Chapter 7: Strategy Meeting about the Enemy’s Love Life
SUMMER break was over, and the coming of autumn ushered in the busy season for all kinds of events. At Mia’s school, they were holding a sports day. A handmade sign with “32nd Sports Day” written on it was proudly put up at the school gate for all to see. At the side of a wide sports field, students huddled together, divided into two groups.
“Go Red Team! Let’s win this thing!”
“Yeah!” Everyone cheered in response to the words of the head cheerleader.
There were probably very few schools where students displayed this level of excitement about the school sports day, but the school where Mia was enrolled went wild like this every year. Maybe it had to do with the school tradition; here, athletic activities, clubs, and classes were historically favored over more academic ones. Thus, it had always attracted sports-minded people which formed the majority of its student body.
Also, the winning team received an assortment of traditional Japanese confections as a prize. One might wonder if an opportunity to receive Japanese sweets would effectively motivate someone to do their best, but don’t underestimate how sweet a red bean paste bun that tastes of victory can be—it’s a flavor one never forgets.
“Let’s go for it Mia! And the cheerleading squad!”
“Y-Yeah, we practiced for it so much,” Mia nodded a bit hesitantly to one of the girls from her class calling out to her with her fist balled in a display of fighting spirit.
When drawing lots for participation in various events, Mia ended up having to take part in a cheerleading routine. This meant that during the cheerleading competition, she would have to dance in a frilly skirt and shake pompoms to the music. This felt so embarrassing, she almost felt like cursing her bad luck that put her in this position. However, she felt enthusiastic about the rest of the events: she would also participate in a sprint, a three-legged race, and a scavenger hunt.
The sprint was the first event of the day for her. Mia psyched herself up, the flame of passion burning in her eyes as she started warming up. Eventually, all sprinters were asked to stand on their marks, and then POP! The starter pistol went off. Mia dashed, running as fast as she could, easily overcoming her competitors and zipping through the obstacles. She took second place, only outdone by someone from the track team. Mia returned to her team, to everyone’s deafening cries of support, and had to go get changed immediately to make it in time for the cheerleading routine.
She cast a quick glance to the seats reserved for the parents on the bleachers; a sizable number of seats were filled by the students’ family members who came to cheer them on. Mia figured there would be fewer spectators than there had been in middle school, but the crowd was quite impressive. When she was a freshman and her father was still alive, he had come to watch her too.
He had taken a paid leave, a very rare occurrence, just for that purpose, and hadn’t taken his eyes off her from the opening ceremony till the closing ceremony. Whenever an event came up where Mia participated, he cheered for her at the top of his lungs. To Mia, it was one of her most heartwarming memories.
She stared absently at the seats, lost in the recollections of her father, when she suddenly had to do a double take, her eyes zeroing in on several faces in the crowd that were far too familiar for comfort.
“Eh?! Wh-Why?!” Mia yelped involuntarily, earning herself a curious look from a concerned classmate who had been standing nearby.
“N-No, it’s nothing,” Mia waved her hand frantically and plonked down on a seat.
Why, why are they here?! The people she had noticed on the bleachers were the Crow Rangers. The whole team too! But it’s the middle of a workday! What about their jobs?! But more importantly, how did they know that there was a sports day at my school, and why are they in the section reserved for parents? There were so many things that didn’t add up; Mia could hardly stop her mind from racing a mile a minute.
“Mia, the cheerleading competition is about to start!”
“Gahh! I completely forgot about it!” she cried out, cradling her head in her hands.
She didn’t think she could live down the shame of having to dance in front of her foes in a cheerleader’s outfit. However, she couldn’t drop out at the last minute just because of that, so she trudged listlessly towards the sports field, her face twisted up in shame.