NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Victory
Kevin, feeling the surge of energy from Shikimori—who was hot on his heels—suddenly burst into a full sprint, determined not to be overtaken!
In his mind, Kevin grumbled, "What the heck is going on today? First Tatsuki chases me down, and now a girl is closing in on me! I'm gonna explode!"
Unbeknownst to Kevin, Shikimori wasn't even listening to his inner rant. In fact, she was thinking, "At last, someone's running faster than me! I'm going to overtake them for sure—charge!"
With that thought fueling her, Shikimori surged forward to catch up with Kevin. When Kevin glanced back, he nearly choked on his breath: "Whoa—she's closing in on me that fast?! Oh man!"
At that very moment, Tatsuki—positioned ahead of both Kevin and Shikimori—felt a sudden jolt of awareness. Glancing back, he was shocked, "Damn, as expected of Shikimori, overflowing with boyfriend energy! She's about to catch up with Kevin! I've got to give it everything I've got!"
With renewed determination, Tatsuki cranked up his speed once more, leaving all his classmates in stunned silence. Who knew he could run even faster?
Sasaki-sensei, serving as our impromptu play-by-play commentator, roared with excitement, "Alright, everyone—look! Shikimori is nearly neck-and-neck with Kevin, and there's only half a lap left! Who will be the ultimate victor? Let's cheer them on!"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the girls:
"Woohoo! Overcome them, Shikimori!" (repeated ten times)
Not to be outdone, a group of boys shouted in unison:
"Come on, Kevin! Tatsuki! Run faster!" (repeated ten times)
Alas, Kevin eventually got overtaken by Shikimori. Frustrated, he halted and bellowed at Tatsuki, "Damn it—look what you did!"
Sasaki-sensei's voice boomed as he explained, "Now for the final stretch! Since Chiane and Kevin have been passed by Shikimori, it's now down to Tatsuki and Shikimori with less than 300 meters to the finish line. Give it everything you've got!"
Hearing Kevin's outburst—even without turning around—Tatsuki instantly understood: the race had come down to him versus Shikimori. Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and pushed himself into an all-out sprint!
Meanwhile, Shikimori noticed the gap between her and Tatsuki widening, and with only about 200 meters remaining, she refused to back down. Matching Tatsuki's pace stride for stride, she launched herself into a fierce counterattack to overtake him!
The cheers grew even louder:
"Go, Shikimori—push through!" (shouted by the girls, ten times)
"Woohoo! We're gonna win—Tatsuki, run faster!" (shouted by the boys, ten times)
In the electrifying atmosphere of the race, the combined roars of the entire class spurred on the two leaders. In the end, Tatsuki managed to pull ahead by ten meters, clinching the victory!
As the finish line was crossed, all the boys—Chiane, Kevin, and the rest—erupted in jubilation, chanting, "Woohoo! We boys win!" (repeated twelve times)
Sasaki-sensei couldn't contain his excitement: "Congratulations, Tatsuki, on your well-deserved victory! Let's give him a huge cheer!"
Later, as Tatsuki stretched coolly after the race, both Chiane and Kevin approached him.
"Great job, Tatsuki," said Chiane.
"Yeah, I can't believe a girl managed to overtake me…" grumbled Kevin.
Tatsuki smirked and retorted, "Hah! You two idiots—getting passed by a girl? I'm really tired of you guys!"
Kevin stuttered, "Hey, that wasn't fair!"
"Exactly what I'm saying," added Chiane.
"Right, right…" Kevin conceded.
Meanwhile, the scene shifted over to Shikimori. After failing to overtake Tatsuki, she slowed down and stepped aside, leaning against a railing as she did some cool-down stretches. A close friend—Kitagawa Haimeng—approached and handed her a bottle of water.
"Come on, Shikimori, have some water!" Haimeng said kindly.
"Thanks, Haimeng…" Shikimori replied, accepting the water with a grateful smile.
Sasaki-sensei then called out towards Haimeng, "Alright, next up, it's your team's turn!"
"Got it! I'm on my way, Shikimori," Haimeng responded.
"Yeah, go on!" Shikimori encouraged as they waved goodbye and headed back to the track.
After taking a quick swig and setting the bottle down, Shikimori resumed her cool-down stretches—making sure she wouldn't be sore tomorrow!
Over by Tatsuki's side, after finishing his own stretching, he and his teammates stood by the railing, watching the other students run and sweat it out. But honestly, with a showdown as epic as the one between Tatsuki and Shikimori, the rest of the race seemed almost dull in comparison…
After a flashy transition…
During the free period of PE class, Tatsuki, Chiane, and Kevin grabbed a basketball and headed over to the court.
"Alright, let's see who's got the best ball-handling skills!" declared Chiane enthusiastically.
The mention of basketball instantly sent Tatsuki's mind racing back to a video he'd seen in his past life—a clip of a cool gray-haired guy with a middle part, rocking suspenders and a basketball. As the music kicked in, that guy broke into a perfectly choreographed dance that Tatsuki remembered vividly—even after his reincarnation. He could still recall the iconic line from that performance:
"You're such a pain in the ass!"
"Hey, Tatsuki, what are you daydreaming about?" Chiane waved a hand in front of him.
Shaking off the reverie, Tatsuki replied, "Nothing—just thinking about something."
"Something good, I hope! Worthy of our big bro Tatsuki," Chiane teased, patting him on the shoulder.
"Alright, alright, enough chit-chat—let's get on the court!" Kevin called out as he led the way.
"Wait up, Tatsuki! Let's go!" Chiane insisted, releasing his grip and matching Kevin's pace.
"Here I come!" Tatsuki shouted as he bounded after his friends.
PS: So, what do you think? Am I on fire or what?