, I think you guys put up a pretty brave fight.
“Aa~ah, Masaya has no mercy at all, does he.”
Enjou smiled wryly from his seat behind me.124Please respect copyright.PENANAGxHxxaQ4fz
Yeah, absolutely no mercy at all.
In the end, only the Kaburagi Unit was left, and they seized a complete victory.124Please respect copyright.PENANAVqD5WKATTD
Later on, somebody would compare his gallantry in this battle to the legendary Napoleon, and eventually that turned into an Emperor.124Please respect copyright.PENANAjlo2XMYi7Z
It was the start that would cause Kaburagi to gain his famous nickname.