I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 224 Chasing the Wind!

"The men's 4x100m relay race is about to begin!"

"The members of the red, white, blue, and green teams have come onto the track one after another. Let's welcome them!"

Under the brilliant early autumn sunlight, applause, cheers, and the enthusiastic jeers unique to young people rang out from the audience.

As these celebratory sounds filled the air, four teams, totaling sixteen figures, appeared in the sunlight.

"Hey! Isn't that Toriyama-kun? It's so weird wearing a gym uniform, hahaha."

"Akiyama-senpai! Please do your best and win the championship for Team Blue!"

"Oh! Isn't that Tsukino-kun? He's so handsome, I definitely wouldn't mistake him! He also participated in the men's 4x100 relay? No, is he even involved in the relay?! Is he that versatile?!"

"As expected of Tsukino-kun, he's so good at both studying and sports. If he were to debut as an idol, he would definitely be a top-notch idol!"

"He's already in my heart!"

The track next to Tsukino Gen, who is on the white team, is the track for the blue team.

After giving his teammates a final pep talk, he walked alone to the final leg of the race.

After just a few simple movements, I felt as if a real gaze was staring at me. When I looked over, I found that it was none other than the blue team members next to me.

He stared intently at himself.

He appeared to be warming up by swaying his body, but his gaze remained fixed on me the entire time, as if I were about to take some dangerous action against him at any moment.

Gen Tsukino looked over, puzzled. The other person first instinctively avoided his gaze, then met his eyes again, as if to say that he wasn't afraid of his gaze.

interesting.

He looked like a tall, thin boy whose skin wasn't too dark or too fair, but who was about 1.78 meters tall.

Gen Tsukino took the initiative to speak.

"You're Akiyama-kun?"

"Huh? How do you know."

Akiyama was clearly taken aback, unsure whether it was because he hadn't expected the other person to strike up a conversation with him, or because he was genuinely curious about who Tsukino Gen was.

Gen Tsukino smiled and said, "I heard that Akiyama is the ace of the track and field team, and after taking a look, it seems that your qualifications best fit the bill."

"Hehe, right?"

Akiyama couldn't help but smile slightly, but he quickly realized that the two were rivals and the other party seemed to have no reason to flatter him like that.

He became serious again.

"Tsukino Gen, from Class 3 of Grade 11, I know you too, you're very famous."

Gen Tsukino couldn't help but laugh. "I'm famous in the track and field club too?"

Akiyama snorted lightly, "No, whether you play soccer or basketball has nothing to do with our track and field club, but Asagiri and I are in the same class."

Gen Tsukino suddenly realized that, indeed, what drives young people the most is always a beautiful girl.

This is the core driving force, which seems much more practical than any dreams or ideals.

"That's it"

"Are you really dating Asagiri-san?"

Akiyama lowered his voice and glanced around warily, seemingly worried that his words would be overheard.

how to say.

Perhaps it's because they're in the same class that it's easier for that young lady to catch and assassinate any rumors that circulate?
It wasn't quite that exaggerated, but Akiyama clearly understood the young lady's destructive power.

"Uh, that's hard to say. That's a bit gossipy, Akiyama-kun. Aren't we preparing for the competition?"

"Oh, right. Preparing for the competition. Hehe, you actually dared to participate in the 4x100 relay? I will definitely win this championship for the Blue Team!"

Gen Tsukino blinked. "I also participated in the 3000 meters."

"Huh?" Akiyama was taken aback. "You're participating in both sprints and long-distance races?"

"Is this difficult to understand?"

Tsukino Gendo asked.

Akiyama shook his head. "At least no one in our track and field department reports like that. Being good at long-distance running and sprinting are two different things. Mixing them together will only make it difficult to do well in either area. Why am I telling you this? You're not in the track and field department."

"Even so, thank you very much for your answers."

"It's okay, we're just classmates, cough cough. No, that's not it. What I meant was, don't think that just because you're handsome you can do everything well. I know you have good grades. But sports are no joke, not like idol debuts. I'll show you what absolute speed dominance really means!"

"I'm speaking with great confidence," Akiyama said.

Gen Tsukino looked at him strangely, "Don't you think the phrase 'absolute domination' sounds a bit childish?"

"Chuunibyou? Is it?"

Akiyama was stunned.

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, "I guess you usually get a lot of girls who flatter you, but once you express your feelings for a girl, she quickly loses interest in you, right?"

"Huh?! How do you know it's not? What's it to you? Are you trying to shake my willpower with something like this right now?"

Akiyama's face flushed slightly, and he couldn't help but retort, but the way his eyes darted around betrayed him.

Gen Tsukino smiled.

"It's nothing, but I think it's better to continue pursuing your dreams and being a bit of a chuunibyou than to talk about feelings. For you right now, running faster is more important than any girl."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"It's nothing, I just think your passion is admirable, but unfortunately, our White Team will win today."

Upon hearing what Tsukino Gen said, Akiyama clenched his fists, his expression becoming serious.

"Impossible! As long as I participate in a project, the championship will never go to anyone else. Just wait and see, Tsukino-kun!"

No one knows about their little conversation here.

The audience seats were packed with people, a veritable gathering of heroes.

"Karen is here too. It's been a long time, Mrs. Saionji."

The audience seating is not just simple stone benches; in the excellent infrastructure of Zhaori Private High School, there is even a special seating area set up for VIP guests.

There's no need to squeeze in with other students; there are even special sun umbrellas to block out the sunlight.

Asagiri Jun, standing next to Asagiri Rin, smiled and greeted the mature woman with an air of nobility on the other side. They had been competing for beauty in their youth, and now each had a beautiful daughter.

"You guys are here too. I heard that the school's sports festival is going to be a big event this year, so I was invited to come and take a look. But I'm still not really interested in these kinds of sports. I've been watching for so long, and there's nothing that interests me."

Karen Saionji was right next to her mother. She saw the look that Rin Asagiri was giving her. The girl smiled and blinked.

Seemingly unconcerned that the girl was still holding a grudge and angry with him about what happened before, Jun Asagiri smiled and said, "My daughter has a friend named Gen Tsukino, who is the fourth batter for the white team. You can keep an eye on him; I think he will be quite an interesting person at this sports festival."

Lady Saionji clearly dismissed Asagiri Jun's recommendation, letting out a light laugh.

"Really? When did Mrs. Asagiri become interested in these students? And who is this Tsukino-kun?"

"He's just an ordinary student, nothing special. Although he's an orphan, his grades are quite good."

Beside her, Karen Saionji explained softly.

She was fine when she didn't speak, but as soon as she did, her gaze tightened on Wu Lin.

Hearing her daughter say this, although there was no intention to belittle or mock her, in the eyes of Mrs. Saionji, who valued lineage more, it lost all value and became a tool to ridicule the woman.

"So it turns out that Lady Asagiri likes the idea of ​​'noble sons from humble backgrounds' now." She even glanced at Asagiri Rin. "I'm not saying this to be mean, but sometimes parents should still discipline their children. They can't just let them have whatever they want just because they like it. After all, they lack experience and don't understand what's truly important."

Asagiri Rin frowned.

But his mother gently pressed his hand down, still smiling.

"Actually, I think that the efforts of our generation are to ensure that the next generation will no longer have to worry about the things we worried about back then. Because they no longer lack material things, they can pursue the things we lost in those years. Perhaps that is the most important thing."

Mrs. Saionji was taken aback by these words; even Karen Saionji hadn't expected this mature woman to respond in this way.

Asagiri Rin looked at her mother with even more suspicion.

Does she truly believe what she's saying now, or is it just a tactic she's using to deliberately say it at this time?
Just then, the voice of the guide came from the scene.

"The match is about to begin, let's wait and see!"

Mrs. Saionji withdrew her slightly surprised look and calmly raised her chin.

"Then let's see just how special this 'special' young man you're talking about really is."

"boom!"

On the track, the starting pistol fired.

The young people who had been waiting on the four tracks started almost simultaneously.

However, the first batter for the White Team, who was positioned deep in the second lane, had a problem with Kono.

I don't know if it was because there were too many people watching the game, or because of some other concerns, but when I stood up, my ankles felt inexplicably weak, as if I had stepped into thin air.

Although nothing went wrong in the end, they were able to get up smoothly.

However, it was clear that this small mistake had already put him almost half a body length behind at the start. This is quite fatal in a short-distance race.

However, things have come to this point, and Kono can no longer afford to give up.

He chased after them with all his might, running like his life depended on it. But he was surrounded by teammates from the track and field team, and even with his explosive power, he couldn't catch up much by the time the baton was exchanged.

When he handed over the baton.

While I felt a little relieved, I also felt a deep sense of regret.

If he lost the competition because of his own prior worries, then he can't blame anyone else, and he doesn't seem to deserve asking anyone to save him.

In particular, Kono watched helplessly as the second batter fell further behind.

Apart from the red team being caught up, both the blue and green teams performed well in the second leg, capitalizing on the gap and widening it.

By the time the third baton was handed over, the team was already significantly behind.

"Wow. Judging from this gap, if the white team's fourth runner can't have an amazing burst of speed, the championship will probably fall into the hands of the blue and green teams. Eh? Isn't the white team's fourth runner Tsukino-kun? Isn't he in the top three of his grade? Why is he participating in the relay?!"

"Ahem, let's get back to the main topic. The fourth runners for both the blue team and the green team are outstanding sprinters in the track and field department, especially Akiyama from the blue team, who is the ace of the track and field team. To be honest, I'm more optimistic about the blue team, but the other students should also do their best. The last relay is coming soon, so don't leave any regrets!"

Listening to the narration.

Mrs. Saionji's smile became even brighter.

"It seems like we can't wait to see his performance; the result is about to be decided."

Asagiri Jun remained calm and composed, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

"You should know that many projects that seem to involve teamwork don't actually emphasize the team that much. Victory is often decided by one person, and one person is enough."

"is it?"

Mrs. Saionji turned her gaze back to the running track.

Right next to the track, closer to the stadium, are the cheerleading squads, also sent by each team, and most of them are girls.

Kazama Sakura was too afraid to even breathe, especially when she saw the blue and green teams receive the baton from their teammates first.

She was worried for the boy, but seeing Tsukino Gen's calm and composed demeanor, she was able to put her mind at ease.

As she listened to the sounds around her, she couldn't help but shout out as well.

"Go for it! Go for it, Ah-Xian!!"

When Akiyama received the baton from his teammate, he knew clearly that the outcome was already decided.

With such a short distance, and an established advantage, the final leg was in their hands. How could the championship possibly slip away?

He didn't get carried away at that moment and look at the boy's expression. He figured the boy was probably quite eager, and all he had to do was be the best he could be and achieve the best result on the track.

And when the final baton was finally passed to Gen Tsukino.

The third member was practically ashen-faced.

Kono's eyes were glazed over.

"It's too big, the gap is too big, how can we catch up?"

The other teams were still cheering them on, seemingly having already foreseen the outcome and given up the fight.

The boy who received the baton ran forward without looking back.

that moment.

A gust of wind seemed to blow across the track.

wrong.

That was a bolt of lightning!
"It seems to be pretty much what I thought. The blue team and the green team are fiercely competing for the final championship. In the last fifty meters, who will cross the finish line first? Akiyama is pushing hard! His speed is getting faster and faster. He seems to be showing off his superb personal ability at this crucial moment. Wait a minute, who is that person in white next to him? What does he do?"

"It's Tsukino!! When did he get here? My god! Wasn't he almost ten meters behind before? I didn't even look at the White Team's track anymore?! How did he catch up? No! He even caught up with Akiyama?! What kind of speed is that?"

"Are you kidding me?! Did the White Team bring in Usain Bolt?! Even Bolt isn't this amazing! With his teammates leaving such a huge hole, how did Tsukino-kun manage to catch up?! Are you Superman?!"

The boy who gripped the baton tightly.

In the moment of success standing shoulder to shoulder with Akiyama, he demonstrated what it means to chase the wind.

……

(End of this chapter)