Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Sports Festival #4
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“You okay?”
“Ugh... I’m exhausted.”
With a look like she was on the verge of death, Lee Soyun gulped down the water Lee Sea handed her.
“You might end up with sore muscles on the actual day of the sports festival if you push yourself too hard.”
Hong Yeonseo, not a drop of sweat on her, gently kneaded Lee Soyun’s legs as she spoke.
Some people were practically dying.
That’s why basic stamina was so important.
Like drinking water from an oasis in the desert, Lee Soyun sucked down the life-giving liquid before letting out a rough breath.
“Phew. For some reason, I really didn’t want to lose today.”
Even in her exhausted state, Lee Soyun clenched her fist tight as she spoke.
“It was nice watching you give it your all.”
“Right!?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
A tiny kid running her heart out trying her best was kind of heartwarming. If I said that, I’d probably get scolded, though.
Lee Soyun’s mood brightened at the mildly toned-down praise.
People really needed to choose their words carefully.
“Come on. Even if you’re tired, walking a little is better than just sitting.”
Hong Yeonseo slipped her hands under Lee Soyun’s armpits and yanked her up like pulling a radish from the ground.
“I’m tired...”
“If you rest now, you’ll suffer even more tomorrow.”
Ugh.
Lee Soyun let out a whine as she followed Hong Yeonseo’s lead, dragging her heavy feet along.
Up on the platform ahead, Teacher Jeong Chaeyeon was gathering the kids in one spot.
“Class C, over here~ Hurry up, let’s go!”
We matched Lee Soyun’s pace and slowly made our way toward the platform.
Once everyone was gathered, the teacher climbed the platform steps, drawing all our eyes to her as she crossed her arms.
Her adult curves stood out, impossible to hide even under the school gym uniform.
“You all worked hard on practice today. Heads up, tomorrow afternoon we’ve got ball sports and relay practice. That’s it for end-of-day homeroom. If you’re late, the showers will be packed, so hurry and wash up first, change, and get to your club activities!”
The teacher quickly wrapped up homeroom and set us free.
No matter how big the school was, the shower facilities couldn’t handle everyone at once, so first come, first served.
“Whoa! Teacher’s the best!”
As our class dashed off, envious stares from the other classes stabbed into our backs.
We’re going first!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Junior, you were really into soccer today, huh?”
“Oh. Did you see?”
“Yeah. Just caught a glimpse while passing by.”
“Kinda embarrassing.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? You looked super cool. Seeing you so active was a fresh change.”
Hmm. I’d only ever been the artsy type around the president, so yeah, it must’ve been new for her.
“What’s this? Include me in the conversation.”
“I saw our junior playing soccer earlier.”
“Heh. Doesn’t really suit you.”
Yu Seul blinked at me.
“Looks can be deceiving. I do exercise.”p> ...My only regular exercise was morning jogs, though.
“Really? Impressive. Didn’t you ace your studies too? Top of the first-years, right?”
“Amazing, junior.”
“...Thanks.”
I took a sip of my hot chocolate and averted my gaze.
“Oh, right. Did you check the email, President?”
“Oh yeah! That’s right. I meant to bring it up, but your soccer play popped into my head first.”
The surprised president grabbed the vice president’s laptop and came over.
For the record, the vice president had been watching anime.
“Wow, you already finished two?”
“Eek! The merch illustrations? For real?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
Yu Seul jumped up and grabbed me, firing off questions.
“W-Wait, you drew all day Sunday?”
“Didn’t really have anywhere to go.”
Sundays, I hunkered down at home, occasionally running mobile games, so drawing was pretty much my only pastime.
Including the sketches from school and a bit of work on Saturday, I’d whipped up two illustrations in two or three days.
“I’ve barely started...”
“Just go at your own pace. Think of me as abnormally fast.”
“Easier said than done!”
Yu Seul left those words and scurried back to her seat.
“Take your time. You’ve still got about a week.”
Even with the president’s words, Yu Seul was already scribbling away furiously.
“Seeing it all finished like that makes me want to work harder too...”
I’d unintentionally motivated Yu Seul.
Well, good for her.
“Anyway, you drew them so well. Hard to believe you did it this fast.”
“Thanks.”
I gave an awkward thanks to the president, who was admiring the illustrations on the laptop, and finished my hot chocolate.
“Guess I should get back to work too.”
“Yeah. Good luck. Oh, by the way, we’re wrapping up the preliminary cosplay video shoot this weekend. You free?”
“Yep. I’ll clear my schedule.”
With two events overlapping, things were bound to get busy.
Weekdays taken by sports festival prep, weekends by cosplay event—my bones were already aching at the thought.
I just wanted to wrap up the sports festival quick and get back to peaceful days.
I quickly washed my mug and returned to my seat.
I sat next to Yu Seul, who was hard at work, and started sketching away.
Since she was motivated anyway, maybe I’d push a bit harder too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before we knew it, the short club time flew by as Yu Seul and I, both fired up, focused intently on our drawings.
We only snapped out of it when we saw the seniors leaving first, realizing, “Already this late!?”
Focus deepened when shared with someone else.
That’s why people studied in libraries.
Humans were heavily influenced by their surroundings.
Anyway, thanks to each other, we both got pretty solid results. Lucky.
I finished my sketch in no time thanks to the concentration, and Yu Seul wrapped up her previous piece.
A win-win motivation boost.
“Good work. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Heading out.”
I stretched my stiff body from the long, unchanging posture and headed home.
Tired, but fulfilled—so I was in a good mood.
Fiddling with my phone, I looked around and saw more students rolling up their sleeves.
Seeing that made me feel hotter too.
The fresh green of leaves was starting to stand out more than the colorful flowers.
The season was shifting, I could feel it in the weather.
A bit early, but what could you do?
This was a romcom world, but real issues like global warming weren’t magically fixed.
Good thing the sports festival was during the cooler part of the day.
I glanced at my uniform sleeve.
Should I roll it up? Nah... summer uniform season was right around the corner anyway, so better hold off.
Rolling it would leave creases, a pain to iron out.
And loose sleeves got in the way when walking.
Still, to beat the heat a bit, I undid the button near the collar and cuffs.
Hands in pockets, I fiddled with my mobile game with one hand on the way home.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning.
As usual, I headed out early for my jog.
The fresh, cool morning air instantly cleared the fog from my just-woken mind.
Once you got hooked on this feeling, it was hard to skip heading out in the morning.
Despite the sun beating down, the air felt cold—making the daytime heat feel unreal.
Prime time for big day-night temperature swings.
Thud, thud.
I arrived at the meeting spot to find the two of them already there.
“You’re ea— What’s this?”
Hong Yeonseo grinned mischievously and held out a soft-looking strip of cloth right in front of me.
“What else? Cloth to tie our legs with.”
“.........”
Oh.
That’s right—morning practice.
I stuck out my ankle with a dumbfounded look, and Hong Yeonseo tied her right ankle to my left with the cloth.
There was fabric between our skin, but the sensation still felt awkward and embarrassing. As I scratched the back of my head, Seong Yurin quietly approached and gently tied my right ankle.
The end result: a bizarre three-person, four-legged organic robot monster.
“Hey, should we practice again tonight?”
“...You want to do this embarrassing getup when lots of people are around?”
“But just two days of practice before the race feels too half-assed.”
“We entered last-minute anyway... If we’d known earlier, we’d have had more time.”
“Ehh. Even the teacher forgot, how was I supposed to know?”
“...Fair enough.”
Seong Yurin, quietly spectating our bickering, poked me.
“...People are watching.”
Hong Yeonseo cautiously turned her head at that and spotted a passing middle-aged man eyeing us.
“Ahem. W-What’s wrong with it? Let’s go with our chests out proudly!”
“Stammering like that, how’s that proud?”
“La la~ Can’t hear you! Come on, let’s go!”
“Whoa, wait. Ack.”
What the—her leg strength...
I’d let my guard down, but to get dragged like this so easily?
...And so, with clumsy commands and stumbles, we slowly got used to matching each other’s steps and strides.