The Knife

“Uh... what an enthusiastic show of support from Class One’s Mr. Ye...” The host hadn’t expected the camera to cut to Ye Shuang, but apparently it had been the school board member’s idea. Luo Xi could only force herself to keep talking.

Maybe Mr. Ye’s outfit was simply too eye-catching—rather like the school board member’s, in a way.

Still, Ye Shuang was her benefactor, so Luo Xi did her best to smooth things over and keep him from feeling too embarrassed.

Fortunately, the camera soon switched back to the track. Momo, running third for Class One, had pulled slightly ahead of Class Three. Her speed continued to increase, and she surged into first place!

“Go, Class One!”

“Go, Class Three!”

“Class One’s third runner has overtaken Class Three, and... wait, the girl from Class Three has started doing the ninja run too?!” Luo Xi exclaimed in surprise. The girl, who had been pumping her arms as she ran, suddenly lowered her body, as if she were reducing air resistance, and her speed instantly shot up!

Were all the boys and girls in Class Three country folk or something?

“Hm?” Momo noticed Class Three rapidly closing the gap, but she was already nearing the handoff. Spotting Bai Yuyou in the distance, she summoned the last of her strength and thrust the baton forward.

“I’m counting on you, Yuyou!”

“Okay!”

The moment Bai Yuyou took the baton, she sprinted off at full speed. Meanwhile, the Class Three runner—who had looked ready to crash into her teammate—managed to pass the baton just before falling. Their final runner then lowered her body and charged ahead with her head down!

“Keke, Momo...”

Bai Yuyou ran with every ounce of strength she had. Beneath the sunlight, the girl’s long legs were almost dazzlingly pale, drawing everyone’s gaze toward her. After all, every student at the school knew Bai, the campus belle. Even some students from Class Three had defected and begun cheering for Bai Yuyou.

“Go!!!”

“Run, run, run!”

“Damn, even Bai, the campus belle, looks gorgeous when she runs!”

Bai Yuyou was incredibly fast, but the Class Three student chased close behind, tongue hanging out and facial features beginning to twist from the effort.

Too much Naruto, apparently.

“...”

“Class Three and Class One are both flying now—the other classes have completely fallen behind!”

“Only a few dozen meters remain to the finish line. Who will take the championship?!”

As she saw the red finish line drawing near, Bai Yuyou glanced at the girl in the lane beside her. She thought of Ye Shuang patting her head and encouraging her before she went onstage, and of Tang Keke crying earlier. For no apparent reason, a fresh burst of strength rose from the soles of her feet.

“Go!!!!!!!!” Ye Shuang shouted from the stands, and Bai Yuyou surged forward once more!

“She’s crossed the line! Congratulations to Class One for winning the gold!”

Bai Yuyou gradually slowed to a stop. She blankly looked back at the screen behind her, and when she confirmed that “Business Administration Class One” stood in first place, a long-absent smile appeared on her face. Bathed in the falling sunlight, she seemed to sparkle.

“Yuyou!”

“Hahaha, we got first place!”

Keke and Peach came over as well, immediately pulling Bai Yuyou into a big hug!

“Woohoo! We got first place! We won the championship!”

“Keke, you’re going to strangle me.”

“Hehe, I’m just too happy.”

From the stands, Ye Shuang watched the girls cheer excitedly, and he finally felt a weight lift from his heart. “They really did win the championship.”

When Keke had shouted those two times just now, even Ye Shuang had felt the thrill of youth surge through him.

What a pity that no one could experience youth and understand the feeling of youth at the same time.

“You’ve clearly been watching too much anime. Aren’t they afraid of falling flat on their faces running like ninjas?” An Shiyu sat beside Ye Shuang, quietly making fun of Class Three’s running style. Strangely enough, though, they really did seem to run a little faster that way.

What was the reason?

Were they lowering their bodies to reduce wind resistance?

It wasn’t as if they were cars or airplanes.

“You don’t understand. It’s called the power of otaku energy.” Anshi Yi looked as though she had seen it all before. “For example, some people shout things like, ‘Anime waifu, lend me your strength!’ Basically, it helps strengthen their resolve.”

“Oh.”

“When are you running?” Chao Yiyu asked Ye Shuang at that moment. After all, Ye Shuang had signed up too.

“Me? Sometime this afternoon, I guess.” Ye Shuang glanced at the time. Chen Qin should be arriving soon as well, and it really wasn’t easy for her to take time off from work to come over.

Just as Ye Shuang was thinking about Chen Qin, his phone vibrated.

He looked at it and saw that Chen Qin had sent him a message.

Chen Qin: Hubby, did you miss me?

Chen Qin: Poke poke.jpg

Ye Shuang smiled when he saw the messages.

Ye Shuang: I was just thinking about you.

Chen Qin: Really? Shh—are you just sweet-talking me?

Ye Shuang: Truer than a pearl. I’m absolutely not pulling your leg.

Chen Qin: Then I’ll believe you. Have Little Yuyou and the others finished their race? What place did they get?

Ye Shuang: First place—the championship. The girls ran really hard, especially Keke. They’re all still hugging each other right now.

Ye Shuang took out his phone and snapped a picture for Chen Qin. It showed Bai Yuyou and the others hugging one another.

Chen Qin: Really? What a shame I haven’t arrived yet.

Chen Qin: They’re dressed pretty lightly. Make sure they keep warm after exercising. It’s still chilly in spring.

Chen Qin seemed to still be on the road. Just then, she sent over her location as well. Ye Shuang took a look and saw that she would still need a little more time to get there.

Still, she would definitely arrive in time for his race.

Chen Qin had said earlier that she wanted to participate too, but in the end, Ye Shuang had talked her out of it out of concern for her health. After all, she had only recovered a few months ago, and strenuous exercise would not have been appropriate.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Qin finally drove into the parking garage.

“Hmph, hm-hmm~” Sitting in her pink Porsche, Chen Qin hummed a cheerful tune. Before getting out, she even opened the vanity mirror to touch up her makeup. After all, she wanted her beloved to see her looking her most beautiful at all times.

She was also wearing a beautiful white dress.

She pursed her lips and gave a little kissy sound. “Mwah.”

Satisfied, Chen Qin got out of the car and closed the door behind her.

Just as Chen Qin was about to step into the elevator, she ran into someone at the corner.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

Chen Qin instinctively straightened her clothes, but when she looked up, she froze.

“You are...?”

A sharp, icy pain suddenly pierced her abdomen.

Chen Qin stared at the person before her in disbelief, then lowered her gaze to the long blade buried in her body.

Blood had already spread from the wound, staining her white dress crimson—vivid and glaring.

“Mm...”