The Moment of Tension.
Luke lowered his posture, slightly bending his knees, ready to dash at any moment.
Concentration.
For a Mage, concentration is as essential as breathing; it means that any creature that cannot breathe will ultimately die.
Only the feeling of the Circle quietly revolving is vivid.
However, this is not ‘The Magic Conference’ but rather ‘The Sports Meeting.’
Winning must be achieved solely through pure physical ability, without any use of magic. Until now, life has been intertwined with magic and mana, so guaranteeing victory through mere physical running was not something one could easily do.
“I’m sorry, Luke! I couldn’t reduce it any further!”
“Mary, don’t apologize. You did your best.”
As soon as Luke felt the baton handed over by Mary touch his tail, he wrapped it up and held his breath.
The gap is certainly wide. A student fell hard in the early stages, and the gap couldn’t be closed in time.
Indeed, the gap from the leader has already become half a lap. With such a difference, it’s certainly understandable to feel sorry. But…
‘I must also do my best.’
—–
At the moment when the source of light, which is said to be the symbol of life created before the gods made the world, is positioned above everyone’s head, it is in such a leisurely atmosphere.
Ahn-.
She opened her mouth wide.
Crunch, it was Diana, holding a hamburger the size of her face, biting into it as much as she could.
Perhaps she bit too big, as her mouth was covered in sauce.
Luke snickered at the sight of Diana and wiped his mouth with his hand, saying, “Diana, eat slowly.”
“This hamburger is so delicious!”
“Indeed, it is.”
Luke recalled the taste of the hamburger made by Dayton and given to him when he transformed into a dragon.
Though most of that memory was buried in the sands of time, like the contents of an old dream, it was such a fantastic taste that he could recall it.
In truth, he did wonder if such food actually existed, but the fact that it truly did made him unable to contain his excitement.
When he heard that lunch was a hamburger, Luke was secretly expecting a lot.
And that expectation was never betrayed.
“Surely, it’s really delicious.”
Seeing Luke’s happy smile, Py seemed to have resigned, sticking to the ground and turning away from him.
The only thing Luke could do for that poor spirit was to pet it, so he gently stroked Py with his tail.
That seemed to relieve it a bit, causing Py to emit a pleasant sound.
Yerna looked at Luke taking care of Diana with a smile and asked, “Is it really that delicious?”
“Indeed, very much so. How about you?”
When Yerna slightly lowered her gaze, she saw Luke’s tail wriggling, and Luke thought it was adorable how easily his feelings were revealed.
Was humming or perking up his ears not enough? Now his tail is wriggling as well.
‘I’ve heard that once a tail appears, it’s said that the cuteness phase is over…’
It seems that Luke did not immediately hit puberty just because he has a tail.
Yerna retracted her hand that was petting Luke and picked up some fried potatoes, smiling.
“Dayton certainly cooks well.”
The aroma of elf-style fries, fried in vegetable oil and sprinkled with parsley, was a delightful snack even for elves.
Well, it isn’t a very difficult dish, but it’s clear that it’s full of care and thought.
“Delicious.”
Muttering as he picked up a fry one by one.
“In the end, it seems that all the elementary school category ended up with the blue team’s victory.”
“It turned out that way, didn’t it?”
With various events like individual races, obstacle races, jump rope, and relays, all were victories for Luke.
Thus, the scores for the elementary department were almost perfectly in favor of the blue team.
Moreover, the incredible turnaround shown in the last relay received tremendous cheers.
“You run really well, Luke. I knew you were good at sports, but…”
“Running is just that. Running is quite useful in life, isn’t it?”
“Is running useful?”
“Well, just in escaping somewhere, it’s surely useful, right?”
Luke was not particularly a magnificent noble as a child.
While he was supposed to learn numerous etiquettes and virtues, he often questioned why he had to do so every time.
As a result, he frequently ran away, and Kail often ran alongside him, saying he would catch Luke.
Running away often turned into a race.
‘Kail, can I ever make a friend like you again?’
Yerna, looking at Luke’s nostalgic smile, stiffened her expression.
“……”
Thinking of Luke’s circumstances, trapped in a laboratory undergoing human experiments, he may have had to run away many times.
Could it be that’s when he naturally became good at running?
“Luke… do you really like running that much?”
“Well, I always liked it. It feels freeing.”
“Oh, really…?”
“Yes. It’s about freedom.”
The freedom from numerous responsibilities and constraints.
Since power was unwanted strength anyway, Luke fled to the countryside in search of freedom.
But perhaps he could never be completely free.
‘You always find out where I am so easily, Rene.’
As Luke recalled the past with a bitter expression, Yerna, who couldn’t help but spiral into bad thoughts, was unaware that Luke nonchalantly drank from a cup.
Slurp.
It was a special product of a recovery potion adapted for children’s bodies.
Just one cup relieves fatigue and keeps the body in optimal condition.
Thus, Luke could participate in numerous events without getting too tired.
“But still, the scores are similar.”
Indeed. No matter how many events Luke participated in, it was merely a small victory in the elementary category.
He couldn’t enter the high school student competition, so in terms of overall scores, the high school scores, which had higher stakes, would have a greater impact.
‘To think we are even behind.’
It could be said that the phrase “victory in battle, defeat in war” fits perfectly.
Who would have thought the high school group would be so formidable?
Yerna, seemingly coming to her senses, managed to smile and said, “Well, it turns out the score isn’t lagging behind as much as I thought for the white team.”
“Hmm.”
Still, as a mage possessing a sense of competition, not achieving victory was unsatisfactory.
“I guess there’s no choice. I have to work a little harder.”
———
“Time’s up!”
Luke caught the shuttlecock flying towards him and muttered.
“It’s over. Good job.”
“Phew, phew. Good work…”
The opposing child was gasping for breath, while Luke showed no signs of fatigue.
The score was a narrow victory for Luke by one point.
It was quite a competitive match. Even if it was a situation orchestrated by Luke.
Was his skill simply that good because he was facing an opponent who had climbed up through the tournament system?
Most of the preparation for the sports meeting was centered around filtering out the finalists for these tournament-style events.
Because of that, he had to strain his body participating in dozens of events each day.
“The winner is Class 1, Year 2, Luke Irushi!”
“Wow-!”
And as soon as Luke’s victory was announced, cheers erupted.
Perhaps it was because of the astonishing comeback in the relay, a considerable crowd gathered to cheer for Luke’s competition.
With Luke participating in almost every event and dramatically showcasing them, opinions spread that not watching his events would be a loss.
“I didn’t expect elementary school competitions to be this fun!”
“They’re pretty good despite being so young. Is this really Tigr Academy?”
Amidst those voices, Luke pondered the next match.
“Hmm, a three-legged race.”
It was a cooperative event where two individuals tie one leg together and run.
And Luke’s opponent was Shirud.
Their heights were roughly similar, and on the surface, they seemed quite friendly too.
——-
Shirud was slightly troubled.
“Nice to meet you, Shirud. Let’s cooperate and win for sure.”
“Um, okay.”
It was thanks to this cheerful little girl next to him, who wore a bright smile and had her arm over his shoulder.
Not only did she sign up for every possible event, but she also managed to involve him in a cooperative event like the three-legged race.
At first, he was quite flustered.
He was told to follow along, and before he knew it, his leg was tied to Luke’s.
There were sufficient reasons. They had similar heights, no horns, and were familiar enough to avoid awkward body contact.
Certainly, shoulder hugging at this point was not an issue.
Weren’t they already close enough to have touched each other’s chests?
This statement might sound strange, but it simply meant they felt each other’s circles.
Well, it wasn’t something he disliked.
When their bodies touched, Luke felt incredibly soft and had a surprisingly pleasant scent…
‘Why does the smell of sweat smell so nice…’
Do all girls smell like this? He didn’t know; he hadn’t been able to smell anyone else’s but Luke’s.
‘Wait, am I being too perverted in my thinking?’
Anyway, let’s not pay any more attention to this smell.
Yet somehow, this time, the white nape with that adorable cat-patterned yellow bandage keeps drawing his attention.
When inquiring about the bandage, Luke said it was because it was itchy to leave it bare…
Like a decorative strawberry on a cake, it was hard not to look at.
‘Every time I look, it catches my attention.’
As Shirud’s gaze remained on him, Luke asked curiously, “Shirud? Why are you staring so intently?”
“Uh? Oh, nothing!”
Shirud shook his head.
‘Ah! What am I thinking!’
Wanting to touch her bandage was such a strange thought.
“To your places!”
With the judge’s shout, Shirud shook off her distractions.
Right, running comes first.
As he prepared, a voice came from beside him.
“You two seem quite close~.”
The boys of similar appearances, with distinctive round spotted patterns, were likely cheetahs.
Cheetah twins, they would be formidable opponents.
“Well, that’s true. I’m quite close with Shirud.”
“Oh~.”
He whispered in Shirud’s ear.
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“Wha, what!?”
Shirud exclaimed in great embarrassment while Luke looked at her with a confused expression.
——
Piyuuung- Boom!
The signal magic from the judge’s cane announced the start.
Pitter-patter!
Everyone dashed off at once.
“One, two, one, two.”
The children ran in perfect synchrony.
But Shirud couldn’t concentrate on running.
Girlfriend? She had never thought of it that way!
‘Well, it’s not that she dislikes the idea, but…’
Clap, clap!
Luke snapped his fingers in front of Shirud’s dazed eyes.
“Shirud. What on earth are you thinking?”
“Ah, sorry! I was lost in thought for a moment!”
Though Luke and Shirud’s speed was decent, the first place was too overwhelming.
“Wow, that’s way too fast.”
“Um, yeah.”
“……This isn’t good.”
“Eh?”
Shirud felt an unknown chill creeping up her spine.
“Shirud, I want to win. So will you cooperate with me?”
“What, what do you mean?”
Why was that phrase so unsettling?
“Lift one leg. Relax your body.”
After saying that, Luke wrapped his arms and tail around Shirud’s waist.
Then, with a flash! he lifted her up.
Shirud, startled by her suddenly raised body, shouted, “W-what?!”
“Don’t squirm; relax your body! Trust me!”
“Wah, ah! Why are you so strong!!”
“Close your mouth; you might bite your tongue!”
Isn’t this cheating? I’m not quite sure if there were rules against this in the three-legged race.
