On the day of the Athletics Meet, I went around with the teachers greeting the guests, so things were busy from the very start.123Please respect copyright.PENANA4tfd5Y0PGP
I get the feeling that the teachers completely used my name as a proud Pivoine and Kisshouin clan member.123Please respect copyright.PENANAmHVB65BIUA
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAUXXCi5NMPN
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAlPUoPgcChB
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAmjFPjMBNZx
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAC3FySvgzAk
After checking that there wasn’t any misprint in the programmes and manuscript, I handed it over to an announcer.123Please respect copyright.PENANAu6nnpCzXOF
Besides that, I also did the boring job of moving the point flags for the relays.123Please respect copyright.PENANAuPCwpRRaE5
It looks like I’ll get a lot of use out of the sunscreen that Okaasama plastered me with.123Please respect copyright.PENANAs9R20fCuHp
I carried out the odd jobs that the teachers assigned me, and then returned to the tent to finally have a breather.123Please respect copyright.PENANApD9yNvAJFh
While drinking cold tea, I watched the obstacle relay in a daze.123Please respect copyright.PENANAcHX7BcUTV2
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAuV2KnUk77z
Also I entered the dance, and the foot race, and the ball toss.123Please respect copyright.PENANAdqF2VjTI4u
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANA5AK7hOoDGv
Just to be safe, I looked over the guests to see who had what items.123Please respect copyright.PENANAf37eeqj8hy
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANANzs387L58L
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANA8LrTIZGXMs
Please let me draw something simple!123Please respect copyright.PENANAu9bKziSbzB
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAiEwoKZpPdv
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANANDa1nRRoIr
Although he didn’t seem to know what was going on, he ran with me.123Please respect copyright.PENANAqtmuThIrfX
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANA9LIM8msfr0
As I recall, Akizawa-kun was in the baton relays.123Please respect copyright.PENANA0QTqh5TnRr
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAdGGypuy0zW
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAZ73xKrLUPi
A boy from some other class pulled me and had me run. I’m the item?123Please respect copyright.PENANAQW9RHNkxyf
We ran to the drawing spot once, and then back to the goal.123Please respect copyright.PENANAUZffZwDPli
What they announced when we reached there was “a girl with a ribbon in their hair”.123Please respect copyright.PENANAXsqMdxz0Xf
Thank goodness.123Please respect copyright.PENANAbl36OJTMAJ
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAtHeOhFGp5Z
I was wondering if I had made trouble for him, so I was relieved to hear that.123Please respect copyright.PENANAdQ65VOd1d9
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAlZDKiGhxdN
Don’t try the impossible.123Please respect copyright.PENANAnFmdGBTSCJ
In the afternoon was more work in the tent.123Please respect copyright.PENANAlsgTJ4Htr0
Now that I had the knack of it, it was easier than in the morning.123Please respect copyright.PENANAEwIhBFQQGV
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANABs8kCdwj9s
The classes were broken into two teams, and would snatch at each other’s headbands.123Please respect copyright.PENANAax2DwbBWYV
Boys from my class also formed horseback units and participated, but people said there was a favourite team this year.123Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4Ja9IDDwv
Kaburagi’s.123Please respect copyright.PENANApAZjyzynue
Naturally he was the rider.123Please respect copyright.PENANA7GuNXFbnti
There’s no way that guy would be a horse.123Please respect copyright.PENANAJUFuJGpCwy
Kikuno-chan who shared a class with him had told us excitedly, “With this, the cavalry battle will be our class’ win!”.123Please respect copyright.PENANAn6m2bnvhWw
Even though he would probably just fall off right away and get laughed at.
I was a fool for thinking that.123Please respect copyright.PENANAJN9dS3hmkf
The moment the start signal rang, Kaburagi freely moved about on his horse, and snatched headband after headband.123Please respect copyright.PENANAXGGK5iKYJ7
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAGDRWYCDnqk
Honestly, it was just too huge a difference in power.123Please respect copyright.PENANA7VkRBoZEyv
I bet you lot practised heaps, to play Kaburagi’s horse so perfectly.123Please respect copyright.PENANA4nlVYmttwg
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANA1l1tTkaJaX
For those units that ran away scared, the Kaburagi Unit would hunt them down from behind.123Please respect copyright.PENANA1ks3jPv5tG
It was like the hunt of a carnivore.123Please respect copyright.PENANASr9L4hjMJW
I’ll bet they were scared.123Please respect copyright.PENANAi2hUrrcIv3
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.123Please respect copyright.PENANAYnzyvGT4bg
Yeah, absolutely no mercy at all.
In the end, only the Kaburagi Unit was left, and they seized a complete victory.123Please respect copyright.PENANAOgOtaz0YzP
Later on, somebody would compare his gallantry in this battle to the legendary Napoleon, and eventually that turned into an Emperor.123Please respect copyright.PENANAR0wwxOFc3C
It was the start that would cause Kaburagi to gain his famous nickname.