The distance of 400m might seem short at first glance, but in the context of a competition, it’s actually quite lengthy.

You’d get the drift just by watching our side do a handstand race. Asking someone to move 400m while standing on their hands? Any flips or one-legged hops from the side would just eat up our time here, and no one would find it ridiculous.

[Both runners took off at full speed the moment the whistle blew. The runner from _Trinity_ seems to think that 400m is too short to maintain a steady pace. In contrast, the runner from _Gehenna_ knows that holding a pace is all about breathing, so given there’s a penalty for holding their breath, the only option left is to sprint for as far as they can in one go.]

[Kiki-kik! With the senior administrator’s poor stamina, they’ll probably need to rest at least twice!]

[Hey, just so you know, that person is on your team now, right?]

For that reason, even though Ichika was way ahead of Aco when the match started, this was the reality of the competition that didn’t allow for any carefree smiles.

Nagisa had hoped for a disaster for Ichika, but when the no-penalty rule came into play, it was quite frustrating. If Tsurugi hadn’t been absent from the team, and Saori had not been missing as well, balancing on hands would have stood as a towering wall leading to our defeat.

[The runner from _Trinity_ has just reached the first baton zone after a full sprint! From here on, the two-legged, three-legged penalty begins. Since there’s a limit to the speed of two-legged, three-legged movement, it seems like the endurance spent on sprinting shouldn’t pose significant problems!☆]

[…Hmph, at this rate, it looks like they’ll need to rest not twice, but three times! The senior administrator’s demonstration of the pitiful level of the student council… Isn’t this quite amusing!]

[So, even though that kid is on your team. What do you expect them to do sitting in the commentary seat and trashing their own team?]

In reality, Ichika traveled the 400m in 1 minute and 5 seconds before passing the baton, while Aco still had barely crossed 200m.

While breathing and running might be the easiest of _Gehenna_’s penalties, Aco, who isn’t used to running, was suffering quite a bit due to her poor lung capacity.

…This is what I expected from Nagisa, yet here we are with a no penalty rule. Although she had to run a two-legged, three-legged race with Ichika, isn’t that just too easy for a penalty?

But as I watched Ichika pass the baton to Nagisa and they tied their feet together, I felt a tinge of irritation. Personally, Ichika is a very likable junior with her sweet personality, so this was just unnecessarily bothersome.

What I found most unpleasant was figuring out if this feeling was truly mine or just some leftover of Mika’s influence. It’s really difficult to be certain about that.

If you were to ask me whether I was jealous, I would say yes.

The issue is that it’s kind of hypocritical for me to feel jealousy over such a thing. If Nagisa found out about this, she would probably be at a loss, wondering how someone who can feel jealous over such little things could have ever caused her trouble.

Because of that, while I wanted this to be a complete feeling of mine, I paradoxically wished it was purely my own. Because if it were officially mine, it would mean that my emotions are not swayed by external factors.

Ah, time to commentate.

[The second runner from _Trinity_ has just started… Huh?]

[…Kekh. Kiki-kik! What’s that ridiculous sight! Ha, kHaha!]

[Ugh. Uhm, _Trinity_ runner. Collapsing on the ground after just five steps… Ah, haha… Nagisa, isn’t this just too much…?]

After precisely five steps into their two-legged, three-legged race, the duo’s coordination faltered, and they fell onto the ground.

[Kiki-kikikik! Just how clumsy do you have to be to trip over your own feet before you even reach ten steps?! Pwah—?!]

[Shh, Hanuma Makoto. From now until the end of the race, making fun of the players is off-limits. More importantly, our Nagisa can only take on the heat from me!]

“…What did you say?! Just wait until after the race!”

Honestly, I think when Nagisa gets this fired up, she’s the cutest. She usually carries herself with a noble-like weight, so it makes her reactions even more endearing.

But, wow, didn’t notice how clumsy she really is! Honestly, I didn’t think she’d be this bad. If it hadn’t been for the no penalty rule, she probably would have fallen apart no matter the penalty imposed.

Well, to be fair, how often does our couch-potato Nagisa have to use her body?

[Ahahaha… The _Trinity_ runners are back up again. This time they’re quite stable as they run synchronously. Their speed might not be up to par, but it beats falling over any day!]

[…The _Gehenna_ runner is finally done with their second break and is running at full speed again. It seems they won’t go past a third rest, though! How pathetic—no, they stopped again?! Hey, senior administrator! Get some exercise while you’re at it!]

“Shut up!!! Who do you think is responsible for us having no time for exercise—?”

Oh boy, what a mess.

The speed wasn’t impressive at all, but thankfully, without falling again, Nagisa and Ichika were steadily approaching the next racer. Occasionally, Nagisa would stumble, but Ichika helped hold her balance.

Finally, Aco handed the baton to a waiting student council member.

[Finally passing the baton is the second runner from _Gehenna_… They really need to muster up and catch up!]

[What’s this? Despite the ridiculous appearance, they’re running pretty well! Good! Just run like that without bringing shame to _Gehenna_! Kiki-kik!]

Seriously, what’s going on? Running in the sand on the beach while your foot sinks, how the heck are they doing so well? No cheating allowed…

And who is causing all the shame to _Gehenna_? It’s like a muddy dog scolding a clean one; isn’t that a lot of hypocrisy?

[At a surprisingly fast pace, the _Gehenna_ runner has begun the chase! Meanwhile, _Trinity_ has just switched to their third runner, but… Ahaha, that doesn’t look easy at all.]

The third runner was Saori, who seemed deep in thought upon receiving the baton. Wondering what she was contemplating, I noticed she struggled to decide how to handle the baton while doing a handstand.

Clearly, Saori made a choice…

[Wow—oh…?]

[…What?!]

She decided to hold the baton between her chest while doing a handstand.

Aha… what a choice. I should probably acknowledge Saori’s cleverness for overcoming what we overlooked.

But no matter how you spin it, that’s quite the attention-grabber! And that unwavering posture, that’s a perfect handstand! Given she’s already good at doing graceful bows, does that mean a handstand is as easy as pie for her?

[Certainly stable, but expecting speed while maintaining a handstand is just greedy… Yep, it seems like it’s a given she’ll be overtaken, even if she utilizes the distance _Trinity_ has built up so far.]

[Kiki-kik! I can honestly say that’s impressive, but at this rate, victory for _Gehenna_ is right in front of them. How unfortunate, Misono Mika! Isn’t it about time you accepted the fate of a slave?!]

[…The competition isn’t over until it’s over, Hanuma Makoto. Our _Trinity_ runners are gradually picking up speed!]

Rather than pushing herself too hard to cover too much ground, the calm and collected Saori was progressing ahead faster than expected. At this speed, it looked like she was moving at a third of the regular walking pace.

Just as Saori moved on about 150m, the baton was successfully passed over from the _Gehenna_ runner.

[The next penalty for the _Gehenna_ runner is… running backward? So simple it’s snooze-inducing—]

[Oh dear… The hastily moving _Gehenna_ runner has flipped over backward, generating a significant time loss. Wow, her hair is all sandy now. Just like they say, “slow and steady wins the race,” taking it a bit slower might not be such a bad idea☆]

[Ha, what nonsense. You’re showing how uneasy your runner feels about being overtaken! If you’re going to run that ugly, just accept a dignified loss!]

[What’s with her, Hanuma Makoto? There are no dignified losers. There’s no such thing as “lost while fighting well,” you know.]

Even if one claims they fought well, it wouldn’t change the fact that I’d lose at the slave bakery. What’s the point of that? Hence, victory! No, it’s either victory or death!

Eventually, the _Gehenna_ runner managing to run backward passed Saori. Although it was expected, the student council member who chuckled lightly as they ran past her sure was fearless. What do you think will happen if they get ‘doughnut-ed’ by Saori?

[The _Gehenna_ runner passes the _Trinity_ runner for the third baton touch. The next runner has to maintain strides over 1m, but saying it just as 1m makes it hard to picture, right? So, a drone will follow along, displaying a 1m gap!]

The tallest member of the _Gehenna_ student council was assigned as the fourth runner, but even if they met the conditions, moving on the beach with that stride wouldn’t work. Moreover, being over 170cm tall doesn’t mean it’s easy.

[Reaching the 200m mark, the fourth runner from _Gehenna_ finally enters the baton zone! Wow, they have completed a full 400m on a handstand. Hmm, isn’t this applause-worthy?]

We worship you, Saori… thanks to you, _Trinity_ now holds the chance for a comeback.

Having reached the baton zone, she could easily get up and hand the baton over, yet she held on with one hand and elegantly handed the baton to Suzumi, knowing it could turn into an awkward moment… If it weren’t for that scenario, it would have been admired for its elegance.

[_Trinity’s_ fourth runner… what’s this, moving quickly despite being a walk?!]

[Hey, what’s happening? Can a person really move that fast?! At this pace, we should suspect doping—]

[Hanuma Makoto, do you want to stir up trouble? Just mentioning that could lead to some serious discussions.]

[Ugh. Y-Yeah! Stop hitting me! It hurts like hell! What kind of hand is that?!]

[Then who told you to bring that up?]

The speed at which Suzumi leaped aside, throwing sand around, was nothing short of incredible. I was placing hopes on the next runner, Azusa, but this was far beyond what I had anticipated.

Seeing Makoto trying to twist words around, I quickly dealt with him. The relationship between the tournament and doping tests cannot be dismissed; alleging doping is just plain ridiculous.

[With _Gehenna’s_ fourth runner’s baton touch still slightly ahead! Their last penalty is to quickly complete five flips mid-run, as they run forward while flipping! _Trinity_ gets the baton touch!]

[…Haha, what a kid?! No need to even guess that _Gehenna_ has already won. Kiki-kikik!]

[Oh, if you underestimate our last runner like that, you’ll regret it. Are you sure you’re okay?]

The final runner for _Trinity_, Azusa began to run. With the light of her mask turned off, she caught up with Iori, who had just completed her flips.

[The moment that mask lights up, our loss will be confirmed… But I bet that mask will remain unlit until she crosses the finish line.]

Iori could be seen running with all her might, but Azusa was visibly pulling ahead. Yes, that’s the might of our Squirrel.

When Azusa got right to the finish line, she had certainly opened a gap of at least 2m between her and Iori. The mask Azusa was wearing still showed no signs of lighting up.

Finally, Azusa crossed the finish line.

[Waaaa!!! _Trinity_ wins!!!]

[Kraaaah! Student council, you useless punks!!!]

Joy and despair clashed, both in the broadcasting booth and among the athletes.

As soon as Azusa crossed the finish line, she collapsed on the sandy beach, lying flat and gasping for breath. After nearly a minute of sprinting without a single breath, her heart was probably right at the brink of bursting.

Thanks to the performances of Saori, Suzumi, and Azusa, our _Trinity_ team managed to score 10 points, perhaps giving birth to a glimmer of hope.

However, as I saw Nagisa approaching me with a grim face, it was clear that I had no hope at all… But at least we scored, right?