While 400 meters might seem like a short distance, in the context of a race, it is quite long.
One look at the "run while doing a handstand" penalty our team drew should make that clear. 400 meters in a handstand? It wouldn't have mattered if the other team had to do five somersaults or hop on one foot; we could have easily lost all our time on that one leg alone.
[Both runners have chosen to sprint at full power right from the start. The Trinity runner seems to have judged that 400m is too short to pace herself. On the other hand, the Gehenna runner's penalty requires her to run while holding her breath, so her only option is to cover as much distance as possible in a single burst.]
[Kikikik. With the Senior Administrator's pathetic stamina, she'll probably have to stop twice!]
[Hey, you know she's on your team right now, right?]
For that reason, even though Ichika was pulling far ahead of Ako, I couldn't just sit back and relax.
I might have complained about the "No Penalty" draw because I wanted to see Nagisa suffer, but without Tsurugi on the team, and if Saori hadn't been there, the handstand penalty would have been an insurmountable wall that would have led us straight to defeat.
[Trinity's runner has reached the first baton zone after an all-out sprint! From here, the three-legged race penalty begins. Since there's a limit to how fast you can run in a three-legged race anyway, it seems burning her stamina in a sprint wasn't a problem☆]
[Hmph, at this rate, she'll have to rest three times, not two! The Senior Administrator is personally demonstrating how far the Prefect Team's standards have fallen. It's quite amusing, is it not!]
[I'm telling you, she's on your team. Why are you dissing your own team from the commentary booth?]
It took Ichika, whose leg was effectively penalty-free until the baton pass, one minute and five seconds to cover the 400 meters. By that point, Ako still hadn't passed the 200-meter mark.
While the "hold your breath" penalty was one of the easier ones Gehenna had drawn, Ako, who was not a field agent, simply didn't have the lung capacity for it and was having a terrible time.
That was the kind of thing I had been hoping to see from Nagisa, but of course, she had to get "No Penalty." She still had to do the three-legged race with Ichika, but honestly, that was barely a penalty, wasn't it?
But as I watched Ichika hand the baton to Nagisa and the two of them tie their legs together, I felt a flicker of irritation. I was personally quite fond of Ichika, with her cheerful and friendly personality. It's amazing how the littlest things were setting me off today.
The most annoying part was that I couldn't be sure if this was purely my own emotion, or if it was the influence of something else—the remnants of the original Mika, perhaps.
If you asked me if I was jealous, I would say yes.
The problem was, my situation made it incredibly hypocritical for me to be jealous over something like this. If Nagisa knew what I was thinking, she'd probably be dumbfounded, wondering how someone who could be jealous over something so trivial could have put her through so much grief.
Because of that, I wished this feeling wasn't entirely my own, but at the same time, I wished it was. Because if it was, it would be proof that my emotions weren't being swayed by some external factor.
Ah, right. I have to commentate.
[Trinity's second runner is off—eh?]
[Kukuk. Kikitkit—!!! What is that ridiculous sight?! Ha, khahahahahat!]
[U-umm. The Trinity runners… have tumbled to the ground together after just five steps. Aha, ahahahat… Nagi-chan, isn't this a bit much?]
Exactly five steps into the three-legged race. After just five steps, their rhythm fell apart, and they collapsed to the ground.
[Kikitkitkitkit! Just how uncoordinated do you have to be to trip after less than ten steps?! Pfft—ack?!]
[Shh, Makoto. From now until the end of the race, no making fun of the athletes. Besides, I'm the only one who gets to make fun of my Nagi-chan.]
"What did you say?! You just wait until this race is over!"
I really do think Nagisa is cutest when she gets fired up like that. Because she usually carries herself with such aristocratic dignity, it makes these moments all the more special.
More importantly, I had no idea Nagisa was this uncoordinated. Seriously, I never would have imagined it. If she hadn't drawn "No Penalty," I think she would have been a disaster no matter which penalty she got.
Then again, Nagisa was practically one with her chair. It's not like she had many opportunities to be athletic.
[Ahaha… Trinity's runners are back on their feet. This time, they're matching their rhythm and running at a steady pace. It's not fast, but it's better than falling!]
[The Gehenna runner has finally finished her second rest and is sprinting again. It seems she won't need a third rest after all! That pathetic—wait, she stopped again?! Hey, Senior Administrator! You need to get some exercise!]
"Shut up!!! Whose fault do you think it is that I don't have time to exercise—?!"
My goodness, what chaos.
Their pace was slow, but thankfully, Nagisa and Ichika were steadily making their way toward the next runner without falling again. There were a few times when Nagisa stumbled, but Ichika did a good job of keeping them balanced.
And finally, Ako passed the baton to the waiting Prefect Team member.
[Gehenna's second runner has the baton… she'll have to hurry to close the gap… but...]
[What's this? For such a ridiculous penalty, she's surprisingly fast! Good, keep that pace to uphold the name of Gehenna! Kikitkit!]
No, seriously, what was that? The sand on the beach should be sinking under her feet, so how was she hopping so fast on one leg? Stop cheating…
And who was the one tarnishing Gehenna's name in the first place? The pot calling the kettle black has no conscience, does it?
[The Gehenna runner has begun her pursuit at a surprising speed! Meanwhile, Trinity has just passed the baton to their third runner, but… ahaha, this looks like it's going to be tough.]
The third runner was Saori, who paused for a moment after receiving the baton. I wondered what she was thinking, and it seemed she was trying to figure out what to do with the baton while doing a handstand.
And the solution she came up with was…
[Wow—…?]
[What?!]
…to tuck the baton into her cleavage before kicking up into a handstand.
Aha. So that was an option. I felt like I should praise Saori's cleverness for finding a solution to a problem we had failed to consider.
But, uh, no matter how you look at it, that was just way too eye-catching! And that unwavering, perfectly straight posture—it was a flawless handstand. No wonder she could pull off those impressive bows; was a simple handstand nothing to her?
[She's certainly stable, but it's probably too much to expect any real speed while doing a handstand. Yes, even with the lead Trinity's runners have built up, it looks like she's guaranteed to be overtaken.]
[Kikitkikik. I can admit that it's impressive, I suppose. But at this rate, Gehenna's victory is in sight. A pity for you, Misono Mika! Isn't it about time you accepted your fate as a slave?!]
[It's not over 'til it's over, Makoto. And it looks like our Trinity runner is starting to pick up speed!]
Without getting greedy and trying to cover too much ground at once, Saori moved forward calmly and was making progress surprisingly quickly. She was moving at a speed that felt like at least two-thirds of a normal person's walking pace.
By the time Saori had covered about 150 meters, the Gehenna team made their baton pass.
[Gehenna's next penalty is… running backward? So boring I could yawn. This is too easy—]
[Oh dear… The Gehenna runner, in her haste, has fallen backward, losing a considerable amount of time. Wow, her hair is a complete mess with all that sand! As they say, more haste, less speed. I think it would be fine to go a little slower☆]
[Hah, ridiculous! I can feel your anxiety that your runner is about to be overtaken from all the way over here! If you're going to be that pathetic to win, you might as well remain a dignified loser!]
[What is she even talking about? Makoto, there's no such thing as a dignified loser. The phrase 'lost, but fought well' doesn't exist in this world.]
Even if they said we "lost, but fought well," it wouldn't change the fact that I'd lose the slave bet. What meaning was there in that? In that sense: victory! Give me victory, or give me death!
In the end, Gehenna's third runner, running backward, overtook Saori. It was an expected result. But I had to say, that Prefect Team member who let out a smirk as she passed her was pretty bold. What are you going to do if Saori turns you into a 'donut'?
[Gehenna overtakes Trinity, and the third baton pass. This runner has to maintain a stride of over 1 meter, but that's hard to visualize, right? So, a drone will fly alongside her to mark the 1-meter distance!]
I could see that the tallest member of the Gehenna Prefect Team had been placed as the fourth runner, but even so, running on the beach with such a long stride would make it impossible to build up any real speed. Besides, even if she was tall, she was still under 170cm, so the restriction was tighter than it seemed.
[By the time Gehenna's fourth runner passes the 200m mark, the Trinity runner has finally entered the baton zone! Wow, she actually completed 400m in a handstand! Doesn't that deserve a round of applause?]
I can only worship you, Mother Saori. Thanks to you, our Trinity has gained a foothold for a comeback.
Even though she had reached the baton zone and could have just stood up to pass the baton, she remained professional to the very end, balancing on one hand to pull the baton from her cleavage and hand it to Suzumi. If the situation wasn't so lewd, it would have been incredibly cool.
[Trinity's fourth runner… what, she's so fast even while crab-walking?!]
[Hey, what is that? Is it even possible for a person to be that fast?! At this point, we should suspect her of doping—]
[Makoto, are you trying to start trouble? Even saying something like that as a joke can cause a controversy.]
[Ugh. Y-You… stop hitting me…! It really hurts! How are your hands so strong?!]
[Well, who was the one asking for it?]
Suzumi, kicking up sand as she began to run sideways, was moving at a speed that was, quite literally, beyond imagination. I had been pinning my hopes on the next runner, Azusa, but she was putting on a performance that far exceeded all expectations.
Seeing this, Makoto made a comment that was asking for trouble, so I immediately punished her. The relationship between competitions and doping tests is inseparable, so what was she talking about, suspecting doping?
[Gehenna's fourth runner, still slightly in the lead, makes the baton pass! It seems their plan is to get the final penalty—five somersaults while running—out of the way quickly. As she runs and does her somersaults, Trinity's runner also makes the pass!]
[Hah, she's just a little kid?! It's clear Gehenna has this in the bag! Kikitkitkitkit.]
[Oh? I think you'll be in for a surprise if you underestimate our final runner. Are you sure about that?]
Trinity's final runner, Azusa, began to run. With the light on her mask off, she closed the distance and caught up to Iori, who had just finished her somersaults and was running ahead.
[If that mask lights up even once, our defeat is certain… but I guarantee you, that mask will stay off until she crosses the finish line.]
I could see Iori running for her life, but Azusa was visibly pulling ahead. Yes, this was the power of our little squirrel.
By the time they were just before the finish line, the distance between Azusa and Iori had grown to at least two meters. And still, there was no sign of the light on Azusa's mask turning on.
And finally, Azusa crossed the finish line.
[Waaaaah!!! Trinity wins!!!]
[Graaaaaah! You useless Prefect Team bastards!!!]
Cheers and groans erupted from both the commentary booth and the athletes.
As soon as she crossed the line, Azusa collapsed onto the sand and lay there, gasping for breath. She had just sprinted at full power for nearly a minute without taking a single breath; her heart must have been about to explode.
Thanks to the efforts of Saori, Suzumi, and Azusa, our Trinity had gained 10 points. Perhaps there was hope for us after all.
Though, seeing Nagisa approaching me with an icy expression, it seemed there was no hope for me personally. But anyway, we got the points, so that's all that matters, right?