[Next up is the scavenger hunt, with all grades competing against each other. To our guests in attendance, if a participant asks to borrow something from you, we kindly ask for your cooperation.]
The participants took their places at the starting line.
The rules were simple: run half a lap around the track, pick up one of the scattered tags, then—while completing the remaining half-lap—borrow whatever was written on the tag from someone in the spectator seats before racing to the finish.
The boys went first, and their heated battle unfolded before her.
Speed alone wasn’t enough to win. Since they had to search while running, their observational skills were also put to the test. Some even overshot their target in haste, then had to scramble back to borrow the right item.
(What will I end up having to fetch? Well, it’s not like the items are anything too grand. A watch or a hat would be easy enough to borrow.)
As Hakua was lost in thought, the boys’ race ended, and the girls’ event began. The sight of Hakua lining up at the starting line sent a ripple of excitement through the spectators.
“It’s the student council president!”
“Wait, the president’s doing the scavenger hunt too?”
“I wanna be borrowed by the Ice Princess!”
“Yeah, no way that’s happening for you.”
Once all the girls—about twenty in total, one from each class—were lined up, the starting pistol fired.
Hakua’s athletic ability… well, to be honest, it was questionable.
She wasn’t completely hopeless, but sports weren’t her forte. The gap between her academic brilliance and her physical skills was a minor insecurity for her.
By the halfway point, she was already panting heavily. Meanwhile, Nanao ran ahead of her. Their speeds weren’t too different, but Nanao looked completely unfazed. Apparently, she had more endurance than explosive speed.
Then, just as Hakua was about to reach the tag station—she noticed something strange up ahead.
(Huh? What’s…?)
Naturally, the faster girls had arrived first.
The rules forbade swapping tags, so luck played a big role—but the real issue was that the early arrivals had all stopped in confusion.
The moment Hakua reached them, the girls rushed over in a panic.
“S-Stu-Stu-Stu-Student Council President! What’s the meaning of this?!”
“Wh-What’s wrong…?”
Still gasping for air, Hakua peered at the tags they held out.
[Your Crush ♡]
She nearly choked.
At first, she thought it was a mistake—but no. Every single girl held a tag with the exact same words.
Hakua looked down at the remaining tags scattered across the field and broke into a cold sweat.
(N-No way… Are all of them…?)
The moment she realized the possibility, the tags seemed to emit a sinister aura.
Why would this happen?
The boys had borrowed items exactly as listed earlier… Then it hit her. She whipped her head around toward the event tent.
Her ever-dutiful attendant, Meina, was watching her with a sly grin!
(Y-You—! Haaaaaaaaaah?!)
Hakua screamed internally.
Now it makes sense why she volunteered to help this morning! Meina must’ve planted these!
This was beyond a prank. They had to cancel this—But just as she turned to sprint toward the tent—
“Takuyaaaaa! Takuya, where are you?!”
“Over here!”
The girls with boyfriends had already struck!
Those with partners had a massive advantage. The ones still hesitating were either crushing from afar… or hiding their relationships.
The real problem? Several girls had already started moving before Hakua could stop them. For the bold ones, this was just a hilarious joke.
Even the single girls were playfully recruiting close guy friends—”Hey, you’ll do!” The mood was too relaxed to justify canceling now. After all, in a normal scavenger hunt, there’d always be someone left unclaimed!
And so began the impromptu Love Race.
The tags would be checked at the finish line—in front of the entire school. This was basically a public confession.
(Wh-What do I do? I should just forfeit…)
Because Hakua
wasn’t just the student council president.
She was the heir to a global conglomerate,
the revered Ice Princess of the school.
And with Shiragiku family members possibly watching this sports festival…
She couldn’t openly declare a crush. Even a “like” for a friend would spark wild rumors—not that she had any guy friends to begin with!
Forfeiting would mean losing points, but long-term, it was the smarter move.
But then—
“Izumi-kun~! ♡”
Nanao’s voice sucker-punched Hakua’s thoughts.
She snapped her head toward the sound—just in time to see Nanao sprinting toward Izumi’s class’s spectator seats. She grabbed him and yanked him onto the field.
Izumi, still clueless, wore his usual exasperated look but didn’t resist. Probably because he’d long accepted that fighting Nanao was pointless.
And right before Hakua’s eyes—Izumi was dragged away by Nanao.
For a split second, Hakua’s hand twitched forward… then fell limp. That tiny distance might as well have been an uncrossable void.
Right.
Hakua thought:
Victory belongs to girls like her—
girls who can say “I love you” without hesitation. Girls who live and die for love deserve to win love.
But I have responsibilities. I can’t live just for love. My victories aren’t romantic ones.
My future is the company’s future.
Fixating on Izumi is wrong. Our positions made this impossible from the start. Our futures carry the weight of corporate legacies—our partners must benefit the company.
She thought so.
That’s how Hakua justified her cowardice.
Logically, she knew this silly race meant nothing.
She knew that.
But then—
Nanao glanced back.
And smiled.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!!”
Hakua’s mind went blank.
Normally, she weighed every risk and reward. But in that moment, every excuse she’d built shattered.
Her hand shot out—grabbing Izumi’s wrist from behind.
And then—
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!?!?!?!”
Izumi’s scream echoed across the field!
Pulled from the front and back by two girls, he was now sprinting full-speed down the track.
To outsiders, it might’ve looked like a romantic comedy—two beauties fighting over him! But for Izumi? This was hell.
Because the girls ran at different speeds.
Nanao, the athlete, still had energy to spare.
But Hakua was a born indoor enthusiast. She was running on fumes—more like being dragged by Nanao.
So Izumi wasn’t being fought over. He was the coupling link between Locomotive Nanao and Freight Car Hakua. The real problem? Freight Car Hakua refused to let go.
Somewhere in history, there was supposedly an execution method where two oxen pulled a prisoner apart. Why that came to mind now, Izumi had no time to ponder.
“H-Hey, Hakua nee?! You gotta let go—!”
“NO!”
“Wh-Why?! I’m gonna die—!”
“IIIIIIIIIIIII DDDDOOOOOON’T CAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!”
It felt like an eternity.
(In the worst way.)
Nanao kept sprinting, grinning like this was the funniest thing ever. Hakua, meanwhile, clung to Izumi with a face nothing like her usual cool demeanor. It was a miracle no one tripped—though if that miracle broke, Izumi’s fate would too. Talk about protagonist treatment.
Finally—finally—the three crossed the finish line.
The moment they slowed, they collapsed in a tangled heap. The crowd, initially cheering, now looked slightly concerned…
“Sh-Hakua… You okay?”
Izumi checked on her first.
Hakua was wheezing like mad—but unharmed. Relieved, Izumi turned to Nanao.
“Nanao?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine! That was fun~!”
She was completely unfazed.
Izumi forced a laugh, rubbing his aching arms. Yeah, he’d sit out the afternoon events…
“Wait, why me?! What was the tag even for?!”
“Oh, this!”
Nanao handed him the crumpled tag.
“Let’s see… Huh?!
Even Izumi was stunned by [Your Crush ♡].
“You… really don’t hesitate with this stuff, huh?”
“Ahaha. Couldn’t think of anyone else!”
Then his eyes drifted to Hakua…
“Uh… Hakua nee, yours is…?”
Surely hers wasn’t the same, right?
Maybe something like [Underclassman] or [Neighbor]. He figured her sense of duty had driven her to win—not that she’d actually…
But—
“—I LOVE YOU!!”
Izumi’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
The crumpled tag in Hakua’s grip bore the exact same words as Nanao’s.
Still gasping for air—but refusing to let go—she repeated:
“I’ve… always loved Izumi-kun!!”
Tears and dirt streaked her face.
Not as the future heir of a global empire.
Not as the school’s revered Ice Princess.
Just as Hakua—a girl laying her heart bare.
Even Izumi, the king of denseness, realized this was dead serious.
……His face turned beet red.
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