The Class Competition

After lunchtime passed, the class competition resumed once more. But before that, there was one important event.

The roar that followed shook the entire academy as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart. The one receiving all that cheers was none other than the Saintess, the idol and mascot of the church. She hopped around energetically in a cheerleader outfit, responding to the crowd. Her pure white, soft midriff and toned thighs were on full display, delighting every eye that fell on her.

But the real highlight was something else entirely. Naturally, it was her massive breasts that bounced violently with every movement. Supported by powerful Cooper's ligaments, they slammed downward with force only to snap back up immediately, standing proudly. Every male student's gaze—regardless of grade—bobbed up and down in perfect sync with those motions. Even most of the female students couldn't tear their eyes away from that overwhelming sight.

'Fucking hot.'

I found myself regretting not just grabbing and mauling them when she'd offered to let me touch her breasts before. If I could go back to that moment, I'd toss aside my pathetic conscience and mercilessly ravage those huge tits without hesitation.

While I was internally wallowing in that missed opportunity, the cheer squad's dance began. Acrobatic yet spirited movements paired with a rhythm that made your whole body want to move. The Saintess frolicking freely within it looked like a fairy come to life. And it wasn't just her—the other priestesses all possessed exceptional figures and beauty. No matter where you looked, every single one drew gasps of admiration. At this point, it wouldn't be unfair to say Lephentia specifically selected them based on looks alone.

'Is she a lesbian or something?'

If that were true, it would be dangerous. There was no telling when Lephentia might descend to this realm and start harassing the Saintess. As my worries lingered, time continued to flow, and finally the dance reached its conclusion.

Led by the Saintess, the cheer squad used their bodies to form letters and sent heart shapes toward the crowd. The resulting chaos was inevitable.

The second-years managed to retain some semblance of reason since they'd experienced this last year, but the first-years fell into complete frenzy, all of them screaming for the Saintess. A few were so smitten they were shooting hearts from their eyes in response. One hundred percent of them would confess to her the moment the class competition ended.

'Absolutely not happening.'

The kind-hearted Saintess might accept their confessions just to avoid hurting their feelings, so I needed to meet her beforehand and give her a heads-up. Of course, if things had reached that point she probably would have gotten a lover ages ago, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared, right?

Whether she knew about my concerns or not, the Saintess simply waved with a bright smile before leaving the stage with her squad.

"Luan, let's go!"

"Yeah."

At Deborah's urging I stood up, and the kids from Class 3 each called out their encouragement.

"Do your best!"

"Show them the power of a couple!"

"If you get first, Deborah's gonna give you a kiss!"

"I-I never said that!"

The last line, of course, came from Deborah herself. She vigorously denied the nonsense and dashed toward the field like her life depended on it. Seeing her like that suddenly sparked a mischievous urge in me.

'I suddenly want that kiss!'

I knew full well that the simple touch of mucous membrane against a cheek held no real merit for me, yet the impulse was hard to resist. I wanted to see the sight of Deborah hesitating, eventually giving in and kissing me, then writhing in shame. The academy might turn into a bomb crater at any moment, but since I couldn't avoid participating anyway, I might as well enjoy myself while I was at it.

Wondering if there was some way to make it happen, I followed Deborah out onto the field. She was already chatting with the Abel and Yuni couple, who had also come out as participants for the three-legged race. Abel spotted me and greeted me warmly.

"Oh, Luan! Come on over!"

"You guys are participating too?"

"Yeah! It was supposed to be me and Alissa at first, but she really didn't want to come out, so Yuni agreed to take her place."

No wonder. I'd been wondering why Yuni was here when the three-legged race was supposed to be Alissa's event. It seemed that after being raped by me, Alissa had developed an aversion to men and chosen differently from the original scenario. A needless pang of guilt hit me.

"I see. Let's all do our best."

"Yeah! Anyway, we're meeting up again after this event, right?"

"That's the plan. None of us have any other events left anyway. I already told Professor Sara, so there won't be any issues."

I recalled the moment I'd confessed the truth to Sara. She'd looked at me quite suspiciously when I suggested moving to another location because I had something to tell her. She probably assumed I was up to no good again. Well, from her perspective, that reaction was more than justified.

"Anyway, we'll head out first. We need to get ready soon."

"Okay! See you later!"

Leaving Abel behind, I returned to our position with Deborah and listened to the referee's explanation. After we finished tying our legs together, Deborah clenched both fists and shouted.

"Let's get first place!"

"What? First place? Are you serious?"

"Of course! Since we're participating anyway, we should aim for first. Our classmates are probably expecting it too."

This good-natured girl apparently couldn't easily ignore her friends' expectations. In truth, what they were probably looking forward to wasn't our athletic performance but rather seeing the two of us acting all lovey-dovey.

'Still, not bad.'

In that case, I wouldn't have to hold back the impulse I'd been suppressing earlier. I shrugged indifferently.

"Is it necessary? Just take it easy. Our friends will understand. They know we're at a disadvantage."

The three-legged race was generally advantageous for combat specialists. While there were sections that could only be easily cleared by using magic, that didn't mean combat types had zero chance of passing them. Since the event required perfect coordination between partners, those specialized in physical control had the highest chance of victory. On top of that, Deborah was an illusion mage with relatively low firepower, so destroying magical obstacles would take her even longer. At best, she could only dispel traps made of illusions.

But despite my negative response, Deborah's determination didn't waver.

"We can't just give up before even trying! We have to go all the way!"

"It's a hassle. There's no real benefit to getting first place anyway."

"Hiiing... You're so mean! I really wanted to get first place with you, Luan."

Deborah pouted, her lips pushed out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sullenly. I pushed away the urge to grab and tug on those lips, then slyly dangled the bait.

"Then what will you do for me if we get first?"

"Huh?"

"I said, what will you give me if we win? If you agree to grant me one request, I'll give it my all."

"A request?"

"Yeah. It's nothing weird, so don't worry. It's something completely doable between us."

After all, we'd already gone as far as internal ejaculation. A simple cheek kiss was practically child's play in comparison. Deborah seemed to ponder for a moment before cheerfully accepting.

"Alright! I'll grant you one request! But nothing too unreasonable, okay?"

"I know. Then let's stand up. Let's do a quick check."

"Yes!"

After confirming our legs were properly bound, we stood and embraced each other before beginning to move slowly. We'd made time throughout the week to practice our coordination, so we were reasonably familiar with each other's rhythm. Of course, we couldn't let our guard down since anything could happen in an actual race.

As we matched our breathing, the time for the event finally arrived.

Bang!

The magical firework burst into brilliant colors as we shot forward. But just as expected, Deborah's physical abilities as a mage weren't exceptional, so other teams passed us one after another.

"Ohohohot! Victory belongs to us!"

Class 4's president, Felicia, advanced ahead with her partner, her massive breasts jiggling wildly. The male students watching all sang her praises while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠staring at those enormous mounds.

She certainly possessed breasts on the same level as the Saintess. Though the person herself seemed to think they were admiring her quick movements.

The next to pass us was Ethan. Armed with his fake smile, he moved quite nimbly alongside a young noblewoman who was shooting hearts from her eyes. Proof that even as a mage, he hadn't neglected physical training.

After several more couples passed by, the only ones left were us and the Abel-Yuni pair.

"Ahaha! Luan, we meet again."

"Yeah. You're pretty slow, huh?"

"I didn't expect this either!"

"Looks like one of us is going to end up in last place?"

"That can't happen! Sorry, but you'll have to take last place! We'll head on first!"

Abel's competitive spirit had apparently been ignited. He coaxed Yuni along and gradually picked up speed, pulling away. Deborah's face fell.

"Luan, I'm sorry. It's because of me."

"For what?"

"I'm too slow, so you're matching my pace and can't move properly."

"It's fine. We'll have to stop at the traps ahead anyway. Just keep moving."

"...Yes. I understand."

After encouraging Deborah, I calmly surveyed the track.

'The further back we go, the more advantageous it becomes for mages.'

The early sections mostly featured traps that could be overcome with pure physical ability, but from the middle onward, the proportion of magical traps increased dramatically. Especially the illusion magic spread across the final course, which gave our winning chances a slight boost.

Deborah and I advanced calmly, breaking through the traps with appropriate methods.

"Hold on tight!"

"Yes!"

Taat!

Supporting Deborah, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I leaped powerfully and cleared a three-meter wall in one bound. The rest was roughly the same.

"Hup!"

Kwaaaang!

The magically created barrier shook from within due to my penetrating force. Not missing the opportunity, Deborah's flame spear flew in, concentrating on a single point before piercing straight through and completely destroying it.

Before we knew it, we were in the middle stage of the race. Felicia, who had shot into an overwhelming lead, was now running neck-and-neck with Ethan. Third place belonged to the Class 1 couple, fourth was Abel, and we were in fifth. In other words, we'd completely overtaken one team.

We gradually closed the gap like that until we secured fourth place. At that moment, the Felicia-Ethan pair reached the illusion magic first. They vanished beyond the thick fog, Abel arrived ten seconds later, and another ten seconds after that, we arrived as well.

"Deborah. This part is your turn."

"Yes! Leave it to me! I've already come up with a countermeasure!"

As if to prove she hadn't just been dead weight until now, Deborah immediately cast her magic, scattering purple radiance around us. Violet mana repeatedly spread outward from a certain radius.

"Let's go in! The illusions won't be able to penetrate this!"

"Well done!"

After praising her, I jumped into the fog alongside Deborah. There was nothing particularly special inside. The entire ordinary track was simply covered in dense mana resembling a hazy mist. Occasionally the fog-like mana would try to approach us, but the moment it touched the spreading violet energy it would flee as if encountering its natural predator.

After advancing a bit further in that state, we spotted the Abel couple.

"Yuni? Yuni, where are you!"

"Abel! I'm right here! Abel!"

With their legs bound tightly together, the two were earnestly searching for each other. From a third party's perspective, it looked pretty ridiculous. We passed them, and after walking for about a minute, the Felicia couple appeared.

"Come here! I'll beat you half to death!"

"Uwaaak! Stop it!"

Felicia was swinging a wooden stick she'd gotten from somewhere at her partner. The partner curled up helplessly as he took the hits.

"...Poor guy."

"Let's go."

Suppressing my sympathy, we passed them as well. Shortly after, we encountered the Ethan couple. Ethan was using space magic to prevent the fog from penetrating as he moved slowly. He turned his head at our appearance.

"......"

"......"

Neither Ethan nor I said a single word. Deborah and his partner also remained silent in the strange atmosphere. I simply nodded as if I felt nothing and overtook him.

Once we'd gained some distance, Deborah let out a sigh.

"Haa... That was incredibly awkward. By the way, do you know that person from earlier?"

"No? Why?"

"You two were just staring at each other. Do you know how weird that looked?"

"Did it? Anyway, let's hurry. It looks like the fog is ending soon."

"Ah, yes! Let's go quickly!"

From last place to first. Deborah was buzzing with excitement, as if she were about to write a full-blown comeback drama. The moment we followed her out of the fog, cheers pierced our ears.

Admiration poured in from every direction. Deborah, overwhelmed with emotion, looked around before slowly crossing the finish line. The host approached immediately.

"How does it feel to take first place?"

"I-I'm really happy! I never thought we'd actually win!"

"Really? You were in last place at the start, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weren't you? And what about the male student?"

"I feel good too. It was worth the hard work. Actually, Deborah promised to grant me one request if we got first place."

"Oho... A request, you say?"

The host's expression grew interested, as if he'd caught the scent of prime entertainment from my words. I looked at Deborah and made my demand.

"Give me a kiss."

"Wha-what?"

"I said give me a kiss. You promised to grant my request, didn't you?"

"Have you gone crazy?"

"Yeah. I've gone crazy. So keep your promise."

I tapped my cheek. Deborah glanced with panicked eyes at her own face, which was being shown in close-up on the electronic board, before blurting out an unexpected remark.

"B-but won't Master find out?"

"Ah, I don't care. Just do it."

"Are you serious?"

"One hundred percent serious. Hurry up."

"Uuuuuuu... You're completely insane."

Faced with my unwavering, rock-solid attitude, Deborah made a tearful expression and slowly approached. She placed her hands on my shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and—

Chuu!

She pressed her lips to my cheek for the briefest moment before immediately pulling away. Her cheeks were burning bright red.

The entire student body's cheers echoed immediately after. Unable to endure the shame, Deborah covered her face with both hands and squatted down. Not just her face—her ears and the back of her neck had turned completely crimson as well. I stroked my cheek and smiled with satisfaction.

'Very nice.'

Setting aside the fact that I'd have to deal with the consequences later, it was an extremely satisfying request.