"Sora-kun, there's a supply station ahead, let's take a rest, okay?"
Seeing the supply station appear ahead, Shiina Mahiru, who had been silent all along, shyly spoke up.
She hadn't spoken before because she was worried about disrupting Izumi Sora's running rhythm. But now that the supply station was right in front of them, she had to make Sora-kun stop and rest for a bit.
Izumi Sora didn't stop, looking at the supply station not far away:
"Without a reward, I'll just keep running all the way."
"Eh?"
"I can't stop. Without a reward, I completely can't stop."
"..."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face grew slightly hot, naturally knowing Izumi Sora's little scheme.
The so-called reward is clearly wanting a lap pillow, right?
Liking girls' lap pillow rewards so much, Sora-kun really isn't a proper person...
However, although she complained inwardly, she definitely wouldn't refuse.
Shiina Mahiru's voice was shy:
"Umm... I'll give Sora-kun two lap pillow vouchers."
"Too few." Izumi Sora said while running. "It has to be five, I won't stop for even one less."
Shiina Mahiru slightly puffed out her pink cheeks: "Sora-kun is so greedy."
"I'm sorry, I suffer from intermittent deafness."
"There's no such strange disease!"
"..."
Arriving at the supply station, Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was flushed as she softly agreed:
"Five it is, then... Sora-kun, hurry up and stop, properly replenish your stamina."
In fact, the later it gets in the race, the less you should stop. Jogging while drinking water is the choice for most people, because many who have held on this far are relying entirely on a single breath of determination. Once they stop, they might not be able to run anymore.
Of course, Izumi Sora's physical fitness had broken through the human limit, so stopping to rest completely didn't matter.
"Phew..."
Izumi Sora exhaled softly, stopping steadily in front of the rest station, and bent down to set down Mahiru from his back.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding me?"
"Is that high school student a monster?"
"Running so far carrying someone on his back, he definitely isn't human."
Several competitors nearby, dripping with sweat as if they had just been fished out of the water, stared dumbfounded, looking at him as if he were a monster.
The spectators and volunteers on the roadside didn't know the difference, but as fellow competitors, they knew very well how exaggerated it was to run a marathon while carrying someone.
With only ten kilometers left to the finish line, most people have very little stamina left. And you can actually run all the way here carrying a girl on your back?
High schoolers nowadays are all monsters, aren't they!
Izumi Sora picked up a water cup and drank two cups in one go with a gulp gulp.
"Sora-kun, energy gel."
Shiina Mahiru thoughtfully handed over an energy gel.
Izumi Sora opened his mouth to bite it:
"Give me another one."
Running while carrying Mahiru significantly increased his physical exertion, so he needed to replenish more energy.
"Okay."
Shiina Mahiru's voice was gentle as she handed over another energy gel.
Meanwhile.
The cameraman by the road pointed his lens towards them, and the two figures once again appeared on the live stream.
"Finally seeing Angel-sama again!"
"So cute even on a raw live stream camera, she must look even better in real life, right?"
"That girl is so gentle, it feels like her eyes are completely filled with that boy."
"To actually run all this way carrying a girl, the stamina of high schoolers these days is truly too exaggerated."
"..."
With Izumi Sora and Mahiru appearing on screen, the bullet comments in the live stream surged once again.
On the other side.
Yanami, Elf, and Kuroneko had already arrived at the rest station near the Tokyo Tower, standing behind the cordon as spectators.
The Tokyo Tower was only three kilometers from the final finish line. By the time they reached here, the physical and mental stamina of many competitors had already reached their limits. So Yanami and the girls discussed and decided to wait here for Izumi Sora and Mahiru, to cheer them on.
However, before the people arrived, a critical hit from a friend struck first.
Buzz buzz.
The phone in her pocket vibrated continuously.
Yanami Anna took out her phone. Seeing her friend's name on the screen, she involuntarily grew nervous.
No way?
Could my base have been stolen again?
Like a new girl falling from the sky... wait, I am the childhood friend. Mahiru seems to be the one who fell from the sky, right?
Taking a deep breath, Yanami pushed aside her messy thoughts and opened the message.
"Anna, hurry up and get on the live stream, Izumi-kun is amazing!"
"Eh?"
Yanami Anna blinked, her curiosity quickly surging:
"What do you mean Sora is amazing?"
Opening NicoNico and entering the official Tokyo Marathon live stream, the two people in the camera shot were indeed Izumi Sora and Mahiru.
"It's actually Sora?"
Yamada Elf leaned in curiously, widening her eyes:
"Why is Idiot Sora carrying Mahiru while running?"
Gokou Ruri crossed her arms over her chest. Hearing this, she couldn't help but lean in, casting a glance at the phone, and softly analyzed:
"Mahiru must be injured, otherwise, given Mahiru's personality, she definitely wouldn't ask Sora for help."
Yamada Elf's voice was crisp: "The bullet comments are all saying Sora is a monster."
Kuroneko nodded gently:
"Running a marathon while carrying someone, it really doesn't sound like something a human can do."
At this moment, a bullet comment rolled across the screen, making Elf's cheeks quickly puff up:
"They actually said Idiot Sora and Mahiru are a couple... What is that, they are clearly just friends!"
Yanami Anna: "..."
If they were just ordinary friends, given Mahiru's personality, even if she gave up the race, she wouldn't let someone carry her, right?
Kuroneko lightly bit her lower lip, also remaining silent.
Although she had already clarified her feelings, the thought that her opponent was Angel-sama, who excelled in both academics and martial arts, gave her a sense of powerlessness.
Can't beat her?
No matter how you look at it, I can't beat her, right?
Yanami and Kuroneko exchanged a knowing glance, suddenly feeling a sense of mutual sympathy between losing heroines.
"Ahem, the people posting those bullet comments don't know anything, they're just saying whatever comes to mind." Yanami took a deep breath, suppressing the sourness in her heart. "Ignore them. Let's get ready, Sora should be here soon."
On the other side.
Izumi Sora had finished drinking water and eating the energy gel. Carrying Mahiru on his back, he set off again.
The cameraman knew exactly what the viewers wanted to see. He didn't move the camera away, but followed them, capturing shots along the way, and even stepped forward to ask a question:
"Excuse me, are you two participating in a special racing ritual?"
Normally, cameramen aren't allowed to interview competitors to avoid disrupting their running rhythm. But now that Mahiru was on Sora's back, talking and chatting naturally wasn't a problem.
"N-No... you misunderstood." Shiina Mahiru's pretty face flushed crimson, explaining shyly. "I accidentally injured my foot, so Sora-kun is carrying me..."
"I see, I feel like this could be included in the '100 Things Couples Must Do in This Lifetime' list."
"C-Couples or whatever..."
The temperature on Shiina Mahiru's face rapidly rose. As expected, she still wasn't used to being live-streamed, and could only shyly bury her face in Izumi Sora's neck.
In the Tokyo Marathon live stream, the bullet comments instantly surged.
"S-So cute!"
"Mom, I feel like I'm in love again!"
"Girls really are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, aren't they?"
"I believe in love again."
"A girl's blush truly speaks louder than a thousand words."
"Let that girl go, let me do it."
"The person above shut up. If you had to carry someone in a marathon, you wouldn't even last a kilometer."
"..."
Watching the various bullet comments in the live stream, Yanami and Elf both puffed out their cheeks.
Jealous!
Unhappy!
She clearly said she was injured so he's carrying her, why are all the bullet comments about romance!
"I should have signed up for the Tokyo Marathon too." Yanami's tone was super resentful. "If I couldn't finish, I'd have Sora carry me."
Elf turned her head to look:
"Um, Anna would crush Sora, right?"
"Ahhhh~"
Yanami's pink cheeks instantly puffed up high. She reached out and poked Elf's waist:
"I am not that heavy!"
Kuroneko didn't speak, just looking enviously at the two in the live stream.
But if she were to swap places, never mind, being globally live-streamed is too embarrassing.
"..."
The race continued.
Supported by monster-level stamina, even with a small Mahiru added to his back, Izumi Sora's breathing remained steady, his pace didn't drop at all, and he continuously overtook exhausted competitors.
"What the hell?"
"That boy is still running while carrying someone?"
"He really is a monster!"
Izumi Sora ignored the shock of the competitors behind him and maintained a constant speed, continuing to sprint.
A moment later.
A new supply station arrived.
"Sora-kun, let's rest a bit more." Shiina Mahiru whispered in his ear. "Don't push yourself."
Izumi Sora didn't stop his feet:
"Without a reward, I'll sprint to the finish line in one breath."
"I-I know..."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was flushed. She had already compromised once, so compromising again naturally wasn't a big deal:
"I'll give Sora-kun lap pillow vouchers when we get back. Hurry up and stop to rest."
"..."
Izumi Sora stopped, drank two cups of water in one breath, ate an energy gel, and then carried Mahiru on his back to continue forward.
A moment later.
The last supply station appeared before their eyes. Under the azure sky, the Tokyo Tower stood majestically. Countless citizens cheered on both sides of the road.
"Sora, Sora, we're here!"
A girl's crisp, bright shout entered his ears.
"Idiot Sora, look over here, look over here."
Another proud, pleasant voice came.
Izumi Sora followed the sound and saw three pretty girls standing together behind the cordon not far away. It was exactly Elf, Anna, and Kuroneko.
"Sora-kun, hurry up and put me down."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face flushed red, hurriedly whispering shyly in his ear.
Being watched by strangers and being bumped into by friends, the level of embarrassment is completely different.
Izumi Sora naturally wouldn't tease Mahiru at a time like this. He set down the Angel-sama on his back, and then, with a normal expression, greeted the girls:
"Anna, Elf, Ruri... why didn't you wait for us at the finish line?"
"There's only the last stretch left to the finish line." Anna smiled brightly. Even if she felt jealous in her heart, she wouldn't show it at a time like this. "We plan to run to the finish line together with Sora and Mahiru."
In comparison, Elf put her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks, not hiding her jealousy at all:
"Idiot Sora, you and Mahiru are on the live stream."
"L-Live stream?"
Shiina Mahiru widened her eyes, instantly remembering the cameramen who occasionally followed them along the way. The girl's sense of shame almost overflowed.
(So it wasn't just taking photos, but live streaming?)
(Being globally live-streamed or something... I don't want that!)
Izumi Sora, however, remained calm, not taking it to heart:
"When we ran to Senso-ji Temple, Mahiru accidentally hurt her foot. The Tokyo Marathon only happens once a year, and the winning rate is only one in ten. This time might be the only time in our lives. It would be a huge pity to withdraw, so I decided to carry Mahiru and run together."
As for the bet with Mahiru's mother, it was better to keep it a secret.
"I see." Yanami looked over with concern. "Mahiru, how is your foot?"
"Everyone doesn't need to worry." Shiina Mahiru's pretty face flushed crimson, guiltily averting her gaze. "It's just that my shoe got wet, and then it chafed my foot a bit... Thank you everyone for coming to cheer us on."
Gokou Ruri crossed her arms over her chest. There were super many people who came to watch the race today. Kuroneko didn't wear her favorite black gothic outfit, but instead wore a white dress, the standard White Cat form:
"Sora, hurry up and drink some water, then keep running. If you stop, you might not be able to run anymore."
Izumi Sora looked over: "Lord Ruri speaks true."
"Hmph~"
Kuroneko gave a light snort, her small face flushing slightly as she averted her gaze.
Gulp gulp~
Izumi Sora finished the water in one breath, said goodbye to the girls, and then carried Mahiru on his back:
"We're heading out again."
"Do your best, Sora." Anna waved to cheer him on. "We'll run there with you."
With only the final two kilometers left to the finish line, many of the participants' family and friends would run alongside them. The scene was exceptionally lively, and countless cheers echoed through the sky.
"Phew..."
Izumi Sora took a deep breath, carrying Mahiru on his back, and started running again.
Time quietly slipped away, minute by minute, second by second.
When there were only the final two hundred meters left to the finish line, Izumi Sora suddenly slowed down and stopped.
"Sora-kun, are you feeling unwell?"
Shiina Mahiru's tone was worried.
"I can't run anymore." Izumi Sora pretended to pant, setting Angel-sama down. "So, let's run together from here, okay?"
"..."
Shiina Mahiru's long eyelashes trembled gently. She instantly understood Izumi Sora's meaning, her eyes shimmering with light:
"Thank you, Sora-kun."
After running a few steps, the stinging pain in her foot became pronounced again, but it was enough to reach the finish line.
Shiina Mahiru lightly bit her lower lip, adjusted her breathing, followed behind Izumi Sora, and finally crossed the finish line.
The moment the two crossed the finish line, everyone on the scene, whether participants, volunteers, or citizens who came to watch the excitement, offered the most enthusiastic applause.
"Hah... haah..."
Shiina Mahiru panted slightly, her body glistening with sweat, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.
An indescribable sense of satisfaction swept over her entire body. Only those who have personally participated can truly understand that kind of joy.
Angel-sama's gaze shifted, looking at the back of the boy in front of her. Her eyes held undisguised tenderness and deep affection.
In the darkest moment of my life, it was still Sora-kun who stepped forward...
Mahiru pressed her right hand against her chest, silently saying in her heart:
If there truly are gods in this world, then Sora-kun is my one and only god.