Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 5: Chapter 13.2 - An Interesting Talk Amongst the Chaos

The next event was the hurdle race. I didn't really expect anything to change since I believed what Horikita and Hirata had speculated. It was too obvious-- too blatant, almost as if Sakayanagi was trying to send a message.

"Gahh! This is hopeless!"

"Run faster guys!"

"Ah, be careful! You'll lose so much time if you keep bumping on the hurdles!"

Everyone tried to cheer for the boys, but it didn't really do much. They were simply outclassed by the other runners in their group. The abundance of close calls was especially frustrating.

Professor and Ijuuin toppled every hurdle and placed last, but at least they finished the race. Hirata and Ken got first place in their respective groups, but their partners can hardly make the top four.

The first-year side of the Red Team should've had the advantage given Sakayanagi's absence in the competitions, but Kouenji leveled the playing field by abandoning the event. He was still staying inside one of the medical tents, looking relaxed.

"Good luck, Kiyotaka-kun," Kikyou cheered for me as I walked inside my lane. 

It was finally my turn to participate. As the key runner of the ninth group, I should probably take first place. The Class B students that were pitted against me were also the slowest in their class. This was Sakayanagi's way of telling me that she knew it was futile trying to beat me this way. At the same time, leaving them to eat dust would just make me stand out. And speaking of standing out, this group was very troublesome for me because of one person.

"Oh, Ayanokouji! We're finally up against each other, huh?" Shibata of Class C waved his hand happily.

"Go easy on me," I replied.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? I thought you were faster than Sudou and Yousuke."

"They're overestimating me, but I'll try to put up a fight."

"Well, let's have a good one. Even Ichinose was hyping you up, so I'll run like the underdog and do my best."

Our group got into position. When the signal sounded, Shibata and I dashed forward, instantly taking the lead. I could faintly hear the cheers getting louder, but I decided to shift my focus ahead. At first, I adjusted my speed to match that of Shibata but it was a little trickier since he was much faster than the average high schooler. By the end of the race, I inched forward to grab a tiny lead for a very close first place. The footage had to be checked just to be sure, but I was eventually announced as the winner.

"Gahhh, I lost! Man, you're fast as hell, Ayanokouji!"

"I got lucky. There were many times where I thought I would bump on a hurdle."

"Ohh, considering how close we were, I might've won if you touched even one."

"Yeah. Your form was way better than mine."

"Urk-! It's frustrating, but I won't lose next time!"

I went back to the spectators' area where Akito and Ken gave me something to drink. When it was finally the girls' turn, the situation got even more hopeless.

"This is bad. Horikita is up against Kinoshita and Kamuro. Can she even win?" asked Akito.

"It would be difficult, but it's not like we can do anythin' about it. These match-ups are just downright horrendous for our class," said Ken.

In the end, Horikita only got third in their group. It was close, but she couldn't catch up to those who were more athletic than her. Everyone in the class was shocked, but their morale was boosted when Onodera and Mori took first and fourth place, respectively.