While Houtarou and the others participated in the three-legged race, the girls' events underwent some adjustments.
The four-way tug-of-war and cavalry battles, though separated by gender, both required the sand field. As a result, the girls' 200-meter event was moved forward.
"Things don't seem to be going well on the boys' side." Kikyō remarked to Suzune as they waited in line.
For the 200-meter event, she was assigned to the third group and Suzune to the fourth. The first group of girls was currently competing, so they had to wait.
"I suppose." Suzune responded flatly.
Kikyō: "..."
Feeling her warmth rebuffed by coldness, her mood darkened.
"We keep facing Class D's top athletes, so our rankings are bound to suffer." Kikyō said.
She was set to race against Class D's Mio in her group, and that girl was notably fast. She doubted she could outpace her.
"And Suzune, you're matched against Class D's Kinoshita and (Yajima) Mariko. You're worried?" Kikyō said.
"Maybe." Suzune replied.
Kikyō: "..."
Despite their friendship, she remained as distant as ever.
Well then... Goodbye, Suzune.
Kikyō displayed a bright, cheerful smile.
"Next group!" Called the referee.
She quickly took her position.
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In the 200-meter race, she finished second, just behind Mio.
Despite her strong performance, Kikyō remained at the finish line to observe.
The schedule moved swiftly. Within twenty seconds, the fourth group of eight girls, including Suzune, lined up.
Kikyō watched from the sidelines as, according to plan, Suzune found herself between Class D's two star runners, Minori and Mariko.
She knew that while Suzune had potential in both academics and physical ability, it was merely raw talent — without development and dedication, she could never become truly elite.
The two girls from Class D, however, were seasoned members of the track and field team. They had been training rigorously every day since they were 10 years old, making them far superior to Suzune.
As expected, Mariko took the lead, leaving Suzune far behind. Minori, in third place, was following closely on Suzune's heels.
During the final 50-meter stretch, Suzune became preoccupied with Minori's pursuit, constantly glancing over her shoulder.
"Perfect!" Kikyō exclaimed with delight as she watched from afar.
The repeated backward glances proved costly. Just as Suzune prepared for her final sprint, disaster struck — her legs tangled with Minori's, and both runners fell.
Despite the fall, Suzune showed remarkable determination. She picked herself up and, despite her injured leg, limped across the finish line in second-to-last place.
Minori, who appeared to have sustained more serious injuries, remained on the track and finished last.
"Is your foot okay?" Kikyō asked with concern as Suzune limped to the rest area.
"That's not what bothers me." Suzune said, frowning, "That girl kept calling my name during the race."
"So that's why you kept looking back." Kikyō said softly, her voice sympathetic, "Anyway, Horikita, you should rest now. I'll get the medical staff."
She helped Suzune to the side.
The doctor arrived promptly and bandaged Suzune's leg. Though she was clearly unfit to continue competing, Suzune, after brief consideration, refused the doctor's suggestion to withdraw.
Although she had no hopes for Class C's Sports Festival and had even plotted with Houtarou, she didn't want to burden her class by withdrawing.
The next event was the cavalry battle, where she was assigned an attacking role — meaning she would be carried by others. With her injured leg, she could still participate in this position.
With this in mind, she decided to continue competing.
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On Houtarou's side, the 200-meter race had finished, marking the end of all individual events. With an hour until the recommended events began, there was time for a break.
Instead of getting food, he headed to the sand field area where the girls' three-legged race was still ongoing. As he scanned the first-year girls, he noticed two absent faces: angel Kikyō and Suzune.
They might have gone to eat after their races, but Houtarou knew differently. He'd stopped by the red team's camp earlier, where Kei's records showed the girls had lost the cavalry battle.
More surprisingly, Masumi, who'd been expected to perform well, was eliminated first in the girls' cavalry battle.
"You're really weak." Houtarou said, finding her still at the three-legged race venue, "You were completely useless in the cavalry battle."
Masumi: "..."
Though caught off guard by his return, she maintained her composure.
"What could I do? I'm not good at attacking people, so losing was natural. If I had been a horse below, we might not have lost so easily." She said.
Oh. So she was better at supporting from below than commanding from above. In other words, when given the chance to lead, she couldn't rise to the occasion.
Houtarou sighed internally. If Masumi had shown true aggression, it would have seemed out of character. Her lackluster performance was exactly what he'd expected.
After all, someone with genuine fighting spirit wouldn't remain under Arisu's control for a decade.
Speaking of Arisu — if her health had been better, she could have participated in this event.
While cavalry battles needed steady support from below, the person on top needed commanding presence. Arisu would have excelled in such a role.
"By the way, what happened in the cavalry battle?" Houtarou asked curiously.
He'd noticed the girls from his class seemed unusually discouraged. Something must have occurred.
"Horikita competed despite being injured, which fired up those saint-like girls from Class B and the Class C girls. Ichinose's group used everything from one-on-one to three-on-one tactics. We couldn't escape — there was no way to win." Masumi explained.
The white team consisted of Classes B and C. The "saints" from Class B — Honami and her group — had taken charge.
Indeed, Honami was their guardian angel, surrounded by her devoted followers. Calling them saints wasn't far from the truth.
And now they had sprung into action. With the red-white competition gap widening and the white team's victory nearly certain at 99%, they had seized their chance.
Though not athletically gifted, Honami excelled at strategy and boosting morale. Upon discovering Suzune's injury, she'd used it to rally her teammates.
Lacking physical prowess, Honami had focused on tactics instead. Her group's dedication had clearly paid off.
With only the ineffective Masumi representing Class A — all words and no action — they stood no chance.
Wait a minute... Houtarou suddenly caught something he'd missed.
Suzune was injured?
⍟⍟⍟
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