Classroom of the Elite: The New Elite

Chapter 17

As Sudou and I walked side-by-side towards the starting line, I made sure he wouldn't be affected by what's about to come.

"Sudou-kun, I want you to completely disregard everything I'm going to say before the race. My words will only be directed towards the students of other classes."

"Huh? I don't get it. What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll understand in a moment."

The first group's participants are now gathered at the start line. I don't have much time to act, so I should get started immediately.

"Jeez, this is really nerve-wracking."

The other boys seem to have taken notice of my "nervousness".

"Hah. Scared?"

"Yeah, of course. I mean, think about it. We're the opening act in this festival. In other words, this is the moment where everyone's attention will be at its highest. Everyone will be able to notice every little mistake we make. They'll be looking at the way we run, how we breathe, and so on. Now, imagine if one of us face-planted or something while running. They'd become a mockery, and they'll feel like crap for the rest of the day."

"B-But, the chances of that happening are almost zero."

"Which would make it even more traumatizing if it does happen. Being the only one to humiliate themselves would only add fuel to the fire."

My words weren't the most convincing, and there were more than a few inconsistencies. However, that didn't matter.

"On your marks..."

With the nerves of the race setting in and the limited time to think about what they've just heard, the others' performances are bound to suffer greatly.

"Get set..."

That trick will only work this once, but that's more than enough.

"Go!"

At the referee's signal, we all dashed forward. Thanks to my reflexes, I was able to get a small head start. Sudou was able to overtake me in no time and finish first, but the others stayed behind me the whole time, and I was able to snag second place.

"Way to go, you two! We couldn't have asked for a better start."

Naturally, the rest of the class was very pleased with this outcome.

"I knew Ken would finish first, but I didn't think you'd be able to get second place. You don't seem a lot more athletic than those guys."

"Morimoto got in their heads before the race, so they ended up choking under the pressure."

"Yeah, otherwise, I would've probably finished lower. The same trick won't work anymore, though."

"Well, there are only so many events, so once is already more than enough."

The remaining races in the 100-meter dash yielded mixed, yet expected, results. That includes the absence of a certain blonde boy who was relaxing in the medical tent. Matsushita was able to finish third in her group, but Satou and Shinohara finished in the bottom half of theirs. Once the first event was completed, the results were announced.

Red Team: 2,011 points
White Team: 1,891 points 

Going into the next event, the Red Team held a decent lead over the White Team.

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For the hurdle race, I got a respectable fourth place, making my record so far one of the better ones in class. Regardless of individual ability, however, it's now time for the first group event: capture the flag. We'd decided alongside Class A that we'd be alternating between offense and defense, with our class starting on the offensive. On the other side, it looks like Class C will be attacking while Class B stay behind for defense.