Run

　　Before starting to run, Shinichi discovered that there was something hard in Yotsuba's pants, which touched her leg through the pocket.

　　"What's that?"

　　When Yotsuba was asked this question, she showed a guilty expression and took out a stick from her pocket.

　　...Stick?

　　When Shinichi was confused, Yotsuba explained embarrassedly:

　　"I forgot to take out the charm while exercising..."

　　The two of them walked towards the shade of a nearby tree. Yotsuba holds the baton.

　　Seeing the rabbit sticker on the bottom of the baton, Shinichi remembered that this was the prop they always used during relay practice. Yotsuba treats it as a talisman and cares for it with great value.

　　He didn't expect Yotsuba to bring it, wouldn't she have difficulty carrying such a big talisman with her?

　　"Put it here first. Nobody will take it…"

　　Just when Yotsuba was about to place the stick next to the tree roots, Shinichi spread his handkerchief on the ground. For a man, it makes perfect sense to always carry a handkerchief in his pocket. He took the stick in her hand and leaned it against the root of the tree.

　　After that, Shinichi put his hands together and bowed.

　　"I hope we are successful!"

　　 Yotsuba and asked in confusion, "Asada-san, what are you doing? Why do you want to worship my talisman?"

　　"Have you ever heard of the concept of fusangshen?" Shinichi looked at it and continued to explain.

　　"If the equipment is left for a hundred years, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, hatred, or sensing Buddha nature and spiritual power to obtain souls, they may turn into monsters and other existences. If you bathe frequently in faith, you will most likely become a patron saint or protector of the body. It's devices like this that can keep your body safe and your future smooth."

　　"Simply put, paying respects once in a while can make your talisman more effective."

　　Seeing Yotsuba getting more and more confused as she listened, Shinichi immediately prepared to walk back to the runway.

　　However, because they couldn't move, the two people who were tied tightly by the red ribbon could only move at the same time. Shinichi stopped where he was after sticking out his left leg, unable to move forward.

　　"Ah! Asada-san, wait for me!"

　　Yotsuba stared at the stick in a daze for a while. After Shinichi's legs were slightly pulled by one centimeter, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and looked at the stick standing under the tree.

　　"Lord Amulet, please bless Asada-san and I to win!"

　　After doing this, she put on an energetic expression and followed Shinichi onto the runway.

　　"Hey, Asada-san, isn't it strange to use a stick as a talisman?"

　　"I think this is very strange."

　　"Oh, so honest!"

　　"But if the object has special meaning to you, whether it's a wand or an amulet, it's okay to make it into anything. You are the one who can make that definition. No need to ask other people whether it is strange or not."

　　"...Um! Hehehe~ I seem to be asking a strange question~"

　　"It's not strange at all. At most it's just a groan without any disease."

　　"…Asada-san, the points you got just now for that polite behavior are dropping fast."

　　"It was really bad. By the way, wash the handkerchief later and remember to return it to me. Even though I wanted to give Mr. Amulet of standing, you carry the amulet."

　　"Straight man! Asada-san's score is now zero, hmph!"

　　"Yotsuba suddenly knows a lot of things..."

　　"Are you talking about straight men? This is what Nino said at home, so you..."

　　When the runners took their respective positions behind the starting line, the two stopped chatting, they put their shoulders together and bent slightly, looking directly at the finish line ahead, and their breathing rhythms began to overlap.

　　"Ready—bang!"

　　The gun command sounded, and the groups from each school started running at the same time. However, the restraints on their legs were a hindrance for them. Some people couldn't increase their speed, and some people ran together and bumped into each other, then stumbled forward at the front of the line.

　　This refers to the couple Hachiman and Yukino.

　　"Hikigaya-kun, please turn off your mind from now on and let your body move. I will be responsible for the rest, okay?"

　　"Don't use the same tone as 'please turn in today's homework' to say impossible things like that, okay?"

　　"Then keep going! Listen, I'm going to shout orders, one, two, one, two..."

　　"The rhythm is right… The question is, can't you get closer?"

　　"Ah... I'm sorry, physical contact..."

　　"OK I understand. Let's walk slowly until the end like this."

　　"Oh, life is so troubled."

　　"It's not your turn to speak!"

　　After dealing with the annoying woman, Hachiman was about to look at the male and female pair who were nearing the end, and sighed inwardly.

(It would be nice if my partner could be someone else...)

　　Regardless of winning or losing.

　　If his partner was replaced by Shinichi, things wouldn't be as bad as they are now...

Thinking of this, Hachiman looked at the beautiful black-haired girl next to him and subconsciously became more disgusted.

　　△

　　Shinichi and Yotsuba are currently in crisis.

　　The finish line was right in front of them, but there was still a team running ahead of them, running towards the finish line at a very high speed.

　　The distance between the two is not big, but if they can't catch up within a few seconds, they will lose first place and get second place.

　　This made Yotsuba who was just determined to become first place, panic.

　　Chase them!

　　While the distance between the two parties shortened, she and her partner's steps started to become misaligned, and their neat footsteps became chaotic sounds.

　　She didn't care, just stared at the leader's back and continued on.

　　Shinichi was well aware of this. As he increased his running speed, which was already approaching the limit, he placed his hands on Yotsuba's shoulders and pulled her upper body into his arms.

　　"Wait, this is not a one-man race, I'm holding you back!"

　　Yotsuna was shocked and her voice was a little more urgent and fragile:

　　"No, Asada-san didn't hold me back..."

　　She looked straight ahead, leaned close to the girl's ear, and spoke quickly and quietly:

　　"Then just listen to my instructions!"

　　Those words became the focal stone, and that absolute confidence made Yotsuba temporarily put aside her panic.

　　"One two one two one two one, two one... Two!"

　　The forward speed gradually slowed down, but the wrong speed occurred again.

　　The familiar sense of coordination connects the bodies to each other again.

　　But Yotsuba couldn't calm down.

　　Because they haven't excelled yet! First place will be taken!

　　"Don't worry, just watch their steps."

　　The anxious atmosphere eased with Shinichi's confident words, and Yotsuba looked forward.

　　The two contestants who were supposed to be from Koyo Girls Academy ran towards the finish line with fast momentum.

　　"Good food, good food, good food, good food! I have to eat food cooked by handsome chefs!"

　　"Please, please wait a moment, Hibiki! You run so fast, I won't be able to keep up… I can barely keep up with your speed!"

　　"Handsome guy's delicious food ahhhh——!"

　　A brown-skinned girl who seemed to be going on a rampage, and a purely frightened girl with long straight black hair.

　　Even though they were fast, they didn't have a sense of cooperation like Shinichi. It was clear that the brown-skinned girl was dragging the black-haired girl forward.

　　If not for the black-haired girl's seemingly good motor skills, she probably wouldn't have been able to match the brown-haired girl's dashing speed, and the two of them fell in just a few steps.

　　But even after persisting for three-quarters of the way, the black-haired girl finally reached her limit under the fierce attacks of her partner without considering it. Her legs gave out and a huge pulling force came from her ankles.

　　"Oops!"