Chapter 90

It was the day of the marathon.

The marathon didn't start at the school but at a stadium a bit away. The course was to run along the river, circle around the area, and return to the stadium.

Early in the morning, Yugen, along with Arika, Soichiro, and Ayaka, spread a picnic sheet on the grass at the edge of the stadium and chatted.

"First, the girls will run, and then the boys."

Ayaka said this in a bright voice. She was good at sports, so the marathon wasn't that painful for her.

"It seems to be over by noon, so it's practically a half-day! How about we go out and play after it's over?"

Chiharu also said this in a bright voice. She wasn't particularly bad at sports, so she didn't seem to find the marathon too painful.

"Playing is fine, but I don't want to... let me rest."

Soichiro said this with a sigh. He was being pestered by Ayaka and Chiharu to play with them.

Some of the boys were giving Soichiro resentful looks. After all, playing with the high-energy Ayaka and Chiharu required a considerable amount of physical and mental strength, which Yugen, being childhood friends with them, knew well.

So he didn't feel particularly envious. In fact, he felt more like saying, "I feel for you." And he reaffirmed that this guy, who was dating two girls, was still a scumbag.

"Seven kilometers is not a short distance, so it might be better to rest... I think the fact that there are no classes in the afternoon is intended for that."

Arika said this with a wry smile. Soichiro then scolded Ayaka and Chiharu, saying, "Look, even Yuki has said the same thing."

"Speaking of rest, Arika... are you feeling okay?"

Yugen asked Arika. It had been more than a week since she had fully recovered from her cold, so she shouldn't be feeling bad.

However, whether she was in good enough condition to run a long distance was another matter. Her stamina had probably dropped a bit.

"Yes, I'm fine... thanks to you, Yugen."

Arika's cheeks turned slightly red as she said this. Yugen couldn't help but remember the time he had taken care of her.

Arika's white back... had been very alluring.

"O-Oh, that's good..."

A slightly awkward atmosphere lingered between Yugen and Arika. The others gave them warm, knowing looks, as if they had sensed something.

"Rather than me... how about Tenko? Are you okay?"

Arika deflected the topic by making Tenko a scapegoat. Tenko's expression, however, was not good.

"Are you okay? You?"

Tenko responded to Sei's question. Then she sighed.

"I feel terrible... but I have a favor to ask. Can you not cheer for me? I don't want any welcoming or applause either."

Yugen remembered that there was a culture of clapping for the last person. He wondered why that was. For the last person, it might be even more noticeable and humiliating. Yugen had never been last, but he could imagine how it felt.

If Yugen could imagine it, others could too. However, not everyone who clapped for the last person did it to humiliate them.

(Well, not cheering for the last person might give the impression of being unsympathetic.)

Welcoming the last person in silence might be a bit awkward, so people probably clapped to make it feel better. It might make the person being welcomed feel better, but it certainly made the welcomers feel good.

"Should I cheer with a megaphone?"

"You can, but I'll curse you."

Tenko glared at Sei, who said this teasingly. As the heir to a religious group, her curses might actually be effective.

"By the way, Yugen, do you remember the promise?"

"Don't tell me you forgot?"

Asked by Soichiro and Sei, Yugen tilted his head. He remembered the promise to have a massage with Arika, but he had no recollection of making a disgusting promise to have a massage with Soichiro and Sei.

"Oh... you mean the meal?"

But Yugen quickly remembered. The agreement was that the person who came in last would treat the two winners to a meal.

"Of course, I remember. I'm looking forward to it."

Yugen was confident in his stamina. He had no intention of losing. He wanted to win and spend time with Arika in a pleasant and refreshing mood. So he was determined to win.

"Hmm..."

"You said it, didn't you?"

But Soichiro and Sei also had no intention of losing. The three of them, sparks flying, made Tenko sigh dramatically.

"That's great, you all look so excited... Is there any secret trick to make it easier?"

In response to Tenko's complaint, Chiharu said:

"Hee-hee-foo, I'm breathing like this. It somehow feels easier."

"Isn't that for childbirth? Does it work?"

There was some doubt about whether the Lamaze technique would help in a long-distance run. Chiharu shrugged at Arika's skepticism.

"Who knows? But if it makes childbirth easier, a long-distance run should be a piece of cake, right?"

"I believe you, Chiharu."

Tenko, believing Chiharu's casual words, made Yugen think, "Don't do it." But Chiharu, confident, puffed out her chest and thrust out her thumb.

"Just act like you're on a big ship. I'm a living god, you know?"

"God, Buddha, Chiharu, huh."

Ayaka laughed. At least she didn't believe in "Chiharu the god."

Just then, the signal to gather was given. They would gather by class, do some warm-up exercises together, and then the events would start, divided by gender.

Yugen and Arika walked together to join their classmates. It wasn't unusual for Yugen and Arika, who had just been with Ayaka and the others, to walk together to their classmates.

Of course, the others noticed that their relationship had deepened, but for the two of them, it was an important "preparation."

"...Yugen?"

"What is it?"

"Do you remember what we're doing after this?"

After this.

Meaning after the marathon.

Yugen nodded vigorously.

"Of course... so let's both do our best."

"...Yes."

The two of them smiled together.

Hee-hee-foo

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