Once the club-to-club relay rehearsal was over, I parted ways with Mika and the others to return to our section, only to be immediately mobbed by my classmates. In a good way, mind you.
"That was an incredible demonstration, Kokonoe! Yuji!"
"What was that even?! It was like something straight out of a manga!"
"When did you guys learn to do that?!"
Everyone was buzzing with curiosity, pelting us with questions while slapping Yuji and me on our backs and heads.
Wait, hey! Who just smacked the top of my head with all their might?! The bench beneath me actually creaked from the impact! If I weren't an explorer, that hit would've had enough force to snap my neck!
"Ack! Enough already, you’re being annoying! Back off a bit, all of you!"
Driven by the sheer intensity of the mobbing, I raised my voice in protest and tried to disperse the classmates who were still pounding on us. We’d gone a bit overboard during the mock battle, so I’d been worried they might be put off by us... but this reaction was entirely unexpected.
Taking the hint from my protest, the group finally backed away, allowing Yuji and me to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"So? What’s the story with that demonstration?"
After a brief pause, Shigemori stepped forward as the representative to ask.
"It’s just the result of leveling up in the dungeons and the fruits of our practice!"
"Practice... but that was some seriously authentic martial arts. What kind of training do you even do to move like that?"
"Yuji's family comes from a background like that, so we had him teach us the basics to make sure we left an impact for the club appeal!"
"A background like that... You mean Yuji's family runs a dojo or something?"
"Yeah... did I not mention it?"
"I didn't hear a word about it!"
Shigemori cried out in surprise, and the guys around him began to buzz again, whispering excitedly. Huh? Had I really not told Shigemori? Well, it wasn't the kind of thing I'd go out of my way to bring up unless someone asked. I suppose it wasn't strange that he didn't know.
While watching Shigemori and the others make a fuss, I glanced over at Hiiragi-san. Just like us, she was currently being bombarded with questions by the girls sitting around her.
"Hiiragi-san, that was amazing!"
"Hey, hey, Hiiragi-san! How can I learn to move like that?!"
"Yukino! Since when could you do things like that?!"
"Um, well..."
Hiiragi-san was answering their questions politely, though she wore a somewhat troubled expression. Since many of the girls were active explorers themselves, they were likely fascinated by the flashy mock battle Hiiragi-san had put on. After all, a mere amateur who’d just trained on their own couldn't have pulled that off.
As we were all making a racket in the stands, the rhythmic thrumming of taiko drums suddenly began to echo across the field.
"Hm? Ah, it’s already time for the cheering competition."
Turning toward the entrance gate, I saw the cheer squad members entering the field to the beat of the drums, led by the Cheer Squad Leader with a long red headband tied around his head. It looked like the Red Group was starting things off.
I looked at Shigemori and the others still gathered around and warned them to get back to their spots before we got scolded. Catching my look, they exchanged quick glances and scurried back to their seats.
Once the cheering competition for each group concluded, the rehearsal moved on to the afternoon program. The first event of the afternoon was the inter-group faculty relay. The homeroom teachers for each group appeared from the entrance gate in their tracksuits, waving toward the stands where their students sat.
In response, the students shouted their teachers' names at the top of their lungs.
"Go for it, Sensei!"
"Don't overdo it and get hurt!"
The cheers were a mix of genuine support and playful teasing. The teachers responded with smiles, though some gestured as if they were jokingly offended by the cheekiness.
Watching the scene, a sudden question occurred to me.
"Now that I think about it... hey, Yuji?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Do you think any of those teachers have an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures like Hashimoto-sensei?"
I posed the thought to Yuji, who was sitting right next to me.
"Ah, that’s possible. But they separate the student events based on whether they have an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures or not. If a teacher has one, they probably just decline the race and don't participate, right?"
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense..."
Hearing Yuji's reply, I figured that was probably the case. They were adults, after all; they’d likely show some restraint to keep the competition fair.
Once the faculty had finished their entry, the first runners for each group took their places at the starting line. There were six runners per group for the faculty race, starting with the older female teachers and alternating between men and women for the rest of the heat.
"On your marks... get set... go!"
The starting pistol cracked, and the teachers took off. Hmm. How should I put this... they were slow. I could tell they were giving it their all, but they were definitely slow.
However, seeing the teachers running with such effort only made the cheers from the stands grow louder.
"You can pass them! Just a little more, go for it, Sensei!"
"Sensei! They're catching up! Hurry, hurry!"
With the race being unexpectedly close, the students grew heated, their cheers turning passionate. However, as they rounded the second corner and hit the final straight, the runner in second place began a desperate final spurt, chasing the leader with a beet-red face and swinging arms.
The two of them pulled level right before the finish line and...
"It was almost a dead heat."
"Yeah. But is he going to be okay?"
Yuji watched with a worried expression as the teacher who’d made that final spurt collapsed on all fours, gasping for air. Personally, I just thought, Yeah, that teacher definitely pushed themselves too hard. It's just a rehearsal today; they really didn't need to go that far.
Once the teacher finally caught their breath and returned to their line, the faculty relay rehearsal concluded, and the teachers exited the field to the applause of the students.
Following the faculty relay, we went through the team events, dances, the inter-year relay, and the inter-group relay, successfully reaching the closing ceremony within the scheduled time.
We lined up in rows in front of the podium, just as we had during the opening ceremony.
"We will now begin the closing ceremony!"
The announcement played, and the Principal took his place on the podium.
"First of all, good work, everyone. Er..."
Standing before the microphone, the Principal gave his evaluation of the rehearsal—how the students performed in each event and the general smoothness of the proceedings.
"There were a few moments that made me worry, but I am glad to see that everyone finished the rehearsal safely without injury. Please pay sufficient attention to safety during the actual event tomorrow so that no one gets hurt, and make it a sports festival to remember. That is all."
The Principal gave a slight bow and stepped down.
Even so, he managed to get a little dig in at the end. By "moments that made me worry," he was almost certainly talking about that explorer who tripped during the first relay. If that had happened during the actual sports festival tomorrow, it could have been a disaster. His words were likely a warning for us not to get too carried away, and perhaps a subtle order to the executive committee and faculty to tighten up the safety measures.
"Next, we will move on to the announcement of the results."
The students' eyes turned to the scoreboard on the school building as the announcement played.
"Red Group... 123 points!"
Cheers rose from the Red Group's section as the numbers were posted.
"Next, Blue Group... 109 points!"
A sigh of disappointment rippled through the Blue Group, while the Red Group cheered even louder.
"Finally, White Group... 131 points! Therefore, the White Group is the winner!"
A massive roar of joy went up from the White Group—our section. My classmates threw their hands up, celebrating the victory and praising each other. I joined in, but inwardly, I couldn't help but think, It’s just a rehearsal; do we really need to be this hyped?
After about ten seconds of celebration, an announcement for the award ceremony began, and the noise gradually subsided.
"Will the White Group Cheer Squad Leader please come up to the podium."
Following the instructions, the Cheer Squad Leader climbed the steps. The Principal, holding a piece of paper that looked suspiciously like blank cardstock, faced him across the microphone.
"Congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you very much!"
After receiving the certificate and bowing, the Cheer Squad Leader held up the blank sheet of paper for the White Group to see. An even louder cheer than before erupted from our lines. Still, using a blank sheet of paper really took the wind out of the moment.
Once the award ceremony and speeches from the PTA and guests were finished...
"This concludes the closing ceremony."
The full run-through rehearsal for the sports festival ended without a hitch. The content had been heavily abbreviated, but it was worth doing just to understand the general flow for tomorrow.
As we began to relax our posture and slouch after the final announcement, a new instruction came over the speakers.
"Everyone! We have information regarding the schedule after this, so please remain where you are for a short while longer!"
The students began chatting with those around them to kill time, though most stayed in their general formations. After waiting for two or three minutes, a teacher climbed onto the podium.
"Quiet down! I'm going to explain the schedule now, so be quiet."
The teacher waited patiently for a minute until the chatter finally died down across the field.
"Now then, regarding the schedule from here..."
As it turned out, the morning program was officially over. After a lunch break, we would move on to the preparations and cleaning assigned to each class. The specific duties would be announced by the homeroom teachers before the afternoon work started. The pep rallies for each group would follow once the work was done.
"That is all. Dismissed."
The moment the order was given, the field turned into a chaotic sea of people. Some hurried back to the classrooms, some stayed to talk, and others went to find friends in different groups.
I turned to Yuji, who was standing nearby.
"What do you think, Yuji? Should we head back now?"
"Shouldn't we wait a bit? The entrance is going to be a total bottleneck right now."
"True..."
I glanced toward the shoe lockers at the entrance. Sure enough, a massive crowd had already formed a long line.
"Let's wait until that line is at least half as long. If we go now, we’ll just get crushed in the crowd."
"Agreed."
In the end, it was more than ten minutes after the dismissal before we managed to navigate the chaos, get back to the classroom, and finally sit down for lunch.
Once the lunch break was over, I was sitting at my desk waiting for the afternoon instructions when Hirasaka-sensei walked in, still wearing his tracksuit. He stood at the front of the room, glanced over us, and spoke.
"First off, good job on the rehearsal. It was a lot more lively than I expected, which is a relief. Keep that energy up tomorrow, and try not to get hurt."
"Yes, sir!" the class replied in unison.
Hirasaka-sensei’s evaluation was surprisingly positive. I guess even the relay with the separated explorers had been fairly exciting despite the initial worries. If we kept this up for the main event, the parents and guests wouldn't walk away thinking we were a bunch of unmotivated kids.
"Alright, here are the work assignments for the afternoon. Our class is responsible for the parent seating area to the left of the headquarters. You need to drive stakes into the ground along the track's outer perimeter and string rope around them."
"Ehhhh..."
"Don't complain. Someone has to do it. With this many of you working together, it'll be over in no time. Besides, most of you have an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures, right? Driving a few stakes into the dirt should be light work for you."
Groans and sighs rippled through the class at the prospect of such a tedious chore. However, after listening to Hirasaka-sensei's logic, everyone seemed to realize it probably wouldn't be that hard. As we heard other classes moving out to the field from the hallway, a sense of resigned acceptance filled the room.
"Alright. The other classes are already moving, so let’s get to it. Come on, get a move on."
"Okay..."
At Hirasaka-sensei’s signal, the class began to move sluggishly toward the door.
However...
"Ah, that’s right. Kokonoe, Yuji, Hiiragi-san."
"Yes? What is it?"
"You three are the exception. Head over to the Student Council Room now."
"Wait, the Student Council Room?"
We’d been about to follow the others to the field when Hirasaka-sensei stopped us. Why the Student Council Room?
"Apparently, they have something they want to ask you regarding safety assurance for the sports festival. For now, just go and hear them out."
"Y-Yes, sir..."
The sports festival and safety assurance... I was starting to get a bad feeling about this.