Chapter 21: "The Sports Festival - A New Role"

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The day of the Sports Festival finally arrived. There was a buzz of excitement and tension in the air as everyone gathered on the field, preparing for their events. Despite the energy, I could see Sudo scowling, clearly frustrated.

I approached him with a genuine smile. “Sudo, don’t let it get to you. You’re one of our best athletes. Just focus and give it your all.”

He grumbled, glancing away. “Yeah… it’s just… the pressure, you know?”

I nodded. “We’re all counting on you. Trust yourself—you’ll crush it out there.”

With that, Sudo seemed to relax a little, I gave him a warm smile and he headed towards his event.

With that, Sudo seemed to relax a little, I gave him a warm smile and he headed towards his event

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Soon, the games began, and Ayanokoji’s race against my brother arrived. Everyone in Class D was tense, watching as Ayanokoji and my brother prepared to race. But I had complete faith in him, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

“Come on, Ayanokoji! You’ve got this!” I cheered, my voice clear and confident.

“Come on, Ayanokoji! You’ve got this!” I cheered, my voice clear and confident

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The race started, and Ayanokoji kept a steady pace, his expression calm. Just as expected, he overtook my brother in the final stretch, crossing the finish line to an eruption of cheers. My classmates celebrated around him, and I flashed him a thumbs-up with a grin.

Later, however, things took an unexpected turn. During one of the relay race, Kushida injured her leg so she couldn't join for the cheerleading squad and as a result, I was chosen as her replacement in the cheerleading squad. When they handed me the uniform, I stared at it in horror, feeling my face heat up.

“Me…a cheerleader?” I stammered. Because deep down I was still a boy.

But there was no getting out of it. I put on the outfit, feeling incredibly self-conscious, but once the cheer routine started, I pushed through. Despite my embarrassment, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, impressed by my performance. By the end, my classmates were cheering loudly, and I noticed a few boys from other classes glancing my way. While I was getting nervous Ichinose came up to me, she was also in the cheerleading squad and she calmed me down with a gentle smile. I calmed down and was amused by her beauty and we both gave our best performance as cheerleaders.

 I calmed down and was amused by her beauty and we both gave our best performance as cheerleaders

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                                                                   After the race and cheerleading performance, Ayanokoji came over, a rare smirk on his face

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                                                                   After the race and cheerleading performance, Ayanokoji came over, a rare smirk on his face. “Nice moves out there. Didn’t know you had that side to you.”

I flushed, waving him off. “Don’t get used to it. And hey, nice race against my brother! You really showed him.”

He shrugged. “It was just a race.”

I laughed, giving him a teasing nudge. “Right… just a race.”

By the end of the day, Class D had placed second overall, a massive accomplishment that had us all celebrating. Later that night, as I lay in bed, I thought about everything that had happened—Ayanokoji stepping up, my cheerleading stint, and the positive energy in Class D.

With a contented smile, I drifted off, happy with how far we’d come together.

--Chapter 21 ends--

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