Chapter 84: Exploding Like a Thunderclap

The friends’ excessive cheering continued for a while before it finally stopped, and Xiao Chun Miura ran off to the bathroom as if escaping.

She crouched quietly inside the stall, but her mind was churning like waves.

Kanzaki Sou probably meant well, but…

Why did it still feel like something was off?

Where was this uneasiness coming from?

As she pondered, Xiao Chun Miura pulled up her underwear and stood.

“Ah—hiss…”

She’d squatted too long without noticing, and her legs had gone numb.

***

Afternoon.

The scorching sunlight baked the schoolyard, making it look as if white steam might rise from the ground.

“—Next up is the Sports Day fun event, the ‘Borrowed Item Relay,’ Committee group match! All committee contestants, please gather at the registration area!”

The broadcast echoed the heat, its voice alone enough to make hearts restless.

“Xiao Chun!”

“…Yeah, I heard.”

Xiao Chun Miura answered absentmindedly.

“I’ll go check in.”

She said it, but she felt far from confident.

She knew she would endure whatever happened soon enough, but not knowing exactly what kind of interference Kondo Haruka might cause left her uneasy.

In the end, even as she arrived at the registration area, her anxiety hadn’t faded.

“—Fun event ‘Borrowed Item Relay,’ Committee group match! All contestants, please register immediately!”

The broadcast buzzed overhead, mingling with the noise of those around her.

“Xiao Chun, good luck!”

“Don’t be afraid of them! We’re watching you from here!”

“Defeat her!”

Her friends’ cheers mixed in.

Xiao Chun Miura turned and nodded to Yui Hori and the others, then walked alone to the registration area.

Kanzaki Sou was already there.

He had changed out of the red vest of Class 1 worn for the past few days, wearing only a white gym uniform.

“How are you feeling, Miura-san?”

When he saw her, his expression remained gentle, his tone calm.

“Kanzaki-san… Mm, I’m fine.”

It was a lie, but at times like this, saying anything else seemed pointless.

Xiao Chun Miura replied.

“Miura-san—there’s something I want to say before the match.”

At his words, Xiao Chun Miura paused.

“We’re partners. When you invited me, you said you hoped winning wouldn’t matter so much…”

Kanzaki Sou looked at her, eyes serious.

“But since we’re partners, I have an obligation to help you win.”

“So, for this match, I’ll give it my all.”

His meaning was clear.

—He wouldn’t treat this partnership lightly.

Xiao Chun Miura’s heart skipped a beat at the wrong moment.

She knew Kanzaki Sou was earnest and took things seriously, so saying something like this wasn’t strange.

But for Xiao Chun Miura at this moment, it was like a shot of courage—a sedative.

Her overwhelming anxiety loosened just a little.

The girl, who had already tied her long hair into a ponytail, bowed her head.

“I’ll do my best too, Kanzaki-san. I’ll try not to hold you back.”

“Mm. Keep up with me.”

Saying so, Kanzaki Sou led Xiao Chun Miura toward the starting line.

***

The two of them stood at the starting line.

Committee group contestants were a mixed bunch—teachers from the Nurse’s Office, subject teachers, and Student Council members.

Unlike the more competitive Sports Day main events from the past few days, this area was filled with a joyful atmosphere focused on participation.

Especially because of Kanzaki Sou’s participation, the sidelines were crowded with screaming and laughing girls.

Among everyone, only two people wore no smile at all.

One was Kanzaki Sou.

He had already entered competition mode.

The other… was Xiao Chun Miura.

Not because she was in competition mode, but simply because she couldn’t smile at all.

It wasn’t just that the girls’ laughter and cheers were accompanied by sharp glares aimed at her.

Her anxiety peaked at this moment.

At last, she understood the source of that chilling unease soaking her heart.

Among their group of contestants, just a few lanes away, at the starting point stood a girl in a Tennis Club uniform, stretching her ankles. The dark red ponytail at the back of her head swayed with her movements.

—It was Kondo Haruka!

She had also entered the Committee group match!

At the sight of her childhood friend, Xiao Chun Miura’s mind went blank with a ‘buzz.’

How?

Why was she here?!

Hadn’t she entered the class group match?

Why was she also in the Committee group?

Athletic clubs.

The words flashed in her mind.

Xiao Chun Miura suddenly understood.

—Kondo Haruka was the Ace of the Tennis Club!

She used the Tennis Club’s entry slot?!

For a moment, Xiao Chun Miura panicked, forgetting even to mention it to Kanzaki Sou.

All her plans had been built on Kondo Haruka being ‘outside interference.’

But now, Kondo Haruka had become an ‘on-field contestant.’

They stood together at the same starting line.

Was this Kondo Haruka’s true strategy??

‘Make Xiao Chun Miura look bad.’

Comparing results with the same partner in different events wasn’t enough.

She wanted public humiliation?

The crowd on the sidelines seemed to realize belatedly that the childhood friend had arrived, and the screams aimed at Kanzaki Sou shifted to jeers and mockery.

But Xiao Chun Miura could no longer hear the specifics.

Her hands and feet were ice cold.

She instinctively looked toward Kanzaki Sou beside her.

Kanzaki Sou stared straight ahead at the track, ignoring everything happening around him.

If only she could be as calm as him.

But…

Did even Kanzaki Sou not know?

At that moment, Kondo Haruka seemed to sense Xiao Chun Miura’s gaze.

She turned her head, beaming with a dazzling smile.

“Ah—what a coincidence, Miura-san.”

Her exaggerated expression was almost like a wave.

Xiao Chun Miura’s shoulders trembled instantly.

Kondo Haruka’s eyes darted between Xiao Chun Miura and Kanzaki Sou, her smile growing both surprised and mocking.

“You mustn’t…hold Sou-kun back.”

The words echoed in her ears, and Xiao Chun Miura’s face turned deathly pale.

“All set—ready—”

As if even the referee wanted to go against her, the announcement that the match was about to begin sounded from the starting platform before Xiao Chun Miura could compose herself.

She felt Kanzaki Sou beside her take a deep breath and lean forward.

“Miura-san,” he said softly, “good luck.”

“Bang—!”

At the crack of the starting pistol, it felt as if Xiao Chun Miura was left behind in the noisy starting area, exposed to everyone’s mockery.

The crowd surged forward all at once.