Penalty Relay Race.

At first glance, you might be wondering what on earth this event is about. But there’s no need to overthink it. It’s a relay race held on the beach, with penalties imposed on the players.

Before the race starts, each team will draw five different pieces of paper containing various penalties. The order in which these penalties are applied to the players is up to them. Deciding the running order will also be discussed right before the race begins.

What exactly does “Kivotos-like” mean? I define it as “Unwelcome School.”

Simply having that OST pop into my head the moment I see the situation means I’m in a classic Kivotos scenario.

To evoke that Kivotos-like atmosphere as much as possible, Hina and I agreed to include at least one “hole” among the relay representatives of each academy. The moment we heard the names, one name immediately jumped out that we couldn’t ignore.

Honestly, aside from that, we were trying our best to assemble a strong team.

In a team event where restrictions are lifted, Tsurugi was one of the first choices that came to mind, but considering the considerate version of Tsurugi we saw during the Grand Luminous Festival, we decided against picking her.

…Not that I ended up choosing Hasumi either. No matter what, I wanted to win the race. With two big burdens, it’s practically impossible to win.

Thus, the dream team was decided with Saori, Ichika, Suzumi, and Azusa. Four people working hard to carry a single log were assembled into a team.

Gehenna’s situation wasn’t much different, but their entire team was made up of student council members. It’s hard to dismiss Gehenna’s mob students as talentless, especially since they’ve snatched medals from us countless times; so, the student council members, led by Iori, are definitely a point of concern.

So who is that log, anyway?

“…Mika. Initially, I added that condition because I wanted to see you participate in the tournament, didn’t I?”

“Hahaha. Well, we’ll see about that. I won’t affirm or deny☆”

“Sigh…”

Our T-party’s pride, Nagisa, awkwardly stretching near the starting line.

Her gaze, hand on her forehead, drifted towards Gehenna’s side. Coincidentally, the log from Gehenna was also looking this way, sharing in similar pre-race antics.

At the moment the two logs’ gazes met, they both sighed in unison as if feeling a sense of camaraderie.

The log from Gehenna is none other than the senior administrative officer of the student council, Aco. Thanks to this, they successfully formed a true student council single team.

Which one is the less competent hole, Aco or Nagisa?

It’s hard to say, but I suspect Nagisa might be the slightly more serious problem. But such small discrepancies can easily be covered by other members.

[Well then, I’ll now reveal the five penalties that will be assigned to each team☆]

By the way, today’s commentary for the match will be handled by me and Makoto. After this match, if something happens on my side… Well, if Wakamo starts to move, I’ll have to leave immediately, and Nagisa will take my place, but anyway, that’s how the roster is set up today.

The Gehenna team was the first to kick off the penalty draw.

To prove there’s no tampering, they opted for a method where each player draws from a clear box where the papers are constantly shuffled by artificial wind.

The five penalties that Gehenna drew were as follows.

[Hop on one foot.]

[Maintain a stride of over 1 meter.]

[Run while looking back.]

[Only move while holding your breath.]

[Do at least five somersaults in the air while running.]

“…Wait a minute, hold on. This can’t be serious? This is insane?!”

Aco expressed her dismay upon seeing the penalties. Honestly, I can understand that feeling all too well.

[Yep, all of them are totally serious conditions. So instead of complaining to me, why not discuss which penalty you’ll take on?]

“…Ugh. Well, since the president supported it, I guess I’ll let it slide this time.”

But running isn’t my responsibility, so obviously, I don’t care. I can empathize with Aco’s frustration, but that doesn’t change a single thing!

Poor Aco, what can you do if you don’t accept this absurdity? What can you really do but complain about how unfair it is? You’re merely a sacrificial lamb decided by Hina, so just accept your fate!

Anyway, the contents of the penalties had no consideration for fairness whatsoever. They were purely decided for the sake of watching the players flounder.

And in this match, I sold out my girlfriend. It was all to witness her downfall.

To see our usually composed and dignified Nagisa, the epitome of elegance, falter—now that’s true gourmet watching!

“…”

I could feel Nagisa’s death glare when she heard the penalties drawn on Gehenna’s side, but like Aco, she also had no choice but to accept the situation.

Nagisa, no matter how much you glare at me, nothing’s going to change. So, could you please stop staring like that…?

Afterward, the penalties drawn by Gehenna were exchanged for new ones with the same contents, and the draw continued for Trinity.

[Run while standing on your hands.]

[Run sideways.]

[Only move while holding your breath.]

[Run in pairs of three with the next runner.]

[No penalty.]

…?!

[What…?! No penalty in a penalty race…?!]

[Who put that in?! Are you kidding me?!]

As we were sitting back, leisurely enjoying the penalty details, Makoto and I simultaneously sprang up. Realizing what was happening, we exchanged glances for a moment and then launched into a tirade of complaints.

[Honestly speaking, inserting ‘no penalty’ into a penalty race is fundamentally wrong! It should be invalidated and redrawn!]

[Right! I never thought I would agree with Makoto-chan, but I’m also of the same mind on this! And seriously, who even put ‘no penalty’ in there? That’s utterly boring! Invalid! Redraw, redraw!]

While we were venting our frustrations, a Gehenna student in charge of the event approached me cautiously.

“Um, I’m sorry to bring this up, but… That was put in by President Hina.”

…No way, Hina. Why on earth would you do that?!

Could it be that she added it hoping it would be drawn by Aco on Gehenna’s side? What did she expect would happen if it was us instead? This is bad for both sides…!

[…Ha! The student council president is completely useless. If I had even half the capability, I wouldn’t have committed such a foolish act!]

[Come on, that’s not fair! Just because you’re a little good-looking doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want! I don’t even know why you’re saying such weird things when I’m already on edge.]

[W-What’s that…? Hey! Why are you being angry even when your team got an advantage?]

[…What? What advantage? All I care about is seeing Nagisa-chan break down—ah.]

As I accidentally let my true feelings slip while answering Makoto, my gaze slowly turned towards Nagisa.

What I saw was Nagisa looking at me with an unprecedentedly cold expression.

Looks like I’m in deep trouble.

[Ugh, whatever! Anyway, it’s invalid! Redraw, redraw!]

[…Yeah! Redraw! Do you think I, the great Makoto, will accept such an unfair match?!]

…Naturally, Makoto accepted it, and there was no way penalties were going to be redrawn. Considering I have no authority over running the event, just requesting a redraw won’t change anything.

After staring at me with a frosty expression for a while, Nagisa suddenly broke into a bright, sunny smile. That sudden change made me feel oddly fearful.

…Okay, let’s think positively. The fact that there’s no penalty signifies that our chance of winning has astronomically increased.

Since we believed we’d win even with the same number of penalties, I hoped Nagisa would take on a penalty, but in hindsight, this result isn’t all that bad.

I just couldn’t help but feel frustrated that the only race I could send Nagisa into resulted in such a boring situation. Damn.

The players finalized their running order and the penalties they would take and headed to their positions.

Ichika would kick off for Trinity, having to run with the next runner in a three-legged race. With Nagisa coming up next with no penalties, she seemed ready to smoothly navigate the early stages of the race.

On the other hand, Aco from Gehenna chose the relatively mild penalty of only moving while holding her breath. It seemed she intended to place the log down first.

Each of the two players assigned to the ‘holding breath while running’ penalty was given a mask.

The masks illuminate while they breathe, meaning they can only run when the lights are off. For reference, the players themselves will hear a beep—indicating not to run during that time. When the sound stops, that’s the signal to start.

[It seems all players have completed their preparations at their starting lines. In this race, every contestant must run 200m each to complete a total 1km straight course. While waiting for the baton touch, a maximum of 20m ahead is allowed, but passing the baton outside the designated zone will result in disqualification, so please be careful not to make any mistakes☆]

Honestly, it seems like a typical relay race, but…

This match carries a whopping 10 points.

The 12-point gap between us and Gehenna? Winning in this team event could completely make up for that.

It’s not that individual medals don’t matter, but ultimately, the victory will be decided in this upcoming team event.

Maybe that’s why the tension in the air leading up to the whistle signaling the start was extraordinary. It felt shared among all the representatives, who were visibly jittery.

Whoooosh—!!!

The sand on the white beach began to scatter.