Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V5: Chapter 5 - Let the Festival Begin

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

At last, the day had come. The curtains were about to rise on the sports festival, and it looked like it would be a long day.

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.

"All right, time to really show off for Kikyou-chan!" Ike shouted as he walked directly behind me.

I couldn't understand how he planned to show off when he was bad at sports, though.

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 probably adults who worked on campus. The school didn't seem to have 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.

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. The line between victory and defeat could come down to a hair's breadth in competitions like these.

"Do you remember what group you're in for the 100-meter dash, right?" Horikita inquired.

Hirata and Horikita had been going all over our classmates making sure everyone remembered the events they participated in.

"Seventh," I answered.

"Your group should be a complicated one, but I trust you can get first place."

"Does it really matter? Koenji is there as well, right?"

"I don't trust Koenji."

"...I'll do my best then."

Horikita nodded satisfied.

"Good. I'll be cheering you on for the class's sake."

I had mixed feelings about that sentence but it was typical of Horikita, I guess.

With that, I 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 the 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; mine was seventh. Each group contained eight people, two from each class. Sudou was in the first group with Akito.

All of Class D watched, holding their breath. Even if Koenji would participate in the individual competitions, Class D's performance on this festival's would depended greatly upon Sudou ...and well, me, I suppose. If we won this race, everyone on our team could use that momentum to get hyped. If Sudou did poorly, it would probably put a dent in our spirits.