Late October.
　The sun was shining brightly on a clear and sunny day, and a sports day was being held at Amana's elementary school.
　I don't know if you've heard of it before, but the teams were divided into the red team and the white team, competing for points.
　I had heard during practice that Amana and her friends were in the white team because they were in the same class.

　Looking back, this is the first time I've come to this elementary school since I dropped Amari off for a class visit, but this is the first time I've really set foot in this school.
　But that doesn't mean I can't walk around with a big smile on my face.

　Instead, the adults around me are either teachers or close relatives of current students, and I don't feel out of place at all.
　Maybe I'm the only adult who comes in the student's friend zone.
　If I hadn't come with Amari, it would have been a normal problem.

　But the teacher in charge of the reception desk treated me like the "mainstay of the South family".
　It's better than being reported as a suspicious person, but it's hard to say later that we're actually friends from a year apart.

　I feel like a spy who has invaded a hostile country, where if I say or do anything even slightly unnatural, I'll be put on the noose immediately.
　People in my day job would be angry if they knew, but that was the closest I could get to it.

''Wa-san?　I'm zoning out, is that okay?
'Yeah, oh, I'm fine. I'm just nervous because it's my first time getting into a school that isn't my alma mater.
''Actually, this is my first time coming to Tenna's sports day too...''
'Why ... oh, you're at work. I'm just glad it didn't turn out like a class visit this time.
'Yes. Mayuzumi-san gave me a hand and pushed me to come and support him to the fullest.

　Mayuzumi-san is that mukimuki-kione.
　Apparently he was worried about Amari not being able to see Amana's sunny face.

　Tenashi doesn't seem to know the exact procedure, but anyone would be scared of being crowded by that thick makeup and muscles, of course.
　It wouldn't be surprising if they were lightly traumatized.

　While praying for the peace of mind of our boss, who must have had a scary experience, we move to the audience space.

　We manage to sit down in a position where we can easily see the schoolyard while other people are already there.

'We're going to have the opening ceremony now, right?
'Yes. It's like the freshman relay starts there.
So that means Amana-chan and the others will be our start.
Yes. I'm ready to record.

　While saying that, Amari started holding up her phone.
　The other guardians are also holding up their phones in the same way because it's lighter and cleaner than a bad camera.

　I'm not going to record it?
　It's like a miracle that you're here, but if you do anything suspicious like that, you'll get caught.
　I'm not going to cross any dangerous bridge that I can see.

　While I was urging my mind to be more careful, the opening ceremony began.
　I vaguely understood that the overall number of students at school was on the decline due to the declining birthrate, but compared to when I was in elementary school, the number of students is certainly smaller.

　Even so, the smiles on the children's faces as they line up in the schoolyard don't give me the slightest hint of melancholy.
　In particular.........the first one I spotted, Amana, has a spirited expression on her face as she tries to show the fruits of her practice.

　Following the principal's greeting, the pledge of players by the sixth year students is followed by the spirit of the tree.
　As soon as the opening ceremony was over, an announcement was made for the first event, the 200-meter relay for the first-year students.

　I find Amana and her friends among the first year students who will be running in the relay.
　Before lining up in their respective running order, the four of them put their hands together and form a circle.
　They raise their hands in unison and wish each other well, drawing the attention of the students and parents around them.

　I taught Amana and the others this ritual as a way to get them fired up during the last practice before the sports day.
　It was worth it, but the four of them showed no signs of nervousness.

　When they arrived at the 4 lanes divided by white lines, the children waited impatiently for the signal to start the race.
　The first runner is Hasumi.
　The first runner was Hasumi-chan, who was chosen under the guidance of Miya to run first in order to gain distance.

''Get in position, alright........''

　Pow!

"....

　Everyone ran at once with the start.
　However, Hasumi is still overwhelming compared to girls of the same age, and she is quickly separating herself from the rest of the pack.

　She was fast in the past, but the practice of Miya and I has made her even faster.
　Not only the upperclassmen, but also the parents who didn't know her, were watching her.
　Maybe she'll become a future Olympic athlete...I could see that faint expectation in their hands.

''Chiyucchi!''
I'll do it!

　In the blink of an eye, Hasumi ran through her own 50 meters and passed the baton to the second runner, Chiuri.
　Her cheeks unconsciously relax at her confident words.

　Chiuri-chan herself, though not as good as Hasumi-chan, has set a record that is easily surpassed the basic level.
　In her case, there was a great deal of anxiety about whether she would make a mistake in passing the baton.
　If she made such a mistake in the race, she would be lost.

　To prevent such a mistake, Chiyuri practiced more and more on the baton pass.
　The result was a superposition, and she received the baton without an inch of error.

Kana-chan!　Good luck!
Uh-huh!

　Because of the amount of money earned by Hasumi, Chiuri passed the baton to the third runner, Kana-chan, without being overtaken by anyone.
　I was relieved to see that she could not only catch the ball but also pass it without a hitch.

　Kana-chan is not the most athletic of the four, but that's because she has so much room to grow.
　However, she also has a lot of room to grow, so it can be said that she has grown the most through practice.
　The proof of this is that her time, which had been slow, has shrunk and is now above the average for elementary school girls.

　But this is where the rest of the field catches up.
　It seems that the second half of the race seems to be run in the order of the fastest children, and with Kana-chan's tentative running ability, she can easily close the distance.

　Even so, Kana-chan runs with all her might.
　For the sake of her classmates and Amana-chan and the others, the quiet and shy girl keeps running, desperately looking only at the front.

　Before long, the girls who have been following her start to line up with Kana-chan.
　However, there is no gloom on her face.

　After all.....

"Ah, Amana-chan!
Yes!

　Because the baton was passed on to the last runner, Amana-chan.
　

　
　Because we know how hard we had been practicing.
　They had declared that they were going to be the best to us.

　Amana-chan, who is still small right now, moves her legs in order to link her repeated efforts to the desired result.
　The speed is so fast that it separates the opponents who were lined up at the start of the race.

　The result of the relay is... needless to say, it goes without saying.

　Amana-chan and the others won first place.
　In an athletic meet with a lot of students, this first place is not that significant.

　But as I was watching them do their best, it was the most important thing I saw of all.