Chapter 44: I might…
Translated and Edited by: luccayn.
Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.
For Takatsuki Shinji, no event reveals his clumsiness quite like the sports festival.
At first, I was hoping for rain, but then I realized that would only prolong the dread until the next rescheduled date. Instead, I strung up a teru teru bozu¹ charm, hoping it would just end quickly, and it seemed to work.
The weather was clear, the air taking on the crispness of autumn beneath a nearly cloudless sky. The beautiful scene from the train, where light reflected off the red leaves around Shimajuko Lake, was probably going to be the highlight of my day. That's how sure I was that things would go downhill from there.
Still…
Why is it that, even though I didn't spend the summer playing around, I feel a strange sense of sadness at its end? There's a unique nostalgia to summer that no other season seems to hold, and I still don't understand why.
So, I thought that maybe next summer, I'd try to make the most of it. But then I remembered that everyone else will be busy studying for exams, while I, who have no plans for college, will probably be the only one with time on my hands. Maybe I'll save up some money and take a trip around Japan. For now, I'm sitting in the 2-B class waiting area on the school field, letting my mind wander.
After the opening ceremony, I returned from the boys' group calisthenics, already exhausted, and took a swig of my now-warm sports drink.
Incidentally, my one and only event is the scavenger race. Since I'm terrible at sports, it's the only one that gives me any chance of winning.
“Go, Kou! Knock ‘em out!”
“Come on, Kou! You got this!”
“Don't lose, alright?”
The 100-meter dash was about to start.
The first runners, starting with the second years, were the top sprinters from each class, so it was essentially a grade-level showdown. I had to hand it to the organizers for putting their best foot forward right from the start.
And the fact that Hareta, who's not even in any sports club, got chosen as our class representative over track and baseball members…
Well, no need to spell it out.
He's insanely fast, despite acting like he doesn't care. He'll probably take first place.
“Hey, Shinji.”
“What's up, Higashide?”
Apparently uninterested in the main event, Higashide plopped down on the seat beside me, looking worn out.
“I just heard from one of the student council seniors—something big happened.”
“What happened?”
“Apparently, the championship flag for the top class went missing from the student council room. It got stolen.”
“You're kidding.”
“Nope. The whole staff is scrambling. The host and commentator on the mic over there? They're actually from the broadcasting club, filling in while the student council runs around searching for it.”
So that's what's going on.
Every year, the top class title usually goes to one of the third-year classes. It's not favoritism; it's because they put their all into their last sports festival, and they earn it.
Last year's third-years were incredible. The final event, a 400-meter relay, had everyone on the edge of their seats, with intense commentary and an all-out battle between the boys who refused to lose. It was honestly moving.
I'm sure the third-years this year will give us another thrilling show. As an underclassman, I'm looking forward to watching them set an example.
“Without the trophy, though, it's kind of a downer.”
“Yeah.”
“For the third-years, it's their last sports festival.”
“Exactly.”
…
“Hey, Higashide. Could you introduce me to that senior you know? I might be able to help.”
“I knew you'd say that. Give me a sec; I'll message them on LINE and ask them to meet us in the courtyard. I should help search too.”
“Got it. Good luck.”
I headed to the courtyard, as Higashide had told me.
Hopefully, they'll have already found it and I can just watch the events in peace. But somehow, I doubt it'll be that simple.
A loud cheer erupted from behind me. Sounds like Hareta finished in first place.
1 — Teru teru bozu: a small traditional handmade doll hung outside doors and windows in Japan in hope of sunny weather. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teru_teru_b%C5%8Dzu
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