Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC) ✔

Chapter 32 - Double-Edged Sword

(ANHS School Grounds; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

My little walk with Horikita seemed to have garnered massive attention among the girls in class, plus Sudo himself. It appalls me how a simple walk in the school with a friend can spark a controversy, and heated rivalry among the opposite sex. Horikita was not very popular in the class in the first place, so her hanging out with me apparently stripped her off the little respect that she had earned on the Island.

Speaking of which, it seems no one in our Class cares for Horikita Suzune anymore.

Once it was let out that I was the one behind all the results on the Island Exam and the fights with Class C before the vacation, the number of help requests that I received from the rest of my classmates exploded exponentially.

If you ask me, Horikita is an indispensable person who is almost certainly required if our class even hopes to reach Class A. Her individual abilities are no joke. Both her academic and physical abilities are very high for an average high school girl. I witnessed her fight with Class C's Ibuki Mio on the island — even though she was unwell, she did her best to hold up against a skilled fighter like Ibuki. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Horikita was the most skilled fighter among the females of the grade.

The class ostracizing her just because she was not directly responsible for the victory on the island made me lose a bit of faith in our classmates. She would have to climb back up to the top again from ground zero.

And of course, I would be there to support her on every step of the way.

"Looks like we're paired up for the 3-legged race, Takeyama," said Sudo.

I wondered back on how I ended up being paired with Sudo. His speed was unmatched in our class, so it was imperative that Sudo would be paired up with the second fastest person in the class so as to not waste his tremendous potential.

And I was apparently the next fastest after Sudo. It would have been unwise to beat him in the race, so second place it is.

"Yeah, let's do our best."

Saying so, I bent down and tied the string between my right ankle and his left.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, okay?" Sudo puffed his chest out. "Sure you can keep up with me?"

"Make sure not to overshoot, and I'll probably keep up with you. Don't go in guns blazing. I'll trip and bring you down along with me in that case."

"Yeah, whatever."

We readied ourselves at the start of the track-and-field course, and I positioned my left leg behind me, and Sudo mirrored my position.

"On your mark....."

"Get set....."

"GO!"

Sudo sprang up like a cheetah chasing it's prey, and poor old me was dragged along for the ride of my life. Sudo wasn't holding back, and it could be fatal for both of us if we fall down and injure ourselves.

"Sudo, slow down!" I said, hoping that my words would break through his thick skull.

"Try to keep up!"

"I'm trying!"

I had unintentionally increased my speed way beyond what I had showcased during the trials, and Sudo was genuinely baffled as to how I was able to match his pace. But I couldn't help it. Su-dog wasn't slowing down. And I couldn't risk injuring both of us for the sake of hiding my abilities.

I decided to increase my speed to match Sudo's.

"Woah, you're actually keeping up with me!" Sudo screamed in delight. "I wasn't expecting you to go this fast in a three-legged race!"