Chapter 71

During the summer vacation, I bought a stepper to try and get rid of the weight I had somehow gained. Even though I was almost guaranteed to advance to the next level internally, I was still technically a student preparing for exams, so I thought it would be good to be able to study and exercise at home.

While reading reference books, I stepped on the stepper. Step. Step. Step.

I was completely taken aback by a supermodel's statement in a magazine that she doesn't get calories from drinks, and I decided to give up my favorite sweet milk tea and cold cocoa. As I continued to do this every day, I gradually lost weight. Even Aoi, whom I met during the summer course, said, "You seem to have gotten smaller." Great!

Aoi, on the other hand, seemed to be having a pretty tough time with the internal advancement exam for the national school, and she was working quite hard even now. I hope she doesn't overwork herself...

Thanks to the continuous stepping on the stepper during the summer vacation, I was able to return to my original weight. By then, I had completely lost interest in the stepper, and it, along with the hula hoop, was left in a corner of the room.

When the second semester started and I returned to school after a long time, I was surprised to find that everyone seemed to have grown up a bit, even though it had only been a month. The boys, in particular, had grown taller, and some had changed quite a bit. I had already stopped growing, but the boys were still growing. They say that at night, they feel a dull pain in their bones and can't sleep. It must be tough.

When we were chatting about what happened during the summer vacation, I heard that no ghosts appeared at this year's summer camp. Apparently, the hotel had performed an exorcism before the camp... I felt really bad about it.

After successfully clearing the midterm exams, the next event is the sports festival. I have experienced the sports festival every year, but this year is different. There is an emperor in the same class.

As a class representative, I recruited volunteers for each event with Bōzu-kun in the homeroom. The safe events were quickly decided, and in the end, the horseback battle was left.

The emperor sat in his seat with his arms crossed, looking at the students. He then began to designate boys who seemed to have confidence in their arm and leg strength.

The faces of the three chosen boys showed a grim determination. Yeah, good luck.

There were other strong boys, but they had grown too tall during the summer and were unbalanced, so they were not chosen this time. Good for them. I'm grateful for the growth spurt.

The chosen horses are said to be secretly trained by the Tatsuki family until the sports festival. I didn't know that. I always wondered where they practiced every year. Not on the school grounds, that's for sure.

The training content and strategy are kept secret. The horseback battle must be something special to drive the emperor to this extent...

As a class representative, I had to go to the student council room more often to prepare for the sports festival. The student council president is Douzou Atemba. I can't help but observe him out of curiosity. His hair is still black at the roots, as expected.

Douzou Atemba noticed my gaze and looked at me suspiciously.

"What?"

"Uh, no, I was just wondering if Aizaki-kun is participating in the horseback battle..."

Last year, Douzou Atemba was the one who fought the emperor until the end, although he was no match for him.

"...Are you trying to pry?"

"No, no, not at all."

"I am participating, but I'm not telling you anything more."

Oh, he's on guard.

"And..."

"Yes?"

"I won't go easy on you just because you're Pivoine."

Douzou Atemba looked at me with a strong gaze.

Ah, he's anti-Pivoine.

"Alright, good luck."

But the emperor is more obsessed with the horseback battle than Douzou Atemba thinks. He's probably practicing at home right now.

After finishing my business, I left the student council room. But before I did,

"Student council president, have you ever thought about dyeing your hair silver?"

"Silver? No way."

Yeah, I thought so.

On the day of the sports festival, the weather was perfect for the emperor's grand entrance. The emperor was also participating in the relay race, so there was practice for that as well. The relay team practiced passing the baton at the right time, which is crucial for the relay. They were really passionate. Where is the coolness in this emperor?

The boys who were the emperor's horses had gained a lot of muscle in this short period. What did you guys go through...? Your eyes are so intense, it's scary.

I have to try my best not to make any mistakes and incur the emperor's wrath. After completing the spoon relay and tug-of-war, I participated in the ball toss.

Thanks to the stepper, I feel like I have more leg strength. Picking up and throwing the balls is easier than last year.

At that moment, a ball hit the back of my head.

I couldn't help but cry out, "Ouch," and turned around to see a boy from my class frantically apologizing, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!"

Yeah, it's fine if it wasn't on purpose. Don't be so scared.

For some reason, it seemed like everyone was trying not to hit me with the balls. Am I just being paranoid?

In the end, my class's ball toss performance wasn't good. As a result, the emperor was in a bad mood when I returned to the class. There you go.

And finally, the moment has arrived. The horseback battle.

The emperor's horse entered the arena with the air of a reigning champion, while the other horse was treated as a sacrificial pawn. They were not allowed to participate in the secret training. They had to do their best on their own.

At the start signal, the horses started running. The emperor quickly took down the nearby horses. The other horses were trying to stay as far away from the emperor as possible, forming a cluster far away.

The emperor moved to hunt down these prey. The song "Toppu no Ichya" rang in my head for the first time in a while. I'm glad I'm a girl!

Suddenly, a first-year horse charged at the emperor. What a reckless move!

"Whoa!"

The first-year student attacked bravely, but in the end, he was no match for the emperor. He was grabbed by the arm, his headband was ripped off along with his hair, and he was thrown to the ground.

"Damn it!"

No, no, I admire your spirit, first-year. You're a mess, though.

The emperor on horseback snorted at the first-year and moved to face Douzou Atemba, who was the last opponent. Douzou Atemba was also full of determination. They measured the distance and started running at the same time.

Douzou Atemba was stronger than last year, but the difference in the boys' skills was clear. While the two were fighting on horseback, they were also trying to kick each other's horses to unbalance them.

In the end, the emperor timed his horse's kick perfectly and knocked Douzou Atemba off his horse, maintaining his perfect record.

After that, the emperor announced that he would retire from the horseback battle after this year. The emperor of the horseback battle became a legend.

What do you mean, retire from the horseback battle...?