The morning sun bathed the entire sports field, and the red track gleamed with a warm luster under the sunlight. A huge banner, "Sobu University's 28th Autumn Sports Festival," hung above the rostrum, swaying gently in the breeze.
Students from each class, dressed in neat sports uniforms, lined up in class order on the sports field, their faces beaming with excitement and anticipation. A faint scent of osmanthus permeated the air.
As the principal announced the official start of the Sports Festival, the opening ceremony performances began.
First to appear was the drum and bugle corps. Uniform drumbeats echoed throughout the campus, and the members, dressed in white uniforms, marched with firm steps past the rostrum. Their golden instruments sparkled in the sunlight, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the entire field.
"Next, let's welcome Class One for their choral performance!" The host's voice spread across the sports field through the broadcast.
The students of Class One quickly lined up. Yui Yuigahama stood at the very front, holding a conductor's baton. After taking a deep breath, a clear song flowed out: "The wind brushes the sports field, cicadas chirp in echo…" (Improvised)
Yukino Yukinoshita sat at the piano, accompanying them. Her fingertips danced across the keys, and the fluid melody perfectly blended with the chorus. Although Yuigahama occasionally sang off-key, her passion and earnestness infected everyone. When the chorus of a spirited song began, many students hummed along softly, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
As soon as the chorus ended, the stage lights suddenly switched to dazzling colors.
Kitagawa Marin rushed onto the stage with her cheerleading squad. They wore sparkling purple mini-skirts and waved silver pom-poms. As the dynamic music began, the girls immediately started dancing, kicking, spinning, and jumping, their movements uniform and full of vitality.
Kitagawa Marin stood in the center of the team, her smile even brighter than the sun. Her ponytail flew high with her movements, the pom-poms drew brilliant arcs in her hands, and her skirt flared, revealing her fair calves. When they reached the climax of the dance, she suddenly performed a difficult backflip, landed steadily, and then made a heart gesture to the audience, drawing cheers from the entire crowd.
Okabara Kyogumichi stood in his class line, watching her sparkle on stage, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
As soon as the dance performance ended, a cheerful rock song suddenly resounded across the sports field.
Hitori Bocchi stood on the makeshift stage, holding an electric guitar. Although her body was still trembling slightly, her fingers moved with extraordinary firmness on the strings.
Nijika played the drums beside her, the rhythm was brisk, and the entire band's performance was full of youthful passion.
"Go, Bocchi!" Kyogumichi couldn't help but whisper from below the stage.
Hitori Bocchi seemed to hear his voice, looked up, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, which then became even more focused. When the solo part of "Seisyun Complex" began, her fingertips moved rapidly across the strings, and the fluid melody earned applause from the entire audience.
The most hilarious was Class Three's comedic performance. They wore exaggerated animal costumes and mimicked funny actions from various sports: a student in a panda costume pretended to lift weights but was "crushed" by the "barbell," and a student in a rabbit costume intentionally fell during a race, causing the entire field to erupt in laughter. One of the boys, wearing a dinosaur costume, awkwardly danced street dance, and the contrasting cuteness of the performance made even the teachers on the rostrum laugh.
"It's time for our mascots to appear!" Natsume Takashi nudged Kyogumichi. The two quickly put on three-meter-tall tiger mascot costumes and, following the pre-rehearsed route, waved their paws as they led their class past the rostrum.
Kyogumichi, wearing the heavy mascot costume, was a bit clumsy in his movements, but he still tried to look majestic. As his tail swayed from side to side, he accidentally bumped into Natsume Takashi beside him.
"Sorry, sorry!" Kyogumichi apologized through the built-in intercom.
Natsume Takashi responded with a smile, "It's okay, let's strike a pose together!" The two cooperated to make a tiger roaring pose, and although it looked a bit comical, it earned many cheers.
When they walked off the stage, Kyogumichi's forehead was already covered in sweat, but his heart was filled with fun.
Shiina Mahiru and other students stood by the track, holding a cheering banner. On the light blue fabric, the four golden characters "Youth Without Regrets" were particularly striking in the sunlight. Whenever a class passed by, they waved the banner and cheered loudly, their gentle voices full of power. When she saw Kyogumichi pass by in the tiger mascot costume, she couldn't help but smile and wave: "Okabara-san, go!"
The climax of the opening ceremony was when all the teachers and students danced the bunny hop together. As cheerful music began, students from each class held hands to form a circle and jumped from side to side to the rhythm.
Kyogumichi was pulled into the line by Kitagawa Marin and Yui Yuigahama, and had no choice but to wiggle along with everyone. Yukino Yukinoshita was initially a bit resistant, but at Yuigahama's enthusiastic invitation, she also joined the dancing, a rare relaxed smile appearing on her face.
Natsume Takashi stood next to Kyogumichi, and Nyanko-sensei squatted on his shoulder, swaying gently to the rhythm of the music.
"This kind of activity is really interesting," Natsume Takashi said with a smile. "It's rare to see everyone so relaxed." Kyogumichi nodded, looking at the smiling faces of his classmates around him, his heart filled with warmth.
The comedic performances continued. A group of boys dressed in women's clothes danced ballet, their movements stiff but exceptionally serious; several girls wore exaggerated fake mustaches and mimicked the principal's tone of voice, drawing continuous laughter from the audience.
The entire sports field turned into an ocean of joy, with smiles on everyone's faces. The previous tension and anticipation had all transformed into the happiness of the moment.
When all the performances ended, the host walked onto the stage and said mysteriously, "Next, we're going to reveal this year's Sports Festival's special change!" The entire field instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath, anticipating this long-awaited surprise.
"This year, our new event is—Live Action Strategy Battle!" The host's voice was filled with excitement. "Each class will act as a team and compete within a designated area of the campus. By completing missions and capturing flags, they will earn points, and the class with the highest points will win the annual Sportsmanship Trophy!"
This news exploded like a bomb on the sports field, and the students instantly erupted into excitement.
"Live Action Strategy? That's so cool!"
"Our class will definitely win!"
"How will we divide into groups? I want to be a sniper!"
Kitagawa Marin excitedly grabbed Kyogumichi's arm and bounced up and down: "Okabara-san! We must win! I can be the assault player!" Yukino Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, beginning to calmly analyze: "We need to formulate tactics and reasonably allocate the positions of scouts, assault players, and snipers."
Kyogumichi looked at his excited classmates around him, and a surge of anticipation also rose in his heart.
Under the sunlight, the sounds of discussion and cheers from each class intertwined, and the entire sports field became an ocean of joy.