"You didn't think you could beat me in a race, did you?"
Liam smiled sheepishly as Jet ruffled his hair. "N-no, sir! I wouldn't dream of it!"
The Asuran Legend is ruffling my hair! His hands are pretty rough... to be expected of someone so strong! To think that on top of just being awesome in every regard, he's a straight-up good person.
Liam sighed happily as Jet waved at them to follow him into the stadium. Life is truly unexpected.
"Jeez, nerd," Lisa chuckled as she elbowed his shoulder. "What's with that goofy look on your face?"
Liam rolled his eyes and schooled his expression. "What goofy look?"
Lisa laughed, and Liam smiled from one corner of his mouth.
Something heavy landed on Liam's shoulders, and he turned to see Nanami grinning.
"Bowles Stadium sure got big," Nanami said as he shaded his eyes with his free hand. "Last time I was here was to watch a soccer match with my dad last year."
Liam looked around the large parking lot in front of the colossal ovoid of a stadium as they walked, then turned his eyes to the building itself.
The stadium was a bright mix of white, blue, and yellow. A large dome with star-shaped holes in it stood above the stadium. Two large rings sat quietly on the dome.
Liam pushed Nanami's arm off and walked to their teacher's side.
"Thanks for bringing us, sir."
"Hm?" Jet glanced down at Liam. "Don't mention it. It's a teacher's job to make sure their students enjoy learning, and taking into account that today is technically your last day to relax, this is the very least I could do."
Liam blinked, then grinned happily. "Then... that still warrants a thank you, right?"
Jet looked at him, then chuckled. "Sure, kid. No problem."
The group talked and argued as they walked. Nanami and Raidou were taken aback by Liam and Lee's lack of interest in soccer, and made an extensive presentation on the game's merits. Lisa had gotten some snacks, which she shared with the others.
After their little debate, the group began talking about school. Nanami immediately steered the subject to trivial matters.
"Dude," he said with a deadpan expression, "we just left. Why are you talking about it like you wanna go back already?"
Soon, they reached the gate. Liam submitted his digital ticket with no issue, and they made their way into the humongous stadium.
"Nah," Nanami gaped as he jogged ahead of the others. "This place is wild."
Far above the centre of the stadium floated a huge four-sided display. VIP boxes could be seen at all four sides, all attached to some claw-like mechanism. The seats had three tiers, each tier progressively higher than the other, and there were small booths on either side of the central part of the stadium for players and athletes.
The central part of the stadium was similar to Dawn Academy's own; a running track sitting outside a soccer pitch.
Liam walked up the stairs to the seats, and was met by incoming sound on all sides. Drones buzzed overhead. Men, women, and children talked amongst each other. Journalists stood on the track, facing cameras and talking into microphones.
"Where are we sitting anyway?" Lisa asked, looking around.
Liam looked at the seating information he'd received on his CID. "The lower tier, I—"
"BROOOO~!"
Liam immediately widened his stance and lowered his body.
The very next moment, a bright blue blur slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Whattookyousolong!DoyouknowhowlongI'vebeenwaitingcan'tbelieveyou'refinallyhereMomandChloearewaitinglet'sgo!"
Liam coughed as his little brother hugged him tightly. "H-hold on... let me catch my breath..."
Liam quickly recovered, then picked Chad up with a sigh.
"How many times have I told you not to go make a scene whenever we're out?" Liam grunted as he placed Chad on his shoulder.
He glanced around quickly, and luckily, no one was paying them that much attention.
"Woah!" Chad gaped. "How did you get so strong? You never carried me so easily."
Liam paused, then closed his eyes as his ears caught his friends' snickers.
"I've... had a lot of training."
Chad grinned and put a hand on Liam's hair. "Cool! I've been training a lot too!"
He paused, then turned to look at the other five. He blinked, then looked down at Liam.
"Hey, big bro."
"Yeah?"
Chad pointed. "Who're these random weirdos watching us?"
Liam hid a smile after seeing his friends' expressions. "Ahem... these are my friends, Chad."
Chad blinked, then gaped at them.
"Bro has... friends?"
Liam closed his eyes and facepalmed, trying to tune out his friends' laughter.
"Damn, Liam," Raidou chuckled. "How much of a recluse were you?"
Liam glared at Raidou, but before he could answer—
"Yo." Nanami waved at Chad, grinning. "You're pretty fast! I'm Nanami, by the way."
Chad grinned back. "Thanks! I've been training hard! And I'm Chad. It's nice to meet you!"
Liam smiled faintly and patted his brother's leg. Good thing I taught him how to talk like a normal person...
He paused, then sighed. He still needs to work on that loud mouth of his. He just says whatever without thinking about the consequences.
"Anywayanyway," Chad chittered excitedly, "Mom and Chloe are waiting! Let's GO!"
****
"Ah, mi hijo! Look at you! You aren't thin anymore, and you look so healthy!"
Maria Paxton chattered on as she hugged Liam tightly, and it was all Liam could do to stay silent and not die from embarrassment.
Something pulled at the leg of Liam's jeans, and he looked down to see Chloe looking up at him. She waved silently, giving Liam a small smile, and affection welled up in his heart.
"Um... you can let go now, Mom..."
The woman clicked her tongue as she disengaged, then wagged a finger in Liam's face. "You silly child, is that what you say after being away for three whole weeks? Do you have any idea how much we missed you?"
Liam sighed as he picked Chloe up. She sat in the crook of his elbow, and immediately grabbed his shirt.
"I called you every week, Mom," Liam smiled as he patted Chloe's head. "Besides, I missed you too."
Maria smiled brightly and patted Liam's shoulder, then immediately turned to the five teenagers standing a few metres away.
"So, these are your friends?"
Liam glanced back, then nodded.
Maria grinned and waved. "You five, come on over!"
Liam sighed internally at his mother's mild shout, then walked to the side to look down at the track, where Chad was warming up.
"It's nice to see you in person, big bro," Chloe said quietly.
Liam smiled warmly. "Same here. I've missed you guys."
Chloe nodded, mirroring his smile.
Ah, my sister's so cute, Liam thought happily. Then he paused.
If another boy dares to call her that, I'll—
"Yo, Liam!"
Nanami put a hand on Liam's shoulder, grinning. "Is that really your mother? She is way too hot to be—ulp!"
Both siblings levelled murderous glares at Nanami, cutting him off.
"Excuse me."
"Hm? Oh, sorry."
Liam stepped away from the divide between the lower tier and the track to let a tall man and a child bundled up in clothes get past.
Liam glanced at the side of the man's face, and he noticed a few black markings on the cheek. He dismissed the observation and turned back to Nanami—
"Mi hijo," Maria cut in. "You have gained amazing friends."
She patted Nanami's shoulder as she approached, then took Chloe from Liam. "I'm glad that you have such thoughtful people beside you."
Liam nodded as the others walked up.
"Lee here," Maria pointed, "tells me he's been training with you for the past three weeks. It was quite the surprise to hear you had made a friend so quickly, but it's ultimately a good thing."
Maria chuckled. "Well, we'll have more time to talk later after Chad's race. Your friends say that your teacher brought you here but... where is he? I want to thank him."
Liam blinked in surprise, then looked around.
Huh? Where did Jet go?
****
"What are you doing here?"
"Why that tone? It hurts, you know~"
Jet sighed. "As if. Are you here on a day off or something?"
Spirit chuckled. "A day off, huh? Not really. One of my students has a sister who's taking part in the dead sprint event, and I brought him and his friends over."
Jet narrowed his eyes at her, keeping his ears out in case anyone walked into the small break room they were in.
"I don't buy it."
Spirit raised an eyebrow. "I have no reason to lie to you."
Jet shook his head. "I never said you lied. Barrier, Sumoka, and Hound are here as well. You wouldn't need that many Top-Class Heroes to ferry children, would you?"
Spirit sighed and put a hand on Jet's chest. "Can't a woman have her secrets?"
She attempted to push him away, but he didn't budge an inch. She stopped, frowning.
"Well, aren't you sturdy?"
Jet didn't answer, and Spirit shrugged.
"I can't tell you the details, but the reason so many of us are here is due to a little... briefing."
Jet stared at her in silence, then shook his head. "Sure, whatever. It isn't really my place to pry anyway."
Spirit smirked. "Glad to see you can actually back down."
Jet rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Since I'm already here, let's go and grab some seats."
Spirit stared at him. "...Excuse me?"
****
"Hey, Chad."
Chad kept stretching his legs, muttering something to himself.
"Chad?"
Chad stood up straight, then swung his arms from side to side.
"Chad!"
Chad jumped from the sound. "Huh?! Bell? Why'd you sneak up on me?"
His trackmate, a short-haired girl named Bell, rolled her eyes at him.
"You're not even paying attention to your surroundings, so I didn't sneak up on you. You just got surprised."
Chad blinked at her, then frowned mockingly and pointed at her. "Do you even have fun? Why are you so uptight?"
Bell put a hand to her forehead. "I find running relaxing, not 'fun'."
She folded her arms and looked away. "And I'm not uptight. I'm just mature."
"Suure~" Chad chuckled.
"All right, folks, welcome to the 26th annual Interschool Athletics Festival!"
Chad jumped at the announcer's voice, and Bell facepalmed at his reaction.
"We've got a great line-up today, everyone! From soccer to shot put, basketball to sprinting, you are about to witness the athletic prowess of these young talents up close and personal!"
"Hey! I'm a talented young athlete!"
"Ugh... this idiot."
"I am your host and commentator, Perry McLord! Fasten your seatbelts, prepare your popcorn, and keep your eyes peeled! You will be dazzled, shocked, and roaring at the top of your lungs before we're even done!"
"I'm getting pumped!" Nanami grinned.
"...Same," Liam smiled.
"Get ready, all, because this event—"
Flames suddenly flared out of the edges of the pitch, and the sound of drumming filled the air.
"Is about to begin!"