Volume 2 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

Chapter 35 - Fantastical Fanatics Fanning A Fire

And so, the farmer took the scarecrow back to his workshop and started repairing its tattered body. He stitched up its ripped clothes and replaced its missing straw. The scarecrow watched in silence as the farmer worked on him.

Days turned into weeks, and the scarecrow remained in the workshop as the farmer built a new platform for it to stand on. 

One day, the farmer decided to plant a small garden next to its new platform.

As the garden grew, the scarecrow watched with wonder. It saw the different types of flowers, vegetables, and fruits, and began to learn about them.

But the scarecrow's newfound curiosity was not limited to the garden. 

It wished to venture further afield, to explore the nearby woods and fields. 

It saw other creatures living their lives.

It wanted to learn more about this world.

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Nothing worth mentioning happened over the next few days. I went to school with Minami, got included into my usual group with everyone else again and had several other captain meetings. It was kind of annoying though how much Takei clung to me.

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At last, the day had come. The curtains were about to rise on the sports festival, and it looked to be a long day. The entire student body, all wearing their jerseys, marched together as one towards the public sports ground where everything had been prepared. Well, we called it a march, but most people just strolled along, taking the movement just seriously enough not to disrupt the order.

"All right, time to really show off guys!" shouted Takei a bit too loud for my tastes as he walked directly behind me.

I knew he possessed some muscle strength, but was he only strong? Was he also good at running and jumping? I sure hope the guy wasn't all bark and no bite. I wanted some sense of competition at least.

Minami wasn't with us. She'd instead given a speech as the student council president during the opening ceremony. Although there weren't many, a number of spectators watched from the sports grounds' outskirts. They were probably the students' parents, wanting to watch their children compete. The school didn't seem to have put any strict restrictions in place regarding who could attend the festival since we were on public grounds. When I occasionally looked to the side, one of the spectators smiled or waved. I'm sure they were looking forward to their children's performances.

For a second, I almost thought I saw Matsuo among them.

Meanwhile, the teachers themselves watched us with big smiles on their faces. They were spread out—some were standing at the various competitions we'd set up to record everyone's times, while others could also be seen setting up some kind of cottage. It could fit around twenty people and was equipped with an air conditioner and water cooler. There was also a stand where they'd prepared sandwiches and bottles of water. The school prepared itself quite meticulously this year. It could've also been due to our rigorous planning as sports festival captains.

As I watched everything being prepared, I couldn't help but compare their excitement to my own training experiences in the White Room. The rigorous physical and mental training that I had gone through in that place was unlike anything I had ever experienced at this school. I'm sure they'd be considered impossible or outright inhumane by the majority of people. In the beginning, even I pushed myself to the absolute limit and beyond, just to be able to survive.