After deciding on the content of the match, the group headed to the sports warehouse to pick up a shot put.
Nomily was the first to act.
After stretching her body, she brought the shot put to the starting line of the throwing area.
Yuriko had never learned how to throw a shot put, so she took this opportunity to observe Nomily’s movements and see how it was done.
Nomily held the shot put in one hand.
Perhaps feeling that Yuriko’s gaze was too piercing, she turned toward Yuriko before making her throw.
“I’m telling you this in advance: don’t look down on me just because I’m not as tall as you. I’m quite strong!”
‘Does this child have some kind of complex about her height?’
“I understand. Please begin, Miss Kipling.”
After throwing those words at Yuriko, Nomily finally lifted the shot put and threw it using a very standard posture.
Everyone’s eyes followed the shot put’s movement.
Once it hit the ground, Carmilla and Yuri set out with a measuring tape to check Nomily’s result.
The two of them crouched on the ground to inspect for a moment before standing up.
Yuri raised her hand and shouted, “18.5 meters!”
Hearing her score, Nomily gave a couple of proud huffs and turned her gaze toward Yuriko.
“It looks like my performance has improved a bit again~”
Yuriko didn’t really understand what level this score represented, but hearing the surrounding students’ discussions, it seemed that this result was quite good among her peers.
Thus, she offered a token compliment.
“You are very impressive, Miss Kipling.”
The proud expression on Nomily’s face froze.
Yuriko was clearly praising her, but in Nomily’s ears, this praise was no different from mockery.
As a competitor, the first thing one did after an opponent achieved a good result was to praise them—it sounded sarcastic no matter how she heard it.
“Hmph! Act all calm if you want, but I want to see just how far you can throw!” Nomily puffed out her cheeks in anger.
This left Yuriko bewildered.
She was clearly saying something nice; why was the other party getting angry?
‘Is this what the heart of a woman is like?’
Carmilla and Yuri returned with the shot put, and Carmilla handed it to Yuriko.
“Good luck~” Carmilla encouraged her.
Yuriko found Carmilla’s encouragement very pleasant.
That gentle voice was like a wife cheering on her husband as he went out to work.
The gentle image hit Yuriko’s preferences perfectly, causing her to daze for a split second.
Facing the girl’s encouragement, Yuriko returned a gentle smile.
“I will.”
As she took the shot put, Yuriko’s hand wobbled uncontrollably for a moment.
It wasn’t because it was too heavy, but because the weight was lighter than she had anticipated.
Looking at how Carmilla had held it with both hands, she had thought it would be quite heavy.
Yuri walked over and patted Yuriko on the shoulder.
“It’s Miss Yuriko’s turn next. I’m looking forward to your performance~”
Facing Yuri, Yuriko squeezed out a strained smile.
If possible, she really didn’t want to give this troublemaker a pleasant face.
“Then I’ll work hard not to disappoint you, Miss Yuri.”
Yuriko arrived at the starting line with the shot put, pondering how much strength she should use.
‘Seventy percent? No, maybe 60%.’
Thinking this, Yuriko lightly tossed the shot put into the air and caught it.
Feeling the weight of the ball, Yuriko finally decided to use only 40% of her strength.
She mimicked Nomily’s movements: lifting the ball, twisting her waist, and turning her body to throw the shot put out.
Because it was her first time, her movements were a bit stiff, and some of her power wasn’t fully utilized.
However, the shot put still flew out under the startled gazes of the students, tracing a perfect arc in the air before falling.
Yuriko didn’t see her score immediately, but gasps had already erupted around her.
She looked up and saw that her shot put had landed much further than Nomily’s.
One didn’t even need to measure to know her result was better just by looking at it.
Carmilla and Yuri still went out with the measuring tape and measured Yuriko’s result.
“31.2 meters!”
Compared to Nomily’s result, Yuriko had more than just a slight lead.
If she hadn’t been afraid of being labeled a “violent woman” or a “muscle gorilla” for using too much strength, Yuriko’s score could have been even better.
“Incredible! That score is already better than most of the boys!”
“Miss Ruri, you’re so strong! Is this really your first time throwing a shot put?”
The students crowded around enthusiastically, their words full of praise and wonder, even squeezing Nomily out of the circle.
This was within Yuriko’s expectations.
This was the effect she wanted—to let her classmates think she was impressive, but not so much that it seemed unnatural.
“Hehe, it’s nothing really. It might just be because I do chores often. If anyone needs help in the future, feel free to ask me~”
Yuriko made a “showing off muscles” pose, even though she didn’t appear to have any.
Nomily, who was pushed to the outside, looked at Yuriko in the center of the crowd.
Her smile looked so bright.
Nomily had decided to compete with her to put her in her place, yet she ended up letting Yuriko show off her strength in front of everyone.
How could she be so capable…
“Ugh…”
Nomily felt a bit dejected, but she immediately thought of a new plan.
“Don’t think you’ve won just like this!”
Yuriko, surrounded by everyone, suddenly heard such a shout.
She cast her gaze toward Nomily outside the crowd, and the students also dispersed because of Nomily’s shout, looking toward her one after another.
Faced with the gazes of so many people, Nomily didn’t show the slightest bit of cowardice.
She pointed at Yuriko once more and said, “You’re just a bit stronger, that’s all! I want to race you in a long-distance run. Your endurance definitely won’t be as good!”
This was outside of Yuriko’s expectations.
She hadn’t expected Nomily to try and win back her pride with endurance after losing in strength.
Since she had already accepted Nomily’s challenge, one more match wouldn’t hurt, so Yuriko didn’t refuse.
“Then which one does Miss Kipling want to compete in? The 1,000 meters or the 3,000 meters?”
Nomily tilted her head, glanced at the Clock Tower in the Academy, and then said, “There isn’t much time left. I’m afraid we won’t finish the 3,000 meters. Let’s just do the 1,000 meters!”
Yuriko nodded and followed Nomily to the starting line of the track.
Carmilla and Yuri stood at the starting line and finish line respectively—one responsible for the starting signal and the other for comparing the results.
Standing on the starting line, Nomily threw another bold claim at Yuriko.
“Though I lost to you in strength, endurance is my forte. I won’t lose to you again!”
“Then I shall wait and see.”
It was another light response.
To Nomily’s ears, it sounded as if Yuriko didn’t care about winning or losing at all, or perhaps that she didn’t consider Nomily a threat.
It made Nomily feel looked down upon.
Dammit, she was definitely going to leave Yuriko in the dust!
Acting as the starter, Carmilla raised her hand.
“Get ready—”
Yuriko and Nomily leaned forward at the same time, taking their starting stances.
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