Chapter 98 – ９８ – Sports Festival Day １: Precision Marching: Curves

Sports Festival Arc

“Well, I’m off. Naru, Ichi, Marie.”

“Yeah. Good luck, Suzu. We’ll be cheering for you from here.”

“Do your best.”

“I have high expectations.”

Now, the first-year division for the Precision Walking (Straight) had concluded, and the first-year division for the Precision Walking (Curved) was beginning on the adjacent winding course.

Basically, there should be around forty participants for each event on the first day… but it didn’t look like there were any familiar faces other than Suzu.

Of those entering the tent near the starting point—used for waiting and Masquerading—Suzu was the only one whose name I actually knew.

Though, it might just be that I hadn’t noticed anyone else.

“Whether Suzu succeeds or not… depends on the contents of her bag?”

“I believe that is likely the case,” Ichi replied.

“She should be able to reroll to some extent inside the tent, though,” Marie added.

After waiting and chatting for a while, Suzu’s turn arrived.

“Number 18, Inui Dormitory, Suzu Mikagami.”

“…”

Suzu emerged from the tent and stood before the starting line.

The Boston bag she usually carried by hand was slung over her shoulder for this event, its opening left slightly ajar. In her hand, she gripped a round flask containing a green liquid.

The moment Suzu took her first intentional step, the timer started.

“She drank something.”

“Her movements have clearly become faster, yes?”

“Looking at the time, it seems she hasn’t stepped out of bounds either.”

Simultaneously with the start of the measurement, Suzu drank the contents of the flask while walking along the white line.

Immediately, her movements became visibly faster to any observer. It looked as if the playback speed of a video had been increased; she was moving so fast it seemed to defy several laws of nature.

However, she appeared to be following the rules, as no penalties were being called. This meant that one foot was always touching the white line, and she never stepped outside of it.

“It feels like she is boosting not just agility, but precision too. Also, her posture is cleaner than usual, and it looks like she has more muscle under her clothes than normal. It seems she is incorporated muscle enhancement focused on core strength and posture maintenance, yes?”

“Is this what they call ‘childhood friend power’?” Marie asked.

“I think so. She’s clearly sharper than usual.”

These movements were unmistakably different from Suzu’s normal gait. As for how she achieved this, she must have used the functions of her Masked Form.

Suzu’s Masked Form function allows her to produce various effects by mixing the contents of her bag; she must have found the appropriate combination for today’s event.

“She’s clearing the checkpoints cleanly and with the shortest possible movements,” Ichi noted.

“We can expect a good time with this.”

“Yeah. Suzu personally should be able to put up a great time.”

However, she wasn’t using any Skills.

My guess was that she had used her magical power for the rerolling of the bag’s contents… or perhaps using a Skill while in this accelerated state would make her lose control or reveal a lack of magical power.

Whatever the reason, there is certainly a limit to what the Masked Form’s functions alone can do, so in terms of the overall grade, her time would likely end up being merely “relatively fast.”

Well, that can’t be helped; it all comes down to the compatibility between the person and the event.

But while I was thinking this, Suzu continued to extend her perfectly controlled limbs in the cleanest and fastest manner possible, passing through the checkpoints almost non-stop. And throughout the process, her foot never once strayed outside the white line.

“Goal! Number 18, Inui Dormitory, Suzu Mikagami. Record: 3 minutes and 38 seconds.”

“Phew… yeah, that was decent.”

And so, Suzu reached the goal without incident. The most notable point was that there were absolutely no penalty times. Suzu had demonstrated perfect control over her movements.

“Naru. Did you see?”

Suzu entered the tent near the goal line and deactivated her Masquerade. Then, she returned the Device ‘Silkcloud Crown’ to her attaché case and walked back to where we were.

“Yeah, of course I saw. You found the right combination for this event and even practiced body control while using it without me noticing. Your movements were straight and perfectly controlled—you looked very beautiful, Suzu.”

“B-Beautiful!? Ehe, ehehehe. I see. I’m so happy that Naru thinks I’m beautiful…”

Suzu beamed at my words. Yeah, in times like this, being honest about what you think is definitely the best approach.

“Suzu. That was splendid. To have no penalties is quite an achievement,” Marie said.

“Yes. Just as Mr. Naru said, your movements were wonderful,” Ichi added.

“Marie, Ichi. Thank you both too.”

Marie and Ichi both praised her.

“—————!!”

“Whoops.”

“Looks like someone just set a crazy record.”

Meanwhile, the competition continued. Currently, a Masked Form wearing something like a hockey mask and skate shoes was sprinting through the course at ultra-high speed, as if treating visibility as a mere decoration… and then, they crossed the goal.

Despite the course being 800 meters long with sections where one must stop at checkpoints, the time was under one minute. They seemed to be using both Skills and Masked Form functions; it was absurd. No wonder the crowd was cheering.

“This Sports Festival… I knew that Masked Forms who don’t fare well in normal Duels could shine here, but the difference in compatibility with the events really shows.”

“Exactly. That is why Marie will be doing things in moderation,” Marie said.

“Ichi will do the same.”

“I’ll do as much as I can since I’m here. Even if people find out what I can do with mixing, it’s not that big of a problem. Also, that person just now—the fact that they aren’t entering the 10,000m Footrace despite that speed suggests compatibility played a part, but they probably have a Magic Capacity similar to mine.”

“Ah, you can tell things like that too?”

“Of course. That’s why some people, like Marie or Ichi, choose to hold back during the Sports Festival.”

Apparently, just by calmly analyzing the situation, there was a wealth of information to be gathered.

Now that’s scary. No wonder some people consciously choose not to give their full effort. Well, in that case, I’ll just respect their decision.

“For now, shall we head to the venue for the Precision Walking (Stepping Stones)?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Next is Ichi’s turn. I’ll do my best, in moderation.”

“We shall continue to support you,” Marie added.

We began to move.