Chapter 44:THE TRACK OF MONSTERS (Part 1)
The heat of the sun and the temperature of the synthetic track had both risen.
There was a different kind of tension on the grounds of Hoshigawa High now. All the boys were set at their respective starting lines.
In Lane 1 stood The Class Monitor Tsuyoshi Taro
In Lane 2, Zixuan Lee
In Lane 3, Yuto Sakurai
In Lane 4, Satoshi Ichigaya
In Lane 5, the 6.7-foot , Junpei Kurodan.
Around them in the remaining lanes stood Daiki (Lane 6), Yoshiro (Lane 7), Taiki (Lane 8), and the rest of the ordinary students.
Takeshi Sir stood right in the middle of the ground. He cast a strict glance over everyone and shouted loudly:
"Listen carefully, all of you!
For this marathon, no standard rules will apply.
Unlike a normal marathon where players run in their own lanes, that rule won't apply here! Got it?
There are 15 boys and 18 girls among you, which is why I brought you all to the ground together—to check your raw stamina.
You can run into each other's lanes and cross paths while running... but keep in mind, no one should intentionally push anyone or cause injuries!
Did you understand me?!"
"Yes, Sir!" the boys shouted in unison.
"Then everyone take your stances at your positions. I won't repeat myself!
1... 2... 3...
Ready... Steady..."
Takeshi Sir placed the whistle between his lips.
PRRRRRRRTTTTT!
The sound of the whistle pierced the air, and the race began!
As soon as the race started, Tsuyoshi, Zixuan Lee, Satoshi, and Junpei took the lead. Those four were running like a storm, as if someone had unleashed a pack of cheetahs. Seeing their speed and perfect posture, the surrounding ordinary kids were left mind-blown.
A student running behind said in shock,
"Oh man... what kind of joke is this?
Are these guys talking to the wind?"
Right after him, another boy with wide eyes said, "Fuck... are these guys even human?!"
The rest of the ordinary boys running behind were just staring at the top group's speed with wide, shocked eyes.
Sideline Reactions:
Meanwhile, the ordinary girls standing on the grass were going crazy looking at the top runners.
*"Oh my god!
Zixuan Lee is looking like such a cool and cute boy!
He's running so fast, honestly, I've gone totally crazy for him!"* one girl shouted with joy.
*"Oh, move aside!
Tsuyoshi-kun is going to win this race,"* another girl said, making a happy face.
*"Look how handsome he looks while running!
And on top of that, he is the class monitor; no one can beat him."*
On the same sideline, Yoko Fujimoto's patience had completely run out. Annoyed, she said to the girls,
"Everyone, shut up and let's get out of here.
Go to the shower room to take a shower before the next class starts."
The girls started leaving the ground one by one.
While leaving, Miyu's gaze fell on the sideline grass for a couple of minutes, where Renjiro Hoshino was doing squats in the sun, completely drenched in sweat.
*"What a hardworking boy... despite such a heavy body, he is doing squats without stopping,"* Miyu thought to herself with pure sympathy upon seeing his dedication.
*"No matter what others say about him, he is truly trying to move forward with his own strength.
I wish I could tell him not to lose hope, Renjiro-kun..."*
Right then, as soon as Junn Tachibana's gaze fell on the sweat-drenched Renjiro, a look of utter disgust appeared on her face.
Greatly annoyed, she pinched her nose with her fingers and said,
"Eww... let's get out of here quickly!
I am suffocating here.
The smell of this walking trash has gotten so, so much worse.
If we don't leave soon, I'm going to throw up right here."
Seeing her tantrum and such an insult directed at Renjiro, all the girls started laughing.
Yoko glared and interrupted in a strict voice,
"Watch your tongue, Junn.
This is the class not your home ,so stay back in your limits, don't cross boaderline of class rules"
"Fine, fine, let's all get out of here," Junn said with an attitude.
"I don't want to smell trash like this."
Honoka Aizawa stared at Renjiro and, thinking to herself, said, *"How disgusting is this..."* and then she left from there too.
But Sayaka Shirogane's reaction was entirely different. She placed a finger on her lips, giving a deeply seductive look, and while looking towards Renjiro, she thought in her mind:
*"Uhh... how cute he looks.
The scent of sweat... wow, it's absolutely intoxicating.
I want to smell this scent even more, but even though I don't want to,
I have to leave this place... uhhhh."*
Thinking this, she too walked away with a smile.
Meanwhile, standing a little behind, Himari Suzuki looked at Renjiro with worry-filled eyes.
She whispered softly, *"Renjiro-kun... please take care of yourself,"* and then she too slipped away following the crowd.
"Come on Miyu, hurry up!" Yoko called out to her, and all the girls headed towards the shower room.
But a little further back on the track, the situation was completely the opposite.
Yoshiro and his two cronies (Daiki and Taiki) were heavily exhausted and jogging slowly.
"Oh man... Sir has totally worn me out!
First, he drained all our water by making us run behind his cycle,
And now he wants to kill us by making us run again!
Pant... pant..."
Yoshiro was terribly tired from running.
"Oh Boss..." Daiki said in a crying tone, "There's no strength left in my knees. I can't walk any further, Boss!"
Taiki also spoke while panting, "Boss, just by being with you, we've caught your bad luck too!"
"Both of you shut your mouths, you morons!" Yoshiro turned and glared angrily, though his own breath was giving out.
"Fuckers, when Sir was chasing us with the cycle, you two idiots left me and ran the other way!
And you're calling me bad luck?
Don't you guys have any shame?!"
Seeing their Boss angry, both of them said nervously,
"Oh Boss, there's no use giving abuses now, Boss. Just run!"
Yoshiro took a deep breath,
"Yeah, you're right. Save your stamina.
I can't be humiliated in front of the class under any circumstances!"
So far, 1 lap was complete.
On the track, Tsuyoshi was moving forward maintaining his rhythm like a professional Olympic runner.
But a little behind him, Yuto Sakurai's anger and irritation were growing.
There were 3-4 ordinary students running ahead of him, mistakenly blocking his line.
*"These bastards want to get ahead of me?
Do they think I'll let them pass?!"*
Yuto thought, grinding his teeth.
He suddenly increased his speed.
*"Get out of my way, motherfuckers!"*
Without caring about any rules, Yuto barged into the middle of those ordinary boys, very cleverly knocking them one by one with a shoulder barge to get ahead.
He pushed them so cleanly that Takeshi Sir's gaze wouldn't catch him.
"Hey! What kind of stupidity are you doing, man?!" Koji l stumbled, barely saving himself from falling.
"Are you crazy?! Idiot!" Takuya, running right next to him, cursed in irritation.
Just then, Makoto, running behind them, calmed them down and said, "Have you two gone crazy?
It's a good thing he didn't hear you, otherwise, he would have screwed everyone up right here!
Why do you guys think Yuto runs his mouth in front of a strict monitor like Tsuyoshi?
Because he is a massive psycho! Fuck, he's a top-tier lunatic and a huge delinquent, and all of this is only because of Hiroto Kageyama!"
Koji asked in shock while panting,
"Man, what are you talking about?
I did hear there was a guy named Hiroto Kageyama... who was in Class 1-A when we were in 1-C during our first year."
"Bro, I heard he is the sole heir to Kageyama Industries," Takuya added to the conversation.
"Kageyama Industries builds luxury buildings and cars all over Japan!"
"You said it right," Makoto agreed.
"Rumor has it that the contract for Hoshigawa's new interior was also taken by Kageyama Industries.
This whole school was renovated by Kageyama Industries, which is why, in a way, Hiroto considers this school as his own.
And that is exactly why this asshole (Yuto) shows so much attitude in school!"
Koji (who had almost fallen) continued, "But I didn't know that the King would be in Class 2-A in this year as well."
Makoto, wiping his sweat, said,
"If this is true, then that quiet Daichi Watanabe must be with him too! Bro,
I just want to stay far away from him...
I don't even want to go near him.
That fucker beats people up for no reason without even listening!
I heard he once got into a fight with 10 guys, and he wiped out all 10 of them in 5 minutes, bro!"
Takuya said in fear,
"Then he's a massive psychopath!
No wonder Yuto was showing so much attitude in front of Tsuyoshi, that bastard..."
"Now shut up," Makoto interrupted, pointing forward.
"Yuto is just like them.
You can tell just by looking at his face."
(Lap 2 Complete)
Just ahead of Yuto, another ordinary student running in front panicked and said,
"H-Hey, what are you doing, bro?
Stay away from me, please!"
Yuto glared at him with a bloodthirsty look.
*"Move... get out of my way!
How dare all of you block my path?!"*
Showing him his place, Yuto quickly sprinted past him.
Right then, the other student running next to that 'please' guy let out a long breath in fear and muttered to himself,
"Oh man, I better get out of his way, or else this psycho will come after us for no fucking reason.
I'll just let this bastard go."
The third student responded, panting,
"Yes, you're right. We better stay out of his way.
Dealing with him is enough to drive anyone crazy.
Let's just stick to our own lane and survive this."
On the track, Yuto surged ahead, but no one's attention was on the sideline. Standing there in the blazing sun, Renjiro Hoshino had completed 300 squats.The heat radiating from his body was rising into the air like smoke from an overheated engine, and in his eyes burned a fierce fire that no one had ever seen before.
Continue to next chapter...