"Sora, Sora, what's written on the slip?"
Yamada Elf tilted up her small face, quite curious:
"Why are you pulling Mahiru along to run?"
Izumi Sora's expression was normal as he handed over the slip of paper.
Some things couldn't be hidden, and didn't need to be hidden.
If Mahiru and Yanami were standing together, he would have hesitated for a moment about who to pick, but Yanami was currently performing with the cheerleading squad and naturally couldn't come over.
Kuroneko was slacking off in a corner.
As for Basori Tiara, Shikiya-senpai, or Komari... he could only say he knew them; they didn't meet the definition of an "important person."
Now he just had to choose between Mahiru and Elf...
Even an idiot would know how to choose, right?
"Eh... Important Person?"
Shiina Mahiru also looked over curiously. After seeing the content on the paper, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a blush quickly spread across her fair, jade-like pretty face.
(Sora-kun called me to run with him, so to Sora-kun... I am an important person?)
Shiina Mahiru only felt a wonderful, sweet, and warm emotion quietly spreading in her chest. A feeling of happiness, like a clear spring, quietly overflowed from the bottom of her heart.
"What's that!"
Yamada Elf's volume abruptly spiked, her small face puffing up like a bristling blowfish:
"Sora didn't even pick me... Am I not an important person?"
Izumi Sora looked down at her:
"It's not that you aren't important..."
"Then why didn't you pick me?"
"Elf's level of importance is slightly lower."
"I-I'm angry!"
Elf bit her lower lip aggrievedly, looking as if she were about to cry in the next second.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Angel-sama stepped up again:
"Sora-kun, the slip didn't say the competitor can only have one important person, right?"
Izumi Sora shook his head: "Naturally not."
Shiina Mahiru looked up, gently pursing her beautiful lips, her voice gentle and sweet:
"Then let's bring Elf along too. Sora-kun can hold one of us in each hand."
Their eyes met.
Angel-sama's gaze was clear and gentle. It was obvious that her words just now were sincere, without a trace of falseness.
To Mahiru, Elf was actually like Sagiri—both were younger sisters who needed taking care of. She didn't feel like she was being "NTR'd."
The fact that Sora-kun picked her first was already enough.
As for what other students would think about the three of them holding hands... that didn't matter at all.
Mahiru only cared about Izumi Sora's gaze. The gazes of others couldn't sway her in the slightest.
Izumi Sora nodded slightly in understanding and reached his hand toward Elf:
"Want to run together?"
"I don't want to." Yamada Elf crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away, huffing and puffing with her cheeks out. "If Mahiru hadn't spoken up, Idiot Sora wouldn't have planned to call me at all. I'm angry!"
Izumi Sora made a gesture to withdraw his hand:
"Then Mahiru and I are leaving?"
"W-Wait a minute!"
Seeing Izumi Sora about to leave, Yamada Elf hurriedly caught up and grabbed his hand:
"If you dare leave me behind, you're dead!"
"I wouldn't dare."
"Just you wait, I'm going to stomp you to death when we go back tonight!"
"..."
Scavenging successful.
With Angel on his right and Elf on his left, Izumi Sora ran toward the finish line.
"Ooh ooh ooh~"
Seeing the strange trio, a roar of jeering instantly rang out to the sky, almost overturning the entire sports field.
"Damn it! Participating in the scavenger hunt while holding the hands of two cute girls. Normies should just explode already!"
"Angel-sama actually held hands with a boy?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"To actually desecrate the Angel, prepare to face judgment!"
"He truly deserves a thousand deaths!"
"..."
The girls gossiped excitedly, while the boys were all filled with resentment, everyone's gaze fixed on Izumi Sora.
As for the boy who had already won the scavenger hunt, he was currently standing alone at the finish line, completely ignored.
Meanwhile.
Yanami, who was performing with the cheerleading squad, saw the three in the scavenger hunt, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
Meow meow meow?
What's going on?
Why is Sora pulling Mahiru and Elf along to run?
Could the content on the slip be "cute girl"?
So unfair, so unfair, so unfair!
I want to be pulled along by Sora in a scavenger hunt too!
If I had known, I wouldn't have joined the cheerleading squad!
Yanami Anna's gaze was resentful. She couldn't stop during the performance and could only bite her lower lip tightly, watching the three run past her resentfully.
A moment later.
The three successfully reached the finish line.
Izumi Sora exhaled softly, letting go of Elf and the Angel, and then handed the slip of paper to the official.
The official was a girl wearing glasses, who currently had a face full of excited gossip. She quickly unfolded the slip, and seeing the [Important Person] inside, she asked with a grin:
"Hey, hey, Izumi-kun, why did you bring two girls over? Are they both your important persons?"
Izumi Sora's expression was normal. Since he had already brought them over, he naturally wouldn't feel guilty now:
"That's right. Shiina-san and Yamada-san are both super important persons to me."
Hearing this, Angel-sama's pretty face flushed slightly, and she shyly averted her gaze.
"Hmph, I don't believe you."
Yamada Elf, meanwhile, gave a light snort and complained in a small voice, but the corners of her pink lips couldn't stop curling upward.
"Amazing."
Seeing Elf and the Angel getting along so harmoniously without any sign of fighting over him, the girl with glasses couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"Pass confirmed. Congratulations to Izumi-kun for completing the Scavenger Hunt."
"..."
After the race, Izumi Sora returned to the rest area with Elf and Mahiru.
Gossiping gazes immediately surged toward them.
Izumi Sora's expression remained unchanged. He didn't care and had no intention of explaining, but there was one hurdle he couldn't avoid.
"Sora!"
The moment the cheerleading performance ended, Yanami ran over like the wind:
"Why were you just pulling Mahiru and Elf along to run? What was the scavenger item?"
"...Important Person."
Izumi Sora chose to tell the truth.
"Ugh—"
Yanami Anna's pink cheeks immediately puffed up, not hiding the fact that she was jealous at all:
"Why didn't Sora look for me?"
"We're childhood friends who grew up together, and we've already..."
In front of everyone, Yanami was too embarrassed to mention the kiss. She could only look over aggrievedly:
"Am I not important at all in Sora's heart?"
"Yanami is of course a very important person."
Izumi Sora explained earnestly:
"But you were just performing with the cheerleading squad, so I couldn't call you to run with me."
"Then I want to run too."
"The Scavenger Hunt is already over."
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening."
"..."
Faced with the sulking Yanami, Izumi Sora could only use his trump card:
"Let's go eat Nanyue cuisine together tonight?"
"Eh?"
Yanami Anna's heart skipped a beat.
Izumi Sora continued:
"My treat."
"...I want to eat!"
Under the temptation of food, Yanami Anna quickly gave in.
Of course, 'Inmate Eight's' jealousy hadn't completely vanished:
"After the Sports Festival ends, I want to run a lap around the track holding hands with Sora too."
"..."
In the blink of an eye, it was 3:00 PM.
The final event of the Sports Festival officially began.
"Cavalry battle is here!"
As a classic Sports Festival event, the cavalry battle is usually held last.
According to the previous vote, Mahiru received the most votes and became the "rider." Then three more people were needed to form the "horse."
Originally, anyone could be the horse. No vote was needed; just physically strong people would do.
But now...
Everyone in the Red Team, regardless of gender, all looked in unison at Izumi Sora.
"Since everyone voted for me." Izumi Sora stood out without hesitation. "Then I'll form the head."
Facing Izumi Sora's "self-recommendation," not a single person cast a dissenting vote.
As long as they weren't blind, they could see that Izumi Sora and Angel-sama had a special relationship.
They might even be secretly dating. No one was going to look for trouble.
"Mahiru, hop on."
Izumi Sora crouched down halfway on the ground.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sora-kun."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was flushed. With one hand holding the hem of her jersey and the other hand pressing against Izumi Sora's shoulder, she quickly sat on Sora's shoulders.
Sitting on a boy's shoulders in broad daylight with everyone watching, even Angel-sama couldn't help but have a blushing face and feel quite shy.
As for the remaining two "stirrups"... they aren't worth mentioning. They weren't important anyway.
"Um... Is Mahiru-san a bit too practiced at this?"
"If it were her first time sitting on a boy's shoulders, it definitely wouldn't be this easy, right?"
"Izumi-kun deserves a thousand deaths!"
"..."
Izumi Sora didn't care about the surrounding whispers. He stood up steadily, grasping Mahiru's calves with his hands. Ignoring the resentful gazes of the surrounding boys, he led Mahiru onto the battlefield.
Upon seeing the combination of Izumi Sora and Mahiru, the jeering instantly rang out. Even before the match began, the White Team's morale had already plummeted.
Bang.
With the signal pistol, the match officially began.
Izumi Sora and Mahiru acted as one, their coordination super in sync. During their night runs by the lake, he had let Mahiru ride him quite a few times, so their chemistry had long been honed.
In contrast, their opponents clearly lacked coordination.
As one side waxed and the other waned, the Red Team successfully snatched the final victory.
"Good job, Sora-kun."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was flushed, her smile bright.
Izumi Sora said in a low voice:
"Actually, we could have run for another half hour."
Angel-sama glared affectionately: "Half an hour is way too much..."
As they spoke, other members of the Red Team came forward to celebrate. The air was momentarily filled with excitement and noise.
Amidst the deafening cheers, the Sports Festival came to a successful conclusion.
"Sora, drink some water."
Yanami Anna handed a drink over.
The cheerleading performance had ended. Yanami was waiting nearby and was the first to deliver water.
But more than delivering water, Yanami wanted to be the "rider." It's just that she was a bit worried if her weight would crush Sora.
"Thank you, Yanami."
Izumi Sora took the drink and started gulping it down.
With everything finished, the next step was to go back and change clothes and then each head home.
Looking at the expectant 'Inmate Eight', Izumi Sora quickly spoke:
"Everyone worked hard today. Let's go eat Nanyue cuisine together tonight, okay?"
"I want to go!"
Yamada Elf raised her small hand:
"The roast duck from that day was super delicious. I want to eat it again."
Shiina Mahiru's voice was gentle:
"I couldn't go with everyone last week because I was busy. I have to taste it properly today."
"The Chinese sausage claypot rice in there is super delicious, highly recommended!"
Yanami's eyes were bright, transforming into a gourmet.
A date for two has its joys, but going out to eat and drink with friends has its own lively joy as well.
Izumi Sora turned to look at Kuroneko, inviting her:
"Ruri, you come along too?"
"Umm..."
Gokou Ruri hesitated for two seconds and then nodded in agreement.
"Since you invited me so sincerely, I shall reluctantly agree."
Usually after school, Kuroneko would head home early to take care of her sisters. But today was Friday, so her mother could get off work early. Plus, with the Sports Festival successfully concluded, she naturally wanted to celebrate with her friends.
"Should we message Sagiri and ask her to come out for dinner together?"
Yamada Elf raised her hand to propose.
"We can ask," Izumi Sora looked at Elf. "But Sagiri definitely won't come out."
As expected, after the message was sent, Sagiri still chose to stay home as a shut-in. They could only let her eat some snacks to tide her over, and they would bring back some food for her tonight.
"Everyone go change clothes first." Yanami stood with her hands on her hips, her voice crisp. "We'll meet at the school gate later."
"..."
Everyone went their separate ways.
Izumi Sora returned to the classroom to change his clothes and then waited silently while playing on his phone.
A moment later.
A noisy commotion suddenly sounded from the hallway.
Izumi Sora stepped out of the classroom curiously and heard various discussions reaching his ears.
"Oh no!"
"Someone fell from the general building!"
"I heard it's a girl!"
"..."
"A girl fell?"
Izumi Sora's heart skipped a beat. He quickly frowned and sprinted toward the general building.
After the Sports Festival ended, both boys and girls had to change clothes. But the boys were in their classrooms, while the girls were all in the club rooms in the general building.
Angel, Elf, Yanami, Kuroneko... they were all in the general building.
Hearing that a girl had fallen, Izumi Sora naturally couldn't sit still. He only wanted to get there as soon as possible to find out what was happening.
Just as he arrived at the general building, he saw the hallway was packed so tight that water couldn't even leak through. Everyone was peeking their heads out to look down. Some people were even holding up their phones to take pictures and videos.
"Yanami."
A blue-haired girl standing in the corner came into view. Izumi Sora quickly walked to Yanami's side.
"S-Sora..."
Yanami's pretty face was pale. Seeing Izumi Sora arrive, she grabbed his arm:
"A second-year senpai was pushed from the building. There's so much blood on the ground..."
Izumi Sora leaned out to look down. He indeed saw blood all over the ground and an unfamiliar senpai lying there motionless.
"Don't look."
Izumi Sora pulled Yanami into his embrace:
"No one wants a tragic fall to happen."
"It wasn't an accident." Yanami Anna shook her head quickly, her face pale. "That senpai was pushed down by someone."
"Murder?"
"I was just in the club room next door changing clothes when I suddenly heard an argument from the room next to us. There were the voices of a girl and a man." Yanami Anna calmed down slightly and spoke about the situation. "I originally planned to go out and check the situation after I finished changing, but just as I finished, I heard a cry of alarm from outside saying someone was pushed from the building."
"I ran out and looked. Inside the club room next door, a middle-aged man was panting at the window. The other girls were all crying from fright."
"A middle-aged man pushed the senpai down?"
Izumi Sora couldn't help but think of the incident during lunch.
Could it be the same person?
While they were talking, Elf and Mahiru walked over together.
"Sora, Sora, I heard someone fell from the building?"
Yamada Elf spoke while leaning out to look down.
"Don't look."
Izumi Sora swiftly reached out and covered Elf's eyes.
Bloody scenes were not suitable for children. Ordinary people seeing them could easily have nightmares.
"Sora-kun, did someone really fall?"
Angel-sama gently furrowed her brows, looking over seriously.
Izumi Sora nodded:
"Yes. The person is on the ground, and there's no movement right now... but it wasn't a fall. Yanami just said that the girl didn't fall by accident, but was pushed down by someone."
"How could this happen..."
Shiina Mahiru widened her eyes upon hearing this. She quickly took a deep breath and looked at Yanami, saying seriously:
"Yanami, please let go of Sora-kun for a moment. I have something to say to him."
"Eh?"
Yanami Anna blinked in confusion and curiously let go of Izumi Sora's arm.
Shiina Mahiru bit her lower lip, swiftly took Izumi Sora's right hand, and pulled him toward a corner.
"Sora, what are you guys going to do?"
Yanami Anna hurriedly asked.
Izumi Sora didn't look back:
"Mahiru and I are going to save the world."
Yanami: "..."
Yamada Elf followed curiously:
"I want to save the world too!"
"You can't."
Izumi Sora ruthlessly blocked Elf:
"You stay with Yanami, and don't look down."
"What's that about? Sora is so biased."
Yamada Elf puffed out her small face and stopped in her tracks, huffing and puffing.
"..."
Izumi Sora and Mahiru pushed through the crowd and arrived at a deserted, secluded corner.
"Sora-kun, we can't just stand by and do nothing." Shiina Mahiru lowered her voice. "So we have to rewind time."
"Understood."
Izumi Sora nodded slightly.
When Mahiru called him over, he already knew her intention.
Angel-sama was kind-hearted. She would never use Time Stop for illegal or undisciplined things. But if she could save someone in distress, she naturally wouldn't stand by and watch.
Mahiru didn't know that second-year senpai lying in a pool of blood, but no matter what, she couldn't just sit and do nothing.
If the senpai's parents found out their daughter had died from falling, they would be absolutely devastated, wouldn't they?
So time had to be rewound.
Not just to save an innocent life, but also to save the devastated family behind it.
"Shall we rewind time right now?"
Shiina Mahiru bit her lower lip and said in a low voice:
"We don't know what happened yet, but the earlier we rewind time, the better. Besides saving the person, we also need to investigate the situation..."
Izumi Sora nodded gently and was about to speak when he suddenly saw the crowded hallway quickly part. Then, two security guards escorted a despondent middle-aged man out.
"That man... why does he look so familiar?"