The gazes and whispers from the audience around her made her feel very irritated.
But luckily her skin was thick enough, so after adjusting her mindset, she still prepared for the second round, determined to live up to the bold words she had spoken herself earlier.
Once all the competitors were ready—
BANG!
Another starter pistol went off.
The second round of the race officially began.
Ogura Asuka once again dashed out in the lead, with Mia just a step behind.
Exactly the same as the result in the first round.
With the special training from Hikari plus her own natural talent, Ogura Asuka once again easily claimed first place, while the equally gifted Mia took second.
But the one in third place this time was different.
It wasn't the girl who had taken third in the first round, but Inoue Asako, who had only placed fifth earlier.
Looking at Ogura Asuka and Mia far ahead of her, already across the finish line, her pockmarked face darkened.
After all, before the race she had loudly declared that she would surpass Mia and Asuka. Now, suffering setbacks one after another, and with only three rounds total, it was practically a hundred percent impossible for her to beat them.
Didn't that just mean her own words had turned into a slap in her face?
But even though she'd been left far behind by Mia and Asuka, she had still managed to secure third place.
That result was no small feat. It was actually pretty damn good.
Thinking this, Inoue Asako raised her right hand high above her head, extended one index finger toward the sky, the corners of her mouth curling into a confident, slightly smug smile as she looked toward the stands.
Seeing her trademark pose, her fans, who had been holding back for a while, instantly erupted into cheers.
"Inoue-chan, so cool!"
"Too cool, Inoue-chan! That confident, dashing posture! You're the idol of all us girls!"
"Ahhh! Inoue-chan, kill me!"
"Amazing, Inoue-chan! You've proven girls are no worse than boys!"
"Inoue! Inoue!"
Their voices were so loud that for a moment they even drowned out the cheers for first-place Ogura Asuka.
Hearing those cheers, Inoue Asako couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
But just then, a sharp, abrupt whistle cut through the air.
Inoue turned her head and saw a referee, whistle in his mouth, walking toward her while blowing it.
Seeing the red card in his hand raised squarely at her, Inoue froze.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this?", she asked, hands on her hips, her tone annoyed.
The referee spat out the whistle and, expressionless, announced, "Inoue, you false started. You're disqualified. Also, all your previous results are nullified."
"Nonsense! I didn't false start!", Inoue exploded, yelling at him.
"You did. The high-speed camera caught your false start clear as day," The referee's tone was cold.
"Bullshit! If anyone false started it was those two little bitches, Asuka and Mia! I only came third, they're the ones who false started!", Inoue lost all composure, her face twisting as she shouted.
"Silence! The one who broke the rules, leave the track immediately! Don't interfere with the other athletes," the head referee rushed over, sternly ordering her.
But even then, Inoue refused to accept it, still trying to argue.
The referee team didn't bother with more words. Several of them came over at once and carried her straight out of the competition grounds.
On the big screen nearby, slow-motion footage from the high-speed camera played, showing her false start.
Seeing both the video proof of her violation and her being hauled off, her fans, who had been cheering so loudly, instantly fell silent. One by one, they were struck dumb.
The thinner-skinned ones even hurriedly left the venue altogether.
After all, this was far too embarrassing.
After today, Inoue Asako's reputation was probably ruined.
Meanwhile, Mia and Asuka didn't pay much attention to the whole matter. They simply turned and smiled toward Hikari again.
Soon, the third round began.
Just like the first two rounds, first and second place were once again claimed by Ogura Asuka and Mia.
When it was officially announced that Ogura Asuka was the champion, the entire crowd cheered in unison.
Looking at Asuka with the championship, Mia's eyes flashed with a trace of unwillingness. But she wasn't about to throw a tantrum like Inoue. She only kept looking toward Hikari's side.
Asuka was the same. When she lifted the trophy, she showed a rarely seen dazzling smile. Not to the reporters and their flashing cameras, but to the boy in the distance who had once trained her.
Once the results were in, the award ceremony began.
Usually, after receiving their medals, the champion, runner-up, and third place would stay on stage for a while, for photos and interviews.
It might seem unnecessary, but it was an important way to boost an athlete's popularity.
Normally, even if they didn't enjoy it, Asuka and Mia would still stay.
But this time, when the reporters had their questions ready and came up with cameras and mics, they found only one person left on the podium.
The third-place finisher, an ordinary-looking girl with an average figure, nothing like Inoue's ability to rile up crowds, and with not much popularity.
The two who had all the popularity, first-place Ogura Asuka and second-place Mia with her blonde-haired, blue-eyed "foreign beauty" buff, were gone.
Reporters and fans looked around in confusion.
Finally, a sharp-eyed journalist spotted something.
"Asuka and Mia both put on jackets to cover their uniforms, they're with that boy they met before the competition!"
Everyone turned to look. Sure enough, Mia and Asuka, after receiving their medals, had run straight to Hikari's side.
Many fans of the two girls, as well as boys watching the match, all showed expressions of envy and jealousy. The paparazzi reporters ignored the third-place finisher entirely and rushed after them with their cameras.
But Hikari had already predicted this.
He quickly led Asuka and Mia away toward the back of the track field.
By the time the reporters reached the corner, the three figures had already vanished.
———
In a hidden sports equipment storage room behind the track field.
Hikari closed the door after bringing the two girls inside.
"If you're tired, just find a spot to sit."
There weren't any chairs inside, only the usual PE gear.
So Mia and Asuka sat on the wooden vaulting horse box.
Because it was hot, they had taken off their jackets, revealing the fitted short-sleeve competition shirts underneath.
Originally, the uniforms were quite proper, looking like ordinary short tops, not revealing at all.
But maybe because of the intense track competition earlier, plus having worn long jackets over them, both of them were drenched in sweat.
The damp shirts clung to their tender skin, perfectly outlining their graceful, curvy figures.
But Mia and Asuka didn't care. Or rather, in front of Hikari, they didn't need to care.
Still shaken, both of them patted their chests and exhaled deeply.
"Whew~ Good thing Hikari-kun reacted fast, otherwise those reporters would've annoyed us to death again," Asuka said.
Mia nodded in agreement, "Yeah, thank goodness Hikari-kun brought us here to hide!"
Hearing them, Hikari just laughed.
"Bringing you here was the easy part. But didn't you say before the race that you wanted me to show you around the school? If we hide here, that's not exactly possible."
At that, Mia quickly said, "It's fine if we don't tour. If we go out now, we'll definitely run into reporters and get surrounded. I'm really sorry, for troubling you, Hikari-kun."
Asuka, however, smiled and said, "Actually, Hikari-kun bringing us here also counts as a tour. This equipment room is part of your school too. If you show us this, that's already enough…"
As she said this, she gave a meaningful glance at the vaulting box beneath her and then at the various equipment around that could be used to sit or lie on. She gave a slight nod.
Hearing their words, Hikari smiled.
"Alright, since you say so, let's tour the equipment room. Oh, by the way, you just finished the awards, so you haven't had anything to drink yet, right?"
"Mm," Mia nodded.
"Do you have water, Hikari-kun?", Asuka asked.
Hikari pulled out two bottles of sports drink and handed them over, "I came prepared."
"Hikari-kun, you're so thoughtful!", Seeing how not only had he helped them avoid the reporters but also had drinks ready, Mia was touched by his care and thoughtfulness. Her cheeks flushed, her heart thumping as she accepted the bottle.
But Asuka's reaction was different. Facing the bottle in his hand, she shook her head.
"Mm? Asuka, aren't you thirsty?", Mia asked curiously.
Hikari also looked at her.
Meeting their puzzled gazes, Asuka said, "Um… Hikari-kun, I want to drink imported water(saliva)."
Hearing that, Hikari couldn't help but chuckle and tease her.
"What, after drinking too much foreign water with Mia, now you think it's sweeter? Unless it's imported, you won't drink it?"
Asuka smiled meaningfully.
"Eh… I don't mean that kind of imported! I mean this kind…"
As she spoke, she suddenly twisted open her bottle, took a mouthful of the sports drink, and leaned her head toward Hikari.
When her soft lips pressed against his, Hikari instantly understood what she meant by "imported water."
Seeing Mia's stunned eyes and Hikari's slightly surprised expression, Asuka couldn't help showing joy and pride in her eyes.
But she didn't notice that at the same time, Hikari's eyes also carried a knowing smile, as if he had expected this all along.
Watching Asuka already diving headlong into fiery training with Hikari, Mia grew flustered and anxious.
Because ever since she had hesitated and missed her chance for special training last time, while Asuka had received it—every competition afterward, she had steadily lost to Asuka, who used to be evenly matched with her.
Before, the two were so close in ability that wins and losses were about fifty-fifty.
But after Asuka received Hikari's training, everything changed.
That made Mia, who had been shy and hesitant before, extremely unwilling to accept it.
So recently she had been desperate for Hikari's training, something she had already resolved to pursue back when he left Seika Girls' Academy.
But now that the chance was here, she realized she wasn't prepared enough.
Because of her shy personality, and never having had any "training" before, she was utterly at a loss.
Watching Asuka and Hikari become more and more in sync, sweating profusely, Mia finally decided to unleash the free and unrestrained side of her American half.
She tossed her jacket to the floor and suddenly lunged forward.
"Hikari-kun, me too!"
At first, Mia worried he might ignore her. After all, this kind of training was exhausting, and Asuka was already being trained first—it would only make sense to finish with her before starting on Mia.
Both she and Asuka were top-level athletes with amazing physical strength, and even training one of them would be exhausting enough.
But Hikari quickly calmed her anxious heart.
"It's fine. I'll handle both of you the same way…"
That reassuring voice reached her ears, and soon Mia, too, was drawn into the tense, fiery, hellish training session…
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