章節 9: -9- A little race
As dawn broke, Nanaya Hori had already awakened from his slumber.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling while lying in bed, Hori made a remark, "It's been a long time since I slept in this late."
Although it was just dawn, Hori claimed to have slept late. But this was the truth.
"If it were before, I would have been training even before sunrise."
Of course, that was before Hori completed all the training of the Nanaya clan. After finishing all the training and acquiring all the knowledge within the clan, Hori's family's supervision became less strict, allowing him more freedom.
Since then, Hori only engaged in morning exercises to keep his body sharp. Apart from that, all his time was devoted to reading.
The Nanaya clan was unknown to the public, residing secluded in deep mountains. Only high-ranking officials from various countries knew of their existence. Clan members rarely appeared before the eyes of the world, and to stay informed about the outside world, they relied on books for knowledge.
However, Hori preferred reading books that aligned with his interests rather than merely cramming knowledge into his head.
In the Nanaya clan, Hori's only hobby was reading detective novels. Apart from this hobby, Hori's life was confined to training.
For this reason, Hori left the Nanaya clan. Having learned everything he could and with only the hobby of reading detective novels left, there was no need to stay within the clan.
"That being said, to avoid becoming sluggish, basic morning exercises are still necessary."
So, Hori got up directly and began his morning routine.
...
At this time, the only students active were those participating in sports clubs.
When Hori, wearing the school-provided sports uniform, came out of the dormitory and started jogging in the vicinity, various sports fields such as playgrounds, sports fields, soccer fields, and even tennis courts across the campus were filled with students engaged in their respective club activities.
"It's even more serious than I imagined."
Hori was somewhat surprised. Given the excellent conditions provided by the school, it wouldn't be strange if all the students indulged in spending points recklessly on entertainment.
However, surprisingly, the second and third-year students were diligently sweating it out in their club activities, defying expectations.
"This school has many secrets unknown to others."
With this thought, Hori stopped paying too much attention and gradually increased the running speed.
This Hori did not notice.
There was someone else also jogging, looking directly at him, displaying a somewhat surprised and contemplative expression.
After a while, that person also increased their speed, approaching Hori.
"Hmm?"
Hori sensed the movement behind him, turned his head, and looked to the side.
There, the person had caught up, running side by side with Hori.
It was a senior student, appearing intellectual, tall and slender, wearing glasses and a sports uniform.
"A first-year student, huh?"
The senior student stared straight ahead, not looking at Hori, and in a calm and composed voice full of intellect, said, "Your pace is quite good. How about a little race?"
Without even knowing each other's names, the senior student made such a proposal.
Hori glanced at the senior, asked nothing, and responded with just a sentence.
"How do want to do it?"
There was no desire for victory or defeat in the voice, no questions or suspicions, just a calm acceptance of any challenge as a matter of course.
The senior student, looking at Hori with a meaningful gaze, said nothing unnecessary.
"We have about a kilometer from here to the school building. Let's use that as the finish line."
In other words, the senior wanted to have a race with Hori over a distance of one kilometer.
Nanaya Hori nodded as if indifferent. "Sure."
The moment the words fell...
"Thud!"
Under the heavy sound of footsteps, the two running side by side explosively accelerated.
In the next second, both figures shot forward like arrows.
The strong wind whizzed past their ears.
Footsteps, like raindrops, resounded on the ground.
Hori and the senior student, at an astonishing speed, traversed the track leading to the school building.
"Hey..."
"Look over there..."
Around them, students engaged in club activities coincidentally witnessed this scene, all left astonished.
"So...fast..."
"Oh my..."
"Even the track and field club members can't run at this speed, right?"
"Who are those two?"
Members of the sports clubs, sensitive to physical activity, exchanged surprised remarks.
Some, upon seeing the senior student racing with Hori, were even more shocked.
"I-Isn't that person..."
"Could it be?"
Sounds of amazement like these occasionally echoed.
Unfortunately, Hori and the senior ignored these sounds, concentrating solely on running.
During this process, neither spoke, and their gazes weren't on each other. It was as if they only saw the finish line, relentlessly sprinting.
In the blink of an eye, the one-kilometer run was shortened by more than half.
Only then did the gap begin to show.
"Huff..."
The senior's breath started becoming rapid, and sweat appeared on his forehead.
This was a sign of prolonged running at maximum speed.
In contrast, Hori, who neither slowed nor sped up, maintained steady breathing and a calm expression.
(This guy...)
Even someone not keen on observing could tell.
Hori hadn't used his full strength yet.
In a short while, both reached the school building almost simultaneously.
However, one looked composed, while the other was breathing heavily.
Faced with this situation, Hori merely shrugged.
"It seems it's a draw."
After saying this, Hori strode away, preparing to leave.
Before that, a voice came from behind him.
"I'm Horikita Manabu."
Even with rapid breathing, the voice maintained a calm tone and reached Hori's ears.
"What's your name?"
Upon hearing this, Hori threw out a sentence.
"Nanaya."
With that, Hori left the scene.
"Nanaya... huh?"
Horikita Manabu, as if trying to remember that name, repeated it a few times.
Soon after, he also left.
This was just a small episode on the first day of the semester.
However, this episode spread through the club members who witnessed it.
On that day, a rumor circulated in the school.
"The Student Council President had a race with a new student during morning exercises, and it ended in a draw."
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