The reason why the jet ski event is distinguished between single and double riders is simple.

The single category is purely a racing competition, while the double category aims to transform into a bloodbath like water skiing with bullets flying everywhere.

Just considering the difficulty, it might be easier to engage in a shootout on a jet ski solo than in water skiing, but it’s still quite a challenge. It requires a ridiculous level of balance, after all.

The whole water sport category has such a high barrier to entry that students don’t actively participate. In fact, many students who initially expressed interest in water skiing ended up dropping out and switching events; if jet skiing were the same, many students who wanted to participate wouldn’t have been able to.

So, calling it a festival is a bit off, right?

Anyway. Among the four teams that reached the finals, the ones to watch are ultimately two: the Arius Squad duo and the Tom and Jerry duo.

Since Azusa and Saori are a proven combo, there’s no need to elaborate further. Surprisingly, it was Azusa piloting the jet ski, as it seems that the combat environment supporting her wasn’t quite ideal.

Azusa shines best in battlefields like guerrilla warfare where traps are set up and she can hit and run, so it’s only natural. On the other hand, Saori, being more of a jack-of-all-trades, was suitable for the support role.

Akari and Iori were an unexpected combination, and the synergy wasn’t particularly impressive either.

In other words, they’re a team that relies entirely on individual skills rather than teamwork. But the strengths were too apparent.

It seems that madness on land doesn’t vanish on water, because Akari rode the jet ski like a maniac, tearing across the surface. Honestly, she looked like a talent who should have competed in the single jet ski racing instead.

Iori often gets undervalued for her ridiculous shortcomings in the story, but she’s not that weak either.

To emphasize this point again, she does have a decent level of power as the second-in-command of the student council, although it’s somewhat unreasonable to put her right below Hina.

Still, during this competition, she definitely showcased her skills. But why must she stand out where she shouldn’t? The more she proves her capability, the more difficult it gets for me…

Ding. Ding. Ding. Deeii—ng—

With the signal dropped, four jet skis flew off in unison with a resounding sound. At that speed, they would reach the shooting allowance line in no more than 10 seconds.

In pure speed, it couldn’t even be compared to water skiing. Even without hitting maximum speed yet, the top speed of water skiing isn’t much, looking likely to be outdone.

Passing the shooting allowance line in the blink of an eye, the sharpshooters on the back seats swiftly aimed their guns at each other.

But then…

[W-What?! That’s me?!]

Iori’s panicked face, caught by the broadcast drone, flashed up on the scoreboard. The Gehenna mob teams likely didn’t expect to target their only Trinity team over themselves, thinking they would team up to focus on attacking them.

Of course, I can’t use special techniques like “Poison Control.” But given she’s feeling wronged, I could roughly fit my own lines in, and it would match perfectly. There’s a good chance it was something like that in reality, too.

Whether it’s crossing the finish line faster than other teams or knocking out opponents to become the last survivor, determining which is easier or harder is futile.

Excluding Akari, who seems solely focused on finishing, it’s obvious the aggressive Gehenna students prefer the latter.

Even Iori, on the same team as her, feels this way. That perhaps could be the source of the disharmony between the Tom and Jerry team.

[Oh dear, what’s going on here? The match is flowing completely differently from the setup many might have anticipated, including myself! How fascinating! Gehenna Team 3 is advancing while being unexpectedly focused on! Behind them are Gehenna Teams 1 and 2 in pursuit, while Trinity Team 1 is watching for opportunities!]

No, Student Council President, you seem too entertained.

Is this really the Student Council President I used to know…?

[Ah, just as I mention it! Trinity Team 1 is rapidly increasing their speed and is threading between Gehenna Teams 1 and 2!]

Azusa’s perilous jet ski driving cuts across the two Gehenna teams. Meanwhile, Saori unleashes a barrage with handguns and assault rifles in both hands.

Didn’t they say Gehenna students were aggressive? The two from Arius aren’t lacking in aggression either.

Arius Squad, you’re the best! Let’s sink those horned Gehenna students into the sea…!

[Gehenna Team 2 has lost its sharpshooter! With their sharpshooter gone, they can only focus on the race now! They cannot afford to slow down if they want to cross the finish line…!]

The Arius duo swiftly neutralized one team’s offensive capabilities and continued to accelerate.

Bang!!

Iori, unable to sit idly by, opened fire, but Azusa smoothly maneuvered the speeding jet ski to dodge Iori’s shots, creating a majestic scene.

She even tried to dive back in when Iori would inevitably find a chance to reload, but…

[Trinity Team 1 makes a move, but Gehenna Team 3’s sharpshooter’s weapon has a magazine capacity of just five shots…! Could there be an error in their calculations?]

As if attempting to reload, Iori presented an opening, and a bullet infused with Shinpi’s essence was fired directly at the Arius duo…

[Trinity Team 1 makes a sharp maneuver, widening the distance with Gehenna Team 3; however, they are escaping a crisis, indeed! Their skill proves that the number of jet skis they’ve sunk is not just mere luck!]

The shot cut through the air without hitting its target. One could argue that Azusa’s reckless driving could have shaken her up somewhat, but Saori coldly continued her relentless assault on Gehenna Team 1, which had wedged itself between them and Iori.

At the same time, she aggressively targeted Gehenna Team 2, which was trying to push through after losing its sharpshooter. It was clear she intended to eliminate one team before advancing.

On the flip side, Gehenna Team 1 had a tasty-looking target in sight. It was, in fact, the team of Iori, which had just emptied its magazine and was in the process of reloading.

As the sharpshooter from Gehenna Team 1 opened fire with a machine gun, Akari cranked up the speed. Iori, mid-reload, jumped in surprise and dropped a bullet, shooting off to catch up with Akari.

[Gehenna Team 3 is accelerating at a worrying level, leaving the curve. Meanwhile, Trinity Team 1 has successfully eliminated Gehenna Team 2, which struggled to push through after losing its sharpshooter!]

In the midst of all the chaos, Saori casually shot down one of the mob students in Gehenna Team 2 with perfect aim. Despite not being able to see her supposed chic and sexy smile due to the mask, I knew she had one on her face.

[Gehenna Team 3 will pull off an incredible maneuver to exit the curve safely. With this, the remaining distance must be closed further, and the other two teams feel they can’t afford to give them space any longer, boosting their speed just as they emerge from the curve. The match is just entering the mid-game!]

Thanks to the time Akari bought, Iori finished reloading and turned to aim her gun behind. The following three shots echoed out a sound that was on an entirely different level than before as they shot toward the pursuing two teams.

As the stray bullets splashed the water, it caused an instant wave, creating a conical space of such might that the graduating Gehenna mobsters were taken by surprise and attempted to evade.

[Shiroimi Iori player, clean hit! In one shot, she takes out Gehenna Team 1! Unfortunately, her shot aimed at Trinity Team 1 went astray, but now the match transitions into a 1-to-1 structure at the halfway point!]

Seemingly realizing that her handgun was becoming useless due to the ever-increasing distance, Saori stowed her handgun and clutched the barrel cover of her rifle. She seemed to deduce that precise shooting would determine the outcome from now on.

“Hehe… It seems victory is already determined! The distance between the two teams has stretched over 100 meters.”

“Right, and the effective range of Saori’s weapon exceeds 400 meters easily. Even considering the drastically low hit rate due to the unstable environment, if one shot lands, the game can turn at any moment. So saying it’s too early to celebrate is right, Makoto-chan.”

“Hehe…! Guess the talk has drawn out, Misono Mika! Are you scared? Seems you’re scared, huh? Well, you ought to be! If you don’t secure first place here, your chance to catch up to us will vanish forever! But look—see the poor shooting skills of your so-called Trinity representative! Not a single shot…?”

[Aah! Shiroimi Iori player! The excessive focus on shooting causes her to lose balance during a later curve and enters the water! The communication breakdown in Gehenna Team 3 has officially been revealed.]

“Hahaha, I told you so! Makoto-chan, it’s too early to celebrate! Now that this has happened, Akari-chan’s jet ski has become a moving target. I can assure you, Saori-chan will never miss such an opportunity.”

Even if Iori entered the water in a ridiculous manner, leaving Akari to handle the jet ski alone still didn’t change the fact that the Arius duo was at a disadvantage.

But I believed in Saori.

I trusted that she would bring victory to me.

…I faced down that red-eyed monster to save you, so you could manage this much, right? C’mon, Saori?

Am I really going to believe it? I do believe it!

[Finally entering the latter half of the match. Gehenna Team 3’s Wanibuchi Akari is dashing at top speed! Trinity Team 1 is fiercely pursuing, but both teams have hit top speed, so the distance cannot shrink! The match fate hinges on the shooting of Jomae Saori, and her shots have become more cautious… The finish line is just ahead… Ahh!!! Hit! It’s a hit!]

As Akari dropped, collapsing beside the jet ski, I clenched my fist, leaping up in triumph.

Yes! That’s it, Saori!

That’s it! This is payback, and this is show and prove!

[Jomae Saori player, with only 50 meters left for Gehenna Team 3 to finish, successfully nails Wanibuchi Akari, turning her into shark bait! Though the outcome was uncertain until the very last moment, a victor has been determined. Trinity Team 1 slows down and leisurely crosses the finish line!]

Damn… I really trusted it!!!

“What, what?! This makes no sense! Hitting just 50 meters before the finish line?!”

“Hahaha!!! Makoto-chan, your face is hilarious☆ Baseball finishes in the ninth inning with two outs! You should have known it’s not over until it’s over, right? What matters is the unyielding spirit! Now do you see what I mean?!”

Huff, huff. Hahaha!

The cheers from the audience of Trinity, of course, the neutral audience, and even from the Gehenna audience echoed, making my ears ring at the thrilling and exciting contest.

But I didn’t care about any of that. Even though we just barely led Gehenna, the feeling of joy in this moment couldn’t be tarnished.

[The gold medal for the 2-person jet ski finals and the honor of the first gold medal of the 20XX Summer Festival goes to Trinity Team’s Shirase Azusa and Jomae Saori!]

“Our poor Makoto-chan, boasting like they had it all won… look at this. They lost? Hehe.”

“Kyaaa!!!”

Though I couldn’t shut Makoto up, our squirrel and demoness undoubtedly shattered her spirit…

I could use a drink…