CHAPTER 45: THE TRACK OF MONSTERS (Part 2)
It was a sweltering day. The sun beat down on the track so fiercely that the heat radiating from the synthetic surface hit straight against the face.
The race wasn't over yet, but a distinct venom had already dissolved into the air.
*Swoosh.*
Suddenly, Satoshi Ichigaya accelerated.
He wasn't just running; he was gliding across the track.
His feet barely touched the ground before lifting off again, as if he had completely shattered his limits.
Right behind him was the 6.7-foot giant, Junpei Kurodan.
His big lungs drew in air with effortless ease.
He glanced at Satoshi once and remained perfectly calm in his mind:
*"This race is just a routine for me.
Who wins and who loses...
I couldn't care less about such trivial things.
I will just run at my own pace."*
That same faint smile lingered on Satoshi's face.
As he ran, he thought to himself,
*"Oh my, this behemoth has surpassed even my expectations.
He might stay completely aloof in class, but the monster inside him... is truly quite powerful."*
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, having completed his 300 squats without stopping in the scorching sun, Renjiro Hoshino stood with his eyes glued to the track in absolute terror.
Seeing Satoshi's inhuman speed left Renjiro completely paralyzed with shock.
*"What kind of race is this... this guy, how is he running so fast? In class, he was talking to me pretending to be so innocent.
But when he looked at me... those eyes of his told me everything.
There's a psycho monster hiding behind that smile. I have to stay away from him at all costs!"*
A little further back on the track, seeing Satoshi pull ahead so rapidly made Yuto Sakurai's ego boil over.
Gritting his teeth, he yelled out,
"Where do you think you're going, you squinty-eyed freak?!
Look back, your daddy is coming for you!"
Yuto let out a terrifying laugh, like a predator on the hunt.
Without dropping his speed, Satoshi looked back with a smile,
"Oh, were you talking to me?"
Just then, Tsuyoshi Taro, maintaining his flawless, disciplined speed, surged a step ahead right past Yuto.
*"Oh hell no!
How can he be this fast?!"*
Yuto thought.
*"Damn it! No matter what happens,
I am absolutely not losing to this arrogant prick in this race!"*
The pressure and heat of the race had now crossed all limits.
Many ordinary students running on the track were giving up and collapsing midway.
Koji said to his friends, "Man, my ass is completely busted running today, fuck."
Takuya snapped, panting, "Bastard, my mouth is dry as a bone here and you're worried about your ass."
Makoto yelled, "Can't you two ever shut the fuck up?! You're always going at each other like cats and dogs."
Takuya suddenly stumbled, "Ah man, I can't take another step bro, it's game over for me now."
Koji collapsed onto the track, "Alright, that's it... no more."
Makoto also gave up, "Fine, I can't run anymore either. Let's just end this here."
The alignment of the top group was completely set.
Zixuan Lee was running dead ahead in a straight line.
Exactly one step behind him was Tsuyoshi, running perfectly parallel to Junpei.
Yuto had now fallen one step behind all of them.
But suddenly... Satoshi drastically dropped his speed.
*"I've had my fun, this game has dragged on long enough now,"* he thought calmly.
Running up ahead, Zixuan Lee glanced back slightly.
*"Just what is his strategy?"*
Zixuan thought in bewilderment.
*"How did he slow down so suddenly?
He was running right beside me just a moment ago.
What exactly is he trying to pull?"*
Junpei Kurodan also pondered,
*"Huh... how did he get so slow all of a sudden?
He was running so incredibly fast just a while ago, why did he abruptly drop to the back?"*
Satoshi gradually slowed his pace, dropping back until he was running right alongside Yuto.
Yuto was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Satoshi glanced at him with a mocking, sarcastic smile.
"How's it going, Yuto?
Enjoying the run, aren't you?"
"Are you here to get your ass kicked?!" Yuto glared at him fiercely, his heavy footfalls pounding against the track.
"You were flying out front a second ago!
What happened, did you chicken out?"
Without even breaking his breathing rhythm, Satoshi maintained that same calm, taunting smile and replied,
"Oh, no. You've got it all wrong.
Actually... running up front was just getting a little too boring."
"Do I look like a fucking kid to you?!"
Yuto gritted his teeth.
"Don't forget your place, got it?!"
"Man, you're something else.
I was just surprised, that's all," Satoshi said, feigning total innocence.
"I thought you considered yourself the 'Top Dog' of this school.
The guy who always makes his own rules."
"What the hell are you barking about?!" Yuto roared.
Satoshi casually gestured toward Tsuyoshi Taro, who was running ahead of them.
"Look at Tsuyoshi.
He made the class rules... and here you are, jogging quietly behind him, wagging your tail like a loyal pet dog."
"Shut your damn mouth!"
Blood rushed to Yuto's eyes.
"I'm nobody's pet!"
"Hey, don't get mad just because I'm speaking the truth.
After all, why don't you get it... or maybe you just don't want to?"
Satoshi's voice suddenly grew cold and venomous.
"Or perhaps... Hiroto's 'Wild Card' is just an empty title now."
Yuto was boiling over, his eyes glinting dangerously with rage.
"Shut the fuck up!
Don't push me any further, or I swear you'll burn in my fire, you bastard!"
Satoshi didn't stop; he went in for the final blow.
"I just want to ask you one thing.
Are you really that terrified of Tsuyoshi that you've started following the school and class rules?
I thought you were entirely different from the rest."
"Fuck you!!" Yuto's breaking point finally snapped.
The 'pet dog' comment and the jab about Hiroto had pierced right through his ego.
Furious, he poured every last ounce of breath into a dead sprint, tearing ahead on the track.
"Just you watch!
I'm going to kick that monitor's ass!"
The moment Yuto surged forward, the smile on Satoshi's lips deepened.
His closed eyes parted slightly, and his Orange eye gleamed with an eerie, unearthly light.
*"Yuto, what did you tell me?
If I play with fire, I'll get burned... but what you don't know is that I absolutely love playing with fire."*
Yuto was running like a rabid dog.
*"That squinty-eyed freak actually managed to piss me off... now this is a matter of my pride,I am not losing! Tsuyoshi, I will definitely show you your place!"*
They had already completed 2 laps, and now only the final lap remained. The finishing line was just a short distance away.
Zixuan was at the very front, Tsuyoshi right beside him, and Junpei one step behind. Sprinting furiously, Yuto pulled up directly parallel to Tsuyoshi. A crazed, unhinged smile stretched across his face.
"Where do you think you're going, Tsuyoshi?!
You can't ignore me that easily!" Yuto roared.
Tsuyoshi glanced back slightly, his rust-colored eyes perfectly calm and cold.
"I am not ignoring you, Sakurai.
I simply don't pay attention to the trash lying on the road.
If you're done barking, use whatever breath you have left to run."
However, internally, Tsuyoshi thought,
*"Just what kind of dirty trick is he planning to pull on me?"*
Hearing this, a vein practically popped in Yuto's head.
At that exact moment, to defeat Tsuyoshi, he decided to execute a vile, supposedly 'Accidental' move.
Yuto deliberately acted as if he had stumbled. He fell forward, but as he went down, he thrust his right leg out with full speed and power, aiming a direct sweep at Tsuyoshi's left ankle to take him down.
A demonic glint flashed in Yuto's yellow eyes.
*"Flying high on your arrogance, aren't you?!
Now fall flat on your face right here on this track and taste the dirt!"*
This dirty trick didn't escape the notice of the other monsters running on the track.
Running at the very front, Zixuan Lee cast a slight glance backward with his cold ruby eyes.
His mind had already analyzed the move like a supercomputer.
*"A cheap, filthy trick... in his desperation to attack, Sakurai has completely ruined his center of gravity. His game is over."*
Running right beside them, Junpei Kurodan also witnessed the attack.
There was only a cold sense of irritation in his teal-green eyes.
*"How pathetic,"* Junpei thought placidly.
*"Sinking this low just to pull ahead... what garbage."*
He seamlessly shifted his focus back to the track ahead.
And trailing slightly behind them all, the smile on Satoshi Ichigaya's lips grew even more sinister.
*"Fufufu... everything played out exactly as I predicted.
Now let's see how this monitor handles our wild card."*
But Yuto had forgotten about Tsuyoshi Taro's sheer skills and discipline.
Tsuyoshi's senses were so razor-sharp that the moment the rhythm of Yuto's footsteps shifted, he knew an attack was coming from his blind spot.
Just a fraction of a second before Yuto's shoe could hit his ankle, Tsuyoshi, without dropping his top speed even slightly, executed a perfect "Side-Step" in a single millisecond.
Yuto's target missed completely in thin air!
He had poured his entire body's momentum, weight, and speed into that single, vile kick.
The moment the kick missed, his balance instantly dropped to zero.
Right before crashing into the ground, stumbling in the air, Yuto's widened eyes caught sight of Tsuyoshi shifting out of the way, and with a surge of dread, only one thought crossed his mind:
*"Wait... what the hell ?!"*
BAM!!
A sickening sound of impact echoed as he hit the ground. Utterly unable to control his fall, Yuto slammed face-first into the synthetic track.
He skidded forward, his face scraping painfully against the rough surface. Dust coated his face, and slight scratches tore across his skin.
Without slowing his pace, Tsuyoshi merely tilted his head slightly backward. His rust-colored eyes held an absolute cold, dangerous, and mocking glint.
"No one can stay standing on their own two feet forever by relying on such filthy tricks.
The next time you think of laying a hand on me... remember your place, Sakurai."
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