Kanzaki Sou took first place again.
The shrill screams from the Class 1 girls on the ground sounded as if his victory belonged to them, filled with a sense of flaunting.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chun Miura and the others, who watched the entire match from the stands, also returned to their own class seats.
On the way back to Class (5)’s resting area, Xiao Chun Miura didn’t say another word.
Yui Hori sat down and slapped her own thigh in frustration.
“Damn it! This really pisses me off!”
She fumed, her usually sunny face twisted with anger.
“That group from Class (1) is too despicable! It’s so infuriating!”
“Exactly.”
Yuzuki Yasuda puffed out her cheeks and angrily tore open a snack package.
“Kondo Haruka didn’t dare come at us openly, so she sent her lackeys to shove people around. We just wanted to watch the match, it’s not like we were bothering them, what’s their problem!”
Mio Sato didn’t react as emotionally as they did, but her face was still unusually grim.
She looked worriedly at Xiao Chun Miura, who had been silent since returning and just sat quietly in the corner.
“Koharu, are you really okay?”
Mio Sato asked softly, trying to read something from her expression.
“Your face hasn’t looked good since earlier.”
Xiao Chun Miura simply sat quietly on the chair, head slightly tilted; her bangs hung down, partially covering her eyes from the side, making it impossible to see her expression.
Only when she heard Mio Sato’s question did Xiao Chun Miura slowly turn around.
Her expression was extremely calm, nothing unusual about it.
But that only made Mio Sato more worried.
Those eyes, always tinged with a bit of timidity and panic in the eyes of outsiders, now showed no emotion at all.
“I’m fine, Mio.”
Xiao Chun Miura said quietly.
“Thank you, really, but there’s no need to worry about me.”
“How can we not worry!”
Yui Hori’s expression changed when she saw her like this, becoming even more agitated.
“Koharu! Don’t scare us! Did they frighten you? You’re not even angry after being bullied like that, don’t hold it in!”
“I’m not…”
“Yes you are!”
Yui Hori cut her off, nearly jumping up in frustration.
“Koharu, you’re just too kind and tolerant! That’s why those people from Class (1) target you! No way, I can’t let this go! I’ll find a chance this afternoon…”
“Yui.”
Xiao Chun Miura spoke again, her voice not loud, but carrying a calmness that was impossible to ignore, making Yui Hori’s impending outburst get stuck in her throat.
“Don’t go.”
Xiao Chun Miura shook her head.
“There’s no benefit to fighting with them over me.”
“But—!”
Yui Hori’s face turned red.
“They’ve already bullied you to your face!”
“Listen to Koharu, Yui.”
Mio Sato tugged at her sleeve and sighed.
“If we cause a scene now, it’ll only make the relationship between our class and Class (1) worse. If it really escalates, the teachers will get involved… At that point, whether it’s shoving or malicious behavior, they definitely won’t admit it.”
Yuzuki Yasuda quietly agreed from the side.
“That’s right, they’ll definitely say ‘it was just an accident,’ you can imagine it.”
“Ugh…!!”
Yui Hori stomped her foot in frustration.
“Damn it!!”
Though the impulse to stand up for Koharu was suppressed for now, Yui Hori still couldn’t help but mutter resentfully about Class (1) and Kondo Haruka’s despicable behavior, venting her anger on Xiao Chun Miura’s behalf.
“Is it okay to do whatever you want just because you’re a Childhood Friend?”
“Kanzaki never even said he liked her…”
No matter what Yui Hori and the others said, Xiao Chun Miura didn’t respond.
She just sat quietly, letting her friends’ complaints flow past her ears.
Her gaze unconsciously returned to the field, where a new round of competition had begun, unfamiliar students lining up for inspection.
But the girl’s eyes had no focus.
In her mind, a storm more intense than any on the field was raging.
She—
Yui Hori and the others thought she was scared, or too frightened to resist, so she endured in silence.
But she wasn’t afraid.
She had long since become accustomed to bullying in her school days; it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Nor was she enduring in silence—she didn’t have such a good temper.
To be honest, for a few dozen seconds, she was really angry.
But…
She couldn’t let her emotions control her actions.
She had already decided this.
No matter what methods Kondo Haruka used, she wouldn’t back down.
— She had to win against her.
This was a desire for victory stirred up by repeated one-sided declarations of war.
She wasn’t the type who liked trouble, who wanted attention, or who sought to stand out.
But for precisely that reason, she refused to back down any further on matters she had already compromised on.
Surviving was her bottom line; no matter what else she had to do, she wouldn’t yield on that point.
— So she absolutely had to overcome Kondo Haruka.
Since the other party was already threatening her safety, there was no need to pretend to care about her feelings anymore.
She would make sure that, during Sports Day, Kondo Haruka’s favorability with Kanzaki Sou would collapse.
Kanzaki Sou’s warning floated through Xiao Chun Miura’s mind.
— [She seems to have declared in front of her friends that she’ll make you look bad during the Sports Day.]
Kondo Haruka didn’t just say it; she’d already acted on it.
Kondo Haruka had no room left.
— She was scared.
Kondo Haruka was afraid that the girl from Class (5) was becoming more important in Kanzaki Sou’s heart, afraid that the girl from the Library would truly surpass the status of ‘Childhood Friend.’
So she resorted to the lowest form of bullying to warn and threaten her.
Xiao Chun Miura unconsciously bit her lip.
Did she think this would make someone give up, that such a declaration of war or threat would make people back down?
This wasn’t even a declaration of war; it was handing over a knife.
Kondo Haruka had personally delivered the blade that could destroy her in Kanzaki Sou’s heart.
Kondo Haruka’s goal was simple: ‘Make Xiao Chun Miura look bad.’
She wanted to see the Class (5) girl embarrassed, frightened, and giving up.
If she really became like that, it would be exactly what Kondo Haruka wanted.
She wouldn’t cry, nor would she complain.
— She didn’t need to do anything.
Kanzaki Sou was rational, gentle, and valued boundaries—would he appreciate someone who used any means, even bullying, for the sake of ‘love’?
Even as a Childhood Friend—no, precisely because she was a Childhood Friend, he wouldn’t ignore her behavior.
The fact that he had specifically come to warn her spoke volumes.
He didn’t want his Childhood Friend’s actions to hurt others.
— So, the more harm Kondo Haruka caused her, the more Kanzaki Sou’s heart would tilt.
He might not side with her, but he would certainly be less sympathetic toward Kondo Haruka.
So, there was no need to fight back.
Just ‘stay the same’—remain as Xiao Chun Miura: an introverted, quiet girl who wasn’t good at sports, but who mustered the courage to practice hard because she wanted to change.
Then, in that form…
— Continue to be bullied by Kondo Haruka.