After completing another practice lap to adjust and familiarize himself with his body, Zhou Tianming officially began the competition.
Considering that having strangers around might make them feel restrained, and not wanting his extraordinary physical abilities to draw unnecessary attention, Zhou Tianming had booked the entire venue without keeping any staff present. Now, the three of them stood at the starting line. Zhou Tianming casually picked up a red and white relay baton from the side: "We start when this hits the ground." Athrun's face lit up with excitement as he stretched his legs, then crouched into a starting stance with one foot forward and the other back.
Kira pouted slightly but reluctantly lowered himself into position as well.
Zhou Tianming tossed the baton high into the air and then crouched, ready to sprint.
A few seconds later, the baton landed with a light clatter.
Whoosh—!
Three figures shot forward at incredible speed.
In the initial flat sprint, Zhou Tianming immediately pulled ahead, leaving the other two behind.
When it came to scaling the high wall, Zhou Tianming's height and long limbs gave him an undeniable advantage—he leaped and pulled himself over effortlessly.
Far in the lead, he soon crossed the finish line and began his second lap.
However, the two younger competitors weren't slow either. Athrun was already two-thirds of the way through, leading the pack.
Kira maintained a steady pace, clearing each obstacle in the same amount of time, staying close behind Athrun.
Looks like it's time to speed up!
As Zhou Tianming grew more familiar with the course, his second lap was even faster.
He flew over the high wall and executed precise leaps across the wooden stakes, making full use of his height and long legs.
Before long, he overtook Kira and closed in on Athrun, nipping at his heels.
With the finish line in sight, Athrun seemed to sense the pressure from behind and accelerated once more.
The two—one tall, one small—shot across the finish line in a blur.
"Who won?!" Athrun gasped, skidding to a stop as he shouted.
Zhou Tianming slowed to a jog, a smirk playing on his lips.
The big screen displayed a slow-motion replay—Zhou Tianming had crossed the line half a body length ahead.
Though the margin was slim, the difference was clear when comparing the two: one was drenched in sweat and panting, while the other looked completely at ease.
Athrun glared at Zhou Tianming in frustration.
"You're still too young," Zhou Tianming said, walking over to ruffle Athrun's blue hair. "I didn't grow these extra four years for nothing. Once you're older, taller, and stronger, the gap will naturally shrink."
Shaking his head, Athrun stomped off to sulk, his face flushed. Kira followed to console him.
Watching the scene, Zhou Tianming quietly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
Glancing at the time, he realized it was getting late.
"Alright, we've had our match. Let's head back—didn't you say your mom was making a big dinner tonight, Athrun?"
"Wait!" Athrun called out. "One more round!"
Zhou Tianming sighed helplessly, "Athrun, a man should accept defeat gracefully. Being persistent isn't endearing."
"I admit I lost," Athrun said. "I'll train twice as hard to beat you next time, but..."
He pulled Kira beside him, "But Kira hasn't lost yet! He hasn't even shown his true strength. I demand a rematch!"
"Ah!" Kira looked shocked, then fearful, and quickly protested, "Athrun, I didn't mean to—"
Without glancing at Kira, Athrun slapped his shoulder proudly, boasting, "Kira is much stronger than me. If he gets serious, he can definitely beat you."
"Athrun..."
Athrun grinned at Kira, flashing his teeth. "Normally, I'd let it slide, but now we're up against the big bad guy—we have to win!"
Zhou Tianming listened nearby, utterly speechless.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd become part of some sibling duo's playtime.
Inspired by Athrun, Kira seemed to gain a buff, his fighting spirit surging.
Truth be told, Zhou Tianming was also curious about Kira's current strength, so he agreed to another round.
The race restarted, with Athrun standing aside as the referee.
He raised a small red flag high and suddenly swung it down. "Begin!"
Two figures shot forward, crossing the first flat stretch in mere breaths.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Tianming didn't pull far ahead here—Kira clung tightly to his heels.
The gap between them only widened when they scaled the high wall.
But Kira wasn't slow either. Using his small frame and light weight to his advantage, he mimicked Zhou Tianming's high leap, his powerful jump easily reaching the top of the wall before flipping over.
By the time Zhou Tianming reached the wall on his second lap, Kira had already bounced like a rubber ball, clearing the Plum Blossom wooden stakes and entering the final stretch. What a kid! He was hiding so much strength!
Zhou Tianming watched Kira's agile back with amazement.
Then, smirking, he planted his right foot and launched himself forward, stepping onto the top of the high wall and sprinting across it as if it were the wooden stakes obstacle.
"That's cheating!!"
Athrun stomped his feet, shouting furiously, "You shameless big bad guy!"
Let me teach you the harsh realities of society!
Reaching the last high wall, Zhou Tianming didn't leap—instead, he leaned forward and kicked off the wall, shooting through the air like an arrow, bypassing the wooden stakes entirely.
In just a few breaths, he caught up to Kira in the final stretch.
With 50 meters left to the finish line, the two dashed forward, one after the other.
Zhou Tianming steadily closed the gap until they ran side by side at the 20-meter mark.
Kira pressed his lips together, sweat beading on his forehead, but a bright smile spread across his face as he lowered his stance and accelerated again.
Unfortunately, the difference in physique and height couldn't be overcome—Zhou Tianming still pulled ahead.
Just as he was about to cross the finish line, Athrun suddenly cried out in pain.
"Ah!!!"
Worried, Zhou Tianming instinctively turned his head.
"Kira! Go!!"
Recognizing Athrun's voice, Kira didn't even glance back—he kicked off the ground hard, shooting forward and crossing the finish line at the same time as Zhou Tianming.
Gasping for breath, Kira bent over, hands on his knees, and looked up at the big screen.
The slow-motion replay showed Kira's small head crossing the line first.
"We won!" Athrun cheered, jumping excitedly before tackling Kira in a hug.
Still catching his breath, Kira was instantly knocked over, and the two tumbled to the ground together.
Athrun, his face flushed with excitement, pinned Kira down while the latter was panting heavily from exertion, his own cheeks rosy.
Zhou Tianming, who had been about to accuse Athrun of cheating, immediately whipped out his phone and snapped several photos upon seeing this scene.
After reviewing the shots, he clicked his tongue repeatedly.
The two innocent boys didn't understand what was happening, only finding Zhou Tianming's expression odd.
They got up from the ground, dusting themselves off.
Athrun frowned in distaste. "Weirdo. Can't accept losing?"
"Athrun, just now..." Kira tugged lightly at Athrun's sleeve, his voice barely audible. "That wasn't fair."
"Hmph, that big meanie cheated too," Athrun pouted.
"You won," Zhou Tianming said with a laugh. "It was 1 vs. 2 from the start. I was careless and fell for Athrun's strategy." Athrun grinned triumphantly and raised Kira's arm high.
Kira also broke into a happy smile.
"Now that the match is over, head home early. I should get going too."
"Eh? Leaving so soon?"
The smiles faded from the boys' faces, replaced by a hint of loneliness.
Zhou Tianming ruffled their hair and sighed. "I've got a lot to do, unlike you two brats with all the time in the world."
"It's just the Junk Guild, right? Picking up trash or whatever. How busy can that be?" Athrun scoffed.
Surprised that Athrun knew about his situation, Zhou Tianming figured he must've heard it from Patrick.
The dismissive tone toward Junk Dealers was practically identical.
"Don't underestimate us. The Junk Guild isn't what it used to be."
Kira looked curious, while Athrun snorted and turned away.
Their clinginess toward Zhou Tianming was unusual, but he quickly realized why.
These two were too exceptional—ordinary peers probably couldn't challenge them, making them oddly attached to a "boss" who could match them.
Finally, after exchanging numbers, the boys watched Zhou Tianming leave with reluctant eyes.
Still young, their moods shifted quickly.
Athrun brightened. "Let's go home and celebrate our win with Mom's cooking!"
"Yeah!" Kira smiled.
Laughing, the two walked off together.
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