'Ugh, I really don't want to get dragged into this pointless race,' Saiki thought, taking his place at the starting line as instructed by the teacher.
Ayanokōji stood beside him.
*"Maybe this is a rare chance. I want to give it a shot,"* Ayanokōji's thoughts reached Saiki, who glanced over at him.
"Saiki, I've got an idea," Ayanokōji said.
"What?"
"Do you want to see my true strength?"
"Huh?"
"I want to race you."
Saiki sighed internally. *"I've never really challenged anyone like this before, but lately, I've had this urge to test myself against Saiki. It's a feeling I've never had in the White Room, like a fruit ripening inside me."*
*'Wait, I thought Ayanokōji was the type to avoid competition,'* Saiki thought. *'This feels like something out of a sports anime—two rivals finally pushing each other to their limits. But...'*
"Sorry, I'll pass," Saiki replied.
Ayanokōji's speed was unmatched, and racing him would draw too much attention.
"Is that so?" Ayanokōji's eyebrows twitched slightly. *"Saiki declined my challenge. Makes sense. He doesn't waste time on things that don't benefit him. I'll have to wait for the right moment..."*
*'Great, now he's even more suspicious of me,'* Saiki muttered, feeling a gaze on his back—Horikita's.
*"Saiki's probably holding back again,"* Horikita thought. *'These guys are nothing but trouble. I guess I'll play along for now. I already showed some strength at the sports festival, so backing out now would look suspicious. And if I don't agree to Ayanokōji's challenge, who knows what he'll pull later.'*
Saiki sighed and turned to Ayanokōji. "Fine, let's race—but only for the first hundred meters. You know why."
"Alright," Ayanokōji nodded, his eyes gleaming with anticipation—or so Saiki assumed.
"On your marks!" The teacher called out.
*"3.5 kilometers... that's a long way,"* one student groaned.
*"Why do we even have PE?"* another muttered.
"Go!" The starting gun fired, and the students sprinted forward.
In long-distance races, pacing is key. Most runners start slow to conserve energy, but two figures immediately shot ahead: Ayanokōji and Saiki.
*"I've never run like this before—not in the White Room, not anywhere,"* Ayanokōji thought as the January breeze brushed his skin. *"I don't care about the others. Right now, it's just me and the man beside me."*
*'This is just a race... why so dramatic?'* Saiki groaned internally. He could teleport to the finish line in seconds, but to avoid panic, he matched Ayanokōji's speed.
Within steps, they pulled ahead of the pack. Saiki had planned to end the race in ten seconds, but their sprint caught someone's attention.
*"Ayanokōji and Saiki? Ayanokōji's that fast too?"* Horikita was surprised. *"Looks like Saiki's finally going all out. I didn't want to join this pointless race, but if he's serious, it's worth it."*
Horikita sprinted, determined to keep up with them.
*'Wait, didn't you just say you didn't want to race?'* Saiki thought. *'And if you're serious, that means...'*
*"Interesting! Ayanokōji and Saiki are fast, and now Horikita's serious too? Count me in!"* Nagumo's thoughts reached Saiki as he joined the race.
By the first fifty meters, the gap between runners was clear. Saiki and Ayanokōji led, with Horikita and Nagumo close behind.
*'This is getting too obvious! And now I can't slow down!'* Saiki regretted his decision, but it was too late.
Another figure joined the chase: Kōenji.
"Hahaha! This is fun! Let me run beautifully in the wind!" Kōenji laughed, his breathing steady.
*"How are they so fast?!"* one student gasped.
*"This is just PE! Are they crazy?!"* another shouted.
The pack's rhythm was thrown off by the leaders' speed, forcing everyone to run faster.
Meanwhile, Saiki and Ayanokōji continued their pointless race.
*"I'm giving it my all, but Saiki's still keeping up. Is this his full speed, or is he holding back?"* Ayanokōji wondered.
*'In a way, I am giving it my all—to keep up with you without going overboard,'* Saiki thought. Even Ayanokōji's peak physical condition was no match for a psychic.
*'If I lose, they'll think I was holding back. If I win... let's just call it a tie.'* Saiki adjusted his speed to match Ayanokōji's.
The PE teacher watched in shock. He hadn't taught these students before and had no idea they were this fast.
*"They're insane! This is a long-distance race! They'll burn out!"* he thought, swallowing hard.
In just a hundred meters, Saiki and Ayanokōji had left the pack far behind. As they approached the first bend, Ayanokōji suddenly sped up.
*'You said you were giving it your all! Are you lying to yourself now?'* Saiki had no choice but to match his speed, reaching the bend side by side.
A tie.
In less than a second, Nagumo, Horikita, and Kōenji caught up, with Horikita half a step ahead.
Saiki didn't care about their speeds. It was time to slow down.
As they rounded the bend, Saiki and Ayanokōji deliberately slowed, pretending to be exhausted. The others quickly passed them.
Horikita and Nagumo pulled ahead, though their speeds dropped slightly. Kōenji jogged alongside Saiki and Ayanokōji.
"For normal guys, Ayanokōji and Glasses, you're not bad!" Kōenji laughed, slowing to a walk. He wasn't tired—just done with the fun part.
*'Why call Ayanokōji by his surname but call me Glasses? Doesn't Teruhashi wear glasses too?'* Saiki thought.
*"Saiki sped up at the end. He's definitely holding back. If I'd gone all out from the start, maybe I could've seen his true limits,"* Ayanokōji thought.
*'You say you're going all out, but you're holding back too. This race was pointless,'* Saiki decided.
Over an hour later, the race finally ended.
Horikita took first, Nagumo second—expected results. Saiki and Ayanokōji, however, finished around 20th, casually counting runners as they crossed the line.
The rest were exhausted. Even Albert and Ishizaki were gasping for breath, and Sakayanagi nearly fainted.
"Impressive, you two."
Horikita Manabu walked up to Saiki Kusuo and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, saying this.
*Though it might increase the risk of Nagumo noticing my interaction with Saiki, ignoring it completely could make things more suspicious.*
Manabu's tone was noticeably hurried, and his breathing was faster than usual. Even someone as nearly perfect as him was clearly tired after the intense sprint followed by a seamless long-distance run. Sweat glistened on his forehead.
"We just sprinted at the start, but our stamina dropped later, so we slowed down. We ended up in the middle of the pack."
Saiki replied immediately.
*Obviously, they deliberately slowed down after the first hundred meters. Everyone else is exhausted, but they don't look tired at all, especially Saiki—his breathing is completely normal.*
*Oops, forgot to fake that part. Can't do anything about it now.*