Chapter 3: Sports Festival
Golden Week.
It is the first paradise that all citizens should enjoy.
When the students have started to get used to their new school life, and the talk of someone breaking the school rules has finally subsided, the golden week suddenly appears.
Some deepen their bonds with friends, and some spend intimate days with their lovers.
Some were in the hospital bed due to severe injuries.
“It’s less than a month until the regular test.”
One afternoon, the devastating words came from Teacher Sakaki who visited the hospital room.
“What? You’re kidding…”
“There is one month left until the midterm exam of the first semester. And you will be spending two weeks of that, including Golden Week, in the hospital. …You understand what I’m getting at, right?”
Haha, that’s just depressing, isn’t it?
The thing that’s depressing is that the regular tests play a very important role in this school.
Yes, as you all may have guessed, the amount of living expenses provided is at stake.
This information was obtained from a collaborator who just came to the hospital room, but the school’s monthly allowance to the students is largely determined by the results of the regular tests.
“Among the students in Class C, Amamori, you have the least amount of money, don’t you? I thought you were crazy to rent a classroom, but now it’s heading in the worst direction, isn’t it? Hmm? Amamori Yuto, with barely 50,000 yen.”
This is bad, this is really bad.
There is plenty of time, but not being able to attend classes is the biggest setback.
After all, Teacher Sakaki is a top-notch teacher.
While the other students can receive her lessons, I can only self-study with the textbook.
If the teachers of the other classes are also sufficiently excellent, I’m sure you can understand how critical the situation is.
“By the way, how is the allowance determined?”
“It’s based on a comprehensive evaluation… mainly on the performance in the battle requests and the results of the regular tests. The first place is 1 million, to the second place, 800,000, to the third place 700,000, and from there it goes down, from the eleventh to the thirtieth place 300,000, from the thirty-first to the sixtieth place 200,000, and from the sixty-first place and up 100,000 a month..”
Wow, that’s so unreasonable.
There’s a tenfold difference between first place and the lowest place, and they get that amount every month.
If you repeat the same rank a few times, the first place will gets 2 million, 3 million, and so on, while the last place gets 200,000, 300,000, and so on. The multiple may not change, but the gap will continue to widen dramatically.
Kurotsuki will certainly be in the top five, and Asahina-san will probably be in the top ten if she tries hard. There are a few others who might be able to get into the top ranks, but… hmm. I don’t even have the luxury to envy them.
“The class’ average score is directly linked to our salaries, so I’m putting all my effort into providing the best possible lessons. But you won’t be able to attend, that’s the problem.”
What an injustice! I worked hard to help Hoshina-san,
and I don’t even get a little preferential treatment! Like, a special class or something!
I was about to say that, but there was no anxiety on her face.
Teacher Sakaki smiled wryly and said something unexpected.
“Well, I don’t think you need to worry about that. I’d really like you to get the first place.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
I asked hastily, and a blue vein appeared on her forehead.
Oops, a slip of the tongue. I averted my gaze and asked her.
“Aren’t I always unable to answer in class? What do you expect from me?”
“That’s just because you had no intention of answering in the first place.”
She replied with a cheerful smile and left.
But as she stood in front of the hospital room door, she briefly glanced back at me.
“If money is at stake, you won’t hold back, will you?”
Looking at the desk, there was a stack of teaching materials that she had apparently prepared.
Do I have to do all of this in less than two weeks? In this worn-out body?
“…This is not funny at all.”
I muttered and looked out the window.
…Well, as a result,
my very first Golden Week of high school life was spent in studying and hospitalization.
I’m going to punch Shinzaki someday for doing this to me.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
The day after being discharged, I returned to school and was congratulated by my classmates on my discharge, but I had started serious test preparation rather late.
…What, you’re wondering if I was able to catch up with everyone?
Hey, don’t ask such rude questions. It’ll make me sad.
The brief study period passed in a flash, and then the day of the exam came.
Japanese, math, English, and everything else… The super-tight schedule crammed into a single day was like a storm. We were like shipwrecked survivors trying not to be swallowed by the raging waves.
And time passed, and around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the bell rang to signal the end.
At that moment, sighs of relief erupted from the entire class.
“It’s over…!”
Whether that meant relief or something else, only the individuals and God knows.
Someone muttered, and the tense atmosphere dissipated instantly. As I looked up at the ceiling and rubbed my brow, Kurashiki, who was sitting diagonally in front of me, turned to me.
“It seems like Amamori-kun is also looking pretty tired, huh?”
“You too, you know.”
“Well, that’s only natural! The cramming is over, isn’t it!”
Oh, that’s just a lie. Didn’t you come to the hospital the other day and boast for 30 minutes about how your studies were going so well? You didn’t come just to brag, did you?
Come to think of it, is it really okay for the class rep to be talking about cramming?
I thought about that, but she’s more suited to being a charming class rep that’s hard to dislike, rather than a perfect one.
After all, only those justice-loving types need to aim for perfection.
“So, Amamori-kun, do you feel like you did well?”
“I’d be happy if that’s the case, but it’s probably around the average score.”
Actually, I’d like you to praise me for managing to get to that level. I had resigned myself to getting a failing grade this time, but I’m really glad I didn’t give up. And Sakaki-sensei’s teaching materials were surprisingly easy to use. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s probably an excellent teacher.
Though as a person, she’s a lost cause.
As I said that, Kurashiki started clapping and praising me.
What’s with this girl, she’d be better off just pretending to be a cat all the time.
If she was genuinely a good kid, she’d feel guilty about lying like this…
“Wow, great! Then you’re sure to be in the top ranks on the next test!”
“Well, I’ll do my best.”
We cut the conversation short there.
Around us, you could see students with various states of composure – some relaxed, some in complete turmoil.
The one who seemed the most at ease was Kurotsuki.
That guy… he finishes the problems so quickly, leaving the rest of us struggling. While we’re all fretting, he just calmly puts away his writing materials with a “Alright, full marks” air about him. I’d love to peek into his brain just once.
The next one looking relaxed is… probably Asahina-san.
Judging from her recent behavior and attitude in class, Asahina-san also seems likely to aim for a very high score.
She walks up to the podium and addresses the class:
“Everyone, could I have your attention for a moment? Even though the test has just finished, I’d like to talk a bit about the upcoming sports festival.”
At those words, the class stirred a little. At this school, at the end of May, right after the regular exams, they hold a sports festival with all the classes competing against each other.
Apparently, in the sports festival last year and the year before, they competed in all ten events with the entire student body.
If you place, you get points, and if you don’t place, you don’t get any points.
And in the end, the points you earn are converted to real money and added to your next month’s living expenses. It’s a dream-like system where your hard work translates directly into cash.
But as Sakaki-sensei said the other day, when money is on the line, you can’t slack off.
Every year, the students turn into money-grubbing maniacs, competing fiercely and trying to undermine each other.
That’s the sports festival at this school.
Asahina seemed to have the same information, and she explained the sports festival to her classmates.
When she got to the part about the points being directly converted to increased living expenses, the class was abuzz, but the excitement died down when she mentioned the “all-student competition” part.
“Ugh, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I mean, with Netsuhara from Class A, Shinzaki from Class B, and even upperclassmen mixed in, we don’t stand a chance… Especially against the ‘two from the student council’, I don’t think we can win against them.”
Karasuma has a point there.
Shinzaki hasn’t been making any moves lately. It’s hard to believe he’s not planning to attack us… So he’s probably waiting to make his move at the sports festival.
And we can’t ignore the silent Class A either…
But if I just focus on my classmates, I’ll become complacent against the upperclassmen.
Especially the two Karasuma mentioned – the student council president and vice president.
Personally, I think the vice president is the more troublesome one. I don’t think I can beat him in a fair fight, but if I can’t even fight him properly, I’ll be the one who loses. He’s that kind of annoying opponent.
But my classmates may not share my sentiment.
“Yes, the enemies are formidable. But our class, Class C, has the ultimate non-esper athlete, the strongest man!”
The moment Asahina-san said that, all eyes in the class turned to me.
I averted my gaze and looked out the window. It’s a nice day today.
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