Instead of meeting in the hall, we were all instructed to meet outside on the field adjacent to the school. Since the teacher handling the explanation was Kawaga-sensei, the sports teacher, it became obvious to everyone else about what today's challenge was.

"Alright, today's challenge isn't complicated and should only take five minutes to explain. All groups will be doing a 800m relay race against each other, and you'll earn cumulative points based on where you place in each race. This will be decided by how fast you complete the circuit. For groups made of seven, six people will run 100m while one person will run 200m. For groups made of six, five people will run 100m instead, but in exchange we'll allow you to decide how you want to run the missing 100m. There will be three races in total, meaning a potential 24 cumulative points is up for grabs today. What is forbidden should be obvious, but if you are unsure, check the letter."

When Hiryuu-sensei was distributing the envelopes containing the rules, Shimada didn't even bother taking it. He let it drop to the ground, and even had the audacity to stomp on it. Nakajima bent over and picked it up, presenting it to me.

"...thanks."

I opened the letter and read what was inside. Both Kouji and Yamamoto peered over my shoulder to see it for themselves.

Race to the finish line! An exciting sports relay!
Rules!
● There are three relay races in total!
● Each member will run 100m minimum, with one person running 200m to cover a total 800m!
● Groups made of six are allowed to allocate the remaining 100m however they wish!
● A runner can only begin once they have the baton in their hand!
● If a runner runs without their baton or drops it, one minute is added to the group's time!
● The time penalty is stackable!
● Foul play is prohibited!
● Violence between groups is prohibited!
● No bonuses, but the cumulative points will be allocated based on time placement!

It seems this challenge was one geared towards athletic students. In that sense, Yahagi's decision to trade yesterday makes sense, since Kurase was a star athlete in their class. He was probably anticipating for it since he knew this event was coming up.

Koishi probably didn't mind since his group was already filled with physical people. Him, Ukishima, and to some extent Ritaka, were all better at using their hands than their heads.

It was a definitely simpler challenge than what we were used to. While having no bonuses felt weird, it made sense since we were having three races. It was basically like doing three challenges in one day, so the rankings would add up fast.

Groups with quick runners, like Mitsuba's and Yamaguchi's, must be delighted by this challenge. In particular, Ryouta's group looked very excited for this, especially Machida, as it was their big chance to turn things around after yesterday's disaster.

As for my group... I turned to Shimada, awaiting his orders. He was sitting on the floor, ripping grass from the floor with a weird smile on his face.

"...alright, I've decided."

He got up and crushed the grass in his hand, tossing it at us. Yamamoto flinched while Kouji stepped back in surprise. Shimada pointed at himself.

"I'm running 300 metres at the end."

A bold statement. Nakajima raised an eyebrow.

"For all three races?"

"Obviously. None of you could ever match my speed... well, maybe except that guy."

Shimada flicked his chin towards me. Kouji snickered.

"Really? Takanori-san, are you fast?"

"Not particularly. I'm just average."

Shimada clicked his tongue.

"What a lousy liar. Yuuto's done the 40-yard dash in 4.1 seconds."

Yamamoto's eyes widened.

"You've done what...? That's beyond the world of light speed."

Despite being a reserved man, even he couldn't hide his surprise when he heard that. I shook my head.

"Please don't make up ridiculous stories about me."

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. Honesty is the best policy, right?"

Shimada lurched over me, patting my shoulder with a menacing grin. I closed my eyes and shrugged.

"Are you proposing we split the difference and do 200 metres each, then?"

"If you'll actually try, sure. Otherwise, I'll sprint 300 metres at the end."

"A 300 metre sprint doesn't sound very plausible."

"I'm not like you, but I can do the 40 yard dash in 4.2 seconds."

"Is there any difference at that point...?" Kouji muttered.

"How about we do it this way? For the first race, we'll let Shimada-san and Takanori-san run 200 metres each. If Takanori-san doesn't live up to the hype, we'll relegate his extra 100 metres back to Shimada-san for the rest of the race. We're already further ahead than everyone else, so losing a couple of cumulative points won't hurt us that much." Nakajima said.

"I can agree to that."

"...if you want."

That doesn't mean I'm actually going to try, though.

"Then the rest of us will run 100 metres each. Perfect."

"As for the order... Yuuto first, Rokurou second, Sui third, Tenma fourth, and Yami fifth. I'll be the last to go."

"Sounds good."

"Just try not to flub this, aight? If you do, you know what's coming to you."

Shimada grinned, before returning to a neutral face.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't matter anyways. Even if we were lagging behind in last place, I'm confident I could sprint my way up back to first."

Since I was starting for my group, Kawaga-sensei gave me a matte grey baton. It seems that was our team's colour. A bit of a dull choice, especially when Ryouta's group received yellow and Mitsuba's group received red, but it strangely fit.

The people I was racing against were Zyriot from Ryouta's group, Nora from Mitsuba's group, Fujita from Akihiro's group, Keisaki from Yahagi's group, Ritaka from Koishi's group, Yamaguchi from his group, Ikesugi from Kirishima's group, and Terasaka from Handa's group.

Currently, since our group was in first place, I was on the outermost ring, standing slightly further ahead than everyone else. I preferred it this way, since I wasn't sandwiched in between two people, and my right side was free to move however it liked.

Also, because our positions was dictated by our group's current placement, the one standing to the left of me was Keisaki. I wondered if anyone noticed that Yamaguchi wasn't after him, but rather placed just before Zyriot.

In any case, I'll lag behind on purpose so Shimada can run 300m. If he offered to do it, then I say let him do it. Besides, running at full force would be giving him exactly what he wants. I wouldn't let that guy have the satisfaction of using me.

That being said, I can't hold back completely. In gym class, I've sprinted in front of everyone before, and at the pool, I went all out in that swimming race, beating even Yukimura. At the very least, D Class is aware that I'm good at sports, so I need to try a little.

Out of everyone here though, the main people to look out for would probably be Ayano, Yukimura, Shibata, Kurase, and of course, Shimada. They're some of the top runners in our year.

Though, I have a feeling we'll be seeing some diamonds in the rough crop up too...

These mundane thoughts circled in my head prior to the race, only to quietly disappear as it was time to start the first relay race of the day. Kawaga-sensei held up a starting pistol into the air, and everyone got into position.

"On your marks... get set..."

He blew the whistle, then fired the shot.

"Go!"

We were off. I decided to go with an explosive start, quickly bursting forward before gradually tailoring myself to run at a steady pace. In front of me, I could see Zyriot trailing ahead, with Fujita falling just short of him.

Staying neck and neck with me was Yamaguchi, and just a little behind us was Ikesugi. As for the rest of them, they were all lagging behind, with Nora being the one probably in last.

It seems Mitsuba's group was going for a recovery strategy - they'd place all their worst runners at the start so they'd have more time to rest between each race, allowing them to have a bigger tank of stamina for the next one.

It didn't matter if they were falling behind, as they could use Yukimura's explosive speed and Albert's superior physique to catch up with everyone else and hopefully steal a win from behind.

When I reached the 100m line, while everyone else passed the baton to the next person, I kept going at my current pace. This let me overtake them briefly, but Ikeda wouldn't let me keep that lead for long.

In fact, to my surprise, Ikeda was a very powerful runner. Zyriot was good, but Ikeda was on a completely different level. He might have even been faster than Yukimura in terms of top speed.

I did hear him mention that his best subject was sports science, but I had no clue he was also an amazing athlete himself. I guess I should try a little harder, huh?

I picked up the pace, catching up with Ikeda a little bit, but continued to lag behind him just a little. Encroaching upon me was Fujita from Akihiro's group, and eventually we became neck and neck.

Just around this bend was Nakajima, holding his hand out, ready to accept the baton. In the last two metres, I kicked it up a notch and got to him in less than a second, passing it over.

My side of the race was now complete. Even though everyone else around me was panting and out of breath, I felt perfectly fine. Approaching me, Ikeda ran a hand through his hair, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Phew... Takanori-san, you're really fast..."

"I'm fast? You should've seen yourself."

Ikeda laughed.

"Oh, I know. I was actually waiting for a challenge like this. Now Machida-san can't call me useless anymore."

"Definitely... speaking of that guy, it seems he's up next."

While me and Ikeda were talking, the race kept raging on. Matsushita, who ran after Ikeda, was just about to run the final stretch and hand over the baton to Machida. However, just about to surpass them was Nakajima, giving him no breathing room.

In the last second, Nakajima overtook Matsushita, and passed the baton over to Kishida. Matsushita was thrown off by this and slowed down slightly, but Machida snatched the baton out of his hands and took off, taking the lead over Kishida.

Not falling far behind them was Mitsumori from Yahagi's group and even more to my surprise, was Akihiro. It seems Fujita's early lead offset Shirogane lagging behind in the second sprint, as Akihiro had comfortably picked up the pace and was in 4th place.

Just behind them was Ukishima, but he was set to takeover Akihiro. His lanky build probably contributed to his capacity for speed. Unfortunately, due to starting with Nora and Tanaka, Mitsuba was far behind everyone else.

Even Yoshimatsu from Handa's group was further ahead than them, as they gained an early lead thanks to Terasaka and Takemoto. They were both part of the basketball team, so it was no surprise they gained a really strong lead.

Strangely though, it was Yamaguchi's group that was in last place. Even though Yamaguchi himself had a good run, giving his group a solid start, they were actually still only on their second runner, Sugiura.

For some reason, he was walking the track instead of running. In the distance, you could see Masamoto (who was positioned as the fifth runner) shouting at him to run, but Sugiura completely ignored him. Even Yamaguchi seemed confused by this.

"What's going on with them...?" Ikeda mumbled.

"Who knows."

I left, going to the drinks station to rest and get a cup of water from Hiden-sensei. As I continued to watch the race, Nakajima approached me from behind.

"Thank you very much."

After taking a cup of water himself, Nakajima stood next to me and took a sip. I tried moving away from him to create some space between us, but when I did, he would shuffle towards me to close the gap.

"It was obvious you were holding back."

Nakajima didn't even look at me while speaking. He continued to nonchalantly sip his water.

"I'd rather just let Shimada-san handle it."

"You're asking too much from him."

"I think he's the one asking too much from me."

"If I could tell that you weren't giving it your all, then he can definitely tell."

"Either way, whether I run at full speed or not, I'll have to run 200 metres regardless. If I don't run, he'll ask me to run 200 again to try and see it. If I do run, it gives him a reason to dump all 300 metres on me. Between the two options, I'd rather only run the 200."

"While I get he's a flippant man, even he would be satisfied seeing a glimpse of your top speed. If you only want to run 100 metres, I'd advise you to do at least that much."

Nakajima still hasn't looked at me. He just continued to sip on his water cup, one drop at a time.

"...I don't have any reason to heed your words either."

"You should. I mean..."

As the final drop ran down his throat, Nakajima crushed the plastic cup in his hand.

"...I'm the one in control of that deathly beast."

He glanced at his hand and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh... I accidentally broke it..."

That was an accident? Nakajima shrugged and binned the cup.

"I don't exactly believe it. In the first place, you don't have any reason to reveal that sort of information."

"Scaring you is plenty enough reason."

"I don't get scared."

"Then what was the face you made when I nearly decapitated you?"

My mind flinched as he mentioned that. What is he doing, talking about it so casually out here? Hiden-sensei and the other students were within a mile's radius from us. Anyone could overhear at any moment.

"You're saying some really dangerous stuff."

"I know. But I'm not scared to talk about it here."

"...and neither am I."

I matched his bluff with one of my own. Nakajima smiled thinly.

"Don't forget I'm going to kill you one day, Blade-san."

As he uttered that name, it felt like a crippling surge of lightning shot through my brain, paralysing it. Even though my vision blurred for a second, out of the corner of my eye, I swear I could see Nakajima even laugh a little.

"...actions speak louder than words—"

Picking up a stick from the ground, Nakajima thrusted it without hesitation into my abdomen. As it's twigged end poked me like a spear, Nakajima raised an eyebrow.

"You were saying?"

He took advantage of my confusion to falsely strike me. If that stick was his knife, then I'd be...

"I'm surprised you had that on hand."

"Anything can become a weapon with enough force."

He dropped it, along with his smile.

"Unfortunately, knowing that you have control over Shimada-san doesn't scare or worry me at all."

"Not even if he's going for your throat?"

I felt a drop of rain splash my left cheek.

"He's been doing that from the very beginning."

The clouds above us began rumbling.

"How long have you known him?"

More drops of rain hit my face.

"Two months, maybe."

It began spitting.

"Huh, he said he's known you since he was a child."

The spitting turned to light rain.

"He's mistaking me for someone else."

And the light rain turned into a violent storm.

"He said he knows you from the Under Doctrine."

When Nakajima said <that>, my brain went haywire.

To me, those two words were like a virus, hijacking my mind and taking over against my will. It left a callous and mortal feeling, imprinting itself deeply into my memory.

It was a painful reminder of my innermost parts, my unthinkable past, and my extenuating weakness.

"...did Shimada-san tell you?"

I regained my composure, but the damage had already been done. Nakajima had seen firsthand the words that pierced my heart the most. He called my bluff and shattered my poker face. All I could do was brush it off and continue like normal.

"No. I already knew about that despicable programme for a very long time."

Despicable, huh...? What a strange choice of words. While it was a fitting adjective to some degree, I don't think it even begins to properly describe just what kind of hell <that> was.

If anything, it was closer to calling upon a harsh and ruthless black dream incapable of ever moving into the light.

We were all like puppets, shells dancing on the whims of that man and his meteor.

"That's one thing I don't understand, actually."

The rain continued to beat down on us, and the ongoing race became nothing more than background music in my mind.

"You seem to be perfectly aware of <that>, but I don't recognise you at all from it."

Even with my foggy and buried memories, I was confident in saying that Nakajima was someone I'd never seen in that facility.

His name, his aliases, nor his face rung any sort of bell in my head.

The vague hint he gave me on the day we first encountered each other didn't clue me into anything else either.

To me, Nakajima was the biggest enigma out of everyone from the Underworld.

All I could definitely say was that he was a Keeper. That much I was sure of.

"That's because I'm not. I was trained somewhere else. Somewhere just as secretive, but more well hidden."

While it's true I don't know where he became a Keeper, it's highly likely that his facility is still operating to this day, and thus needs to conceal it's whereabouts, unlike <that>.

In fact, the rumours of <that>'s existence only began spreading after the place was shut down. Before that, only the ones involved in the project knew about it.

"If that's the case, you have no reason to go after us then."

"How disappointing. I thought you were the smartest one, but it seems I was wrong."

"...what?"

"Don't you see the bigger picture here, Blade-san?"

"I think I'm not seeing the same picture as you are."

"Think about it for a moment. Doesn't everything about this set-up seem strange to you?"

"You'll have to be more specific. This entire school is strange."

"I'm not talking about the school. I'm talking about you and the other three people from the Underworld who've ended up inside of it."

He must've been referring to Shimada, Oshita, and Rinbayashi. While it was strange all four of us decided to come to this school, it could be simply explained as a likely statistic.

This is because he is the School Director, and can specifically choose who GEN Academy sends out invites too. Because he is the one behind <that>, there's a chance he invited all the children who survived under the guise they'd be safe from persecution here.

After all, GEN Academy is an island detached from the rest of the world. It was the perfect hiding spot to make sure no one could reach us.

"That's rich coming from you. You used a decoy from the Underworld to get yourself out of your own mess."

"You know about Nanjo, huh?"

"I've known about his arrest for awhile. Real classy, having a fall guy."

"That fall guy was an actual murderer himself, actually. Killed his wife and two children. I would've had his head, but we managed to come to an agreement to let him live just a little longer. Rotting in a jail cell is preferable to the kiss of death, for most people anyways."

In the first place, working with a criminal was shady enough. I think it's more scary that someone like that was right under our noses, working on this island. Who knows how many others like him Nakajima had ready in specific locations...

"So you threatened him into working for you?"

"Me? I never threatened him at all. He was provided to me as a tool I could use to aid me in killing all of you."

"You seem to really want to dispose of us."

"It's for your own good. Monsters like you shouldn't be roaming this Earth so freely."

It irked me the way he called us "monsters".

"So taking us out is the better alternative?"

"Yes. Assured death is the only way to stop your suffering."

I could think of at least two other ways to stop my suffering first. Maybe even three, or four.

"...don't act like you know what's best for me."

"You're right, I don't. But I do know that you, the Masterpiece, is afraid of death, like any other person."

A small laugh escaped my lips.

"I've conquered death a long time ago, Nakajima-san."

This is my second life, after all.

"If that was true, you wouldn't have fought so desperately on that day to live."

"I fought so desperately because there's still things I have to do in this world before I go."

"Such as?"

"...feeling love, I guess."

As Nakajima went silent, the sound of pouring rain filled my ears.

"...you're unbelievable."

"It's not an unreasonable request, I don't think."

"Just go get a girlfriend."

"If it was that simple, I would've done it already. What I want is the genuine thing."

"Do you even know what that looks like?"

"...I've got a pretty clear picture in my head of what it looks like."

Shimada crossed the finish line, with Ryouta only a few centimetres behind him.

"How would you know if you've never felt it then?"

"Because I saw it with my own eyes once."

There was a certain sunset in a place I treasured the most.

I left behind the blood.

I washed my hands in the sea water.

I walked out towards the grand ocean, ready to die that day.

I turned around.

She was there.

In that black dress.

With that forgiving smile.

With her arms open to me.

Like always... she was saving me.

I've been chasing after that person... no, after that feeling, ever since.

Before it flys away and disappears completely.

"Damn it!"

Yukimura growled, kicking a tree angrily while huffing and puffing.

"Yukimura-kun, d-don't worry... w-we'll win the next one for sure!"

Nora was doing his best to console him, but Yukimura wasn't having it. He ignored Nora and kicked the tree one more time before walking away.

"There's no way we're winning with you and Tanaka on our team. Grr, why did we get saddled with the slowest athletes...?! Can't you guys just try a little harder?!"

Nora frowned, running after him. I guess not even Yukimura's speed was enough to net them a spot on the podium.

"Oh... the race is finished already." Nakajima said.

While we were having that unpleasant conversation, the first relay race had finished. On a whiteboard, set up under a tent to protect it from the rain, Kawaga-sensei wrote up the results of the first race for everyone to see.

1st) Shimada's group +8
2nd) Ryouta's group +7
3rd) Yahagi's group +6
4th) Koishi's group +5
5th) Mitsuba's group +4
6th) Ishima's group +3
7th) Handa's group +2
8th) Kirishima's group +1
9th) Yamaguchi's group +0

"That was closer than I imagined... good work guys!"

Ryouta celebrated with his group as they managed to get 2nd place.

"So you are useful at one thing after all."

Ikeda laughed a little as Machida acknowledged his athletic abilities.

"Impressed?"

"Nah. While you put on a good show, I was faster."

"Eh? No way, I was definitely quicker!"

"Yeah, I think Ikeda-san was quicker as well." Matsushita said.

"Both of you need to get your eyesight checked out."

"Why don't we ask Kawaga-sensei to time us?" Ikeda said.

"Bet. I'll crush you when it comes to speed."

"Heh, we'll see about that."

"That sprint to the finish was so anxiety inducing..." Ryouta sighed.

"You did your best. Don't sweat it." Zyriot said.

"I know, but we were in the lead as well..."

"Shimada-san isn't just good at academics, but also sports too, huh?" Satou said.

"What isn't that guy good at?" Machida said.

"Restraining himself in a fight." Kawaguchi said.

"Ha!"

"You're not wrong about that..." Ryouta said.

"Let's keep this pace up. Even if we only get second place, that's still a total of 21 cumulative points." Zyriot said.

"It'll be more than enough to make up for what we lost yesterday. I'm slightly worried about the other groups also gaining points, though..."

"Forget them for now, we still have two days to eke out a win. It's not over yet." Machida said.

"Yeah... you guys are right. Alright, let's do it!"

It seems they were more enthusiastic than ever before to win a challenge. Missing out on so many cumulative points yesterday really did motivate them to try harder.

"Good work out there."

Shimada was walking by everyone in our group, congratulating us in a laidback, almost deadpan voice. He didn't seem very interested in this challenge. If anything, he looked extremely bored. When he passed by me, he stopped.

"I'm making you run 300 metres."

"...what?"

Shimada didn't repeat himself. He just moved on, downing a swig of water and throwing the cup at my feet. Nakajima patted my shoulder.

"My condolences."

"...you're kidding me."

"You should've just ran at full speed to avoid this."

"I didn't know he'd saddle the entire last leg on me..."

"Who said you're doing the last leg? You're starting the next race as well."

The group looked uncomfortable as Shimada entrusted the first 300 metres to me.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm very sure about this, partner."

Shimada put added emphasis on "partner", reminding me of our current relationship. I sighed, wiping the rain off my sunglasses.

"...if you wish."

Proceeding it was a small five minute break. During that, Kouji came up to me to have a quick talk.

"Takanori-san."

"Yeah?"

"Since when did Yamaguchi become leader of Shigeru's group...? And where is that tricky bastard anyways?"

Indeed, some of the other boys were whispering about this abrupt change in leader. If last night's trade window wasn't already a good enough indication that Shigeru was gone, then today was pretty much confirmation of it.

"He probably retired and got replaced by Yamaguchi-san."

"Huh... no wonder they're acting so weird in this race."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice? Sugiura, Shinra, and even Shibata walked the race. Masamoto was screaming at them to run, but they weren't moving an inch."

Come to think of it, I did notice Sugiura wasn't running after Yamaguchi handed him the baton.

"...that is strange."

"Right? It doesn't make sense for them to throw the relay race when they have two of the fastest runners in our year."

"Shibata-san walking doesn't surprise me too much. He's always been more of a troublesome type anyways."

"True. Ayano ran like hell to try and catch up with everyone else, but the gap was just too big. They still came in last place."

Was this an attempt at sabotage? Or an attempt at self destruction?

I looked over to their group, seeing Masamoto giving an earful to a Yamaguchi who couldn't care less. He merely smiled, faintly showing his pearly white fangs. Meanwhile, everyone else sat far away from Ayano, isolating him from the rest of the group.

"I guess we'll see how things pan out in the next race."

I already had an idea of how things would end up, though.