The school gym buzzed with excitement. Posters for the upcoming Sports Festival decorated the walls, and students were already discussing strategies and matchups.
Izumi stretched his arms, yawning. "Man, they really expect us to train for this, huh?"
"Obviously!" Anzu grinned, slapping his back. "This isn't just any sports festival—it's a battlefield!"
Yuki adjusted his glasses. "Don't exaggerate. But still, it's important. The winning class gets special privileges, like a bigger budget for class trips."
Izumi sighed. "Guess that means I actually have to try, huh?"
Anzu smirked. "Especially since Ren's been staring at Marina like she's a trophy."
Izumi nearly choked. "Dude, shut up!"
But it was true. Ever since the transfer student Ren arrived, he had made it very clear that he had his eyes set on Marina. And now, he had declared—in front of everyone—that if he won the festival, Marina would have to spend an entire day with him.
Marina, of course, looked completely unbothered.
"That idiot," Izumi muttered under his breath.
Training Begins!
The PE teacher clapped his hands. "Alright! Today, each class will begin training for the main events! Work hard, because we'll be deciding the final teams by the end of the week!"
The students were divided into different events: sprint races, obstacle courses, tug-of-war, and team relays.
"Alright, which one are you joining?" Anzu asked.
Izumi scratched his head. "Uh… guess I'll try the 100-meter sprint and the relay race."
"Perfect. I'm going for the tug-of-war," Anzu grinned.
"Of course you are," Yuki sighed.
As everyone picked their events, Ren suddenly stepped forward.
"I'll be entering the sprint race," he announced, looking directly at Marina. "And the martial arts event."
Martial arts?
Everyone turned to Marina.
She raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Ren smirked. "If I win, you have to go on a date with me."
The gym exploded with whispers.
"A DATE?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
"Ren just challenged Marina?!"
Marina, however, remained completely calm. She tilted her head, unimpressed.
"Sure," she said casually.
The entire gym froze.
Izumi almost tripped over himself. "WHAT?!"
Ren smirked in victory, but before he could celebrate—
Marina cracked her neck. "Just so you know, I'm a black belt martial artist."
The gym fell silent.
Ren blinked. "What?"
Marina rolled up her sleeves and walked towards the practice mats.
"Sensei," she called to the PE teacher, "mind if I give a demonstration?"
"Go ahead," the teacher said, grinning.
Marina picked up a practice wooden sword and turned towards the students.
"I need a volunteer."
Nobody moved.
Nobody wanted to die.
"How about me?" Anzu grinned.
Izumi grabbed his arm. "NO."
Marina sighed. "Fine, I'll just—"
"Wait."
Ren stepped forward. "I'll do it."
The students gasped.
Izumi facepalmed. "Idiot."
Ren smirked. "I don't go easy on girls."
"Good," Marina replied. "Because I don't go easy on idiots."
The teacher blew the whistle.
Before Ren could even blink—
WHAM.
Marina had already moved.
She knocked his practice sword aside with one swift motion, spun behind him, and swept his legs out from under him.
THUD.
Ren hit the floor.
The gym was silent.
Izumi stared. "What… just happened?"
Anzu whistled. "She destroyed him."
Ren groaned, sitting up, stunned. "You… you're strong."
Marina twirled the wooden sword. "Obviously, because I am a black belt champion after all."
She tossed it aside and walked off like nothing happened.
The students exploded into cheers.
"MARINA'S A MONSTER!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS THAT STRONG!"
Ren, still on the floor, clenched his fists. He wasn't used to losing. Especially not like this.
He glanced at Izumi, who was trying (and failing) to hold back a smug grin.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
Izumi's Training Hell Begins
While Ren plotted his revenge, Izumi was facing his own problem.
"I CAN'T BREATHE!" he gasped.
"Shut up and run!" Anzu yelled, pushing him forward.
Izumi, Anzu, and Yuki were training for their events.
Anzu was ridiculously strong for tug-of-war, Yuki was a strategy genius, but Izumi…
Well.
He was fast, but not Ren-level fast.
Marina, meanwhile, had no trouble at all.
She completed the obstacle course flawlessly while Izumi tripped over his own foot.
"Come on, man!" Anzu yelled. "You gotta train harder!"
Izumi groaned. "Why am I even trying? I already know who's gonna win."
He glanced at Marina, who was casually shadowboxing in the distance, looking completely unbothered.
"Yeah," Anzu grinned. "But don't you want to beat Ren?"
Izumi paused.
The memory of Ren challenging Marina flashed through his mind.
His smug face. His confidence. His obsession with Marina.
Izumi frowned.
"Fine," he muttered. "Let's train."
Anzu grinned. "THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"
And thus, the sports festival came out after some days.