3 bar menu

Chapter 130 Part 2

Yuu had no recollection of ever speaking to her.

As expected of a girl from Sairyou Academy, where appearance was also a selection criterion in the interview.

It seemed that there were still many attractive girls out there, just that Yuu didn’t know about them.

Events like this were filled with the joy of being able to meet such girls.

I should have asked her name.

As Yuu ran to the center of the track after being urged by Masaya, who had an exasperated look on his face, such a thought crossed his mind.

Result-wise, Yuu’s group was the 20th to pass the second round.

That was clutch timing, since if they had gotten that question wrong, they might have been eliminated.

Incidentally, among the winning groups, there was Li Weifei, vice president of the Sairei Student Council, and she caught sight of Yuu, she muttered, 「Even though he’s a boy, he’s surprisingly good」, showing her admiration.

That was because out of the 25 groups that passed in the first half, Yuu’s group was the only boys’ group.

In the second half, a group of third-year boys advanced to the next round, so out of the 50 groups, only two boys’ groups were able to pass.

Ultimately, at the end of the second round, Sairyou and Sairei were tied with 25 groups each remaining.

The total points were 596 to 592, with Sairyou’s lead shrinking instead, a result that overturned Yuu’s prediction.

It was just that, looking at the teacher groups among the groups that advanced to the next round, Sairyou only had one group, while Sairei had four out of the five groups that participated.

It was only natural for teachers to be knowledgeable in their field, but not so much in general knowledge, and their knowledge tended to be biased.

It aroused suspicion that the members of Sairei’s teacher groups were in fact not teachers, but rather enthusiasts, like the ones that appeared on quiz shows, whom they had gathered.

Even if they checked their identities right then and there, they might be temporary teachers.

If so, it could be said to be a blind spot in the rules, which only stipulated that only students and teachers that were currently enrolled at their schools were eligible to participate.

The only way to prevent temporary helpers from participating next time was to stipulate that they must have been enrolled for a certain period of time.

◇ ◇ ◇

「It’s getting hot, isn’t it?」

「Yeah, it really feels like summer.」

While the executive committee members were preparing for the third round, the remaining contestants were taking a break in large tents, separated by school.

Time-wise, it was already past 11 o’clock, and intense sunlight was pouring down from the sun that was approaching the zenith.

They were enjoying the cold tea that was handed out.

As they stayed in the shade like this, it felt a little cooler, making it more bearable.

Yuu and Masaya naturally huddled together in a corner with their fellow boys’ group (third year).

As expected, Riko seemed to have made it through, too, and they waved at each other and exchanged smiles.

The members of the other third year groups were gathering around her, so he didn’t go near her and talk to her, though.

「Huh, that’s Hanmura-senpai, a third year and the top student of her grade, no? Are you close?」

「Yeah, we both belong to the student council, after all.」

「Heh~… Ah, isn’t that Iida-senpai, the president of the literature club, who’s teaming with her? If those two are teaming up, they’re definitely Sairyou’s top contenders.」

「Hohou. You seem to know a lot about her.」

「Hmm, I’ve met her a few times in the library and talked to her, you see.」

It seemed that Yuu wasn’t the only one who interacted with girls from a different grade, so did Masaya.

In the first place, the situation in which he was able to become close with a female senior not only in the same club but also in the library was simply enviable.

As expected, despite his scholarly look, he’s a normie; Yuu couldn’t help but think so inwardly.

Incidentally, the girl who was with Riko was a plain-looking girl with heavy duty-looking glasses and a bob haircut, similar to his security personnel Touko.

She was a traditional bookworm type, but she would probably show her true worth in a quiz competition like this.

Speaking of which, the senior third-year boys next to them – with a contrasting physique of skinny and fat – also looked like a typical otaku type.

Perhaps they had an introverted personality, even when Yuu or the girls talked to them, they only smiled vaguely and said few words.

◇ ◇ ◇

『Alright, now then, let’s start the third round! Just like before, this round will be carried out in two halves, so first, the 25 groups that are assigned to the first half, please gather in front of the headquarters.』

「Alright, let’s go!」

「Yeah.」

As Yuu stood up and left the tent, he met Riko’s eyes.

「Yuu-kun, do your best!」

「Y, Yamada-kun, do your best.」

「Show them the spirit of the Sairyou boys!」

「Let’s advance to the fourth round together!」

The groups that competed in the second half cheered them on.

Yuu exchanged high fives with the girls, starting with Riko, one after another.

Having no other choice, Masaya followed Yuu’s example, too.

「We look forward to your stellar performance.」

「Likewise, senpai, please do your best.」

When Yuu and Masaya replied to them, the girls waved their hands with a truly delighted look on their faces as they saw them off.

There were three desks lined up right in front of the morning assembly platform, and the Sairyou and Sairei groups were separated on either side of them.

It was probably an arrangement that was made after taking into consideration the boys’ group, who numbered only one in each half.

Apparently, the Sairei students had no discretion in the way they looked at boys.

They were staring at the lower parts of their bodies so intently, so much that even Yuu could tell, as expected.

In contrast to the Sairyou girls, who had the same level of shame and modesty as high school girls in the world prior to Yuu’s rebirth thanks to their ladies’ education, the Sairei girls did not hide their inner thoughts, and those who showed attitude like that of dirty old men were standing out.

『Now then, allow me to explain the third round.』

As soon as the announcement began, the place quieted down.

『The third round is a baramaki quiz. You will have to overcome the obstacles halfway around the track and take one of the envelopes scattered in the football goal you can see on the other side. After that, cross the track and hand the envelope to the executive committee member standing at the desk in front of the morning assembly platform. Inside the envelope is a paper with a question written on it, but about 20% of them are 「duds」, so if you get a dud, please go and get another one in the same manner. Also, you have to answer as a group, but you can send only one person to get the envelope.』

『This time, the questions are such as 「What are the world’s three biggest ___?」 and 「Name three things that count as ___」, and you can answer up to three. Of course, if you have no idea, you can answer one or two only, or you can give up early and try the next one. For each question you answer correctly, a stamp will be put on the card distributed to you, and the groups that advance to the next round will be decided by the order in which you collect five stamps. The first 10 groups to collect five stamps in each half. In other words, in total, only 20 groups will advance to the fourth round. 』

The contestants were divided into those who ran ahead to get the envelope and those who waited.

Yuu and the others, the runners, lined up at the starting point in front of the morning assembly platform with their backs facing each other, separated by school.

The waiting contestants, like Masaya, were gathering on the inner side of the track.

The third round was finally about to begin.

With the total points being so close, the cheering from both schools seemed to be filled with vigor.

Yuu, in particular, was showered with high-pitched cheering, calling him out by name.

「「「「「Hirose-kun!」」」」」

When Yuu smiled and waves his hand in response to their collective cheering, they went *kyaa, kyaa* as they let out cries of joy.

「Hyan, his smile is so lovely!」

「Really, he’s so cool!」

「Sigh, if my group had advanced to this round, I would’ve been able to get closer to him….」

Even among the Sairyou contestants who were lining up at the starting line with him, several girls who were close to Yuu called out to him in a small voice.

「L, let’s do our best, Hirose-kun!」

「It’d be nice if we could advance to the next round together.」

「Yes. Let’s pass this round together and widen our lead!」

They were all second- and third-year girls whom Yuu hardly had any recollections of, but since this was a school competition, here, they were rivals and comrades at the same time.

Keeping it as inconspicuous as possible, Yuu reached out his hand and exchanged touches with the female seniors nearby.

Thanks to this, the girls around him showed an unusual amount of motivation.