Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

"I have participated in all the sports festival events so far. As for why I did this... it's troublesome, but I am a member of Class A after all. So the reason is probably a sense of responsibility."

After hearing my explanation, Ichinose looked slightly angry, but more anxious.

"........Apart from these?"

"Other than that? Other than that, I didn't do anything. The most I did was to persuade Shibata-san to give up the recommended competition."

"Raku-kun already knew about Shibata-san's injury?"

"Well, I discovered it during the individual competition."

"Then why do you allow Shibata-san to continue to hurt himself?"

"Because this was Shibata's own choice, it's not a good idea to interfere with other people's thoughts. Besides, didn't you succeed in persuading him in the end?"

"There's really nothing to do except these things...right?"

It seems that Ichinose wants to hear the promise from my own mouth rather than confirm it.

"Well, maybe I may have done something else, but I didn't realize it. Why are you asking this question all of a sudden? Doesn't this seem to be related to what Ryuuen mentioned before?"

"Can I change the question?"

Ichinose suddenly raised his head, his eyes misted with tears, and one could feel the uneasiness in his whole body even without looking.

"..........What?"

"Does Luo know who leaked our class's [Entry Form] this time?"

"Uh--"

"I want to hear the most direct answer."

I was slightly stunned by Ichinose's somewhat strong attitude, and after hesitating for a while, I gave my answer.

"I do not know."

"Is this......really?"

"Really. I can guarantee that I have no clue about the traitor in the class, at least for now."

Just like I didn't know who the traitor in the class was, I didn't know why Ichinose suddenly felt relieved after I made the promise.

"Then Luo will help me. Right?"

"............This shouldn't be just a small problem, right?"

Ichinose ignored my complaints and just stared at me. In this situation, I couldn't help but respond.

"Yes. I will help Ichinose as long as it's not too troublesome."

"Always?"

"At least until graduation."

At this point in the conversation, Ichinose's previous uneasiness completely dissipated, and his usual smile returned to his face.

But the sudden shift in attention also made my situation a little more dangerous. For example, Ichinose realized that I was bullying her in the very beginning of the conversation.

"Lord Luo is really a bad person."

"Obviously, Ichinose's question is unclear."

"But Luo Jun is a bad person."

Ah, I was scolded.

I was annoyed by this unreasonable attitude, but I was indeed in the wrong first, so I turned my attention to the track and prepared for the next test.

At this moment, Ichinose linked our arms and interlocked our fingers.

I glanced at Ichinose beside me with a bit of surprise.

“You must win.”

With a brief cheer, the two of us started the three-legged race.

Chapter 173: For What and For Whom

After the [Three-legged Race] competition is over, the sports festival will also usher in the finale of the second half of the competition - [2000m mixed men's and women's relay race for the whole school year].

The total number of contestants in each class is six, and the number of males and females must be half and half, that is, three males and three females, and the relay race is 2000m.

In previous years, the total distance was 1200m, and each person had a 200m relay distance, but this year many changes were made. Not only did the total distance increase to 2000m, but the last baton of the relay was adjusted to a 1000m long-distance race.

Even though we were notified of this adjustment a month before the sports festival began, it still did not prevent us from being troubled by it.

Prior to this, we had competed in twelve sports, big and small. No matter who it was, they were exhausted both physically and mentally to the point where it was difficult to hide.

We may be able to hold on to a short-distance sprint, but this kind of long-distance jogging is quite a test of our willpower, and the pain is no less than a chronic death with a clear consciousness.

I hung the towel soaked with sweat around my neck again, and then slumped down on the bench in the camp. Although Ichinose and I seemed to have easily won the victory of our group, in fact, the effort in the process was quite tedious. Just overcoming the temptation of sight was a big problem, not to mention the distraction of coordinating the movements smoothly.

This is simply a disaster in life, and until now I still feel like I am in an unknown paradise.

After clearly feeling the decrease of my own energy, I couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, Takashima, who was sitting next to me, put his hand on my shoulder with understanding and expressed his condolences to me.

"You've worked hard. You must feel tired."

"..........Who caused me to participate in the three-legged race.........?"

"Don't say that. You are recognized by everyone. Although your speed is a little faster than mine, and you are not in sync with Class Leader Ichinose, the degree of tacit cooperation is in a different league... You are really talented in body coordination. I would believe you if you were told that you are an active gymnast."

"Please forgive me for rejecting your understanding............."

"Even if it's taken as a joke, I'm still complimenting you."

"Can verbal rewards be equated with physical persecution?"

"Haha, it seems impossible... Then as an apology, after the sports festival, let's go enjoy the [Autumn of Appetite]...?"

"【Autumn of Appetite】........What is that? Is it the name of a famous restaurant?"

"Hey, didn't you know?"

“…I’ve never heard of it.”

Facing Takashima's surprise, I responded calmly, trying not to let my panic show. I have heard of most of the famous restaurants in the Keyaki shopping center, but I have never heard of similar words.

"Ah, it's normal not to know about this. After all, this is a phrase that belongs only to me... Anyway, we should do this after the sports festival is over."

Although it is not clear what this is exactly, from Takashima's tone it doesn't seem to be something strange, at least it should be related to food.

So........it should be a good thing.

Come back to your senses.

Although I was teased by my peers as soon as the game was over, the reality was far from as optimistic as I had imagined. The atmosphere on the playground reached its climax as the sports festival entered the final competition, but Class A was not included in this atmosphere.

The reason is that although Ichinose and I won the group stage, the other groups did not perform well, so that in the end we were defeated by Ryuuen from Class C.

At present, Longyuan has once again overtaken with a slight advantage.

From the way Long Yuan arranged the contestants for the three-legged race, we can basically conclude that there is a traitor in our class.

Our cooperation with Class D is limited to individual competitions in which all members participate. In other words, Class D can only obtain the individual competition part of Class A's [Entry Form]. Although the data capabilities of some students in Class A were inevitably leaked during this period, they cannot cut off our arrangements for recommending competitions based on this information alone.

The information that should have been known only to our students in Class A has now been accidentally known by Ryuen...

No matter which direction you think about it from, it's a very bad thing.

The next [2000m mixed boys and girls relay race for the whole school year] is a crucial battle that will determine the fate of both of us.

The triple competitive points bonus is meaningless to us.

Because the difference in competitive points between the two sides is too small, this means that we must surpass Class C and take their previous ranking at all costs.

Only in this way can the hundreds of thousands of dollars we spent on the sports festival be rewarded.

However, the opportunity will be lost...

We originally decided to participate in the competition with Kanzaki as the first runner, Shiratori, Ando, ​​Minami, Wakayama, and finally Shibata.

However, various events that occurred during the sports festival caused things to gradually deviate from the expected direction.

".......If there are no other problems, Wakayama-san's vacancy will continue to be filled by Class Leader Ichinose."

After everyone discussed it, Kanzaki made the final inquiry. All the students in Class A also tacitly agreed to the plan of "Ichinose filling Wakayama's vacancy".

But this is only the simplest decision in this discussion. The real headache is——

"Then the next question is who should take over the last baton of the relay."

"The last runner of the relay team has the responsibility to complete the remaining 1000 meters. For this, we also need to select a substitute from among the boys."

Kanzaki stated this reality with a bit of heaviness, and all the students in Class A also understood the difficulty of this position.

Not to mention that most students have already made irreparable physical efforts after a whole day of sports competitions, just hearing about the 1000m race is daunting.

This project was the last thing we wanted to face even during training.

The 1000m mainly tests our cardiorespiratory endurance.

Cardiorespiratory endurance refers to a person's ability to sustain physical activity.

When we are in good physical condition, running 1000 meters seems difficult, let alone myself now.

"Or should we choose according to our ability points......?"

One of us asked weakly.

In fact, it would be more appropriate to say that I am worried.

So far, the strongest players in our class have either been unable to participate due to injuries or have been placed on the competition list. The remaining students with average or upper-middle strength will naturally feel worried about this important task.

But at least my part is over.

The rest depends on how they perform.

"If we can't find a suitable candidate in the end, it will probably turn out like that... But I hope everyone in the class can take the initiative to sign up. Is there anyone who wants to take over Shibata-kun's last baton?"

Ichinose tried to appeal to everyone in the camp, but most of the students had a strong sense of responsibility.

Be it speed or physical fitness, we are well aware that we are unable to shoulder this responsibility. In the end, even if some students are willing to take the initiative to participate in the competition, they will feel guilty for the final failure.

If only I were stronger...

If I hold on a little longer...

The students in Class A are undoubtedly capable of such mental activities. For this reason, each of us has a heavy burden on our shoulders, and the most exaggerated one among them is Ichinose.

This is really a difficult question.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble to everyone."

Although I boasted to Shibata that there would always be someone to help him finish his unfinished journey, our performance just now was disappointing. However, this is not a fact that we can force, after all, the position of the last baton is indeed difficult to choose.

"As expected, the last baton is too much for everyone... If Kanzaki-san were to take over, would he still have the stamina to hold on?"

We didn't have much time to make a decision, and Ichinose began to think about how to solve the problem.

"If possible, I would like Kanzaki-san to run the last leg of the 2000m relay, so that the other boy can have an easier time... Of course, I'm not saying that Kanzaki-san must run. If it's really not possible... then I'll take over the last leg."

“That’s totally unfeasible.”

Ichinose made such a boast, but was refuted by the girls as soon as he made the statement.

"No matter how you look at it, letting Fanbo be the last one is a bit too much. It's not a good choice from every aspect."

Yes, just as the girls argued.

Even though most of the boys in the class have lost their fighting ability, it is too embarrassing to choose a girl who is worse than them to take the last baton.

“Although the results may not look good, I can persevere until the end of the race.”

"........."

Faced with Ichinose's firm reply, the girls were speechless.

In addition, the girls also thought about this issue from the boys' perspective, so they did not shift the responsibility to us.

The choice now was not about who was capable of taking the baton, but who was willing to take over the last baton. It would be best if someone volunteered to step forward, but if not, then in order to prevent further chaos in the class, Ichinose could only lead by example.

However, as time passed, voices of resistance began to emerge from the boys' side.