"You actually can run very fast, weren't you?"
Since the girls' group competition hadn't started yet, Kamuro Masumi had witnessed the entire previous race and couldn't help but comment to Kaoru.
"Maybe I just performed well on the spot," Kaoru said modestly on the surface, though he was actually quite confident in his physical abilities—otherwise, he wouldn't have been running around so freely on the uninhabited island.
"No, no, you were seriously fast," someone interjected. "Not as exaggerated as Sudo from Class D, but definitely super fast!"
Kamuro seemed to think of something and asked suspiciously, "You don't usually hold back during practice, do you?"
"We're not kids anymore—who would hide their strength? Like I said, practice isn't an actual competition, so there's no need to go all out."
Faced with Kaoru's confident rebuttal, Kamuro was momentarily left speechless.
"Whatever, do what you want."
It wasn't like she cared about what Kaoru was thinking anyway!
By now, the competition had moved on to the seventh group, which included Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hirata Yosuke, while Class A had Totsuka Yahiko and Shigemoto Take.
Kaoru glanced toward Class C's side.
Since the White and Red teams were separated by the track, his view was slightly obstructed, but he could still make out the students Class C had sent for the race.
There didn't seem to be any particularly strong opponents.
He recalled the intel Shiho Manabe had provided.
The teacher acting as referee soon blew the whistle, and the boys in the seventh group immediately dashed toward the finish line.
Perhaps because their skill levels were relatively even, there wasn't any extreme gap in distance.
In the end, Hirata Yosuke took first place, while Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came in fifth—a result that left Kaoru utterly speechless.
With only eight participants in the group, Ayanokoji had landed right in the middle, perfectly average.
Kaoru decisively gave up on him and turned his attention back to Kamuro.
"Kamuro, have you ever imagined yourself stunning everyone at some point?"
"Huh?"
Kamuro seemed completely lost, forcing him to repeat himself.
"So you're the type who stays low-key normally but suddenly shocks everyone in competition? That's your thing? Gross. Don't lump me in with you."
"I think you've got real potential," Kaoru said with exaggerated seriousness.
"I've observed you—your physical abilities are easily the best among the girls in our class."
This wasn't a lie.
Kamuro's athleticism was well-known, even slightly better than Horikita Suzune's.
"Obviously. I don't hold back during practice," Kamuro scoffed. "My performance now is exactly what I always do."
"I remember Katsuragi placed you in a group where you could easily take first, right?" Kaoru asked.
Kamuro nodded.
She didn't particularly care about rankings, but since it concerned the class, she didn't mind the arrangement.
With the first-year boys' races finished, it was now the girls' turn.
Kaoru gave Kamuro a quick "Good luck," which earned him a strange look from her.
[Exchange "Imitator Game"?]
[Warning: This is a consumable supernatural skill. Once all uses are exhausted, it will lose its supernatural effects!]
[Remaining uses: 0/1]
[Exchange successful. Enjoy!]
Kamuro Masumi, who was walking toward the track, suddenly felt a tingling numbness spread through her body, as if something had quietly slipped inside her.
Her entire being felt strangely light and floaty.
At the same time, Sudou Ken felt an odd itch, as though something had brushed against him.
However, he paid it no mind and instead stormed angrily toward the rest cabin, intent on confronting Kouenji, who he believed was feigning illness.
Whoosh—
The moment the whistle blew, Kamuro realized something was wrong with her body.
Because she was moving way too fast!
It was unbelievable—her body felt impossibly light, as if she had been swept into a whirlwind.
With a rushing gust of wind, she charged past the finish line at an unstoppable speed, so fast that she couldn't even hear the noise around her—only the frantic pounding of her own heartbeat.
The sheer explosive force made it impossible for her to stop immediately.
She skidded forward for over ten meters before gradually slowing down, her entire body heating up like an overloaded machine.
Wait… wait, what the hell was happening?
Not only was Kamuro completely bewildered, but the surrounding students were equally stunned.
While no one was surprised that Kamuro had taken first place, this kind of speed was far beyond her usual performance.
Then, the entire field erupted into loud cheers—especially from Class A.
Kamuro felt extremely uncomfortable.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, their gazes scorching and piercing.
"An astonishing breakthrough. Impressive," Kaoru appeared beside her at some point, giving her a thumbs-up.
"What's so impressive? I don't even know what just happened," Kamuro muttered, her thoughts in disarray.
She couldn't understand why her abilities had suddenly skyrocketed like this.
"How's your body feeling?" Kaoru asked. "Is your heart racing? Could your breathing keep up with your pace just now? Any dizziness? Can you see clearly?"
Faced with his barrage of questions, Kamuro only grew more confused.
"I… I don't know. I feel fine, just… weird. Like I have endless energy."
"Then there's no problem."
"Let me catch my breath… This is too strange…"
By the time Kamuro returned to Class A's waiting area, the girls had already swarmed around her, chattering excitedly about how she had managed to run so fast.
Even girls from other classes crowded over—this was the first time they had seen a female student run at such an incredible speed, rivaling even Sudou earlier performance.
Kamuro had no idea how to handle them.
After all, she was just as lost.
Kaoru glanced toward Class C's side again, where a faint commotion seemed to be brewing.
What they had assumed was just a decent contender had unexpectedly turned into a superhorse.
Without a doubt, with strength comparable to Sudou Ken's, Kamuro could dominate the girls' division effortlessly—no class would be able to counter her.
If the Imitator Game had been used on a weaker participant instead, it might have disrupted Class C's strategy even more effectively.
Still, such a sudden and exaggerated improvement was just too absurd.
Since Kamuro was already one of Class A's top contenders, a temporary breakthrough could at least be somewhat justified—enough for people to accept the change without too much suspicion.
As he watched the competition unfold, Kaoru silently calculated the scores.
In the shadows where no one was paying attention, Class C had already begun employing a dirty tactic.
A top performer against a mid performer, a mid performer against a low performer, and a low performer against a top-tier performer—from the process alone, the gap wouldn't widen too drastically, making it seem unremarkable.
Yet, looking at the results, Class C's points were steadily accumulating.
The reason it hadn't drawn much attention was simply because Class C had too few top and mid-tier performers, failing to stand out in the early events.
On top of that, the stunning performances of Sudou Ken and Kamuro Masumi had further diverted attention away from Class C.
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