CHAPTER 46: THE TRACK OF MONSTERS (Part 3)
The final echoes of footsteps rang out on the synthetic track, and the result of the race was clear for all to see.
Tsuyoshi Taro crossed the finish line without breaking a sweat or losing his breath, with Zixuan Lee and Junpei Kurodan maintaining their positions right beside him, neck-and-neck.
This race of the top-tier monsters was over, but the effects of the heat and venom still lingered on the track.
Meanwhile, further back, Yuto Sakurai lay face down on the rough dirt of the track.
His entire body was caked in sweat and dust. He was grinding his teeth so hard out of rage and shock that the sound was clearly audible. His yellow eyes were wide open, filled with pure hatred and disbelief.
*"What the heck with my kick... how did he dodge it without even looking?!"* Yuto muttered, slamming his fist hard against the track.
His knuckles scraped against the dirt, but he didn't feel the pain.
*"No... how can this be?!
Aaaaaaa, what have I done?!
I've dragged the Boss's name through the dirt!"*
Driven mad with rage, he continuously pounded his fist into the ground. One after another, dust kicked up.
*"I put all my strength into taking him down... yet how did that Tsuyoshi see right through my attack?!"*
Just then, the sound of light footsteps approached from behind. Satoshi Ichigaya, who had sprinted ahead initially only to intentionally drop back, casually jogged past Yuto.
Seeing Yuto writhing on the ground, Satoshi's pace slowed slightly.
His perpetually closed eyes parted just a fraction, and a demonic gleam swam within his orange eyes.
That same old, creepy smile returned to his face.
*"Haaah... so this is Hiroto Kageyama's 'Wild Card'..."* Satoshi thought to himself with cold disdain.
*"The guy who tripped and fell face-first into the dirt while playing a game?
What a fragile ego he has, acting as if he was the supreme Boss of this school."*
Satoshi drew in a final breath and casually continued forward.
*"Just as I heard from the other kids, he turned out to be the exact opposite.
If the 'Top Dog' of this school only has weak, barking dogs like this... playing this game won't be fun at all.
Hiroto, all my hopes lie with you now. Let's hope you're at least a little better than this."*
With those thoughts, Satoshi headed straight for the finish line without ever looking back.
The sun was still raining fire from above. The race was over, but the ultimate stragglers were still on the track.
Dragging their feet at the very back were Yoshiro and his two lackeys, panting heavily.
Yoshiro's entire body was bathed in sweat, and his bald head gleamed fiercely in the sunlight.
"Oh man... run faster, you idiots!
Because of you two morons,I can't even run properly!"Yoshiro yelled out, panting heavily, even though his own strength was giving out. "But... I don't have any energy left to run either."
Right behind him, Taiki said with a tearful face,
"Oh Boss, shut up with your nonsense...
I can't run anymore.
I can't take another step.
My legs are killing me!"
The other lackey, Daiki, chimed in, panting,
"Oh Boss, let's just finish the race!
Otherwise, Sir will make us run more laps.
Once we finish these 3 laps, at least we'll be able to breathe properly."
Yoshiro narrowed his eyes, looking ahead.
"Oh man, looks like everyone else has finished the race, we're the only ones left."
Just then, while jogging, Yoshiro's gaze fell on a boy lying near the sidelines. He stopped in his tracks.
Panting, he placed his hand over his eyes like a visor to block the sun. "Hey, who's that lying up ahead, man?"
Seeing their Boss stop, Taiki and Daiki halted their heavy footsteps too. Taiki leaned forward and looked closely,
"Oh Boss, looks like someone is still in the race, let's go see."
The three of them dragged their exhausted feet and reached right next to the fallen boy.
As soon as they got a clear look at his face, Daiki exclaimed in shock, "Oh Boss, this is that crazy guy who's always barking around in class!"
Yoshiro's tired face suddenly lit up. He puffed out his sweaty chest and laughed loudly.
"Oh, so it's him?
Hey, isn't this the joker who constantly follows Hiroto around, wagging his tail like a dog?!"
Lying face down in the dirt, Yuto heard everything.
The words pierced his ears like arrows. *(Shut up...)* Yuto thought, writhing internally. His fists began to clench.
Taiki started laughing and mocked him, "Oh Boss, you hit the nail right on the head, it's him!"
Daiki pointed at Yuto, his voice dripping with utter disrespect.
"Look, Boss, look how he's plastered to the dirt like a dead lizard, you bastard!
In class, he acted like some huge hotshot, but now he's licking the track's dirt here.
What a disgrace, he should just go drown himself!"
*(Shut your filthy mouths!)* Yuto's internal rage was boiling over like a volcano, but physical exhaustion kept him pinned to the ground.
Yoshiro mocked him arrogantly,
"This is exactly why the title of the real Boss of this school belongs to my name!
Hiroto can't even come close to me!
People who just make empty noise, who always think they are strong and fly high in the air for no reason, their final destination is always licking the dirt in the end!
Just like he's doing right now, hahaha!"
Yoshiro took a deep breath and looked at his lackeys.
"Oh yeah, Daiki and Taiki, a saying just came to my mind, you guys wanna hear it?"
"Oh Boss, is that even a question?" Taiki said, buttering him up.
"Oh Boss, tell us, tell us!" Daiki showed his excitement.
A weird, arrogant, and creepy smile appeared on Yoshiro's face.
The sunlight fell on him, creating a strange, dramatic shade of half-shadow and half-light on his face.
"Someone once said... a person should stay within their limits, no matter what their status is," Yoshiro said, emphasizing every single word.
"Otherwise, in an attempt to fly in the sky, they'll just fall straight down and die!
Let's go, you two, let's finish the race.
I'm feeling suffocated staying near this loser."
Without giving Yuto a second glance, Yoshiro and his lackeys moved forward, leaving Yuto all alone there in the dirt.
Blood had now replaced the tears in Yuto's eyes.
His yellow eyes had turned red with fury.
Grinding his fist against the ground, he made a promise to himself.
*"You guys have no idea... you have no idea who you've messed with,"* Yuto thought, grinding his teeth in rage.
*"This bald freak... how dare he say all that to me?!
To hell with the school rules, I'll break these rules!
One day... one day I'm going to chew all of them alive!
I will definitely take my revenge for this!
Today, this joker made a mockery of me...
I will absolutely show this bastard his place!
I'll teach these motherfuckers such a lesson that they won't even be fit to speak again, those bastards!"*
The atmosphere near the finish line was completely different from the rest of the track. Instead of heat, there was a cold tension here.
Tsuyoshi Taro stood up straight and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his face.
His discipline was still intact, but there was a deep confusion in his eyes.
Satoshi Ichigaya slowly walked up to him.
He had an innocent and relaxed smile on his face, as if he hadn't just run a race, but was returning from a morning stroll in the park.
"Oh wow... you did something amazing, Tsuyoshi," Satoshi praised him.
"You really surprised me, you truly are worthy of being called the class monitor."
But Tsuyoshi wasn't the type to be swayed by sweet talk. He looked at Satoshi with a piercing, unwavering gaze.
"You did well too, Ichigaya," Tsuyoshi replied in a completely serious and cold tone.
"But tell me one thing... why did you suddenly fall back at the end?
Your footwork and speed were absolutely perfect until the end, but right before the finish line, you intentionally dropped your speed.
Why?"
Satoshi gave a slight shrug. That same weird smile lingered on his lips.
"Oh, what are you saying?" Satoshi replied casually.
"Oh man, I just got a little tired from all that running.
I couldn't keep going, and on top of that, my clothes were drenched in sweat, so I slowed down.
It's obvious, I couldn't run anymore, so I fell behind."
Satoshi took a step back and continued with a smile,
"And besides, how could I ever match up to the class monitor?
After all, monitors are hardworking people; if they lose so early on, what kind of impact would that have on the others?
Hahaha."
Tsuyoshi's eyes turned completely cold. His ears were very sharp. He noticed that Satoshi hadn't panted even once while speaking.
His breathing was completely normal, which effortlessly exposed his lie about 'getting tired'.
A short distance away, Zixuan Lee stood silently watching this entire spectacle with his 'Cold Stare'.
He didn't say a single word, but his ruby-red eyes were scanning Satoshi's every single move.
*"How smoothly he lies,"* Zixuan thought in his mind.
*"Just what is he trying to do?
His body language, his breathing rate... everything is perfectly normal.
He still had enough strength to defeat both Tsuyoshi and me.
Yet, why does he keep trying to portray himself as weak over and over again?
This guy is extremely weird."*
But Zixuan didn't reveal his suspicions to anyone.
He quietly averted his gaze and turned the other way.
Satoshi smiled again, trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh man, my clothes are smelling so bad from the sweat.
Looks like I'll have to take a shower."
Saying this, he casually shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.
A little distance away from them all, Junpei Kurodan was still standing. This 6-foot-7-inch giant hadn't shed a single drop of sweat during the entire race.
His teal-green eyes quietly observed this strange interaction between Tsuyoshi and Satoshi. His face held a stone-like calmness—no reaction, no expression. He was simply observing them all.
Sports Teacher Takeshi Sakuraba's entire lecture wasn't based on some solid strategy, but on a long nap.
He had been sleeping comfortably on a grassy slope near the edge of the ground for quite a while now. He hadn't even watched the race.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He stretched his arms and let out a deep yawn, rubbing his eyes.
*"Wait, what was all that?
Was I sleeping this whole time?"* He looked around in a panic.
When his gaze fell on the track, his eyes widened. *"Is the kids' race already over?!"*
He panicked because Tsuyoshi, Zixuan, Junpei, and the rest of the kids were walking right toward him.
Takeshi Sir quickly wiped his face and dusted off his clothes.
The panic alarm had started ringing in his head.
*"Oh no, the kids are coming closer!
If they find out I've been napping here this whole time, they'll complain to the principal sir about me!
Oh no man... if that happens, my Miss Ryouko will get mad at me!
I won't even be worthy of talking to her again!
Oh please, I hope they don't find out!"*
The students had reached right up to him.
"Sir, we have completed all three laps of the race," Tsuyoshi reported in his usual disciplined voice. Then he asked lightly,
"Sir, were you sleeping?"
Takeshi Sir's heart stopped for a second, but he quickly covered it up, waving his hands frantically.
"Oh no, no!
What are you guys saying?
I've been watching you all run this whole time!"
Zixuan looked at Sir with his cold eyes and thought to himself,
*"What a Overreactor Sir is.
Just looking at him, it's obvious he's just been sitting on the sidelines relaxing since the race began."*
To suppress the matter, Takeshi Sir coughed lightly and acted like a very strict teacher.
"Never mind all that!
Listen carefully everyone, class time is almost over.
Make a line and go to the shower room to freshen up, understood everyone?"
"Yes, Sir," the students answered in unison.
"Then let's end today's class here.
We'll have the next class tomorrow, alright everyone?" Sir asked loudly.
"YES SIRRRRR!" all the boys yelled out, putting whatever life they had left into it.
As soon as they got permission, the exhausted boys started dragging their feet towards the locker and shower rooms.
A boy in the crowd muttered in pain, "Oh man, Sir completely drained us out..."
His friend replied while limping, "I've got blisters all over my feet... aaaa!"
Chapter END