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Chapter 129 Part 3

Following the announcement, the contestants moved back to a corner of the track, and the executive committee members began to make some arrangements.

The blue tarps with O and X marks that had been laid out on the ground were removed, and the track was divided into two by a giant curtain-like thing that had been assembled in advance across the center.

It was over two meters high, and what appeared to be a curtain was actually countless pieces of plastic tape hanging down.

『Allow me to explain. The last part of the first round will be a jumping true or false quiz. Five groups will compete at a time, and upon passing through the curtain made of plastic tape, you will find a question displayed there. Please choose either a side with an O or X mark on it, and jump into the center with all your might. A mat will be laid out on the side of the correct answer, but if you choose the wrong answer… you will end up in a terrible mess. If you do not jump within the time limit, you will be disqualified, so please take note of it.』

With a true or false quiz in which the contestants moved in groups, there was a chance that they wouldn’t be able to reduce the number of contestants by much, so they devised this quiz format that would force each group to make their own decision. It was something that Yuu proposed based on the high school quiz that he used as the model.

From what he remembered seeing on TV, if you chose the wrong answer, you would fall into muddy water, but as expected, that would have been too cruel, so they should have changed it to colored water made by dissolving water-based paints.

Incidentally, there were 10 questions prepared, and once a question was used, they would turn it over and not use it again.

This was a countermeasure in case the question was seen through the curtain.

The contestants lined up in rows and started in order as soon as they finished their preparations.

It seemed that a few seconds after the first five groups passed through the curtain, they jumped into the true or false screen.

Right after, screams and cries of relief could be heard, along with laughter from the students watching.

「It’s kind of nerve-wracking.」

Masaya muttered as he looked ahead.

When the curtain was turned over, he could see a question written on a large horizontal banner-like long piece of paper, but not to the point where he could make out the whole sentence.

Though, the next group would get a different question, so even if he could read it, there was no point.

Yuu’s group was fourth from the front of the end row where the boys naturally gathered.

Looking to their right, there was a group wearing miniskirts and white T-shirts with 『Sairei Victory!』 written in uppercase letters, and they appeared to be just as nervous.

「I’m counting on you, Masaya. Let’s get the right answer here and move on to the second round.」

「Hey… You have to think about it too, Yuu.」

Yuu grabbed Masaya’s shoulders and looked back at him with half-closed, sharp eyes.

「Hahaha… Well, it depends on the question, but whatever will be, will be.」

As hot as it may be, I’d like to refrain from picking the wrong answer and ending up getting soaked; Yuu thought.

The line moved along quickly, and finally it was Yuu’s group’s turn, and they stood in front of the starting line.

「Take your positions, ready…」

*Fweeet* At the signal of the blown whistle, they started running.

It was by no means a race.

On the contrary, if there was a gap, the later group would have an advantage, so they deliberately pushed aside the vinyl tape curtain with their hands and passed through it at the same speed.

The question immediately came into view.

『The first school established by Saihou Educational Company, the predecessor of the Ayakuni Group, was Saihou Academy High School in 1962. True or False? 』

「Do you know?」

「I do know Saihou was the first, but I’m afraid I don’t remember the year.」

「Hmm.」

Should they believe it as it was, or suspect if there was any trick to it?

They were at a loss.

But then, a member of the executive committee standing nearby gave instructions.

「Please start and jump in at the same time in 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Alright, it’s time!」

「I think, there’s probably no tricks to it.」

「Alright, then, it’s O.」

Yuu and Masaya broke into a run at the same time and jumped into a 2m square screen with a big O on it.

There was a cross-shaped cut in it, and what was laid out beyond the screen they jumped into was a mat used in the gymnasium.

「Phew, with this, we passed the first round. That was pretty nerve-wrecking.」

「Tell me about it.」

At once, Yuu and Masaya breathed a sigh of relief to be on the mat, but just as they were about to head to the waiting area for the correct answer group following the instructions from the executive committee members, they suddenly heard a scream.

「Hyaaan! I-I can’t swim!」

It seemed that the Sairei’s group on their right had jumped into the wrong side.

The water tank, which was about the size of a pickup truck tray, was colored red, so both of them, who were flustered, turned bright red as they made loud splashing noises.

If they calmed down and stood up in the tank, they would notice that the water was only up to the waist, but it seemed that suddenly jumping into a water tank had thrown them into a panic.

Then, Yuu stopped and reached out his hand from the edge of the tank.

「Calm down. Here, take my hand.」

「Huh…? A, a boy?!」

「Hawawa?!」

The two looked so similar that they could pass as sisters, and they both had short hair and short stature.

Like the phrase, 『Drowning men will grab at straws』, the one closest to Yuu reached out with all her might, grabbed his right hand and stood up.

「Ahh! Not just big sis, but me too!」

Sure enough, it seemed they were sisters.

As Yuu extended a helping hand toward her, the other one, who had fallen on her buttocks and was splashing around, immediately came over and grabbed his left hand, too.

「T-t-t, thank you.」

「You’re welco…me?!」

There, Yuu noticed.

Having jumped into a water tank, both of them were soaked all over.

In other words, not only were the white T-shirts they were wearing stained red, but they were also sticking to their bodies, allowing the inside to show through.

When he shifted his eyes toward their breasts, he could see their nipples sticking out, and below, too, the outline of their panties inside their skirts was showing through.

Oh, here it is, lucky sukebe moment!

Of all the boys in this world, Yuu was the only one who would think so, and the two girls in question were not at all ashamed of having their undergarments seen through.

At any rate, Yuu pulled the two Sairei girls, who were clinging to his hands with both hands, out of the tank.

As they stepped over the edge of the tank, which was a little higher than their waists, their soaking wet white panties stuck to them, allowing him to even see the shape of their chasms clearly, so Yuu felt like he’d gotten a bargain.

「Ehehe. The boys from Sairyou are as good-looking and kind as they say.」

「Seriously, lucky!」

Even after getting out of the tank, the two continued to hold Yuu’s hand and showed no signs of letting go, staring at him intently.

However, the executive committee member, who seemed a little pissed, told them off harshly, so they had to part ways right then and there.

「You don’t have to be that nice to the girls from Sairei, and yet… You sure are a strange one, Yuu. Well, I knew that, though.」

「It’s after the match is over, after all. This, too, is part of the schools social event.」

Not only were there a lot of things about the student council of Sairei Academy that he was concerned about, it was important for their alma mater to secure victory.

Even so, Yuu had this personality that if there was a girl in trouble in front of him, he couldn’t just leave her alone.

◇ ◇ ◇

Once the first round was over, the results of both schools were announced.

136 groups passed, of which 69 were from Sairyou and 67 from Sairei.

It seemed that the number of contestants had gone down significantly after the fourth true or false quiz.

The total points were 422 to 414, with Sairyou leading by just 8 points.

When it came to quizzes, they tested knowledge, so it was believed that a prep school would have an advantage.

In that sense, everyone in the student council believed that Sairyou, whose regular course (excluding boys’ classes) had a deviation score nearly 10 points higher, would have an advantage.

However, since the first round consisted entirely of questions about the Ayakuni group, it was understandable that they were unable to pull ahead by much.

Yuu thought that the real battle would start from the second round, which tested their general knowledge.