In the marathon, the girls started first, and after some time had passed, the boys began running.
Why it was arranged in that order wasn’t entirely clear—
But it was probably to avoid congestion.
Generally speaking, if you compare boys and girls, the boys are expected to be faster.
And while the distances differed—ten kilometres for the boys and seven for the girls—over that range, the leading group of boys would quickly catch up to the slower group of girls.
So the boys’ start was delayed.
And so, after seeing Arisa and the others off, it was soon Yuzuru’s turn.
At the signal, the boys all started running at once.
Yuzuru set off alongside Soichiro and the others.
(…At the start, no one really pulls ahead. Everyone matches the pace around them.)
Was it a particularly Japanese tendency—to read the room and move with the group?
Or was that just how young people everywhere behaved?
Or simply that everyone starts off slow, so no gaps appear?
He wasn’t sure.
But as always, the runners began in a tightly packed cluster.
And once a few people started breaking away—
Others followed, as if reassured.
Before long, a clear gap had formed between the front and the back.
(Now then, what should I do?)
Ahead of Yuzuru was Soichiro.
Behind him was Hijiri.
Soichiro likely had no intention of letting either of them pass him.
Hijiri, on the other hand, was probably planning to overtake both of them in the latter half.
And of course, Yuzuru had no intention of being overtaken—and every intention of passing Soichiro.
For now, it was still early, so they maintained their distances, feeling each other out.
But once they reached the middle stages, it would become a psychological battle.
(For now, I’ll just hold this position.)
Yuzuru prioritised conserving his stamina.
Since they were running near the front group—
They soon began catching up to the girls’ rear pack.
And among that group… was Amaka.
Despite it still being early, she already looked exhausted.
“You alright?”
“—haah, d-don’t—haah—talk to me…”
That exchange came from behind.
It seemed Hijiri had spoken to her.
But Amaka didn’t have the energy to respond properly.
Moving past her, they entered the middle stretch.
On the opposite side of the course, the leading group of girls—already past their turning point—ran by.
Among them were Ayaka and Chiharu.
True to their personalities, neither of them held back—they must have been pushing hard from the start.
Even so, they looked somewhat strained.
They only managed brief eye contact before passing by.
And after a while—
Yuzuru spotted the middle group of girls approaching their turning point ahead.
(There—)
Among them was a bib bearing the name “Yukishiro”.
Her beautiful flaxen hair, tied behind her, swayed as she ran.
Rounding the cone marking the turn, Arisa faced towards Yuzuru and the others.
Her pale skin was flushed, beads of sweat clinging to it.
She looked a little tired.
…And her chest rose and fell slightly with her breathing.
Her toned white legs showed beneath her short running shorts.
Her gym clothes were damp with sweat, faintly revealing the outline of her camisole beneath.
As Yuzuru found himself staring rather intently at Arisa in this slightly more alluring state—
Even she noticed him.
And for some reason, she smiled in his direction.
(…She’s adorable.)
It felt like strength surged through him.
At the same time, though, a faint unease stirred.
(I don’t want other guys seeing her like this…)
This fairy-like, adorable—and slightly alluring—“fiancée” of his…
He didn’t want anyone else to see her.
A sense of possessiveness welled up inside him.
(No—but at the same time…)
He also wanted to show her off.
Look—my fiancée is this cute. Aren’t you jealous?
(…Ah, this is bad.)
Realising that, Yuzuru quickly covered his mouth.
At some point, his expression had loosened into a grin.
Running while grinning like that…
Objectively, it was pretty unsettling.
He tightened his expression and reached the boys’ turning point.
Since both groups started from the same place, it was only natural their turning points differed.
Yuzuru rounded the cone—
And then noticed.
Hijiri was now running right beside him.
He’d caught up.
Yuzuru immediately picked up his pace to avoid being overtaken—and tried to pass Soichiro as well.
In response, both Soichiro and Hijiri sped up.
“…”
“…!”
“…Haah…”
The three of them fell into a side-by-side deadlock.
(…This was a mistake.)
Only now did Yuzuru realise—
Competing like this just made everything harder.
It would’ve been easier to run at his own pace.
But now, there was a meal on the line.
And in Yuzuru’s case, he also needed to prepare a proper gift for Arisa—
He couldn’t afford to be treating Soichiro and Hijiri to dinner.
So he ran, focusing single-mindedly on Arisa.
That said, if sheer willpower were enough, stamina wouldn’t exist as a concept.
All three—Soichiro, Yuzuru, and Hijiri—were fairly athletic—
But among them, Soichiro stood a step above.
Naturally, he began to pull slightly ahead, with Yuzuru and Hijiri trailing behind.
(This is bad… really bad.)
Hijiri was right on Yuzuru’s heels.
It seemed he’d chosen to surge forward at the very end.
He applied steady pressure, occasionally feinting an acceleration.
And before long—the finish line came into view.
Students who had already finished were gathered nearby, watching from a distance.
“Soichiro-kun, gooo!”
“Just a bit more!”
Those voices belonged to Ayaka and Chiharu.
At once, Soichiro’s pace visibly increased.
Getting fired up from girls cheering him on—
What a simple guy! Yuzuru fumed internally.
Then—
What about the girl he cared about most?
Wasn’t she cheering for him?
He searched for her.
Arisa stood right beside Ayaka and Chiharu.
One hand placed over her chest, she looked his way.
Her delicate lips moved slightly.
Do your best.
He heard it—
Or rather, it felt like she had said it.
(That’s right. I have to do this—for Arisa.)
Yuzuru summoned the last of his strength.
Hijiri made his final push as well—
But Yuzuru didn’t care.
Some guy didn’t matter.
There was only Arisa in his mind.
And then—
“I feel like having hamburg steak in foil for the first time in a while.”
“I’m fine with anything. As long as it’s on you.”
While Soichiro and Yuzuru discussed which family restaurant to go to—
“…You two… using that kind of tactic in a man’s contest… that’s just dirty… drop dead…”
Hijiri muttered bitterly.
Incidentally, Amaka crossed the finish line last—to thunderous applause.
Out of kindness, everyone agreed not to mention it.
