Chapter 8

After recovering from the IV drip, Akito bounced back to his lively self within a few days.

The school was gearing up for the sports festival, and as the class monitor, Ryohei was busier than ever. The registration for events had started weeks before the festival, and Ryohei, chewing on his pen, filling out forms, whispered to Akito during self-study, "Not many people have signed up for a lot of events."

Akito took a glance at the list and said, "There's only the men's 200 meters left; I'll take that."

Ryohei smiled and said, "Thanks."

Akito responded, "We make a great team, huh?"

Ryohei said, "Have a look at shot put and..."

Akito shrank back and said, "Don't take advantage of the situation!"

On the day of the sports festival, the atmosphere was lively. Although the town wasn't large, this was the only high school, so all the young people in the county were present. The crowd was bustling with activity.

Around 7 a.m., the entire school moved their chairs to the CA0 field. Girls carried bags with lots of snacks, while boys carried bags usually containing just water.

Nick sat in the crowd of class three, surrounded by a group of boys, all eyes surreptitiously glancing towards class four.

During the morning, Nick sat in the front row, silently sipping on a little water. Teachers offered him sunflower seeds, and he thanked them, eating a few.

Akito sat behind him, shouting as loud as he could whenever any event featured a participant from class four. The shouts were so loud that they deafened Ryohei sitting in front.

In the afternoon, it was finally Akito's turn. He wore a white tank top and white shorts. There were only eight participants, and with no preliminary rounds, the places were decided in one go.

Ryohei wiped his eyes, watching Akito.

As soon as the gunshot sounded, Akito swiftly took off, initially securing the second position. Passing by their class area, Ryohei shouted, "Go! Go!"

Hearing this, Akito gained a burst of energy and pushed a few more steps. Nick, in class three, also shouted, "Akito! Go!"

The onlookers were stunned by Nick's blatant cheer for a student from another class but dared not say anything.

In the end, Akito finished first, panting, and came back. Ryohei, holding a bottle of water, walked up to him. Just as Akito was about to approach, he was intercepted by Nick.

Nick patted him on the back, handing him a wet towel, "Well done!"

Akito grinned foolishly, quite pleased with himself. Ryohei watched, held a bottle of water, and returned to his seat.

Soon, the announcement came over the loudspeaker for the first-place winner to come forward.

Ryohei looked at Akito coming back with a black bag and asked, "What's in there?"

Akito frowned, "A pair of socks..."