Classroom of the Elite: Crimson Usurper (V5-V11.5)

(V5) Chapter 3: Let the Games Begin

AAAAND the Sports Festival is here. Hurray! Of course, I had to do some things even if I didn't want to do them. Regardless I got it over with. 

The entire student body, all wearing their jerseys, marched together as one. Well, we called it a march, but most people just strolled along, taking the movement just seriously enough not to disrupt the order.

Fujimaki, from the third-year Class A, gave a speech during the opening ceremony. Although there weren't many, a number of spectators watched from the school grounds' outskirts. They were likely adults who worked on campus. The school didn't put any strict restrictions in place regarding who could attend the festival. Occasionally, one of the spectators smiled or waved.

Meanwhile, the teachers themselves watched us without the vaguest hint of smiles. Medical personnel could also be seen setting up some kind of cottage. It could fit around twenty people and was equipped with an air conditioner and water cooler. The school's preparations were as meticulous as they had been on the deserted island. They provided tents for the Red Team and White Team; these faced each other on opposite sides of the track. The school didn't want the teams mingling with each other, except during competitions. 

Regardless, I had to prepare.

The first event of the festival was the 100-meter dash, and I saw that a camera had been installed and pointed toward the finish line.

"What group are the both in for the 100-meter dash, again?" Horikita asked.

"We're both seventh." Ayanokouji answered.

"Hopefully no one exceptionally good turns up. I'll be cheering you two on for the class's sake."

"I won't try to trip like always." I claimed, beating my chest twice with my hand.

"That concerns me."

We headed to the track with the rest of the first-year boys. The festival ordered events such as the 100-meter dash by grade level, starting with the first-year boys and ending with the third-year girls. Then there'd be a break, after which the order would switch. We'd resume competitions in the opposite direction, starting with third-year girls and ending with first-year boys.

The competition was about to start. Now we'd finally learn who would run from which class, and in what order. The first-year boys formed ten groups in total; Ours were seventh. Each group contained eight people, two from each class. Sudou was in the first group.

All of Class D watched, holding their breath. This festival's outcome depended greatly upon Sudou. If we won this race, everyone on our team could use that momentum to get hyped. If Sudou did poorly, there's nothing we can do...

"From my point of view, nobody here's really that big a deal. I see lots of fatties and twigs. Sudou's got first place covered!" shouted Ike.

 Like Ike had said, Sudou's victory was assured.

"Then again, depending on how you look at it, this could be a big loss for us."

As soon as the signal sounded, Sudou shot forward like a bullet. He quickly outran all the other boys, leaving them in the dust. He reached the goal with such an overwhelming lead that no one else came anywhere close. He won by a landslide.

While everyone watched, Sudou took first place, as anticipated. Meanwhile, the Professor—the second Class D student in the first group— managed to come in last. We'd anticipated that, too.

The signal to start the next race came right away, without any time to bask in the afterglow. The signals came at about twenty-second intervals, which meant that it would take four minutes for all the first-year boys to finish running. This event would repeat for all the boys and girls in all three grade levels, which meant that the 100-meter dash should finish in about thirty minutes.