The long yet short summer vacation came to an end, and even in September, the schoolyard still clung to the lingering heat of the intense summer.

A few days after the opening ceremony of the second term.

While my classmates, now tanned dark from the sun, happily reunited, I sat as usual in my assigned seat—second from the back by the window—looking over the handout that had been distributed.

"...Footrace, ball toss, tug-of-war, class relay, huh. This looks way more serious than those company bonding sports days from my previous life, but I wonder how much I can do with this six-year-old body."

I muttered to myself in a low, husky voice as I rotated my slender wrist.

Even though I had built up some stamina over summer break through playing in the park with Aoi and doing my own training, there were still limits to a six-year-old’s body.

But the “core strength” and “sense of weight transfer” I had honed on snowy mountains in my previous life were definitely still there.

"Good day, Nanase-san. I wonder if your legs won’t get tangled from your summer break laziness during the real event?"

A familiar voice—dignified, yet somehow light.

When I turned, there stood Hojo Anju, who seemed like she had grown a little taller over the summer, arms crossed.

"Oh, it’s you, Anju. If anything, aren’t you the one who’s been practicing violin in an air-conditioned room all summer and losing muscle?"

"Hmph, how rude! A member of the Hojo family must excel in both academics and athletics. ...A-Anyway. If you get chosen for the relay, I might consider cheering for you."

She turned away with a huff, but the tips of her ears were as red as apples.

Since the “piggyback incident” at the summer festival, her attitude had softened noticeably—or rather, her affection was practically overflowing and impossible to hide.

'...She’s kind of cute. Well, I wouldn’t mind getting picked for the relay.'

I nodded casually and put the handout away.

* * *

However, once practice for the sports festival began, my carefree expectations were betrayed in a different way.

"On your marks, set... go!"

During PE class, we were measuring times for the footrace.

At the signal, I launched forward with a sharp start, drawing on the explosive takeoff I used in snowboarding in my previous life.

While the other girls flailed their arms as they ran, I alone maintained an extremely low center of gravity, sprinting with a clean, efficient form.

"...Haa, haa. 9.1 seconds, huh. Not bad."

As I crossed the finish line and brushed my disheveled ponytail back with my hand, a rumbling cheer rose from around me.

"Shizuku-chan is so fast... So cool!"

"Did you see her form just now? It was completely different from everyone else!"

"The way she wipes her sweat... she seriously looks like a prince..."

Before I knew it, not just my classmates but girls from other classes had gathered around the track.

In this 1:15 world, boys who performed well at sports festivals were considered heroes.

But even more than that, Nanase Shizuku—a beautiful girl displaying overwhelming athletic ability and charm—was beginning to evolve into the entire grade’s “object of admiration.”

'...I feel like I’m getting a lot of attention. Must be my imagination.'

Tilting my head, I casually ignored the cheers of the excited mob girls.

* * *

And then, the day of the sports festival arrived.

Under a clear autumn sky, the schoolyard was overflowing with families and intense excitement.

In this world, a sports festival wasn’t just a school event.

For parents with sons, it was a chance to show off their “rare asset.”

For parents with daughters, it was a chance to build connections with future “premium prospects.”

It was a massive social arena filled with calculated intentions and mounting battles.

Amid all that, I stood at the starting point as the anchor for the white team in the class relay.

‘...Oh. That potato kid is here too.’

In the lane next to me was Yuuma—the chubby boy who had tried and failed to offer me chocolate last term—now the anchor for the red team.

He was grinning and telling the girls around him, "If I win, celebrate with me!"

Meanwhile, mothers in the stands were watching with heated gazes.

"My, Yuuma-kun is adorable."

"He’d make a great husband for my daughter..."

Letting out a sigh, I glanced toward the family cheering tents.

Next to my mom sat a familiar blonde girl.

"Shizuku-chaaan! Do your best!!"

It was Hoshikawa Aoi.

Her school’s sports festival had already finished the previous week, and she had come all the way here early in the morning to cheer me on 'and assert her position as the main wife while monitoring.'

Though she waved with an angelic smile, the gaze she directed toward the other girls watching me was that of a predator warning off thieves.

'She’s really enthusiastic about cheering for me as always. Alright, guess I’ll show her something cool.'

As I lightly stretched my Achilles tendon, I saw the third runners approaching with the baton.

"Next, Nanase-san! I’m counting on you!"

The third runner for the white team—was Hojo Anju, running toward me with a desperate expression.

The same girl who usually said running was unrefined was now kicking up dirt without a care, her face flushed red.

As she entered the takeover zone and pressed the baton into my hand, she shouted in a faint but heated voice.

"...Win, Shizuku!"

The shock of being called by my name for the first time.

But I had no time to be shaken.

"—Leave it to me."

I snatched the baton and exploded forward.

Ahead of me, a few meters away, Yuuma had already received his baton.

He might have the advantage in a straight line due to his weight, but the real battle was in the corners.

'It’s just like carving turns on snow. Kill the centrifugal force!'

First corner.

I lowered my posture to the extreme, hugging the inside line and pushing hard against the ground like setting an edge.

A perfect corner with zero wasted motion.

I closed the gap instantly and overtook him at the exit of the second corner.

"Huh!? No way!?"

Panicking, Yuuma flailed his arms, but the speed difference couldn’t be closed.

I sprinted straight through and broke the finish tape first.

For a moment, the schoolyard fell silent—then erupted into a massive roar of cheers.

"Waaahhh! I lost!!"

Leaving behind Yuuma, who had burst into tears, I stopped, breathing heavily.

Then, from both sides, two girls rushed toward me at incredible speed.

"Shizuku! You did it, that was perfect!"

Anju, still flushed from running, grabbed my hand with both of hers and shouted excitedly.

"Shizuku-chan, that was the coolest ever... Here, wipe your sweat. I brought cold tea too!"

Aoi, who shouldn’t even be a student here, ran over from the tent with the face of a “family member,” hugging my other arm and pressing a cold towel to my forehead.

Heat and sweet scents from red and gold closing in from both sides.

And from the stands, countless girls—and even their mothers—looking at me like I was a prince.

Even among the guest seats, adults from distinguished families were watching closely.

"...That child seems quite close to Hojo Anju. I wonder which family she belongs to?"

'...Good grief. I was planning to keep things low-key.'

I gave a wry smile inwardly and looked up at the clear autumn sky.

In this insane 1:15 world, my “unconscious gentlemanly behavior” had already become a potent drug—one that was beginning to spread, quietly yet surely, beyond just girls my age and into the schemes of adults as well.