The moment the two entered the lounge in the facility, Victory Ticket instantly rushed over, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Waaahhhhhh!!! I'm so frustrated!!! Daijin could stay because she won, but, but, I'm really so frustrated, waaahhhh!"
Daijin instinctively dodged, but Victory Ticket unexpectedly grabbed her leg and continued to wail.
Although she was genuinely happy that Daijin could stay, she was also extremely frustrated about losing to the two of them—
Daijin's ears drooped even further, as if she couldn't stand her like this.
She sighed helplessly, "Could you be a little quieter… I just finished the race, and hearing your loud voice, my ears really can't take it…"
At this moment, she murmured softly, but no longer as sharp as before.
"But, but, but! Daijin is actually so amazing!!! I clearly gave it my all today! But I couldn't catch up to you two! That feeling is still burning fiercely in my heart! I will definitely beat Daijin in the future! So please continue to race with me at full strength in the future!!!"
The girl's straightforwardness made Daijin feel a bit embarrassed. She abruptly turned her head away and mumbled, "…You're really too noisy… So no! Idiot."
"Waaahhhh—Daijin!!!!"
Ignoring Victory Ticket, who had turned into a crybaby, Biwa Hayahide also changed her clothes and walked over.
"That was a very good contest. It seems our intention for both of us to participate has already been conveyed to you."
She tidied her hair while putting her glasses back on.
Looking at Biwa Hayahide, who had been fiercely competing with her just a second ago, Daijin couldn't help but whisper, "You two…"
"I told you, didn't I? For such a strong existence to retire here… We couldn't stand to watch."
Saying that, Biwa Hayahide turned around and extended her hand:
"I look forward to our next competition. What you were able to do this time, I will definitely be able to do next time. When that happens, let's have a good race again."
Daijin looked at the slender hand extended to her and, after a slight hesitation, took it. She couldn't help but scratch her head, a little shy:
"You two really are… meddlesome—but, thank you (whispering)."
"Waaahhhhh!!!! Daijin, Daijin! I thought you hated me!!!! Ughhhh!!! Daijin!!"
"Don't come closer! Don't wipe your snot on my clothes!"
Well… the relationship between these three might just usher in a new era.
Kazuo looked at everything before him and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
.
After that, when only the two of them remained, Daijin took hesitant steps, slowly, like a timid little animal adapting to humans, gradually approaching.
"Um…"
She lowered her head, staring at her toes, revealing an unguarded expression for the first time.
"It's about what happened earlier… How should I put it…"
"Were you moved?"
Kazuo instinctively interjected.
"No, I wasn't!!"
The girl instantly retorted, bristling like an angry kitten. Honestly, the lingering blush made her a little cute.
"Idiot! If you say anything else, I'll kick you flying!?"
Although he knew she was probably trying to intimidate him, Kazuo's body still trembled involuntarily.
What they call PTSD, that's probably what it feels like, right?
"That's not it…!?"
Her voice grew softer and softer, seemingly troubled by her inability to be straightforward due to her personality, and thus she seemed a bit dejected.
However —
He gently patted her small head.
This child always appeared at a height where his hand could easily rest.
Gently —
"You've already done wonderfully! Even beyond my imagination."
At this time, shouldn't he praise her more straightforwardly?
Kazuo stroked her fluffy, soft hair while praising her softly.
The girl's head was bowed even lower, her chin almost touching her chest.
"Mm... thank you..."
A faint sound, perhaps inaudible if one didn't listen carefully.
But—
"Asama... Teacher."
She managed to say it quite well here.
When they bypassed the crowd and exited the school building, two people were already waiting there.
Seeing her mother, Daijin finally shed her mask and flew into her mother's arms.
"Mom... I did it!"
"Mm... Daijin, Mom saw it. You're really amazing."
Saying this, Yuriko couldn't hold back the tears she had just stopped, and she began to sob softly again.
But these were tears of joy, and perhaps because of this, the mother and daughter embraced and cried together.
"Sniff, sniff..."
Teacher Yamaji, whose eyes were already swollen, seemed to get misty-eyed again at this sight, sobbing as he wiped them with a handkerchief.
Seeing Kazuo cast his gaze over, he quickly tilted his head up and said:
"Something got in my eye... The wind today is so boisterous..."
"..."
A man in his forties saying such flowery lines—
However, Kazuo understood the situation well. If he and Miss Ayako had witnessed his sister win the championship firsthand—
They probably wouldn't have been much better off.
But, now, Kazuo still had one last thing to do.
"Daijin," Kazuo called her name, taking out the tablet he had "borrowed" from Koji from his backpack, "Here's something. It's a video that Teacher Yamaji was in charge of contacting and asking everyone to record. I think you should watch it too."
Daijin wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly took the tablet.
As the screen lit up, it showed her Middle School teachers. They were all gathered around a wooden office, staring at the camera.
"Hey, this should be recording already, right?"
"Don't you see the red light? It's started, it's started!"
"Ahem—3, 2, 1!"
"Daijin, congratulations on getting into Tracen Academy!!!"
Six teachers crowded in front of the camera, congratulating her in their own ways.
"As an honor student, Daijin, you're truly amazing. Not only are your academic results excellent, but you're also so strong in competition. Now, I, your teacher, can proudly say that I've taught a student who has entered Tracen's advanced academy!"
The math teacher didn't forget to give a thumbs-up to the screen as he spoke.
"I still remember when you represented the school in a competition during the second semester of your first year of Middle School. Back then, a few of us crowded around the small TV in the office and watched the entire competition. You probably don't know, but when you crossed the finish line in first place, Teacher Yamaji actually jumped out of his chair!"
As he spoke, a cheerful atmosphere filled the room again, and Teacher Yamaji's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
The scene shifted again to Daijin's familiar club room.
It was the place she had spent three years.
The girl sitting there was the one who had beaten her in the last mock race—
She was also the one who had questioned whether she could go to Tracen Academy... "Daijin, congratulations on getting into Tracen Academy! Although it felt a bit unbelievable at first, it's truly wonderful that you could get in! We have someone from our school team who can enter that academy. You must work hard, work hard! We'll be waiting to watch your races on TV!"
—It's not what I thought before... Why—
No,
Realizing this, Daijin instantly looked up at Kazuo.
Kazuo, as if he had already expected it, nodded gently and said, "For a long time, you haven't been willing to listen, unwilling to observe everything..."
"Actually, all this time, you've never been alone."
"..."
Looking at her mother's encouraging gaze, her former homeroom teacher still sobbing and wiping away tears, and Kazuo smiling in front of her.
She finally understood what she had misunderstood.
It turned out that the one who had been unwilling to step out... was herself.
Daijin slowly lowered her head, and then—
Slowly raised her head again.
.
And so,
Narita Taishin opened her eyes,
Then, she smiled.
"Thank you."
This must be her most brilliant smile to date.
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