Magiclad Girls and a Mob who will save them, or else the world is doomed!

Chapter 31: Fried horse mackerel [2]

As the "Fried horse mackerel" that I am, I waited at the edge of the schoolyard for the individual events to begin. The individual events take place first, followed by the team events.

First is the "borrowed item" race. It's a simple rule where you draw a card and have to bring the item mentioned on the card to the finish line. There are 36 participants in the individual events, including first, second, and third-year girls from both schools, followed by the boys.

"Izayoi-kun, are you okay?"

"I'm fine..."

Being called "Fried horse mackerel" bothers me a bit. Fried horse mackerel... Well, I don't dislike it. It's tasty, you know, Fried horse mackerel.

Seeing my gloomy face, Gindou continues speaking with an embarrassed expression.

"Um, well, I actually prefer Fried horse mackerel over foie gras. Fried horse mackerel is affordable and delicious. The way foie gras is made nowadays can be quite cruel... I don't really like it that much."

"Thank you for your concern."

"No, please don't worry too much. I think there are quite a few people who prefer Fried horse mackerel, you know."

She then leaves to prepare for the competition. She seems to have cheered up. That's right. Fried horse mackerel is delicious. I often hear that foie gras isn't all that great when you actually try it.

Fried horse mackerel is more popular!

◆◆◆

First up are the first-year girls. Six of them line up, including Gindou Kohaku .

The boys' eyes are glued to her as usual.

The staff member at the starting point blows the whistle to signal the start.

"Now, on your marks..."

The six girls start simultaneously. They each draw a card from the pile and check its contents.

Excited voices fill the air. With nearly a thousand people present, it's only natural, but the atmosphere feels different, naturally enhancing the sense of excitement.

What kind of task did Gindou Kohaku draw? She seems a little unsure, but what does it say?

She runs towards Class A. Then, she takes Noguchi Natsuko's hand and they start running together.

Did the card say something about running with a same-sex friend? I feel like I saw such a card during the preparation.

The two of them reach the finish line in third place, laughing a bit shyly. While it's not certain, they seem to trust each other.

It makes me a little happy to see that Gindou Kohaku has someone she can call a friend. In the "story," she has a hard time trusting others, so it's good to see her heading straight towards Noguchi Natsuko, even though she hesitated a bit.

...Is it okay to welcome this kind of "story" development? I wonder. Well, it should be fine.

What's not okay is the discord between "Masou Shoujo." That must not deviate from the "story" no matter what. However, the two of them aren't exactly close at the moment.