「On your marks… get set… go!!」
With the sound of the starting pistol, the final event, the selected relay, began.
「Ootto!! Right off the bat, the blue team takes the lead!! First-year Yamanaga is showing an impressive run!」
As if in proportion to the announcer’s excitement, the energy in the venue kept rising.
I was at the center of that heat.
Relay runners were passing right by me even now.
As if the clash of wills and the determination not to lose were accumulating in the baton, the runners kept increasing their speed.
It seemed that even the runners waiting for their turn inside the track could feel it.
Currently, it’s up to the fourth runner, with the order being blue, red, white, black, and yellow.
By the time Takumi’s little sister, who started first, made a brilliant start dash and passed the baton to the next runner, the gap between the blue and yellow teams had widened to about 30 meters.
She was amazing in the 100m, and her 200m was equally impressive.
「Achaa~… it’s not going well, is it…」
As Maeda-san said, the black team is stuck in 4th place. They’ve been consistently scoring points in other events, but the situation has deteriorated here.
Although the runners change, the battle situation doesn’t change much.
Finally, it was Maeda-san’s turn.
「Then, I’ll be off for a bit~」
Maeda-san enters the track cheerfully despite the disadvantage.
However, her eyes were shining brightly.
Just a little longer until she receives the baton.
At that moment, she looked my way and said, “Let’s do our best!” while giving a thumbs up.
I respond instinctively. “Yeah!” I nod and give a thumbs up back.
Then, Maeda-san grinned widely and began her approach run to receive the baton.
The baton was passed to Maeda-san, the 12th runner, in 4th place.
The blue team had about a 20-meter lead over the second-place red team, followed closely by red, white, and black in a three-way battle.
「Ootto!! The black team has overtaken the white team to move into 3rd place!! Will they catch up to the red team…?」
Maeda-san was fighting hard. She was getting close to overtaking the red team as well.
「14th runner, please enter the track.」
As I was watching the battle situation, the teacher in charge gave the instruction.
We line up from the inside according to the order of the teams, so I took my position as the third from the inside.
Then, the baton is passed to the 13th runner.
「Ootto! There’s a change in position! The white team is back in 3rd place!!」
There was no major problem in the baton pass that could be called a mistake.
If anything, the receiver wasn’t able to accelerate enough when receiving the baton.
In contrast, the white team performed an almost perfect baton pass.
And so the positions reversed again.
So close… we were just a bit away…
These two had a perfect baton pass in practice.
That’s why it’s all the more frustrating.
But I couldn’t keep focusing on others.
Because it was my turn next.
I’ll do my best as Maeda-san did… the results will surely follow.
I tightly clench my fist and reach my right hand back to receive the baton.
I turned around to make sure I could clearly see the runner passing the baton to me.
Alright, we’re in 4th place, but the gap to 2nd isn’t that big.
The battle situation was the same as before Maeda-san received the baton.
My excitement rises as the baton approaches.
I sharpen my senses to not allow even a slight delay.
Then, I feel something tied around my right wrist.
Geez… I shouldn’t be worrying about this now.
It was something I had been trying not to think about during this competition.
Something I don’t know what to do with.
Seriously… wrapping a friendship bracelet around your right hand means love… What does that even mean?
When I first received it, I thought it was just a simple wish charm.
But to think that wrapping it around your dominant hand had such a meaning…
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
Did he know…?
Did he deliberately wrap it around my dominant hand knowing that?
That bothers me a lot.
Also, his words, “It’s important, and that’s exactly why I’m giving it to you”, still linger in my mind.
What did he mean by that…
I’ve thought about it since, but I can’t find any answers.
Ahh! Gee! I don’t get it!
It’s frustrating, I thought I had it all figured out.
At this rate, I’m definitely going to question him about it later!
I know I don’t have that kind of courage.
But I have to think that way, or I won’t be able to focus on what’s most important.
Right now, there’s something here that should take priority over everything else.
That’s right, I’ve been chosen for the selected relay.
I’m in a position of responsibility. I won’t face this with a frivolous mindset.
All I desire is pure victory.
Haa… focus, me.
I take a deep breath.
「Now, the baton is passed to the 14th runner of the blue team! The red team follows with a slight delay!!」
When the 13th runner of the black team entered within a 5-meter range, I started running.
This scene we’ve practiced many times, her characteristics, my characteristics. We’ve even had discussions on how to make the perfect pass.
But at this moment, it was all about connecting in the best possible state.
「Ootto!! The black team has made a perfect baton pass!! Accelerating past the white team?? Can they do it? Can they??」
Even I thought it was perfect, and we chased after the white team.
「T-This is… there’s been a change in position again! The black team has overtaken the white team and is chasing the red team! It’s an incredible dead heat!!」
Just as the announcer described.
The white team was right behind me, and the red team was right in front of me.
Just a little more… just a little more…
Even if we can’t catch up to the blue team, I want to pass the baton to our anchor in 2nd place at least.
To satisfy that senpai who never changes her expression, even just a little.
Even in practice, our anchor, Matsuyama-senpai, never changed her expression, making her a mysterious person whose thoughts were hard to read.
When I asked, “How can I make it easier for you to receive?”, she only said one word, “I’ll adjust to you completely”, and remained silent after that.
Does this event have no meaning for her to take it seriously??
However, looking at her running and form, it didn’t seem that way at all.
Maybe she’s just not good with words?
I haven’t seen her talk much with other third-years either.
She gave off an unapproachable aura, but maybe she’s just not good at talking and is being cautious.
Senpai said she would adjust to me completely in the baton pass, but even if she has the ability to adapt, there’s no absolute in the world of sports. If there’s a possibility of failure, it’s better to reduce it to zero as much as possible.
That’s why I wanted to decide on a method and consulted with senpai extensively without worrying about appearances.
At first, senpai seemed puzzled.
However, after a few consultations, she started to open up little by little.
「H-Hey… why do you care so much about me? I thought I said to leave everything to me?」
「Indeed, you did say that, but if we do that, I’ll end up relying on senpai for everything.」
「Isn’t that fine? After all, you’re not in the track and field club. I can’t be making all sorts of demands on you when I’m the one who does this regularly.」
「A relay is a team play. Even if I’m not experienced, I think it’s better if we pass the baton while considering each other as much as possible.」
「Well, that’s true, but…」
「Please. Even if it’s difficult, I’ll practice and make it work somehow.」
I bowed my head.
Then, senpai, looking a bit troubled but also slightly pleased, said, “Alright. Let’s all do our best”.
Senpai? …I’m counting on you.
「The black team is making a great leap forward!! They’ve caught up with the red team!!」
According to our plan, I extend my left hand holding the baton as far as I can while capturing the image of senpai stepping in perfectly for the first step with the right position and timing.
Toss…
「Perfect.」
The moment I passed the baton, she said that in a voice I could hear.