Damn it, pull yourself together Tamao! You mustn't lose!Tamao closed his eyes and tried to calm down.Horo is sitting next to you, but that doesn't mean anything. It is much more important to win the competition, otherwise Mr. Takeshi will be very disappointed. Focus on the questions!She noticed the voices of the competitors, who had scored points all along, and she was aware that she had to give everything to catch up. She opened her eyes and listened intently to the next question Mr. Minoru read from the cards in his hand.
"Which country does the sunflower originally come from?"
Tamao pressed the red button in a flash, even before the others could even react.
"America," she replied.
"Correct!"
The "Green Meadow" immediately received ten points. Horo was very surprised by Tamao's quick reaction and it had become clear to him that he - just like her - had to concentrate on the competition.Mr. Minoru's next question followed.
"How do the lilies reproduce?"
Shortly after the owner of the Tokyo Main Park had voiced the question, the signal from the red button sounded, for which Horo was responsible.
"Lilies reproduce vegetatively, so asexually," said Horo, while the others - including Tamao - looked at him in amazement.
"Uh ... the answer is correct!", Mr. Minoru shouted, surprised by Horo's quick answer.
"Well done, Horo!" Tamao said smiling to him as she patted his shoulder with her hand.
But she immediately realized what she was doing and quickly withdrew her hand.Tamao, you are so stupid! You pretend you're his buddy!
With a bright red face she added softly: "We uh ... have to catch up."
"Yes," Horo replied with a smile, remembering that Tamao looked so cute when she blushed.
The competition progressed and, surprisingly, the "Green Meadow" caught up in the first round.When all the questions were asked, Mr. Minoru announced the result.
"The winners of the first round," he paused to make it as exciting as possible, "are the" Green Paradise "park with 230 points, followed by the" Green Meadow "with 210 points. Congratulations! the finalists for the final round. "
"We made it to the final!" Shouted Horo and Tamao with joy. Mr. Takeshi, who was sitting on the bench, waved to the two of them and beamed.
"I ask the participants of the two parks to come to the front so that I can explain the rules of the final round to you."
Horo, Tamao and the other two finalists complied with Mr. Minoru's request.
"In the final round, team partners and perseverance are required to work together," said the organizer of the competition, pointing to the lake in the center of the park. "In the lake there are small, square wooden panels that float in a row and are connected to each other by a rope.This little bridge connects the bank on one side with the bank on the other side of the lake. There are two of these bridges in total, one for each team. As you can see, on one side is a board with 20 scientific names of different flowers. On the other side are the associated normal names written on cards. However, these cards are hidden in a large basin filled with styrofoam. But there are two other obstacles: There are 30 cards in the pool, which means that there are also false names. In addition, the bridges float around loosely in the water. One of the team partners has to hold on to the ropes so that his partner can walk over the bridge. You have a total of eight minutes. When the time is up, the team that has the most correct name combinations wins. And what is also very important: you can only walk through the bridge with one card in hand! Running with several cards at once is absolutely forbidden!Are there any questions? "
The teams knew the rules and nobody had a question.
"Okay, then briefly discuss who is holding the ropes and who is running through the bridge, and then go to your places at the lake."
"Tamao, it is best if I hold the ropes and you run over the bridge because I am stronger and you are lighter than me," suggested Horo after Mr. Minoru had finished speaking.
"Yes, I think so too. We absolutely have to win! I'll do my best!"
"Me too!" Said Horo resolutely.
Both teams had already clarified who would play which role and were ready to start. They just waited for the signal from Mr. Minoru.
"I see you're ready. Then we'll start the final round. On your marks ... get set ... go!"
At the same moment Tamao sprinted over the bridge, which was being held by Horo. When she reached the other bank of the lake, she searched the pool for cards with the correct names. It was taking longer than she expected and she quickly looked at the large display board.She had seven minutes left. She saw how the other group already had three cards hanging on the board while there were still no cards on their board.Shit, we're behind! I have to think of a tactic quickly!Something suddenly occurred to her. She was very quick at sprinting and so she concentrated on looking for the cards and when she had all of them all she had to do was get the cards to the other side as quickly as possible. This would save her time and Horo would not have to hold onto the rope all the time.Yes, that's how I do it!Tamao looked at Horo and gave him a sign to let go of the rope first. Horo understood immediately and without hesitation he trusted her and loosened his grip. Then Tamao turned to looking for cards. She dug around with her hands in the styrofoam pool like crazy and found four cards. The minutes passed and the spectators were amazed that Tamao still did not walk over the bridge to hang up some cards.But she was sure that her plan would work. Horo noticed that the other team already had thirteen cards on their board.[i]Faster, Tamao! She also knew that the other team was way ahead. She was only missing two cards and then she had them all. She dug deeper into the styrofoam and pulled out three cards. With a happy smile, she saw that they were the right ones. She picked up one and ran towards the bridge. Horo knew immediately that she had found all the cards and had to hang them on the board. Immediately he held the ropes tight again. It was much easier for him because he didn't have to hold onto her beforehand and so had gathered strength. There were only three minutes left.
"Faster, Tamao! You can do it!" He cheered her on.
Tamao heard Horo's voice and ran even faster. She'd never sprinted so fast in her life, but amazingly, she wasn't exhausted. She only thought of winning.Tamao hung up the 19th card and sprinted back again. On the board of their opponents there were also 19 cards, but one team partner was still looking for the last one. However, when Tamao reached the other bank again, the enemy found it. She quickly grabbed hers and ran over the wooden panels. It was a head to head race because there were only nine seconds left.
"Come on, Tamao! Faster!" Shouted Horo.
Through Horo's words she suddenly got more strength and ran even faster. She left her opponent far behind and hung the card on the board. Exactly at this moment a signal sounded, which indicated the end of the final round. The opposing team had 19 cards hanging on their board, while Tamao managed to hang up all 20 cards. Mr. Minoru then went to the "Green Meadow" board and checked the correctness of the card combinations. Tamao had to gasp. She was completely out of breath.
"Well done!", Horo praised her with a smile."There ... thanks ..." she said, panting.
Everyone waited eagerly for Mr. Minoru. The latter turned away from the board and smiled.
"The winner of this year's competition is ...", he fell silent for a moment and immediately continued, "The Green Meadow Park! Congratulations!"
Horo and Tamao looked stunned at Mr. Minoru and then looked at each other while the audience was already cheering. Tamao ran to Horo and hugged him happily, who also took her in his arms.
"We won!" She yelled.
"Yes! Won!"
Horo still held her tightly in his arms and lifted her up with joy. It was only when Mr. Takeshi came to them that they both loosened their hug and looked away, embarrassed. Tamao blushed again.
"You did a great job! I'm so proud of you!"
Mr. Minoru stepped up to the two of them and gave them the 400,000 yen, which was contained in a gold envelope. He also hung a flower-shaped gold medal around Tamao and Horo.While the audience applauded, Horo and Tamao watched each other. Everything around them seemed to be quiet, but inside a hurricane of emotions raged ...