NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Race
Damn it, you little punk Kevin—stop right there or I'm gonna punch you!"After releasing his hold on Chiane, Tatsuki immediately dashed after Kevin, who had already bolted out the door.
Outside, Kevin taunted, "Heh heh, you can't catch me!"
At that, a mischievous smirk spread across Tatsuki's face as he shouted back, "Kevin, you damn fool—if you manage to outrun me today, all these abs I worked so hard for will be wasted!" With that, Tatsuki flung his jacket toward Chiane, who was chasing after him.Instinctively, Chiane caught the jacket as it sailed through the air.
Tatsuki tossed off his jacket, unbuttoning the inner cuffs to reveal his perfectly chiseled abs, then launched into an all-out sprint.
Kevin, sprinting toward the sports field, glanced back in alarm when he saw Tatsuki give it everything he had. In a panic, he quickly unfastened his own jacket and bolted even harder. But before Kevin could get very far, Tatsuki landed a swift punch on him—an impact that made Kevin let out a laugh of mixed surprise and pain.
Along the corridor from Class 3 of First Year to the sports field, the chase was a blur of shouts and laughter. Several female students, catching sight of Tatsuki's flawless abs, couldn't help but blush and whisper in awe.
One girl exclaimed, "Wow, those abs are amazing!"Another chimed in, "Seriously, that white-haired guy's abs are perfection!"A chorus of giggles and awed murmurs filled the air.
Rounding a corner at the sports field, Kevin suddenly found himself grabbed by Tatsuki. With one arm slung around his shoulder, Tatsuki said in a teasing tone, "Not bad at all, Kevin—you sure can run!"
Despite his panic, Kevin tried to play it cool. "I— I was letting you catch me on purpose, Tatsuki!" he insisted stubbornly.
"On purpose, huh?!" Tatsuki roared, delivering two sharp slaps to the back of Kevin's head."Ah—okay, okay, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" Kevin babbled as he quickly wriggled free.
"Damn it, you're talking about a next time?!" Tatsuki growled before resuming the chase.
Meanwhile, trailing behind, Chiane finally caught up. But when he saw Tatsuki chasing Kevin once more, he groaned, grabbed Tatsuki's discarded jacket, and headed off toward the locker room to change into his gym clothes.
Kevin, still laughing as he ran, called out, "Hahaha, there'll definitely be a next time!"
Not even a moment later, as Kevin started sprinting again, Tatsuki caught him once more. "Damn it, you little punk!" he bellowed.
Kevin burst into laughter, pleading, "Alright, alright—don't, don't, I'm sorry, big bro Tatsuki!"This time, Tatsuki wrapped an arm around Kevin's neck and marched him toward the locker room, grinning as he said, "We're almost late for class—don't worry, I'll get you again later!"
Kevin could only chuckle in defeat.
Scene shifts to Tatsuki, now changed into his PE gear…
All of Class 3 had gathered on the sports field. Their PE teacher, Sasaki-sensei, stood before them and announced loudly, "Good morning, everyone! I'm your PE teacher for Class 3, and my name is Sasaki!"
A chorus of thirty voices shouted, "Yes, Sasaki-sensei!"
"Great! Everyone, warm up—prepare to run three laps around the track!"
"Yes!" came the unified reply.
As the students began their stretches, Nakano Miku whispered to Nakano Nino, "Nino, I really don't want to run today…"
"Don't worry," Nino replied. "You don't have to sprint the whole time—and I doubt Sasaki-sensei will notice if you don't complete all three laps."
"Alright…" Miku sighed.
Then, Sasaki-sensei's booming voice cut through the chatter, "Everyone, get in position—get ready!"
"Ready…" the class chorused, and then "Go!"Bang! The starting pistol fired.
Divided into three teams, Tatsuki, Chiane, and Kevin formed one of them. Kevin grinned and called out, "Come on, Tatsuki, Chiane—let's see who finishes first!"
"Bring it on!" Chiane replied with a thumbs-up.
Kevin turned to Tatsuki and asked, "What about you, Tatsuki?""Same as always!" Tatsuki shot back confidently.
"Alright then!"Sasaki-sensei, seeing them all ready, shouted, "On your marks! Get set! Go!"
With the crack of the starting pistol, Tatsuki, Chiane, and Kevin surged forward, quickly pulling away from the seven other runners trailing behind.
Among the stragglers, a determined girl with a pink ponytail kicked into high gear, sprinting hard to catch up with the leading trio. Meanwhile, a group of about twenty students—led by Nakano Nino—cheered them on enthusiastically.
"Shikimori, keep it up! You can do it!" they chanted repeatedly."Tatsuki! Chiane! Kevin! Run faster—don't let Shikimori pass you!" rang out from the sidelines."Don't let the boys in our class think less of you!" came another round of cheers.
Pushing himself to the limit, Tatsuki's team noticed that Shikimori was steadily closing in. Chiane's heart pounded as he thought, Damn, a girl's catching up on me—no way I can lose! I can't let that happen—charge!Spurred on, Chiane pushed even harder. However, having already spent so much energy chasing earlier, after just a lap and a half his strength faltered—and Shikimori surged past him.
Watching the race unfold, Sasaki-sensei even took on the role of an impromptu commentator, "Right now, we're seeing Chiane overtaken by Shikimori! On the track, aside from Tatsuki, Kevin, and Shikimori, only a handful of runners remain. Who will claim victory? Let's watch and see!"
From the sidelines, the girls cheered, "Take that, boys—see how strong we are, Shikimori!""Come on, Kevin! Come on, Tatsuki! Don't let Shikimori beat you!" they shouted in unison.
As Shikimori, now in hot pursuit of Tatsuki and Kevin, adjusted her pace and caught her breath, both Kevin and Tatsuki exchanged determined glances. They knew exactly what the other was thinking.Brushing back her bangs, Shikimori surged forward, intent on overtaking them. Meanwhile, Kevin, feeling the pressure, dug deep and sprinted with everything he had, determined not to be passed.
PS: So, everyone—are you fired up yet?