With the preliminary races over, we had about an hour to prepare before the finals. We had been given a course map, so the three of us huddled up to hold a strategy meeting.
The route kicked off at the same pond as the preliminaries before heading toward the peaks. It cut through a rocky mountain range and looped wide around the city before heading back.
There were several mandatory checkpoints, but we were otherwise free to choose our own path. Of course, the options narrowed down significantly if we wanted to hit those markers and still cross the finish line first.
"Just looking at the map, that rocky mountain area looks like a hazard," I noted.
"I agree," Aoi said. "The checkpoints have an altitude cap, which means we can't just soar over the peaks to avoid them."
"Aoi-senpai, could we stay high for the approach and then dive right before we hit the checkpoint?" Hina asked.
"It’s a valid tactic, but I'm worried about whether we'd be able to spot the target quickly enough from that height, or if the terrain is even suited for a rapid descent."
"...Then again, staying low just increases the risk of clipping a cliff face," I added.
Both options carried significant risks, and since we didn't know the exact conditions on-site yet, it was a tough call. I also had a feeling the wind would be fierce in those mountains. A strong breeze was blowing today; a sudden crosswind would easily knock a Flying Board—which was already a nightmare to steer—completely off balance.
"Still, we can't let ourselves get paralyzed by overthinking," I said. "We should probably come up with a few backup plans and adapt on the fly. Once we clear the rocky mountains, we hit the forest area... but since the checkpoints there are high up, we won't actually need to fly into the trees, right?"
"We might need to worry more about our navigation there," Aoi replied. "It’s a massive forest; if our heading is even slightly off, we could get lost and miss the checkpoint entirely."
The checkpoints consisted of four magic crystals floating in the air. As long as we passed through the space between them, we were in the clear. Apparently, the crystals would glow faintly to make them visible, but the light wasn't particularly bright, so they might still be hard to spot in the distance.
I nodded at Aoi's assessment, and Hina spoke up with a focused, serious expression.
"...But if we want to pick up speed, this is the place to do it, right? Once we're past the forest, the route to the goal is basically a straight shot. I want us to pull ahead of the pack here."
"On the flip side, that also makes it the easiest place for someone else to overtake us," Aoi countered. "I expect the other teams to put everything they have into this stretch."
Hina was right; I wanted to open up the throttle in the wide-open space above the forest. However, every other team would be thinking the same thing. It might be worth intentionally deviating from that strategy just to stay ahead of the mental game.
In the end, that was another decision we'd likely have to make in the heat of the moment.
"I think the race will be decided right here, just before the finish line," Aoi said, pointing to a specific spot on the map. It was the final checkpoint. Once we cleared it, the path to the finish was a fixed, straight line.
"Because of how the Flying Boards handle, you need a lot of room to overtake someone. If we're the first ones through this checkpoint, victory is essentially ours. Trying to pass someone after this point would require some incredibly reckless flying..."
"I see. But since it's the very end of the race, we also have to worry about whether the board’s magic crystals will have enough power left to actually make a move."
"Exactly. Depending on how the race plays out, we might want to make a final push but find ourselves unable to do so. This sport has a surprising amount of depth."
Somehow or other, even though I had been dragged into this by Hina's persistence, I realized we were all discussing our tactics with genuine passion now.
The truth was, it was actually a lot of fun. The conditions were more or less equal for every team, and with veterans like Yellow Pipe getting knocked out in the early rounds, it was exactly as Alice had described—a sport where even rookies stood a chance.
That didn't mean it was purely a game of luck, though. You still had to plan a strategy and react to sudden changes in the environment. Aoi was right; it was deep. I could see why people got hooked.
"Alright, so here's the plan for now," I summarized. "In the rocky mountains, we'll start high. If it looks like we can dive for the checkpoint, we go for it. If not, we drop down and weave through the peaks. We'll treat the time spent climbing as a necessary cost for safety. In the forest area, we'll pick up speed and pull ahead if we can, but we make sure to save enough magic power for that final stretch. Sound good?"
"Yes!"
"Let's do this!"
With the broad strategy decided, all that was left was to face the challenge. It was about time for the race to start, but just as I thought about heading out, Hina held out her hand with a grin.
"Senpai, let's do that thing! You know, hands in the middle and 'Go team!'"
"Oh, the thing you like so much," Aoi said with a small smile.
"Haha, well, it does help set the mood..."
I didn't have a reason to refuse, so Aoi and I gave wry smiles and reached out, piling our hands on top of Hina's. The two of them glanced at me, so I took the lead as the senior member of the group.
"Alright, let's give it everything we've got!"
"Yeah!" they cheered in unison.
It really felt like a scene straight out of a coming-of-age story. In its own way, it was a total blast.
Serious-senpai: "How lovely. I quite like this refreshing atmosphere. There isn't just one way to be serious. If each person carries a serious intent in their heart and takes on a serious challenge... well, then that’s seriousness too."
???: "You just like saying the word 'serious,' don't you?"