Sports Day in May
The principal's voice droned on through the speakers, each word stretching out like it was trying to torture us on purpose.
"Aish, this bastard talks like shit. I'm dying from the heat."
"Just wrap it up already..."
As usual with big events, the principal's mental attack had over a thousand people from Jinsu High gathered on the field grumbling and cursing under their breath.
"Woooooooooo!!!"
Under the May sunlight that was just starting to get seriously hot, the speech dragged on for over ten minutes. Everyone who had been swearing nonstop the entire time let out genuine cheers the moment their suffering finally ended.
Right away, the student council officers and teachers who had prepared this event began guiding everyone according to the scheduled program.
"Second and third years, move to the area marked with your class on the stone steps! First-year soccer members, gather immediately at the center of the field!"
"First-years not playing soccer and second and third years, hurry up and move! The four-legged race for second years is starting right away, so participants come to the starting line on the track!"
Jinsu High's massive sports field quickly became packed with people crisscrossing everywhere. Yuri, who had worked hard preparing for this sports festival, was so busy leading the crowd with the other student council members that she couldn't even enjoy the atmosphere.
While Yuri was running around like crazy, the rest of us from Class 3 of the third year—including me and Jeong Eun-ji—settled down in our assigned spot on the stone steps.
That's when I noticed two second-year guys wearing fluorescent vests over their gym clothes loitering near our class's seating area. I didn't know their names, but their faces looked vaguely familiar. Judging by the small tattoos on their forearms, they were definitely part of Jinsu High's delinquent crew.
The moment those second-year delinquents made eye contact with me, they started fidgeting and rolling their eyes around, clearly not knowing what to do. It was obvious they had something to say to me, and since it wouldn't look good for delinquents to be hanging around our class even if they were a different year, I got up from my seat and walked over to them.
"Ah, Senior! Hello!"
The two of them immediately bowed at a perfect ninety degrees in that classic thug-style greeting the second I got close. I brushed off their greeting and asked,
"Why the hell are you two loitering behind our class?"
"Ah, that's... We came because we have something we want to tell you, Senior."
"What is it?"
"We think we're gonna go to war with Eunbong today."
My curiosity was piqued. Whenever a fight broke out, the reason was always the first thing I wanted to know.
"Why?"
"Well... Some of the first-years apparently had one-night stands with girls from another academy, and one of them was one of Kang Baek-san's girls..."
"What a load of bullshit."
The guys who caused the problem and the Eunbong bastards using it as an excuse to start a gang fight—looking at it from the outside, it was all so pathetic. Even the old Han Seong-jin who used to live inside that stupid fishbowl had thought that kind of life was cool.
"So you came all the way here just to tell me that? I told you I retired."
"Ah, um... That's not it... If it's okay with you, Senior, we wanted to ask if you could help us just this once."
"Hah."
"That bastard Kang Baek-san has completely lost it. For the past few weeks he's been beating the shit out of any of our guys he sees. Senior Hwang Seong-tae said he can't take it anymore and that we're fighting, but without you here, Senior, we don't know what'll happen..."
"So what you're saying is, even though I've stepped back and retired, you want me to jump back into the gang fight scene and be your meat shield? Did Hwang Seong-tae put you up to this?"
The two second-years looked horrified at my words.
"Th-that's not it, Senior! How could we possibly dare..."
"I told you I'd wash my hands of it, so handle your own shit—whether you fight, get cooked, or fuck each other, do whatever you want. So why the hell are you coming to me asking for help? Did my words about retiring sound like complete dogshit to you?"
"N-no! We're sorry, Senior!"
"We're sorry!"
I walked up to one of them, slung an arm around his shoulder, and lowered my voice.
"Hoo... Normally, you two would be getting dragged behind the building right now and beaten until you shit yourselves."
Gulp.
The two of them swallowed hard, completely tense.
"I'm in a good mood lately, so I'll let it go with just words this time. Let me say it again—I'm not here anymore. Whether you have gang fights or eat shit, handle it yourselves. Just erase my existence from your memories completely. Understand?"
"Y-yes, Senior!"
"Good. If you got it, get lost."
The moment I gave permission, the two of them scurried off like their tails were on fire. I was a little curious about the fight itself and wanted to watch, but it was just the pathetic little world of half-witted delinquents. Since I'd decided to wash my hands of that kind of pathetic crap, I didn't need to know how the fight would go or who would win.
I went back to my seat and started enjoying the sports festival. On the other hand, Yuri—probably because she was in the student council—couldn't properly enjoy it at all. She was running back and forth carrying things without a moment's rest.
I couldn't stand watching anymore, so I went over to her while she was huffing and puffing, dragging out a vaulting box from the gym storage. I took the stuff she was carrying and said,
"Yuri, aren't you tired? You're not even getting to enjoy the sports festival and just working the whole time. Take a break."
"Huu... It is tiring, but I'm the student council president, so I can't just not do it..."
"What kind of position only has responsibilities and zero rights? You've been going home late every day and suffering all this time. On a day like today, you should enjoy yourself too."
"Still, the student council president has to set an example..."
"Haven't you been setting an example this whole time? Go have some fun. Make the other student council kids who haven't done much work do it. Don't do everything yourself. Where should I put this?"
"Ah, that goes over there..."
I helped Yuri with the cleanup and preparing for the next event. When we set down an opaque paper box filled with slips of paper in the middle of the track, everyone's attention immediately focused on it.
In a way, it drew even more interest than the men's soccer match or the afternoon relay race. The highlight of the sports festival.
The Borrow-an-Item Race.
"You're not doing this? Looks like it'd be fun."
"I told you. I'm the student council president, so I'm too busy managing everything to participate. What about you? You're not joining?"
"If I jumped in and started running to borrow something, wouldn't the kids get scared? I'll just do the tougher stuff like soccer and the relay later."
"Still, you've been getting along pretty well with the guys in your class lately... It's a shame. Ah, it's time, Seong-jin. I'll head to the finish line first to judge. See you at lunch!"
"Yeah. It's hot, so don't push yourself too hard."
Yuri waved at me and ran off toward the finish line where she'd be judging. I headed back to our class's seating area as well.
Since multiple people from each class could participate in the Borrow-an-Item Race, there were way over several dozen runners waiting on the field. Among them were our class's Jeong Eun-ji and, from the second years, Choi Su-yeon.
"Revealing what item you need to borrow or showing the slip to others will result in disqualification! Participants, do not show the contents of your slip until the event ends, and after crossing the finish line, return the slip to the judge standing there!"
The judge standing at the finish line was obviously Yuri.
"Then, ready! Start!"
The moment a student council officer fired the starting pistol into the sky, dozens of boys and girls all dashed down the track at once toward the box containing the slips.
......
The one who took the lead right from the start was, of course, Jeong Eun-ji, who was training to become a professional track athlete.
"Eun-ji's so fast!"
"Hurry up and draw one!"
The Borrow-an-Item Race was a big event where people were more interested in what was being borrowed, who was being brought along, and whether the slip the runner drew said 'someone you like' rather than just winning or losing.
While Jeong Eun-ji reached the box and rummaged around inside it, her close friends cheered and waited for her to open the slip.
Jeong Eun-ji opened the slip, read its contents, and tilted her head in confusion.
"What the... what is this?"
She looked around in bewilderment, searching for the person she needed to borrow. Then she stopped dead when she reached the Class 3 area and looked around at her classmates.
Her friends, who had no idea what she'd drawn, cheered and started showing off all the random items they had.
"Eun-ji, what is it?! I've got tons of stuff!"
"Show us the slip!"
"That'd be disqualification! No, it's just... the content is a bit..."
As she kept turning her head, Jeong Eun-ji's eyes suddenly met mine. And she froze.
What do I do? Do I have to bring him?
"Excuse me for a second~♥"
While she was panicking and hesitating, Choi Su-yeon came up from behind and deliberately bumped her hip into Jeong Eun-ji, shoving her aside.
"Whoa?! Ack!"
Completely off guard, Jeong Eun-ji lost her balance and fell to the side. Choi Su-yeon gave her a mocking glance, lightly jumped over her, and called out to me.
"Seong~jin~Seon~bae~♥ Come with me~♥"
Then she pushed through the people from Class 3 of the third year, walked right up to me at the very back, and linked her arm with mine right in front of the entire school.